where to begin

three straight days of work at Friends, then impossible to blog on Saturday. Not much to report---don't even remember what I did on Tuesday evening---probably just rested up for the next three days.
Will have four (probably) more days at Friends coming up, and then the library will be closed on Saturday---will try to get a blog in somewhere.
  So what is new?
  Most interesting evening of the weekend was Friday. Went to Abrons Arts for their Perfect City series---not a play or a ballet but a discussion about what is going on---basically the gentrification crisis, but it also included a section (very serious) on female harassment. First we were asked to draw a map of a trip that we take, showing what streets we avoid on that trip, what streets we go on,  ad why? I was stumped for a minute, then chose my route to Bronx Documentary project, where I travel on the more commercial streets of 149street and Courtlandt street to the 151st destination, rather than the two sides street that go west from third avenue to courtlandt. After we all made the map, the leader asked for volunteers, Very few, but I showed mine. No real comments. Afterwards the groups expanded into a full fledged discussion mode, lots of talk about displacement and gentrification, but also about harassment experienced by women as well. I liked the openness of the discussion and made a few comments that I felt were pertinent. These are open discussions--may continue going to them, but in a way, I like the BAN discussions better---more pointed and more about taking action. Afterwards,  I went to the bar at La Flaca and had a really interesting talk with the bartender, a black woman who owns her own apartment in Flatbush and sees the neighborhood rapidly changing. She seemed very interested in the discussion, and I willingly gave her the literature that was given out by the group.
  Last night I attended a play that my friend Sarah directed. Completely language based with a lot of repetition---a lot of the audience found it meaningful, I really did not, but I try to support Sarah in everything that she does, and it was good to talk to her afterwards. On the street (8th avenue and 37th) was an English bar that I would have liked to go into, have a salad and watch the football game, but the cheapest salad would have cost around $14.00, that is before tax and tip. Interesting, that now with so much work, I am far more financially secure, I tend to think less and less of the high cost of food and living in the city, but the lessening of the value of a the dollar was still there. I looked into a few more places, but ultimately decided to buy my own food at the supermarket that sits around the corner from me, and kept the money expenditure under $10.00. I was tired, so it did not matter, but the gouging of prices in the city continues--and most of us turn a blind eye towards it.
 Where will it end?
  Lots to say about the "election" tomorrow---so many villains, no heroes, should write a longer version of this say, on Daily Kos, but feel ambivalent about it. Hard to say what the city will look like in four years, if the mayor has his way, but the pockets of rage in the neighborhoods hold on---so there is some hope. In the meantime, I can always think about theater in the city. Why not?
 Will try to post in the next couple of days.