Friday, April 18, 2008

On Sleeping

This is a meditation of sorts that I wrote on the train awhile ago. It's not the kind of thing I would normally post here, but it's the kind of thing that I do I normally write. I like looking at people on the subway and creating histories for them. I wrote three short profiles that day of people on the train with me, but this one ended up to be more about sleeping than about the girl who was falling asleep. I hope you like it.


The train rumbles, shaking and rocking along the tracks, through the tunnels towards Manhattan. Wrapped up in her warm jacket, hood up and arms folded against her chest, her head begins to nod as the train lulls her into sleep.

It always happens like this. Parents who take their children for long drives to lull them to sleep find years later that their tiny tots, stretched out with the magic of time, are now the adults whose eyelids get heavy on short car trips to the market. The ones who nap during their half hour commute and revel in the long stretches of sleep that can only be found on a transcontinental flight.

Her purse is secured tightly in her lap; or perhaps tucked next to the rail, an arm intertwined with the strap. Her chin begins to lean against her chest, and the lullaby of the conductor is the only thing she can hear.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Fun Fact of the Day

Apparently, lots of states have buildings that are shaped like coffee-pots.

Case in point: Big Coffee Pots

Does no one else find this strange?

Interesting note: Long Island (where I grew up) has a large duck. That however, is perfectly normal (and according to the article, is the darling of roadside attractions. Take that salt and pepper shaker museum!). Much like naming a town "Hicksville" isn't really funny either. Well, until someone says it and everyone not from Long Island bursts out into laughter while you stare around going "Huh? What's so funny?" until it finally dawns on you that the town is called HICKSville! Ah... funny!

Next week, J and I will be heading on a road trip adventure down to Graceland, Tennessee as inspired, not only by the King, but also by the lyrics of Paul Simon, spring break and a 10 year anniversary. When I get back I'm sure I'll have lots to write about and pictures to show!!!

Road trip 2008!!!! BFF!!! WHOO!!!!!

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Sorry to Disappoint You

One of my favorite posts that Brianna does is when she has nothing else to write about is when she analyzes how people get to her site via google and other search engines. So, being something of a copycat, I decided to apologize to all the people who are looking for things they're just not finding here at my magical place...

1) I am not a stripper, and I do not know any strippers named Amy.

2) I do not know any strippers in Ithaca. Sorry.

3) I do not know any magical strippers. However, if I find any I will be sure to post about it.

4) I do not know any strippers that will jump out of a cake in NY.

5) I do not know what strippers look at. I'm sure you can picture what a stripper looks like. Use your imagination, don't look at blogs.

6) I do not know of any giant bobby pins in NYC. Sorry.

7) I do not know of any strippers named Amy in Milwaukee.

8) I do not know of any women who strip on the subway in queens.

9) I don't have any real tips to tell you how to drink more beer (with a d?).

and finally, despite the name of this blog,

10) I have no real advice on how to make magical dreams come true.

So guys, especially those in search of a stripper, I'm really sorry to disappoint you. Good luck finding what you need somewhere else.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

Fried Chicken, With a Twist

Today, on our way to get our tires rotated, my husband and I were stuck in Flushing with an hour or two to kill. If you have never been there, Flushing Queens is a fascinating place. After running some errands at Walgreens, we walked around a nearby strip mall, ducking into Fancy Fancy trying to find some accessories for my Mr. Bento and Payless for some halfhearted cheap shoe shopping. We then ventured some more down Northern Boulevard where we were realized lived a (delicious) phenomenon that we had only dipped our toes into- the world of Korean Fried Chicken.

In our humble neighborhood of Jackson Heights, best known for it's Indian, Bengali, Columbian and Peruvian cuisine and culture, there lies a small Korean presence. It is seen most obviously in the bright shiny newness of the Yogurtberry on 37th Avenue. It takes you by surprise when you get off the subway at 2am to find that Chung Ki Wa Restaurant is open 24 hours a day. Nearby there is even a Korean place called Prince HOF, which is a Korean style beer garden! But the availability of Korean Fried Chicken trumps all of that.

After we had moved into our apartment, when we were still sitting on the floor for meals and eating off of boxes we had our first introduction to Korean Fried Chicken in the form of our local eatery, Unidentified Flying Chicken(the tast [sic] is out of this world!). We had found UFC as we had taken a long walk through Jackson Heights via Roosevelt Avenue, admiring the amazing variety of foods available and gathering menus to make our "dishes are still packed" lifestyle as palatable as possible. We passed by restaurants as varied as Taqueria Coatzingo to the Himalayan Yak. But UFC was different. It was sleek and shiny and minimalist. And it sold fried chicken.

I don't remember much about that first introduction to Korean fried chicken, except for the fact that after our meal we were all pretty happy and satisfied. We haven't tried it again since. However, on our local message board, there has been a recent conversation about Korean Fried Chicken again. And so I started to get an itch. A very delicious itch.

I'm going to take a moment here to address the question that I'm sure some have been dying to ask. And that question is "Amy? Are you really sure you should be eating fried chicken??? With your incomplete digestive tract? Really?" And the answer to that is: I'm kind of dumb, and reckless, and willing to sacrifice some personal discomfort for some seriously good food. Well, that and so far, so good (knock on wood). So: I know, I know. I'm dumb.

So today, walking down Northern Blvd, a little peckish and a lot bored, my husband and I decided to stop into one of the yummy looking Korean fried chicken places that lined the streets and indulge. Bon Chon Chicken is pretty much what I remembered my induldgence at UFC to be. We split an order of chicken wings, half soy garlic glaze and half spicy. To start, we had a salad (kind of boring with russian dressing that tasted like special-sauce) and pickled radishes (yum!!!). I got a beer- Hite. The chicken took a while to come out because they cook it to order, but when we got the extremely generous portion, we were extremely pleased. The chicken isn't overly heavy or greasy but is crispy and flavorful. The beer and the radishes complimented it perfectly. J didn't find that the spicy wings reminiscent of buffalo wings, but I did. He thought they tasted more along the lines of hot peppers, while I thought they had a back note of vinegar. The soy and garlic was subtle, but good. I didn't have too much of the chicken (maybe 4 pieces) and J finished off the rest and I think we were both satisfied with the amount of food. I got some frozen yogurt (Korean style) on the way out. By the end of our meal, our tires were ready and we were full! How perfect is that?




 
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