Early Sunday morning

First "day off, as my student in Jackson Heights has canceled. Nice to have a free morning, but actually enjoy the trip into Queens on the 7, and then the short walk to my student's apartment house. Jackson Heights seems so separate---different from anything in Manhattan. A very nice feeling as I walk through there. So a little less structure, a little more "free time" a little more restlessness as I try to fill up the time. Just finished a long week with about 14 hours----another begins tomorrow. I love the focus that tuturing demands of me---at best times feel very strong and creative while doing it. The rest of my life is more "fill in", you might say---passing the time before I leave for the library in the early afternoon, and then coming back to the apartment and either resting or "chilling" or something else by myself. Could it be better? Possibly.

The plan for today: An afternoon visit to My Brother's Bar---a bar on Avenue C and ninth street, which my friend Bob, has just opened. Hope to just sit there and watch the first playoff game-maybe some good conversation at the bar as well. The bar opened last Saturday, and when I visited on Sunday, Bob was really happy to see me. I think this is finally a place, post pandemic, where I can just "be", that is visit, and if I just want water or a seven up, it will be okay. Still, far away from my apartment, but as we get closer to Spring, and the warmer weather, it should be easier to get there. Looks like the two or three blocks surrounding the bar are quite a "strip' where other bars exist as well. Maybe before I arrive, will wander up and down Avenue C (remember when nobody wanted to go there) and check out the scene.

Reading mostly short stories (nothing special) and the Mike Nichols biography which seems to delve into every nook and cranny of his life. A really high powrered guy, can see my "soft passivity" as no match for him. Can only read one or two chapters at a time, since the events are always so supercharged---need a break from all that aggresiveness.

that is all for now, will report soon.

A long time between posts....

 probably because momentum carries me quickly (not ven sure what that means) at any rate, today is a "free" day, that is no tutoring scheduled, after a grueling four hour session yesterday. Not that I don't like my students, I do, there is something very vital in the work and the commitment now, but it is tiring. Ironically, on a day like this, in which I am totally free, my mind constantly goes over my options---and there are many. Just heard about an interesting new play at Theater For the New City that is inexpensive---might be a choice. On the other hand, I thought about visiting Williamsburg this late-morning-afternoon, and checking out a few eating or coffee  places there, also getting a vibe which is totally different from the upper west side. Then there are a couple of interesting films at the Film Forum that might be worth checking out. Not sure about any of it; will just let the day happen.

My normal day can be divided into three parts. First whatever tasks I have to perform in the morning which could mean laundry picking up medication, a doctor's visit (though not many of them recently) or making a credit card payment at one of my local banks.  Then the waiting---sometimes a blank space as I wait to leave for the library where I tutor. Second, the trip to the library; doing some browsing before my first lesson, and then beginning the tutoring itself. Then it is usually just home, taking it easy and dealing with the fatigue more mental then physical. Then back again the next day. 

Yesterday after my four hours, walked the one block to Broadway and the subway, only to find out the 1, which usually gets me home in about 16 minutes was suspended. Had to get home---but how? Many bus options, finally took the 145 street cross town to Lenox, the last block before the bridge to the Bronx. Original signage said the number 3 train was also suspended then train clock, which I could see from the outside said 14 minutes. Did not want to go down and wait yet, instead just stook at 145 and Lenox and considered my options (again). The time clock went down, possibly the three was not suspended and I could get home that way, but the minutes were slow--so i stood on the corner and just took things in. Really enjoyed that--it happens so rarely since the pandemic started and the illness---just looking at another neighborhood either on the bus or on foot seems fascinating to me. The winter weather was very calm--no wind around, so it was easy to wait and just take the vision of the corner in. Finally the clock wound down, and it seemed that the train might really arrive---soon it did, and it moved easily to 72nd Street. Getting home was not so difficult.

That is all for now---I should write a little more frequently, will try to do so.

Its been two weeks since

 I last published---makes sense, since the two long weekends break up my tutoring structure and create all kinds of conflicting feelings, some of which go away very quickly; some of which don't. No matter, this morning i want to write about my visit to Brooklyn yesterday---the first time in a while when I actually challenged myself to just BE there, without a true destination.

But Brooklyn, or at least Williamsburg and Bushwick, is so different from the upper west side. A sense of easiness---mostly younger people, and more quiet is what I found yesterday. Of course , it was January 1, and I realize that a lot of people in those neighborhoods were "recovering" from the night before. Metropolitan and Grand Avenue, the two main streets of Williamsburg as it moves to the east,  might be very noisy on Saturday evenings. I wonder how that effects the sale of co-ops and luxury apartments that now line those streets. Walking east on Metropolitan, I tried to imagine the last twenty years in the story of that neighborhood. Maybe even twenty fiive. Was there really a time when the streets were dangerous. when mostly working class people lived in those areas?  No high rises, no coffee walk ins, just what...? Walking through those streets, I was both relaxed, but had to accept my role as somone "comfortable" with the changes because they made me feel safer. Anyway, my main destination was the Cobra Club, my old "haunt', but it did not open until 3, and I arrived at Lorimer Street almost at 2. Found the Hungry Ghost coffee place that is near Graham Avenue, had my coffee and read a short story. I like the "Ghost", it is roomy and has good light, and yesterday, as one could imagine, was not very crowded. After I left, I still had some time so I walked south on Graham to Grand Street, and then wandered around Grand and Bushwick Avenue for a while. Pre pandemic and illnes, it would have been nothing for me to walk from Grand and Bushwick to Cobra, but at this point it was better for me to take the L the three stops to Jefferson. Actually four stops, since I stayed on to DeKalb, and walked back to Jefferson, again in an attempt to check out the neighborhood.

Arrived at Cobra, not too crowded---the bartender did not know me, and was a little put off when I simlply asked for a Sprite. His demeanor improved, however, after I tipped him one dollar on the two dollar purchase, and I settled in to watch the end of the Giants slaughter of the Indianapolis Colts. I would say Cobra was moderately crowded, their pool table was busy; I was basically left alone to watch the game--no one started a conversation with me, but it did not matter---I felt at home. Stayed for about an hour--then accepted the fact that I was somewhat tired, and took the L back to Manhattan and then the 3 back to the upper west side. Not much to do in the evening, but enjoy the gratification that I had gotten from going back to Brooklyn, and realizing that possibly this kind of trip would not be so hard to do in the future.

One more day of the holiday weekend---plan to see the Caro-Gottleib movie at Film Forum, maybe stop off at the Drama Bookstore before that. Tomorrow morning next CT scan--we will see what happens...