All posts by louise crawford
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
The sky looked smokey black and misty as we left my sister’s
Prospect Park West apartment building on Saturday night. As we turned
the corner
onto First Street we smelled smoke and my husband spotted sparks coming
out of a manhole. There was a distinct rumbling sound mixed with tiny
explosions.We called 911 and within
minutes all the Park Slope companies were in attendance.
It seems that the salt that the city spreads on the streets to melt
the snow not only rusts through automobiles and bridges but also seeps
into the manholes and causes electrical shorts. Sometimes the result is
stray voltage that last year electrocuted to death the
woman in the East Village walking her dogs, who coincidently went to the same boarding school in California as my husband. Sometimes the saltwater in the
manhole leads to an electrical fire or an explosion like the one that
destroyed a car and blew out windows on the same Brooklyn block a decade ago.
The
smoke turned black and the rumbling got louder. First Street
residents poured out of their brownstones; some said their lights were flickering. A friend came out onto
the street in a vintage fur coat with a glass of wine wine and a
cigarette and asked us what was going on. "I thought the kid down the
street was drumming. That’s why I came out…"
We explained
what we knew. The crowd looked on nervously as the
firefighters figured out what to do: they seemed to be waiting for Con
Edison to turn the electricity off. I wondered which of
the firefighters had been at the World Trade Center on 9/11. Squad 1
lost eleven men that day, including one of my friends. I imagined that
they looked much the same as they did early on 9/11, as they got
ready to save lives and property, not sure what they were getting
themselves into.
I went home to relieve our babysitter. My husband stayed behind,
interested to see what was going to happen next. After about an hour Con Edison
had not appeared so my husband came home, leaving the firemen watching
the smoke, listening to the rumbling, and waiting.
Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
I am reposting this for the benefit of those who don’t read OTBKB on the weekends:
A fellow-blogger and friend of a friend – and now a new friend – asked to be the first advertiser on Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn. Her ad for her blog, The Barista of Bloomfield Avenue, is on top of the grey panel to the right.
I met the Barista at a Bat Mitzvah in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. My friend introduced us because we were the only blogger/writers at the party and she thought we’d have a lot in common. And we did. We had a quick and informative conversation about the ins and out of blogging and I was inspired right then and there to create a blog for Park Slope and beyond.
A great networker, the Barrista is my kind of gal. She’s full of interesting advice and lots of information. And she’s not afraid to share it. I am really grateful for all her help and inspiration. She suggested that I do my blog on Typepad, which I love. And she told me how to go about getting advertisers.
Well, I’ve been a little on the fence about advertising, though I would love OTBKB to be a source of revenue. I feel that one of the great things about bloggers is that they are not beholden to anybody. That’s what makes them so honest, so real, so off the cuff. Blogging is a much needed antidote to our advertising-infused world.
That said, advertising doesn’t need to be bad. It can be informative and draw people’s attention to things they might not otherwise see. It can be helpful too. Restaurants, real estate, small businesses n the slope that need to get the word out, stores, services, events. Trust me, the ads will be cool. Really cool.
So bring it on. The advertising, that is. My rates are cheap. Cheaper than the local newspapers. Much. And it could make OTBKB an even more vital resource to Park Slope and beyond. If you’re interested, e-mail me.
Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB
P.S. OTBKB is looking for a few good writers to cover the 3 R’s: restaurants, real estate and/or retail in the Slope and Beyond. If that’s your thing, lemme know.
.
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: What’s it gonna do today? Check here for Brooklyn weather.
CITY NEWS: Tolls rise on all MTA bridges and tunnels: tolls on the Triborough, Whitestone, the Throgs Neck and the Queen’s Mid-town and Brooklyn Battery Tunnels have gone up 50 cents from $4.00 to $4.50.
_From WNYC RADIO: "The city has a new weapon in its never-ending battle against rats a
federally funded institute to teach the craft of rodent eradication. Plans
for the Rodent Integrated Pest Control Academy were announced at a
hearing before the City Council’s health committee yesterday.
The
academy will train exterminators from the Health Department and other
city agencies. A three-year, 600-thousand dollar grant from the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will fund the school. Among
the skills to be taught will be the proper placement of rat poison
which one health official says has to be inserted deep inside rat holes
otherwise the rats "will throw the bait back out." Those rats!
_From Sunday’s Daily News: "When confronted with the litmus test for politeness – giving up a
subway seat to a pregnant woman – New York straphangers passed with
flying colors. Each quest ended successfully with an unsolicited offer of a seat,
usually in a matter of seconds – except for the No. 7 line where our
volunteer had to wait three long minutes. The Daily News checked the courtesy of subway riders with the help of a
six-months pregnant mom from the Bronx, who boarded trains on the five
busiest lines during two rush hours last week."
_FDNY allocates $1.4 million to increase diversity in the department.
_Landmark Commission to determine the fate of the interior,
including the lobby and the Palm Court) of the Plaza Hotel. Good luck
Eloise.
_Rockefeller Center to re-open observation deck, which has been closed for 19 years.
BROOKLYN BEAT: A alleged drunk driver flipped over the median on the Belt Parkway and killed another driver at 6 a.m. on Sunday morning. The driver was arrested and charged with DWI.
_Brooklyn Democratic leader faces corruption charges.
_OTBKB Scoop: An
underground electrical fire had residents of First Street between
Eighth Avenue and the Park out on the street at 11 p.m. Saturday night.
It sounded like loud drumming, but it was the smokey underground fire
that was causing lights to flicker in many residences. Squad 1 and
other local fire houses were on the scene within minutes of being
called by OTBKB.
_Two former NYPD cops face extradition on mob activities. They were ordered Friday night back from Las Vegas to Brooklyn. Read all about it at Brooklyn Bomb Shelter
IT’S MONDAY: Barbes presents "The Grapes of Wrath," as part of their Monday night Labor Film Series. 7 p.m. Live music follows. 9th Street at 6th Avenue.
_"The Role Anger Plays in Your Life as a Parent" is today’s Parents Talk at Families First. 250 Baltic Street. $15.
Pre-registration necessary. (718)237-1862. Go, god damn it!
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The SECOND GRADE ART SHOW at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and
Garfield Place. The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages
will be up all month.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: "Fifty Years After the
Brooklyn Eagle: How City Papers Cover Brooklyn," a forum at Brooklyn
College. In the Woody Tanger Auditorium, Brooklyn College Library. 1:30
– 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternnon.
At BAM, "Play Without Words" a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne. Starts March 15th through the 29th.
_BROOKLYN FREE SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE on Saturday March 19th From 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the school: 260 16th Street between 4th and 5th Avenues. Writes school director, Alan Berger: “See first hand
the only school in New York City where students self direct their own learning and have an equal say in running the school. brooklynfreeschool@msn.com
_Composer and Park Slope resident, Louis Rosen and vocalist Capathia Jenkins perform their collaboration based on the work of Maya Angelou. This Sunday at Joe’s Pub at 6 p.m. (see Hand-Picked below).
NEW SNEAKERS: On Saturday March 19th: the Brooklyn Half-Marathon starts on the boardwalk at Coney Island at 8 a.m. Run or come cheer your friends and neighbors.
_Jack Rabbit’s beginner and intermediate RUNNING WORKSHOPS are starting up in March. Great coaches, great people, great
motivation: the course will, without
a doubt, improve your running. Think about it. See Brooklyn Fitness on
the side panel.
Slope Sports sponsors a
weekly group run on Saturdays at 8:00 a.m. Meet at the Grand Army
Plaza entrance of Prospect Park. They will be running the
Bridge-to-Bridge Run, which goes over the Brooklyn Bride to Chinatown.
And back to Brooklyn by way of the Manhatttan Bridge. This scenic route
is approximately 9-10 miles
HEAR/SAY:
Jogging is very beneficial. It’s good for your legs and your feet.
It’s also very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed. – Charles
Schulz, Peanuts
FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD: Lunch
Second Street Cafe * 7th Avenue at 2nd Street.
Oshima * Seventh Avenue near Berkeley
New Prospect * Flatbush at 8th Avenue
painting by Wayne Thiebaud
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
Everyone knows that the only way to get to the gym week after week is to schedule an appointment with a personal trainer. It’s pure motivation to know that someone is waiting for you ready to work you out. Who hasn’t paid a huge yearly fee to a gym and gone once or twice during the entire year. The guilt, the waste, the sense that there’s somewhere you should be but you just can’t get yourself over there.
Awful.
The Park Slope Fitness Collective, located at 366 Seventh Avenue at 11th Street, is a perfect antidote to this problem. It’s a gym owned and run by personal trainers. It has two rooms with most of the equipment you’ll find at a gym plus free weights, mats and balls. There’s no membership fee or yearly dues. You simply pay for your training session and that’s that. The sessions are reasonably priced and the trainers are top notch. Most of them used to work at The Slope Health Club on Union Street.
Apparently, trainers at gyms like the Slope are low men and women on the totem pole; they only see a fraction of what the client is paying and they aren’t well treated by management.
For me, it’s refreshing to see a group of trainers with a healthy
entrepreneruial spirit, working for themselves, and running the show
the way it should be run.
My trainer, Elizabeth Pongo is the cat’s meow. She’s a very smart person who knows a great deal about the body. She also happens to be a stand-up comedian. She keeps me moving non-stop for a full hour; I feel like I’m really learning the correct way to do weight training and exercises. Each session ends with something she calls an "assisted stretch," which is a massage merged with a body lengthening the likes of which I’ve never experienced. What’s more, she takes my goals: to get definition in my upper arms, to look good in tank tops, and to lose weight very, very seriously. Plus, she cheers me on when I tell her about my running, my kids, my newest running bra. She’s really great.
I think the Fitness Collective is really on to something. If you want information about the Collective or a free first session with Elizabeth you can e-mail her at pongofitness.yahoo.com
Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
Yesterday, at PS 321’s Winter Carnival, an exercise in sonic overload, I remembered how wonderful it feels to sing.
At a mid-afternoon concert in one of the kindergarten classrooms, a group of musicians including Frank McGarry, PS 321’s beloved music teacher, and Bill Fullbrecht, a talented kindergarten teacher, performed for the parents and children, who sat on child-sized chairs.
A welcome respite from the noisy fun of the fair, two teachers sang and played guitar and banjo, joined by an upright bass player and an all-around musician who played guitar, percussion and a small clarinet – turns out he is a member of the duo, Polygraph Lounge AND he’s in Paul Simon’s band. It was a real hootananny.
I’d always heard about the great Mr. McGarry. Both of my children have come home from school singing civil rights songs, that they’d learned in Mr. McGarry’s music class. But this was actually the first time I’d ever experienced the magic first-hand.
In his gentle way, he and Mr. Bill led parents and children in songs like: "I’ve Been Working on the Railroad," "Fishing Blues," Bob Marley’s "Everything’s Gonna Be Alright," and a glorious version of "Here Comes the Sun." With no annyoying prompting, the assembled crowd sang and clapped along joyfully.
It felt so good to sing with this large group; all kinds of voices joined in make-shift harmony.
I thought of Dan Zanes, who is performing today at the Kane Street Synogogue, and his crusade to encourage families and friends to sing together. "I believe in music as a shared family experience," he told an interviewer. "Not that kids have
their music and adults theirs. I hope to inspire people to go out and
make their own music. It’s easy, it’s fun, and we can all do it
together."
I am so grateful for people like Mr. McGarry, Mr. Bill, and Dan Zanes, who teach our children the simple joy of singing.
Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: What’s it gonna do today? Check here for Brooklyn weather.
CITY NEWS: From today’s Daily News: "When confronted with the litmus test for politeness – giving up a
subway seat to a pregnant woman – New York straphangers passed with
flying colors. Each quest ended successfully with an unsolicited offer of a seat,
usually in a matter of seconds – except for the No. 7 line where our
volunteer had to wait three long minutes. The Daily News checked the courtesy of subway riders with the help of a
six-months pregnant mom from the Bronx, who boarded trains on the five
busiest lines during two rush hours last week."
_FDNY allocates $1.4 million to increase diversity in the department.
_Landmark Commission to determine the fate of the interior,
including the lobby and the Palm Court) of the Plaza Hotel. Good luck
Eloise.
_Rockefeller Center to re-open observation deck, which has been closed for 19 years.
BROOKLYN BEAT: OTBKB Scoop: An underground electrical fire had residents of First Street between Eighth Avenue and the Park out on the street at 11 p.m. Saturday night. It sounded like loud drumming, but it was the smokey underground fire that was causing lights to flicker in many residences. Squad 1 and other local fire houses were on the scene within minutes of being called by yours truly. Residents said that the underground fire had been smoking for most of the weekend.
_Two former NYPD cops face extradition on mob activities. They were ordered Friday night back from Las Vegas to Brooklyn. Read all about it at Brooklyn Bomb Shelter
IT’S SUNDAY: DAN ZANES sings sea shantys, songs collected by Carl Sandburg poems and MORE at the Kane Street Synogogue. Sunday March 13. 3 p.m.Go here for information about Dan Zanes and info about the show.
_Films for all ages at the BAMkids Film Festival. All day.
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The SECOND GRADE ART SHOW at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and
Garfield Place. The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages
will be up all month.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: Fifty Years After the Brooklyn Eagle: How City Papers Cover Brooklyn," a forum at Brooklyn College. In the Woody Tanger Auditorium, Brooklyn College Library. 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternnon.
At BAM, "Play Without Words" a dance-theater piece by Matthew Bourne. March 15 – 29th.
NEW SNEAKERS: Jack Rabbit’s beginner and intermediate RUNNING WORKSHOPS are starting up in March. Great coaches, great people, great
motivation: the course will, without
a doubt, improve your running. Think about it. See Brooklyn Fitness on
the side panel.
Slope Sports sponsors a
weekly group run on Saturdays at 8:00 a.m. Meet at the Grand Army
Plaza entrance of Prospect Park. They will be running the
Bridge-to-Bridge Run, which goes over the Brooklyn Bride to Chinatown.
And back to Brooklyn by way of the Manhatttan Bridge. This scenic route
is approximately 9-10 miles
Registration for the BROOKLYN HALF-MARATHON on March 19th is now open.
HEAR/SAY: "Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.’ George Harrison
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: In case you didn’t notice, it snowed last night. Windy and chilly. AND SUNNY. High temp: 40 degrees. More Brooklyn weather here.
CITY NEWS: FDNY allocates $1.4 million to increase diversity in the department.
_Landmark Commission to determine the fate of the interior, including the lobby and the Palm Court) of the Plaza Hotel. Good luck Eloise.
_Rockefeller Center to re-open observation deck, which has been closed for 19 years.
_Teacher’s Union warns of prolonged contract battle. Read about it in the Daily News.
BROOKLYN BEAT: Two former NYPD cops face extradition on mob activities. They were ordered Friday night back from Las Vegas to Brooklyn. Read all about it at Brooklyn Bomb Shelter
IT’S SATURDAY: PS
321’s WINTER CARNIVAL. Games for the kids and amazing
craft projects. Hair braiding, great food and MORE. The kids’ll love it
and so will you until the noise level hurts. Seventh Avenue between 1st and 2nd Streets.
_MAKING BROOKLYN BLOOM 2005. Saturday March 12th: Brooklyn
GreenBridge’s 24th annual community spring gardneing kick-off day.
Workshops, displays, and notable speakers. Learn Practical tips. Free
and no registration required. But you must arrive by 10 a.m. at the
Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
_BOLLYWOOD MOVIES suitable for kids and adults at the Brooklyn Museum!
_BAMkids Film Festival. Today and tomorrow. See Hand-Picked below.
_South Slope’s Big Nose Full Body wine shop: a PINOT/MERLOT FACE OFF. From France, a
Pinot Noir from Burgundy and a Merlot from Bordeaux. 382 Seventh Avenue. 4 – 6 p.m. Saturday March 12th.
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The SECOND GRADE ART SHOW at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and
Garfield Place. The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages
will be up all month.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: DAN ZANES sings sea shantys, Carl Sandburg poems and more at the Kane Street Synogogue. Sunday March 13. 3 p.m.Go here for information about Dan Zanes and info about the show.
NEW SNEAKERS: Jack Rabbit’s beginner and intermediate RUNNING WORKSHOPS are starting up in March. Great coaches, great people, great
motivation: the course will, without
a doubt, improve your running. Think about it. See Brooklyn Fitness on
the side panel.
Slope Sports sponsors a
weekly group run on Saturdays at 8:00 a.m. Meet at the Grand Army
Plaza entrance of Prospect Park. They will be running the
Bridge-to-Bridge Run, which goes over the Brooklyn Bride to Chinatown.
And back to Brooklyn by way of the Manhatttan Bridge. This scenic route
is approximately 9-10 miles
Registration for the BROOKLYN HALF-MARATHON on March 19th is now open.
HEAR/SAY: "I wanted to be sitting with her in Brooklyn. Dear would be there. She
would pull shut the blackout curtains. I would tell them how the war
would end and no bombs would ever fall on Brooklyn. I would sit beside
her and listen to Frank Sinatra. I would call him "the Voice." Richard McCann. From his story "Shelters" featured in Ploughshares (pshares.org).
HAND-PICKED_Don’t Miss: Kid Flicks
BAMkids FILM FESTIVAL
March 12-13
Brooklyn Academy of Music.
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
CONTENTS_11 Feb 05
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
HAND-PICKED_Don’t Miss
NOTE: LOTS TO DO IN BROOKLYN THIS WEEKEND. See Scoop and Hand-Picked…
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: Passing rain. High 41 degrees
CITY NEWS: Bill Clinton is recuperating from surgery to remove fluid and scar tissue, complications from his quadruple bypass operation six months ago. Read all about it in The Daily News.
_Teacher’s Union warns of prolonged contract battle.Read about it in the Daily News.
BROOKLYN BEAT: Jury convicts two Brooklyn men of funding Palestinean terror group. This and more Brooklyn news at the New York 1 web site.
IT’S FRIDAY: SLEEP AT THE AQUARIUM. Kids 6 – 12, and one parent are invited to spend the night with the
fish at the NY Aquarium (in Coney Island). $145. 7 p.m. until 10 a.m.
Saturday. West Eighth Street and Surf Avenue. (718) 265 – FISH.
CARNIVALE: PS 321’s WINTER CARNIVAL is on Saturday! Games for the kids and amazing craft projects. Hair braiding, great food and MORE. The kids’ll love it and so will you until the noise level hurts. Seventh Avenue between 2nd and 1st Street.
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The SECOND GRADE ART SHOW at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and
Garfield Place. The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages
will be up all month.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: This Saturday afternoon: BOLLYWOOD MOVIES suitable for kids and adults at the Brooklyn Musuem!
_DAN ZANES sings sea shantys, Carl Sandburg poems and more at the Kane Street Synogogue. Sunday March 13. 3 p.m.Go here for information about Dan Zanes and info about the show.
_MAKING BROOKLYN BLOOM 2005. Saturday March 12th: Brooklyn GreenBridge’s 24th annual community spring gardneing kick-off day. Workshops, displays, and notable speakers. Learn Practical tips. Free and no registration required. But you must arrive by 10 a.m. at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
NEW SNEAKERS: Jack Rabbit’s beginner and intermediate RUNNING WORKSHOPS are starting up in March. Great coaches, great people, great
motivation: the course will, without
a doubt, improve your running. Think about it. See Brooklyn Fitness on
the side panel.
Slope Sports sponsors a
weekly group run on Saturdays at 8:00 a.m. Meet at the Grand Army
Plaza entrance of Prospect Park. They will be running the
Bridge-to-Bridge Run, which goes over the Brooklyn Bride to Chinatown.
And back to Brooklyn by way of the Manhatttan Bridge. This scenic route
is approximately 9-10 miles
Registration for the BROOKLYN HALF-MARATHON on March 19th is now open.
TASTINGS: At the South Slope’s Big Nose Full Body wine shop: a PINOT/MERLOT FACE OFF. From France, a
Pinot Noir from Burgundy and a Merlot from Bordeaux. 382 Seventh Avenue. 4 – 6 p.m. Saturday March 12th. "
HEAR/SAY: "I believe in music as a shared family experience. Not that kids have
their music and adults theirs. I hope to inspire people to go out and
make their own music. It’s easy, it’s fun, and we can all do it
together.
HAND-PICKED_Don’t Miss:
THE ORCHID SHOW at the New York Botanical Garden . Bronx River Parkway at Fordham Road. Through March 27th, 2005. Easy to get to by car or Metro North.
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
CONTENTS_10 Feb 05
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
HAND-PICKED_Don’t Miss…
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
The big news around here is that my son’s band is going to have their first gig. And that’s not all. Their first gig is going to be at CBGBs.
You heard me. CBGB’s: the Bowery birthplace of punk rock. Just days ago I penned a love letter to that endangered New York City landmark on this very blog. Who knew my son was going to get his big break there.
Seems that the drummer’s math teacher has an "in" at the club. A bunch of bands from the drummer’s Lower East Side high school will be performing there in April, including Cool and Unusual Punishment, my son’s band.
The band has a lot of work to do to get ready for their first gig. But they are pumped. There’s nothing like a gig to get you practicing. They’ve only been playing as a group for a couple of months
My son swore me to secrecy that I
would not reveal what three songs his group is going to play. "That would ruin the fun, Mom," he said. "That would give everything away."
Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: Chilly. Clouds and sun. High temp is 36 degrees
CITY NEWS: New York City’s 311 Information Hotline celebrates it second anniversary. Since it began in 2003, the hotline has received 18 million calls. The most popular topics include heat and hot water complaints.
_It appears that the knitted poncho that Marthat Stewart wore as she left prison on Friday is all the rage. "There is so much demand for that poncho. Everyone wants to make it," says "Stitch and Bitch" author, Debbie Stoller. The poncho was a going away present from a fellow inmate who knits 12 hours a day. She told Martha: "Wear it in good health." This and more city news is in the Daily News.
BROOKLYN BEAT: Drunk driver hits crowd at school. A man charged with drunk driving after he plowed into a group of people outside PS 10 in Park Slope Tuesday morning, police said. A mother, her son and two other children were injured in the accident, just before 9 a.m. Witnesses say the driver, Jose Gonzalez was trying to pull out of a parking space when he backed into the small group. None of the injuries is considered serious. This and more Brooklyn news at Brooklyn Bomb Shelter.
IT’S THURSDAY: Tonight: "Eat Drink and Be Literary:"
Dinner and a Reading at the BAM Cafe. Author Walter Mosley and moderator
Wendy Wasserstein. $38. includes dinner and wine. 6:30 p.m. 30
Lafayette Avenue (718) 636-4100. It may be sold out. But please check the box office.
CLEAN YOUR CLOSETS FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Comb your closets and
toy bins for the PS 321 Winter Carnival rummage Sale. Children’s
clothing, toys, games — must be in good condition. Collection bins
will be in the main lobby at PS 321 beginning Monday 3/7.
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The second grade art show at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and
Garfield Place. The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages
will be up all month.
THIS SOUNDS COOL: The New York Public Library has opened a digital gallery of images.
Check it out: the NYPL Digital Gallery provides access to over 275,000
images digitized from primary sources and printed rarities in the
collections of The New York Public Library, including illuminated
manuscripts, historical maps,
vintage posters,
rare prints and
photographs,
illustrated books,
printed ephemera, and more.
NEW SNEAKERS: Jack Rabbit’s beginner and intermediate running
workshops are starting up in March. Great coaches, great people, great
motivation: the course will, without
a doubt, improve your running. Think about it. See Brooklyn Fitness on
the side panel.
Slope Sports sponsors a
weekly group run on Saturdays at 8:00 a.m. Meet at the Grand Army
Plaza entrance of Prospect Park. They will be running the
Bridge-to-Bridge Run, which goes over the Brooklyn Bride to Chinatown.
And back to Brooklyn by way of the Manhatttan Bridge. This scenic route
is approximately 9-10 miles
Registration for the Brooklyn Half-marathon on March 19th is now open.
TASTINGS: At the South Slope’s Big Nose Full Body wine shop: a Pinot/Merlot face off Part Deux. From France, a
Pinot Noir from Burgundy and a Merlot from Bordeaux. 382 Seventh Avenue. 4 – 6 p.m. Saturday March 12th.
HEAR/SAY: "Business wasn’t brisk, but it paid the rent and utilities. And
all day long I could do the thing I loved best
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
CONTENTS_9 Feb 05
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise Crawford
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
HAND-PICKED_Don’t Miss…
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise G. Crawford
One of the first things I do every morning is turn on WNYC radio. While making my daughter’s jelly sandwich lunch or pouring my son’s Lucky Charms into a bowl, I listen to yesterday’s body count in Iraq or news of another car bomb attack.
These tragic reports are background to the foreground of my life in Park Slope. While getting my kids out of bed, dressed, and ready for school, the world comes into the kitchen through the radio.
Intermixed with the nagging, the cajoling, the "get your socks on please," I hear about lives cut short by war and unfathomable destruction. These casualities represent real people just like us: people who had hopes and dreams for their children and themselves.
Often, the radio feels like a downer – a dark juxtaposition to my daughter’s quest for the perfect outfit, my son’s search for his eyeglasses.
I know people who won’t listen to the news anymore because "it depresses them." But I believe it’s important to stay connected, despite, or perhaps because of, the sadness it evokes. I don’t want to cocoon myself and be oblivious to the horrors that exist even if I feel helpless in the face of them. It’s a split-screen life — the pleasure of our walk down Third Street to school, my daughter’s hand in mine — and the pain and destruction far away. Elsewhere.
It’s a split-screen life.
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: Icy conditions on the sidewalks and streets. Cold and windy. High termperature 30 degrees. Feels cold out there.
CITY NEWS: US scolds city officials and Coast Guard for Staten Island ferry crash. Read all about it.
BROOKLYN BEAT: "An out-of-control van drove up on a sidewalk, outside a school, hitting five people, including children at 8:30 a.m. this morning outside PS 10 at Prospect and 7th Avenues. The
driver of the van, say witnesses, had just dropped off his son in front
of the school and when pulling away, ran into a parked car, yet
proceeded up toward the corner. The van slammed into five people, four children and one adult, before hitting a fence on the perimeter of the school. The driver, 45-year-old, Jose Gonzalez of Brooklyn, was charged with driving while in toxicated. For more check out Brooklyn Bomb Shelter
_Brooklyn Babysitter charged in murder of toddler. Read all about it.
BLOGS IN THE NEWS: The White House approved
a press pass for a blogger on Monday legitimizing blogging as a form of journalism. Other blogger news: A lawsuit filed in
California by Apple Computer is drawing courts into
the question of whether bloggers should be considered journalists and
whether they have to reveal their sources.
IT’S WEDNESDAY: On the Subject of War." Smack Mellon Studios. 56 Water St between Dock and Main Sts, Dumbo (718-834-8761). Subway: A to High St; F to York St. Wed-Sun 1-6pm. This show is dedicated to the late Susan Sontag, who considered in her writing the dilemma of depicting war in the arts, this show includes work from anonymous WWII photographers and Eve Sussman’s video
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
CONTENTS_8 Feb 05
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford (prints will be available for purchase
soon)
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise Crawford
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
HAND-PICKED_Don’t Miss: Jean-Michel Basquiet at BMA, The Nomadic Museum on Pier 54, New album by Clem Snide, Jenkins and Rosen at Joe’s Pub and The Orchid Show at the NYBG.
Postcard from the Slope_by Louise G. Crawford
Today I am supposed to teach my daughter’s second grade class how to meditate. And I’m terrified. Will they pay attention to me? Or will they just get bored, jump around and ignore me?
Who, you’re probably wondering, came up with this hair-brained idea in the first place. Well, it was my idea, but it grew out of a conversation with my daughter’s teacher. Seems that the kids get a little out of control from time to time and she thought this might help to settle them down. "I could use it too," she said.
I told her that I’m no expert but that I’ve been meditating for two years and I find it extremely helpful – a wonderful way to slow down, breathe, and focus on the present moment. She loved the idea and we quickly scheduled a date.
Last night, I did a quick run through with my daughter. I’m not sure exactly what I’m going to say but boy am I coming prepared: I’ve got Indian music, a visualization tape, and a story to read to them called "The Worry Tree" that should help them calm down. I’m also bringing my meditation pillow and a singing bowl. My daughter is a pretty tough critic but she thinks the kids will like what I have to say.
I have to admit that I’m a little bit nervous. Facing a class of 24 second graders — who wouldn’t be scared? Keep ya posted…
Yours from Brooklyn,
OTBKB
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN WEATHER: Winter weather again. Rain changing to snow in the morning. High 45 degrees and then it gets much colder. And slippery.
CITY NEWS: Last night, 2000 volunteers participated in a midnight count of the city’s street homeless and for the first time the count included Queens, which is considered to have the largest homeless population. The city’s Department of Homeless Services says the project helps them plan better how to assist the homeless in the city.
_A study published in "Public Health" says suburbanites are more likely to report chronic health problems, like high blood
pressure, arthritis, headaches, migraines and breathing problems than
people who lived in the city.
BROOKLYN BEAT: At Brooklyn College, a
protest against lack of diversity in the Fire Department is planned
prior to the graduation ceremony for new cadets also at Brooklyn
College.
_Come on! State Senator
Marty Golden along with some Brooklyn residents called for the removal
of posters advertising Showtime’s new series, "The L Word" on city bus
shelters. The ad features nine of the show’s characters in the nude.
"We have community standards," says Golden. "And I don’t think they are
being met."
_Forest City Ratner just cleared another major hurdle. The New York Times reported last week that "the city and the state have signed an agreement with the developer W
C. Ratner to build a new home for the Nets basketball team and at least
4,500 apartments as part of a $2.5 billion project at the Atlantic
Yards in Brooklyn."
_Have you been wondering what that crazy/cool looking trapezoidal
structure on top of the building right next to the Manhattan Bridge
is? Dubbed the Jetsons building, it is
the work of a 32-year-old architect named Dedy Blaustein; a
rooftop addition to the building that houses the architecture firm
Scarano and Associates. And there’s even cool LED lighting with
thousands of color combinations. It’s Brooklyn’s answer to the Empire State
Building.
BLOGS IN THE NEWS: The White House approved
a press pass for a blogger. Other blogger news: A lawsuit filed in
California by Apple Computer is drawing courts into
the question of whether bloggers should be considered journalists and
whether they have to reveal their sources.
IT’S TUESDAY: Writers Jonathan Lethem and Colson Whitehead take part in "Reading on
the 4th Floor," a reading series with proceeds beneifiting the creation
of a new school library at PS 107. $10. 7:30 p.m. 1301 Eighth Ave.
CLEAN YOUR CLOSETS FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Comb your closets and
toy bins for the PS 321 Winter Carnival rummage Sale. Children’s
clothing, toys, games — must be in good condition. Collection bins
will be in the main lobby at PS 321 beginning Monday 3/7.
WORTH TAKING A LOOK: The second grade art show at Starbucks. Seventh Avenue between 1st and
Garfield Place. The children’s Romare Bearden-esque cityscape collages
will be up all month.
_Check out Brooklyn Bomb Shelter, the Reader’s Digest of real Brooklyn news.
_Check out Daily Heights about life in Prospect Heights
THIS SOUNDS COOL: The Fourth Annual Planet XX: Women in Music
in honor of Women’s History month. BAMcaf
NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford
CONTENTS_7 Feb 05
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NO WORDS_Daily Pix by Hugh Crawford (Pictures will soon be available for purchase).
POSTCARD FROM THE SLOPE_by Louise Crawford
SCOOP DU JOUR_Weather. News. Stuff to Do.
BROOKLYN THINKERS_Sprawl and Our Health by Oswegatchie