issues, issues....

as the week begins----might be going to DC in the middle of the week after next. Can you handle it, cityboy? More discussions with my friend Bob, who lives there before I make the decision. Still, feel a little anxious about it.
  Saturday night, Finally Fairview! Very disappointed--I had imagined some kind of confrontation with its white audience but the ending, when this confrontation was supposed to take place, seemed very tame. I suppose, after reading the reviews and the interviews with the playwright, I conceived my own ending, and was disappointed not to find it, nevertheless I do believe this ending to be a cop out. Still, the production was outstanding---one part of it being a mirror image of the other. Afterwards, went to the Gotham Market bar for food---bar staff there very nice---enjoyed the meal and went home.
 Sunday---an interesting day, did not go to Trenton for the Thunder game---a little too tired for that, instead decided on my usual trek to Bushwick an Cobra. Olivia, my barista buddy was not there, but her replacement, Talia and I, hit it off well, and instead of watching the baseball game that is usually put on for me, we worked diligently on the Sunday Times crossword puzzle (Talia does them a lot) for most of my stay. Nice rapport between the two of us---will return to help her out in the future.
  When it was over, decided to visit Molasses, the bookstore between Knickerbocker and Wilson, said hi to owner Matt--could not find a dollar book to buy, then over to Wilson---the bus going away from  Flushing Avenue was first so I took it as it followed Wilson Avenue to its "bottom", where Evergreen Cemetary cuts it off. Got off at Broadway, just as Bainbridge Street begins, Then it was time for a walk, followed Bainbridge from Broadway to Malcolm X (six long blocks---the block between Rockaway Avenue and Thomas Boyland is really long---and full of really beautiful Brownstones. Once again, it is thrilling to be walking in Bed-Stuy, trying to piece together the story of this neighborhood from its beautiful and pastoral present, to its turbulent past. Streets were pretty empty, only one or two people on each street, even the long ones. A great walk, look forward to moving through almost every street in Bed-Stuy this summer. Finally arrived at Malcolm X, then three blocks north to Halsey where the bus to downtown Brooklyn came immediately. Stopped at the Market again---everyone was watching soccer--could not get a baseball score---then went to the new Fiction Bookstore, had an ice coffee and read for a while---a nice thing to do there.Got tired quickly, grabbed a BLT at one of the coffee places and went home.
  Today the BAN meeting in the evening---after that...?
  Martin Charnin, an original Jet died---remember that Saturday afternoon in late August of 58, when David and I saw West Side and had pictures of he and his then wife Lynn Ross that our father had taken when they visited Timberland (both my father and mother and the Charnins) and we waited outside the stage door to give the pictures to them Charnin was formally nice, his then wife seemed a little withdrawn---last image of Charnin hailing a cab and the two of them getting into it  (a Jet getting into a cab!)---the cab going south, sticks in my mind. What a life I thought the two must lead.
  Memory over, will report soon.