So after a harrowing flight experience that lasted over 48 hours, I am finally here in New York. My mom and stepdad met me at the airport this afternoon, where we shuttled over to my new apartment to pick up the keys and instructions from my amazing sublet lady, Amy. Mel and Amy have a beautiful one-bedroom apartment with a studio, loungey living room, nice modern bathroom, and huge kitchen. (Even if I did see a little mouse tonight…)

After settling in, my brother Chris came over and we went and ate barbecue in the ‘hood at Fette Sau. It was really American, in a good way. After dinner, we went to the grocery and I got all stocked: Grapes, carrots, cereal, rice, beans, bananas, etc.

Chris and I sat around the place talking for a long time, before we realized the time and got dressed right quick for a little night on the town. We just took the bus over to the Annex to see Trouble & Bass & some other FG people. The club was really crowded so we left and went to another bar down the row and enjoyed some fine $3 beers, before coming back to the Annex.

Just got home and I’m so beat. I am glad to be back to blogging… For some reason, I felt I couldn’t really do it in China. So, if you’ll have me… Welcome back.

Check it out here.

I can’t say I’m homesick—I never get $2 cab fares in Austin—but I long to hole up in a hot kitchen for hours at a time. I try new dishes everyday here in China, and I’m itching to create. As a salvo, I’ve jotted a who’s who of the foods I can’t wait to make when I get to a kitchen I can call my own.

• Tropical fruit salad with toasted coconut
• Cereal with raisins, walnuts and soy milk
• Brown rice, borracho beans, corn salad with avocado and salsa
• Cold vinegary eggplant
• Pineapple smoothies
• Minty gazpacho
• Flan with caramel
• Scrambled tofu with chives
• Chocolate-dipped strawberries
• Fresh lemonade and Southern iced tea
• Tiny pickles and egg salad sandwiches
• Nutty wheat toast with jam
• Roasted corn with parmesan and chili powder
• Caesar salads
• Lots & lots of coffee

…And you’re all invited!!

With a pit stop in Los Angeles, for a nice, six-hour love-in with my Chinese textbook.

Once in Beijing, where I arrive bright and early Saturday. I have a few good men (and moms) to meet and I am positively psyched.

The first, Lee Ambrozy, runs sinopop.org, a fun and fresh look at the contemporary art scene in Beijing, and more broadly, China. Ambrozy is an MFA student of Chinese art history at Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts, and his writing and website are refreshing in the approachable and inclusive way he discusses contemporary works and artists. For more pop culture and interesting bilingual tidbits, follow Ambrozy on Twitter.

The second intriguing man to meet is Nikoko, the founder of MCC, a style and culture website (available only in Chinese) which has exploded in popularity in the last two years. MCC is the home of Cross Mag, which showcases the finest in current Chinese street styles at a frenetic pace. Milk Magazine, the popular Hong Kong glossy, is making inroads in the mainland, with the help of MCC’s web presence.

On June 6, there is a Fatko and Adidas Originals collaboration exhibit, titled “My Colorful Life,” which Nikoko is currently organizing. See fliers below for more information.

And perhaps my most exciting friends to meet in China are none other than my dear friend Joy’s family, who reside in Beijing. Joy and I crossed paths about two years ago through a Japanese festival at UT and we’ve recently reunited and signed an apartment lease for the fall semester. Without Joy, I would not even know about MCC or really know any personal friends in Beijing. So, Joy’s mom, dad, brother, and sister, I can’t wait to meet you all! Wo zai Beijing yao kan nimen, y’all.

As I sit in wait for my dad to pull up in his pickup truck and take me back to my hometown, I can’t help but review the past few days in all their sinking glory.

I’ve been living with Sarah and the Smear girls for the past week, with a smorgasbord of clothing, bags, shoes and more piled in corners and under beds. This entire moving and transition period has convinced me just how over the top my lifestyle is, in terms of possessions. (In terms of everything actually.)

And then, Sarah graduated! We went downtown both the night before and the night of her graduation to celebrate her new status as a young adult. Dancing and drink tickets were certainly involved.

T-Pain peed on my new shirt and I threw him across Sarah’s apartment like a rag doll. He just knocked over a pizza box and an empty jug and went crashing down with them. God bless that crazy cat. We have a love-hate relationship, but I am going to miss cuddling with him.

We finished Smear Campaign Issue 13, which has been what feels like years in the making. I will post a link to download it here before I leave for China.

Last night Elissa and Max were supposed to play a party at Mitch’s house but the cops showed up almost as soon as the first band started playing so then it was just like a regular backyard party, not a show. Some Crown Royal was in the mix and I got emotional… My single ladies rushed to the rescue, took me to another party, and Reggie, loyal friend to the end, even showed up to hang one last time. I was being impossibly vague with directions so someone (probably Sarah) is to thank for gathering up the gang for a last hurrah.

Oh yes, and China. In four days I’ll be on a plane and my whole summer will be a parade of new experiences and chopsticks and guest houses, taxis, hutongs, ducks, counterfeit designer bags, etc. For now I’ve got a sniffling sinus issue and I can’t wait to get back in my big luxurious bed and watch True Blood reruns tonight.

This is two of my best friends performing at Beer Land last weekend… Candle Shop & The Psychic Readers is not their definite name but it’s a temporary fix. They are playing tonight at a house party, I’ll try and bring back footage.

My regularly scheduled life in Austin is in a short commercial break just before the credits. Sarah, always such a good friend, is letting me stay at her apartment and today I’m the Smear Campaign offices, working on Smear Campaign Issue #13.

I love this place…Sometimes we get work done, sometimes we just watch Home Improvement. I took some pictures at the house, peruse them below on Flickr. I’m on my way to have dinner with Sarah at Chuy’s, and there’s a lot of news to come. Stay tuned!

As I prepare to move out of my beloved one-bedroom apartment this weekend, I’ve been progressively posting and selling off pieces of my soul. An old couch here, a soiled rug there, one by one they march into the distance. Today a nice guy with a fake name came and got a piece. He was really cute and I liked his style… Is it unprofessional to contact him? What are the rules outside of the ‘missed connection’ section?

Craigslist is like the Wild West of the Internet—lawless as the HTML is short. Hussies and the like selling blenders. Romantic overtures runneth over.

A few months ago I sold my antique cast iron twin bed to a lovely family of three. The couple’s seven-year old daughter was so excited to redecorate her room, she ran straight over to the bed and hugged it. The family actually brought a video camera and recorded us taking the bed apart and carrying it away. About two weeks ago I got an email from the mother of the child the and she told me how much her daughter loves her new bed.

My mother slept on that bed when she was a little girl. My brother and I slept on it together as kids. I used it all the way through college and now it’s living on in the life of another. It makes me feel really wonderful to know that.

I accomplished my Chinese exam tonight in far-from-record speed and now I’m hunched over a glass of red, reflecting on these months past. Kiah’s in the shower, getting ready, so I’ll take this opportunity to spill my guts over makeshift memories.

…Abe Vigoda & Diplo at Emo’s.

This was when Sarah and I first really connected as best friends. I had a +1 for the guest list and no one to roll with. I sent out a mass text and Sarah replied immediately. We rolled deep to the show, danced till we puked and then hung out at La Quinta Inn ’till dawn. I distinctly remember wearing my afro-centric bodysuit.

…New York Nights, Downtown Days

Sarah and I flew to NYC in late December 2008 for shopping, club hopping and, oh yeah… internships. I had three interviews, the most nerve-wracking was Fader. We house-swapped in Chelsea with the coolest fashion dude (love you Jamie!), swore off heels forever on a freezing New Year’s Eve (so much for that), and laughed at how “cool” New York clubs really are.

…Spring break/SXSW

Can’t say enough about this seven days. Lots of outfits, laughing and energy drinks come to mind. I’ve probably never had so much fun in my life, and got to meet a lot of my idols, like Kid Sister, Lady Sovereign, Rye Rye, Mapei, Desiree, etc.

…Institution of the Single Ladies Society

This is an ongoing chapter, a page of which will be written tonight. Cydney, Sarah, Kiah and myself bonded one night over milkshakes & ‘molten’ cakes and never looked back. I know we will all be arrested soon, in conjunction with the rest.

I’ve got to go, single ladies are waiting… What are you waiting for?

I’m ready, put it on me. I was so smug, smug as a mug in a rug—”I’m done with Twitter, to hell with updates.”

Well, in less than 24 hours time I was groveling at the feet of the Facebook. And the realization came swiftly, as my girlfriend Kiah simply commented, “I see you’ve transferred your digital addiction to FB.” That’s exactly what it is, an addiction. I’m embarrassed to admit it but I can’t be the only one feeling like this.

There’s really been no improvement, for what’s in a network? Same tweet, different day. There’s no simple solution here so I’m now faced with a harm reduction strategy.

First, I have to take stock of why this is a problem. (”I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong” the AOL buddy on my shoulder is whispering.) I had to get off Twitter because I felt a compulsion to tell the world my every pithy thought. Throughout yesterday I kept reaching for my phone to twit before realizing… other people don’t care about this stuff! Why am I broadcasting this?

But by today, I had already found comfort in the arms of Facebook’s status update. The problem is that I have a glaring misconception: I imagine that other people want to read these inane details. Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and the rest are in the process of deluding others similarly. We have to use our minds and fight back.

So in my case the problem is social networking in general. I can’t live without my Facebook—a drastic statement but honestly quite true. How did I get here? All of my contacts… email addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, within reach. Facebook founders talk about all the ways they’re helping us “keep in touch.” Is this in touch? Because I’ve never felt more out of touch—with reality.

The solution is a long, hard road and I can’t yet see around the bend. One thing is for sure: Walden’s calling.