Turns out that Alicia Gorgenson, who played the original Becky on the show, "Roseanne" lives in Brooklyn. Got that bit of info from one of my fave Brooklyn blogs: Callalillie

Well, not only does she live in Brooklyn, Alicia has a blog and it’s good. I found this tribute she did to Shelley Winter:

Shelley Winters is one of the greatest, if not the greatest actress of her time. She passed away last Saturday morning at the age of 83.

Earlier in my life, I was lucky enough to work with Shelley when she played my great-grandmother on "Roseanne."  I vividly remember one particular moment when, while rehearsing on our kitchen set, she picked up a prop tomato, took a big bite out of it, and put it back in its bowl, seemingly unconscious. There was something so spontaneous and savage about that bite.

Since, Shelley has been a major influence in my work and life as an actress. And it is the great fortune of future actresses that her film performances remain.
In college, my best friend and roommate KT, the biggest Shelley-head I’ve ever met, and I would daydream about eras in Shelley’s life. "To be a fly on the wall when Shelley roomed with Marlyn Monroe!" we squealed, and wondered if they too had a piece of toast up in their living room.

While watching the Golden Globes last night and shaking my fist in disdain, I had the realization that somewhere, Shelley was also shaking her fist in disdain, and that perhaps, there were more of us out there…

Still, life will never be the same.

Have you heard the news? Spot, OSFO’s Build a Bear dog and Kate, the Build a Bear bear of her classmate, are getting married. On Friday. In the backyard at PS 321.

But it’s not that simple. Spot was married to Annika, another Build a Bear bear. But Annika kept bossing Spot around. Finally, Spot told OSFO to tell Annika’s owner that he wanted a divorce.

Two days later they signed the divorce papers. It was a bitter divorce. Annika wanted to get back together with Spot, But Spot refused.

Last week, Spot got engaged to Kate, a Build a Bear bear that belongs to another classmate. Kate is a divorcee with a young baby bear named Bob, Jr. Spot will be his stepfather.

The wedding is set for Friday. Spot will wear a spiffy tuxedo that OSFO’s aunt, Diaper Diva, bought at the store. He looks very dapper in it. He even has a white rose on his lapel and a top hat.

Kate will be wearing a blue tea dress. OSFO, on behalf of Spot, bought Kate a bright red Gerber Daisy for the wedding, which is sitting in a glass of water on the dining room table. OSFO created a wedding braclet out of colored wire. Judge Emmie, OSFO’s best, best friend, will be marry the two lovers. "It’s going to be a bear/dog wedding. That’s their religion."

The animals and the girls had a rehearsal on Tuesday in the backyard. At the rehearsal,  Annika, Spot’s ex, kissed Spot and told him that she wants him back. Spot told her, "If you don’t stop we will have to go to court and see Judge Emmie."  Annika will be singing at the wedding, a rock star song, and will be dressed in her rock star outfit.

OSFO’s thinks Spot and Kate are a good match. "They are planning on having three more children in the future. Spot will be a very good stepfather to little Bob, Jr."

Mazel Tov to the bride and groom.

Spring is blooming on Third Street. Wisteria branches with bright yellow flowers are poking out from some of the black iron gates.

The neighbors are coming out from under their winter down jackets. In winter, we walk quickly to our buildings and never stop to say hello. And then spring arrives and everyone is chatty again. I saw my neighbor who rides a red Vespa walking her dog yesterday – all friendly again.

The limestone coop that transformed their front yard from cement and garbage pails to a very upscale, Smith and Hawken beauty, has flowering trees. Thanks to their teak benches, wooden garbage pail garage, stone urn, plantings, and skinny, droopy white-flowered trees (photo of those trees in late spring above), they’ve really added to the quality of sight on Third Street.

The wooden lawn chairs in the yard on the corner always look so human to me. (I tend to anthropomorphize objects). One is a man, the other is a woman. Sometimes they are sitting up talking, or watching passerbys.  Other days, they are down and I say to myself, "Now, they’re sleeping." Yesterday, they were down – sunbathing, I guess – taking in the spring weather.

In the brownstone with the faux brick exterior from the 1970’s, the passionate  gardener who lives there has purple bulbs and other spring-y flowers already. i can’t wait to see what she has in store for us this year.

No flower boxes yet. But the building across the street, where The Deserters (friends who moved to, gasp, Nyack) used to live has a huge stone planter with a pink magnolia that blooms once a year. And now it’s blooming.

Mrs. Deserter and two or three others in that building were very intense window-box gardeners. Intense might be too mild a word. This time of year, I’d usually see Mrs. Deserter tending to her tres chic metal window boxes. I’d call up to her Brooklyn-style and we’d have a quick conversation. The people they sold the apartment to kept the window boxes, but this year they’re GONE. Where did they go? Did they decided to scrap them?

Slowly, spring emerges on Third Street. 

Hey, we know this guy. He showed us some apartments in 1991. Really nice guy. Gald to see this profile in The Real Deal by Alison Gregor.

When residential broker Jerry Minsky made Fort Greene his stomping ground two decades ago, he was well aware that he was confronting a bit of family history.

His parents, Nathan and Rose Minsky, both Holocaust survivors, were moved into the neighborhood’s housing projects in 1948 — and departed a year later.

"They were immigrants, like from ‘Sophie’s Choice,’ and they thought, ‘We’ve got to get out of here,’" said Minsky, an agent in the Fort Greene office of the Corcoran Group. "So, when I bought my house here in 1989, they were like, ‘Interesting choice of community.’"

Though he was born on the Lower East Side and grew up in the Brighton Beach area, Minsky didn’t let his parents’ uncertainty about his choice of neighborhoods derail his career in real estate.

After purchasing a 19th-century townhouse that was a former rectory for $350,000 (now worth almost six times that amount, he claims), Minsky went on to carve out a successful career as a broker and is today regarded as one of the major power players in Brooklyn residential real estate. Last year, Minsky and his assistant, Erin Brennan, moved more than $30 million worth of properties in the Fort Greene neighborhood.

"That means we had to do a lot of volume," Minsky said. "This is not a neighborhood where one deal is $10 million. We had over 100 transactions."

The pace of real estate deals in Fort Greene is not necessarily surprising given the high quality of properties in the historically middle-class African-American neighborhood, called the most preserved in Brooklyn. Statuesque five-story townhouses line many of its blocks; Fort Greene Park is undergoing a rejuvenation; and the neighborhood’s public transportation options could hardly be better.

But two decades ago, when Minsky bought into the neighborhood, Fort Greene, like some other parts of Brooklyn, was plagued with crime and drug problems. Still, Minsky saw an Old World charm to the community.

"I always had a real respect for history and a love of old architecture," he said. "Maybe this neighborhood evoked some fantasy about my European background, since I grew up in Mitchell-Lama apartment dwellings in the 1960s."

During his tenure as a teacher of disabled children in Williamsburg, Minsky attended a party held in 1984 at the Fort Greene apartment of a colleague — and it changed his life. At the same time, he was wooing his future wife, Aida, who is of Puerto Rican descent. The couple soon found an apartment in Fort Greene.

"I fell in love with a neighborhood," Minsky said. "I left teaching, and I became a broker, and that was it. I’ve been a top producer ever since."

This from New York 1 about the situation in Boro Park:

Quiet has returned but tensions remain high following a massive protest in Borough Park Tuesday night where the actions of the police, and the words of a high ranking NYPD official are being called into question.

Hundreds of Borough Park residents rushed the 66th precinct station house chanting "No justice, no peace" to protest what witnesses say was the rough treatment of a 75-year-old Hasidic business-owner by police.

Chief of Department Joseph Esposito now admits he made inappropriate comments during the chaos. He does not however admit to singling out Jews in his words as some city council members say he did.

Brooklyn City Councilor Simcha Felder accused the chief of saying, "get the F Jews out of here. Get the F Jews out of here. That is something that is inexcusable, intolerable," Felder says.

"This is not the Intifadah in Ramallah, in the Middle East, my God," says Assemblyman Dov Hikind. "There is no excuse for the behavior that took place in terms of the police department, where people were clubbed, where people were treated in a way that is inexcusable."

Two garbage fires were set during the melee, which stretched for several blocks and closed numerous streets. Police, however, were able to contain the crowd by 9:30 p.m. and no injuries were reported.

Police sources say the protest was sparked after officers approached 75-year-old Arthur Schick, who was talking on his cell phone while double-parked in front of his family-owned bakery on 16th Avenue at around 6:30 p.m.

When police attempted to handcuff Schick, two other Hasidic men tried to step in. A crowd then formed, and the scene quickly grew unruly.

Protesters threw garbage and hundreds of residents blocked the street around Shick’s Bakery.

Community witnesses say the melee started because police dragged Schick from his car, roughly put him into a police van, and twice slammed the door on his leg.

Witnesses say Schick is a respected businessman who may not have immediately complied with police because he is hard of hearing.

"We saw him being pushed by the police against the car, then they grabbed his hand and put him into an arm-lock and violently manhandled him," said Sariel Widawski. "This is a very busy day in Borough Park – we’re all preparing for the Passover holiday – and everybody was a witness to it. They started screaming at the police to leave the old man alone, but they kept on manhandling him and refused to stop."

One resident says those in the crowd felt like they had to do something.

"I don’t know if this is what should have been done, but the community has to respond in some way,” said area resident Israel Fleischer. “It might be better if we respond with people talking to the Police Department, but you can’t – especially with an old guy, 75 years old, you can’t have that."

Smartmom is now available on-line at the Brooklyn Papers web site. You can also read editor Gersh Kuntzman’s The Brookyn Angle. A great writer, Kuntzman’s got game when it comes to the great Brooklyn story. They’ve even archived both columns, which makes it so easy for those who don’t live in Brooklyn to read them. For those of you who want to be getting the Brooklyn Papers home-delivered — email circulation@brooklynpapers.com — and include your name and address.

Hepcat got a job, Harried Harriet is seeing a new man, Tall and Lanky’s house renovation was dragging on, and the war in Iraq entered its fourth year. Sounds like it was time for a “Mommy Dinner.”

Easier said than done.

“Mommy Dinners” are tricky to arrange, thanks to everyone’s byte-filled Palm Pilots. Organizing such a dinner depends on the tenacity and persistence of at least one member of the mommy dinner group.

For this one, Brainy Lawyer took on the task: “Let’s pick a few dates and see what works for most of us.”

“Wednesday works for me,” Smartmom replied. “I don’t mind missing ‘American Idol.’”

But that wasn’t going to work.

“That whole week is all bad for me,” e-mailed Tall and Lanky. “Because of the renovation, we are still camping out at the in-laws in Manhattan. Is it possible to do the following week?”

Brainy Lawyer proposed a date for the following week.

“Don’t mean to be a problem, but could we possibly meet on the next Wednesday,” wrote Tall and Lanky. “My husband is out and my sitters are not available.”

Groan.

Finally, a date was settled on. Harried Harriet even invited everyone over for drinks before dinner until she realized that she wasn’t even free that night. She sent out this apologetic missive by e-mail:

“You must kick me to the curb, throw me under the bus and meet without me. I had my dates wrong. Today was crazy so I guess I was in no shape to operate heavy machinery or make dinner dates with my dearest, oldest friends…”

Dearest and oldest friends. Smartmom paused and thought about how one phrase could describe her relationship to women she met just seven years ago at the Two Day Twos orientation meeting at Beth Elohim. The parents sat in a circle on small classroom chairs as Perky Pre-School Teacher told them: “Look around you. There is a very good chance that you are going to know one another for a long time,” she said.

At the time, Smartmom rolled her eyes. And even though some of her first impressions of these women were wrong and some were more or less right, Perky was absolutely on the money: these people would become great friends.

Once a “Mommy Dinner” date was set, a restaurant had to be selected. Restaurant reviews were considered. Zagats was consulted. Budgetary concerns were cited. Allergies, diets, likes and dislikes. Finally, after checking Go-Brooklyn.com (the definitive Brooklyn dining site), Little Dishes, the new brick-lined South Slope restaurant that serves “American style meze,” was selected.

Phew.

Smartmom doesn’t remember who originally came up with the idea for the “Mommy Dinners” but over the years they have evolved into a treasured night away from husbands and children. At the first dinner, the talk was mostly about kids, school, and teachers — lots of talk about kids, school, and teachers.

But over time, the moms became more intimate and shared stories about their lives and what was really on their minds. Eventually, they compared childhoods, couple’s counselors and colonoscopies (over pasta. Yum!).

In addition to being gabathons, the “Mommy Dinners” have also been a short history of the restaurant boom in Brooklyn. Pre-Y2K, there was barely anywhere to eat on Fifth Avenue — now it’s stuffed to the gills with restaurants.

Much has changed since that first “Mommy Dinner” in ways big and small. There have been disappointments and divorce, money woes, problems with the kids and the inevitable: trying to figure out what to do when mothering wasn’t enough anymore.

There have also been new careers, new homes, and new babies. September 11th happened the day before pre-school started, and the group shared that experience like it has everything else.

At Little Dishes last week, the first order of business was, of course, the drink order. “Red or white?” asked ABD (All But Dissertation), looking studiously at the wine list.

Next up: a discussion of Harried Harriet, who was not in attendance. “OK, has anyone met her new man?” someone asked. Harried Harriet separated from her husband more than four years ago, and works hard to support herself and her daughter. Now, she has met someone new.

“He’s great,” Smartmom assured the group. “He’s a really, really good guy.”

Then it was Smartmom’s turn, sharing her relief about Hepcat’s new job at the Edgy Startup.

After they placed their orders — lamb shank for ADB, who is also a part-time foodie, and hanger steak very rare for Brainy Lawyer — Tall and Lanky lamented the travails of her recent house renovation. ABD and Smartmom, both of whom suffer from acute house envy, elbowed each other discreetly and smirked.

Then Brainy Lawyer, a compulsive reader of the New York Times, steered the conversation toward the third anniversary of the Iraq War. “Can you believe it?” she said. “This has got to end.”

A discussion of Tall and Lanky’s stress-inducing, hyper-achievers’ book group (no Oprah’s book list for those girls) transitioned into a frank appraisal of the incoming rabbi at Garfield Temple.

Smartmoom jotted some notes on a piece of paper. “You are NOT going to put that in your COLUMN,” commanded ABD.

“Of course not,” Smartmom smiled.

At evening’s end, the four squeezed into an Eastern Car Service car. The women were tired, but reluctant to end the evening.

“We should do this again in about a month,” Brainy Lawyer said. “But I’m not going to plan it this time,” she said with unconcealed resentment.

No one wanted to take on that job. Just yet.

But as sure as PS 321 needs more classroom space, Smartmom and her pals are going to need another “Mommy Dinner” soon.

How bad can one week get? Try me.

Monday: A water main breaks and the earth opens up, an SUV falls in. Teen Spirit misses a day at school because there is no R-Train service.

Tuesday: Vultures

Wednesday: OSFO has a sleepover date (not really a bad thing except…see Friday).

Thursday: Teen Spirit gets mugged: his iPod is stolen.

Friday: OSFO’s best friend has head lice (the one who slept over on Wednesday night). Need I say more?

This weekend, Prospect Park begins its 2006 season with lots of activities — and it sounds like Saturday is going to be a perfect day weather-wise.

Tomorrow is also the day when Park Slope feels like a small town. Opening day of the local little league season means Seventh Avenue is flooded with a huge parade of kids in their baseball finest — and families — on their way to the park to hear the politicians salute baseball in Brooklyn.

OPENING DAY: Prospect Park
begins its season for 2006: Prospect Park Little League Parade at 10
am, beginning at Seventh Avenue and Carroll Street; Spring Wash Day at
Lefferts Historic House, where kids are invited to use washtubs and
washboards, from 1 pm to 4 pm, at Children’s Corner, intersection of
Flatbush and Ocean avenues and Empire Boulevard; Volunteers help spruce
up park, 10 am to 2 pm, meeting near Tennis House in Prospect Park.
(718) 965-8960. Also, Carousel opens, $1.50 per ride, noon to 5 pm, at
Children’s Corner. www.prospectpark.org. Free.

A whole bunch of movies worth seeing in Brooklyn this weekend. Top of the list: Steve Buscemi’s Lonesome Jim at BAM. But they’ve also got "Thank You For Not Smoking" AND "Dave Chappelle’s House Party. At Pavillion, V for Vendetta and Inside Man, which Hepcat and Teen Spirt liked a lot.

Lonesome Jim
Friday    2:15  4:40  6:50  9:00
Saturday    2:15  4:40  6:50  9:00
Sunday    2:15  4:40  6:50  9:00
Monday    4:40  6:50  9:00
Tuesday    4:40  6:50  9:00
Wednesday    4:40  6:50  9:00
Thursday    4:40  6:50  9:00

Thank You for Smoking   (R) 
Friday    2:00  4:30  7:00  9:30
Saturday    2:00  4:30  7:00  9:30
Sunday    2:00  4:30  7:00  9:30
Monday    4:30  7:00  9:30
Tuesday    4:30  7:00  9:30
Wednesday    4:30  7:00  9:30
Thursday    4:30  7:00  9:30

Dave Chappelle’s Block Party  (R) 
Friday    2:30  4:50  7:10  9:40
Saturday    2:30  4:50  7:10  9:40
Sunday    2:30  4:50  7:10  9:40
Monday    4:50  7:10  9:40
Tuesday    4:50  7:10  9:40
Wednesday    4:50  7:10  9:40
Thursday    4:50  7:10  9:40

At the Pavillion:

Jodie Foster in a Spike Lee Joint

Inside Man   (R) 
Saturday    1:00  4:00  7:20  10:05
Sunday    1:00  4:00  7:20  10:05
Monday    1:00  4:00  7:20  10:05
Tuesday    1:00  4:00  7:20  10:05
Wednesday    1:00  4:00  7:20  10:05
Thursday    1:00  4:00  7:20  10:05

Smells like the Stroller Manifesto all over again. Kids and Bars. It seems to arouse a lot of controversy. Over at Daily Heights, they’re having it out about whether kids are taking over Soda Bar, a bar in Prospect Heights.

Why would anyone want to bring your kids to a
bar? wouldn’t the social time be better spent at the park, museum, zoo,
etc. maybe something that is fun for the kid and not just the parents.
bars are dark, kinda dingy with lots of weird strangers who are
drinking. If I were a kid again a bar is the last place I would want to
be. I know you don’t want to give up your social life, but it’s not just about you anymore.

I walked past the site of the old Zuzu’s Petals on Seventh Avenue between Union and Berkeley Place and saw what I think is a new laminated sign (okay it’s been there for six months – I didn’t notice).

There have been signs on that storefront ever since a fire forced Zuzu’s out of their longtime location. Here’s the latest missive from those lovely Zuzu ladies. On top of the note there was a movie still from "It’s a Wonderful Life."

While I was jotting down the words, one of my neighbors, a reader of OTBKB, walked by. We read the note together and she told me about a rose she bought at Zuzu’s that lasted two weeks. TWO WEEKS. I told her about the two dozen roses I got at Key Food that were THORNY and lasted ONE DAY. ONE. Moral of this story: Get your roses at Zuzu’s.

This is the scene from "It’s a Wonderful Life" when George Bailey fixes his daughter’s Zuzu’s damaged fose and tucks the broken petal in her pocket.

Since August 26th 2004, the day of the fire that cost us our home of 33 years, we have focused all our energy on rebuilding and restoring our showp, our business, our lives with the help of so many loving friends.

The morning after the fire, we posted a note here which asked what we learned. There have been many lessons. But these are perhaps the most important:

Life is what happens when you’re making other plans.

The love you take is equal to the love you make.

There is much to be said for the kindness of strangers and the loyalty of old friends.

We count ourselves lucky for being part of the Park Slope community. Because of that, Zuzu’s Petals blooms again. Perhpas better than ever.

From New York 1 about the release of transcripts and recordings of WTC 911 calls on 9/11.

Nearly five years after the World Trade Center attacks, some families have received transcripts and recordings of 911 calls their loved ones made from the doomed towers, a day before the audio recordings are released to the public Friday morning.

Due to the sensitive nature of the tapes and to protect the privacy of the families, only censored versions of the tapes will be released to the public. Only operators and dispatchers will be heard, with the callers’ voices muted out.

The recordings are the result of the three-year-long lawsuit involving a group of nine families who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001.

They argue the tapes are an integral part of piecing together what happened on the day of the attacks.

The New York Times requested the names of the callers be audible on the public tapes in those cases where the dispatcher said the name aloud. A judge ruled in favor of the Times on Wednesday, but the city is appealing that decision.

Yesterday a letter came home in the Oh So Fiesty One’s (OSFO) backpack from PS 321’s principal, Liz Phillips. In it, she informed the parents that the New York City Department of Education has developed a new HIV/AIDS curriculum for grades k-12. The curriculum is designed to raise awareness about ways to stay healthy and to help develop empathy for people who are ill. OSFO is already a little nervous about these health classes the teachers are talking about. "What am I going to learn in health class," she asked me yesterday. Today, she asked me if the boys and girls were going to be separated when they talk about it. I told her that I didn’t know.

At PS 321, there will be age appropriate lessons that help children children learn about staying  safe, making good choices and being healthy. In the upper grades, HIV/AIDS will be talked about more explicitly. Children will learn in science how the immune system works and will have classroom based lessons on how to resist negative peer pressure.

They will be teaching these lessons as part of the health education and science curriculum in late April and early May. They will also be sending home a blue pamphlet for parents from the Department of Education on HIV/AIDS education.

The schools are holding meetings for parents about the new curriculum. There’s one at PS 321 on April 4, at 8:40 a.m. in the Auditorium to discuss the rationale for the curriculum and the kinds of lessons they will be teaching each grade.

According to New York 1, 50,000 people are expected to make their way over
the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday as part of a nationwide rally over
proposed changes to the nation’s immigration policies.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are weighing three proposals, including
one that would make illegal immigrants eligible for work. Another
proposal focuses on border security.

Already there are major differences of opinion as the debate rages
both inside the Senate and beyond. A version of the bill has been
passed by the House.