June 3rd, 2006 2:00 Tiny Masters of Today with SMOOSH, Care Bears on
Fire @ Southpaw

There will be a benefit for 826NYC http://826nyc.org with SMOOSH, TINY
MASTERS of TODAY, and CARE BEARS on FIRE at Southpaw on June 3rd.

It will be a GREAT show for a GREAT cause. For those of you not
familiar with the organization, here is the info from their website:

826NYC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students
ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to
helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are
structured around our belief that great leaps in learning can happen
with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are
fundamental to future success. With this in mind we provide drop-in
tutoring, field trips, after-school workshops, in-schools tutoring,
help for English language learners, and assistance with student
publications. All of our free programs are challenging and enjoyable,
and ultimately strengthen each student’s power to express ideas
effectively, creatively, confidently, and in his or her individual
voice.

They are also the people behind this: http://www.superherosupplies.com/

A friend was startled awake the other night by the rustling of leaves and other noises in the backyard of her apartment building. She opened her window and was quite surprised to go eyeball to eyeball with a raccoon.

Where, she wonders, are these raccoons coming from? If you know, do tell. 

I get all kinds of strange/interesting emails. Usually from people in other places trying to retrace the history of a relative, looking for an address, information about a person/time/place. This one arrived today. If anyone knows about this person please let me know.

To whom it may concern:

I am in search of an obituary from 2004.  Can you please pass any info to help me?

Lee Ferrara
Brooklyn New York
Fall 2004: she died.
She worked for the St. Savouir High School

Help please!!!!

Terry Price

Dover, Delaware

I just discovered this blog called Conversations with Frank Leon Roberts. He describes it as snapshots in the life of a 24 year old public intellectual, cultural critic and doctoral candidate at NYU. He’s been posting since 2005 and there’s some interesting stuff there.

Frank Leon Roberts is a doctoral student in the department
of performance studies at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and Graduate
School of Arts and Science.

His academic interests include African American and Latin
American performance art, visual culture, black expressive culture, and
the anthropology of the African diaspora. He is also interested in
ethnographic approaches to AIDS activisms and social movements in the
queer black diaspora.

He has published review essays in journals such
as Women and Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory &
contributed the entries on Barbara Smith, Essex Hemphill, and the
history of sexuality in 20th century African American culture in The
Encyclopedia of African American History, 1865-Present (Oxford
University Press, forthcoming). Outside of academia he has written for
numerous publications such as The San Francisco Chronicle and has
received awards and/or worked with People of Color in Crisis, The
Policy Institute of NGLTF, and AIDS Project Los Angeles, among others.

Park Slope United Methodist Church’s terrific annual Book Sale is this
Saturday, June 2nd.  Doors open at 9am.  Please help spread the word
by forwarding this email to friends & acquaintances in Brooklyn and
anyone else who might be interested.

The sale will be at Camp Friendship, a large gymnasium space located
at 339 8th Street, just below 6th Avenue.

As always, we’ll have thousands of new & used books (buy ten, get one
free!) starting at 50 cents, as well as CDs, records, tapes, videos &
DVDs.  And of course the fabulous Childrens Corner.

Free admission.  Hours are 9am to 4pm.

We are still accepting donations (excellent condition only – no
magazines or textbooks!).  Donations can be brought to Park Slope
United Methodist Church (6th Ave at 8th Street) on:

Thurs., May 31     7 pm to 10 pm
Friday, June 1     10am to 10 pm

To arrange a car pickup (Park Slope & environs only), call Rick at
347.538.7604.

Please address any questions to: churchbooksale@earthlink.net.
Subway, bus & car directions are listed on the church website at
www.parklopeumc.org.

Hope to see you at the sale!

It all starts today! With films straight from the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, sneak peeks of new work being developed with Sundance Institute support, and programs that take you inside the creative process, Sundance Institute at BAM presents nine dramatic features, eight documentaries, a screenplay reading, and 27 shorts from some of the most exciting emerging filmmakers in the US and around the world.

WHOA. There’s a lot to see.

The New York Premiere of Garth Jennings’ Son of Rambow, the breakout hit of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, is first up tonight. And then it’s time to PARTY. For all ticket holders, there’s free beer from Brooklyn Brewery. This special screening will be in the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House.

Son of Rambow (2006) 95min
Thu, May 31 at 8pm*
*Film introduced by director Garth Jennings and producer Nick Goldsmith

New York 1 reports that starting this Saturday, New York Water Taxi will run boats on weekends only from Red Hook and the Fulton Ferry Landing in Brooklyn to Governors Island.

New York Water Taxi will offer one free ride on Saturday at 10 a.m. from Red Hook.

Normally, it will cost $5 each way from Red Hook and $10 each way from Fulton Ferry Landing, with discounts for senior citizens and children.

Organizers of Stoopendous, a celebration of the summer solstice in Park Slope (sponsored by the Park Slope Civic Council) want you to make a ruckus on June 23rd.

Can we do it? Can we make a ruckus as big as the Slope? Here are
ideas for the STOOPendous All-Slope-Solstice-Shout-Out, ringing in our
start to the summer season at 8:31 p.m. on June 23.

Do you know any musicians who can help? We want a few minutes of total
noise, followed by an all-Slope rendition of “You Are My Sunshine,”
First Verse Only.

We’re asking people in the coffee houses, bars, and sidewalk cafes to
do their part….

Here are some more ideas for the the All-Slope-Solstice-Shout-Out
Get ready to get loud!

Create comb-and-waxed-paper noise makers. Get a clean comb. Cut the
waxed paper to the width of the comb and twice its depth, so you can
fold it over and cover both sides. Press your lips against the wax
paper and comb, and vocalize.

Make sunny-bright paper plate shakers. Fold a paper plate in half.
Paint the bottom side with two summer or sun motifs (one on each half)
and let them dry. “Fill” the plate with a handful of uncooked dried
beans, and staple the edges.

Construct a rattle. Place three or four uncooked dried beans or
chickpeas into a plastic egg left over from last Easter’s hunt. But,
remember, this is not for the littlest ones–small parts, potential
choking hazard.

Blow across the top of a glass soda bottle. What a satisfying, deep,
round sound.

Get out the pots and pans. Use pans, lids, and spoons to improvise
percussion sections, including cymbals and gongs. Grab your ridged
broiler pan. Strum it with a stick.

Make drums. Use yoghurt containers, oatmeal boxes, and more. Create
lots bigger drums out of empty cat litter barrels.

Raid the family toy box. Gather up little tambourines, toy xylophones,
even glockenspiels.

“Play” wind chimes. Use a long-handled metal spoon.

Improvise rhythm sticks. Two chunky pieces of a wooden building set
make great rhythm sticks.

Gather whistles, horns, and flutes. Find ones you bought at all those
museum gift shops.

Run the noisiest battery-operated toys in your home. Find the roaring
race cars, toy fire trucks, and yapping toy dogs.

Sing! Summer is a-hummin in.

 
Just got this press release from Pastor Meeter at Old First.

On Monday, June 11th, the 30-foot tall, 116-year-old chandelier at historic Old First Reformed Church will be lowered for the first time in ten years for cleaning and renovation, and replacement of 108 bulbs.

The chandelier serves as the centerpiece for the sanctuary of the Old First Reformed Church. Founded in 1654, Old First was Brooklyn’s first church. The fixture, dating from 1891’ has four rings of lights and was designed for both electricity and gas power, though the gas has since been disconnected.

The process of lowering this chandelier takes half an hour and the cleaning and repair calls for more than 20 volunteers. The chandelier is hung from a steel cable in the church attic, which is fixed to a windlass with six reducing gears. Once the chandelier is brought down scaffolding is required to reach the top ring of lights.

Sixty young adult volunteers from Gibbsville Reformed Church in Gibbsville, Wisconsin will be here for the week to work on the chandelier and other projects in the sanctuary and steeple. Under the leadership of Rev. Luke Schouten, the "Transformers" are making their second trip to Brooklyn. Three years ago they put a new roof on the New Brooklyn Reformed Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Not only do they donate their labor, they pay their own travel, room, and board just to work at these Brooklyn churches. They have also done work projects in Appalachia. Professional electricians, carpenters, and builders are part of the group, not to mention college students, farmers, and school teachers.

Old First Reformed Church, located on Seventh Ave and Carroll Street, in Park Slope, will be open to the public all week for viewing the lowering, cleaning, and repair, and the raising again on Thursday or Friday. The pastor. Rev. Dr. Daniel Meeter, is very active in borough affairs.

CONTACT: Sandra Francois or Pastor Meeter, info@oldfirstbrooklyn.org, 718-638-8300

 

 

Program 2
92min

A collection of five shorts films, including High Falls, starring Park Slope faves, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard.
Sun, June 3 at 2:45pm

It’s been ten years of Tuesday nights. Ten years of sitting in a circle at the Dance Studio and reading work. Ten years of making comments about one another’s fiction, memoir, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting, and non-fiction.

The cast of characters has changed a little. Members have moved. Members have moved on and new members have joined.

But the warm, smart, safe spirit of the group persists. And that’s why the group has lasted ten years and is still going strong.

Come to the 10th Anniversary celebration of the group on Monday June 11th at The Old Stone House at 8 p.m. Fifth Avenue at 3rd Street. For info contact: louise_crawford@yahoo.com. More info at Brooklyn Reading Works.

Great stories. Cocktails. Time to Mingle.

Don’t miss a new film by beloved Park Slope author at BAM tonight. It’s called: The Inner Life of Martin Frost.

Details:
Wed, May 30 at 8:45pm*
Directed by Paul Auster
With David Thewlis, Irene Jacob, Michael Imperioli, Sophie Auster

Adapted from Auster’s The Book of Illusions, the story centers on a writer who’s vacationing in a friend’s cabin. But just as he gets a new idea for a book, he discovers a beautiful woman sharing the house with him and her existence is linked to his completion of the story. This lyrical film is a beautiful extension of Auster’s otherworldly prose, creating something akin to Antonioni directing from a script by Edgar Allen Poe. *Q&A with Paul Auster.

The next morning, Smartmom woke up early and called Teen Spirit. He sounded groggy.

"I’ve decided to take the kitty back," she said.

"You can’t," he said.
    "
Why?" she asked.

"Because I love the kitten," he said.

"But you’re not here," she said, telling TS to come home for a family meeting. There would be a vote, and the family would decide what to do.

When Teen Spirit came home, the family sat around the dining room table and discussed Supermeracado-Lulee in a very democratic way. They even voted. It was 3-1: get rid of the kitty.

“Remember ‘Twelve Angry Men?’” Hepcat said. “We can’t decide until everyone agrees.”

Finally, Teen Spirit came around. Disgruntled. Sad. It seemed that he understood that he wasn’t ready to take on a kitty.

With relief and a feeling of victory, Smartmom and the family returned the kitten to the people from Brooklyn Animal Foster Network who were again sitting underneath the scaffolding at John Jay. Within an hour, someone else adopted Supermercado-Lulee.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL. HEPCAT THINKS HE WAS LEFT OUT OF THIS STORY. HE BEGS TO INTERJECT AND HERE, WITH POETIC PROFICIENCY, IS HEPCAT’S RESPONSE:

Where is Hepcat in this tail of feline infelicity ?

He who is hep to cats?
Keeper of hundreds of kitten years of  housecat husbandry knowledge?
Bearer of 10 pound boxes of high tech clumping kitylitter and courier of cat incontinence pads?

The Henry Fonda of a Third of a Dozen Annoyed Third Street Denizens?
So beloved by houscats in his youth that they would bear their young in his bed?

Oh the categoric injustice!

Everyone was tired after a weekend of BBQs. On Monday, it seemed that there might not be a Third Street Cafe BBQ at all. But the kids were clamoring for it.

Chants of s’mores, s’mores, s’mores could be heard up and down Third Street. Truth is, the children could care less about the food — it’s all about the fire and the s’mores.

In the late afternoon, the adults of the building began to stir from their afternoon naps — their futile attempts at relaxation. Smartmom shopped for burgers, franks, ice. Phyzz bought middle-eastern pastries, Mrs. Kravitz bought chicken, sausages, franks.

The Weber was prepped at 5 p.m. There was momentum. Even a plumbing mishap in the basement, which necessitated attention from Mr. Kravitz and Hepcat couldn’t stop the momentum.

Using a plastic jasmine rice container as a shaker, Mrs. Cleavage prepared Cosmos with vodka, Triple Sec, lime juice, a dash of cranberry juice that were strong, mind altering, just the thing…

Burgers, chicken, sausage, franks, even lamb. It was a classic BBQ at the Cafe with a make-shift table of boards balanced on the recycling cans. Covered by a tablecloth, it made a perfect surface for all the salads, condiments, hummas, dips, chips, and fruit.

Nothing fancy. Function and fun. That’s the motto at the Third Street Cafe. And s’mores.

What is it about s’mores? The children never tire of them. The activity of it, that is. Standing over the flames with their sticks — so primal, so basic. The chocolate and roasted marshmallow on graham cracker sandwich wrapped in tin foil and heated on the fire.

S’mores. They could have done it all night. But they didn’t. Races and obstacle courses were the next order of business into the warm summer night while the parents put everything away.

Parking spaces filled up. Memorial Day vacationers returned from their sojourns. The block returned to normal in anticipation of Tuesday — this week’s back-to-normal day.

When OSFO and Smartmom got home from Saturday night’s BBQ, Supermercado-Lulee was in her box crying. She’d tipped over her water bowl and her food (mackeral and something gross) was all over the bottom of the box.

Smartmom googled "Kitten" and tried to get some kitty tips.

They decided to use a plastic box which necessitated emptying out dozens of Beanie Baby’s onto the hallway floor. SM covered the bottom of the box with soft towels.

Supermercado-Lulee looked cozy in her new box. When OSFO and SM were in the room, she kept jumping out of the box to play. When they left the room, she settled down and tried to sleep.

They left the room.

Teen Spirit called to say that he was sleeping over at a friend’s house. That irked OSFO no end.
"He gets a kitten and the first night he doesn’t even want to stay home with her." OSFO screamed. "I think we should get rid of her."

This surprised SM. She thought that OSFO, pet lover that she is, would be happy to have the kitten — Teen Spirit or no Teen Spirit. But OSFO could see the writing on the wall. "I’m going to be the one to take care of it and I really want a dog," she cried.

OSFO  promptly went to sleep. Alone with the Supermercado-Lulee, it became abundantly clear to Smartmom that this new addition to her life was not the best idea. She slept fitfully all night. Checking on the kitten, wondering if she needed food or water. In a word: she worried.

Smartmom woke up early and called Teen Spirit, where he was sleeping. He sounded groggy. "We’ve decided to take the kitty back," she said.
"You can’t," he said.
"Why," she said.
"Because I love the kitten," he said.
"But you’re not here," she said.
"Cats can take care of themselves," he said.
"But not kittens," she said.
"But that’s just for the first few months," he said.

And on and on. Finally, SM told TS to come home for a family meeting. There would be a vote. As a family, they would decide on what to do about Supermercado-Lulee.

SM waited until 9 a.m to call the Brooklyn Animal Foster Network to tell them what she was thinking.

"If you’re not in love with the kitten, bring her back!"  the woman wisely said.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Okay, so I’m a mother of one of the band members: I’m allowed to kvell. But I’m also a huge music listener (and pretty discerning one at that) and the band was AWESOME yesterday at the Cake Shop on Ludlow Street.

This rock and roll thing is so hit and miss. So many elements need to come together for a great gig. The band needs to be tight and in the mood. Then there’s the venue, the sound system, the audience, the playlist…

If one element is off it can make or break a gig AND make or break the audience’s response to the band.

Well, the stars were in alignment for Cool and Unusual yesterday. Props to the band for getting it just right. And the recent addition of Scout on vocals and guitar, and xylophone (see NW_DP) is a win win for everyone!!!

Scout brought down the house with a Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs cover, Cheating Hearts, and a Scout-original called “Division Street.” Henry earned cheers from the crowd for “Carolina Kids” an original (“Don’t complicate things, I like things nice and easy now…”), Jack was fabu on numerous songs, including “Odyssey,” which is becoming the band’s signature song. And Ian’s drumming keeps getting more and more incredible. During “Wake Up”, the Arcade Fire cover, the band invited friends on stage to join them on this rousing coming-of-age anthem.

Somethin’ filled up
my heart with nothin’,
someone told me not to cry.

But now that I’m older,
my heart’s colder,
and I can see that it’s a lie.

Children wake up,
hold your mistake up,
before they turn the summer into dust.

If the children don’t grow up,
our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up.
We’re just a million little god’s causin rain storms turnin’ every good thing to rust.

I guess we’ll just have to adjust.

With my lighnin’ bolts a glowin’
I can see where I am goin’ to be
when the reaper he reaches and touches my hand.

With my lighnin’ bolts a glowin’
I can see where I am goin’
With my lighnin’ bolts a glowin’
I can see where I am go-goin’

You better look out below!

-ARCADE FIRE

An OTBKB reader was wondering how Hugh gets his pictures of people without their noticing–or, if they do notice, do they ever get upset? Here is Hepcat’s response:

Hepcat’s Guide to Taking Photos of Strangers If You Tend to be Somewhat
Shy and Non-confrontational:

Be “invisible”

Look like an idiot. Or a tourist. Seem harmless rather than sneaky and
threatening. Places with lots of tourists
(or idiots) are good places to photograph. Likewise where there are
lots of other photographers

Look like you are taking a photo of something in the distance. Be part
of a group of people. Take along a child or a girlfriend / boyfriend /
spouse so you seem to be taking a photo of them, not random passers-
by.

Compose a photograph with interesting composition and lighting , then
wait for someone to walk into the spot where there should be a person.
This is how the Grand Central photographs were made.

Look like you are waiting for someone, looking at your watch, being
impatient. When you eat at restaurants and sidewalk cafes always chose
the seat with the best view of something that is likely to make an
interesting photograph. This will annoy your friends but eventually
they get used to it.

Be the conspicuous person futzing around with their camera, pointing
the lens at yourself , the sky, the ground as though you just bought
it or recieved it as a gift. Soon you will be ignored.

Of course you could just ask, but that would be a completely different
kind of photograph.

Gary Giddins, one of the Park Slope 100, was a bartender/hairdresser at The Gate, Third Street’s beer garden and groovy gathering place.

But he’s moved on.

Gary is NOW a bartender/hairdresser at Commonwealth on Fifth Avenue and 12th Street in Park Slope.
“I know it’s not exactly Paul leaving the Beatles,” he wrote in an email. “But maybe someone is interested.”

Commonwealth opens every day at 3 p.m. Stop by to make an appointment for a haircut.

Does Brooklyn really need yet another affordable,
energetic, exciting opera company?

Can Park Slope, with all its high priced real estate,
fancy kids clothing stores, and over educated populace
support home grown, quality opera in a conveniently
located re-cycled former public bath house?

Do parents really want to expose their children to the
wonderous Mozart effect?

Last night, we ran through Cosi fan Tutte with the
singers for the first time, and they are really
wonderful – great voices and delightful actors!

If there is a “crisis in classical music,” then the
Brooklyn Repertory Opera/Hellgate Harmonie production
of Cosi is surely the Anti-Crisis.

Tickets are on sale now, and space is limited. Buy
them now on-line at:
http://www.gowanus.com/MORE?listingid=100119 or click
on Buy Tickets at: www.bropera.org. Or call:
1-866-Gowanus to make your reservation.

Saturdays, June 2 & 9 at 2PM (w/orchestra)
Sundays, June 17 & 24 at 3PM (w/orchestra)
Tuesdays, June 12 & 19 at 7:30PM (piano only)

The Brooklyn Lyceum is located at 227 Fourth Avenue
(President Street) less than one block from the Union
Street Street Subway Station (R Train).

Found this blurb in L Magazine.

Television
June 16, 3 p.m.
with Apples in Stereo and Dragons of Zynth

We’ve been waiting for this one for an entire decade — a decade we spent listening almost exclusively to Television’s Marquee Moon, wondering how all of our favorite bands managed to get away withoung citing them as their primary influence.

On Saturday afternoon, Smartmom was deep in sleep and dreaming sweetly when Teen Spirit called on Hepcat’s cell phone. Something compelled her to answer it.

That was her mistake.

"Mom, come meet me in front of John Jay. There’s an adorable kitten I want," he told her.

Smartmom sighed. She knew that Teen Spirit has been pining for a cat for many years. And..

"Please, mom," he pleaded. "Just come."

As if under a spell (she wasn’t quite awake) Smartmom floated out of the apartment building passing neighbors drinking white wine in their yard. She was on a mission to talk Teen Spirit out of this. But not before OSFO got in on the act.

"Hey mom, where are you going?" OSFO screamed out.

Smartmom explained the situation.  OSFO, a confirmed dog lover, insisted on coming along. No cats in this house, she told Smartmom. "I want a dog," she said firmly.

When they arrived under the scaffolding at John Jay High School, Teen Spirit was staring longingly into the eyes of the five-week-old kitten. The woman in charge, from the Brooklyn Animal Foster Network handed me the contract.

"Mom, do you need a pen?"  Teen Spirit said.

Before she could say ‘this is terrible idea," OSFO wanted the kitten, too and Smartmom was signing on the dotted line. (Oh yes she did call Hepcat, who told her it was a terrible idea. She knew he didn’t mean it. Or did he?)

Teen Spirit walked home with the kitty attached to his shirt while Smartmom shopped for kitty food at Met Food. No cat lady she, Smartmom never ever looked at a can of cat food before. She was amazed by the variety. There was even some kind of souffle. She couldn’t get over the faux gourmet descriptions. It was an area of the store she’d never noticed before (and she had the sinking feeling she might be spending more and more time there from now on).

As Smartmom approached her building on Third Street, Mrs. Kravitz squealed. "I like the new addition to your family."

Big Sky Brooklyn is poetic in his photos and language, too and he presents images and impressions from big sky Brooklyn, where old &
new, concrete & ethereal, desolate & sublime collide/harmonize.

Often there’s even haiku.

Nice piece in the Brooklyn Paper by Nica Lalli about OTBKB pick for the Park Slope 100, Jonathan Blum, the Fifth Avenue artist who’s been on Fifth Avenue since 1999. He does the dog pictures and the forehead paintings you know and love. 

Here’s this week’s Smartmom from the award winning Brooklyn Paper (this time it was an award for their website. Props to Ed and Gersh):

The other morning, while Smartmom sipped her iced coffee on the
steps of the Montauk Club, she noticed a man looking up at one of the
tall London Pines that hang over Eighth Avenue. So she asked him what
he was looking at.

“I think there’s a Nashville Warbler in the tree,” he said. “I can’t see it, but I hear it whistle. It’s very distinctive.”

Smartmom closed her eyes and listened. Then she tried for a minute or so to locate the bird.

“There it is,” the man said. “It’s in the middle there. It’s yellow.”

Still, Smartmom couldn’t find it. She asked the man if the Nashville Warbler is a rare find, and he said it was.

She
kept looking. But mostly, she was looking at the birdwatcher and having
her own flashback. Smartmom’s father is an avid birdwatcher and he used
to take her on walks in the Ramble in Central Park. She was never able
to see the birds. Her father tried to teach her to use his binoculars.

“Find the bird, then press the binoculars to your eyes. It’s simple,” he’d say.

But
it wasn’t, and she was never any good at it. Not being able to find
birds, Smartmom found herself frustrated and bored on these Central
Park expeditions especially when her father got into long conversations
with the other birdwatchers about their recent sightings.

At the
time, Smartmom couldn’t wait to get home. But now she wished she’d paid
more attention or that her father had been a more patient teacher.

Smartmom
wonders whether any of what she tries to pass on to the Oh So Feisty
One and Teen Spirit will be remembered. There’s so much she wants to
share. Sometimes they show little interest. Other times they’re all
ears.

For instance, OSFO loves to hear about the Stay Up All
Night Club, the club Smartmom and her friend, Best and Oldest, invented
when they were 11. On sleepovers, they’d try to stay up as late as
possible, while playing wild games of Truth or Dare.

The dares
were way more fun than the truth. Smartmom remembers running naked up
and down the stairs of her apartment building because she refused to
tell her friend the name of a boy she had a crush on.

The other
night, OSFO had two friends sleep over. After midnight, she could hear
giggles and girlish trills coming from the bedroom. When Smartmom
knocked on the door to ask them to settle down, OSFO said, “Don’t come
in! We’re playing Truth or Dare.” Smartmom left it at that. A chip off
the old block.

But that’s all
right. She may not seem like she’s listening, but she probably is. And
one day, she’ll remember — just like Smartmom did with that birdwatcher
on Eighth Avenue.

Teen Spirit used to love Smartmom’s little
lectures about Broadway musicals and contemporary poetry. Lately,
however, he’d rather do just about anything than listen to his old mom.

Yet the other day, he asked to look at the blonde wood acoustic guitar Smartmom keeps in a hard case under her bed.

Smartmom
finger-picked her way through high school. A regular Joni Mitchell, the
Upper West Side was her Laurel Canyon as she sang, “I could drink a
case of you…” with that old guitar.

Teen Spirit asked if he could play it. Before she knew it, they were walking up to Music Matters to buy a new set of strings.

Back
home, she showed him some old guitar licks. He listened politely, but
declined to give it a go. “It’s not really my style,” he said, taking
the guitar into his bedroom.

Still, she knew she was passing the
torch. While she still loves to play her old songs every now and again,
it’s Teen Spirit’s turn to harness the power of the instrument she
bought at We Buy Guitars on West 48th Street in 1973.

Standing on
the stoop of the Montauk Club, Smartmom was all eyes. She tried to
remember her father’s advice as she scanned the tree looking for that
little yellow bird.

“Find the bird with your eyes. Follow its song…”

“There
is goes,” the birdwatcher exclaimed. Smartmom scanned the tree. And
then, finally, she saw it. The tiny yellow Nashville Warbler flew from
one branch of the tree to another. What a delight it was to see.

And Smartmom couldn’t wait to tell her father.

City Planning Commission approved a plan by the Fifth Avenue Committee for a supportive housing project, which includes 49 units of affordable, supportive housing
for low-income community residents and formerly homeless individuals at
575 5th Avenue in South Park Slope, Brooklyn. The building will include
on-site social services, 24 hour front desk security and a gardenThe
development now faces a hearing before the City Council’s Land Use
Committee.

New York Metro reports that the new Williamsburg Park is open for all to see — on a weekends-only basis – starting this weekend. WHAT A VIEW. Great pix from Gowanus Lounge of yesterday’s opening day.

WILLIAMSBURG. Hipsters rejoice: The gate will be unlocked this
weekend at the East River State Park, a new 7.5-acre waterfront park
stretching from North 7th to North 9th.

The park was originally slated to open last summer but
officials feared heavy rains made the new sod too vulnerable to foot
traffic and postponed the opening. Rachel Gordon, the New York City
regional director of the state’s Office of Parks, Recreation and
Historic Preservation, confirmed yesterday the $1.7 million park will
indeed be open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. this Saturday through Memorial
Day and weekends hereafter.

“It will just be open weekends because of staffing,” she
explained, advising people to bring their own chairs and pointing out
there’s no permanent bathroom facility yet — just a port-a-potty. “At
this point, we just want to let people enjoy the park. We had to make
sure it was clean, safe, t

CHECK THIS OUT: The Empire Zone, the New York Times’ state and local political blog, does Brooklyn linkage. When I copy it I lose the links and I’m feeling lazy. So go to The Empire Zone and get the links. But this is one for the record books — holiday reading linkage. They’re setting up the transition from The Empire Zone to the City Room, which Times’ blogger, Sewell Chan says will have more comprehenive Blog Roll and, I’m guessing, daily linkage.

The fire on the West Side yesterday means Coach employees can start the holiday weekend early. No more smoking on the roof, though. [Fashionista]

A complaint about blight on Coney Island, in time for the start of summer. [Gowanus Lounge]

A vision for the High Line: a “slow park,” with a lot of steps. [BlogChelsea]

Even though the Bloomberg administration has repeatedly clashed with organizers of Critical Mass, a city-financed calendar reportedly promotes the monthly rides. (There’s one tonight.) [Runnin’ Scared]

A political monthly takes a look at the mayor’s attempts to manage the press. [City Hall]

Video: The Upper East Side street sweeper dance. [StreetFilms]

The Brooklyn House of Ugly? [McBrooklyn]

More details from the panel discussion of the Robert Moses legacy. [Atlantic Yards Report]

A libertarian gives three cheers for Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV’s decision to introduce no bills. [Serf City]

And the Brennan Center calls for a limit on bill introductions. [ReformNY]

Charges of intimidation tactics in the State Senate. [The Daily Politics]

The 92nd Street Y is Gore country. [The Politicker]

Unsolved 2008 Mysteries: Whatever happened to… ? [Urban Elephants]

Albany blogs are banned in China? So’s the Zone, apparently. [Capitol Confidential]

POP QUIZ: Name your Senators (sooo easy), congresswoman, your state senator, your borough pres (that’s easy), your city councilmembers (easy, too), your assemblypeople (hmmm), etc. etc.
This column will be an attempt to get to know what the Brooklyn pols are up to — the one’s that don’t get covered as much as the usuals.
ANSWERS: Senate: Hillary and Chuck; Congress: Yvette Clarke; State Senator: Martin J. Golden; Borough President: Marty; City Council: Bill De Blasio and David Yassky; Assembly: James F. Brennan (44th), Felix Ortiz (51st).
Joan Millman (52nd)

So, what’s happening with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke?

You remember, she beat out Yasky, Chris Owens and others in a very contentious race for the 11th congressional district.

We know that she supports Atlantic Yards, is of Carribbean descent, and that her morther, Dr. Una S.T. Clarke was a member of the City Council, making them the
first mother-daughter succession in the history of the New York City
Council.
      

But there’s probably a lot more to know. Where does she stand on issues that matter to the residents of Park Slope and surrounding nabes? And while I am not ready to answer that here, I can include a list of what she’s done and the committees she is currently working in.

Continue reading KNOW YOUR LOCAL POLS: YVETTE CLARKE →

“Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies,” an exhibition of background paintings, film clips, production stills and archival photographs, will be on view through June 22 in Grand Central Terminal, Vanderbilt Hall; grandcentralterminal.com.

In addition, films with New York City settings will be shown Saturdays at noon and 2 p.m. through June 30 on Turner Classic Movies.