There's a point in the F Line, between Carroll and 7th Avenue in Brooklyn, where for two brief stops the subway emerges from the dank, dark underground and teeters for what feels like hundreds of feet above ground. For this short moment, you can see an expanse of buildings and sky. But what's even better--when one peers toward Manhattan, the Empire State Building rises above the rest of the city, and when the passenger turns toward the harbor, the Statue of Liberty reveals herself for no more than ten seconds as the subway rattles along its elevated tracks. It's beautiful.

The funny thing is that, since I've noticed this unlikely New York attraction tour, I perk up as my car begins its ascent into the sun and sit up in my seat to look. No one--no commuter, no writer, no lawyer, no hipster, no begger, no child nor parent--turns to peer out the windows. That's the thing about New Yorkers. They are just not impressed by their city. Of course, if in the company of someone from outside the boroughs, they eagerly tout the beauty of Manhattan in fall, the up-and-coming nature of Brooklyn, the diversity of cultures and the numerous offbeat urban attractions, but when amongst themselves, the city seems ho-hum. New Yorkers are simultaneously bored and achingly pretentious about their home.

On another note, I've been terrible about updating this since my last entry on August 21. Thinking back, I was very busy for those last three weeks. In the last week of August, I spent my days working and my nights enjoying the last days cozied up in my Harlem apartment. John and I moved, in two borrowed-Suburu-trips, to Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. Since then, we unpacked, adjusted, John's parents arrived to visit and Anna, my new roommate, has moved in, and now John will be moving out on Saturday.

I love my new home. I have to admit that it was hard in Harlem to feel unwelcomed and uncomfortable. I couldn't sit outside or go to a cafe or bookshop. In that sense, Windsor Terrace is the antithesis of West Harlem. As I write, I am sitting in a coffeeshop--the Connecticut Muffin--facing Prospect Park, my laundry is washing a few stores down and families are strolling by, despite the drizzling rain. There are several restaurants--American diners, Mediterranean cuisine, Mexican burrito joints, pizza places, Middle Eastern and Asian restaurants. There's even a Hallmark that features a new kitten named Sarge, or perhaps Kit. (They haven't yet decided on the name.) There's a smalltown feel here with the green trees and the park just a block away that Harlem lacked. Nonetheless, in some ways, Windsor Terrace has similar roots as my old New York home. Here, like in Harlem, the residents are working class--middle-income, hard-working people. Maybe the big difference is that here people are blue collar, and I still am not sure what people in Harlem did except run drugs like all hell on my corner.

On the work front, I will start at Rodale New Product Development on Monday. I'm looking forward to getting busy again. I have really enjoyed these last few days of unbridled touristy fun with John, but knowing that he leaves on Saturday makes me feel depressed and lonely. I'm sure Anna and I will be having fun together this fall, but it will take a little while to get to know one another.

John leaving has been hard on both of us. Where John takes the route that he won't let it affect him, I have had a few sobbing breakdowns intermixed with the negative musings of how our separation will change our relationship. The other morning, however, John woke me with a kiss and blinking back tears, which--in some sick way--settled some fears I had that he wasn't dreading our impending separation. For now, we have two more evenings and one more day together to enjoy our company. Then, I plan on buying a cheap-cheap ticket from Islip to Midway to go to Chicago, and John plans on using his $250 voucher to visit me in New York during fall quarter. That would be wonderful.

On a last note, I have signed up for LSAT classes. They begin on Tuesday and will continue every Tuesday and Saturday from there on out. I plan on studying hardcore on Saturday and Sunday this weekend after John leaves. With John gone, I will need to focus on myself more than ever and I think that dedicating this time to my future is the best way I can do so. Oh, and I just realized that I can't go to Chicago if I have a Kaplan course on a Saturday morning...sigh. Well, we'll work that one out.