Rhetoric, Law and Public Policy was painfully boring on the first day… but Thursday’s class was real heated: we ended up debating the merits of the No Child Left Behind Act and the anti-online poker gambling law.

Economic Development looks like it’ll be my toughest class. The professor doesn’t seem easy to please, but her grading scheme revolves around one midterm and one final (both of which are essay-based) so I should be relatively safe. Then again, it’s the only class I have which relies on two books and a ton of reading… I’ll give it a few weeks, but something tells me this’ll be bad news.

Privatization is gonna be the shit. Prager’s just as entertaining as he was in intermediate micro and this class genuinely fascinates me. He’s also relying on one midterm and one final (both are also essay/term paper-based) so I’m not particularly concerned with the grading.

Ownership and Corporate Control will be the most fun. It satisfies my quantitative inclinations and the professor seems very very promising… he’s really young, but that’s never been a good determinant of what an individual can do.

I met a few people that are likely to be my study buddies… excited about that… I have some readings that are due on Monday already, but it’s a welcome change to having little to no responsibilities over the entire summer.

Chris is taking me to the Modest Mouse concert tomorrow night at Williamsburgh. We’ll probably hit Steve’s apartment afterwards and play with the Wii until who knows when… although, I’m trying to get both of them to meet Whitney tomorrow night at her place in Queens… she’s having a “house party” of sorts. It’ll be young chicks galore for Steve and free booze for me. Then again, I don’t really feel like drinking. AUGC is starting in less than a week so I need to lay off the alcohol. Otherwise, I won’t have much of a voice to contribute to the choir.

All of my summers begin with a grand plan that generally involves too much traveling, and not enough money making schemes to accomplish it. This was probably the only summer I spent earning as much money as I did. It’s too bad that most of it went to my summer housing; there’s NYC for you. I have no regrets, though. I couldn’t have spent this summer better than I did.

If I dedicated several hours of each day studying for standardized tests, it would have felt as though I never took a break from school; and with senior year fast approaching, the last thing I want is to burn out before graduation. So, I said fuck all else and rock on!

I always knew that live music was for me after I visited Iridium, but I never realized how much I’d enjoy it in the form of other genres. Nothing sounds better than 70s funk in a tiny venue or indie rock in a semi-large venue. NuBlu is my speakeasy music fix and the Bowery is likely to be my crazy one during the year.

It’s so hard to imagine now how I’ll transition back into the groove of schoolwork after such an eventful summer. I mean… there were evenings when I went to more than six bars and got home as “early” as 7:00 am. There’s no doubt that my weekends will be less intense once the semester begins.

I checked out the books that need for the upcoming fall semester and, so far, it’ll cost me a little more than $350 (but mind you, that’s only for one class… I’m taking five). Don’t get me wrong; I’m excited about the prospect of going back. Everything’s going to be determined before the end of December… whether I’m going to grad school, law school, or straight to work after my May. Yeah… it’s scary.

I’m really not sure with what I want to do at this point. I took the LSAT and didn’t do as well as I had wanted the first time around. I’m taking it again (despite the advice I received from several of my friends who told me that it would be a bad idea to go for it again). I’m going for the GRE so that I have a plan B. I guess I wouldn’t really mind taking a few years off from school. My employer won’t care if I took two years off to pay my student debts before going back to get my graduate degree.

On top of everything, I seem to have found myself in another relationship. I’m happy with it. In fact, a little too happy with it. What can I say? I found a really good guy… but I can’t seem to get over how good the whole situation is.

He’s introduced to a lot of his friends already; and I’m starting to get attached to a few of them. I’m a little too comfortable within his social circle… hopefully, that doesn’t overwhelm him. Although I’m not one to admit such things, I wouldn’t mind holding on to this one for a while… I’m pretty sure he’s worth the wait.

Don’t bother going there before midnight, because it’s like NuBlu at that time – EMPTY. Go after 1:30 AM and China One is the shit. Club Midway is just down the street so if there’s an X-Rated Panty Party going on there… well, then you just got lucky.

I met Chris’ friend, Rob, last night – he’s a bit of a dancer himself. He told me that if I worship the house band at NuBlu, then I’ll never stop thanking him for introducing me to Studio B at Williamsburg when we go (and we’re going tonight). Tomorrow night = a concert with Chris. We’re seeing the Tokyo Police Club at the Bowery Ballroom. Matt just saw it last night and it’s supposed to be unbelievely amazing.

And I’m losing my voice. I blame my allergies.

One of the things I learned while practicing salsa is to choose my partners wisely. If you always dance with the beginners, you’ll be stuck on that level. I’m the one who tends to venture way off the prescribed route. For instance, on the first salsa number that the band did, most dancers were iffy on starting the whole thing off. I’m sorry, but high school’s long been over for me and I don’t really want to relive it. So I walked up to a guy and said, “shall we?”

I’ve found that real salseros have a very strong upper body and their steps are ridiculously coordinated (so much so that even when the follower loses their steps, the leader manages to make everything look smooth). I LOVE IT.

Taj is definitely a great find. It’s perfect for salsa practice. If I frequent that place enough, Intermediate Salsa shouldn’t be so rough on my feet (assuming I don’t switch back to my three inch dancing shoes). I’ve also been going to another studio for salsa styling and whoa is my instructor SEXY. Yes, I’m talking about a chick. She’s one of those people that when she takes herself to the floor, all eyes are on her. I wonder how long she’s been dancing. Her classes are pay-as-you-go so they’re a bit more pricey than my standard salsa classes; then again, I only go to her styling class every once in a while – maybe once every three weeks to pick up something “cool” to impress.

I think I’ll need another place for practice… Plan B isn’t bad on wednesday nights and there’s always Baraza on fridays. Wow… I really do dance a lot.

Chris took me to a number of new places that are pretty close to the top of my list of awesome bars/venues… Angel’s Share on Stuyvesant, KeyBar on E. 13th, and Café Wha! on MacDougal.

Angel’s Share is actually “behind” a japanese resturant… you wouldn’t think there was a bar behind an unsuspecting door until you’ve stepped in and realized that you’re practically in an entirely different place. These bartenders are real mixologists… the fact that I couldn’t taste the alcohol in my drink was both good and bad (in my case, it was more so bad) – I tried the Ascension and the Frozen Lychee – PERFECT. Not too sweet… and it went down smoothly. We’d have stayed longer, but this place isn’t light on the wallet. It’s not expensive… but if you keep dishing out $13/$14 per drink… it adds up after about two hours.. (Steve had his usual cranberry juice with soda water *smiles*)

Afterwards… we headed to Crocodile Lounge with Rob (who decided to show up after two or three hours of phone calls back and forth) and had a bottle of beer all around with two 12″ pizzas… mmmmmmmm …. free pizza with beer….. mmmmmmm – if the waitress hadn’t automatically assumed that she was being given a $7 tip, it would have been perfect, but damn… she just pocketed that thing and substituted a glass of beer for it… ridiculous. Oh whatever – maybe she was having a tough day.

We headed to KeyBar after that, at which time I was a little more than “moderately tipsy” (I believe that was the phrase I used on Steve – haha) – I tried to down a Jack and Coke, but that didn’t work too well… I think I slept most of the time that we were in the place. Rob spent some quality time talking to Chris, because I was officially….. drunk.

We left sometime around 4 and rob took a cab back up to 78th and brdway where he parked his car… don’t ask. I’m not even sure what happened with his conference thing the next day since I didn’t hear back from him – hopefully, he made it back to long island alright.

Wow… saturday was just sooo freakin’ amazing – me and Chris hung out at Coney Island before all the bars too… crazy. Then Sunday… I cooked dinner for him and Steve at his place and we ventured to Café Wha! for some live music to seal the deal on another fabulous evening. Oh my god… go visit Café Wha! on a Sunday night – you will NOT be disappointed!! (Just get there a little before 9 or a little after to get a good seat)

Now then, having said all that – I’d like to close this entry by saying that the weekend was too eventful for my own good – I feel like crap. I’ll go and catch up on some sleep now

I’m still not sure as to what kind of food My Moon serves – I tried these “Crab Cigar Rolls” which were, quite possibly, the best appetizers I’ve had in several months, followed by something called “Manti” which were tiny dumplings stuffed with lamb, sitting in a pool of rich herb-infused cream… omg it was good. Their calamari is nowhere near as good as the ones I get at L’Express, but with a Kronenberg… it wasn’t half bad. The drinks will burn a hole through your wallet (like the dishes) and the waistaff seemed out of touch with what they were doing.

I basically spent most of the evening fascinated by the artwork that surrounded the tiny room with ridiculously high ceilings – there was a work of art hanging at the center of main floor – it looked like an aboriginal piece that landed on the set of the Fifth Element then handed down to the makeup artists of Alien V. Predator (it’s well worth seeing).

There’s a fabulous garden at the front that would be perfect for a late dinner/drink… the seating areas outside are sectioned off, so you can even have a little bit of privacy, should you really want it.

Think lots of red, velvet, accent lighting, and candles… it’s a very romantic venue – no wonder Amelia opted to start her wedding “reception” there!

Took the 6 down to Spring and walked east towards the corner of Spring and Mulberry where I found Spring Lounge (there’s a really big shark hanging on the wall at the back). It’s your run-of-the-mill bar with the plasma screen tv stuck on sports… it struck me as a bit of an after-work scene and there seemed to be quite a few people who definitely looked like regulars. I enjoyed the company, so I could care less that there wasn’t anything particularly special about the place (except for a sign that said, “No Humping” and another in the back that said “Free Hot Dogs Cooked in Beer Every Wednesday at 5:00PM” – *laughs*)

I met Chris’ friend, Steve and a handful of others whose names I cannot recall at the moment (I wasn’t even drinking last night… there was just too many of them!)

We left Spring Lounge a little after 11 and went up a block on Mulberry to Eight Mile Creek – an Australian bar in Nolita! Apparently they serve kangaroo upstairs… mmmmmm…. I should try it one of these weekends after dallying around the boutiques at Elizabeth.

The bar is downstairs (different entrance) and it’s basically set up as half a lounge, a quarter bar, and a quarter dance floor. (No one probably goes here to dance… there’s only a jukebox to tend to your musical inclinations.) I’d probably only go to the place if I were bar-hopping around the area and it was on the way… though I am quite likely to frequent the restaurant upstairs if the food is as good as promised.

Venues are more laid back… work seems a bit more routine (so, there aren’t any of those “oh-my-god-how-do-i-figure-this-one-out” scenarios)… and it’s generally easier to find company, because seriously – who wants to spend the first night of the week just sitting in front of a tv show after having had a fabulous weekend?

I had my second salsa class last night and the class was supposed to meet up at Taj afterwards, but several of us didn’t feel like the $10 cover was worth the practice (especially since I can go in Baraza for free and cover more ground with the types of music the DJ plays). I ended up having a txt conversation with Chris and we decided to meet up at Detour on East 13th between 1st and 2nd. Apparently, it’s famed for its live jazz, but being that it was a Monday night, there wasn’t really anything going on… we ended up just having a drink…

Hmmm.. I forgot the beer that he ordered for me, but it tasted like lemonade mixed with a pilsner if that makes any sense.. and it was gooooood.

Detour definitely looks like a place with “potential” – I’ll have to revisit and get a feel for the live atmosphere to see what all the buzz is about.

Ten Degrees is located on St. Marks between 1st and A, but closer to A… I met up with Chris and his friends – Sasha, Jauka, and Jonathan. I knew Chris from Baraza and we were supposed to just chill out someplace, but having entertained Andrew for much of the early evening, we couldn’t see each other until much later at night. So when his friend Jonathan invited him for a drink at their laid back wine bar, Ten Degrees, he decided to go. Apparently, Jonathan wanted to sort of set him up with Jauka and Chris felt really awkward about it, because he was wondering what would go through my head when I saw the four of them together… he’s so cute… needless to say, I rescued him from his friends and the said chick.

I really liked that place though because it was quiet enough to have a conversation with someone, but it doesn’t feel too high-brow/upscale nor does it have that café ambiance too it either. I think it’s a great place to take someone for a drink… while I didn’t venture to the back, it looked like there was an area for lounging…

Anyway, after we left, we went to La Linea because the last time I was there, the place was quiet enough for a talk and we really just wanted to talk… yeah, not the best idea to hit that place – Hip-Hop/R&B/Reggae/Mainstream Pop on a Saturday night… and it was very loud. I LOVED IT!!! But we couldn’t talk without having to scream at each other’s ear so we eventually had to ditch it.

On our hunt for another bar/lounge.. Chris mentions Nublu… a very low-key bar and lounge with live music. He told me that it’s difficult to find the place unless you know it exists because there are no signs outside, aside from a small blue light and a guy guarding the door… there’s graffiti all over the entry way, but once you go in.. it’s like an underground venue for up-and-coming bands.

There’s a small bar, affordable drinks, a clean bathroom (when I was there), a small makeshift dance floor by the entrance to the garden (which is supposed to be gorgeous earlier in the evening) and an area for a band. Last night, we had a drummer, a bassist, an electric guitarist, and a keyboard player… they played something that sounded like a blend of jazz, indie, and 70s American funk… it was incredible. I couldn’t get over how amazing this place was… I think it felt a little too surreal the entire time that I was there.

Chris was beaming that he found a place that amused me so much – haha. I really really want to go back to this place. It’s a great venue to hang out with a bunch of friends who are into the live bands. Think of the scene as a bunch of head-bopping, toe-tapping, low-brow yuppies taking over the floor. You don’t need to know how to dance to know how to follow the music at this place…

I couldn’t really google out a site – my apologies (that, and I’m rushing this because I’ve got salsa class in an hour).. but it’s located on Avenue C between 4th and 5th… just look for a small blue light… if you’re lucky, you might spot a crowd, which definitely makes it easier to find!

It reminds me a bit of Ibiza, but Baraza is much smaller. Every guy at the back just wants to dance. I danced with five different guys in less than 3 hours! Good times, for sure. I was able to convince Andrew to tag along since he was visiting for the weekend and Sebastian showed up too, which was a definite surprise for me *laughs* Oh… the drinks are no longer as cheap as advertised on old reviews – but a REALLY good mojito would only require $7 from your wallet (I didn’t get one… but I think Sophie said that the beers are $5)

Oh! And one more thing… you ever meet people who are just entirely too aware of the fact that they can’t dance? Haha – I met this guy, Chris, who probably does have two left feet and lacking hips BUT … the fact that he tried … it was so adorable

FYI…

Baraza
133 Avenue C Between 8th and 9th Streets
New York, 10009
Telephone: 212 539-0811
Hours:M-S 7.30pm-4am