My friend Brenda Becker of Crazy Stable and Prospect: A Year in the Park had this to say about this morning’s thunderstorm. “Awoke to pitch-dark apocalypse. Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening! Better now, but a bizarre start to the week!”

I agree that it was a  bizarre start to the week! Monday is supposed to be the kick-ass day and hearing that rain and thunder made me want to just stay in bed for as long as possible. Luckily, it stopped just when I needed to jump out of the house…

On Wednesday, June 27 at 7PM at Park Slope’s Community Bookstore, Rich Cohen, the bestselling author of books like Tough Jews, Sweet and Low, and Lake Effect will talk about his latest, The Fish that Ate the Whale.

Cohen’s new non-fiction book is about Samuel Zemurray, a little know antihero, the son of a Jewish Russian farmer. He started with nothing but a pile of rotten bananas, overthrew two governments in Central America, created the basic CIA template, bested and took over United Fruit, and went to war with Huey Long.

Cohen will talk about the book and his body of work with Jason Diamond who has a blog called Vol 1 Brooklyn This event is brought to you by Vol. 1 and the Jewish Book Council.

It’s such a simple and delightful concept. And what a perfect day for such a thing.

Today, Saturday, June 23rd from 10 AM to 2 PM at Pier 1 of Brooklyn Bridge Park. Sponsored by Little Things and Park Slope Parents, Blue Marble Ice Cream will be there, too.

Today, for all intents and purposes, is the last day of public elementary and middle school, even though the calendar lists Wednesday, June  27th as the date.

Because there were no snow days this  year, two staff development days were added to the calendar and those fall on Monday, June 25th and Tuesday, 26th, 2012. Those days are being called Non-attendance days for students and professional development days for staff.

Wednesday June 27, 2012 is the official last day school but because it is a half-day a lot of parents may not send their kids. The schools will, of course, be OPEN to accommodate the students, who do come in.

Because of this irregular ending to school, report cards are being distributed today at PS 321 and probably other local schools.

High schools have just completed two weeks of Regent exams. My daughter will be picking up her report card at Murrow on Wednesday, June 27th.

Rents are going up due to market forces and last night New York City’s Rent Guidelines Board voted to increase rents for those with rent stablization.

There are nearly 1 million rent stabilized apartments, including mine.

According to WNYC: “The board, by a vote of 5-4, approved raises of 2 percent or $20 for one-year leases and a 4 percent or $40 for two-year leases. Individual raises in rent depend on whichever number is greater>”

This will impact renters signing or renewing leases in October 2012.

Illustration from http://thechadlaneteam.wordpress.com/

Mine wasn’t and I called Time Warner Cable and got a message that service was out in my area.  Did anyone else have this problem? It seems to be working now. Well, obviously. Otherwise I wouldn’t be blogging. Duh.

The Clay Pot, Park Slope’s fine jewelry and artisan home goods store, won first place at the 9th annual Designer Retailer Awards on Sunday June 3rd during JCK Las Vegas Jewelry Week.

This award is a big deal in the retail jewelry biz. And The Clay Pot is a big deal around here. Founded by the Silberberg family forty years ago, the shop originally sold ceramics. In fact, at one time there was a potter’s wheel in the shop.

They’ve come a long way, baby

Now the shop is nationally recognized as a resource for fine jewelry by America’s top jewelry designers. Their selection of wedding and engagement rings is considered one of the best, if not the best, in the city. They now represent over 75 jewelry artists working in a range of materials and styles.

“We were absolutely thrilled to be presented with the award for the best designer retailer. We have always championed the work of innovative, up and coming designers and it is an honor to work with their exquisite products,” said Tara Silberburg from The Clay Pot. “We are so pleased that they have recognized us for our efforts.”

49 other shops were also singled out for excellent. The criteria for which these awards were given: “educating the consumer on the quality and value of designer jewelry; displaying and merchandising designer products for maximum salability and finally, their commitment to fair business practices.”

We can certainly vouch for the  Clay Pot’s excellence all around.

Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez is facing her first serious primary challenge in twenty years. Surely this has to do with the  fact that her district was recently redrawn and it now reaches into Northern Brooklyn.

On Friday night, you can Nydia fight it out with Erik Martin Dilan, Dan O’Connor (and George Martinez?) on a NY 1 debate which will be broadcast at 7 PM and 10 PM.

Lots of changes over at ye olde Community Bookstore, Park Slope’s center of many things literary and/or bookish. They got a new wood floor, but that’s old news.

They’ve also got some cool newish staff, including Dan Wilbur, this guy who has a hilarious blog called Better Book Titles, and a book by that coming out from Penguin in September. He was at Book Expo a few weeks back and you can see video of him at his site.

They also have a beautiful new logo (hand drawn by A. C. Harkness) and a new bookmark. Soon there will be a new t-shirt and tote bag.

Now they’re getting a new awning. I’m not saying it’s, like, up yet. But the old one is off. Here’s what the CB newsletter writer (Ezra?) had to say about all this newness.

“We’re very excited about our new logo (see above) and not only because we think we recognize the fauna hidden among the flora exquisitely hand-drawn by our own A. C. Harkness. We can finally launch many of the projects that had been on hold pending completion of the final design. We have new bookmarks and tote bags, and will soon get an awning that neither leaks nor advertises a cafe that closed before many of our younger customers were born.”

I just found this cool thing on the Internet (nyc.gov to be exact. See below for link).

This Poll Site Locator has been designed to provide a registered voter with the location of his or her Poll Site, which is based on the address entered. When there is an Election Event in the Election District for the address entered, sample ballots are available. Please note that these are “sample” ballots; the ballots used on Election Day may be different as a result of court order(s).

This could be helpful. Interesting at least. Give it a go. Next Tuesday is the primary.

Get your primary on.

The June 26 primary is next Tuesday: do you know where your polling place is? Good time to find out. If you are a first time voter you should find out what you need to know. If you’re longtime voter: you need to know what’s on the ballot so you don’t feel like a total nincompoop when you go to your polling place.

Here’s a complete list of candidates and info from the League of Women Voters.

Perhaps the most important race is the race for Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez’s seat. Her seat is being contested for the first time in two decades. Dan O’Connor, George Martinez, and City Council member Erik Martin Dilan are fighting it out while Velazquez gets a lot of big endorsements.

That said: this is not a shabby group of contenders. You can learn more about these congressional candidates here:

Dan O’Connor

Erik Martin Dilan

George Martinez

There could be brownouts today. According to WNYC radio, the temperatures could reach 100. I got an 8AM robo call from Con Edison informing me that they are doing repairs in Park Slope but that if we experience a dimming of electricity or brownouts to call: 1-800-752-6633.

According to McBrooklyn, they have reduced the power by 5%, which may cause brownouts to many Brooklyn neighborhoods. “More than a thousand customers were without power at 10PM Wednesday night, but that number is fluctuating.”

Park Slope is definitely one of the voltage reduction neighborhoods. They are suggesting that we reduce our usage and not use dishwashers, washing machines, dryers and even air conditioners unless absolutely necessary.

Ordinary Miracles: The Photo League’s New York is a feature-length documentary film which tells the story of the rise and politically motivated fall of the Photo League, (1936–1951) which for fifteen years served as the center of the documentary movement in American photography.

I saw an excerpt of this film at the recent Photo League exhibition at the Jewish Museum and it was very interesting. Mary Engel, who lives in Park Slope, was a contributing producer on the film. She is the daughter of Ruth Orkin and Morris Engel, renowned photographers and filmmakers.

The film will be at the Quad Cinema in Greenwich Village from June 22-28.

I was telling my new neighbor that we used to put a green Little Tikes plastic turtle pool in our front yard on Third Street on hot days when the kids were little. The kids would stay in the pool all day, the moms would dip their toes continuously. Lemonade, water, white wine was readily available.

Voila: a perfect solution to a hot day in Park Slope.

She reminded me that at the new Washington Park Playground, there’s lots of water action. No need anymore for green turtle pool.

Read Third Street Suburbia about those good old days in the front yard.