lots to discuss....

including a voyage around Brooklyn yesterday, but first frustration. Why? Have just been asked to sub on a full day schedule, while yesterday I accepted what might be a half day's schedule for the same day. Irony, irony---why do two teachers have to choose to take off on the same day, and why do their schedules have to intersect? Well, it will probably work itself out, and most likely I will be able to "extend' the schedule to find some other work in the afternoon of the day. So it goes.
    Yesterday: decided to make the first stop in Brooklyn the Cortelyou street fair. Found myself on the F, not the Q but close enough---decided to get off at Fort Hamilton Parkway stop, found myself at the
"base" of Ocean Parkway, a quiet area, not really talked about much. Beautiful old apartment houses and some new ones---walked down Ocean Parkway from Caton to Cortelyou---to the west the area seems serene---totally cut off from the more frenetic Park Slope-Prospect Heights vibe. Who lives here, what do they do; how did the neighborhood evolve from the fifties and sixties. Next challenge will be to take the D to ninth avenue stop (I think it is near 36street) and travel by foot into Ditmas Park. Hard to envision that area, an imortant walk, hope I make it soon.
    Arrived at Cortelyou and the street fair was in full blast. Stayed about an hour and a half, just wandered around, crowd, I would say about 50% white, 30% black, the rest Hispanic and Muslim. Cortelyou crosses PS 139; I subbed there from 2002 to 2004---very frenetic school with kids of all races and creeds packed together. I miss that sometimes now, though I am very happy at Friends. Something about the "grit" of the public school session and the exhaustion that followed that I miss.
But don't need to complicate things, and feel so much a part of the Friends experience, that I will stay where I am.
   Left Cortelyou around 3---Q train to Atlantic. Off at Atlantic to Fulton to find the pizza store I like a lot. Had my slice--debated next move, finally walked north on South Portland ( a beautiful street) to Myrtle. Walked a bit east on Myrtle---several new shops and bars (no surprise there) and finally jumped on the bus that wended its way east through Bed Stuy and into Bushwick. Myrtle is one of the first Bed-Stuy streets to bond into Bushwick---right before Stuyvesant Street, I think. Exited bus around Evergreen; thought I might go to a free theater festival at one of the Bushwick coffee shops, but arrived and nothing seemed to be happening (and did not see anyone that I knew) so left, and walked the five blocks to Wycoff and the three blocks to Jefferson Street and Cobra. There I read the Times and watched the Jet game for quite a while, by mid 6 I felt it was time for my next move. That would be the L to Bedford and the walk down same to South Fourth. Tired, but decided to do it---glad I did--ran into my friend Pheobe an artist who hangs out there, but whom I had not seen in a long time. She was friendly, with her family, we talked for a while. Later joined by the bar manager Eric who had brought along a friend from Austin Texas, talked with him for a while and former bartender Dylan, who recounted to us his adventures wedding hopping for the past few weeks. By 9 it was time to go, but glad I stopped in---a good place for me to be on Sunday evening.l
  Not sure about the rest of the day---have a semi meeting to help make some posters for the protest march on Wednesday---not sure what else---really hope to miss the debate---everyone and every media outlet discussing it--would really just like it to go away.  
  Will report tomorrow....