somewhat nervous...

about the eclipse this afternoon--no, I don't have the glasses--I expect to be at a movie---will go in about 1, and stay in until at least 4:30. I think by then it will be over (the facts state that  it will be over at 4, but I will take my time).
The weekend: by far the most interesting part of the weekend was my participation in the Bronx March against gentrification, on Saturday afternoon.  A long hard march in the heat and humidity---nevertheless, important. At 2, I met a group from Washington Heights who were supporting the march at 167 street and Jerome, and we walked three blocks to 170th Street. There, we met a large group that was beginning its march to Burnside Avenue, about a mile away. Of course, being in that area brings back a great deal of memories and feelings---many of my classmates from Bronx Science lived in the area that we passed. And, cityboy, of course, the ultimate romantic--immediately raps his mind around that time---the 50' and most of the 60's, when those many art deco buildings that we passed on the march were part of a Jewish neighborhood. Of course it is very different now, even short blocks away from Yankee Stadium, you have many people living in poverty. The racial make up of the march was about 85% black and hispanic---which makes sense, because these are the citizens of NY who are most threatened by the mayor's "scheme" (he refers to it as a plan) to rezone the area and bring in renters and perhaps even condo buyers who have much more capital then the current residents. I had some interesting conversations with marchers--the police were a presence, preventing any cars from running into the route. Also, there were several marchers moving us along. Still fascinated by some of the geography of the area, at one point around the middle of the march, the land slopes upward, and then there is Morris Avenue which crosses from east of the Concourse, under a bridge to become west of it where it continues north. Why is this so important to me? Why do I want to know more, to walk more in the area? What do you think you will find, cityboy, the friends you had, the young women from Science whom you had crushes on, are all gone now. Still, you want to wander, to explore. Next trip?
   The march ended at a square and park on Burnside Avenue a little west of the concourse. One block west was Creston Avenue--my grandmother on my father's side lived there until her death in 1954. The apartment house was somewhere between Burnside and the other large street three blocks away, Tremont Avenue. Many Sunday afternoons were spent there, with the whole of my father's family, a fairly large brood. Watched some baseball games there on their television as well. At any rate, I did not venture south on Creston to see if I could locate the specific building where on grandmother, and two of her children, my aunt Mary and my Uncle Sigmund, lived. More about them at another time. Suffice it to say, that my father, the youngest of about 10 children born in Poland, was the most educated of all of them, and in that sense, we were a little bit "above" the others in our vision of the world.
   I was hungry, and remembered a luncheonette on Bedford Park Boulevard, a few subway stations north of Burnside. Took the concourse bus there, and had blt and a coke (much needed in the heat) at that luncheontte---not too crowded at around 5. From there, the 4 to 149street---again spent most of the trip on the 4 looking out at the surrounding neighborhood---art deco houses seem to be endless in my view. Arrived back at the apartment, but felt that I could not simply end the day, so I went to see Nocturama at the Bunin---a very taut, controlled movie, (effective in that way---there was no time for my mind to wander) with beautiful colors, incredibly well conceived, about a group of young (possible) terrorists who seem to be able to blow up several buildings in Paris and then hide out in a lush department store, until they are caught. Any point to the horror and carnage that we witness. The twenty something characters that set this off are purposefully vague---but that is the point--we never know much about them---so greater detachment from the movie. Glad I saw it, it kept me involved, but a cold piece of work.
  Yesterday, spent most of the afternoon at Cobra, watching the Red Sox Yankee game, one of the slowest games that I have ever witnessed. Nice to see my bartender friend Olivia at the bar---when it ended, I thought I would travel through Brooklyn, but I was really tired, so I returned to the upper west side---kind of "chilled" for the rest of the evening---really, I think, needed to clear my mind---a lot of events happening in the next three days.
   More of that tomorrow, and a report of my afternoon during the eclipse, in tomorrow's post.