rough night and morning....

in the stomach department---just don't know what will happen next. Hope to be in good shape for tomorrow, when I sub for one period in the early morning and then attend the graduation at 6---and nothing in between---amazing! Things are better now as noon approaches but,...still it is another stomach, not my own. Let's get better!
  Not much else to report, A fulfilling afternoon yesterday with sessions---worked hard, was challenged by the material and felt that students were in pretty good shape after they left. Today two more. Returned home and had a big fruit drink at the gym store on Broadway near 91st---not sure what that accomplished. Must continue to navigate this day.
 Memories come to me fast and furiously. From childhood, teen hood, early adult memories. What to do with all of them? This summer possibly find a place to put them all together. How I long for something different! What does that mean? Going to different neighborhoods, taking long walks, not just using the nearby libraries. That was the idea for today, but events determined that I must remain in the neighborhood for a while.
Anyway, that is all for now--should report tomorrow or the next day.

Tuesday morning after a long weekend....

of ups and downs (but mostly ups). First memorial day not participating in the South fourth bar memorial day cookout. Maybe because Monday was busy, I did not miss it as much as I thought I would--still, a kind of sadness that the place no longer exists. I hear that some regulars that I knew well meet at at bar on South 6th every Tuesday evening--I might try to join them there either tonight or next Tuesday.
  Friday evening, attended the fist clubbed thumb piece of their three play series, Lunch Bunch, a comedy with very quick dialogue that I had seen in a workshop performance in January. Very well acted and at times very funny, but a play like this one is harder to take on a second viewing---it became a little predictable at times, also the characters---who are legal aid lawyers trying to cope with enormous case loads, etc seem a little too glib for their work.Afterwards said hello to several actors in the cast, then wandered over to Standings, the baseball bar I go to sometimes, and had a beer. Standings was basically empty---never seen it like that before. I guess the holiday weekend may have had something to do with that, nevertheless watched much of the Met game and two others and enjoyed myself.
 Saturday, tired a bit---decided that a movie would be better then a play; ultimately chose War and Peace part 4---I had only seen part 1 before and had hoped to go in order, but I found this part of the movie very easy to follow. It is a very intense experience watching this movie---ever shot is full and passionate. Glad that I saw it---don't know if I want to see the two middle parts that I have missed, though it would be interesting to see part 2, apparently devoted to Natasha---the heroine of War and Peace. Only a suggestion of her in part 1 and she is seen briefly in repentance in part 4. Anyway, if I was going to see a movie I am glad it was this one. Still remember the movie that I "learned" the novel on, which I saw in February of 57--a lavish spectacle starring Mel Ferrer, Audrey Helpburn and Henry Fonda. Did not get great reviews but worked for me. Not much else to say.
 Sunday---first visit in a while to Cobra Club, and my friend bartender Olivia. Good to see her, she put the baseball game on for he, and I was able to watch about one hour of the Met-Detroit game. Afterwards, visited the bookstore on Hart and then walked over to DeKalb and took that bus to downtown Fulton Street. Stopped off in the Atrium where you can have coffee and was glad to see that the Yankee-Royal game was playing. Watched most of it---then it was time to head for La Flaca to hang with and chat with the wait and bartender staff. Always good to see them, bloated myself a little bit the walked north to Houston via Suffolk---watching a neighborhood change before my eyes. Are the Spanish people who held down the neighborhood for so long being marginalized. Everywhere you look luxury houses abound Kind of sad, Took note of it then got on the subway at 2nd Avenue and returned home.
  Monday---had a night appointment with my colleague from Friends, Joe---had to make a decision about how to spend the afternoon time. I had a strong interest in the Yankee-Padre game, but not being hungry meant that a bar or restaurant was out. Should I go back to the Fulton atrium? I guess the answer was yes---I did and watched most of the game from their, over two ice coffees.Returned home, rested--and then met Joe at that cute and laid back cafe on 110th near Central Park West, another area that is being overrun by new luxury developments. But the place was relaxing and the salad was relatively inexpensive and pretty good. Walking to the subway from the restaurant to Broadway---three long blocks, I marveled how safe the neighborhood was now---a beautiful breeze made the walk even better, and I felt mellowed out.
 This brings us to today---not sure what the night will bring, will report soon.

second day of....

"freedom" and have already been to another neighborhood---Inwood, to take out a book from there library---wandering around the streets, like the mellow feeling of the place, of course enchanted by all the art deco old apartments that are omnipresent there. Still very hispanic, but also young people and you know....Did not stay too long but enjoyed being somewhere else. Library had the book I wanted and also some other interesting sports books that at some point I might want to take out. Love to read baseball books, but they get a little dogged after a while---have to have variety with more serious stuff like Lahriri's amazing short stories or the novel that I am trying to read now.
  Last night stayed home, not a lot of energy, sort of needed the one day window---am pretty full of energy now. Still, it is a strange feeling---not going into Friends---the rhythm and vision of the day  is so totally different---so many different decisions when I stay home.
  Tonight will go to Clubbed Thumb to see Lunch Bunch, a charming play that i already saw in a reading (really a staged one) a few months ago. Read the review in the Times---the critic liked it but called it "slim"---I would agree--the artistic director of the group likes plays that have strong inventive language and are sharp but don't cut too deep. Well, maybe a full production on that stage will endow it with more gravity. We will see. Several friends in it and a good friend in the audience whom I have not seen in a while---will be meaningful to touch base.
  That is all for now as I prepare for the long weekend. Can it really be 43 years since Bonnie and I left for her summer home in Rockport with her mother and father. How happy I was then! Thought that our relationship would last much longer than it did---still, I am here now. Time to live today!

not so great....

being 'free"---yes, the whole day stands in front of you to do what you like (except I do have sessions from 4:30 to 6), but well, today woke up with stomach cramps that were pretty bad. A few hours later not much relief. Movements keep coming and not much  can do about it. At Friends, the last few days, things were much more controllable. I wonder if this has anything to do with it. At any rate, I had hoped to see a friend's play at the Tank this evening. I still might, but the cramps may make it impossible. The irony is that the rest of me physically is fine---keep remembering that. Tomorrow I have tickets for another play, I think I mentioned this in yesterday's post; I certainly hope I will be ready for that one. Anyway, that is how it stands now. Was anxious to get to sleep yesterday after three days of subbing and sessions, but that was when it all began. Another stomach, not my own, you might say.
  That is about it---hopefully the pain will subside ( I think it is beginning to do so) and I can have some normality back to my life. Will report on the whole thing soon

Cityboy is free! (Possibly)

today may have been my last day for the 2018-19 year at Friends. Will this be it? Well, there is a slim chance of my being called again, but if this is my last day there (with the exception of the graduation and final assembly) I will be okay. Now the space in my days will be very interesting.
  Not much else to report---Saturday I saw Octet, the new musical at the Signature theater by Dave M, whom I know. Some of it is quite brilliant and original, a really amazingly truthful production and cast. Will it have a future and if so what kind. On Monday, it got a rave from the Times, which means its life will be extended, but in what form, I can't say. It seems to me like an intimate piece, a little too small for even the smallest of Broadway houses, but if not to be moved to Broadway, where? Very few off Broadway commercial venues now--and most of them hold "trashy" non funded stuff. It will be interesting to see where and if it lands, meanwhile will try this weekend to see the new play at Clubbed thumb which, incidentally has a cast that includes Dave M's wife. Should be fun, as I saw a smaller production of it in January with much of the same cast.
  That is all for now--I simply had to check in, will report and reflect soon.

Has it been this long since....

Cityboy posted. Well, that is because of the heavy workload of the last two weeks, as he recovers from the "nightmare" of the visit to the emergency room. Since then, the stomach has been better and he has been able to function somewhat normally. Today, he is visiting a resident because the blood has been rushing furiously (at times) during his bowel movements. What can this mean? How can it be stopped? Hopefully we can find this out today.
  Last two weeks at Friends so "liberty" beckons. What does this mean. Well, a lot of unstructured time to figure things out. Lots of trips around the city to possibly take, I want to explore as much as I can. Anything else besides promising to read one Faulkner novel? Well. lots of your friends are in plays in the next couple of weeks, so that is a definite possibility. What about plays that might interest you (like All My Sons, or the O'Casey cycle at the Irish Rep) where you have no contacts. Possibly, really have not figured out the money scheme for the summer, and of course, with less work cityboy will be saving a lot less. So it is a toss up. More free time, but trying to negotiate food and coffee in NY can be pretty expensive. Will just have to see how things evolve.
  Tomorrow the first Saturday with no sessions in a long time. It is the Saturday before Memorial Day Weekend, which means the class reunion day at Friends. One of my favorite and most meaningful days---this year the class of 09 and 14 return. 09: There was something I really loved about that class---have always wanted to continue ties with them. But what cityboy has learned from going to the last six or seven reunions (sometimes the hard way) is that a 20 something former student of Friends might be very different from the open and friendly student that you knew from 5th to 12th year. So that adjustment will have to be made. Still, really looking forward to this event---will report on it probably next week.
 That is all for now---the future---? Who knows, let's survive the day....

the nightmare of cityboy.....

yesterday, for the first time in maybe a million years, cityboy spent 6 hours in an emergency room setting. Why? Tremendous stomach pains, far stronger then the "cramps" he had experienced periodically in the last few months. It all came to a head around 1:15, after he had left the library. He had to cancel all his sessions and with what energy was left, go to the Mount Sinai emergency room. Lucky, his friend Shayna was available to offer support---she joined him at around 3:30, and provided a sense of stability that he might not have had otherwise. When it all settled out, he had had an EKG (first one ever) and was diagnosed with colitis--then given some prescriptions to take in the next two weeks. Now, the next day, cityboy feels no pain in the stomach---all to the good. Can continue his plan for the week and create a "normal" existence for himself. Strange experience which city could never imagine if it had not happened. Much thanks to Shayna for staying with him during the procedures---she was the best companion cityboy could have hoped for. Enough said.
  So, feeling good now, but still needing a little rest---might have a session later on---if not---well lets examine the "strength" factor as the day goes along.

quite a weekend....

Where to begin? Well, Saturday night, I attended the spring musical at Friends, Little Shop of Horrors, an off Broadway hit from about 37 years ago. Really enjoyed it---one of director Steve's best efforts---where everything flowed easily, the cast had total energy and every moment seemed like a wonderful surprise. Great work by all cast and crew---including two students whom I never thought that I would see on stage. Totally authentic! Afterwards, went to the nearby diner for a blt---was not in a bar mood---had it and watched some of the Golden State-Houston game.
  The 2,3, and 1 trains were slow at the 42nd street station---so I decided to return to the N and take it to 57th street. Full of energy I walked all the way from there to 76th and Broadway, near to where I live. Admired myself for being able to do that.
 Sunday, believe it or not, two movies. The first was Decade of Fire---the story of the destruction and ultimate rebirth of the eastern part of the south Bronx. Very intense, beautifully made---I was riveted during the whole movie. Its amazing that certain people were strong enough to remain in their homes during all the fires and gang warfare, and then build something. Very impressive. The area that the narrator of the movie (she is hispanic) lived in was quickly integrated in the fifties. Unlike the middle class area of the Bronx in which I was raised which was 95% Jewish and all white. For all our liberal mindset, my family would have reacted with some kind of alarm if the neighborhood had begun to change. But that did not happen; three new apartment buildings close to where I was raised opened in the late 50's and absorbed many of the Jewish families moving out of the area where the documentary takes place. Most of my travels are in Brooklyn and I am most comfortable there, but I should make a few trips to the Bronx, to the different neighborhoods, including the one I was raised in. That is a goal for the summer.
  Second movie, Non-Fiction by Oliver Assayas---about as far from Decade of Fire as one could get---a totally intellectual movie taking place in Paris, about bright smart people who don't seem at all interested in people less advantaged then they are. Four main characters, and the story revolves around a publishing company trying to cope with changing ways of putting out books---from paper to e books to simply digital. Lots of scintillating conversation that I could enjoy---for a last minute decision, it worked out very well.
  That is all for now---stomach a little bit improved from this morning---it should (I hope) get better. Will report soon.

body much better..mind?

Good question---just wrote a very strong e mail detailing a difficult (to say the least) period I had at Friends yesterday. Nightmarish at Friends? Definitely. But feel better having sent the e mail; maybe some concrete action for the two students who gave me problems can be taken. Tonight I will go to the Spring musical--ironically some of the students that I worked with yesterday---and  who do not feel that comfortable with me will be in it. Still, will go--it is at the Sheen Center. Then maybe hang out at Standings or Burp Castle (both are nearbye) or somewhere around there.
  Thursday evening---first week night out in a long time. Went to Dixon Place to see my friend Shayna' puppet project, which she collaborated on with Desiree, a favorite of mine from the Friends class of 09.
A very inventive project, full of quirky, off beat surprises---great use of color---will be interested to see how this project evolves---Desiree and Shayna seem to really spark together. Desiree might be going to the Friends reunion, two weeks from today. Hopefully many members of the 09 class will be there.
  First Saturday with only one session. Lots of time before the play---could have tried to see the Guare play at the small theater at Lincoln Center---but did not want to "clutter" my day. Need time and space. One event I want to attend this weekend is the movie Decade of Fire, about the horror of the eastern part of the South Bronx in the seventies, and its recovery. This is an area that when I was growing up was all working class Jewish (with some upper class Jewish thrown in) and that changed radically in the late fifties and early sixties. Yes, still great memories of moving around that area. But that is over now. What to do with memories of a neighborhood almost 60 years later that no longer exists.One wonders.
That is all for now--will report soon.

two days after....

the feelings remain. When I think back to the events of Sunday evening and early Monday morning---it is something that I do not want to go through again. But how can I not? Lots of feelings involved in stopping the procedure---they will have to be calmed if I am ever going to go through with it.
  Spent yesterday at Friends and tutoring---a hectic day, very tired in the evening---more revived now. A Friends assignment for today was canceled---gives me a chance to catch up---I realize how the last couple of weeks with almost every day at Friends and the sessions following that have been extremely hectic. Want to "chill out" but what does that mean? When I am at rest, my mind becomes very restless. Well, tomorrow at Friends, and hopefully strong enough to go to Dixon Place to see my friend Shayna's puppetry project. Friday, another friend's project at the Flea and Saturday the spring musical at Friends. Wow! Quite a lot of plans. Want to be well rested for them. May have only one assignment for Saturday, which might mean I actually have the afternoon free. What can I do with it? Seems like a miracle; the last time I had only one session on Saturday was probably before the new year.
  Nothing much else to say. Need to read something that will absorb me. Will report soon.