Failure with a twist...

I didn't go to the street party. Wait. Before you get all disappointed, scrunch up your noses and pull the old "Melissa, we thought more of you, we thought you were going to make something of yourself, you're not living up to your potential" act let me defend my actions.

Little Bro and I spent all day Saturday walking around the city. We went to a street fair, we ate corndogs, we ambled through the Village, we shopped, we got our mom a birthday gift, we hung out in Washington Square Park, we popped in and said hello to my friends from the coffee shop, we saw a movie (go see Little Miss Sunshine, you'll be glad you did) and we planned to have dinner with MT afterward. Well, MT drove into the city, picked us up, he & Little Bro got to talking about music and then before I knew it we were at Guitar Center on 14th St. trying out amps and playing Strats. OK, I was watching and trying not to look out of place (in a guitar store you can tell who doesn't play - we stick out like sore thumbs), the guys were playing. We wrapped up at the shrine-to-all-things-guitar and went to dinner at my favorite little Italian place. Excellent food, excellent atmosphere (tiny lights wrapped around branches all across the ceiling like a forest filled with fireflies - not too dim to be weird while hanging out with Little Bro but dim enough to make everyone look really good). We had too full a day to make it to the bridge by 7:57. So, while the street party was a no-go, we had a great time without it. Little Bro was even able to have a couple of drinks with us at the restaurant.

There's another reason I'm OK with not going last night - today we went to Coney Island. I've lived here on and off for 2 years and had never been to Coney until today. Not only does Coney Island mean boardwalk, the Cyclone, the original Nathan's, the beach, carnival games and some of the best people watching ever... there's a freak show.



Mmm hmm, fuh-reak shuh-how. FREAK SHOW! Holy shit in a bucket, it was so cool! Flame eaters, sword swallowers, contortionists, a chick that danced with a massive albino python (or some kind of snake that seems like it would have a name like "albino python"), a guy who hammered an 18 penny nail into his sinus cavity, another guy who swung a bowling ball in a sling around his head... and the sling was hooked to his earrings, and a mummy. Yep, a mummy.

Plus, we rode the Cyclone. That is some scary pile of wood, let me tell you. Built in 1927, it's got to be in my Top 5 Roller Coasters Of All Time. It was so good and so scary it made me bust my shoe. That probably sounds bizarre. Let me explain - I jammed my feet into the bottom of the car to keep from coming off my seat too much on the big drops and when we went over one of the hills my feet slipped out and I ripped the back of my shoe. I really like the shoes, so you figure I'd be pissed, right? Nope. It's the coolest ruined shoe story I've got. The Cyclone was so good it busted my shoe.

I'm sunburned from 2 days in the sun, exhausted from going and going non-stop from morning 'til night, and couldn't be happier about the way this weekend went. It was so good to see Little Brother. He's got a whole head full of thoughts and ideas and philosophies. He's growing up and I get to watch. It's pretty amazing.