Google’s April Fool’s Day joke was pretty cool: Google Romance Beta.

Kingdom of Loathing also stepped up by redirecting their home page to a fake “this domain is for sale by Site-Pimp” page.

What did I do today? Well, I woke up and went to the bank, then took myself shopping. I intended to find a new spring purse to match my spring coat, but I was unsuccessful on that front. I found a pair of cute strappy springtime shoes, though, and purchased those. Maybe I’ll snap a photo of them tomorrow.

Anyway, my friend Vin has text messaged me yesterday that he was going to be going to the library today. I texted him back to ask which one and to offer yp my company since I am a library whore… and he called me around 11 today while I was out shopping to tell me he was planning on going to the New York Public Library - Humanities and Social Science Library - on 42nd and 5th. I said I would be glad to come along since I had no other plans.

On the way there, we stopped at Red Robin to redeem my free birthday burger certificate; since I’m on their email mailing list, I get a certificate about a week before my birthday that can be redeemed until about a week after. This was the chosen day. Next stop was NYC - we took the PATH in and then walked up and over to the library. It was a lovely - if slightly humid due to light showers - day for being in New York.

This was my first trip to the Humanities and Social Science Library - it’s probably the best known library facade since it’s the one with the statues of lions perched out front. Their names (at present) are Patience and Fortitude. The library is the main research branch, but it’s specifically the Humanities and Social Science Library.

We sat in the main reading room - which is gorgeous and stately and just a great atmosphere. I might start using that as my sort of “getaway” place some weekends. For the cost of parking (which can be found for free, if I get in early enough) and the cost of PATH fare, I can sit there all day reading. It’s cool and quiet and filled with books and huge windows. I was thinking to myself that it would be an awesome place to be sitting in during a thunderstorm.

So… yeah. It was a good experience.

On the way back, I stopped into a bead store (Fun2Bead) and bought some deep red coral beads and a matte black round flat stone bead. When I got home, I made a simple but pretty cool-looking necklace with them. I also managed to get Vin to stop into Lush store on Broadway with me. I got a couple of Bath Bombs (Sakura and Butterball) and a Bubble Bar (French Kiss).

I could’ve spent a LOT more money there, but I didn’t. I was good and walked out having spent under $20. That counted as a success.

After sitting in the library for a few hours and stopping for those two little shopping excursions, I returned home at around 6:30. I had some cereal for dinner (surprise), changed my bedsheets, did some laundry, made plans for tomorrow with my friends Theresa and Kofi, watched “The Legend of Zorro” and had to tell my parents what I want for my birthday and for my birthday dinner on Tuesday night.

I’m not too into my birthday this year; it’s not that I’m sad about it, but it just marks the passage of time and means that it’s been yet another year where I haven’t accomplished the goals or fulfilled the promises I had set forth for myself this year, last year, or for the past few years prior to that. I was talking about this with the doctor last night and he didn’t argue with me, but basically said that I have to stop being so hard on myself… that he knows it’s almost impossible with my expectations of myself, but he asked me to think about why I feel I have to justify myself and my actions to everyone, and why I feel that I “SHOULD” be doing something or have done something… essentially, where’s this “life schedule” of mine coming from??

While I was at it, I told him that I’d been in a funk for the past two weeks and asking myself who I am in terms of a woman/person/self and not just as a “good employee,” “good student,” “good sister,” “good daughter” or “good friend.” I’ve been feeling really lacking in aspects of my personal development, as well as sort of my interpersonal development. I don’t know who I am in terms of other people or who I am as a person in a relationship - since I haven’t had one. I feel a sense of emptiness and loneliness in that regard. However, I also feel like I haven’t been living my life for a long time… I’ve been dealing with all the other people in this house and in my life - not to say that I don’t love my friends and family - but I’ve been hiding from my crap by helping them through theirs and organizing their lives instead of mine. I want to be able to be selfish and not feel guilty about it, or get chastized by my family or friends.

So… there are lots of things going on in my head right now. And my wrist still hurts. And I have to be moderately early tomorrow to make sure my laundry dries in time. And that I shower. And that I go to Ikea with Theresa and Kofi and have breakfast with them. And that I finish my homework and maybe carve out some time to watch “Memoirs of a Geisha” since my father bought the DVD.

Then Monday is work again, but Monday night I want to bake some cupcakes or something to bring into work on Tuesday for my birthday. It’s my thing… I’ll bring cupcakes to work on my birthday. No need for me to be the only one getting treats.