Few people I see nowadays chew chewing gum, but the damage has already been done. I mean the 25,000 quarter-sized black patches that grace the platforms of subway stations, but particularly the one on 168th Street. In terms of the theory that links urban crime with tolerance for dilapidation, I would expect the 168th Street … Continue reading
The Metropolitan Museum: Little did I know Gertrude Stein had siblings (like Leo Stein) who also made a mark on their time. The exhibit is overwhelming in its scope — the pictures by Picasso alone make the trip worth. But it is the realization that Gertrude’s Salon has forever changed the history of art that … Continue reading
A few weeks ago I received a book in the mail, entitled The New Theory of Consciousness, by an author named Delanin Fedahunsy. The accompanying marketing letter by his assistant gave me two choices, either to keep the book and send a $10 check to a specified address, or to send the book back. There … Continue reading
Once in a while I used to go to the blog GET VISUAL, run by David Brickman. David is a gifted photographer whom I know from Albany. The blog is always a great pleasure to read; it covers arts exhibits along the Hudson Valley, centered in Albany, but also often ventures all the way into … Continue reading
Today, on the elevator of the 168th Street Subway stop, a man decided to recite Our Father in Heaven. “Padre nuestro que estás en el Cielo,” he said, “santificado sea tu nombre, venga a nosotros tu Reino . . . “. There are no laws against this since the elevator is not a classroom. Still, … Continue reading
I have often been in a position to decide if it’s worth to get a broom, or even a vacuum cleaner to pick up detritus from the floor, detritus being defined, in Wiki, as particulate matter of either organic or inorganic origin. In its appearance among others accumulated on the floor, each particle has lost … Continue reading
There is a term in statistics, confidence interval, the sound of which should make me very comfortable since it invokes fuzzy feelings – it sounds as though it is a span of time where we can approach things in a positive way, without fear. But then, upon further reflection, the feeling of comfort dissipates, since … Continue reading
I have an unidentified utterly exotic almost extraterrestrial plant in my place; it does not seem to exist in botanical databases, except since I don’t know the name I can’t check this conclusively. If I had the name then I might find it. I would like to be able to type into a search site, … Continue reading
The tattooed man in the subway had with him an entire bag of implants, if implants is the correct word. He made it quite clear that he had a septal perforation in his nose, and demonstrated it with wires of all sorts of shapes. Some of these were straight, and others looked like a paperclip … Continue reading
I never understood the idea of the phrase You’re more than welcome, often uttered in response to a request, since welcome always seems the most accommodating invitation under any circumstances. Certainly, between welcome and not welcome there exists a continuous gradation, though it is one that goes unmentioned in civil discourse. For instance, “You’re less … Continue reading
Along with the shutdown of the Wikipedia, and Google wearing a burka, today’s blizzard of tweets was a response to the proposed SOPA legislation. These tweets came with hashtag FactsWithoutWikipedia – what the world’s knowledge will become when Wikipedia will be extinct. Here are some examples: •All babies come from a stork. That stork is … Continue reading
The interesting thing about dogs is that they exist in so many different varieties. Some are so tiny they could be mere morsels in the food bowls of their large counterparts. The fact that they recognize each other as dogs even from the distance, out of reach for their noses, is a miracle. That brings … Continue reading
The lack of snow, I suppose, is a blessing. On the cement of the sidewalk of my street, leaves that are long gone have left a mark. The mark is light-brown, like the tint of an old photograph, and only recognizable by its contour — gingko, maple, oak. It’s like a chemical exposure, the whole … Continue reading
At the bus station marked “Ft. Washington-West 170th Street” there is a yellow newspaper box, and on the box lies the 26th volume of the Encyclopedia Britannica, opening with an article on “Precolumbian Society” and closing with “Secret Offices and Orders.” The volume is in perfect condition, and it makes me wonder where in the … Continue reading
Walking along the river I saw what I believe was a New Year’s Resolution in progress. A man had parked a bike under a tree on the side of the walkway, and was standing on a rock right by the water. Oblivious to the surrounding, which included the blue glittering river, and a band of … Continue reading
The world’s two tallest Ginkgo trees (except for the one that stands in Japan and is 150 feet tall) stand in Washington Heights, in the J. Hood Wright Park, at 173rd Street, and one is even taller than the other. Now that the leaves have fallen, and those little green hands have turned yellow on … Continue reading
Last night’s butterfly attack could not have come at a worse time. It was cold, so butterflies were least expected. It was dark, so I could only make out the silhouettes against the street light. I was distracted by a conversation, so the attack was viciously timed. In the end, though, it was just a … Continue reading
Today I was gratified to learn that the dog-friendly treat-happy policy of my building has been restored. Every day Sophie, our dog, upon returning from his quick business on the side walk, makes a dash into the door and around the corner into the space behind the reception desk where untold numbers of treats are … Continue reading
This book is awesome. It has just come out and can be ordered through amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. It contains juxtapositions of a photograph in childhood with a re-staged one of the same person, only much older, like right now. Ze has collected them by asking for input on his website, in one of … Continue reading
