BUSH’S PRESIDENTIAL PRAYER

Hear me, O Father, in my need,

I am universally cursed;

Fix the election, make McCain succeed

So I’ll no longer be reckoned the worst.

This is old news but I just came across it on one of my favorite local blogs, Brooklynometry. The blogger over there writes that the coffee shop in Windsor Terrace called Lonelyville, which is right across the street from Prospect Park on Prospect Park South West, is for
sale. If anyone knows, please send me the latest status on this spot.

It’s a gem adored by the neighborhood for all of the features
that make is especially especial: the beautiful garden in back, the
coffee, cupcakes, sandwiches, beer, wine, and don’t forget, unsalted
popcorn for the ducks in Prospect Lake. They have adirondack chairs and
a bowl of water for dogs in front. There’s penny candy in antique jars
and a collection of thermoses so commanding it has to be viewed as art.

After
2 years of business it’s up, running, wonderful, and self-sustaining
but the owners need to simplify their lives and hope someone will take
it on. Kitty and Sara have done a fantastic j0b, so much about the
place is smart and tasteful and well designed, it is truly amazing. If
you haven’t visited, go soon, if only to appreciate the thermos
collection. I wonder if that will be included in the sale.

Eugene Patron, the voice of Prospect Park, says that the best ride in Brooklyn just got better. Here’s why: Prospect Park’s 1912 Carousel is free for kids under the age of 12 every Thursday in August, courtesy of Astoria Federal Savings.

“Enjoying the cool breezes and joyous music while riding the Prospect Park Carousel is a perfect family outing,” said Prospect Park Alliance President, Tupper Thomas. “It’s wonderful that Astoria Federal Savings is making it possible for even more people to experience this great treasure of the Park.”

Restored in 1990 by the Prospect Park Alliance, the Carousel has 51 hand carved horses, as well as a giraffe, lion, deer and two dragon-pulled chariots.  The Carousel’s melodic Wurlitzer organ with 141 pipes and 16 bells is dedicated in honor of philanthropists Peter and Isabel Malkin.

The Carousel is open Thursdays through Sundays, from 12 – 6 p.m. (5 p.m. after Labor Day).  Rides cost only $1.50.  Books of 6 tickets are available for $8.  Children under 3-years-old must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.  The Carousel is wheelchair accessible. Join the Prospect Park Alliance at the $100 level and your family (up to 4 people) will receive unlimited rides on the Carousel for a full year.

The Carousel is located in the Park’s Children’s Corner, just inside the Willink entrance to the Park, at Ocean and Flatbush Avenues and Empire Boulevard. The nearest subways are the Q, S, or B Train to Prospect Park station.

The New York Daily News has news of a flasher in Park Slope. I didn’t hear about this until this morning. Then again, I am out of town. So I’m not getting the news from the Avenue. Here’s the Daily News on the story. The incident occurred in early July.

The man exposed himself to a 14-year-old girl after pushing his way into her apartment building two weeks ago.

"I’m
not gonna hurt you; I’ve got something to show you," the pervert said,
flashing the terrified teen in the doorway and chasing her up the
stairs.

"She was halfway up the stairs and he was following
her," the girl’s mother said. "My husband heard what was going on and
he came out, and the guy turned around and fled."

The family, whose name is being withheld by the Daily News because they are fearful of the attacker, moved to Park Slope from South Africa recently to escape the violence that plagues their native Johannesburg.

"It
was a pretty big shock," said the still-shaken ninth-grader about the
5:30 p.m. incident. "Coming from a very crime-ridden country to
somewhere that’s supposedly safe – it wasn’t something I was
expecting."

An NYPD
spokesman confirmed that the incident took place, adding that 78th
Precinct detectives are on the case looking for the flasher, described
as in his early to late teens, wearing black shorts, a gray T-shirt and
a blue hat.

Today the MTA, in the midst of a financial crisis, is expected to announce fare hikes effective in July of 2009.

The amount of the increase has not been announced as yet. But NY 1 reports that the MTA needs to increase revenue by $400 million a year. This could mean an increase of up to 25 cents per fare.

Councilmember Bill de Blasio released the following statement yesterday about this news:

"On the same day that the MTA is discussing possible fare hikes, we’re
also hearing about a 24% increase in subway delays, and about
excessively poor service on multiple lines. I simply cannot support a
fare hike when time and time again the MTA has failed to make good on
its promise of regular, on-time service and stations and platforms that
are in decent condition.

"In December, I released the Subway Riders Bill of Rights; all New
Yorkers deserve on-time service, reliable communications, and stations
that are not in disrepair. The MTA has continually failed to meet these
basic conditions, and a fare hike should not occur until New Yorkers
begin to receive transit service they can count on."

Thanks for this tip from Verse Responder, Leon Freilich:

The Times’ $25 & Under column reviews the Slope’s ‘Snice restaurant
today, a gift to all readers of Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma,
which makes mincemeat of all meats.  Vegan and vegetarian dishes
($7.50  apiece) are prepared at the Fifth Avenue shrine to good
health–and eaten with delight by locals and food pilgrims.

Avoiding
the $5 blended fruit drinks and sticking to the famous New York tap
water available at the right end of the counter, three people can dine
for $22.50.  So the Times column might this one time have been called
$25 & Way Under.

Be advised:  The afternoon sun fills all
the ‘SNice tables blazingly.  A boon to the sun set, a loss to those
who prefer the sunset.  Pollan hasn’t taken on skin cancer yet; that’s
still free of charge.

What a great idea. An online registry of stoop sales all over Brooklyn, the borough of stoop sales. This is an idea that was meant to be. And I am so impressed she got the URL: stoopsales.com

I’ve started a local site called stoopsales.com . It’s a place where
people can list and find stoopsales all over Brooklyn.

The site
features:
– mapping
– Browsing sales by neighborhood
– Advanced searching
– RSS feeds
– Email alerts for neighborhood sales
– Sale "bookmarking"
– and more…
I think that your readers would benefit from hearing about a relevant
Brooklyn based site like this.
Please let me know if you have any interest in learning more.

Brooklyn Beat sent this report about the new Batman flick, The Dark Knight. You can read more and see pictures at his blog, Deep in the Heart of Brooklyn, which he has redesigned. It is now bright yellow. I plan to see the film tonight at the adorable movie theater on the island where I am.

Dark indeed. The Dark Knight explores psychology, abnormal and
otherwise, and resonates with the mysteries of post-9/11 urban life.
Wiretapping. Terror. Chaos. Anarchy. This is not the Batman of Adam
West and the comic book, zap-pow-bang, of the late 20th century. In
this era, filmmaking-as-entertainment has morphed into something
completely new and different, since virtually everyone on the planet
(at least who was within sight of some form of communications media)
has been exposed to the darkness of 9/11 and the other assorted forms
of violence and terror that erupt from dark corners, inhabit our
dreams, and form our nightmares of a future un-perfect. There is a lot
to chew over here. It is a 2-1/2 hour film that never drags.

My
kids saw it at a midnight screening in a crowded theater; we stragglers
caught it at a local, more outlying theater, comparably empty at 6 PM
on a Monday. Great cast, great script, great action. Christian Bale was
fantastic. Aaron Eckert, Maggie Gyllenhall, Gary Oldman: the cast
members are, in major and supporting roles, uniformly stunning. And, of
course there is not much else to be said about Health Ledger. I could
only juggle in my memories the much more understated performance Ledger
gave as the Counterculture figure of the 70s with a crashing marriage
in "I’m Not There" with this over-the-top, shattering, transporting
performance of a character who is as frightening and repellant as he is
irrestistable. You cannot take your eyes off of Ledger while he is on
the screen. This is the movie of the summer with some of the
performances of the year. And the creation of a strange sort of legend
for the late Heath Ledger.

Thanks to Verse Responder Leon Freilich, I heard about the power outages in Brooklyn. He sent me this story from New York 1. But it’s a few hours old.  Now all power’s been
restored, though Con Ed’s still keeping 8% of the voltage to itself.
Skimming off the top, I guess.

With only 2000 homes
affected–not "only" if you’re one of the 2000 of course–brownout may
describe the condition.  Or even Brooklynout.

Some Brooklyn neighborhoods are finally getting some relief from the
heat today, as the power returns after being knocked out from over the
weekend.

Consolidated Edison said this morning that electricity had been
restored to some 2,000 customers in Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Borough
Park, and Park Slope, who were left without power yesterday when
electrical lines broke down.

At 8:30 last night, Con Ed also lifted a request that customers in
those areas stop using all non-essential electrical appliances,
including air conditioning. However, the utility is still urging energy
conservation.

The utility made dry ice available to customers so they could save their refrigerated items.

But some people NY1 spoke with said it was tough dealing with the sweltering temperatures.

"It’s too humid, you know, we need the air conditioner," said one
Brooklyn resident. "We tried to concentrate in only one room, with one
plug only with the A/C. Everything else is turned off."

Teen Spirit went to the Siren Music Festival on Coney Island and I didn’t even get a report. No  t-shirt or poster with that amazing Siren graphic.  Nothing. Nada.

Well, he’s 17 and you understand.

The festival, which took place on Saturday, July 19th is produced by the Village and is a free, all-ages music festival set against the backdrop of the Wonder Wheel and the Cyclone. 

Thankfully JP Kunckens sent me some terrific photos of the festival, which you can see at his above-linked Flickr page. This one is of Andrew Whiteman of Broken Social Scene. My son isn’t into them anymore so he didn’t even stick around to hear them. His favorite band was Islands (pix is their PR pix).

You probably know about the Douglas Street pool and the Red Hook Pool. But there’s way more to Brooklyn public swimming then that.

The Parks Department website has the entire list of public pools in Brooklyn!

Thanks to verse responder Leon Freilich for this tip:

Park Slope’s Elizabeth Royte, author of the books Garbage Land and the new, Bottlemania,  gets more accolades today from New York Times book critic, Michiko
Kakutani.

Calling her new Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It
"fascinating," Kakutani notes that Royte finds New York City’s tap
water less pure than generally thought–an unpleasant surprise.

Still
New York tap handily beats the bottled variety.  Ours meets federal
safety standards while the others need only satisfy state criteria,
which are diluted.

I’m guessing those Red Hook food vendors, famous for the best Latin food specialties in Brooklyn are going to have their best summer yet with all the IKEA crowds pouring into Red Hook, many by ferry boat.

New York 1 reports that all the vendors passed Health Department inspections. Last year the city got aggressive: they stepped up
inspections and made them re-bid for permits.

The vendors are located in the ball field are there every weekend, from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m

Councilmember Bill de Blasio, the Legal Aid Society, and Russian community leaders held a press conference on Friday to introduce a new hotline that provides legal assistance to victims of housing discrimination. The hotline number is 212-577-3639. Here’s an excerpt from his press release.

"As the cost of living continues to skyrocket in New York City, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find an affordable, safe place to live," said Councilmember Bill de Blasio. "Landlords who refuse tenants based on their source of income are breaking the law, and we must do everything possible to combat this blatant discrimination."

Immediately after the legislation passed, Councilmember de Blasio’s office was flooded with calls from tenants who were being told they could not use Section 8 vouchers or other lawful sources of income, like Social Security, to rent apartments. In response, Councilmember de Blasio teamed up with Legal Aid, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and AARSA (American Association of Russian Speaking Attorneys) to form a hotline that people can call if they believe they have been discriminated against. The hotline number is 212-577-3639

The latest from A Walk Around the Blog highlights the blog, Sheepshead Bites. The series is produced for Brooklyn Independent Television by Nerina Penhorn.

Wednesday night’s Town Hall meeting in Brooklyn was the first of many that will address issues raised by mayoral control of the city’s schools — a state law that’s slated to end in 2009.

My friend, who is a Parent Coordinator at a local school, said there were many frustrated parents present, who wanted to express their grievances about the way that Mayor Bloomberg has not addressed issues of concern to parents  of special needs children and others

Inside Schools had this report on their website. Here’s an excerpt.

Most speakers described the erosion of public influence on public education
due to mayoral control: Community Education Councils as weak
substitutes for elected school boards; policy decisions (and PR
disasters) enacted by remote DOE leadership; and the
mayorally-appointed (and thus beholden) Panel for Educational Policy in
lieu of the former Board of Education, whose antagonism to the Mayor —
any mayor — was legion.

Parents brought specific and legitimate
complaints about the high-school admissions process and the exclusion
of special-education parents and students from many policy-level
conversations. Martine Guerrier, head of the Office of Family Engagement, as
present; more than a few charged her office with "Orwellian" practices
and a dismissive, "we’ll get back to you" philosophy. Notably, veteran
school leaders said that parents are reluctant to step into leadership
roles because of fears that their questions will lead to repercussions
for their children.

Apparently the free IKEA ferry that goes from Pier 11 in Lower Manhattan to the great big box store in Red Hook is a very, very popular ride.

It’s amazing that it took a big box store to get some new transportation to MTA-starved Red Hook. There are also big, air conditioned shuttle buses that leave from Fourth Avenue and 9th in Park Slope, Smith and 9th Street in Carroll Gardens and Court Street in Brooklyn Heights.

IKEA is now hand-stamping customers so that they get first dibs on the ferry ride back to the city. The New York Post had this to say:

The ferry service offered by Brooklyn’s new IKEA to and from lower
Manhattan is so red hot that the Swedish home-furniture giant this week
quietly began hand-stamping customers to ensure they get first crack at
the free boat rides.

The move has Red Hook residents fuming, some telling the Post
yesterday they were denied service or forced to miss rides to
Manhattan’s Pier 11 because they didn’t shop in the new superstore,
which opened on the Brooklyn waterfront last month.

To get city approval to open its first Big Apple store, IKEA agreed
to fund the service and even offer it to non-customers to help ease the
burden of extra traffic the store would bring.

But resident Brian Sietz said his daughter was "harassed" and
stopped from getting on the ferry in Red Hook because she was not
stamped and that three of his neighbors "had similar accounts."

IKEA spokesman Joseph Roth said the free service is "still open to
everyone" — provided there is room on board. The general public, he
said, can board if there’s still room after the customers get on.

  He also said "you don’t have to buy anything to be stamped."

Thanks to Neil Feldman of Not Only Brooklyn, his informative and discriminating e-newsletter about free cultural events in Brooklyn and elsewhere. If you want to subscribe email Neil: arbrunr(at)aol(dot)com
directly with the message "Subscribe to NOB" and your first and last name, so it is legal to add you  to his subscription list.

Tonight: 7:30: Celebrate Brooklyn presents a night of Americana roots with Jerry Douglas multiple Grammy winning master of the Dobro resonator guitar and Chicago blues master Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson. FREE, but $3 at the gate keeps it great. Prospect Park Bandshell near 9th St & Prospect Park West

Tonight: 7:30: Seaside Summer Concerts presents Brian Wilson the iconic founder and main songwriter of The Beach Boys who seems, please God, to have recovered from life threatening mental illness and substance abuse. Although he and his his brothers sang of California girls, we should still welcome him warmly to Coney Island beach. ASSER LEVY PARK FREE! Surf Ave & W 5th St Coney Island (Q to Ocean Parkway) 222.0600

July 17, 18, and 19, that’s tonight, Friday, and Saturday night, are the last three performances of Piper Theater’s brilliant Coney Island-themed Midsummer Night’s Dream.

You should really see it. Take the kids even if they don’t know from Shakespeare. They’ll love it.

JJ Byrne Park. Fifth Avenue and Third Street. 8 p.m. Bring a blanket, a chair, a picnic. Refreshments for sale.

I happened upon her music at the Zebulon website and then went over to her MySpace page. She’s got this sultry, low, expressive voice that blew me away immediately. Wow. There’s a song on her page called "An American in Paris" that is just gorgeous!

I’m not sure if she lives in Brooklyn but she does play in Williamsburg. According to her MySpace page, she travels to Paris and San Francisco (she’s got good taste places, that’s for sure).

Here’s a review by Margaret Coble from Curve Magazine:

With phrasing that reminds me of India. Arie, but with a much deeper,
smokier voice that sits somewhere between Nina Simone and Erykah
Badu–particularly on this six-song EP’s pop-friendly, lead-off track,
"I’ve Seen Days"–Krystle Warren totally does it for me. The Kansas
City, Mo.,-bred singer-songwriter uniquely melds jazz and folk in a way
that’s taken New York City by storm: Mark my words, she’s going to be
huge. This debut EP is just a teaser to get us going while Warren and
her band, the Faculty, finish their full-length album, entitled
Circles, to be released later this year. In the meantime, these six
songs (plus a few more on her MySpace page) will have to do. From the
languorous bass lines of the slow-burning, jazzy bump-n-grinder "The
New Astrologer" to the funkier tropicalia interludes of the more
up-tempo "A Song for Holly," the EP showcases Warren’s diverse skills
and instantly memorable vocals. Do yourself a favor and search YouTube
for her videos–she’s a hottie, too.

Tonight in JJ Byrne Park on Fifth Avenue and Third Street in Park Slope. This critically acclaimed film, which is part of BFW’s Democracy in Action series, starts at sundown but there’s usually a fun short beforehand.

The Manchurian Candidate (1962) is a Cold War political thriller film adapted by George Axelrod from the 1959 thriller novel, by Richard Condon.

It was directed by John Frankenheimer and stars Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Angela Lansbury, and Janet Leigh. T

Quick synopsis: The son of a prominent, right-wing political family has been brainwashed as an unwitting assassin for the International Communist Conspiracy. The Manchurian Candidate was nationally released on Wednesday, October 24, 1962, at the zenith of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Thanks to Not Only Brooklyn, the great, great weekly e-newsletter produced by Neil Feldman about free cultural events in Brooklyn and other parts of the city, I know about this event in Brooklyn Bridge Park. You too can get Neil’s fantastic cultural resource, which is a labor of love and a great service to everyone who loves the arts in NYC. In fact, I urge that you subscribe. Here’s Neil’s pitch:

If you know of anybody who might enjoy receiving Not Only Brooklyn, make sure to tell them to email me directly at arbrunr(at)aol(dot)com with the message "Subscribe to NOB" and their first and last name, so it is legal to add them to the subscription list.

6-9 p.m on Wednesday night, Brooklyn Bridge Park: Music At The Bridge Welcomes Zebulon  Rain or shine.

The Park continues its new music series, inviting Brooklyn’s best music clubs to curate an evening in the Tobacco Warehouse tent. Tonight, Zebulon the Williamsburg club owned by two French brothers presents Stuart Bogie reedsman and his Superhuman Happiness project; Charles Gayle at All About Jazz the avant-gardist who spent some twenty years homeless but often playing saxophone and bass clarinet on Lower East Side streets, accompanied tonight by Shanir Blumenkranz bass and Michael Wimberly drums; Colin STETSON master of the amazing bass saxophone and neo-folk singer-songwriter Sharon van Etten. FREE! Dock St & Water St

Here’s a shout out for two new workshops that Jezra Kaye is running. One is on July 29th, the other is on September 13th. Take it from me, these are REALLY useful workshops. I took Presto Presentation and it was an immensely valuable three hours. Unforgettable.

Here’s the blurbage from Jezra Kaye who would love to help you become a great speaker:

Lately, I’ve heard from lots of people who think that, because they feel uncomfortable when they give a presentation, they must be doing it wrong.

The truth is, you should feel uncomfortable; you’re making a SPEECH!

Think about it:

There you stand in front of your peers.  Your boss.  A prospective client.  Your dissertation committee.  Your community group.

Everyone expects you to be brilliant (or, at the very least, superbly well-informed).

Everyone feels free to judge (or, at the very least, comment on) your performance.

And, just to add insult to injury, everyone thinks you should "act natural."

Could there possibly be a more twisted instruction than "act natural"?  I can’t think of one, except perhaps "be yourself"–something that people also think you should be able to do with a spotlight shining in your eyes!

A slew of new burger joints are popping up all over the Slope. OTBKB friend and reader Elliot tells me that The Brooklyn Burger Bar on the corner of Seventh Avenue and Ninth Street now has a new name and owner.

What is the name, Elliot?

The old place was owned by Greg, of Greg’s Express.

Then there’s Corner Burger which has taken over the space formerly occupied by Mediterra on Fifth Avenue and 6th Street.

Finally, who can forget Five Guys, the burger chain going into part of the vacated D’Agostino space on Seventh Avenue between 6th and 7th Streets.

In 2003, four Brooklyn personal trainers decided to leave their gyms behind and create a new kind of health club focused on one-on-one personal training and specialized exercise classes set in a
non-competitive environment.

Their brainchild, Fitness Collective, consists of a team of professional personal trainers, coaches, and nutritionists dedicated to motivating and inspiring their community to live stronger, healthier lives.

The Fitness Collective is opening its third location at 42 Fifth Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Residents of Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, Fort Greene, and Boerum Hill are invited to take part in a grand opening celebration on August 2nd with fun activities and healthy snacks and beverages for the entire family.

Everyone is welcome to participate in any of the Fitclub exercise classes that day and also schedule a free, trial personal training session for the opening week!

They will be offering childcare services on-site from 12pm–4pm, and the service is free for the first 20 guests.

An informative note from Tom Grey, District Director for City Council Member Bill de Blasio.

This is to inform you that MTA NYC Transit will be closing the Carroll
Street F station’s plaza entrance at 2nd Place and Smith Street on
Monday, July 28, 2008 due to the construction development which is
currently being performed by Oliver Developments at 360 Smith Street
(a.k.a. 131 2nd Place).  Because the safety of our customers is of
utmost concern, this closure will be in effect on a 24-hour, 7 days per
week basis for 6-8 months (subject to the progress of the construction
project).

Please note this is only an entrance closure, and the station will be
open for business at all times.  Customers will be asked to use the two
other station entrances at 2nd Street and President Street.  We have
installed two additional high-wheel entrances/exits for customer usage
at 2nd Street, and a station agent will be on duty at all times at the
2nd Street entrance.  We will be posting signs at the station in short
time which will notify our customers about the entrance closure and
alternate entrances.

NYC Transit will have an engineer on site at all times during this
construction project in order to ensure the structural integrity of the
station and the safety of our customers.  We will be happy to provide
you with periodic updates on the station-entrance reopening schedule as
more information becomes available.  In the meantime, you can always
contact me via e-mail or by calling me if you have any questions or
concerns regarding his project.

Sincerely,
Tom Gray
District Director
City Council Member Bill de Blasio
(718) 854-9791
(718) 854-1146 Fax

Outside.in, the brainchild of Park Slope’s Steven Berlin Johnson, author of Emergence and Interface Culture, and a generous sponsor of the Brooklyn Blogfest is launching Geo Toolkit, a major geo-analytics tool for local content publishers and bloggers. In this email from Outside.in, Josh Mack outlines what the Geo Toolkit offer place bloggers:

We’re launching with two key pieces:

* My Feed: We show you
your feed and posts and how our systems have geotagged them — we’ll
show you regions and places that we’ve found in your posts.  You can
add/edit etc…  In due course we’ll let you grab this new geo-enabled
rss feed for future syndication

* My Stats: We show you all the local metadata from your site:
what places and regions your write about most and how that compares to
other publishers in your area; how you rank in each market; which posts
get the most links from your others and to whom you are linking the
most.

We will be following up soon with some more features, like
embedable widgets that showcase this metadata in meaningful ways for
users (think "top places" and "nearby places").

But for now, we’re really excited about what we see as the first and only analytics tool focused on local publishers.

As anyone who’s ever worked at a computer start up knows, this launch follows several months of very hard work. But now they’re breaking out the bubbly to announce what they call the first and only set of tools designed specifically for local content creators.

Since the beginning, Outside.in has focused on celebrating and promoting placebloggers and
others who write about neighborhood faces and places.

They hope that by using GeoToolkit, bloggers and other Internet content publishers will become even better at what they do. Apparently, they’ve  got lots more goodies on the way, so stay tuned.

GeoToolkit
helps both publishers who write full and part-time time (the occasional
story about a diner, a local policy meeting, new construction,
playground moment, or great new local store) get better distribution on
our site and our partners’ sites, as well as amazing stats to get more
connected to their neighborhoods. Still to come: gnarly widgets and the
option to start making some money.

Okay. Show me the money, guys.

http://outside.in/toolkit

The Columbia Summer Winds will be playing at Old First Church on 7th Avenue and Carroll Street in
Park
Slope, Brooklyn at 8pm on Wednesday evening, July 16.  That’s tonight folks.

The Columbia Summer Winds was formed in 2002 as an offshoot of the Columbia
University Wind Ensemble.  Based in New York City, we have among us one of
the finest collections of talented amateur musicians in the world, from which we
draw our membership.  We thus strive to play the finest literature
available, from orchestra transcriptions to classic Sousa marches; from Broadway
showtunes to the most current movie soundtracks.  Since its inception, CSW
has been committed to playing free concerts of the best wind music in the parks
of Manhattan.  We have given concerts in such diverse outdoor venues as
Riverside Park, East River Park, Washington Square Park, Battery Park, South
Street Seaport, Morningside Park, and Columbia’s own Low Plaza.

This is a rare indoor performance for this group. The performance is free and open to the public.

The whole thing was much ado about nothing.

The prep wasn’t that bad: I had to fast the day before the procedure and swallow 32 laxatives and loads of water. Think colonics, purging, Buddhist letting go, emptying out.

The procedure itself is no big deal because I was tranquillized. The doctor said, "You’re going to feel very sleepy…"

The next thing I know, I’m waking up in a recovery room and the procedure is over. It only took about a half hour.

I am happy to report that the doctor found no polyps or any worrisome signs of colon cancer. Phew. I urge anyone who needs to have one to Just Do It (we’re a Nike commercial now).

I did feel a little woozy afterward and very hungry. Within an hour I was pretty much back to normal.