Fer some reason ... I was just thinking about Thursday when I went shopping at H&M. I swear ... New Yorkers do nothing but shop and go to the gym. That's why everything costs so much here. They can afford to have high prices because it's a compulsion.

Just hang around like ... Broadway and Canal Street or so. Actually ... anywhere but that's a pretty busy spot. You have Banana Republic ... Old Navy ... Canal Jeans ... Urban Outfitters ... H&M ... I mean they're all right there. And then you still have street vendors lined up on the sidewalk. Just hang out and people-watch ... you'll see. A blur of shopping bags, sandals and flip flops.

Probably why I fit into the city so well. Because I ... *goes cross-eyed* ... love shopping. Especially when I feel crappy which is like 90% of the time anyway. Nothing like buying something to make you feel in control again. Ironically ... you're not in control when you do that, are ya?

I remember hating to clothes shop though. My mom dragging me along and making me try stuff on. And notice how moms always find a way to embarrass you when clothes shopping. Like make you try on the dorkiest shoes possible and tell you how cute they look. And you're standing there ... peering over at the cool sneakers that you really want. And when you say you don't like the dorky shoes she points out how 'practical' they are. How much stronger they are than the cool sneakers. As if you even care.

Toy shopping on the other hand. It's hard for them to mess that up. I don't think I ever left a toy store without getting something. Anything. A small LEGO set even. Gosh, I love that stuff. I always will. I have like 2 buckets full of LEGO back in the Caribbean. I still buy small sets sometimes, if I see a really cool one.

But now ... now .. I have this huge compulsion to clothes shop. I don't go out that often ... yet ... I love buying clothes. Clothes and shoes. Hmmm .. maybe it's just a compulsion for 'shopping' ... period.

Am I more 'New York' ... than I think I am?

Everyone here's into image. I'd say about half of the 8 or however many million New Yorkers ... are calorie-counters. Label-readers. So much so that they stand there for a good long while in the supermarket aisles. Mark's a little like that ... I feel. I know Eric is. And Amber.

When I went to see 'Shrek' with Mark and Gyselle I realized he was a label-reader. I was sharing some of my Twizzlers (low fat) with Gyselle. Mark was like ... "Babe, those are so not good for you."

She matched him good though with "Oh ... and that chocolate icecream you're eating is?"

Doesn't it get a little tiresome though? Always having to check what you eat. Always wondering the equivalent in miles you'll have to run to with every bite of cheesecake. I mean ... sure you should eat healthy. You should read the labels. But ... a lot of people get so obsessed with it.