So its another birthday and I had the most nice surprise by being waked up by a phone call from my family (parents, brothers, grandma) wishing me all the best.
my voice however was totally fu*ked up, because I just had slept 4 hours. discovered “forbidden planet” the day before, probably one of the best comic stores worldwide, with a HUGE alternative section (so no superhero crap, instead carefully told novels). bought some quite interesting stuff, e.g. “Blankets” from Craig Thompson, a terrific graphic novel and finally “The Sandman“, one of the most awarded and influential book in comic history.
so that’s why I kept reading until 4a.m., this stuff was just too good. 
sadly, got some terrible news, too. my grandma has fallen and broke her shoulder two times. 
fortunately it was a “clean” break so it will heal perfectly IF she doesn’t move, which is quite hard for her, always busy as she is. love you granny, take care!
discovered to my BIG surprise after finally getting up, that it’s extremely hot outside, bright sunny day, about 20¬?C / 68¬?F (in January guys!), so after a very nice hot and long bath to get started I went over to Central Park.
And guess what? Met there two girls from Germany, working here in New Jersey as Au Pair. Had a lovely chitchat, obviously comparing Germany, Austria and the States 
This day was really like spring, everyone moving around with just a T-Shirt (and jeans ), and of course there was also some action going on, as you can see on the next video.
and here’s the mandatory video of Central Park for you folks back in Austria
but the absolute highlight of the day was a response I got to my posting on craigslist, searching for a flat, with a description and a couple of pics of myself. it was just a one-liner, but maybe the most charming compliment I got for a very long time: “if you were gay I’d marry you!“. Hit me like a surprise and made me smile :).
although very highly appreciated, I am there just for the ladies, so no wedding today, I guess
later I discovered the most amazing supermarket I have been so far, bringing art of wrapping to a new level, and its a Japanese one and in Chelsea, obviously. named “Garden of Eden“. imagine big piles of fruits, each one half wrapped in paper and perfectly aligned. terrific selections of goods of all kinds, and an incredible chocolate section. I decided to give the (awfully expensive) hand made chocolates in a box a try and when I tried the first one back at home I almost fainted. I really had to sit down, totally overwhelmed by the sensations going on in my mouth.
and the day ended with some crazy long night dancing in the meat pack. unfortunately I didn’t take a picture of the club, hope I find it again. they played the best music mix I have heard for quite a time. 
most funny thing today: the plush(!) cap of one of the guys in the club, mimicking a wolf head
note: I really have to think about a way to get my pictures organized here (in worpress), there is so much stuff I collect everyday but I just don’t have the time to post/edit/organize. so any suggestions highly appreciated.