now it is two....

days left. So be it. What have I learned from this vacation? Not much. Just that life continues through different times. But the sad part of the vacation was (is) coming to terms with the closing of the Cornelia Street Cafe. Nice article in the Times today about the closing (albeit too late) but it overlooked the fact that the two landlords who bought the building some years ago wanted the cafe out from the time they bought it, and made life difficult for owner Robin from the beginning. This was pushed into the middle of the article, almost as an afterthought---but the fact is in this city, commercial rent owners can behave like vicious Gods, and get away with it. And the majority of the "educated" public just accepts it. The City Council must take action at some point to limit the power of these landlords. I will continue to discuss this as the year goes on---right now there is not much more that I can do. I think it should be a real issue in the Public Advocate election--at least two of those supposed to be running have not lifted a finger to stop the commercial rent crisis. Payback time!
  What about cityboy's other life? The life of the mind. Went to Brooklyn yesterday to deposit my check from Friends. Had to bring a book along, and it turned out to be the Ibsen plays. Read Acts II and Act III of The Master Builder. Some amazing writing there. Fascinating the way Ibsen portrays the locked in problems of a "normal" bourgeois marriage. Must read some more Ibsen when I get the chance.
    In the evening I planned to go to the Brick to see a play that my friend Merlin is in, but tiredness set in around 6:30 and I saw that it would be impossible for me to summon the energy get cross the bridge, instead settled on Cold War, the much praised movie at the Bunin. Was basically disappointed with it---a decent love story with some decent insights but it ended very abruptly, and ultimately left me cold. I just can't see what the fuss is about with this movie.
   Today, am planning to meet Camilo, a recent graduate of Friends for a coffee later in the afternoon, looking forward to that and then possibly go either to the Met to see a theater project (probably won't get in) or to Williamsburg to see another project done by a group whom I know. Their name is Built For Collapse, and I know how they feel.
  So the two weeks of vacation have come to an end. Time for action. Will continue this blog on the next free day. See you then.