Inwood!

Wow, I cannot even begin to explain how great Inwood is.  I did not bring my camera with me tonight when walking with my friend Kevin in the park, but I will do.  The nickname for this area is upstate NYC and I get it.  There is old growth forest and in my little studio I can hear crickets outside - crickets people - in New York City.

The forest and the wetlands up here is where the Native Americans 'sold' Manhattan to the white folks for some shells.  But rarely do you hear the other part of the story: they had no rights to the land they sold, which makes it the ultimate NYC real estate deal...Still, it was here that it happened.  To see such breathtaking views minutes from my apartment is just amazing to me.

The studio itself is bigger than I remember it and just gorgeous, the building is pink and peach granite in the Deco style.  I have a view of the park from my window - except where the crappy building next door was built - but you can't have everything.

The fellow renting the place to me even thought to bring in extra bookcases and leave a little Italian espresso maker on the stove.

But, so you know it's still New York, the faucet has a leak (need to talk to super about that), and the refrigerator vintage WWII still whines.  On the other hand, I have WNYC on the radio, New Sounds with Jonathan Schafer or something along those lines and listening to old swing tunes.  No, actually WFUV...whatever it is, it's great...

I am in heaven.

I'm also anxious about my first class tomorrow, teaching interpersonal communications...I have a plan but because I've never taught it before or at Bronx Community College or well anything like it - I am feeling both adrenalized and let's call it challenged.

I did however do the crucial thing - got a manicure from a nice Chinese lady on 207th Street.  She has lived here for 7 years when she moved from Fujian Province and her son is 15 years old and a real American teenager, who is driving her nuts.  She is happy to be here.  However, she was taught about London in school and wants to go someday, she thinks there is still fog all day long, which I explained had been smog and caused by coal...but she was not deterred.

I have met a number of people up here already and feel quite connected.  Another friend I met through meditation showed up and we meditated this afternoon at my place.  It feels quite solid.  Just right.

I simply cannot believe how right everything feels.  Apologies for repetitiveness, but it's just astonishing.

This all after the 3 leg journey here via Iceland Express - which I will heretofore refer to as the Iceland Local - a tiny plane (26 rows), which flew across the Atlantic but had to refuel in Goose Bay Canada.  The only advantage was: there can be no pretention on a plane which is more like a bus, and which everyone is flying for one reason: it's cheap.  And we all realize simultaneously - you get what you pay for.

But I did arrive eventually, in the pouring rain, and was driven to my friend Shawn's place, many hours late, only to wait up more hours for the keys to this apartment.  It was a comedy of errors.

But with a happy ending.  Because of jet lag, though, am feeling tired even this early, so will wrap this up and finalize class plan and get a nice long sleep.

I also will write in this blog now perhaps less frequently.  I feel the need to allow simplicity back into my life and somehow writing here every day has felt like a pressure.

I am home now, in a place as gorgeous as Inwood, so the transition may not be complete but something profoundly good and settling has happened.