01.30.02 - 1:45 p.m.

I used to be able to walk to the beach from my house.

I still live by the water, but it's nothing to which you'd want to pull up a beach chair, more like sitting beside the Allegheny or by the fountain at the Point. I guess that's the difference between a river and a lake.

Now I know why people talk about living on the water, and why people would rather live on the California coast than, say, Jersey City. Lake Michigan sunk into my consciousness without me realizing it, and I didn't notice its power until I was long gone. I feel like Matt Dillon in Singles, missing the sound of the airplanes only after they weren't there anymore. I don't know if I'm even explaining this well enough with my thoughts flying in five different directions, but I saw the waves lapping at the boats in the Port Imperial Harbor this morning and suddenly the memories of my little Chicago beach were more than I could stand.

And in fact, I think I'm pretty much watching The Real World Chicago for the scenery.

Nicole is in New York! I can't believe it! And after Andrew's email yesterday telling me she was working at a trade in Chicago and I'd been thinking about emailing her on the bus this morning. Good coincidence. And how weird life turns out. If I'd known that first day these were the people I'd be keeping in touch with, I still wouldn't have believed it. Andrew looked like such an oddball with his long hippie hair, and Nicole seemed SO the typical snotty rich girl.

And, well, Andrew is a little hippie, and Nicole is a rich girl, but that's not the sum of their characters, and if there's one thing the magazine project did for me, it gave me the chance to see through my ridiculous first impressions. I do learn some things through my failures.

I want a duvet. I want new bedclothes. (What a silly word - my bed needs new clothes. Is that a word at all or did I just make it up?) A new watch, a subscription to Food & Wine - these would all make good birthday gifts. Where is a good place for one to buy a duvet? I can't even figure out the best place to buy a bath puff. I'll never be a personal shopper.