I can't believe it's not a democracy!

Clueless asshole finally sees the light:

New York marathon nixed after storm -- Bloomberg cancels event after public outcry over plan to proceed with race following devastating Sandy. No one he knows lives in Staten Island, Red Hook, or downtown Manhattan, I guess. Hey, as long as Goldman Sachs can still power up--and they can--it's all good. Can't wait to see this tiny-dicked, middlebrow asshole leave office. I just hope that shameless attention whore, Christine Quinn, isn't next. It's obvious that Bloomberg and the Clintons promised her that "her turn" is coming up. She spent that last 10 years fellating Bloomberg at every turn, only taking time off to rim the Clintons. Sigh.

I'm ok. Didn't lose power or phone, but Time Warner blows.

Time Warner is now my former internet provider.  I'm Verizon's bitch now.  Got a 4G thing b/c Time Warner's outsourced customer service reps apparently didn't know we had a big fucking storm and had no answer re: when service would be back on.  Hey, I wasn't looking to download porn, I was trying to get online to help out with work.

You see, my office is located across the street from the construction pit that is the former Ground Zero, the power around there was shut off to avoid electrical fires (caused by the flooding salt water), and no one knows when the power will be turned back on.  Anyhow, Verizon is evil, but it's evil that works.  I'm online again and will be helping out my co-workers who are doing three times the work because other co-workers have no internet, no phone, and no power (all in New Jersey, by the way).  

I have to add that while I got through unscathed, across the street starts the no power zone in Dumbo.  I assume the phone service is down too.  And a friend who lives in the village has no power, phone, or internet, and we think her cell phone died out.  Oi.  No one knows when power will be restored to downtown Manhattan.  Nor do they know when subways will be able to travel from Brooklyn to Manhattan.  It's a big fucking mess.  

Hope things are well wherever you are.  

All joking aside:

I have never seen the river this high.  Usually you can see about 5-10 feet of pylon at the piers.   I have no doubt that the river will top the piers by this evening.   Must add that on my way to Fulton Landing (object of photo), I passed a couple of sets of parents out with their toddler children.  WTF?  Yes, they were dressed in adorable rain coats, but my god, that's fucking insane.   Still, the grocery store across the street from my building is still open and has most items.  While  I saw some people making last minute purchases of essentials, most people were like the guy in front of me who bought a bag of hotdog rolls and a six-pack of  beer.   

 

 

Emergency provisions:

I am almost a little ashamed of myself, because I actually made a run to Citarella--an expensive, chi-chi grocery store in NYC--for most of my provisions.  In fairness, the precious organic grocery store near me has fewer cheese offerings and, if you can imagine, higher prices.  Plus I had a gift card (thanks, Helene!).  Still, it was like a scene out of "Seinfeld" or "Curb Your Enthusiasm," with a long line of people clutching a few items--proscuitto, truffle oil, rosemary crackers, baby wild arugula (really exists), other must haves--in preparation for the hurricane.  

You know how the typical local tv news reports will send a reporter to a supermarket to show people panicking in advance of a snowstorm or hurricane, and the scene almost always is of long lines of shoppers pushing carts filled with bread, milk, and eggs, on top, hiding a buttload of crap underneath?  If they did that at the Citarella this morning where, among other things, I saw a 5-year old boy pulling a small cart up to the sushi display so he could grab a container of California rolls, well, the people who already hate us would hate us a little bit more.  

And I understood why.  It reminded me of when I went to see the store that sells only salt that opened in the West Village, just to see if it actually exists.  It did.   And after a young woman came in and breathlessly asked about Himalyan pink salt, I looked around nervously to see if there was someone poised to spray the store with bullets, because it almost seemed deserved.  

That said, in my defense I purchased one emergency item at a normal bodega in Greenpoint on Friday: 

Color me prepared. 

Finally, cool celebrity spotting: As I trudged on home with my essentials, I passed David Cross carrying his bags of essentials.   Now I'm off to hide under the covers.  See you Wednesday (god willing)!

Here's another one who made it through the NYPD screening:

NYPD officer charged with plotting to kill and eat women. Something is seriously wrong with the process by which teh NYPD screens its applicants, no? The rot must be at the top, but the bottom isn't looking good either. Sigh.

No, really?

NYPD 'consistently violated basic rights' during Occupy protests – study. The subhead reads: Report by NYU and Fordham law schools found 'shocking level of impunity' and department that acted beyond its powers. What would be really shocking is if the proper punishment were meted out to those evil filthy bastards who abused the Occupy patriots. Not holding my breath. Instead, I am waiting for Police Chief Kelly to extend his wrist for a soft rap.

Regular visitors to this blog know that I left my tiny apartment

in a horribly maintained building on one of the prettiest blocks of Manhattan for Dumbo in Brooklyn this past August.  I was a bit anxious about leaving the village because I lived there for 15 years--my entire time in New York City.  But I'm really happy in Dumbo.  There are fewer restaurants and shops, but who eats dinner out every night (not me, I eat a big lunch and don't do dinner--it works for me)?  In any event, one of the best things about my new place is that even though it is a studio, it has much more livable space and a real kitchen with a real stove and convection oven.  And a real-sized refrigerator.  And a dishwasher!  Yes, having a dish washer in one's apartment is a big fucking deal in New York City. 

So tonight, as I type this, I have a pot of tomato sauce with meatballs and sausage slowly cooking on the stove.  I will make enough for at least eight to ten lunches.  And yes, I'm loving it.  

I'm sure this is nothing to worry about:

US wealth gap between young and old is widest ever. Well, nothing to worry about unless you are Barack Obama and you need an enthusiastic group of young innocents willing to work for free for "change" they can "believe in." Does Obama realize what a fucking tool he is?

The people who usually hate New York City and New Yorkers are readying their

crocodile tears.  It is hard to believe, but the 10th anniversary of that sickening day is almost here.  I am leaving the city this weekend.  Not deliberately.  My brother and nephew are celebrating their birthdays next week and this weekend seemed like the best one to go down for a visit.  Only as I was ordering did I see the date of my return and remembered it's significance.  That and my connecting train comes in at 9:11.  Whatever.  

For a while I've been seeing media teams stopping to interview people in the financial district.  Today, I went ot my favorite coffee shop in the village (McNultys) to get my brother some of his favorite coffee beans (Puerto Rican--pricier than most, and worth every penny).  While walking to the W. 4th Street station I noticed a lot of camera guys.  They seemed to be filiming the young men playing basketball on the court nearest to the subway station, but I had the sense that they were filming background footage for something.  And then, of course, I realized that this weekend was the 10th Anniversary of 9/11.  No way the media isn't going to milk it for everything it's worth, I thought.  Where are they now? Kids who lost their parents.  Parents who lost their kids.  Etc.  

Yesterday evening I joined two friends to see a free reading of a play at the Public Theater.  As we left, one friend looked up and noticed the yearly tribute to the people who lost their lives on 9/11--two beams of light coming from the very place where the towers once stood.  It is a simple and elegant tribute, understanable to everyone who sees it.  And it is solemn, not maudlin.  

I'm glad I won't be here this weekend to be assaulted by tv personalities/reporteres/whores trying to get people to cry on camera.  It makes a cheap mockery of the very real--and for some, still very raw--horror of that day.  What monsters. 

Hope you have a relaxing whore-free weekend.  

Posting will get better after July 5th.

I found an apartment and was approved today.  So starting August 1, I will be a resident of DUMBO.   It's in Brooklyn (click the link).  I love the area--converted warehouses, cobblestone streets, two big bookstores nearby, and I can take a ferry to work.  It's all good.  The next month, of course, will be busy with packing and purging, but I've started and I'm really organized (one might say that I'm a tad anal).  

Knowing that I have to leave my current digs--after 15 years in Chez Horrible--well, I have really mixed feelings.  The apartment isn't exactly accommodating, the amenties...hahahahahaha, my (former) landlord is the world's biggest asshole, and he hired a cast of miscreants to "service" the building.  But I'm going to miss my neighbors.  Because of my bastard landlord, we actually know each other.  There are at least four or five people in this building who I would trust with my keys--and the building only has 20 apartments.   I'm going to miss them all.  Especially the Penguin.  And yes, I'll write a bit more about the Penguin and why he will be missed.  Trust me, you will understand.

Which leads up to me taking a well-deserved weekend off to visit with my brother, sister-in-law, and the kids.  They are going to my sister-in-law's father's place outside of Cape May.  We might do a little fishing or crabbing, maybe get in some skeet shooting (I've always wanted to try it), enjoy some seafood, and rest.  Then back to the grind...but not until July 6th.