Tom and I

Finally confronted with a space in which to roam freely between thoughts (and maybe some ideas) unrelated to product, I hit a wall. All of a sudden, I had no clue what was really going in my head and what I was willing to share. There was the usual angst about the usual things, but I know they will find their way into many an unrelated post anyway.

The thing is, you have to be in a certain mood to write about yourself. One would think that writer's block doesn't necessarily apply to blogging, but in some ways, it does. You have to be connected to your self in a certain way before throwing yourself out there. For a couple of days, all I could really think about was how many more hours were left in the day and whether or not my laptop had enough battery life to last me through class. Oh, and whether or not the cockroach controls I had set up in my apartment were really going to work. Not exactly blog-worthy.It was after a majorly relaxing (and productive) study session that I had the urge to get cozy in Tom's Diner. In case you don't know, Tom's Diner is located on the Upper West Side, blocks from Columbia University. Its claim to fame is an old-school neon sign that found its way into "Seinfeld," and whose name is also the title of a certain Suzanne Vega song.

Tom's is a university haunt in which I don't believe I have ever stepped foot alone. Ok. Maybe once after an interview I went there for a quick Broadway shake, but I may have just conjured up that memory - I very well could have been waiting for someone. In any case, it would have held much significance for me to end up back in a place I frequented for 4 meaningful years as an undergrad. As a graduate student now, I thought it would be cool and dorky to go back there (alone) to ponder my singledom and the other pursuits I now find myself engaged in (eh, career? higher education? eh...), as well as marvel at having become the coolly composed graduate student we once regarded as a different species.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this blog post "Measure for Measure" by Suzanne Vega herself in The New York Times. I have a certain fascination with Suzanne Vega and the song "Tom's Diner." For one, the first time I heard it, I was a youngun in a car with my older cousin behind the wheel - cool. Then I learned that Suzanne Vega went to the same college as my older sis. Even cooler. Then I attended the same college. Practically oozing coolness. When the frequenting of Tom's and people watching through its windows had become routine - coolness outdid itself and I was sold on my own naive little life. I was like Suzanne Vega in my head, absorbing everything around me and taking note. Never mind that I was usually buzzed and hungry while I was there. I was a self-aware undergrad, reveling in her confusion and abandon, one hand in her pocket and a tune in her head.

So when I saw Suzanne Vega's blog, I was a little inspired, and dare I say it - touched. Now I'm compelled to return to Tom's, listen to "Tom's Diner," and write both to myself and others while diner grease diffuses into my skin. I may soon begin to wax poetic about pistachio Broadway shakes and gravy fries, and all that comes with those prizes - horrible service, scary old waitresses, and cash only.

I will definitely miss being there with my near and dear (very few of whom are left in NYC) - more than I can imagine probably. But whether I write the next Suzanne Vega song or not though, I believe I've rediscovered an old spot in which to relax, reconnect, and be myself. It's been a while.