today is the day.....

that cannot be avoided. New Year's Eve---everything stops until it is over. I always feel terribly locked in on this day. Nothing to do but wait it out---I plan to be at La Flaca when the New Year begins. Bob and his girl friend Kelly are always welcoming---and hopefully there will be some other "regulars" there as well. Will arrive, I think around 9:30 and wait it out. Hoping for some good conversation as the time moves.
  Before that, I might see a movie---I am so behind on them---I will try to see Parasite this afternoon. Tomorrow when things return to normal, my plan is to try to get tickets to Slave Play for the evening. the next day Wozzeck at the Met, the only chance I have this year to see it.
  Yesterday, a horrid day, weather wise, finally left the apartment around 5 and met my friend Kim and Clint at Formerly Crows, the bar in the village owned by Marshall, the former owner of the South fourth building. A nice time, talking about theater---mostly dissecting the production of Oklahoma that I just saw. Kim had some different ideas then I did, and mentioned them very strongly, but I think I got my points across as well. Formerly Crows is a nice laid back place, the staff is very nice; I don't really go there that often---the bar is long, not so conducive to discussions with new people.
  I thought I might see a movie after that, but tiredness set in--instead went to my neighborhood Greek Diner, for a blt which cost (with tax, no coffee or anything) $10.40. Outrageous! The prices at these once "affordable" Greek diners are comparable to any bar in the city. And that was before the tip, which has to be around $1.50. So around $12.00 for a simple blt, with a pickle and some cole slaw on the side. Where will it end?
  Not much more to report on---the Stritch bio looks like it will be a lot of fun, while The Topeka School, the "serious" novel I have been reading remains interesting.
Will report soon.

unstructured Monday...

at least until 5:30 when I am meeting my friend Clint and Kim at Formerly Crows, the bar in the village that is owned by Marshall, the former owner of South Fourth.  Yes South fourth, that is no longer---as I write about it I realize how much I miss it---I might even be there now, if it was opened. Always a nice time, someone to talk to--speaking of that, yesterday I spent most of the late morning and afternoon at Cobra Club, in Bushwick,which is about the closest thing to South Fourth. Olivia, my friend and the bartender had returned from her Christmas holiday, spent with her family, and she was there with the usual characters---some pleasant, some a little bit abrasive, but I left there after about 4 hours feeling that I had had a good time. I had a very interesting talk with Mike, a former jazz player, whose age seems to be somewhere between 55 and 80. Really hard to tell. He was raised in Baltimore (the afro-American section) but we were able to identify some streets we had in common, then he moved to NY as a teen-ager and lived where he lives now---right near the Bushwick-Bedford Stuyvesant border. His parents actually bought their house in the 50's---of course land in Bushwick was pretty inexpensive then, and he and his brother have lived there (I guess) ever since. Of course, now the value of his land has increased---God knows how much. So we talked, I watched the Packer-Lion football game (sad loss at the last minute for the Lions) and then I hung out with Matt, the next bartender. That place is really becoming home base for me---might visit there some other mornings this week, in addition to Sunday. Finally the football playoffs are beginning! Looking forward to the next three Sundays.
  Saturday after my session, wanted to see a movie, but everything was timed wrong. Finally after visiting three movie theaters and seeing that for all I would have to wait an hour, I retreated to La Flaca where I stayed for the next three, mostly watching basketball games. Bartender Benjy is always friendly---no other "regulars" or friends were there, but the time moved nicely.
  I just got the Elaine Stritch biography out of the library, should be fun (and relaxing) reading, and be a good complement to Benjamin Lerner's novel about Topeka---kind of intense with a lot of time changes---reading about Stritch and the environment she functioned in which I already know well. should be a nice change of pace. Anyway, will report soon.

not sure how much time I have for this post

as computer time may be running out. So in brief: yesterday saw This Is A Room, a play using only the words from an FBI investigation of a government employee who may have committed a security leak. Very intensely and deliberately staged--my friend Frank played a major role, and he was at his best. In the beginning the woman being questioned seems like a victim, actually she was responsible for the leak, So the actress who is so good, is actually not a victim in the beginning (the play is set up to make us think that) but is lying to the agents. But does that justify her imprisonment for espionage, which is what happened. Still, a strong dramatic experience---after that, walked with my friend Frank to where he is staying in the east village, then had a pizza slice nearby then headed to a quiet bar (believe it or not, on Friday there are quiet bars) on 20rh and 2nd---had a beer, watched some sports, the bartender was friendly but not talkative--mostly there by myself, but at least the place gave me some room to "be", most other bars south of 14th on 2nd or 3rd were pretty crowded. After that went home.
  I have one session coming up, late for Saturday, so I got some rest this morning---after that I am free, I definitely do not want to see a play today, after two in a row--possibly I will go to Brooklyn or see a movie and then head to La Flaca---I have not been there in a while, and like the place. Will report soon.

what a difference a day makes.....

yesterday morning, somewhat raw, this morning great happiness! Why, one word: Oklahoma. Saw it last night---and had a great time. Songs, that I have known since my childhood are ringing in my ears. This production, in the round, has been talked about as a deconstruction of the piece, but for me, only the last 15 minutes and the Dream Ballet really stretched the vision of the musical. For the most part, I found it incredibly faithful to the original version---yes, the cast is smaller (there is no chorus) and the full orchestra has been replaced by an incredibly talented 6 or 7 piece on stage band, but not a word of dialogue, as far as I know has been changed; all the songs, even the reprises are exactly where they were as written. What was great about the production was its immediacy in the Circle in the Square theater, and the remarkable cast---I was fortunate enough to see all of its original members from when it was first performed last fall at Saint Ann's. And they were incredibly fresh and spirited, totally spontaneous. The text and the music, I feel are nothing short of remarkable. The first time I saw Oklahoma was in September of 1953 at the City Center theater, this was the last ride for the last touring company of the show---and they played at City Center for a couple of weeks. That day was also the first time my brother, then six, attended a musical. That production, at full proscenium had Ridge Bond as Curley, Florence Henderson as Laurie and Barbara Cook as Ado Annie. So absorbing the show yesterday seemed like a kind of completion of that time.Anyway, really glad I decided to spend the money (a lot for me) and see it.
  This evening I will see a very different kind of play, It is called Is This A Room, and it is basically the text of an interrogation by the FBI of a young woman who is thought to give secrets to the Russians about the 2016 election. My friend Frank is in it. May go out with him afterwards and "hang" It should be very austere, compared to Oklahoma.
  About six more theater evenings are interesting to me in the next 9 days, of course, how many of them I will go to..? Not sure. Money is definitely a factor.
 So this is it---am returning to the apartment now to rest up for the evening, will report soon.

the long Christmas Day is over....

a tough day for me--woke up feeling very tired and with not a lot of energy. That meant I would probably have to stay on the upper west side for the day---not really what I wanted to do. But I obeyed my body, and rested most of the day---I did walk over to Lincoln Center to see the documentary about the choreographer Merce Cunningham---very much like his ballets---kind of cold and beautiful at the same time---a decent way of spending some time, then in the evening, walked over to the George Keenley bar on Amsterdam and 84th--had a beer and watched some basketball, pretty much alone most of the time--I like the place---though it is very "yuppie like" kind of the new self congratulatory upper west side---mostly twenty and thirty somethings, though a smattering of older guys--I guess they were watching the Clipper-Laker game, as I was. Not a bad way of spending some time, though.
  This morning the energy is back---I have two sessions and I am seeing (finally) Oklahoma tonight.
 On Tuesday I went to Carnegie Hall to see a Youth Orchestra conducted by Jaime Laredo in an all Mozart program. I love his music---in my twenties I listened constantly to everything by him---piano concertos, operas, chamber music, that I could experience. One late spring and summer (1967) when my life was "in transition"  and I was trying to find a new meaning for it,  listening to his music gave me a strong sense of identity. Two pieces: the first his fifth violin concerto---very beautifully played, it uses the same style and structure that Mozart was to use in his later piano concertos. The dialogue between violin and orchestra---brilliantly conceived. Last was the Jupiter Symphony, no 41, the last Mozart wrote---very different from his other works---it has a sense of strength and volume that moves away from the later piano concertos and symphonies 35-39. Listening to it I thought that if Mozart had lived and continued to write symphonies, they might have been stronger than Beethoven's early works. Also, the Eroica, Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, seemed to me an extension of the Jupiter---its brutalizing of normal symphonic forms seems to take up where the Jupiter left off. I really lost myself in the music---very glad that I went.
  Once again, tonight Oklahoma, will report soon

finding a sports bar open..

on Christmas day---a hard thing to do in this city, but I just checked and several are open. Why? Four basketball games that I would find interesting are on during the day. Of course I can't find a bar and just "hang" and watch all of them, but I want to know where, in Manhattan and Brooklyn, there will be some open. Tomorrow is a free day, so I could be anywhere, at any time.
Today is "free" also; my plan (open to change) when this session is over, would be to go to Carnegie Hall and get a ticket for a Christmas Even concert, that is all Mozart. A violin concerto that I have not heard in a long time--I would really like to hear it---it is the last of 5 that Mozart wrote early in his career. Also the Marriage of Figaro overture (have heard it enough times) and Symphony No. 41, The Jupiter, a piece that i have heard many times but might be interesting to reconsider. The orchestra is a terrific student orchestra---I heard them a few years ago when my friend Richard played with them---very well conducted by Jaime Laredo. It is either that or a movie---but there should be plenty of movies to check out in the coming days.
  Some reports: Saturday evening, went to the 50th wedding anniversary of friends Ron and Liz. A nice time, very mellow, the atmosphere was friendly, not overpraised or self congratulatory---Ron and Liz just sat around and "schmoozed" with the guests in a very laid back manner. The couple who threw the party---the daughter and son and law of the anniversary couple, live on a street in south slope. On the fourth avenue corner is an old tenement---it appeared to me like a relic from the time the neighborhood was all working class Irish. I later found it it is (was) a Swedish cooperative. A really interesting look. I stayed until about 10, then took the subway home.
  Sunday---a nice day, went to Cobra in Bushwick--Olivia my "go to" baratender was on vacation, the substitute bartender, Talia, is a cross word puzzle freak, and I joined her in working on this week's NY Times puzzle. Believe it or not, we got most of it. Later, Matt, a bartender whom I have known for a while came in and we had a good talk. I left feeling very upbeat, then took the bus into downtown Brooklyn to hang out at the Gotham Market and the Fiction Center. I decided against going to a movie at BAM---had a nice meal at the bar-restaurant adjacent to the center, and then realized that I was tired and should go home. This meant I could not achieve my overall objective for the day:to visit Clem's, a bar in Williamsburg that a friend of mine bar tends at, but he starts at 9 o.clock. I would love to hang out and take in the scene there (I think it is very casual) but the way my metabolism is, I am always tired on Sundays around 7. Maybe for next Sunday, I can figure something out. I really want to visit this place.
  Yesterday was a "work" day---about three and a half hours of "sessions". I thought I might do something in the evening, but was far too tired---spent most of the evening in the apartment.
 Will report soon on the rest of today and my day of Christmas.

not much time for cityboy...

to post today---I have a session coming up in a matter of minutes, but anyway, last night was my "book" night, stayed home reading three books, first The City Game, a non fiction work that I find very riveting about the point shaving scandal that destroyed the great City College basketball team of 1949-50. The author writes very well, articulates everything, I am with it the whole way. Second, the Sidney Lumet biography, I am just at the point where he has become a very important live television director, and is probably about to go into movies. The biographer moves nicely from point to point in Lumet's life. Finally, City of Girls, a novel that is more a piece of fluff then a serious novel (I don't know if the author would agree with this) but fun fluff and fluff that doesn't insult one's intelligence. Actually a fun read. All three books have long stretches that take place in the late forties---early fifties, the time of my childhood, and I think I really enjoy getting into that.
  Tonight an anniversary party for a retired teacher from Friends and his artist wife. It is in Brooklyn, tomorrow not sure---hope to just relax and watch some football, will report soon.

final day before the vacation....

still no work at Friends, six days in a row, sort of a record, though I do have one assignment for the first week after the holiday. I was at Friends yesterday for Steve's talk about teaching theater to students---a fun talk indeed, and everyone seemed very friendly; also, I am going back today for the Christmas Assembly (I always go to that) and I expect everyone to be very friendly Probably just a gap in jobs---this has happened before--we'll see how this plays out after the vacation.
  Yesterday, just a "normal" day,  good visit to the dentist followed by the talk at Friends. Steve, the drama director, showed many film clips from his work with students, before and after Friends---it was good to see some of the graduates from past years, doing their thing again. The audience was very receptive--had some nice conversations with Shayna's mom and others. Coming to high school theater as late as I have, I am amazed at how intensely  professional some of these kids are. One clip from a production of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, that Steve directed in North Newton, really blew me away.
  Afterwards. thought about going to a bar but, because of the cold, I ended up at the neighborhood luncheonette where they have a TV for a blt and stayed to watch the first quarter of the Miwaukee-Laker game, a bit of a downer , not much happened.
  My time after the celebration (which should end around 3:30) is basically open. Maybe a movie and then a visit to La Flaca--just a possibility of course--will report soon.

a forgotten 'masterpiece",

well maybe not a masterpiece but a really beautiful play. I am talking about a play by Arthur Miller entitled, A Memory of Two Mondays--it was written to be a companion piece to the then one act long play, A View From the Bridge. Since the latter was expanded and is now a (well deserved) "classic" its twin has all but been forgotten. I read it this morning; I had read it a few years ago and was impressed but even more impressed with this last reading. It is for nine men and two women (mirroring the original A View From the Bridge character list) It takes place in the early thirties in a warehouse in Chelsea and has a lot of small portraits, but really no central character. Bert, the youngest member of the workers leaves the factory for college and "escapes" the factory, where most of the other characters will and have spent most of their lives. Very strong and focused writing---I would love to do a reading of it some time. At a time like this, it is very unlikely that even if some not for profit artistic director or producer wanted to schedule it, he or she could. It would probably seem to be not "edgy" enough. I read it while drinking coffee at the Essex Market, a new and enormous "food place" on the lower east side. Not the most atmospheric of places, but you can simply sit and read---there are not that many places like that in Manhattan.
  Last night, another night at home. Today, I am having my teeth cleaned in a couple of hours, then off to Friends for a lecture by the resident theater director there, Should be interesting, maybe a movie after that,,,will report soon.

in book heaven...

the day did not begin so well for cityboy---another day of no work and one session cancellation, but a trip to the library on 50th and 10th has brought me some exuberance. (Also, two sessions are scheduled which is good). I was able to find two books that I really wanted---should keep me busy during the holiday weeks. They are: The City Game--a non fiction look at the basketball scandal of 1950 surrounding City College of New York, at that time one of the best college basketball teams in the country. They shaved points, as I understand it, and it was all over---the school did not even have a basketball team after that. Looking forward to a book that will recreate for me the life and energy of the late forties, early fifties, a time when I was just growing up. The other book is the biography of Sidney Lumet, the film director, which has just come out. He made a lot of movies---Twelve Angry Men and Serpico, are two of my favorites that he created---also a really good movie version of A View From the Bridge--with a mixed American and European cast---Carol Lawrence, Maureen Stapleton and Morris Carnovsky were the Americans---I saw the movie in Baltimore, in I think, my junior year at Hopkins. Ironically, at that time, the play was all but forgotten, maybe a few schools did it, but that was all. In 65, an off Broadway revival that starred Robert Duvall, with Susan Anspach and playing, Rodolpho, Jon Voight, had great success and that was when the play started being done all over. I remember seeing it at a preview---it was great---with my friend Rick in January of 65. I was alone and unhappy at Yale---he was a junior at Hopkins. We were close then, but really after that, never that much.
  As for Lumet's other movies---I never really liked Dog Day Afternoon,which is much praised and also The Prince of the City is kind of laborious. His last movie, Before the Devil Knows Your Dead, with Ethan Hawke, the late Philip Seymour Hopkins and an amazing Albert Finney was pretty strong. Both books should keep me busy during the vacation. In addition, yesterday (perhaps against my better judgement) I took out a novel called All the Pretty Girls---so far fun to read, but pretty superficial, and I also have my book of short stories---so far I have only read three---very proficient, but not very feeling. Well, no complaints now in the reading department.
 Yesterday, only one session, but tired after that and returned home. Today the schedule is a little longer, we will see how I feel after the last session is over. Will report soon.

so what is happening today....

slow so far, no work---a session in the afternoon. Not sure about the evening. I slept well last night (more about that later) so it might be possible for me to check out a movie, or maybe find a trivia game (I know of one at the Gotham Market) where I can join a team.
  Strange dream last night---even as I was sleeping soundly...I at a celebration for the actor John Lithgow---for this celebration he was appearing in three different films, each illustrating his versatility. It was clear that this was a celebratory occasion. Why did I choose Lithgow for this dream? Well, probably because he represents a success that I once craved very much, and also because (I assume) he is financially very secure. Was that a statement that I was making to myself that I was disappointed that I had not achieved what he has achieved and was part of me still disappointed about that? Woke up feeling pretty depressed but that was still in the middle of the night, now feeling much more positive. The therapist that I worked with in the seventies and eighties believed that we "cast" our own dreams, so by choosing the actor, I was possiby making some statement within myself.
   Not much else to say---a "grimy" day outside---three more days until the holiday begins will report soon.
 

lazy day....

no work, still have accomplished a lot---a haircut, some shopping, some bills---well, the whole thing. The rest will probably do me good, but still miss the structure that I have when I am at  Friends.
  Saturday night: Attended a performance of the opera Der Freischutz, by Weber, performed by a young company called Heartbeat opera in a reasonably small space, the Baruch Theater space. The company envisions itself as taking classical operas and finding a meaningful connection with current day problems, thus this Der Freischutz, according to the director, would be a take on how burnt out american war veterans cope with life after warfare. The plot and characters of Weber's opera are applicable---the protagonist is a withdrawn, aloof  veteran of the 30 years war and the director thought that this translated into a world of alienation for the Afghan war rerturnees, especially those living in small backwoods town. So this version was set in Texas--began with a terrific group scene that created a good mood, and then fell down from there. Why, well, for one, the company has it dialogue in English, yet presents the music in the original German. I found this change of language (despite the presence of titles) jarring. The staging followed the original opera, and so long arias (though well sung) took away from the original vision. By the middle of Act I, I felt myself trapped in the theater---things were better in Act II, though the act ended with a muddled and confusing scene with the deux ex machina of the opera. The company's musical director arranged the score for a ten piece orchestra with amazing fidelity to the original music, and the singers sang well, but that was not enough. Afterwards, there was a short talk back---with the director and the other leaders of the company, it was full of self congratulations. I know one of the artistic directors of the company---perhaps I can discuss my problems with him, though I don't know how much he would like to have his bubble burst. For me, if the company wants to establish itself as dealing with American problems through classical operas (certainly possible) I really feel they should be translating the librettos into English. Having dialogue in English and then quickly switching to German for the music took away all the american authenticity the company claims to be striving for.
  Sunday--quite a change- went to the fall play at Friends.Five short farces, all takes on different genres, well acted with great enthusiasm by about 15 students. Mostly a lot of fun. After that spent the next few hours at La Flaca, where I was welcomed warmly by the service people and watched a basketball and a football game. I should go there more.
Not much else to say, the rest of the day contains one session, the evening a mystery---will report soon.

interesting day yesterday....

with something very unexpected. No work, after picking up my check, decided to go to Brooklyn. Hit the Gotham Market---had coffee, not much happening. Checked e mail at Apple, then decided to get some pizza on nearby fifth avenue. Walk down fifth avenue was revealing. Around the market, an incredible amount of luxury high rises---actually one right after another. When one crosses Flatbush Avenue, one sees yet another set of empty spaces---small buildings destroyed--possible more high rises to be built---a real glut of them. But then, fifth avenue, right after Flatbush, completely low lying brownstones, we are in Park Slope brownstone territory---zoned for smallness---no buildings will be built on those blocks. For me the change from one kind of building to another was shattering--the low lying brownstones seemed to be from another world, almost like animals waiting for the slaughter. Of course that won't happen---no one will rezone them---but I found the contrast so devastating. Finally after eating my one slice of pizza, I re-crossed Flatbush to get to the Fiction Center bookstore, located in one of the new buildings. It is a great place for reading and contemplation---so many books. For the first time in a while I felt ahead of myself financially and so I finally bought a book there---the O Henry Prize short stories of the past year. Something  of my own!
Feels good it is an easy book to carry around. I read the first story on the subway coming back into Manhattan. Very skillful but kind of glib. I hope the others will be stronger.
  At home I rested and planned to go to the Friends varsity basketball game later in the afternoon. Imagine my surprise when I received a text from Jen, a spanish teacher at Friends, asking me to accompany her to the Metropolitan Opera for a performance of Der Rosenkavalier. I could not say no to that---Jen is friends with one of Met's administrators, and so the tickets, amazingly enough were comps. Nice seats too, about mid orchestra.
 Rosenkavalier, by Richard Strauss is an opera of contrasts. Strauss has written beautiful music for this three female leads (one of them plays an impetuous young man) but much of the plot is about a boorish Baron who has set up an arranged marriage with a fifteen year old young woman (the opera takes place in 1911 in Vienna, where these things were common) and how he is undone. Much of the music for the baron and his needs is written in conversational style---kind of an endurence test to follow--but when the women are alone, the music is heart stopping. The final trio and the last duet---beautifully and sensitively written made me feel like this was kind of a reward for sitting through some of the longer parts of the opera. The women singers sang it beautifully--the staging, very busy, using what seemed to be about 50 supers (non singers) was meticulously produced. Hard to believe that this opera, being rehearsed in a theater that was giving other performances at night, and with stagings with so many obstacles, could presented so well. I was really into it--left feeling very fulfilled and very pleased I had taken up Jen on her offer.
  Long memories of my first couple of years after leaving Yale, discovering and being passionate about opera, but those will come later.
 Ironically, this evening I am seeing another opera, Der Freischutz, by Weber done by a small and adventurous company with only a ten piece orchestra-band. Ironic how these things turn out.
It should be interesting---will report soon.

another two days of work...

Monday and Tuesday, and I will return to Friends tomorrow. This is my first day off since the day before Thanksgiving. Whew! Pretty exhausting. Not much to report as far as "my life" goes. There is not much of it.
 Saturday evening I did go to the reunion party at East River bar in Williamsburg, but did not stay long. Had one or two nice conversations with old friends, but not too many people were there--at least early---and I was pretty fatigued from the three sessions of the day, plus the five day work week at Friends. So fairly early I jumped on the J train---got off at Essex Street, the first stop in Manhattan, starving, and went to their underground newly opened food court for some quick food. The underground has many quick stops and one or two large bar restaurants, but in reality it seems like a very cold place. No real sense of style, or identity. But on this Saturday night, it was packed---amazing! I guess all you have to do is open a place, in NYC and people will come. Well, we will see how it is all developed---it is very near La Flaca--my friend Bob's restaurant, which I usually visit around once a week, so I should be around there soon. After the pizza, returned home.
  Sunday was a strange "rest' day, my body was pretty tired---so I did not think I could make it out to Brooklyn or other parts of Manhattan. Instead remained on the upper west side and spent much time in my apartment. I watched some football at a nearby bar, for a while, but found that place fairly uninteresting. Things perked up when I received a phone call from a French teacher at Friends, asking me to sub for him. That is about all I can say about the day.
  Today a few sessions, then not sure---will depend on what my body tells me. Might head to Friends for the end of a basketball game there---will report soon.

frenetic week...

which began on Monday at 7:30, as I sat sipping my coffee and trying to figure out how to balance my budget for the week. The phone: it was Joe S from friends, could I sub for him all day (and the next day as well). At that point, everything changed---lots of work for the whole week, three days of sessions as well, and very little energy or time to spend money. So here we are, at the end of this week with non stop work.
 Last night, I finally got out--thought about trying to get a last minute ticket to MacBeth at CSC, but decided instead to see The Irishman---a film that I had to see fairly soon. Glad that I did--it is an amazing film--Scorsese and his screen writer have done a great job with the script. Robert DeNiro is the central character--a man who understands ethics and morality, but who is able to turn into a cold blooded killer if the situation calls for it. Does he represent Scorsese himself?  Does Scorsese see a gap between his need for seriousness and austerity (in some of his movies) and his putting on screen vicious and in some cases (The Wolf of Wall Street) vulgar events. The final moment of the movie is the only one where one really feels the director is present. It is a cold, remote ending, after all the violence and "life" that we have seen in the past three hours and twenty minutes. Those three hours and twenty minutes move incredibly fast---I was amazed at how quickly the time went. At any rate, I am really glad that I saw the film. The movie theater, the Landmark 57 is in a somewhat remote area where midtown meets the upper west side. It was freezing when I got out, far too late to wait for a bus (coming once every 40 minutes) and the taxis were all going the other way. So, in spite of the cold, I walked (actually ran at times) the 19 blocks from the theater to my apartment house. Amazing!
  Today, I will go to a reunion party for the South fourth people at another bar in Willamsburg--hope a lot of people show up and that it lasts a long time. Maybe then another party, hosted by a theater company in Brooklyn Heights. We will see. Tomorrow is open---lots of football to watch---will report soon.

Saturday mornng....

No heat when I woke up---but luckily this was fixed soon. Yesterday evening---went to the public to see The Michaels by Richard Nelson. His best play yet---tremendous easy flow between the cast, dominated by a great performance by Brenda Whele as an older dancer-choreographer dying of cancer. Her performance was brutally honest---the rest of the cast congealed around her, and Nelson
's dialogue was incredibly truthful. The play went on a little too long, with one monologue for the choreographer's partner that seemed unnecessary to me, but for the most part, I was terribly moved. First time being at the Public in a long time---I got these tickets through TDF, which at this point is the only way I can afford to go there.  One other caveat---although the choreographer is a woman her choreography when performed in the play by her daughter and her niece was by a male---Dan Wagoner. The choreography seemed super masculine and I was put off by it---I wonder why the choice was made to use that choreography. The young actress playing the young dancer was amazing, but what I watched turned me off. Nevertheless a beautiful evening in the theater---tonight I am going to see The Underlying Chris by Will Eno at Second Stage---I wonder if I will feel the same way.
  Afterwards stopped off at Burp Castle to visit with my friend bartender Erin---had not seen her since Labor Day weekend---we had a nice conversation---she is a little fed up with Bushwick where she has been living for about ten years. Also talked about movies and movie theaters---it was good to touch base with her. The Burp Castle, part of two bars---the other is the sports bar Standings---very different---was extremely mellow last night---a really soft energy---a great place for a quiet conversation about anything.
 Got an e mail from the colorectal Cancer Alliance this morning. Made me feel perhaps I should consider re scheduling the colonoscopy I have put off for a while. Need a lot of support. Will I do it?
Will report soon.

Friday morning....

after an enormous meal at my cousin's. And a very good time as well. Conversation flowed easily and everyone seemed to be very sharp. Nice image, right before I left of the three sisters on the couch. Now, all in their sixties, they have been together for a long time. Kara, the oldest, has just bought a coop nearby (kind of expensive, but hey, that is the neighborhood), Annie lives in Massachusets and has taught karate successfully for many years, and Kayla, at whose house the party was works for one of the city advocacy programs. The first Thanksgiving I was invited to there was I think in 91, pre-Stan (her husband) and the children. The girls, believe it or not, are now 25 and 22---amazing that I have seen them at these parties all their lives. I used to play hide and seek with them when they were pre-5, now, of course the conversation in a little heavier. As usual, I ate a lot, but the stomach seems to be handling it decently. A good time.
    Wednesday, did visit my bartender friend Eric at the bar where he works called the Four Faced Liar. It is a small bar on the north side of west 4th as it approaches 6th avenue. He seemed happy to see me---we discussed plays, movies, etc...the bar itself is a very laid back place with young people but also many middle aged guys. Nice quiet, unforced energy---a good place to go to to watch a game, if I needed a beer. I will try it again at some point. After I left I decided to head to La Flaca, and there hung out with its owner Bob, a very good friend and was greeted nicely bar bartender Benjy. I had not been there for a while---sometimes I forget what a really warm and friendly place it is for me. In addition to eating, I can watch TV as long as I want. Bob and his girl friend Kelly were having  small Thanksgiving party at the restaurant and I was invited. Very touched by that, but ultimately with the cold dominating the day, I could not make it. But I will be back soon..
  Yesterday morning with a lot of time to kill before the party, I decided to see a movie. Some internal debate about which one---I ended up seeing Dark Waters, an extremely passionate indictment of Dupont and their brutal poisoning of the water in Parkersburg West Virginia. Mark Ruffalo, who also produced, plays an obsessive, crusading lawyer who, over the course of almost 2 decades, manages to bring justice for those destroyed by the pollution. Beautifully shot and directed by Todd Haynes, it also has an amazing performance by Bill Camp as the aggrieved farmer who starts things off. I was taken with it all the way, and it only cost $8.10, because it was an early show. Kind of makes me want to see more movies in the near future but already seeing two plays this weekend---need a little breathing room, and there are more plays that I need to see in the next couple of weeks. Yes, NYC is truly a wonderland of art and culure--total overload! Lots of choices---even as I try to keep my budgeting in control.
 Tonight the Richard Nelson play at the public. Several actors in it, whom I have known a bit over the years. Looking forward to it.

now it is Wednesday...

feeling up, since I just finished a phone conversation in which I described my experience with NYC Well in late April. There I was at 4 in the morning---the whole world telling me to take my scheduled colonoscopy. Except i could not. With no one to talk to at that time, I dialed 311, and amazingly enough the connected me with a real live and very sensitive therapist, and we talked for about 45 minutes. It was just what I needed. I got some feeling out and passed the time. Of course, I did not take the colonoscopy---but this made me feel a lot better. The conversation with an organization hired by the city to evaluate the program was brief and fun.
  Thanksgiving day tomorrow---I have my regular dinner with cousins Kayla and Stan and their two children and assorted relatives tomorrow.This has been going on with only one exception for about 28 years. Sometimes I get a little "antsy" if I feel not enough is happening---other times there is some good conversation. Still, I am very glad that they have it. In the morning, perhaps I will see a movie---I better see The Irishman soon, or I probably won't see it at all.
  Tonight--might go down to a bar in the village where a favorite bartender of mine is supposed to be taking care of happy hour---then improvise from there. Yesterday, after two sessions was just too tired to do anything, so i went home. Will report, probably on Friday.

Tuesday morning....

off again today--no work until next week. Yesterday's blog was interrupted by time running out on the computer. I wanted to say that in the beginning of the session I went to my high school year book. All the pictures of my classmates (only one of whom I feel close to now) had their addresses. Of course, at least half of those addresses were in the Bronx in what we now call the Concourse area---an area that was mostly Jewish until about 67 when it changed radically into a mostly black and Hispanic area. Why? Like the Park Heights section of Baltimore, which, in the years I was at Hopkins, seemed to be completely Jewish, the children of that time were groomed to do better---were strong academically and so on leaving college had so many more opportunities then their parents. But when I read the addresses the picture of the "old days" comes quickly into my mind. What do you do with a memory like that? What were the last moments of the Jewish environment like in those neighborhoods. Sometimes I fantasize an older man, living in one of those apartments, listening to a string quartet by Beethoven or Schubert. When was the last time that quartet was played in that apartment?  How was the change effected? Why, when there are reunions of people who lived in that area (there is one coming up this summer)  do people never talk about what those streets are like today?
   All of this was on my mind, and I wanted to include it in the blog yesterday, but could not. Plenty of time to write today, so there it is.
  Theater plans for the weekend include The Underlying Chris at Second Stage, a play by Will Eno, and the Michaels, a play that I really wanted to see at the Public on Friday. Tomorrow is still opened. I promised myself a "theater orgy" this week---we will see if it comes to pass. Tomorrow night there is also a good basketball game between the Nets and the Celtics on tv; might be a good idea just to "hang out" and watch the game. Well, choices, choices.
 Yesterday evening was free, and I had several ideas of where to be. Made the decision by instinct to hang out at the bar at Gotham Market. A bartender with whom I had become friendly with was leaving for another job, and I wanted to see her before she left. I had not seen her since early October. It turned out to be a good choice; this was her next to last day, and she was happy to see me. We had a nice conversation, while I watched the Ravens decimate (that is not an exaggeration) the Rams. Left early and returned to the apartment, kind of tired, probably from the marathon walk between 79th street and 110th street I had taken that morning.
  So here we are---not sure what I will do this evening---will report soon.

first free day...

in a week. Time moves so differently when I am out of Friends, then when I am there. Still, have accomplished a lot so far. A book for one of the students that I help was only available at a library on 110th between Lexington and Third Avenue---so I took the cross town bus to Madison and 79street, and then walked the rest of the way. Quite a walk. And yet Madison between 79th and 96th is not an area that I frequently go to, so observing what is there was important. In spite of all the building, there are still several small (three to five story) apartment houses on those blocks. They seem like odd ornaments, almost endangered species, if you compare them to the massive building going around the city. Emblems from a different time---if you were young and bohemian in the fifties or early sixties, you could have gotten an apartment there for a very cheap rate. Well, that was Manhattan then---continued the walk betweeen 96th and 110th---very different, almost all NYCHA projects on the east side of the streets on those blocks, while the other side belongs to Mount Sinai hospital.. Finally arrived at the library, found the book and one other, a book of essays by Emily Bernard, a black woman who teaches at the University of Vermont. That should keep me busy for a while. For my return, I took the 6 train which travels south on Lexington Avenue and got off on 86th street to find a gaggle of coffee places, restaurants, donut shops---almost within one full block radius. Do we really need so much? Around the library there is not much--though that neighborhood---once considered a poverty area has seen a decent amount of luxury (or at least) semi-luxury housing---there is even one right across the street from the library. So goes NYC now.
  Saturday, did go to see Brando-Capote at the Tank, a theater for emerging artists. The 'artists" who did this piece--a very nice couple that I have met a few times---created a rather self indulgent, not very clear performance piece. Depressing. Yesterday, traveled into Bushwick and hung out at Cobra in the morning---afternoon at Downtown Brooklyn, then went home because I was tired.
 Have to stop now because the computer is reserved for someone else. Still a lot to say, will report soon.

where have you been, cityboy...?

Five days in a row subbing at Friends. Quite a marathon. At the beginning of the week, I had two and a half days scheduled---but that quickly changed to 5. In addition, I attended the Fall upper school concert (very good) on Thursday evening. Wow! No wonder yesterday after work I was exhausted! Even now, sitting in the library, I can feel it. Two more sessions today, and in the evening, I am scheduled to see Brando-Capote---a kind of collage that brings these two icons together. The creators are two people I know--though not very well---I have seen some of their other work, so i wanted to show support for this one. Like so many other off and off off Broadway projects, they are closing this weekend. It starts early, at 7:30, so possibly some other "action" after the play. We will see. 
  Next week there are only two possible days of work at Friends---have not been hired for either yet---will try to use the rest of the week to catch up on Theater, movies, etc. Already I have a ticket for the Friday evening of Thanksgiving to see The Michaels, which is Richard Nelson's play about a family living in Rhinebeck. Kind of elegiac, from everything that I have heard. I will try to see at least two other plays as well--want to see how my schedule turns out for most of the days before I make another commitment.
  Last Saturday evening (seems like a long time ago) i did see Dr Ride's American Clumbhouse, an original play that my friend Kristen was appearing in. Very glad that I did--it is a very well written play, that the four actresses performed really well. Sunday I saw a documentary at BAM, The Hottest Summer--where the narrator-director goes around to different neighborhoods in the city, interviewing different people, mostly working class, no one percenters. I was always interested, though I thought that in certain interviews she avoided coming to terms with the problems her subjects were facing---also I would have liked her to identify the neighborhoods she was visiting. Still, it kept my interest, but I walked out of a question and answer period with the director and the programmer from BAM---a little too self congradulatory and "gooey" for me to deal with.
 So that is it for now---will report soon.

yesterday was one of my...

"best days ever"--walked all over Manhattan, saw a movie (horrible!) and a beautiful dance concert, and generally felt very strong. (A little tired today, probably from all that wear and tear on my body).
After the library, did walk north on 5th from 42nd to 58th---a hideous amount of foot traffic, particularly in the first 11 or 12 blocks--but finally reached my destination--the Paris Theater---to see Baumbach's Marriage Story. Well I hated it! In certain movies that he makes, about middle or upper class white people and their "problems", he doesn't resonate with me at all.The two leads play a husband and wife who are splitting---both are theater people, he a "genius" director and she an actress with a Hollywood background who has become the leading lady of the company. There the reality stops--both of them, once they are out of the theater, seem simply like "ordinary humans"---in their daily life they might as well be teachers, social workers, bankers, etc. Baumbach has no idea how people whose life is centered on the theater behave once the rehearsals are over. The second part of the movie (at least as much as I saw of it) is actually a picture of the high powered lawyers who work with the wealthy in Hollywood, the principles are all but forgotten. I left the theater, before the ending in a rage.
 The rest of the day was very pleasant, as I walked back to my apartment (I seem to have been able to walk endlessly without tiring yesterday) and waited for the Dance Concert at the State theater in Lincoln Center. Had a great (and cheap) seat and was really surprised at how beautiful the whole program was. Two dances by Paul Taylor (it is his company) that were upbeat and sensitive and had some amazing choreography, and a new piece by Pam Tanowitz that while a little muted, had some great steps and a lot of musicality. Company B, the last piece on the program was brilliantly danced and made me aware of how brilliant a choreographer Taylor could be (I am not sure I realized this before). I practically danced back to my apartment---really feeling great!
  Tonight, after some sessions, I am scheduled to see the play my friend Kristen is in. She told me at the TEAM party, that she is very happy in it, so it should be meaningful.
That is all for now---will report soon.

Actually, what happened yesterday...

after the library and after my session up on 160th street and Saint Nicholas, was "nothing". (Well, "nothing will come of nothing")
By that I mean my body simply wanted to rest  after the session---that surprised me---after all it was only one, but I was tired. So I returned to the apartment and tried to rest. Today, this morning, feeling much better. No work today, as a matter of fact it is one of those rare occasions where my whole day is free---I did go to Friends to pick up my check---climbed the six flights to where the payroll department is---and after that had an incredibly good walk from 16th and 2nd, all the way to the library where I am at now, the one on 40th and 5th.  The walk was mostly on Park Avenue South, a street that I don't often travel on---wow! has that street changed (well for that matter, what street in this city hasn't?) New luxury buildings in the 20's, and so many coffee places on those streets---maybe two per street. Then a little north on Madison and finally to 5th. This session will end soon---I hope to do some book browsing after that, maybe find a viable book to take out (right now I am only reading a book of short stories) and probably head for the Paris theater.
   The plan is to use this time to see Marriage Story, the Noah Baumbach movie. On some level I would probably like to spend the time doing something else, or checking in on the hearings in DC, but time is precious---I am going to other projects tonight and tomorrow evening---so this might be the only time to experience it.
  Tonight--the Taylor Dance company---I picked up a  $24.00 ticket yesterday. I am interested in the second ballet, a new piece by a much praised choreographer---I actually met her husband at a party for my niece and her husband about a year ago. Close to home, which is go. Tomorrow, after some sessions will see the play my friend Kristen is in. So time is forced! At any rate, will report on all this soon.

feeling much better today....

more relaxed because I did not have to wait for a phone call from Friends this morning, and deal with the "readiness" of it, but more so, because I had a terrific time with my friend Joe, another teacher at Friends, when we met for a beer and some food last night. It had been a long day--two sessions, with an hour and a half in between (tough)  but we met at Grill on the Hill, an amiable place on 140th and Amsterdam, and talked for about a little over an hour. Conversation flowed really well---I felt relaxed and easy---just a very nice mix. Joe left around 7:30 to join some friends for a Trivia game downtown, I could have stayed around and see if I could have joined one of Grill's trivia teams (they were also having a trivia evening) or watched two or three interesting basketball games that were on the TV's. but very quickly after Joe left, I crashed, and decided it was best to head home. Did stop off at a Greek Diner for coffee and a muffin, but then returned home. It's interesting, I had tried Grill on the Hill shortly after it opened, about a year and a half ago, did not have a bad time, but felt they were a bit disorganized---things seemed to be much better yesterday, the bartenders were very easygoing, the place had a warm vibe about it--might return by myself sometime soon.
  One session today, so I should not be too fatigued afterwards---no excuse for not doing something tonight. Might try to see Marriage Story in Brooklyn---did not want to plan in the morning, so just means playing it by ear. Anything could happen, will report soon.

Last night---

found myself tired after two sessions (both of which I feel were incredibly productive and filled in some good spaces for the students whom I work with) so simply grabbed a slice of pizza, then a large fruit drink and finally some pound cake and returned home to the apartment. Before long I was asleep, waking only slightly until around 1 A.M. This happens often--and usually the next 4.5 hours (I usually start to get ready for the day around 5:30) are half waked---half sleep. This is the time that I have a constant dialogue with myself---taking things apart, letting my memory take me to the past,  trying to figure out what the next day will bring. When I leave the apartment, whether I am going to Friends or just to get my coffee from around the corner (and read the Times in the hotel next door) something changes---life becomes "real" again.
  Went to the Johns Hopkins Barnstormers page yesterday. This is the Hopkins theater group that, a long time ago, I was President of. It was my last year at the college. Their fall production was a play by John Patrick , called The Curious Savage. The playwright was popular in the forties and fifties---kind of a "one level above" Neil Simon. I saw one his really great successes called The Teahouse of the August Moon, when I was 11. A comedy that took place in post World War II Japan, David Wayne played Sakini, a charming Japanese interpreter for the Americans. Lots of fun, I had read a lot about the play, but not having seen that many non-musicals, was excited to be there. It was the first time I saw the actor Paul Ford, a marvelous comedian, great at playing the "flummoxed" middle aged man. He later played Colonel Hall on the tv show You'll Never Get Rich, which starred Phil Silvers. I know nothing about The Curious Savage, a strange choice, maybe it is a little more serious then the plays of Patrick that I know about. Certainly he was a good craftsman, perfect for that era.
  Tonight will meet a friend who is also a teacher at Friends for a beer after some session. Looking forward to that--tomorrow there are no classes at Friends, so I can wake up knowing I don't have to listen to the text machine ring. A kind of freedom, maybe I can actually do something in the evening. Will report soon.

two benefits, two movies, and....

some other things. But first, very odd  for me, that within the space of a week, that I should find myself at two benefits for two "indie" theater groups. One was for the TEAM, a company that I have followed and been friends with since 2007, and the other for Assembly, a company that I discovered summer of 2011 at the Collapsible Hole in Williamsburg via their remarkable production of Home/Sick. I remember when the TEAM was having parties at the theater space right by South Ferry, and Assembly's fund raiser was at a small space between third and fourth avenue in Brooklyn. Both groups have come a long way since them; these two benefits very definitely stressed the fact that both groups had attracted some "high rollers" and that the money of the wealthy was going to help them create their work. . Good or bad? Can't say, but I was struck by the dichotomy (especially at the TEAM benefit) between a theater group whose claim to existence is to "enhance social justice"  (my terms)  and large horde of wealthy people in attendance at their benefit whose income might have depended on working for companies that were exploiting the very people they seem to want their theater pieces to empower. A strange dichotomy indeed, but I suppose funding is necessary, and that is one way to get it. And at both parties I did have a good time, with some good theater conversations with many people. I am just an observer, watching how far things have come in this creative sphere in the last 20 years.
 As for the two movies, the first, Saturday evening was called Synonyms, a film mostly in french, conceived and directed by an Isreli. It was a New York Film Festival selection. An abrasive film, about an abrasive young man, who comes to France penniless to to escape completely his Isreli roots. In the course of the movie, he participates in a menage a trois, joins some Isreli terrorists hunting French neo nazis, disrupts a concert and does some other crazy things. His journey is somewhat sympathetic, but he is so abrasive---the film itself follows him at an intense pace. I admired it more then enjoyed it---the camera work and color are really excellent. Went because I was tired from the day's work and needed to see a movie close to my apartment, that being said, I had planned to see it.
The second movie, Sunday afternoon at BAM (could not bring myself to watch the Gaints-Jets game even for a minute, so I needed structure)  was Downtown 81, a shapeless piece filmed around Avenue C and D and east 14th street, when the area was a wasteland. It was valuable just for that, its story followed a young black artist played by Basquiat. He had a winning and affable personality as he moved from small apartment to small apartment, and encountered hoboes, bands, and other sleazy denizens of the lower east side. In spite of the poverty surrounding him, he sort of ambles through it---but nothing of real consequence happens to him--I guess that is the point, but it does leave on a little cold. Also, it ended kind of quickly---I was ready for another 20 minutes--the ending was abrupt and left me feeling a little cheated.
 So that is it---Tuesday evening unplanned yet, will see how I feel after two sessions, will report soon.

Saturday morning...

a long week is coming to its end. As of this moment, I have two more sessions left---then FREEDOM!
But what does that mean? Not sure---think I will try to see a movie this afternoon or early evening---probably Marriage Story, the movie directed and written by Noah Baumbach. Have mixed feelings about his work---some like The Squid and the Whale very effective---two later movies that he made the "much praised" Frances Ha, and the one after that with Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts as a couple somewhat in turmoil, turned me off. Like so many other white liberal "New York" movie makers, his intelligent subjects seemed disinterested in people less fortunate then themselves, while glorying in their problems. The last movie, called, The Meyerowitz Stories (Real and Imagined) at least I think that is the title, was much better--dealt with some important issues in a strong way. Still, no interest in "others" but some telling problems for its protagonists. Yet even that movie, irritated me---Baumbach seems so in love with his own vision of things. In spite of these feelings, I am anxious to see this movie---it is about (at least in theory) theater people--or maybe I just want to see if he can really pull off a meaningful film. If that doesn't happen tonight, there are several other movies I could check out, not to mention a concert at the Philharmonic that is interesting. Well, we will see.
 Last night--in spite of a long day at Friends, went to see my friend Kim's performance in a revival of Sylvia, by A. R. Gurney. She and the rest of the cast did very well (this was presented by the New York theater for the Deaf, and was half spoken and half signed) though I could only stay for one act, because I was tired. I was surprised, this is play, considered one of Gurney's most sucessful, seemed kind of simplistic.But Kim was really good, I was happy for her.
  Tomorrow is the Assembly benefit party in the early evening---they want $40.00 for activists---some activists my find this a little steep, but......anyway, I always have a meaningful time with them. Before that, I usually spend my early Sundays in Bushwick at Cobra Club, but the only game on TV is so pathetic that I may opt for a change. What? Not sure, will report soon.

48 hours...

from Monday at 6 to Wednesday---with the exception of the TEAM party, all non stop work. So what is there to report? Nothing much.
 As I sit in the Lincoln Center library a gentleman is at the nearby tables---from what I can glean from
the conversation, he was an associate of the late Hal Prince, the library has an exhibition dedicated to him in its large exhibition center on the first floor. He is speaking about Prince's production of Candide, the Leonard Bernstein---Richard Wilbur musical that opened in 56 and closed soon afterwards, but that Prince revived or actually recreated successfully in 74 in Brooklyn (yes, there was a Brooklyn in 74) and which later moved to the Broadway theater in 75, and ran for quite a while.
The original production took the story seriously, this revised version saw the musical as a kind of hippie carnival---the floor of the Broadway theater, where the audience normally sat was used as the playing area--with the audience on all sides. It was a very spirited and inventive affair, even if it made
the hero's journey somewhat superficial--how I loved listening to the overture, when I saw it. Since then, every director seems to have wanted to get his(her) hands on it and revise it with their own vision---sort of like Merrily We Role Along---every"creative person" or entity seems to want a piece of it. I still have to find out who this gentleman talking is, perhaps I know of his work.
  Again, some options for the evening, assuming that I am not too "bushed" Will report soon.

tired today...

after a "marathon" yesterday both at Friends and after. Lets begin with Monday evening--at the benefit for the TEAM, theater group--glad i went, saw a lot of people I knew from the theater community, and even if our encounters were brief, it was heartening to be in touch with these people.
An actress friend of mine, Jill, someone whose on stage work I find extraordinary, introduced me to her new boyfriend. He  is a "baseball person" who writes for MLB (the baseball web site) about mino league ball. With my solid baseball knowledge, we seemed like a perfect fit (ironically, he does not go to theater that often) and it was decided that the three of us would get together for a beer sometime soon. It will be nice to talk to someone who really knows baseball (as I do, at least in my opnnion), and Jill seemed really eager for it to happen, but I must remember to include some theater talk as well. In a way, that was the highlight of the evening---the event was held in the Caroll Gardens-Gowanus section of Brooklyn, an upscale neighborhood filled with brownstones, now probably selling for at least two million, but the streets are incredibly quiet--an almost eerie feeling walking through them, especially on Smith Street, which in the last ten years has acquired many new bars and restaurants. Some of them were half filled---it was Monday night after all, but still, it leaves one a little creeped out.But the evening was important---glad that I went--the subway trip home was pretty efficient, considering the late hour.
  Yesterday, accepted a job at Friends that ended at 3--three classes---then took the subway north to Washington Heights to the library on 160th and Amsterdam to work with one of my students.When that was over, took the bus about fifteen blocks to another student--amazing that although by that time I was physically tired, it did not prevent me from focusing on the assignments of  both of the students. Naturally I was 'dead' afterwards---returned home and slept.
  Scores of movies and plays available for me to see in the city--today I think I will have three sessions--would love to 'chill" at a movie after that but I am tired today---let's see how much energy I have when all the sessions are over--will report soon.

There I was, sitting in the....

Lincoln Center Library, not far from posting for yesterday, when I received a text from Friends, asking me to take over two classes for a teacher who had gotten sick. The text arrived at 11:40; the first class was at 12:35. Could I get there in time? Of course--the subways run very quickly even with one change. I arrived about 12:15--enough time for a cup of coffee before the first class. Rather proud of that, though I think at the school, it was just seen as "normal". Anyway, that is what happened. A session in the late afternoon, meant that all I could do is go home and rest for the rest of the day.
  Today, just one session---I am debating with myself if I should buy a ticket for the Moby Dick project at ART. It could be amazing---I know the director, composer and one of the leads. They have some $50.00 seats left. It would mean spending the night at a hotel in Boston (or Cambridge), another expense---but it is obviously coming to NY, and it would be good to see it before it arrives. I would be the envy of all my theater friends. Well, we will see---its during the Christmas vacation so I would have the time. It is all instinct.
  Tomorrow a full day at Friends and then maybe a protest in Brooklyn against the aggressive policing of black youths that has gone on in the city for the past two weeks. Hope I won't be too tired to make it. No reminiscences today, as life seems to be existing only in the present. Will report soon.

This weekend...

Well, the highlight was seeing Will Arbury;s play, Heroes of the fourth Turning at Playwrights. Very well written, with a surprising climax that left me shattered. Wonderful acting from the five principals. The characters are all alumni or connected by family to an Evangelist Church, and they are there for a reunion. Lots of conversations--personal and political---finally an explosion at the end. Very glad that I went; I wonder if Regional Theaters around the country will pick up on it--with five characters and really one set, it would be very easy to produce. But since these characters are all Republicans (though questioning) some theaters might feel their audiences might not want to see it. It will be interesting to see how this evolves.

 Yesterday, a kind of'normal" Sunday, started off at Cobra---first time there in three weeks---nice to see my bartender friend Olivia--then over to Molasses, the bookstore to hang out with Matt Maggie, and Tuli, their month old son). After that took the DeKalb avenue bus to downtown, did stop off at a new used bookstore and coffee shop at Nostrand and Kosciosco---kind of nice--an interesting selection of used books. Ended up (of course) at Gotham Market and spent some time at the Fiction Center---thought I might go to a movie, but by 6 was tired---that hour that was "gained" did not help me at all. So I returned home.

 Most of my reading this weekend was of the Brent Easton Ellis memoir White---a very well written dialogue about his writing history, his younger days in New York when one could live in the city fairly cheaply, and finally his complaints about (I guess) "liberal righteousness" , or what he sees of it in LA, where he now lives. He makes some very telling points---would enjoy having a dialogue with him. He has a lot of Twitter followers---I don't do Twitter, so I will not be one of them. But it was a very good read. 

 Tonight, the party for the TEAM theater group that I have known for now about 13 years. It will be deep in Carroll Gardens---I don't have to be there until 8:30---since I am not working at Friends today, and as of now, have only one session, I should be in pretty good shape to go and party. Will report soon.

After the library on Saturday,

I decided that I could stand and see an opera, so I went to the Met and bought an upstairs standing room for Turandot. Not that I was so anxious to see the opera itself,  I am one of those "opera dorks" who take Puccini for granted,  but the new music director of the Met was conducting. Rested a little, then I went. Glad that I did--the orchestra, under his direction,  sounded amazing. The opera has really some strong, romantic moments and the music soared up to me in my standing room place. I did not stay for Act III (the shortest one) because I was very tired, but was very glad that I went. Or was I? Felt a little bit harsh on leaving, did not find anyone to talk to in the back row of standing room. Would "hanging out" at La Flaca, or another bar, watching the World Series have been better? Well, it doesn't matter, that is what I did. Returned home and slept.
  Sunday, an odd, day---wanted to head to Cobra Club in Bushwick, but the rain was so heavy that that trek via subway became impossible. So I settled for the Gotham Market, had a beer and watched the first half of the Lions-Giants game. I thought I might stay for the whole game, but towards the end of the first half, I became very restless---so headed for the Fiction Center---luckily, only half a block away. Great place, I grabbed a book from its shelves that I had been reading before--Carly Moore is the author, and the book is called Not Wives, and read, engrossed for the better part of an hour. There is a really terrific feeling there, as if I could just drown myself in a book--the only bookstore that I know of in the city, where you can really read. with or without a coffee. Thought that I might go to a movie after that, but around 4, began to feel very tired. Made sense, since the two days before had been pretty intense with subbing and the play on Friday, and four sessions and the opera on Saturday. Also, had to prepare for Monday's day at Friends, so I returned to the apartment.
 Not the greatest of Sunday evenings, but I got through it.
  A hectic day at Friends yesterday, today not there, but do have two sessions. Hope to feel strong enough to "do something" after that. Possibly Trivia at the Gotham Market---I did that a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed it. Or maybe a movie, or even "hanging out' at East River bar in Williamsburg---have not been there for a while, and might catch up with some old friends. Will report soon.

a magical evening in theater, even if..

the play itself was somewhat disappointing. How did this happen and where? At 59e59---the play was Fern Hill, and its characters, all sixty and seventy somethings were played by a bunch of actors whom I had been watching, and in some cases, interacting with for around 40 years. While the play itself, careens from event to event a little too blithely, the performances were truly beautiful. I had gotten to know some of them during my Artists in Action period in the mid eighties, and had also worked with a few of them in readings I either produced or directed. Something magical for me to watch them--so much potential still exists in their work. Very glad that I went---actually met another theater person at the show--we had a good talk about the past---but after the play was over I left quickly---I have been out of touch with most of the cast---some might recognize me by face, if not by name; because of this I opted not to say hello---also did not want to discuss my "problems" with the play.
  The theater is located in the heart of the "luxury--business" district--a cold area near the Plaza hotel---I had time to kill since I picked up my ticket early, so I wandered down a few streets between Madison and Park in the low sixties. Mostly older apartments--doormen buildings that would have reasonable rents during the 50's and 60's. What interested me was the smaller four story buildings that were also on these streets---I could have moved there around the time that I returned from grad school---I wondered whether there were any older people on fixed incomes paying extremely low rent occupying those apartments. Of course, they could have been bought out as the neighborhood transitioned--but still I wondered. Sort of like where I live--I have been able to remain at a "reasonable" rent, probably very low for the area. But that is the "privilidge" of my generation. So be it.
 Tonight after some sessions, was thinking of trying to see Turandot at the Met--I probably would have to stand--maybe hard after a long day, but it is the music directror---a remarkable conductor who is on tonight. Will I do it? Will report soon.

a morning in the Bronx...

first trip back there in a long while. My bank has a Bronx branch, and I needed to make a deposit. Yes, the bank has other branches closer, but I wanted some excitement, so I went to the one in the Bronx. It is on Burnside Avenue, the totally Jewish area where my father was raised once he came to New York from Poland, and was Jewish middle class until the late sixties. At that point it quickly morphed into an all  black and Hispanic neighborhood, mostly working class. Now it remains that---saw no white people on my journey which began a few blocks south of Burnside, then continued a bit north after making my deposit. The side streets, Walton Avenue, Morris Avenue and Creston Avenue are crammed with apartment houses---my grandmother lived on Creston and I visited her there with my parents many times. The streets today were very quiet---most people at work, and probably lots of children in school. I would bet the streets are packed from 2:30 on. The atmosphere was pretty mellow on the commercial streets that I passed. After the bank, took the bus on Burnside that goes east on Tremont to 177th street, not too far from where I was raised. I was the only white person on the bus---fascinating trip--again Tremont is a strong commercial street, and things there seemed very mellow. Returned to the west side via the 2 train---had a nice Tuna Fish sandwich and coffee at the Greek Diner on 94th and Broadway, but oh those prices! $11.70 for sandwich, coffee and tax---before the tip. Where will this end..?
  So what to make of my journey into the Bronx? Would like to do more---maybe travel on one residential street near the Grand Concourse, (like Walton Avenue) for its whole 3or 4 miles. I am still
"destroyed" when I look at those art deco apartmant houses the represent the time of my childhood and adolescence. What do I think? That the world that I knew will miraculously return if I imagine it. That some young woman who I might have had a crush on---someone from Bronx Science--will miraculously return in her teen age form? How do you put the two world together...?
  Let's leave it at that---tomorrow I sub at Friends; my body is feeling better after two days of exhausting work. Not sure about tonight---tomorrow I have a ticket to Fern Hill, the play written by Michael Tucker--with six actors whom I have been following since 1977, when they were all playing young people or adolescents. Strange---will never forget the feeling I had after leaving Wendy Wasserstein's Uncommon Women and Others---I could not believe that something could have been that beautiful---that evening, a Sunday in October 1977, made me want to get back into theater. Two of those 'uncommon women" are in tomorrow's play. We will see what that will be like. Will report soon.

a "life changeing event" ?

Well, not exactly, but an abrupt change came for me yesterday morning around 6:40 when I received a text from Spanish teacher at Friends, Nelson, asking me to take two of his classes. Just what I wanted to hear--I bounded up and got ready---actually my first class for him was at 11:45, but still, it meant a totally different focus for the day. Gone were the obsessive and detailed financial planning that had me going all the past evening, in its place was..."action"! Also, while there, added two other dates, so things at Friends really seem to be looking up. Two classes in Spanish, the first, a group of eighth and ninth grade "clowns" who were full of energy (sometimes too much) but ultimately did the work. The second class was larger, but much more sober sided--which surprised me. Anyway, it was good to be back in that environment again.
  Monday night---did not stay home---but did not want to travel much so I headed for some hummus and some football watching to the Dive Bar on 95th street. I like the place---had my hummus, and watched an almost intolerable first quarter of the Patriots---Jets game. No conversations, the bar tender somewhat friendly, left early because the game was so boring, but nevertheless was glad that I went---that was the plan, this was the choice, and on that level it worked.
  Not sure about tonight (I am not at Friends today) but after a couple of sessions will see how I feel.
Some interesting basketball games to watch, as well as game 2 of the world series, which I can't get very excited about. Did fantasize this morning, going down to Washington DC for a weekend and going to a couple of baseball games next summer. Baseball immersion. Part of the fantasy was staying in an air bnb near the ball park---the area that has been incredibly built up, with all luxury housing in the past few years. Will it happen..? We will see, will report soon.

after the weekend...

and the bleary day that ended it, today is a nice fall day. No work at Friends today---again the contradiction of not working intrudes in my life. One session, which means that my evening is free---would like to go to Brooklyn, maybe stop off at Molasses (I could not go there yesterday)  or have a meal at the very friendly, but very (for me) expensive restaurant adjacent to Zablotskis. (why do I keep forgetting its name) . And yet it annoys me that I am not called to work---even if it means simply coming home and collapsing after a day at Friends and possibly a session.
  Saturday night---fought fatigue but did manage to get to Jack in Brooklyn to see my friend Amina's play, The Johnsons. As usual, much of her dialogue and conception is very imaginative--just when you think she is repeating herself, she always surprises you with dialogue that seems truly startling and inventive. Like her last work at Jack, the play went on too long---the last 15 minutes of it or so, s the play and its characters run in place. The actors give it there all---happy that I went---the new space at Jack seems nicely functional---this was standard black box; I am sure it could be used other ways as well. After the play grabbed a 25 bus and proceeded west on Fulton---stopped off at the Gotham Market and watched some of the Yankee game---I asked the bartender for just a seven up and he was very nice about giving it to me. Later I had some nice sushi. I like that place and basically feel welcome there (another option for tonight?) Then returned home.
 Yesterday, a quiet day in the pouring rain---Cobra Club seemed a bit out of the way, but again I ended up at the Gotham Market, this time to have some ice coffee and watch a lot of the Giants-Cards football game. Most of the afternoon was spent shuttling between the Market and the new Fiction Center, less then a block away. There, I read a fascinating article about what the not for profit theater has become and a whole poetry-autobiography by a very sensitive woman of color. The Center is a great space for reading--one really feels there is nothing else one wants to do there---except to browse, and think of the potential that exists in the many books on their shelves. I returned home fairly early (for me) but carrying the fatigue of the past two days, went to sleep easily.
  Just read an on line article about my classmate and the possibility that he might enter the presidential race. It ends with his giving a smarmy---grotesque statement to another candidate who is participating in one of his forums whose vision of the future of our country is far more liberal than his. I simply hope he won't get involved--if he does, it will be interesting to see how he defends his staunch and unwavering belief that Wall Street is good for everyone.
  That is all for now---the future is ahead, will report soon.

cityboy takes a break....

between a couple of sessions..Long day today. Not a bad day at FRiends yesterday, except for one unfortunate incident which does not need to be discussed. Don't take it too hard, cityboy, I think we can go on from here. But a good day with the fifth graders; I look forward to working with them again.
  Yesterday, too tired after the work at Friends to go anywhere, Thursday evening wanted to stay in the neighborhood, so I went to the bar in the hotel on 77th and Broadway. Not a bad place, lots of tv's, and they know that you are there to socialize so nobody is rushed. Expensive---a beer before the tip was $9.80. but it is understandable--I had a nice conversation with the man sitting next to me, an inquisitive fellow who sometimes seemed a little too pushy, but---well, it is a bar---I could have stayed longer, watched the game and waited for another conversation to begin, but I was tired. Still, it is a nice place to know---I think hanging out there at times would lead to something interesting---will return, in spite of the high price.
  Tonight, I hope to be strong enough to go out to Brooklyn to see my friend Amina's play---much too tired last night to go. Only have one more week to see it. Offered some free tickets to the Met---Manon, an opera that I know well and might enjoy after a hard day's work, but will make the Brooklyn trip my priority.
 Tomorrow is a free day, hope to relax, watch some football and go on from there. Will report soon.

long day yesterday...

three sessions---came home in the pouring rain---never to go out again. Apartment did not get too cold last night, so it was easier to negotiate. Full day at Friends tomorrow, today, only one session---that is good, need time to clear my head from yesterday.
  Will probably be able to move around the city tonight> But where? Should try to catch a play, but a kind of all for one, one for all attitude comes through me. So many "interesting" but not really one that I want to see. Of course, there is my friend Amina's play in Brooklyn . Can I make it out there tonight? It is at the venue JACK, and I really like going there. Amina is an afro-american playwright whom I used to know when she was a barista (right after college) at my neighborhood Cosi. Then she wanted to be an actress. She disappeared for a few years, then returned to the city as a playwright. I have seen three or four of her plays, each one shows an alive improvement and a radically different stylistic approach, which I really admire. So should I go tonight? We will see, have to examine my energy after what I think will be my only session.
 Should report soon....

feeling tired....

at the moment---no work at Friends today---I have a "strenuous" day there on Friday---perhaps tomorrow, but I do have two sessions, which I need to be ready for. After that---well, once again will be my"fatigue factor" (can't blame me, I have been up since 5)  that will determine what follows. The rain is predicted to come on strong this afternoon and early evening; meanwhile my apartment is cold, cold, cold. Contacted landlord, or building manager---he said there would be heat tonight if it was justified. One can see he did not want to put it on..But legally he must do so if the temperature bottoms out. My apartment, with its incredibly large bay window, gets a lot of cold coming through. Last night was basically freezing, but under the temperature that would justify heat being turned on.
So we will see what happens tonight---if it is going to be as cold as predicted, I would like to be out of the apartment as long as possible, but where...?  I am nervous about taking the subway during a really heavy rainstorm, as is predicted. Anyway, we will see.
  Not much to talk about last night, mostly in the apartment, Around 12:45 I was feeling dehydrated, so I went to the nearby drugstore for some orange juice. The streets around the apartment were mostly quiet--a nice haze falls over the neighborhood, but sometimes, I wish there was more activity on the street. The restaurants on Broadway close early, and the late bars are at least a block away--plus I am usually filled by that time---do not need any more food and drink.
  Running out of ideas, will report soon, tonight could be "interesting".

three day weekend...

with its ups and downs. But the ups were good---like going to Dixon Place and seeing their works in progress evening---sometimes that can be pretty trying but last night, my friends Gavin and Eliza were terrific in their work, and the two others were really good as well. Had a chance to catch up with Gavin and his wife Emily, and found, to my surprise, that they are living in an apartment in the Bronx (amazing!) and it is in the Bedford Park section, north Bronx, an area that is very much working class and probably about one third black, one third hispanic and one third white. They seem to be very happy there---I told them I would visit them some Sunday afternoon---good! It will give me an excuse to go back to that borough---I have thought long and hard about that all summer and early fall, but I never act on it. That was the highlight of yesterday. They live not far from Bronx Science, the "new" (as of 59) building that I attended for its first year and a half. The place of my crush on Judy M,--I could talk about those feelings for a long time. Even now, as I remember our conversations, something so vital comes across. She actually lived about three blocks from where I live now. At some point I will continue.
  Sunday---visited Bushwick in the early afternoon, watched some football at Cobra, then headed to Molasses, the small bookstore run by my friend Matt and his wife Maggie. Maggie was there with a couple of friends--some good conversation, the guy, whose name is Schuyler surprised me by telling me he was the lead prop guy on the new movie of West Side Story. Naturally, I presented my credentials as the ultimate original West Side Story dork-historian. We had a good conversation about some of the choices Spielberg and Tony Kushner have made---he made it sound interesting---not sure how I feel about it, but he was a very nice guy.
  Next went to LaMama to see a play with some actors that I have known through the years. The play---All My Fathers--turned out to be a terrible tract---two actors that I like, Brian and Jon Hogan were good, and an old friend of mine named Debby Hedwall was amazing as an older woman coping with early dementia. A galvanic performance in a pretty bad play. After that some pizza at Two Boots and then a semi-early evening home. Still can't get the stamina to join my friend Eric as he bar tends in Williamsburg with his P.M. shift. Too bad, I am sure I would find it interesting. Have to figure out a way to keep my stamina going.
  Saturday after sessions--went to La Flaca to watch the first Yankee- Astro playoff game. Lots of fun, some nice conversation, let's see what happens today.....

nice day yesterday...

at Friends, though a little tirering; had really good session with fifth grade class in the afternoon. Left with good feelings Came home, tired, rested, got out, went to a Greek Diner on 90th street---to my surprise, on Friday about 8, really filled up, it might as well have been a neighborhood bar (I am sure they were filled up as well) . Had a nice blt and watched some situation comedies on their tv screen that is right in front of the counter. Comedies (which I have not seen before) as usual, were very silly. Walked back to the apartment and stopped at the neighborhood Barnes and Nobles---browsed for a bit, and then returned to the apartment. Nice to have a "second wind" after resting, after a long day, but was happy to be home by about 9:30.
 Thursday evening--did get out---not to a movie, simply went to Keeley's bar, the one on Amsterdam and 83rd street and watched the first couple of innings of the Astro-Ray game, won, of course, by the Astros. The bar has a really nice selection of beer---mostly young and somewhat noisy crowd, bartenders decent, a little impersonal. Still, on Thursday, after deciding not to try to get into a film festival showing, I was determined to "hang" at that place. Left with mixed feelings, but probably will go back.
  This evening, I have a free choice, since I have some sessions, did not want to make plans in advance--will see how much energy I have left. Maybe a play or a movie. There is a play at LaMama that has a 5 p.m. performance tomorrow, I am debating whether I want to make a reservation. Four actors, one of whom, Debby H was at one point a pretty good friend of mine, another, Jon H, I knew somewhat casually during the eighties---he is a really exceptional actor---I should really try to see everything that he is in.
  Will I do it? Not sure, will report soon.

an odd day yesterday....

first of all, the weather--cold and rainy--cast a pall over everything. Then my session: two cancellations without warning---one left, but that was at 5, and I was stuck in the library at 2. If the day was nice, I could have taken a trip---maybe a walk in the nearby Bronx, or up to Inwood or Riverdale, but with the weather so brutal---had to accept some coffee and a lot of reading. Finally at 5, my student arrived and what followed was a vigorous lesson---I felt good about my commitment, but when I returned to the apartment, I was "bushed"---had very little energy--so simply went to sleep. The apartment is cold; and no heat yet, so that was also a bit of a trial. Glad to get up this morning---will have work at Friends tomorrow, and just collected $23.00 for a lotto ticket that I purchased yesterday, almost by accident.
  The situation remains the same for tonight--not sure how much energy I will have or where that will lead me. There is supposed to be a brutal wind tonight, so I would like to be out of the house for it. Baseball game of importance on at 6---several plays begin at 8--we will see. I just found out about a forum for theater leaders on Sunday--it will be moderated by a friend of mine---that talks about theater leadership that moves in a different direction from the more established theaters in New York. But is that possible, and should I attend---after all, i am just an interested participant not a "leader" Not quite sure if I want to commit to it---maybe I will meet someone in my "community" who is going, and I can ask them if my presence would be appropriate. I would really do a lot of listening, and maybe make some small contributions. Well we will see.
 Tomorrow at Friends, will probably report Saturday or soon afterwards.

so I finally got

to see a movie---I had been planning but putting this off for about a week, but yesterday, after some rest in the afternoon, I walked down to the Film Festival at Lincoln Center, and got a "rush" ticket for My Father and Me, a documentary by Nick Broomfield, an English film maker. Nick's father, Maurice, was as well known still photographer, whose pictures defined the growth of Industry in Britain after World War II. Nick describes his father's upbringing, his ambivalent relationship to the working class city of Darby, where he was raised, and his subsequent marriage to a woman he deeply loved. Nick tries to decipher his own childhood with memories of his father and mother. The documentary also describes Nick's attempts to separate himself from his father; he becomes a film maker of documentaries, some very controversial, and often steps into the middle of them.
  I thought the movie was very deeply felt, really well articulated---I was never bored or outside of it for a minute. Really glad that I saw it---slept much easier last night, probably because I had "fulfilled" myself earlier.
  Nothing much else to say, a full day of sessions awaits me, maybe will spend a little time afterwards in a bar in the village where a friend of mine is the happy hour bar tender. Will report soon.

Tuesday morning...

so there I was, getting out of the shower at 7:10, figuring there would be absolutely no need for me to be at Friends today. Then the message machine on the phone clanged. A message: Could I cover a first period (8:15) class in math. First I wanted to say "no", but very quickly change my mind and started to move quickly. Out of the house by 7:30; on the train soon afterwards, arrived at the Union Square Station (near the school) at 7:50. Really great time---could go down to the cafeteria and grab some granola and coffee. Still, amazed that I could make it. Class went well, now I am out---body is still adjusting---two more sessions this afternoon, not sure what the evening will hold.
  Yesterday and Sunday: two Brooklyn days---Sunday, too tired to go to Cobra Club for coffee and football---ended up at Gotham Market (my usual base now in Brooklyn)---watched some football, then wanted to do something else---took the subway to Ditmas Park, a neighborhood about two miles south and a little west of the market. Very laid back and diverse vibe there---a kind of easy calm on the streets that is so different from downtown Brooklyn. The area, mostly Jewish in the 40's and 50's includes apartment houses and some sprawling streets with all large private houses. Young people began to discover the area in the late nineties, long before Bed-Stuy or Prospect Heights began their gentrification voyage.  Walked about  seven or eight blocks along Coney Island Avenue where there is a large Muslim population. Then returned downtown.
 Monday, I was invited to join a protest outside an apartment house in Flatbush, about a mile and a half east of Ditmas Park, to call attention to a new front door that was needed. The landlord is negligent and the tenants, mostly black and Caribbean are angry. Also, the elevator has been out a lot, causing much havoc for the many elderly tenants who have been living there. But there were only four of us, the the two tenants who joined the BAN group decided to wait until a Sunday when more tenants would be available to carry signs and protest outside the landlords office. Afterwards, I wandered around the neighborhood, much of which, as you go east is completely Hassidic. A strange vibe, very self enclosed, and I soon left.
  That is all for now, will report soon.

weird Saturday morning....

have just had one nice session and have another in about 2 hours (long wait!) Just found out that a woman who I was friendly with in the summer of 2012, when she worked for a play appearing at my venue at the Fringe, has directed a play off off Broadway. Would like to see it---wonder if it is any good. Have two weeks to try to go---another interesting play at La Mama with some actors whom I like and my friend Amina's play which is opening at Jack next week. Then there are the plays that I would like to see with people I don't know in them---Slave Play, The Sound Inside, etc. Millions of movie, opera, etc as well. Have to see how it all plays out---don't want to spend too much money for now.
  Yesterday, still feeling the effects of the grueling schedule of Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I opted to stay in the neighborhood last night---and ended up at Keegan's a bar on Amsterdam around 83rd street--a friendly place catering mostly to a youngish crowd. I was there to watch the Yankee-Twin game---had a nice soft beer and some french fries which were "killers". Enjoyed watching the game and had a nice conversation with the young man sitting next to me--named Peter---then went home. I think it is pretty obvious that the Yankees are superior to the Twins---lets see if this is borne out at today's game and the next one.
  Today the plan is to go to the Preludes at City College---this is a preview of a lot of stuff that will be performed off off Broadway in the coming months, a sort of forum and get together for members of
the "indie community". Two friends of mine will be showing a work in progress there, then I might stay around for some other projects as well. Tomorrow---wide open---that is how I want it.
  That is all for now---will report soon.

can you believe it.....

about 54 hours of non stop work (with some time for sleeping). Beginning with the session at 10 A.M. Tuesday and ending with one at  6:00 Thursday, including to very busy days at Friends, the action never stopped. Today I would have worked at Friends again, but the teacher whom I was to substitute for was on jury duty, and her case was suddenly settled, so she is back. And I am here in the library, experiencing  exhaustion take over.
 Still, as an intense experience, the last three days were remarkable. Especially since there were so many "slow" days during the summer. The energy that I needed to expand in those three days was non stop. I was tired when it was over, but I got through it.
  Tonight I thought of getting a Standing Room ticket to Macbeth at the Met, but if seems a little too expensive. So many options-some interesting stuff at the Film Festival, lots of plays, etc. A lot will depend on how physically I feel as well. The reporting will begin tomorrow....

a busy morning so far....

as i sit here in the Lincoln Center library. Made my unemployment application---picked up my check from Friends, sent out my rent check---functional, functional----now there is not much left to do, except prepare for the BAN meeting tonight (surprised we have another one so soon after the march, but I will be there)
  First day of the Jewish New Year, I have never been very religious---my family was very "Jewish secular" you might say. I have a memory from my first year i Baltimore as a freshman at Hopkins. This is the only time I have fasted---I did so along with a friend---another freshman. On Saturday afternoon, a beautiful, late summer early fall day, my friend Jeff and I walk along Park Heights Avenue (we probably took the 22 bus there), The street is filled with Jewish, mostly well to do families, walking to and from or standing outside the several synagogues that line the street. To me, in my idealistic and romantic 17 year old head, those images seemed totally beautiful. I wanted to be part of it. The avenue is regal and well ordained, no hint of what it will turn into around ten years later. Finally Jeff and I enter a synagogue and listen to the end of the Yom Kippur service. The rabbi is angry at the Presidential candidate John F Kennedy; I think for not taking the day off, or something like that. We finish the service, then take the bus back to Hopkins, at the bus stop we meet a middle aged man who by some odd coincidence attended my high school The Bronx High School of Science and remembers well one of the teachers. An odd experience.
  Yesterday, spent the day in Brooklyn---watched a lot of football at Pine Box Rock Shop,,felt happy there- then back to the Gotham Market. Tired after some long walks---at home by 7.  I have to remember, if I want to hang out with my friend Eric who tends bar in Williamsburg beginning Sundays at 9, I have to restructure and re plan the whole day---keep it simple and no strenuous activities until the evening. Will have to stop now---will report soon.

Sunday morning....

feeling much better---an offer to work on Tuesday at Friends turned out to be a false alarm (as of now) but it grounded me anyway. Yesterday, after my session (pretty fulfilling) took the train to Brooklyn an headed for Jack. Its open house was part of a street festival---when I arrived there was a performance by an afro-Amreican performing group that was very dynamic. Afterwards, the leader thanked the Jack artistic staff for giving them their space to create rent free, and also I assume, some performance time. This is what a not for profit should do--whether theater or not---empower the community---reach out and create something that is not already there. How many theaters operating now under a not for profit umbrella can say that? Lots of entitlement there. Later I said hello to Alec,  Jack's artistic director, and told him how much I was looking forward to the new theater's first presentation, a play by my friend Amina. Her work and imaginative vision seems to be sprawling out---so looking forward to her latest play, about two weeks from today.
  When the activities died down, I decided to walk a bit in the neighborhood---Jack would have been considered part of Bed-Stuy up to about 10 years ago, now it is more like the outer reaches of Clinton Hill. So much has changed in that area in the past 10 years---Fulton Street, the main drag, is loaded with new high and mid rises. Anyway, I walked north on Cambridge Place a few blocks, came to the beginning of Quincy Street, then moved around the corner and one block north the beginning of Lexington Avenue. These avenues and where they begin---they arrive out of the streets of Fort Greene and Cinton Hill---fascinate me. First time for me to look at those streets. Both are lined with some nice brownstones, but with some new luxury buildings as well---they are everywhere in the Bed-Stuy-Clinton Hill area. The streets were kind of empty, but the majority of people that I crossed paths with were white. At Grand Avenue, where Lexington begins, I moved to Gates, then followed Gates back to the Gotham market---my "home away from home"
  Then it was just a question of would I go to one of two movie choices at BAM, or just sit it out. I decided on the latter---stayed in the very convenient fiction center and read for about 45 minutes, then, feeling physically very tired, returned home.
  Today, after this off to Bushwick--will watch some football at Cobra, then not sure about the rest of the day. My friend Eric bartends at Clem's a bar in Williamsburg, but his shift does not begin until 9. Can I remain in Brooklyn that long? Return to Manhattan and then come back? We will see.