Police have arrested a woman after they say she hit and killed a 5-year-old boy in Brooklyn Wednesday.
According to police, Bertilde Gabriel tried to leave the scene after her SUV jumped the curb and collided with a family walking down Flatbush Avenue near Glenwood Road.
The boy, Christopher Frombaum, died at the scene. His 24-year-old mother Rachel Dorce is in critical condition. Two other children, 6-year-old Aldeline and 8-year-old Joshua, are also in the hospital.
Witnesses say the Green Ford Explorer collided with another SUV before jumping the sidewalk.
"A green SUV made an illegal turn over the yellow line," said one onlooker. "It hit the black SUV, and came onto the sidewalk and mowed over the whole family from the back. They never saw it coming."
Gabriel’s husband said she has had heart problems and has blacked out three times, the most recent being right before she hit the family.
"She tried to control it herself," said her husband. "After that, she didn’t know anything."
Gabriel was hospitalized with chest pains but is now in police custody. Police at the 70th precinct charged her with criminally negligent homicide.
Monthly Archives: November 2006
BUSH TOOK A THUMPIN’
The best thing about my work shift at the Park Slope Food Coop is that I get to listen to WNYC while I’m working.
Today I was doing my Food Coop shift during Bush’s mid-day press conference so I found out, while I was counting coins, that RUMSFELD IS OUT.
I was working alone today so I had no one to share THIS GREAT NEWS with Until a friend called and I got to tell her. It was fun to say into the cell phone: RUMSFELD IS OUT, did you hear?
Such a momentous day. Big wins for the DEMS and then BUSH announces that RUMFELD IS FINALLY OUT.
The Republicans really tood a "THUMPIN" said Bush. With Democrats taking control of the house and the Senate still in the balance over a close race in Virginia, he said he was very disappointed.
Pray god this means a real change of direction in Iraq. Pray this means the end of this god awful war.
HONEY BEE AND ME: NEW SHOP ON 5TH STREET
A woman who looks vaguely familiar opened up a colorful, well-lit shop on 5th Street off of Fifth Avenue. Her shop, Honey Bee and Me, features fluffy, cuddly, colorful jackets for girls and boys that she designs and are made in Turkey.
The jackets come in 21 colors including white, light pink, hot pink, fuchsia, purple, lilac, lime, lemon, lily, black, aqua….
Here’s what she has to say about her wares on her website:
"We think about our creations the way you feel about your little ones sweet, cuddly, and unique.
"We pick the softest yarn when we knit our sweaters, the colors of the rainbow when we quilt our comforters, and the warmest fur for our leather jackets."
I was walking on Fifth toward Third Street and the shop caught the corner of my eye. I said to myself: "Hey what’s that?" I love to make a new neighborhood discovery.
Boy am I glad I ventured a few doors off the Avenue to see. The coats are beautiful — they fit babies through size 8. The cuddly jackets also come women’s sizes, as well as gloves, scarves, hats. She also has beautiful shawls, really gorgeous hand-sewn satin quilts from Turkey and jewelry.
Fun, fun shop. 343 5th Street (btw. Fifth and Sixth Avenues). 718-499-5820
Open Tuesday to Friday 11-2 / 4-7 and 12-7 Saturday and Sunday.
LACTATION SPECIALISTS: GET THEE TO WILLIAMSBURG
FROM BLOCK MAGAZINE: a magazine that proudly serves and observes Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Bushwick.
Williamsburg has an apparent lack of resources for breastfeeding
mothers. Most women are forced to travel to Manhattan or Park Slope for
breastfeeding stores and classes. The nearest representative of La
Leche League, an international support and informational resource for
breastfeeding women, is in Fort Greene. "There is definitely a need for
lactation services in Williamsburg," says Barbara Holmes, an
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant who has many clients
in Williamsburg.
TWO BOOTS ON ELECTION NIGHT
The bar at Two Boots in Park Slope was the place to be when news came across the televsion that the Democrats took control of the house.
A small crowd gathered around the bar, one couple with a newborn baby. There were others having drinks in the small front room.
Cheers, hoots, scattered applause erupted at the news.
NANCY PELOSI, FIRST WOMAN SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
The last time a Democrat held the House speaker’s gavel was in January 1995, when then-party leader Dick Gephardt handed it to Newt Gingrich after an election that Republicans branded a revolution.
The gavel will now be handed back to Democrat Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, who will become the first woman and first Californian to serve as speaker, following a coast-to-coast repudiation of Republican leadership.
"We are on the brink of a great Democratic victory," predicted Pelosi, as Democrats solidified their new hold on the House of Representatives, adding to their margin of seats after sweeping Republicans from that chamber and gaining seats in the Senate.
AMERICANS SPEAK: DEMS CONTROL HOUSE, SENATE STILL HANGS IN THE BALANCE
President George Bush’s job is a lot tougher this morning, after the
Democrats won control of the House of Representatives, breaking the
conservative monopoly of power in Washington and clearing the way for
congressional investigations into the conduct of the Iraq war.The
future of the Senate still hangs in the balance, with two states yet to
be decided. The Montana count is tight but leaning towards the
Democrats, while in Virginia lawyers were preparing to fight over the
outcome. The Democratic challenger, Jim Webb, holds a lead of a few
thousand out of 2.3m votes cast. If the vote is close enough, with less
than a 0.5% margin, Virginia state law gives the loser the option of
calling for a recount once the first count has been finalised by
November 27.
Continue reading AMERICANS SPEAK: DEMS CONTROL HOUSE, SENATE STILL HANGS IN THE BALANCE
THOSE DINNERSTEINS: PARK SLOPE FAMILY OF ARTISTS
PARK SLOPE PIANIST SIMONE DINNERSTEIN WILL BE PERFORMING AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM ON SUNDAY NOV. 19th AT 3 p.m.
Copland Piano Variations
Schumann Kinderszenen, Opus
15
Beethoven Sonata No. 32 in C
Minor, Opus 111
Bach—French Suite No. 5
Call 212-570-3949 for tickets.
She began her career with a
flourish by winning the Astral Artistic Services auditions in 2000; Astral then
arranged for her Philadelphia recital and concerto debuts, which the Philadelphia
Inquirer termed “remarkable.” Since then she has performed at Carnegie
Hall, Lincoln Center and the National Gallery in Washington. She played works
by George Crumb and Gerald Levinson on the Kimmel Center’s Fresh Ink series,
and she has performed Bach’s Goldberg Variations in Texas and New Mexico
venues, as well as at Queens College in Flushing. Concerto engagements have taken
her to New Jersey and elsewhere, and chamber assignments at Bargemusic, Skaneateles,
Marlboro and Princeton have shown the range of her capabilities.
Her recording ot the Mendelssohn cello repertoire with cellist Simca Heled was
in Fanfare’s Top Ten list for 2002; that magazine wrote of her Beethoven
cello sonatas with the same cellist that “they raise the music to a rare
spiritual plane.” She has been praised by such pianists as Emmanuel Ax
(“remarkably musicianly”) and Peter Serkin, with whom she studied
at Juilliard, as ”a real artist.” Her many recitals have taken her
to Europe, particularly London (Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room) and South
America. Currently she lives in New York City with her husband and son.
SIMONE’S DAD, PARK SLOPE PAINTER SIMON DINNERSTEIN IS HAVING AN OPEN STUDIO: THE PALETTE PAINTINGS, INCLUDING THE FIRST VIEWING OF A RECENTLY COMPLETED MAJOR WORK ON SATURDAY DECEMBER 2, 2006 AND SUNDAY DECEMBER 3: 1-7 p.m.
RSVP Simondinnerstein@aol.com
NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD
PRODUCT PLACEMENT ON GARBAGE TRUCKS
This from New York 1:
The logo of Glad Products Co. – famous for its trash bags – is being splashed across thousands of sanitation trucks in a first of its kind deal with the city.The 22-by-28-inch signs – considered by city officials to be more of a public service announcement than a commercial advertisement – read: "Glad: New York City Tough. Keep NYC Clean."
Vito Turso, a spokesman for the city Sanitation Department, said Glad donated 125,000 white 30-gallon trash bags and $7,500 to Keep America Beautiful, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to litter prevention and beautification.
Both the bags and the money will be funneled to cleanup programs in the city, Turso said.
In return, the city will place the Glad sign on 2,200 sanitation trucks and 450 mechanical brooms. The signs hit the streets yesterday and will be up through Jan. 31.
"It’s good for New York City because it helps us with a corporate sponsor to get our message out there about keeping New York City clean, and, in fact, because it’s already clean, making it even more beautiful," Turso said.
Turso said the department considers the agreement a "pilot program."
"We’ll gauge whether it was successful and determine whether we can go forward with something like this on a larger scale," he said, adding that other corporations have expressed interest.
David Kellis, a spokesman for Oakland, Calif.-based Glad, described the signs as "great exposure" for the city. As part of the deal, Glad "ambassadors" will have the honor of traveling with the sanitation truck at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
"We’re glad to help," said Kellis, who sheepishly admitted the pun is intended.
Kimberly Spell, a spokeswoman for the city’s Marketing Development Corp., said the city will be exploring similar deals in the future.
"There are lots of opportunities for corporate partnerships throughout N.Y.C.," she said. "And we evaluate each proposal to determine what is in the best interest of the city."
New Yorkers offered mixed reaction to the latest corporate branding campaign.
"If it keeps our taxes down, I’m fine with it," said Laura Campagnino, 34, who lives on the upper East Side.
Ena Shed, 33, an office manager for a psychiatrist, said "It is stupid."
"There’s advertising everywhere. What is the purpose?" she said. "We have enough on billboards, train stations, buses. Now, on garbage trucks?"
Emilie Trautmann, a free-lance writer, said she thinks Glad and sanitation trucks are a perfect New York match.
"I use Glad bags to pick up after my dog," she said. "It seems appropriate."
ARTIST KONIGSBERG SAYS: VOTE
Artist David Konigsberg had this to say today:
DAMN IT, VOTE
Dear Friends
I hope and trust you will vote today, even if it’s a hassle . . . And that those of you in Connecticut will consider pulling the lever (or touching the screen or whatever) for Ned Lamont and, upstate, Kristin Gillibrand and John Hall. painting by DK
CHANGE THE SEX ON YOUR BIRTH CERTFICATE
This from Slate.com
New York City will let its natives change the sex on their birth certificates without changing their bodies.
Old rule: You had to get sex-reassignment surgery. New rule: You need
recommendations from a doctor and a therapist, and you have to live
your "adopted gender for at least two years." Arguments for the new rule:
1) Gender is more complex than genitals. 2) Your official status
shouldn’t contradict your chosen identity. 3) You shouldn’t have to get
surgery to change your identity. 4) Some people can’t afford the
surgery. Arguments against it: 1) It’s wrong and dangerous to revise
historical facts. 2) This will become a ruse for gay marriage. 3) Some
guy already harassed women in a ladies’ bathroom, claiming to be a
lesbian. (According to the NYT, "The Metropolitan
Transportation Authority also agreed last month to let people define
their own gender when deciding whether to use the men’s or women’s
bathrooms.") Arguments for going beyond the new rule: 1) Therapy, like
surgery, is unnecessary and too expensive. 2) Why only two sexes? (For
Human Nature’s take on transsexuality and transhumanism, click here.)
V O T E : TODAY’S THE DAY
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THERE’S A NEW PHOTO BLOG ON THE BLOCK
Welcome PARK SLOPE PHOTO BLOG and thank you for bringing your blogginess to OTBKB’s attention.
Your pictures are cool — black and white, very artistic. So far two interesting pix of store windows and one street scene.
HALLOWEEN HITLER MARCHES IN PROTEST AGAINST HIMSELF
November 7, 2006 — Students and parents at a Brooklyn high school
where a teen was removed from class for dressing as Adolf Hitler on
Halloween marched in protest of the costume yesterday – and were joined
by the teen.Walter Petryk, 16, and his parents strolled with about 50 people from
the Leon M. Goldstein HS community to the nearby Holocaust Memorial
Park."They called it a walk of tolerance and respect, so I
figured I would go and show my tolerance and respect for other people’s
views of my costume," Petryk said.
BROWNSTONER GETS A NEW LOOK
This will be of interest to the real estate obsessed who read Brownstoner.com. They’ve got a new design over there and the response has been mixed. In fact, Mr. Brownstoner is surveying his readers on which header they prefer. I actually prefer the old one. But I think the new, expanded space for text is a good thing.
The major change is that we removed the left-hand column and
enlarged the size of the editorial column by about 25%. We’ve already
gotten an email from Bob Marvin, who may have a year or two on our
average reader, expressing his pleasure at the fact that he no longer
needs a magnifying glass to read the text. We’ve also gotten an email
or two from people who don’t like the new look. We’re interested to
hear everyone’s feedback. Nothing’s set in stone so please let us know
what you like and what you don’t, keeping in mind, of course, that it
can take a few days to get used to a new design. (We’re not entirely
sold yet on the Arial font – maybe we should go with the font we use on
Brooklyn Record.) How many of you remember what the site looked like a
year ago?
Update: Vote on which header you prefer by clicking here.
SEEING GREEN SAYS: CHANGE THAT LIGHTBULB
This from our friend at Seeing Green
Change that Light bulb!
GE
claims that "if every household in America replaced one 100-watt bulb
with a GE compact fluorescent, the savings would be enough to power
more than one million homes for an entire year."Presumably non-GE bulbs cannot achieve a similar effect, but no matter. GE developed this campaign with the help of Green Order,
a New York based "sustainability strategy and marketing firm. " Green
Order has lots of top notch clients, Office Depot, General Electric and
GE among them, and has been named one of Inc. Magazine’s "Green 50" in
the November 2006 issue. The power of going Green is rapidly being
co-opted by the corporations to sell products, which may be the best
thing for the future of sustainability, given that our national leaders
are not doing much.
VICTIM CALLS FOR FEDERAL CHARGES IN TEEN HATE CRIME
A Pakistani man beaten on a Brooklyn street called for federal charges Monday against the five teens charged in the attack, speaking out for the first time since the attack two weeks ago. NY1’s Shazia Khan filed the following report.
"They were raising slogans, ‘Muslim terrorists,’” explained Shahid Amber, a victim of a hate crime. “[They] started cursing me, [saying] go back to your country, scum bags, you just messed this country up and all that."
Amber recalled how it all began. He was eating ice cream in front of a Dunkin Donuts in Midwood, Brooklyn on October 29, when a group of teenagers started yelling ethnic slurs at him. The 24-year-old immigrant from Pakistan said the verbal assault soon became physical.
“One of them, he spit on my face,” said Amber. “As I was cleaning my face, I see a punch coming on my face with a brass knuckle.”
Amber was treated for a number of injuries, including a broken nose, and soon after, the police arrested five teens, all of them Jewish, and charged them with assault as a hate crime. But on Monday, Amber and his lawyers joined several community organizations to say that is not enough. They want the teens to face federal prosecution.
“I would like to make sure that they would be used as an example, that if anyone else who wants to commit the same bias crimes, that there is very strict law that would be applied against them,” said Omar Mohammedi, Amber’s attorney.
Community leaders said Amber’s case is not an isolated incident. They said in recent years there has been an increase in the number of anti-Muslim complaints.
“There have also been many, many daily incidents of people who are facing discrimination in the work places, children who are being harassed at school, and women who are spit at or subjected to rude words on the street because of how they choose to dress,” said Katherine Metres of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
And, some community activists are holding the government responsible for these hate crimes.
“Young people are not born to hate, they learn it someplace,” said Donna Lieberman of the New York City Liberties Union. “And when our government engages in profiling based on ethnicity, religion, and race then our young people learn very, very quickly.”
The Jewish Anti-Defamation League has joined others in condemning the attack. The suspects are due back in court next month
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NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD
TOMORROW’S THE BIG DAY: VOTE
With midterm elections tomorrow, it looks more and more like it’s going
to be a big day for Democrats both in New York State and nationwide.Democrats are trying to take control of the House and Senate.
Candidates on both sides of the aisle around the state and the nation
are squeezing in as much handshaking and baby-kissing as they can.State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer appears poised to become the
next governor of New York. The latest New York 1/Newsday poll shows the
Attorney General with an incredible 50-point lead over Republican
challenger John Faso.The same poll shows Andrew Cuomo with a 28-point lead over Jeanine
Pirro in the race to become Attorney General. Cuomo was campaigning
with Senator Hillary Clinton this morning.But Pirro is not giving up her fight just yet. She has a full day
of campaigning scheduled for the Bronx, Manhattan, and Westchester. She
says she hopes all of her hard work pays off."It’s been 18 hours a day, but I’m a worker and I’m accustomed to
working and I’m very energized by the people who are here," said Pirro.
"And hopefully tomorrow is going to be a very good day."Back in September, Pirro was forced to disclose a federal
investigation into whether she wiretapped her husband. She said the
investigation was politically motivated.On the national front, Democrats appear ready to gain control of
the House of Representatives for the first time in 12 years. Control of
the Senate is up for grabs with Democrats needing six seats to win back
control. Key races in Virginia, Missouri, and Tennessee could be the
deciding factors.President George W. Bush will be out campaigning today in Texas,
Florida, and Arkansas for Republican gubernatorial candidates. With the
president’s popularity dropping, many GOP candidates have kept their
distance from Bush.
ONE PLUS ONE MAKES THREE: LOUIS AND CAPATHIA
Here’s what I was thinking after Capathia Jenkins’ and Louis Rosen’s tight, moving, musically glorious show at Joe’s Pub last night: How lucky they are to be working together. And how lucky we are to witness the on-going story of their unbelievably fruitful collaboration.
For Capathia: Louis has created a personal repetoire for her that fits her vocal instrument and emotional range like a glove. How lucky she is. It’s like she has her own private George Gershwin, Steven Sondheim, Burt Bacharach, Antonio Jobim, and Randy Newman rolled into one. She’s a lucky, lucky girl One plus one make three.
For Louis: Capathia is a perfect muse for his continuing evolution as an artist. Her voice challenges him to create incredible songs that express many sides of them both.
As a duo: They compliment one another. Louis with his edgy, intimate, low-tech voice is great alongside Capathia’s virtuosic intensity. Each enhances the other.
First he created songs on
Maya Angelou’s poetry. Then a song cycle about various
characters growing up in a neighborhood in transition on the South Side
of Chicago (based on Louis’ non-fiction book).
Now, he’s working on a song cycle based on the poetry of
Nikki Giovanni. They did one of the Giovanni songs as an encore and it was a standout.
Great, great show. I for one am going back again next week with some friends. For info and tickets, go to Joe’s Pub. To buy their debut album, Southside Stories, go to CDbaby.com
GOODFORM DESIGN: WHERE FORM MEETS FUN
The beautiful new poster and logo for Brooklyn Reading Works was designed by Goodform Design, a small and vibrant graphic design studio in the heart of Park Slope. They also designed my new business card. Check out the web site and see their teriffic work! They are a pleasure to work with!
As you can see, the next BRW is on November 16th with Elissa Schappell, Ilene Starger and Darcey Steinke.
The painting on the BRW poster is by Elizabeth Reagh. It is titled; Key Food.
Goodform Design is a collaboration of graphic designers, fine artists, and software engineers, working together to create print and web design that command attentions and delights the senses. Owner/Designer Elizabeth Reagh sees every project as a chance to bring her parallel backgrounds in fine art and graphic art to produce beautiful and effective communication.
BANK OF AMERICA MONDAY REPORT
The new B of A ATM on Union and Seventh Avenue was a mess this morning after the weekend. Receipts all over the floor, a plastic water bottle on the desk, miscellaneous flyers everywhere.
Could the problem be solved by a more conveniently located receptacle.
ROTTEN PUMPKINS
How long should people keep Jack-O-Lanterns? Many of them are rotting now. Their faces look all droopy and sad. Some are beginning to smell. They all look interesting and a little grotesque in a "I’m a rotted pumpkin" way. There were two spectacularly rotted pumpkins in the window of Slope Sports last week but I think they disposed of them.
Is this part of the symbolic fall ritual of death?
NO WORDS_DAILY PIX BY HUGH CRAWFORD
TONIGHT AT JOE’S PUB: CAPATHIA AND LOUIS
Here’s the review by Jeremy Gerard in Bloombergnews.com about Capathia and Louis’s show at Joe’s Pub.
There are two more shows at Joe’s Pub: Sunday November 5th and 12th, 7:30 p.m. And to buy the CD, Southside Stories go to CDbaby.com
Nov. 1 (Bloomberg) — Eight times a week, Capathia Jenkins
belts out a funny, show-stopping number late in Martin Short’s
Broadway show, “Fames Becomes Me.” But there’s more here. If
you want the thrill of discovering an enthralling new talent,
spend next Sunday evening at Joe’s Pub in Manhattan’s East
Village.
Jenkins will knock you flat. Her gifts go well beyond
gospel-inflected roof-raising. I’ve never been so seduced by
music completely new to me yet as embraceable as any from the
classic American songbook.She is the muse to Chicago composer-lyricist Louis Rosen.
The two have already collaborated on a dozen poems by Maya
Angelou set to Rosen’s music. Now they have recorded his “South
Side Stories,” a song cycle that betrays influences as diverse
as Harold Arlen and Rickie Lee Jones. Yet what is so memorable
about this pairing is how unselfconscious and confident both are,
Rosen as composer and songsmith, Jenkins his joyous, hand-in-
glove interpreter.For an appetizer, she opens with Rosen’s exuberant scoring
of Langston Hughes’s equally exuberant “Harlem Night Song”:“Come/Let us roam the night together/Singing/I love you.”
They follow with several songs from the Angelou cycle,
ranging from humorous (“Preacher, don’t send me/When I die/To
some big ghetto in the sky”) to “Poor Girl,” a torchy ballad
in the tradition of “My Man.”Intimate Lyrics
The “South Side Stories” songs are scored in a more pop
idiom. Rosen, who accompanies on piano and guitar, has a James
Taylor-like talent for setting intimate lyrics over facile,
catchy melodies. This cycle includes numbers about the changing
social landscape of Chicago’s South Side; the first teen-love
song I can remember that ends not in tragedy but in enduring
friendship; the complicated relationship between parent and
child. The most beautiful number is the samba-inflected “The
Peace That Comes,” about the death of a father and the
ambivalent feelings engendered.Jenkins, 40, is at home with her audience (which included,
on opening night, Short, his show’s composer, Marc Shaiman, and
the entire cast and crew), speaking briefly and charmingly about
each song. In addition to Rosen, 51, her accompanists included
David Loud on piano and Dave Phillips on bass. Don’t miss this
show.Capathia Jenkins and Louis Rosen will appear at Joe’s Pub,
at the Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St., at 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 and
12. Tickets are $20 with a two-drink minimum; food is available.
Information: +1-212-239-6200 or http://www.joespub.com .(Jeremy Gerard is an editor for Bloomberg News. The opinions
expressed are his own.)To contact the writer on this story:
Jeremy Gerard in New York at
jgerard2@bloomberg.net .
LAST CHANCE: SEE URINE TOWN IN PARK SLOPE
Playwright and blogger, Judd Lear Silverman, on his self-named blog gives a shout out for the Gallery Theater’s production of Urine Town with the disclaimer that his work has been produced there. TODAY at 3 and 8 p.m. For more information and/or
reservations, go to www.galleryplayers.com or call 212-352-3101.
FROM JUDD’S BLOG: I still recommend that you snap up the remaining seats for their
current production of URINETOWN. Gallery Players left the gate as a community theater years ago
and is now among NYC’s premiere showcase companies, attracting top
flight talent (and attentive audiences) to Park Slope and to it’s cozy
basement theater on 14th Street and 4th Avenue. The work is
consistently excellent and if you’ve missed a Broadway or Off-Broadway
hit (no matter how risky the subject), chances are you can catch it
shortly thereafter at Gallery Players in a sharp, highly professional
production–and for a fraction of the price you’d pay in Manhattan!
URINETOWN was the show I’d always meant to get to but somehow never did
during its Broadway run. (In brief, it’s a Brechtian send-up about a
metropolis with a water shortage that charges people to pee–and the
corruption and rebellion that ensues.) Here, it’s given a gifted
production–beautifully cast, sharply directed, well designed and
musically clean as a whistle. This Tony-winning show may not be high
art, but it is certainly witty, savvy and musically sophisticated, and
the GP production gets every drop of juice out of it (pun intended).
You will come away highly entertained.
SO GLAD THE O.C. IS BACK
OSFO and I are just so happy that The O.C. is back on television after a six month hiatus. We really missed all our O.C. pals. Especially Summer and Seth. I also like Peter Gallagher’s character (remember him from "Sex, Lies, and Videotape")
And the way last season ended: Boy were we on tenter hooks to see what was gonna happen next. What with Marissa’s death, and Seth not getting into Brown University, and Ryan deferring college for a year…
LOOK: next week "The O.C." is on Wednesday and Thursday. FUN.
TWO YEARS AGO ON OTBKB: THE BLOGGER FROM STUTTGART
In honor of Udgewink, I am re-posting this from two years ago. Udgewink was the first person I didn’t know who commented on my blog (I was on blogger then). We keep up with each other’s blogs. I even got him a piece of orange fabric from The Gate’s in Central Park. He thanked me with a delightful package of European chocolate.
A blogger in Stuttgart has been reading Smartmom’s blog. As far as she
knows he’s the only person in Europe who actually reads Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn. He’s certainly the only European ever to leave a comment:Hey
Smartmom, just wanted to say a quick "hello, yes, there is somebody out
here" and we are listening. I like your writing, especially your knack
for picking good anonyms. You could offer that as a service!And yes, I know and love "next blog." I spend far too much time in the blogger universe.
Smartmom visits the blogger from Stuttgart on a regular basis(udgewink.blogspot.com)
He writes nicely and seems to have a lyrical and eccentric take on the
world. In his blogger profile, he lists favorite movies (To Have and Have Not, Apocalypse Now, Stardust Memories), books (The Great Gatsby, Proust, The Alexandria Quartet) and music (Steve Reich, Sam Cooke, Brian Eno and Robert Johnson).Smartmom is fascinated to learn how Udge discovered OTBKB
in the first place. There are apparently tens of thousands of blogs on
Blogspot. Clearly, Udge spends a good deal of time browsing the Blog
Universe. Smartmom has also done a bit too much exploring herself and
has discovered that there’s mostly crap out there. But Udge is
different — he seems to have interesting things to say.Recently, before Udge went on vacation to Venice, he wrote a few words about that city:
I’m
off to Venice (and I don’t mean California), call it my summer holiday.
Seven whole days in the Pearl of the Adriatic (well, OK, two of them
spent mostly on trains) sucking down the Campari Soda and the Dolce
Vita in dizzying doses. Oh, and not to forget the cappucino, and the
restaurants. Ah, and the beach at the Lido. And the Biennale, of
course. Architecture this year, can’t be helped.I love Venice.
I’ve been there almost every year since moving to Europe twenty-seven
years ago. At a dinner party recently, a pretentious Parisian poseur
proclaimed that one cannot "love" Venice, no no, the city is so
terribly touristic and those tourists are such awful people (meaning:
not like us). But he was wearing yellow shoes and no socks, so we may
safely discount his opinion.Smartmom admires that city as well and swiftly sent Udge a response:
I
have always had a rather sentimental feeling for Venice because I was
conceived there. Yes, it’s true, my parents lived there for a few
months many (I won’t say exactly how many) years ago. In 1990 when my
husband and I visited there I just fell in love with the place as I
knew I would. You can tell that poseur with the yellow shoes to stay in
Paris and leave Venice for those who deserve it. And those who began
life there.To which he responded:
Being conceived in Venice has a certain cachet which even Brooklyn cannot top. You clearly chose your parents well.
In a post called "Starry Morning," Udge wrote poetically about the change of seasons in Stuttgart:
Ezra Pound said it best:
Winter is icumen in
Lhude sing Goddam!
Raineth drop, and staineth slop,
And how the wind doth ramm!
Sing: Goddamm!The
most obvious sign of impending winter is the darkness. As I began
blogging, the sun would be shining brightly at this time of day. This
morning, the sky is full of stars: Orion hangs low over the drugstore
on the corner.Talk about lofty — he even quoted Ezra
Pound. Smartmom is quite impressed. Clearly, there’s a qualitative
difference between Udge and many other bloggers on Blogspot. Udge’s
post inspired Smartmom to write her own (more pedestrian) reflection on
the coming of winter in Brooklyn which she sent Udge’s way:The
mornings are dark in Brooklyn these days. Steam hisses up the radiators
to our apartment as we pull our blankets up to our chins feeling cold
and not much like getting out of bed. We walk the kids to school
wrapped in long-forgotten coats, even gloves. None of us are pleased to
admit that winter is close at hand, that life is bringing us something
new. Soon we will get out the bag of winter hats, the scarves. We
wonder if this winter will be as fierce as last — a string of urban
blizzards in January and February.This Sunday or the next we
will set our clocks back. Fall Back, as they say. And we must accept
the changing of the seasons, the passing of time, the fact that even we
are aging. Saw the leaves yesterday driving upstate to see old friends.
The patterns of red, orange, yellow and green delighted us as we sped
up the New York State Thruway.–written in October 2004