Mentally & Physically Exhausted Meg

I am now officially "spent". After last week of crisis, and last weekend of trucking about my beloved city with Miss Alison Turner, I am alone, and happy!! And completely satisfied - well maybe not completely - I'm still not in my own apartment, or an editor. But as close as I can get.

I talked to my brother on Friday, and my mom, and both are doing fine with my grandma, who I think is happy wherever she is. I'm remarkably not upset - either it'll hit me later or I'll actually be okay. That moment on the train on Friday made me SOOOO happy.

And I'm excited to go back to my life as I know it - getting up every morning and going down to Cranberry's with my Ipod and going to work at S&S. I don't think I realize how much I treasure my independence and frankly, my ROUTINE of living in New York, and especially Brooklyn. I treasure the borough more than anyone will know - no wonder I was so touched by A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN.

As much as Winona or Merrill (Irma at least!) this is MY HOME, where I belong, where I live my life. And that is the best part.

Alison made the comment when she was here that she thought NY'ers were rude and jaded. But what she doesn't realize is that we kind of have to be, with so many people. And that's what I love. No one will bother me on my way anywhere, but if I needed help, they would be there - and I help when I can as well. I have never been in a city when so many doors have been held open for me (literally and figuratively). Alison's visit just helped me remember why I love this city so much.

I got to see it through her eyes - Canal Street, where the Chinese women put on stickers on generic bags that say KATE SPADE, and brunch, where everyone is out recovering from the night before or simply celebrating the weekend. And the cute wine bars where everyone talks about anything... and the piano bars where gay men celebrate me for singing along with a Reba McEntire song.

That's our weekend. And for the record, Al thought Todd was "awesome". Diallo didn't come through (he's sick apparently - who knows if he actually is, or if he's abandoned the plan since I wouldn't make out with him - way to go me!), but we salvaged. And now, I'm tired and happy, and satisfied to take a bath and chill (which I just did).

It also helped that everything I tried on at Macy's (even a Rampage medium, which we all know is notoriously small) fit. And that I got to share Friday night with one of my best friends here (Todd) and one of my best friends from Winona (Alison).

So now I'm going to download (or upload, what's the correct term?) more CDs for the Ipod so that I can listen to Bob Dylan, The Cars, and country covers of the Eagles (Thanks Joe!) tomorrow on the A train, where no one stares at you.

And be completely anonymous. Which is fine because I know who I am.