Christina's Birthday

Below is a pictorial essay of the day of Christina’s birthday celebration. I say day of because the first few pictures were taken on my way to her apartment – either while waiting for a bus or through the window of a bus. At Christina’s apartment, we made Black Bottom Cupcakes from a recipe in the magazine Every Day with Rachael Ray. I thought the cupcakes were a little sweet, though Bryan said they were the best he had ever eaten (a bit of hyperbole, perhaps?). The cheesecake filling is excellent, however, and I usually add it to a box of Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Dark Chocolate Fudge cake mix. I make the cake and then drop tablespoons of the filling over the entire surface of the cake. I don’t really care for most cake, but this is my favorite recipe.

This day was pretty exciting for me – not only was it my first time at Christina’s apartment in almost two years, but it was the first big social event that I’ve been to since my surgeries that hasn’t been at or very near to either my house or my dad’s house. It made me so happy that I finally felt well enough to go out for the day with my friends. And Christina and Jon kindly provided a beach chair for me to sit on. I’m sure everyone was jealous. I have to say, though, that I kept glancing up instinctively waiting for Pam to get there (she’s in England).

It’s very strange to me to observe how everyone’s lives have gone in different directions since graduation. Although my life went in an unexpected direction that included two spinal fusions, college (which was the last thing that I did before I had my operations) still feels close, as if I just graduated. It’s like when during your first year of college, you’re still talking about high school because you don’t know who you are yet as a university student. Having two surgeries sent me into a form of limbo and I know that I’m not the same person that I was in college (how could I be?) but I haven’t had the chance to figure out how I’ve changed so I’m still stuck back at Rutgers. My friends’ lives have moved on, and I have to find my place as a member of the group and the universe in general again (you see, I’ve been living in a distant place called Bed for two years). It’s not as though I didn’t feel at ease with my friends, but more like I don’t yet feel at ease with myself (does one ever?).

Enjoy the pictures – I have more and I’ll put them on Shutterfly as soon as I get a chance. Let me know if you’d like the link to the album. I should say that none of the people in the pictures realized that their photo was being taken. I prefer taking candid shots because I think they look more natural (though often out of focus).


This is an ad on a bus stop lean-to. It is a drawing of a city skyline and real city buildings are reflected on the glass.


I took this picture inside of the same lean-to, hence the gray dots. I thought the tall, triangular building was neat.


Me taking a picture of me as reflected in a camera advertisement. Kind of meta, no? The ad says Your dad is not a horse's behind.


I took this picture from the bus. A real tree and a tree of ladies. I thought it looked cool.


Some cars on a roof. Kind of precarious looking. Also taken from the bus and you can see the bus lights in the sky. Come to think of it, it would be kind of neat to travel all around cities on public buses and take pictures through the windows and make it a sort of book.


This picture was taken at Central Park where Christina had her birthday picnic. I purposely moved the camera to blur the image because I only wanted to show how many people were at the park but not actually be able to make out their faces.


Chris pouring wine and giving directions.


Christina and Jon. Cute, but would be cuter if it weren't out of focus. Please mentally remove that ugly baby carriage. Or, if you're a Photoshop whiz, literally remove it and give me the photo.


Bryan, Lakshmi, Cui.


Tiff and Lakshmi.


Tiff and her boyfriend Jesse.


Some lanterns at Tavern on the Green. I know it's such a touristy thing to photograph, but I couldn't help myself.