Back in Delaware

It's like Delaware is some other planet... Planet Misshapen.

Remember a few weeks ago I was in this Denny's in Newark, Delaware, having breakfast and listening to other people's loud kids? I'm in the same place, under the same circumstances, except this time the adventures are more adult-oriented.

Delaware has some goddamn ugly people!

I got here, found a table pretty quickly, and then got to listen when this loud young blonde woman stood at the counter nearly shouting into her wireless phone while she waited for a takeout order. Eventually, I decided to join the conversation in a more muted way, causing people at nearby tables to crack up. The blonde was entirely oblivious. I wonder if she's that loud when she's having an orgasm? Or maybe more aptly, I wonder if she's that loud on her wireless phone when she's having an orgasm?

The next adventure was the table full of youngish stoner guys. I got my order, and then went to the men's room to wash my hands before eating. I was in the stall, which apparently diverted one of the young guys who'd had a bad night last night. I came out of the stall and went over to the sink, where he was yacking into the basin, then turning on the water to rinse it, then yacking some more. The other sink was pristine. I almost felt like I should apologize for being in the stall when he obviously needed it more, but then again, that would have meant I'd have had to take a dump in the sink instead, and that wouldn't have rinsed out nearly as well as beer-yack.

So, where have I been? New York again. Met up with a friend in New Jersey on Saturday afternoon for soup and conversation in Hightstown, and then joined another for dinner in Manhattan Saturday night. The drive up was easy and smooth, and this time I went in on the Lincoln Tunnel instead of the Holland. A great dinner, and my friend's dog was so excited to see me he whizzed on the floor of their apartment. I hope I don't have that effect on humans.

After dinner and dog-whiz, I had to get down to the Apple Store they just opened the other night at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street, curiously in the same building as FAO Schwarz and across the intersection from Bergdorf-Goodman. Oddly appropriate, really.

I saw the new MacBook (replacement for the venerable iBook, this time with an Intel chip in it) for the first time, and the thing that struck me was the weird keyboard. The weird, non-removable keyboard. One of the nicest things about the iBook was the fact that you could pop the keyboard out in about five seconds to get at the Airport card and memory slot underneath. Or, to replace the keyboard if you screw it up. The new MacBook keyboard doesn't appear to be so removable. The keyboard itself is bizarre... the first thing you notice about it is that the keys are not sculpted, they are flat squares with some spacing between them, sort of like a cheap calculator. Wait, no, they really remind me of the ancient Radio Shack Color Computer, circa 1982. Square keys, flat on top.

I didn't find it comfortable.

I ended up buying an upgrade to Logic Express, so I can record my podcast on the MacBookPro at home, and a thing called EyeTV, which I can use to turn the iMac into a DVR (a la TiVo). I am not sure if I can use it on the Intel-based machines... I can't see any good reason not, but I suppose I should try it.

The thing that struck me about the Apple Store was the roving herds of gorgeous women. It was Saturday night, midnight, and here, these women are showing up as if they just came from Carnegie Hall (which is only a few blocks west). Black silk dresses, diamonds, heels, guys in tuxes. And, of course, the usual collection of overweight geeks with fanny packs and Birks. After buying my stuff, I just sat underneath the big glass spiral stairway and just watched the crowds... and it was crowded. Every machine, nearly every iPod, had someone playing with it.

Say what you want about New York, but on Saturday night in midtown and the upper West Side, there are more classically-beautiful women per square foot than anywhere on the entire planet. I just wish there were more places to park.

I finally took off about 1am, over to New Jersey and the hunt for a hotel room. The one place I could find a reservation (again near Hightstown) had screwed up their wireless, so I figured, hell, if I've got no wireless I might as well just sleep in the car and save a hundred bucks. So, I did. A fairly pleasant sleep, really... I woke up about ten and am on my way back to Baltimore to check on something at work.

And that brings me back to the Denny's in Newark, Delaware. They fouled up my omelette (I knew I was in trouble when I cut into my ham and cheddar omelette and a mushroom leaped for freedom across the plate) and then brought another, which was good. I'm in no rush to get back on the road, but I suppose I should. I might go down the road to the Christiana Mall and buy some clothes tax-free, partly because I am annoyed with everything I own right now. Things just fit strangely and I feel awkward, even though I've lost some weight thanks to this sleep thing and my recent cold. Some days I just want to take all my clothes out behind the tractor barn and set fire to them all.

We'll see what this new week brings.

By the way, Kelly decided to take that teaching job in Virginia, so she's beginning the logistical challenge of selling her house and moving. I'm not entirely sure what'll happen with her, but for now, it's still really good to talk to her.