remember that sick creature i alluded to in my NYC #2 post?

here you can see actual babies popping out of the deep pits in their mom’s back. what’s interesting is that they’re exact miniature versions of her. it’s riveting, but oh-so-deeesgusting, reminiscent of the “honeycomb breast.” and no you definitely should not google image that term. and if you do, don’t blame me for your lifelong post-traumatic stress disorder.

wonder what it feels like for the surinam toad (aka pipa pipa, aka star-fingered frog) baby mama?

ps – here she is as pack mule for her entire stash of eggs. EEEEEEW! double gross! ugh. what is it about seeing a slimy cluster of eggs that makes my skin crawl?

even though it’s strange to be posting this a million years after the fact, i refuse to abandon my commitment to tedious vacation reportage.

in the morning, we traverse central park from the east to the west. it’s relatively quiet and the earth is moist. sadly, christina doesn’t get to see any of the big landmarks, except for like, some castle and the great lawn

after much deliberation the night before on where to have brunch in the upper west side, i settle on sarabeth’s, famous for their baked goods. here i am enjoying quiet possibly the best cream of tomato soup ever. velvety, indeed.

lemon ricotta pancakes (fragrant and sweet), and a boring farmer’s omelette. the ingredients are great, but they don’t coalesce. also, those are excellent homemade english muffins

excitement mounts as we enter the museum of natural history. this is one of the greatest places in the world. plus, it’s romantic, no? i am thrilled for my sister to experience it. we take about a million photos. it’s enough to warrant its own separate entry

scary how their eyes are closed, but they appear to be slightly smiling. a little too moribund

bats! i love bats! again, strange presentation, especially given how everything else is displayed. this is part of the “animals of new york” installation, in some small hallway connecting the galleries

FIERCE. christina loves owls

hilarious how all the lemurs have the meanest, nastiest faces! they’re about to scratch your eyes out

introducing the surinam toad, one of nature’s ugliest, most revolting inventions. i distinctly remember this creature from my first time here years ago. as much as its appearance will make your skin crawl, its brilliant reproductive engineering will also make you marvel. babymama’s eggs get embedded into her back. when the little dudes hatch they emerge from these pits on her back. disgusting. take a close look

god, who DOESN’T LOVE DINOSAURS?!

cynth asks, “why is his pelvis bone so huge?” guess you could say he’s a well-hung chap

cynthia says, “check out the toupee on that schmuck”

leaves….LEEEEEEEEAVES

move along. no sexual innuendo here, none whatsoever

the hall of biodiversity. basically the coolest thing ever constructed. don’t get me started

for all the shark lovers in the house

battle! i like the scars on the sperm whale

we leave the magical land of awesome and stop by zabar’s, a densely packed market / gourmet food shop. the cheese section is astounding. it’s a tiny space, almost impossible to navigate, so you can sense tensions flaring with all the shopping/foot traffic collisions

still on the west side, heading north toward harlem. channeling peter parker/tobey maguire on the steps of columbia university

something the yin sisters are quite adept at: the awkward self-portrait

taking a break in st. nicholas park

i like this

there’s neat architecture in harlem

here’s astor row. note the patios

taking a well-deserved break

we almost make it into amy ruth’s, our dinner destination, but the gravitational pull of a sneaker store (“training camp”) is too powerful. cynth buys two pairs for a great deal. i spy a pair of alifes — usually not my cup of tea — and fall in love. unfortunately, the $150 pricetag aborts all hope

shoe shopping works up a ravenous appetite, and we are ready to take on amy ruth’s

it does not disappoint. fried chicken with a honey glaze, zesty buttery mashed taters, and mac n cheese (good, but there’s a subtly sweet aftertaste that turns me off)

chicken n waffles with pan gravy on the side. the waffle could stand powerfully on its own. same goes for the flavorful crunchy chicken. PERFECT

at this point, we are ready to die happy and bloated from delicious gluttony

every metro station has its own look and feel. this one has a colorful mosaic mural of historical black figures. of course, christina takes a pic with billie holiday, her all-time fave

a handy legend

a scary ECU of me and ella

we end up back in the upper west side at this irish pub called parlour. cynthia’s friend is having a fundraiser in the basement. we meet some of them

i’d say that makes for a pretty eventful day

meet the giant chinese salamander. the largest living amphibian, it can get upwards of five, six feet. i love these lil’ guys, or i should say, big guys. i think i saw one in china at the creepy museum of natural history. can’t remember. something about this photo disturbs me, yet it’s a rather cute creature. look at those paws.

have a great weekend. eat lots of chocolate eggs!

it is FREEZING tonight. my feet feel like popsicles and i swear there are icicles forming in my nostrils. i can actually feel my frosted blood cells struggling for mobility in an already sluggish circulation system.

weather like this reminds me of how nice space heaters are. everybody could use one. in fact, i think they make great gifts. we all could use one, right? i love mine. it’s great for thawing out my limbs in the morning.

however, THIS is the most deluxe space heater in the world. there’s no better way to get toasty and warm. every once in awhile, i get to enjoy this luxury.

(weary, puffy eye capsules/bags)

…i feel queasy…

“g-g-g-guh-guys? wait up!! where you going? why are you running away like that? i just…i just wanted to see…if you know, you wanted to hang out tonight and play wii. my mom’s making stovetop…and…and…and we just bought some capri sun!!!”

i am equal parts delighted and terrified. this lil’ feller right here is exactly why i have such an abysmal love (deep as the sea, hyuk hyuk) for all things marine. thanks to fran for pointing this out, found on boing boing. the headline: “strange squid with human-like ‘teeth”

YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN! peep the comments following that article. funny stuff.

can anyone come up with the perfect name for our aquatic pal?? somehow, i don’t think alistair or archibald would cut it. i’m thinking something more along the lines of…fred? help me out here.

geek alert: squid guy reminds me of corinthian, the sandman character. i still vividly remember being an angst-ridden, black nailpolished little punk lying on my bedroom floor, reading sandman: the doll’s house (while listening to kiss me kiss me kiss me, natch) and seeing the horrifying, disturbing image of corinthian’s face for the first time. seeing this squid brings me back.

pretty dorky, right?

but anyway, i love animals. they are fuhhh-reeeeeaky.

i’m revisiting new order and it is a real nostalgic trip. if anybody out there loves “1963,” “love vigilantes,” and “regret” as much as i do, i wanna get a cyber high-five. *slap*

things have been whirlwind these past coupla weeks. i’ve been fortunate enough to eat some tasty meals, spend time with friends, pop my opera cherry, celebrate birthdays and artistic achievements, dance with sweaty revelers, and eat some more (much to my detriment).

in other news, life continues to perplex and astound by throwing jarring things my way. little emotional land mines here and there are par for the course, but once in awhile you’ll get a big one that can jolt you out of your comfort zone and shake you to your very core.

like moz once sang, “emotional air raids exhausted my heart.”

i guess this is what life is all about.

(but life can also be about moments like these…)

okay, i haven’t delved too deeply into this story. all i know is that it’s somehow related to the moonies, so you know it’s gonna be weird.

according to this, a LEOPARD SHARK was straight chillin’ on a sidewalk (third street, to be exact). why can’t i ever see this sort of thing?!! sigh. poor guy.

run for your lives! it’s a squid invasion! is it just me, or has 2007 been the year of cephalopod news?

sometimes i wish i was a fisherman. and here’s why:

(well, obviously not the stabbing part. that’s not cool)

check out that sweet beak:

i went to the zoo recently for the first time in years. neglected buildings (“pachyderms”), an absence of educational signage (or presence of outdated signage), an obnoxious cacophonus train (wonder what the aural trauma does to the animals?), and an overall “quiet desperation” made for a bleak picture. i didn’t get the sensation of awe that i’m used to experiencing in zoos.

still, there were some bonuses. i got to see a cassowary (a modern day semi-dinosaur), lemurs (i tried to resist but they ARE cute, the way those tails just flop around like they just don’t care), giraffes feeding (i’ll admit, i actually got choked up watching them…so gentle and peaceful), and the two grizzly sisters bitch slap each other (i kinda felt bad for the submissive one).

god i love animals. just not when they’re listless and borderline suicidal b/c their “habitats” are straight out of dystopian novels.

here’s a crazy pic of a lemur:

and here’s a very special photo that anthony found online. look at those eyes!

ps – did you know hippos can outrun humans?