Spektor Vision

Tuesday was Regina Spektor's in-store performance at Tower Record, free to those who purchased her lastest album, Begin to Hope. She was nervous & utterly charming, playing most of the tunes off the new one on a lavish Steinway. I couldn't see her too well unless I stood on tiptoes. The only "classic" she played was "Us." Afterwards was an autograph procession, which I joined as an excuse to meet her & talk briefly about her Boston performance at the Axis which kept getting interrupted by an intake of house music from the club next door. She signed the inner cover of my notebook journal.

Went kindleblossoming in Queens afterwards for a few hours, talking about the ultimate futility of philosophic endeavors & watching Eddie Izzard clips on You Tube. Sat in a Times Square restaurant reading from A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius until dawn. They overcooked my eggs benedict. Walked around Murray Hill & the Upper East Side as people emerged sleepily from their houses to jog or seek bagels. New York is a beautiful place at six in the morning, although the bugs are a little pesky. There's a great area along the East River where dogs bring their humans out to play, called the Charles Schurz Park. From the parapet I watched a tugboat laborously hauling a barge of dirt up the East River. Got semi-lost in Central Park while crossing to the West Side. Nearly got mowed down by hardcore joggers as well. Finally reached home around nine in the morning, wearybones & sorefoot.