classes begin at Friends, today...

and I am not there. Very aware of that---I actually checked my e-mail early just in case I was needed for this first day---very obsessive, I guess, but it illustrates how much a part of things I feel there. Anyway, I will be there on Friday, and I would be surprised if I was needed before that. However, there are meetings, forums, etc. that certain teachers might attend, and I might be called. Friday is good, though.
The weekend turned out to be the best of the summer (ironically on the last real weekend of it) Saturday, came early to the Weeksville Center and helped set up the BAN benefit party. Some easy work, but I was glad to be there. Had an assignment for around 9, but from 7 (the beginning of the
party) to around 9, I stayed outside and helped greet people. The Center is in a very interesting neighborhood, on one side is a large NYCHA project, then mostly private houses and one or two   apartment houses around the corner. A very quiet and mellow feeling---this is an area that a few years ago I would have been very nervous to enter---but all seemed calm on Saturday. I stayed until around 10:15 stuffed myself (not a great idea) and then waited for one of two buses that stopped right across the street from the entrance. The bus I got went west on Bergen Street (the nearest street north) and left me off right by the 3 train. Very convenient---although it was dark, I tried to get a good look at the different houses on Bergen street as the bus moved west Bus was pretty empty until Nostrand, from there, to Flatbush where I got off it added about 10 new people. At Flatbush, I paused a bit, stood on the avenue, had a grimy cup of coffee from the nearest deli, and just watched what was going on. I felt no hurry to go back to the apartment. Finally I did.
  I am very glad that I went to the party-benefit. A very diverse group, but very supportive, lots of people to talk to and consider what is going on in the city. At 9:45, did my assigned "job" which was to collect on the spot donations that were either cash or checks.  The next morning I felt very proud of myself for participating, as if I had defined myself a little more.
  Sunday: came to Cobra late, but Olivia was there, she put on the football game for me,and  I watched most of it. Saw the Jets losing at the end to the Bills.  Then I dropped off some flyers for the anti-gentrification march on the 21st at the Starr Bar, and headed to downtown Brooklyn where I was invited to a party given by one of my favorite theater groups, Assembly. It was in a nice back room of a restaurant on Fulton Street, and amazingly enough I almost could not find the place. But I did, and there ensued about three hours of good conversation almost completely about theater. A long conversation with two actors about the nature of understudying --how an actor deals with it. Lots of fun energy all around. Again, I left feeling really fulfilled. Two very strong weekend evenings.
  So today is an "easy" day, nothing really to do until the BAN meeting this evening. So I will be faced with an  "unstructured" afternoon, luckily I am a little tired, will see what happens....