Went to the Kara Walker exhibit at the Met and it was awesome. Made me cry. Made me think about how no matter how hard life in Africa may be, at least (in most countries) they don’t have to live with 400+ years of racism and didn’t suffer the horror that was American slavery. It’s interesting being back, in NYC I felt as if I’d never left, even though I hadn’t been there since last summer. Shopped till I dropped, walked all over town, ate fine food, forgot to go to 4040 club, but otherwise did all the things I’d dreamt of doing there while living the simple life in Tanzania. It felt kinda weird to walk down the street unmolested, no one even looking at me. I had to remind myself not to look into other’s eyes or smile at random strangers as we passed on the street. While New Yorkers aren’t half as rude as reputed, in fact they’re downright nice, most will still get real nervous around a smiling stranger.

Jet lag is kicking my ass. I wonder if I’ll ever feel energetic again. Yesterday I got a lot done, unpacked, did a million loads of laundry (Yaaay, machine-washed clothes!!!) and by the afternoon made it to Trader Joe’s. I had been fantasizing about TJ’s, I had a moment in Tanzania when I pictured myself standing in the entrance area, arms outstretched to give the entire store a big hug. By the time I got there, I was so tired it was all I could do to get what I needed and get home. It felt really good to ride again, though! I was worried that I might have been rusty, but it seemed to come back right away, even the level of attention necessary to survive LA traffic. Took a disco nap this afternoon, hopefully I’ll be able to disco down and shake my bootie.