I know you’re thinking “I don’t remember a movie with Richard Gere called Autumn in New York”. I know, I shouldn’t either. I only remember it because I saw it in the theater with my friend Katie in college. Maybe I cried during it, who knows. But that’s a conversation for another time.

Watch me segue into the next part of this story, smooth as butter: The same Katie that I saw Autumn in New York with just came to visit me in New York!

Katie is also the same Katie that I’m going to visit for problem #82. We were peanut butter and jelly in high school. She would pick me up in the Dynasty (she got her license first) and we’d go to Taco Bell and then cruise around aimlessly. We were also quite fond of a board game called Heart Throb. Heart Throb came with cards that displayed photos of hunky 80s teens and somehow by the end you would find out which Throb you’d end up with. Our feminist foremothers worked hard for this, people.

Photo courtesy of the internet

In our version, though, we just threw the cards in a pile, and took turns flipping them over. If you were the unlucky lady to draw the “Trevor” card (he was the creepy Throb of the bunch, he had a permed mullet and ill-fitting jeans) you would get your ass kicked by the rest of the group. Sort of like a suburban white-girl gang initiation ritual.

When we hang out now it’s basically the exact same except now we trade Taco Bell for expensive Thai food and wine bars. We also don’t punch each other anymore. And sometimes we talk about adult things like our 401Ks, and tearing up moldy flooring, which is SOOO boring.

We did all kinds of fun New York tourist things while she was here; went to Chinatown and haggled for junk, went to Times Square where I almost had a nervous breakdown, saw the play August:Osage County, which was so damn good. The mom from Rosanne was in it, she was fricking amazing. The play was 4 hours long, and my adult ADD didn’t even kick in, I sat nicely through the whole thing. We were also going to do the double decker red bus tour around New York, as it is one of my problems, but did you know that it costs $50!? What a rip-off. I’m changing that problem to something that is a reasonable price, or something that is an expensive price, but is an experience that will enrich my life.

We did do something on my list though (Get Smart, Problem #32), we saw Jane Goodall speak at the 92nd street Y.  This is part of the Giants of Science series hosted by Robert Krulwich. He’s one of the main reasons I wanted to go to this – he hosts a show on WNYC called Radio Lab, and I love him and his co-host Jad Abumrad. Go download the Radio Lab podcasts right this second if you’ve never heard them. They discuss mind-blowing topics like infinite universes, time, memory, and self in fun and tidy 45 min. packages.

I hate to say this, but Robert kind of disappointed me. He asked Jane Goodall silly questions, or would repeat things she already said. For example, she told a lovely story about one of the chimps she studied – she offered this chimp some nuts, and he turned his head away. She offered again, and he turned his head away again, but this time he also closed his hand over her extended hand, which she said she took as him acknowledging that he knew she was giving him her nuts, kind of his way of saying “no thank you, but I appreciate the offer. ” Right after this Robert said “But do you think he was REALLY acknowledging the offer? Or was it just a coincedince that he grabbed your hand?” Total buzzkill, man.

In other news, Riki and I are obsessed with Mad Men. Have you been watching it? That show is so damn good. I like Roger Sterling, Joan Holloway and Peggy the best. Riki doesn’t like Peggy and this causes tension in our relationship. My least favorite character is Peter Campbell’s wife. But I do a gangbusters impression of her if I do say so myself. I also kind of hate Don Draper. But I won’t say anything else in case you haven’t seen it.

Til next time, which I promise will be sooner than a month.

When did this happen??

What kind of a God would let this be number 7 on itunes? And who is the creepy monkey man on the left?

I quit.