it's all happenin' at the zoo

Today is my last Wednesday totally off for a while. Chris started his rock-a-baby classes this morning and I have my first session for fall next week. I am excited but of course I will miss my day off. Having a day off is so great! Today I finally was able to use a groupon I got last month for the Astor Bake Shop near our apartment in Astoria and it was so effing adorable I wanted to hug it. First of all, I love our neighborhood so much and especially THIS part as opposed to the part we used to live. 30th ave is nice if you like... I don't know.... to be annoyed... but Ditmars is great if you love things that are adorable, which I definitely do. This cafe isn't really near Ditmars, but it's close enough to consider it not 30th ave. Anyway, the food was so good and they played the Beatles the whole time we were in there. The only problem was that they were playing a recording of Revolver in stereo and the playback was in mono... so we heard only half the vocals to most songs and almost no vocals on Yellow Submarine (which, of course, isn't the worst thing in the world for that song. We just enjoyed the ocean sounds).

Last Wednesday we went to the Bronx Zoo and had the BEST TIME!!!!! It was donation day, so we got in cheap but it was so great I'm planning on getting a membership for next year. The membership gives you entrance for 2 into all the NYC zoos and the Aquarium (including all the extras that cost more) plus 10% off food and gift shop and it's only $94. Considering the Aquarium costs $25 for one person by itself, this is a serious deal. The last time I went to a zoo (not including Animal Kingdom) was the San Diego Zoo which actually scared me off zoos because it made me feel so bad for the animals. They were all in such small cages and I remember seeing one of the big cats pacing back and forth continuously and it made me so upset because I felt like that cat had gone insane from being cooped up. This zoo was totally different and more like Animal Kingdom where it's a simulated reality for the animals. I loved it so much and the weather was basically perfect. The food was also surprisingly good. I got this big cup with lions on it that cost $9 but was refillable. We were exhausted at the end of the day but had such a great time.

I am so happy the weather has been more reasonable the last couple of days. We did have a few hot days last week, but it wasn't too bad. Of course, the weather also made me sick. It's nearing the end, but I've had a cold since Friday. Sunday was the worst. We went to this diner nearby because we had no food to cook and I couldn't taste my soup at all except when I blew my nose. It was annoying. I'm now in the backed up phlegm phase where I'm constantly clearing my throat and having to spit. Like a lady.

Tonight we are going to a haunted house for FREE! I haven't been to one since 2006 so I'm excited. It's going to be boo-riffic. And probably scary. I do really well at haunted houses (as opposed to scary movies where I just can't watch them at all) but I have a feeling that a New York haunted house is going to be REALLY scary. My sister is working at Cedar Point's Halloweekends again this year and she asked me what the scariest thing I've ever seen was. I told her it was the zombie ghost of a vampire werewolf dressed as a mummy. I can't wait for my birthday. :)

you can ride backwards on the lirr

I think Conan O'Brien might secretly write for groupon. Take a look at what the "groupon says" cat had to say about a groupon in Cleveland:

"Here are some fire safety tips to keep you out of harm's way:

1. First, make sure it's really a fire you're dealing with and not a still photo of a fire or a fraternity brother dressed as a fire.
2. Fires are allergic to knives.
3. Shouting at fires will not make them go away, but it will lower their temperatures enough to punch them.
4. Fire only burns those who believe in it."

I laughed out loud for real.

Yesterday I went to the beach! Oh man. I was so happy. We went to Jones Beach, which is known as one of the best beaches in New York (state). It's a state park, so there's not much around and no hotels nearby, so making it a weekend trip would be hard, but I loved it. I loved every minute of the hour and a half we were there. I honestly couldn't stay any longer because it was literally the first time all summer I had been out in the sun on purpose. I had sunscreen all over my body, and I mostly used spf 50, and I reapplied it like... every 20 minutes... but I was still scared. And rightly so. The sun is DANGEROUS. But, luckily, I didn't get burned and I also no longer look like a vampire which was exactly what I wanted. The trip there wasn't too bad, either despite the next sentence: N to 30th, walk to Steinway, R to Roosevelt, E to Sutphin, LIRR to Freeport, N88 to Jones Beach. It was a lot of transfers but the LIRR was so fun (and only $21 for two roundtrip tickets!!!) and I was smiling like I was on a roller coaster the entire time.

After we got home yesterday I was EXHAUSTED and starving. I ate 3 pieces of pizza, 3 cheesey garlic things and 2 cinna-pizza things (we ordered from papa johns). I then laid on the couch, half asleep, watching PBS until 9:30pm when I nearly died because I could not take the heat in the living room any more. It was unbearable. We went to bed, but really I read the end of my Harry Potter 3 book for an hour and then half an issue of Glamour magazine. Listen, though. Harry Potter is AMAZING! If you're a fan and haven't read them since the 7th book came out in 2007, it's time to reread them. I had forgotten so much. I forgot that Scabbers was Pettigrew! The 3rd book is so excellent. I mean, what an amazing, original, exciting plot. That JK Rowling. She's good. I am excited to start the 4th book tonight, which is my favorite despite the fact that it's also the first one I cried during and also the one I threw across the room (when Cedric died). I suppose throwing it across the room is no beating the floor with my fists during hysterical crying (like I did during the 7th book... perhaps a couple of times) but it's still pretty dramatic. I love Harry Potter.

I really like having these days off on Wednesdays. It's been so great. I feel like I'm trying to fit the entire summer into 4 days off. Next week we're thinking about going to a baseball game. Even though it would be the Yankees, it'd still be fun. I like to get souvenir cups.

There's a hurricane a-coming! Sort of. The hurricane was half the reason I insisted on going to the beach yesterday. Labor Day and the hurricane will bring summer to a nice end. And this time, it BETTER END. I am tired of being too hot to sit on the couch. The weather gave us a reminder of fall last week (or the week before? I can't remember) and it was great. Not that I want winter to come, because I DO NOT want that. I think I could deal with an abnormally long spring and fall every year, though.