refreshed.....

as this is a beautiful summer day, and cityboy is pushing aside all the unpleasant thoughts from the external world (you know what world that is) at this given moment. The structure of today is set---a visit to Brooklyn followed by a BAN demonstration at Ocean Avenue, followed by the opening of an art exhibit at South Forth---and an interesting bus ride to get  from the demonstration to the art opening (any ideas? Cityboy will figure it out later)
 Yesterday, did attend the On Whiteness project at the Kitchen---got there in the rain. The lobby was filled with about 20 books dealing with the issues of racism in all its forms. I discovered two interesting books that I would like to check out: one called Between Barack and Hard Place, and to a book called Good White People. Will see if they are in the Manhattan catalog after the computer is exited. The performance by a group of black-latino-muslim actors who call themselves the Woodshed project, which was the centerpiece of the evening was disappointing. Instead of a vision of seriousness, the group seemed self-congradulatory, calling out to their friends as the program began. The rest of the program which consisted of some poems, a discussion among the group, a q and a, and then more poems, brought forth some interesting ideas, though scattered, but also never quite achieved a seriousness which I had hoped for when I chose to come to this event. Of course, maybe that is me---some of the discussions were extremely heart felt, maybe I just did not pick up on the feelings the individuals projected. Nevertheless, I left the Kitchen feeling disappointed.
  I was tired after that, but hungry. I rejected the two places where I knew the wait service people---Dive 95 and Lansdowne Road, and opted instead for the Greek Diner on 23rd a little east of 7th. Tried and true---their blt was reasonable and I think I needed to be alone after the event at the Kitchen. I also read a great article in the Brooklyn Rail, by a writer named Christopher Stackhouse that describes a kind of "passive liberalism" that I find upsetting.
So that is the report---tune in tomorrow for a run down of today's events.