... why is he asking? I reply, "I'm heading over to my friend's and then we're going out to dinner." This isn't a lie. I really am going to my friend's so we can go to dinner. "Have a good time, and I'll see you around." Derek says. "You too... bye." I walk away. Hmmm... I wonder. Interesting character. However, I do not see him around, nor do I see anyone else around, because after this day, I no longer have time to visit the park. Instead, I study for my finals.

Fast forward 3 months, and I am back in the park. It is a gorgeous day, sky blue as can be, not a cloud in the sky, no smog or pollution visible either. The sun is shining and smiling, and I am in the most wonderful mood. Classes have just began this week, but I have no classes this day; thus the reason I am at the park. I am wearing a tanktop and jeans, with my American pop. music class' text in my bag. I find a nice, sunny spot on the Oval Lawn and sit myself down. Ahhh... how wonderful it is to lie in the sun again. It's no beach, mind you, but in the city, beggars cannot be choosers. After about half an hour, I decide that I don't want tan lines, as I've already several funny ones. I kick myself for not thinking ahead while dressing this morning. I roll up my jeans and my tanktop, baring some skin, oh my! Then I lounge in the grass while listening to how my body is a wonderland... ahhh.... I change discs and listen to Norah Jones. Her songs are so soothing, I feel myself dozing off. As I raise myself up to put my book in my bag, I see an old man wearing a polo shirt and khaki shorts walk by and sit down. I think nothing of this. Five minutes later I look up and around, and OH. MY. GOODNESS. Old man is wearing a thong! Black ones! Eww eww eww!!!!! A large, already-tanned body, is lying on its back, stomach resembling a small dome... oh gross. I inch forwards, farther away from this man. Then I lie on my back, look up at the sky, and try to think of happy thoughts. Happy thoughts, Minerva, happy thoughts. Mmmm... ocean, sky, sand, waves, the fun times with my friends back home this summer... ahhh... good. Good thoughts. Clean thoughts. The vocals of Ms. Jones put me to sleep, and I don't wake until... oh, about an hour later. I look up, and the sun is still shining as bright as it was before. I turn my head, and lying diagonal from me is...

This is a piece from the old entry I made back in May 2002. I'm continuing the story now, as I've promised.

So... to another day at the park. This time, I go just to stay for an hour, and then head uptown to watch a movie. I sit on a grassy area and just watch the scenery, while listening to the background noise around me. It's so nice to just sit here doing absolutely nothing. Then I make a phone call to someone who I haven't spoken to in a little while... about 2 weeks. After about 45 min, I get off the phone and sit on the grass doing nothing again. A group of 3 place their things near me and begin throwing a frisbee around. It reminds me of volleyball on the beach, I don't know why. The frisbee accidentally comes my way and falls right next to me. I throw it back to the people playing. "Thanks," one hollers. "Hey, you wanna play with us? Lisa won't play," another guy asks. "Ummm... sure." So I get off my ass and begin playing with the guys. Lisa is sitting on the floor making comments. After playing for about 10 minutes...

8/31/02 entry... the NEW one!... FINALLY!>
... I decide that I want to get a move on. I thank the people for a fun, brief game, and I go on my way. When I walk away, I approach see a crowd of rollerbladers and skaters. They're there almost everyday. I watch for awhile, and I catch the eyes of a dreadlock-haired man. He winks. Okay, this is no attraction- or chemistry- making here. This man is old... like in his 30s. Anyways... he skates away. I continue watching, and notice that someone is besides me. Turns out to be our dreadlock-haird man. He smiles. Says hi. Then introduces himself. "Hi, I'm Derek." "Hi, Minerva." He asks me where my rollerblades are... assuming that I have them. And of course I do! However, at this moment and day, I am not wearing them. He tells me that he's been skating for 15 years, and that he comes every Saturday, sometimes Sundays. I say that I try to come at least once a week. He asks me what I'm doing here... where... I wonder. In the park or the city. I say, "I come here to study because it's so nice outside." "What're you studying?" "Hospitality." He gives me a funny look. "Hospitality? Isn't that something you're born with? You're going to school for that?" I laugh. "No... it's really hotel, travel, and tourism management. I just say hospitality b/c it's quicker." "Oooh...okay. I see. That makes more sense." I wonder if it really does for him. But I don't question it because he's a tall guy. "Well, I have to go now. Maybe I'll see you around," I say. "What're you doing tonight..." he asks me. Ummm... I think...

Sorry... stories are on hiatus for a long time until I go venture into the city again... either in Los Angeles and its vicinities or in NYC. I know how everyone has been so interested in my stories lately. Yes, yes, I know... but too bad. So sorry. My apologies. But... too bad. Live with it. Besides, who comes to read this during summer break? Come on (in a "Boston" accent... hahaha... no... I just know someone who saids that a certain way)... it's break. People have better things to do than read this! So... bye-bye... oh shoot... but I have such an interesting story to share that happened last night... okay.. one more before I go on break, and then when I return, I will continue my frisbee story from Central Park. So here's the story from last night:

My friend and I went to Downtown Disney to just chill and catch up on things. We go and walk to the end of the strip, then walk back, then to ESPN Zone to play air hockey, then we go buy a yummy Wetzel's Pretzel... then I go wash my hands for the second time because, once again, they touch something sticky on the bench. We come out and go check out the schedule for the HOB... that's the House of Blues for those who don't know. Then we begin walking back to the front of the strip when I notice a long line of people in front of Y Arriba Y Arriba. We wonder what the line was for, then I notice KIIS FM signs all over the place, so I figure it's a KIIS club. My friend and I decide to stand in line just for the hell of it because we thought it would be funny just to pretend we were waiting to get in; especially since everyone standing in the line was all decked out in his/her fancy duds. While in line, we talk about how funny it was standing in the line completely underdressed, compared to everyone else. We decided that once we got to the front of the line, we would pretend that we thought we were waiting in line for the restaurant, and make complete fools out of ourselves! So we stand in line, and I notice the suits checking ID. I pretty much figured it was 18 and up, but I was ready to shell out my awesome Delaware ID! Then my friend noticed the suits were scanning. My cheap ol' Delaware ID does not scan, for the obvious reason that it is FAKE!!! Oh well. So my friend and I are still in like, and I bust out laughing. "There is no way I can do this with a straight face!" Hahaha... we both bust out. "Come on, we gotta do this. It will be too funny!" I'm still laughing... I can't help it. It's too funny. We're about to pretend we're total duds!!! I calm down by the time we get to the front of the line. "ID, please," the big suit guy says. I look at him and my friend with a confused face..."Okay... wait - why? Isn't this the line for the restaurant?" The guy looks at me confused, "Oh, no. The restaurant? The restaurant's closed." "Oh... okay... well, what is this line for?" I ask. "A club" "Oh. Well, how old do you have to be?" I ask. "18." "Oh, okay," so I grab my expired CA license and hand it over to the big guy who hands it over to the other guy. My friend does the same thing. They scan our IDs and we get 2 giant X's on our hands to show that we're under 21. Oh yay for us... we've been tagged. My friend and I walk into the restaurant-turned-club, and I realize that we have to pay! Oh shoot. I go up to the guy to ask him how much it is. "$10".... I look at my friend, "What do you think... you wanna still go in?" "$10? Uh... no, I don't know." So we begin to walk away, then the guy goes, "It gets better. I promise." So we decide to pay. "Are you guys from out of town?" he asks. I kind of grin and go, "Sort of..." Oh yeah, I just CAME from out of town! As we enter the dance floor, the guy says, "It gets better. The KIIS crowd doesn't show up until later" So my friend and I go in, and there were only about 6 people on the dance floor. We weren't in the mood to dance. We just stood there laughing at how funny it was we totally pulled our stunt with a straight face! And all three guys totally believed us! Alright! Maybe I should go into acting! HA! Fat chance! I decide to ask a bartender about working at the restaurant, and he told me that Y Arriba Y Arriba was an independent restaurant and the employees are not hired through Disney. That's great for me because it means I can work there without Disney's dumb rule of working every holiday. My friend and I dance for about 3 hours, then as we leave, I look for the host(ess) so I can get an application. We didn't know where to find the host(ess). We see a guy sitting at the coat check, and we keep glancing back at him. He sees us, and finally goes, "What???" with a silly grin. So I asked him if he worked there, he said yes. I asked if he worked for KIIS or for the restaurant, he said restaurant. I ask what requirements are needed to work as a hostess, he said, "like... nothing. Well... maybe some skills." He asked me if I wanted an application, and I said yes, and he goes to find one. He gives me one. I ask him who the GM is, he said Elizabeth Tapman. I say thank you and leave. Oh, and one more thing... the guy was hot! Tall, built, and funny! The situation kind of reminds me of Ben at the Torch Club. Hot looking guy working at a place I'm interested in... but not adamant about working there. Yeah... my story. It was actually more exciting than what I wrote... but that's the gist of it.
Have a great summer, and good looking out. Peace.

... and I sit and I wait and I sit... and still nothing happens. I look down at my watch... damn... 1:30. I have get going to go back to my room so I can be on time for my 2 o'clock class. Do the damn loop, I think. I wait 5 more minutes... still nothing happens. Awww shit... okay.... too bad. I have to be heading back. I can't sit around just to watch some people do the loop. But what the hell is a loop? I want to know! Arghh... So frustrating.
So... to another day at the park. This time, I go just to stay for an hour, and then head uptown to watch a movie. I sit on a grassy area and just watch the scenery, while listening to the background noise around me. It's so nice to just sit here doing absolutely nothing. Then I make a phone call to someone who I haven't spoken to in a little while... about 2 weeks. After about 45 min, I get off the phone and sit on the grass doing nothing again. A group of 3 place their things near me and begin throwing a frisbee around. It reminds me of volleyball on the beach, I don't know why. The frisbee accidentally comes my way and falls right next to me. I throw it back to the people playing. "Thanks," one hollers. "Hey, you wanna play with us? Lisa won't play," another guy asks. "Ummm... sure." So I get off my ass and begin playing with the guys. Lisa is sitting on the floor making comments. After playing for about 10 minutes...

... koolats guy teaching Tall Guy to do tricks! It is really pretty funny. Because he is tall, Tall Guy looks a little awkward doing what he is doing. But at least the guy is picking up the tricks... which is more than I can say for the girl. But I don't dislike her... it's just what I observe. Sitting a little longer while at the park this day, I notice some people behind me, well, behind but to the side of me, like... diagonally behind me. A man with long dreads wearing homeless garb (not trying to sound mean, just telling it like I see them) is on his bike. He is talking to two other men, but I don't remember them. I do remember a girl, well, a "young lady" in her 20s skate up to them. But before she skates up to them, she skates up right in front of me to talk to the elderly man. He asks her how she is, and she says, "I've been here for an hour trying to find someone to do a loop with me. You want to do it with me?" "No, I would but I have no skates. Ask Danny, he's skating over there." Danny is Blonde Guy. "Where? I don't see him." "There... wait... where'd he go? I don't know." Okay... so after this conversation, she then skates to Dreadlock Guy and Co. "Anyone want to do a loop with me?" Everyone was all like... "uh... no.. not really." I guess they just weren't in the mood, because the girl was really cute, it couldn't have been that they didn't like her. Then Cut-Offs Guy skates up to talk to them. "Will you do a loop with me?" "Uh... " He skates over to Elderly Guy. "Hey, she's looking for a partner... are you doing it with her?" "Yeah, she made me," he says light-heartedly. Now, I am dying to know what the hell "a loop" is. So I sit there waiting for them to do the famous loop...

Tune in 5/4/02... maybe...

...she comes towards the elderly man wearing sunglasses, jeans, and a grey sweatshirt. They're hands are open, some "How are you doing?"'s are exchanged, and they give each other a quick peck on the mouth. I'll never completely understand this American culture of quick pecks. I suppose every country has its own way... like the french bisou-bisou, or the italian's similar thing, of cheek-to-cheek... Anyways, the kiss just looks really disgusting b/c this woman look like she is in her 50s, with big, obviously colored, hair, tight jeans, and blood-red lips. When I turn my head to see who she is greeting, I see her lips scrunch up all distorted. It is not a pretty sight, let me tell you. Well, she sits down next to him and begins talking to him about Chelsea's galleries and how it's the old Soho because the new Soho has become too much of a commercial district. They talk about how the galleries purposely moved their galleries to the west side, so far out of reach, for people who were really interested in art, b/c these people would take the time to travel all the way there. My eavesdropping ears begin to lose interest because they are bored out of their mind of the woman's incessant rantings. But something catches my eye, and I look up to find...

Tune in 4/29/02... maybe...

... I don't even remember... something about how the old guy rarely goes north of Bethesda Fountain, and how Blondie has only gone tothe northern part of the park twice. They talk about random things... such as art galleries and other skating facts. Then the man with the short cut-offs comes over and they talk together. They know each other, probably because they come here so often. Then the guy coaching the girl comes by every so often and they begin talking. The coach guy is nothing short of eclectic. He is always wearing the same red sweatsuit and carries a hard, red box/container/suitcase with him. Not far away is a Hispanic man wearing koolats- not short shorts!- on skates. He's doing all these tricks, such as spinning around on his toes, dancing backwards and forwards... typical moves that the Park skaters perform... Another guy is near him on skates, younger guy. He's wearing sporty clothing and has a back-pack, so I get the impression that he is a good skater. No, not really. His moves aren't as smooth as the guy in koolats... oh.. by the way- koolats are long shorts... While sitting on the bench, the two guy discuss skating techniques, and the tall guy winds up getting pointers from koolats guy. A woman walks towards the bench, smiling with big teeth and big hair, and comes to...

Tune in 4/25/02... maybe...

... at first I was like, oh my goodness, those are some short shorts!! But then after watching him for awhile, it was like, whatever. He, along with a short, blond guy, a hispanic guy, and a tall guy were all skating. Of course, with the other couple.... but they aren't really a couple. He just coaches her on skating. So you see, here is what happens: I am at the park this day, expecting to see them, and I do. They are skating, or at least she is attemping, and he is coaching. There are other skaters skating, but just random people skating-- or so I think. An elder man is sitting near me, just sitting and watching. The short blond one skates up to the bench and sits down. "You're very good," the elder man says. "Yeah? Thanks. I'm just trying to get back into it," the blonde one replies. "Yeah, you make it look easy. Some people, when they skate, make it look complicated. You make it look easy." Blondie laughs... Then they start getting into a conversation about...

... she's not that good, really, but that's why he's teaching her. I don't know if she's paying him, but I'm sure she is, or he wouldn't do it. Everytime I see them, I eavesdrop and get some free schooling... The first time I saw them, he was teaching her how to do turns and how to do cross-overs. I picked it up and started doing them right after they both left. I continue visiting every Thursday morning for 3-4 weeks now, and he's still teaching her. She hasn't picked it up yet. I don't want to say she's dumb or uncoordinated, but she isn't picking it up. Her skating posture is not improving because she is still nervous on her skates. But I don't want to nitpick. Anyways, on this particular day, it isn't just the two of them. When I sit down, I see a couple other people skating, including this one tall man wearing really short cutoffs...

... wait... I said it already, didn't I? He's tall. Yes.... tall guy. I like tall guys. Those who know me know the type of guys I like... and I gotta say... Cary is not all those things. But hey, who cares... he's a cool guy I can chill with when I'm frustrated or stressed... kind of like Jake is. Although Jake is a different case... but the two are similar. Anyways... I digress once again. Do I see Cary again? Well.. what do you think? And don't ask me... just think whatever you wish. No, I'm not dating him, if people are thinking this. Okay... this story is getting trite. So I will continue with another. Well, every Thursday morning when I go to the park, I always see them together. Sometimes she's waiting for him, but sooner or later, both of them are there, sometimes with a whole entourage...

"... why are you giving me water?" "It's for Eddie. A small gesture to say we're sorry." Hahaha... I laugh. "Oh, you didn't have to do that. He didn't even spill it or knock the bottle out of my hands." "I know. But will you please just accept this?" I sigh and grin. "Fine. I accept. Thank you very much." He extends his right hand... "By the way, hello. My name is Cary. It's a pleasure meeting you." I extend my hand to shake his. "Hello Cary, it's nice to meet you and Eddie." "So what are you doing here today? Just to relax in the park?" Again, I laugh... only this time, it's more of a smirk. "Not really. I came here to do some work. I like to work outdoors, but it's just too windy to do anything." Our conversation continues along, as we discuss what it's like to be in college. Of course, the majority of the work I do is school work... The only other work I have is far from it... it's basically babysitting troublesome children. What a load they are. Oh... that's right. I failed to mention who Cary is. Well, I will not be divulging his entire identity-- or at least what I know of it... but I will just say...

... We wind up walking to the cafe together. Now, keep in mind that at this point, I still have a need to use the restroom because of all the water I drank earlier. So after Cary ties Eddie's leash to a lampost outside, Cary stands in line to order and I excuse myself to relieve my... self. Let me tell you, toilets at the cafe are not exactly kosher. What is up with NY toilets not having toiletseat covers? I take it upon myself to make my own seat covers, with the process of layering t.p. after t.p. Finally I emerge from the restroom and find that Cary has finished ordering and is paying for his food and drinks-- HOLD UP... drinks? Is he really that thirsty? I confront him on it. He simply nods a yes. We grab a seat and sit down. "Here," he says, and motions the bottle of water which he purchased towards me. "What? What's this for?"...

... I see a large dog with shiny, golden-brownish hair. The dog runs right in front of me, cutting me off, stopping me in my tracks. It feels like a cartoon in which something really fast circles a person, and the person loses his balance and spins around. I didn't topple over, but that's because I gain control of my balance, and because two hands grab my shoulders to keep me from falling head over heels. Yes, it's quite obvious, the hand belongs to Cary. "Whoa.... heh... thank.. you..." I look around a little confused. "Wait, is this your dog?" Cary bends down to leash Eddie. "Yeah. I apologize for what just happened. Sometimes when I unleash Eddie, he tends to run towards blue things, and he saw your water bottle." He gets back up after he is done leashing his dog-- he's tall! "My water? Huh... why only blue things?" "You know, I really don't know. He just has a knack for blue things." We both laugh...

Tune in 3/29/02... maybe...

... Eddie. Who's Eddie? Eddie the dog. Eddie belongs to Cary. Who's Cary? Cary's another fellow I meet in the Park. Eddie is a mutt... a mixture of what? I don't know. I don't even bother to ask because I have no idea which breed looks like what. I meet Eddie and Cary not the day I meet Sasha and Lindsay. This is a story that is fast-forwarded to another day. It's a cold day, once again. I meet Eddie while I was walking to the Leapin' Frog Cafe. On cold days, I go to the cafe to buy cup of hot tea and grab a table to warm up. This was one of those days. On this particular day, I also really needed to use the restroom. Silly me, I'm always drinking too much water and never is there a restroom near. Anyways, I walk downhill from the Rock to the cafe, and as I am beginning to cross the street...

Tune in 3/25/02... maybe...

... the people around. I was completely engrossed in the music, dancing, and skaters. All of a sudden, I stumbled forward. I turned around to see what had bumped into me. I could barely believe it; it was a baby stroller. And ooh... it was such a cute little baby. "Oh my gosh... I'm so sorry. I didn't realize how steep the slope was, and the stroller just kept going..." "Oh no, it's okay. Don't worry. I'm okay. Are you okay? Is she okay?" Of course I was referring to "she" as in the baby. The "you" was the mom. "Oh yes, I'm fine. And I think Sasha is fine too." We both turned our heads to find a cheerful smile on a flushed, round little face. It was cold that day, so I think everyone's face was a little pink. Except... well, except...

Tune in 3/21/02

... roller skaters and bladers. I have discovered... roller dancing!!! It's so awesome seeing these people blasting old school music and dancing on their skates to "Fantastic Voyage"... Some people do turns on their skates, skating on one leg... much like how an ice skater would. And these dancers are all different ages and sizes. I see an old woman in her 50s, some girls in their 20s, some in their 30s, some in their 40s. Different ages and ethnicities. There were hispanic, black, white... okay, so no Asian... but it was a sight. They were having so much fun, I wanted to join in except I didn't have skates on and I was freezing in the cold. I was on my way back when I saw the dancers. I was watching them skate so intensely I didn't notice...

Tune in 3/17/02

… cracks a smile. “You’ve got an interesting sense of… uh… I don’t even know what to call it. You’re an eclectic person.” “Am I? You figured all this from my telling you about a tattoo?” “It’s the way you tell it.” I laugh. “Oh really? This coming from the guy with a barcode tattoo because he’s ‘a product of society?’” “Hey, what can I say… I didn’t say that I wasn’t a character either.” This guy is… frankly, an oddball. He’s basically calling me strange, but he’s claiming it as well. And the way he talks… the accent was intriguing at first, but now… not so much. I don’t know… it’s New York. It’s expected to meet weirdos. People talk about LA people, but I never met any of the odd ones in LA… only hot beach boys!! Hahaha…. My LA buds… you know about Tyrone and Jake. Although, those were special cases. Well, Tyrone was, because of Ricky. But that’s old stuff. These posts are dedicated to new stories. So off to another day in Central Park… guess who I see, but more…

Tune in 3/13/02

... shows me his tattoo of a barcode on his arm. He says it's because he is a product of society. I tell him I'm thinking of getting a tattoo too. "What tattoo do you want?" I tell him I want my tattoo to be green, of a triangle with a squiggly line running through it. "Why green and why a triangle?" I give him my reasons: Green is my favorite color, the water is sometimes green, and the green is also going to represent the earth. Water because I love drinking it like there is no tomorrow... and because I love swimming in it and being around it. Water is one of the great forces on earth (earth, fire, water, and wind), with the ability to carve through rocks and to exist in different forms of matter (ice, liquid, gas). BG stares at me for while I explain to him my reasons for a green triangle tattoo. He must think I'm crazy, I think, until BG...

Tune in 3/8/02

I met him in the park one warm and sunny day. It was weird, to say the least, because…2/3/02

… it was 67 degrees on a Tuesday morning… in January!!! I thought it was supposed to snow in January in NYC. Well, I was just sitting on the bench watching this awesome rollerskater, and I gotta say, this skater knew his stuff. Then this guy comes over and sits down next to me. He looks my way, says hi, and I smile and return his "hi." Guess what was the first thing we talked about. And we talked about this for about a good seven minutes. Imagine talking about this subject with a complete stranger. It wasn't just a nonchalant conversation either... it was a DEEP conversation… well… kind of… So anyways, we talked about none other than…2/7/02


…the weather. Yes... 2 strangers sat down and had a deep conversation about how warm NYC was in January. How profound. Then we discussed NYU, how I live in the Village, how he used to live there but now lives in the UWS.; about how he works in the stock market and used to work downtown but now works from home. We talked about people "finding" and discovering who they are, we talked about exercising and health. I must say, it was nice talking to a complete stranger about the most random things. We were having such a wonderful conversation, but suddenly…2/11/02


… I realized that it was 1:30.... I had to go to a meeting at 2 on W. 4th St. So I bid the man farewell. We each wished the other good luck, me with my career and him with his job. Then I walked back to the subway, quite satisfied with the conversation.. Decided: I need to go talk to more random people who don't attend NYU. So, this is my goal. So every so often, I always return to the park to study, hoping to pick up a conversation with another person. So guess what happens the next week when I returned to the park? I sit on a giant slab of rock and see. . . 2/15/02


. . . a bald guy sit down about 2 ft away from me. Of course I wasn't paying much attention to him b/c I was reading my HR book, but I finally look up, twist my head, see a bald guy. Then my nose returned to the book. A photographer approaches the bald man to ask if he could photograph Bald Guy. BG asks "what do you want me to do?" in a British accent! Then he goes "like this?" with his accent. I think... ooh... HOT! Then I start to pay attention... When the photographer leaves, BG looks my way. . . 2/19/02


. . . smiles, and says hello. Of course I smile back and say hi too, "Why did that guy take pictures of you?" I ask. "He's a photographer for a Japanese paper and wanted to get some photos with me and the rink." "Oh... interesting," I reply. "Isn't it? Now I can tell others that I'm in a newspaper" he smirks. "What are you so dilligently reading there?" "My HR book" "Are you starting a business?" I laugh,"No, it's for one of my classes..." The conversation continues with... 2/23/02


... talks about.. the weather!! Yes... it was another warm day on a February day. What is it with me and weather? I don't know. BG tells me he has been living in NYC for about 2 years. He works at an architectural firm, but doesn't really do the designing. No, his profession is in the construction area, although, he tells me, "I am not a construction worker." No, BG, who shall remain BG for privacy purposes, is a draftsman's engineer who provides concrete and practical "advice" when architects and designers dream up with too whimsical ideas. I have no idea what he saying but am interested, especially when BG... 2/28/02