New York itself has been great so far. The people. The food. The energy. The air quality has been getting under my skin though, literally. Little bits of pollution catch in my throat and tickle it's ribs. I get that annoying cough that feels like you're swallowing flecks of metal. Then the hot spittle rises up to my tounge and nausea sets in. I am very sensitive to chemicals and smells. NYC is a hotbed of irritants to my nose and throat. I was spoiled by the moist California air.

I have been feeling like Julianne Moore's character in the movie Safe. I walk by a hot dog stand and the smell chokes me. My face twists up and I get an automatic gag reflex. Popsicle says I am being dramatic which irritates me even more. "I smell it too", she says "But I just ignore it." I can't ignore it. My body gets hijacked by it. It's sort of a Kelly Osbourne-ish over-reaction but I just can't take it in stride. Someone walks by with serious body odor and I just about vomit on them.

Sometimes I empathize with Michael Jackson and his white face masks.