Life in NYC

My week was busy, but things have slowed down considerably over the weekend. Today was a holiday at Moody's, I spent the day walking around, running (twice) and reading about economics.

<---- me at 125th St. Subway Station (notice the snow!)

The next two days should be pretty eventful, as I get ready to leave for Memphis!

Expense Report

Day 165:

• Lunch at Cafeteria, $1.75

Day 166:

• Lunch at Cafeteria, $1.75

Day 167:

• Lunch at Cafeteria, $5.81
• $2.70 & $6.50

Day 168:

• Sophie's, $3

Day 169: 5

• Morton Williams Supermarket, $9.82

Day 170: 6

• Tom's Restaurant, $20

Day 171: 7

Expense Report

Day 161:

• Breakfast at Cafeteria, $2.74
• Pretzel from vendor, $1.50

Day 162:

• Fairway Market, $5*.**

Day 163:

• USA Gourmet Deli, $3.75

Day 164:

• Breakfast at Cafeteria, $2.25

Classic Westminster

I just found this one from Eat N' Park last year.  The kitchen was having some quality control issues...

Sudan

The last two days have been relatively calm and I spent a good portion of my free time catching up on some reading. I finished What is the What last night and now I'm back to my standard fare of economics and current affairs.

In What is the What, novelist Dave Eggers tells the story of the Darfur conflict through the eyes of Valentino Achak Deng.  The book begins in the middle of a harrowing robbery in suburban Atlanta.  While he is being robbed and shortly afterwards, Valentino flashes back and tells the reader about his days in the Sudan. Although a novel, the book is very realistic and a true must read.  Rating: A

The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation can be accessed by clicking here.

Expense Report

Day 159:

• Lunch at Cafeteria, $3.93

Day 160:

• Breakfast at Cafeteria, $2.25
• Duane Reade, $5.77

Lost Boys of the Brown House

The picture on the left was taken during the last Brown House Reunion at Dave and Buster's in Pittsburgh. It's amazing how far apart everybody lives now!

I decided to take a break from The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth and instead read Dave Eggers' What is the What. The latter book is about the Lost Boys of Sudan and I just couldn't leave it on the shelf much longer!  The first few pages speak of how many of the Sudanese, after quite an experience fleeing civil war, ended up scattered across the country--kind of like the Class of 2006. I wonder if there are any microfinance lenders that serve displaced Sudanese refugees?

More on this later. Having not read much aside from news stories about Darfur, I expect the book to be a major eye-opener!

Lunch was at a sushi joint yesterday and a French restaurant today.  I'm moving up in the world...

Expense Report

Day 157:

• Breakfast at the Cafeteria, $3
• Thrifty Supermarket, $2.20

Day 158, $0

The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit

The picture on the right, taken from one of Christie's facebook albums, was too good to leave buried in a social networking site.  I simply had to bring it to the blog!

I had a great deal of free time this weekend and, like last weekend, was able to work through lots of reading material.  Aside from the Economist articles that make up my daily fare, I read a section of Harvey Cox's When Jesus Came to Harvard, started Benjamin Friedman's The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth, and read Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion in its entirety.

The God Delusion, by Oxford biologist Richard Dawkins, takes aim at religion and fires an eloquent missile that is hard to ignore. The book is decidely one-sided, but that is surely Dawkins' intention; he draws a line in the sand and prods the reader to pick a side regarding the existence of God. With respect to modern society, Dawkins is reminiscent of a political candidate like Pat Buchanan:  most people will not agree with him, but he will influence them nevertheless. The book provides many great examples of why irrationality should be avoided...

Expense Report

Day 152:

• Lunch at Cafeteria, $1.75
• Dinosaur BBQ, $33

Day 153:

• Breakfast at Cafeteria, $3

Day 154:

• MetroCard, $76
• Lunch at Cafeteria, $4.65

Day 155:

• Morton Williams Supermarket, $26.36
• Thrifty Supermarket, $9.32

Day 156:

• Columbia University Barnes and Noble, $99.59  (gift card, yes!)