sometimes it feels as though the whole of the universe conspires to teach me patience.

but i am not a patient person. and very resistant to new lessons.

my friend whitney came to town for the weekend. and determined to show her the best of all five boroughs i dragged her to brooklyn for grimaldi's coal-oven pizza. grimaldi's very famous coal-oven pizza. grimaldi's you-must-often-wait-in-a-line-for coal-oven pizza.

we arrived around four hoping the line would be short. it was not. we waited for an hour. in the cold. shivering and shaking.

when we finally arrived inside we watched as everyone around received their orders.

and then sat in shock as they shut down the oven. needed to be refreshed, they said.

and so we waited another hour, pizzas flanking us on either side.

and i grew grumpy.

(attractive, no?)

and our plates just sat there.

empty.

even whitney, cool-much-more-pulled-together-than-me-whitney, grew...frustrated.

and then. miracle of miracles. it came.

the relief. the sweet, sweet relief.

grimaldi's is good. really good. always good. but not necessarily worth the two hour wait.

so, go when the crowds do not.

clearly, i still have a thing or two to learn about patience.