Bushwick BK: the hot new slum of NY Hollywood

I walked out of my subway station last night and there was a movie being filmed. This in a place that only several years ago was a dank and scary place - no joke. One time someone leaving the secondary subway access of our stop was pistol-whipped and had his jaw broken; a few weekends ago there were hipsters having a sidewalk sale ajacent to this very site, blissfully unaware of the attrocities of yesteryear. Times really are a-changin'. Anyway, this wasn't just some kids with a camera; it was the whole Hollywood treatment. There were actors' trailers, tents with craft-services underneath, grips with lights and cables, a huge light deflector next to the car where the camera crew was shooting from a camera on a dolly...I guess Bushwick is the new choice for slum portrayal. A place that is still ghetto looking but at least your craft-services won't be raided by gangstas.

when playground egos collide

I witnessed a hilarious moment on the playground Vteering yesterday. Two ten-year-olds battling for the upper hand, verbally jousting for who would back down from the climbing structure to let the other pass. "Excuse me! Move! Do you see a TEEN SENSATION trying to get up the ladder here??!!" "Do you see a professional RICH MAN trying to get down the ladder?!!" Frankly, I was laughing too hard to remember who won this spar. Who are these titans of dreams? Here they are posing for the camera. Oh what the future may hold...

Next step: Peace in the Middle East

Nekko (left) & Fred (right). Hopefully the beginning of something beautiful.

They've been growing accustomed to each over these many months and I've watched them work out ranking and hierarchy in their own feline way. But having known Nekko since she was discovered in a garbage dump at a month or two of age, over these past 10 years 'cranky' is a better 'c' adjective than 'cuddly' when it comes to describing her. With the exception of when I take a nap in a prone position. In this case, she uses me as a hammock everytime and that, to the untrained eye, might be misconstrued as cuddly (and not manipulative). Needless to say I was surprised, neigh, SHOCKED to find Nekko sitting next to Fred on the couch with their butts touching. I don't know what it says about me that I immediately documented this moment with both my camera and my iPhone, archiving it as perhaps a good omen of things to come.

This is where I live 2

so i don't forget this happened

Just last night I was complaining that Spring never happened: that we went from an East Coast winter straight into an East Coast Summer. Even though the last few days have been spring 'temperature,' they've been balmy as all hell so not Spring as I idealize it. Then I woke up this morning with that fresh crisp air coming through the apartment. And I realized that my wish had been granted in less than 24 hours and I'd better appreciate it the short while it is here.

So, my tribute to Spring in New York and Mother's Day are together in one. Today was beautiful.

Things from the street

Here's another installment of brilliance I encountered over the weekend.
First at PS270:

Then in defaced ads in the subway (some of which I thought were great re-appropriation of materials):


Of course it all degraded into mustache drawing eventually, as everything does:
Though the last mustache barely made an impression on me simply because it was just so right.

Beautiful decay; This is where I live.