I'm witting on the side of an ice-skating rink near Times Square, getting down with the big free wifi.

I've been seeing people I think I know everywhere, long-lost people. It's not really them, just similar humans, but something in my brain is making me think it's them. My dad in the little bar at LAX. Kayla Van Allen on the Subway. Rachel Goens skating around Bryant Park... who knows who's next.

It looks like my date for tonight is a no-go. I had dug up and old old flame -- one of those ones you wonder about forever -- on the myspace (once you start, it's hard not to keep going) and seen that she was back living in NYC and single. The last time I saw her she was leaving the state with a boy, and I made a bit of an ass of myself. So naturally I asked if she wanted to have a civilized cup of coffee while i was in town, and it seemed to be working out, but the thread went cold after settling on this evening as the time.

C'est la vie. I didn't expect anything, but it would have been neat to see.

My spirits are still high. My meeting went quite well and I have another tomorrow, and after getting a solid 7 hours of sleep I no longer feel like an alien in my skin.

Anyway, I'm loving the city energy. More than the 24-hour nature, more than the presence of hundreds of thousands of beautiful women, more than the art and architecture and culture, I miss swimming in ambition. This is missing in the HC, and I think it's part of what I missed in San Fran (where the only ambition is weirdo computer "get rich" ambition... not my cup of tea), or at least that's what I'm feeling now.

Anyway, public goods are good. It's good to be in the mix.