pigeons

photo of pigeons i took in kathmandu, nepal '06

i found this in some (old) notes of mine and thought ...

pigeons get no love.

so, to all the birds, here's a post for you.

and no, this is not meant to be taken seriously!

Ode to the Pigeons

You are so cute
although you always poop.

well, there ya have it.

my pigeon poetry.

(i think finals are really starting to make me go mildly insane. apologies for the weird post.)

(but i still think pigeons are cute.)

random things ... heard on the subway/subway & sidewalk sightings

Seen In The Past Few Weeks At The Bryant Park Subway Station:

* A little boy, who was merrily peeing against a wall inside of the station while his parents held his pants down around his ankles.

* An old Chinese woman, performing Christmas carols on traditional Chinese instruments ... which were still tuned in a non-Western scale. 'Silent Night' never sounded so unsettling.

* The old man who's always performing classical violin on the downtown platform. I never give him any money (I never have any), but I always wonder if he actually ever gets any students from his homemade sign that states 'I TEACH VIOLIN LESSONS!'

* A wheelchair bound beggar who became increasingly belligerent when no one gave him any spare change. I almost stuck around to see if he was going to start running people over.

* That guy always shilling his group's rap CD ("We do NOT degrade women!) and promotional materials for 1 dollar on the F train. "Best deal in the ci-tay. 8 songs for 1 dollar." Seriously. He's there almost everyday, and I've literally seen about 3 people purchase a CD from him.

* A pigeon flying around the uptown platform. Hello? You're a bird. Go back outside.

Seen In The Past Few Weeks On Various Sidewalks Around My Neighborhood:

* An old refrigerator

* A king sized mattress

* Baby pacifier (That struck me as sad, for some reason.)

* Books -- thanks to whoever provided me with a copy of the MLA Guide to Research Papers. Woohoo.

* Shoes

* A lamp and lampshade

Heard On The Subway:

* Conversation between a little girl and her father:
Little Girl: (looking at the drag queens standing near her) "Daddy, why are those boys dressed up like girls?"
Father: "Well, honey, sometimes men like to dress up like women ... "

* Street preacher to everyone in the same subway car:
"Men must stop lusting after women's butts. Jesus does not want men to look at women's butts. MEN MUST STOP WANTING WOMEN'S BUTTS." (etc etc ... I almost asked him if 'behind' or 'rear' would have been a better word choice than butts for a holy man, but whatever.)

sugar overdose

Have you ever had that 'I Ate Too Much Sugar And Now Want To Die' feeling?
Because I have. Right now, in fact.
It ain't pretty.

(Symptoms of sugar excess for anyone not in the know: being tired, cranky & overfed.)

During a walk today I came across 'Two Little Red Hens Bakery' on eighth avenue in Brooklyn. (http://www.twolittleredhens.com/) I was with a friend who owed me $5, so we oh-so brilliantly decided that the best way to even up the financial situation was to buy me cupcakes and/or sweets.

The interior of the shop was very nice -- think Park Slope Yuppie meets downhome country -- and full of the typical whitebread couples who seem to frequent such places. The bakery itself was small, but packed full of shelves lined with tarts, pies, cakes and cupcakes. Heeeeeeeaven! (Cue in Belinda's Carlisle 'Heaven on Earth' if you're reading this to music.) Everything looked incredible, in that picture perfect Martha Stewart Living kind of way. All the cakes and cupcakes were deocrated with a heavy coating of icing and artful/edible flowers. They looked like every cake I had ever wanted at my birthday parties as a little kid.

Naturally, being such a nice place, everything cost an exorbitant amount. Cupcakes were more expensive than the ones over at Magnolia's, and cakes were as high as $40. My friend and I just stood there for awhile in stunned silence, switching back and forth between coveting the food and loathing the cost of it. Perky salesgirls kept popping up from behind the shelves asking us if we needed help. I felt like we were surrounded by a magical breed of overly helpful cupcake baking elves or something.

I ended up spotting a cake that was on sale for $5. At 4" around, it was the only item of that size that was under $12. My friend got it for me, and we took it to my apartment, reverently sliced it in half, and chowed down...

... which explains why I feel so sick right now. Death by sugar. (Or else maybe there was some dark, twisted reason it was on sale for $5 ... poisoned, maybe?)

Not that anyone much cares, but here is a hideously lit picture of the cake:

Oh, and I forgot to mention that it was a pretty delicious cake. Homemade frosting, good texture, the whole bit. Yummy. It did, however, eradicate any desire I have had to consume sugar. Right now I feel like avoiding the stuff for the next week.

"if you have to sleep on a subway, the E train is the best place to do it."

I'm in the midst of working on a research paper on homeless people living in the subway tunnels of New York City. Known as 'mole people,' they have entire communities underground. Several books have been written on the topic, and there's a good documentary out on it as well, Marc Singer's 'Dark Days.'

While doing my research this afternoon, I came across some interesting things. One is a quote I read in an article from the February 12, 2002 edition of the New York Times about the homeless sleeping on subway cars. According to the report, "if you have to sleep on a subway, the E train is far and away the best place to do it. Or perhaps a more accurate way to phrase it would be that the E is indisputably the least undesirable place to spend the night on a moving subway train."

Hmm. So, if you want to spend the entire night riding around in a subway car, apparently the E train is the best place to do it. Interesting, interesting. I always knew something was up with that train!

I never ride the E (preferring the A or C trains), but I can vouch for the fact that homeless people do sleep in subway cars. Just the other day I stepped onto an F train and was assaulted by the worst smell of urine I have ever encountered in my life. I looked over and a homeless man was sprawled along three seats, passed out to the world. A long stream of pee had soaked through the bottom of his pants. This being New York, everyone else in the car took it in stride. However, at the next stop, a young man got on the train, sat down near the homeless guy, and then started sniffing at the air. He turned to me and asked, "Does it smell like piss in here?" I started laughing -- I couldn't help it -- and gave an affirmitive answer. Yup, it smells like urine in here!!

Anyway, enough about homeless men peeing on themselves. Getting back on to the topic of interesting things I've discovered during my research, I have a website for anyone interested in abandoned subway tunnels. http://www.columbia.edu/~brennan/abandoned/ <-- right there, folks.
It has a large list (with photos) of old subway stations, tunnels and platforms in the city. Being the geek that I am, I find this very interesting. Equally dorky is this website about NYC's first subways: http://wt.mit.edu/Subway/Archives/Project.html <--right there.

Last, but not least, two websites that have photographs of mole people and/or aboveground homeless:
http://www.fragiledwelling.org/
and
http://www.artcoup.com/movie.html

gobble gobble.

Oh, and woops ...

Happy Belated Thanksgiving.

Thank you genetically modified turkeys everywhere, for the precious gift of your tasty bird flesh.

Gobble gobble.

bond. james bond.

Okay, so I have a confesion to make. Well, two actually.

1) I probably overreacted to the anonymous comment made two posts ago. I'm still standing by what I wrote, but I (quite possibly) (maybe sorta) was a little over the top in my defense of chimps. As Erykah Badu says, "I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my shit." So yeah. I jumped the gun in getting snippy on that one.

2) I have a crush on the new James Bond.

Pictorial evidence as to why:

I just saw the new James Bond 'Casino Royale' the other night and highly recommend it. I normally loathe the whole spies with big guns genre, but this time I actually enjoyed it. Lots of car chases, exploding objects, good looking ladies and the like. Did I mention the car chases?

Actually, I'm not going to lie. I'm crushing on James Bond's car far more than him.

The proof is in the pudding:

Foxy, foxy.

I heard a lot of rumors that the new Bond flick would be terrible. Multiple websites and magazines stated that Daniel Craig (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0185819/) was shaping up to be a sketchy (at best) Bond. However, I have to say, Big D is rockin' the whole English Spy thing. As for the movie -- well, it lags towards the end, but it's still pretty damn enjoyable.

In other news, me thinks that I'm going to be updating the travel blog sometime this century (!!) ... possibly even tonight. Check it at some point this week.

Oh yeah -- and go save some chimps!

a response to a comment posted ...

Someone made a comment about my last post, asking why I wasn't advocating helping people. (Well, in their words, 'peoples.') I understand the sentiment, but it's a little inaccurate. I am all for helping folks out, and I certainly do believe that there are many women, men and children out there who need our time, energy and love. By posting up a charity for chimps, I am in no way taking away from helping people out.

I strongly feel that the charity I posted is a beautiful cause, which is why I posted it. I was deeply moved by what I watched about it, and I could see in the faces of the rescued chimps the horrors and abuses that had been inflicted on them. They were treated worst than prisoners in solitary confinement. These creatures were, in essence, victims of torture. There is no excuse for a human being to treat another living creature this way, and that is my point in making the previous post. Some people make the argument that an animal is worth less than a human, which I don't buy. Because a creature is a chimp does not make him (or her) less valuable as a living, breathing, thinking being.

If you want to help out your peers, I suggest calling up homeless shelters, rape crisis centers, Boys & Girls clubs, and other such organizations. See what you can do to help out. These are well known parts of society, and I assume that if you are so intent on helping out people, you'd already know where and how to do so.

In all honesty, if you are the type of person who doesn't value animals and thinks that helping them out is a waste of time, please stop reading my blog. I don't want you reading my stuff.

Simple as that.

Peace.

save the chimps foundation

I've been having wrist issues (minor tendinitis) lately, so I have been avoiding typing much. However, I just signed up for physical therapy and my condition seems to be improving with much needed rest and relaxation.

That said, I'm going to make this entry pretty short. I had to post about it though, because this topic made such an impression on me that I felt it was important to share it with others. I encourage you to seriously check out the website linked below, and to make donations (or adopt an animal!) if you can afford to do so.

The other night, on Channel 13 PBS, I watched a show on the US Government's horrible abuses of chimpanzees in the Air Force. They'd use these poor animals for all kinds of testing, including crash tests and launching them into space. Many died or suffered horrible injuries. When the Air Force stopped using chimps for testing, they were sold off to medical labs where they endured further mistreatment, including being infected with HIV and other diseases. The chimps -- which are very similar to humans and very social creatures -- were kept locked in tiny cages and basically kept in solitary confinement for years. These labs also bought former pets from families and circuses who had been stupid enough to purchase wild chimps as babies. Many were torn from their families and stuck in cold steel cages, never to be really touched by a human (or another chimp) again. Many died while under the 'care' of these labs, including several who were heated to death when a heater malfunctioned, literally cooking them until they were killed. It is important to point out that these chimps have no access to natural sunlight, windows or fresh air.

There is an organization working to rescue these very human creatures. The organization is called Save The Chimps, and they have a website at http://www.savethechimps.org/. They are doing incredible things to try and help these poor creatures out. Many of the animals psychologically damaged, and some have never been outdoors in their life! This foundation is working to give them all a beautiful new home in Florida, where they can live out their last years in sunshine, warmth and a habitat that is fitting for such creatures.

At the website you can adopt a chimp, donate supplies (they have a wish list, including basics like honey and blankets), or donate money. You can also work as a volunteer if you live in New Mexico or Florida.

I will be donating my own money to this cause. I think the holidays are a great time to give to others, and why not our closest relatives in the animal world? Seriously, please consider checking out the website. I promise you it's worth it, and it's a wonderful cause. Do something you can feel good about!

lic & the marathon.

... just a few things.

go see the new borat movie.

long island city is kind of nice, in a vaguely dirty kind of way. it has a nice run-down feeling that parts of nyc seem to be losing quickly ... me likey the grunge factor.

the marathon is happening this sunday, november the 5th. if you're going, i suggest catching a view of the runners somewhere (most anywhere) along 4th ave in brooklyn, starting in sunset park. last year they had music playing near 25th st and 4th ave by the dunkin donuts. it's right off the 25th st stop on the 'r' train. just a heads up if you're going to be in the area.

this ends my post.

oh, and P.S.:

classical musicians really are geeks. but i love us anyway.

a falcon in prospect park

Autumn is here. She’s been creeping in slowly, one step at a time, and has finally arrived in her full glory. The air is cool and crisp, the kind you drink in like water and let burn deep in your lungs and belly. Red and gold leaves cover the sidewalks, but the trees still blaze forth in technicolor blasts. During the day, the sun has that special October way of gilding everything with a soft light, and in the evening, the skies are clear and lit up with stars.

In the neighborhood people have been decorating for Halloween. One brownstone has been draped in orange lights, complete with smiling plastic jack o’ lanterns that are lit up from the inside. They glow and glower with delighted ferocity from the windows, stopping people in their tracks as they look up and stare at them. Stores are selling pumpkins by the dozen, and I’ve seen more than one woman walking around with one cradled in her arms, looking like a lumpy, orange baby. Ah, and the candy! It’s everywhere. Store shelves are dripping with the stuff, layer after layer of all things tasty. Snickers, Mars Bars, Paydays, Nerds, Kandy Korn, Twizzlers, Gummy Bears, SweeTarts, Gobstoppers, lollipops, Hershey Kisses, edible buttons, M&Ms and Skittles galore. (Marshmallows. Taffy. Red dye and sugar. Heaven.)

I love this time of year. There’s the obvious reasons -- my birthday is during this season, the pleasure of eating pumpkin seeds, colorful trees -- and the less obvious ones, like the quality of sunlight and that expectant, almost anxious feeling in the air. I thrive on it. I love pulling out my old sweaters and putting them on, and I love chasing through piles of leaves. Seeing the squirrels rummage around for acorns in the park, watching kids get excited over Halloween costumes -- it’s all so autumn. So exhilarating.

Today, as a token of thanks for my gratitude, the season gave me a special gift. I was walking through Prospect Park, enjoying the sights and sounds of late October. The park was crowded, full of people on bikes, horses (!) and on foot in sensible foot wear. Both the yuppies and hood rats were out, and everyone was getting along fine.

As I was taking in this scene, I was thinking how close to nature you can get in the city. It was a thought that was still being formulated in my mind when, from the top of a tall tree, a huge falcon swooped down. He flung himself over to a neighboring branch, chasing after a squirrel. It was all very Discovery Channel, and not a single other soul was witnessing it.

The bird flew directly over and in front of me. I could see every detail of the creature, from the coloring of the wings to the sharp pointed beak and talons. The sight was incredibly touching and strange at the same time. A falcon? In Brooklyn?

I followed the bird for a short while, watching him swoop from tree to tree in search of dinner. The entire time no one else saw him. I tried to take a picture but my phone memory was full, and by the time I looked up from my phone, he was gone.

Those who are close with me know that hawks are very special and important to me. Although this wasn’t a hawk I saw, the falcon was equally meaningful. The bird was a beautiful gift, and one that apparently was just for me.

If I see the bird again, I’ll be sure to post about it. Hopefully I will!

photos: brooklyn rooftop, part II

That's all the cell phone pictures for now.

photos: brooklyn rooftop, part I

I've been writing papers all week (and will be doing more this weekend), so I don't feel like writing much here today. Instead of my usual prose entry, I decided to post up some photos I took on my cell phone camera of a Brooklyn rooftop. They aren't great, and the quality isn't too hot (hello, cell phone camera!) but I think they represent Brooklyn pretty well, in terms of all the random and interesting things there are to look at here. Hope you like, or at least gain a little flavor of Brooklyn from them.

RSS Feed Problem

Please note, that reading from RSS Feed may cause errors in the blog, and an entry might not load. Please come directly to this site, via the webpage!

Sorry, I'm not sure what is causing the problem. Honestly, I have no clue what an RSS Feed is, but my friend kindly pointed out the problem to me, so I'm doing my duty by passing it on.

Let me know if there are any further technical difficulties.

Also, don't forget to check (and comment) on my travel blog. Updated recently, with an entry and new photo. Enjoy!

More postings will be put up soon, here and at the travel blog.

updates

travel blog updated!

go here to access it:
http://www.flipworldwide.blogspot.com/

subway reviews part II: the funny and the ugly

Another smattering of HopStop (http://www.hopstop.com) reviews of subway lines. I posted some a few months ago, and have found some more funny (but true) ratings.

G Train:

* Everytime I am with a friend on the G platform I always go: "Hey, did you hear that?" When they say "Hear what?" I say "Nothing. You hear nothing because nothing is coming. There will never be a train. We will be here for the rest of our natural born lives." Then we usually cry and remain inconsolable for a significant period of time.

* the G train is like your one lame son that never made it in life...you know its worthless but you still love it to death!!!

* Pray! The G train revelation happens as often as the insemination of virgin Mary by the Holy Ghost.

* THE G stands for "Ghost Train" because it is only there in spirit. It is a memory. It barely ever comes!

* The G is sort of the red-headed step child of NYC transit ... It's a crap train, but at least its reliably crappy.

* You wait so long that you get to a point where you feel like it could be coming any minute or maybe you just blacked out and missed it.

* During the transit strike earlier this year, the G ran as if nothing had changed. . .which is to say that there was a few days between trains.

* There is a saying that the G train in fact does not even exist. It is Just an MTA PR.

* It is the short bus of subways.

* This is the train that time forgot.

* Waiting for this train is like waiting for water to boil 20 times over

* if i had to take the G train every day, i would probably shoot myself in the goddamned face.

* I think the point of this train is to make all the others look timely and clean.

-- My Review: Personally, I have to agree with many of these comments. The G train is slow, shorter than the rest, and has some sketchy riders. However, I always want to root for it, because it's like the beloved underdog everyone wants to succeed in life but probably never will.

L Train:

* Lot of hot hipsters on this train. running joke..."I simply can/t get on the L today I don't have anything to wear!"

-- L train = Williamsburg, Brooklyn = Really Annoying Hipster Kids

J Train:

* A scenic overhead flight through Brooklyn, the J is like taking the monorail at Disneyland in 1964. That is, if the monorail went through Brooklyn, Mickey was babbling to himself next to you in a pile of his own mouse filth, and Cinderella was making out with some guy who is not her baby's daddy next to you. This train ride is worth at least $2.50

* I could teach morse code to everyone at the station before that train comes!!

* don't feel safe at all on this train at night, but at least my street cred goes up every time I take it after 2 am.

* THE CANAL ST AND BOWERY STATIONS ON THIS LINE ARE FROM SOME HORROR MOVIE. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!

* there is something evil in the uptown canal station

-- My Review: Honestly, I know nothing about this train, but I do know the Canal St. Station, and it is indeed a creepy (and smelly!) place. I highly suggest going late at night if you want to witness the ghosts of MTA past.

N Train:

* Half the time you can't tell if you are in a night club or train. I love it. All the little ghetto kids think its there own car and are bumping thier music from thier phones so everyone else can share in thier experience. It's the best coming up from Brooklyn.

* this train takes so long most days, waiting on the 30th Ave platform, we almost have to resort to canibalism.

* This Line Stinks like Cat ASS!

* It always smells like decaying homeless people.

And, my personal favorite review of the R Line, because it is so damn true:

* Good luck catching a train after Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn. This train is slower than a retarded Grandma on pain killers.

an entry about dumpster diving, tacos and beer.

random bits and pieces ...


favorite signs in new york city:

"no bathing" in the bathrooms at penn station

good place to get $4.95 tacos in brooklyn:

sunset park in brooklyn & 7th ave in park slope

great location to go dumpster diving in:

soho -- the area has good discarded furniture and books, especially if you like 'arty' stuff

there are too many hair salons along:

7th ave in park slope

favorite sunday activity (other than sleeping late & watching flavor of love 2 on vh1):

going to the drumming circle in prospect park. visit on mother's day for a special african celebration ritual.


yesterday i went out with a friend. this is worthy of note, because i don't really spend money 'out on the town' too often. went to cafe steinhof (http://www.cafesteinhof.com/) for dinner and beer. good food, and very filling. nice service, too. then me and the friend checked out a movie, black dahlia. not sure what to say about it, except entertaining in parts, delightfully gory when it needed to be, but otherwise flat and with rather crappy actors. there were a few standout scenes, however -- the one around the dinner table was especially entertaining. anyone who has seen the film will know what i'm talking about.

afterwards we came back to my apartment and sipped wine on the roof. i have a wonderful view of the manhattan skyline, and we spent awhile naming the various landmarks sprawled out in front of us. i will have to get a photo at some point of my view, because it really is postcard perfect. the empire state building, woolworth building, chrysler building, city hall ... it's all there. very beautiful.

i have a parental unit coming into town in the morning, and i will be showing her the sights of my new neighborhood, which she hasn't seen yet. my old one was just okay, but the new one is far better. i'm looking forward to showing mommo around, and hopefully catching a peek inside the met for an art fix.

also, moma's free fridays = happiness.

that's it for now ... ciao!

baby you can't drive my car

dear new yorkers,

learn to drive.

love,
me

my little pony: 11th avenue edition

Today's strange event:

* A miniature pony walking down 11th avenue.

Yes, a pony was stomping through the streets of New York. I was mildly surprised by it (everything seems less odd once you've lived here long enough), but when I realized the pony was the star attraction of a kid's birthday party, it all seemed quite normal and mundane.

a plea

This is not going to be an entertaining post. What follows is disturbing (to me, at least), not funny in the slightest and involves an innocent animal that has been hurt. If this sort of thing bothers you, stop reading. However, I'd encourage everyone who is able to please pay attention to this post -- it will make you think twice about how dispose of your trash and interact with wildlife.

This past Thursday I was in lovely Prospect Park on a stroll. It's always very nice to just go and sit there and collect one's thoughts. That day, however, I was with a friend and feeling more active than usual, and so we were walking around the various trails in 'Urban Explorer' mode.

The sound of a saxophone being played caught our attention as we walked down one of the busier trails. It had a mellow and sweet sound, and naturally my friend and I went to go investigate. We picked our way through the grass, avoiding litter dropped by fellow park visitors. Glass, bits of plastic, pull tabs from cola cans and gum wrappers were underfoot as we walked closer to the reedy sound of the sax. My friend had opted to go barefoot and I remember begging him to put his shoes back on. "God only knows what you might step on out here," I remember telling him.

We were almost to the saxophonist when my friend noted a beautiful white squirrel sitting under a clump of trees. He wasn't moving, and his wide eyes were looking us right in our faces. Captivated, we stepped closer and were surprised when he had made no sign of moving away from us. Thinking he was tame, we got even closer, until we noticed the squirrel couldn't move -- a front paw was stuck between a metal wire than someone had wrapped around a discarded piece of fencing they had propped up against one of the trees. The squirrel began gnawing frantically at the fence post and wire to try and loosen itself, to no avail.

My heart sank into my stomach. I felt sick. This poor creature was obviously suffering -- eyes wide in terror, limb being cut off by wire, claws stretched out in hideous pain -- and the rigid lines of his body revealed just how horrible this animal was feeling. My friend tried to loosen the wire from around the squirrel's paw, but the poor creature only began squawking out in pain. It was loud and eerie coming from a squirrel, the sort of sound you never want to hear and can never forget.

We had almost freed the squirrel when suddenly, in a last ditch effort, the animal pulled away from the wire so hard that his entire talon and the flesh connected to it came off. He scampered up the nearest tree leaving a piece of his body behind him.

At this point, of course, I was in tears. My friend and I apologized profusely to the squirrel, said a little prayer that he would be okay, and then began picking up all the litter surrounding the trees. As we slammed the trash into nearby garbage bins, I began to feel disgusted with people. What sort of jerk would leave WIRE out where an animal could catch himself on it? The same type of person who threw glass bottles on the grass fields where toddlers play, I concluded. Only a human would be so thoughtless as to pollute the environment in such a destructive, needless way.

The point of my posting is this -- if you're out, please don't litter. Clean up after yourself. There's no excuse to do otherwise. Innocent animals are hurt, and the people who have to help these creatures are often left traumatized by witnessing the pain of a fellow creature.

prospect park

Prospect Park on Thursday, August 7, '06

Harmony Playground Water Harp