A dip in the Atlantic

Awoke this morning after only a few hours' sleep to more unfamiliar bird calls some of which seem vaguely tropical, others that sound like birds of prey. I hear the occasional blast of a ship's horn in the distance. Images of Time Square flash in and out of my mind as I lie awake, I listen to some heavy post-industrial techno on my MP3 player. As I nurse an aching head and an empty stomach, I contemplate the tumultuous weather forecast and look forward to the prospect of witnessing my first American thunderstorm.

The garbage truck beeps as it backs up and I think of a song called 11am by Incubus. After lying there for what feels like a small eternity I drift off to sleep, and awake a couple of hours later to hear the familiar sound of Lew and Keith's voices. Takes me a while to come round. After getting up we take a walk down the road for coffee and I plump for a Nutella Latte which is tasty but very sweet.

Go to Rockaway Beach, and can now say that I have paddled in the sea on both sides of the Atlantic.

The storm eventually rolls overhead and Keith and I go and stand in the entrance way to the building and observe it. It is relatively brief but fairly spectacular and the thunder is very loud.