Alav Hashalom

My Zaddie (Grandfather) passed away at two this morning. He lived his life with unparalleled kindness, loyalty, and love.

Tonight, I'm flying to Duluth to celebrate his life with my family.

(July 18, 1922 - September 15, 2008)

עליו השלום

tapping in

Post-tap dancing, Veronica considers collapsing.


Our teacher, Claudia is tucked away in this picture. The class was fun and challenging. I found myself drifting off and forgetting the steps; tap is a good lesson in concentration. I can't wait for our next class!

*Listening to the lovely angst of Bonnie "Prince" Billy sing Beast For Thee.

The Games We (I) Play

I'm testing out a new blog banner. No commitments, just considerations. As always, feedback is welcomed. I may keep the title, "My Basement Years" because it's a pain to change all the places where I've posted the link.

Last night, Jonathan and I finally checked out Astoria's only gay bar, the Crescent Lounge, which feels Midwestern with its friendly service and lack of pretension.

I was cremated in Othello, which is one of the games I classify as a horrible, attack game. I'm not good at these kinds of games because with every move my opponent makes, I feel as though I am being personally attacked. Plus, I can't see the forest for the trees or whatever the expression is where I have trouble seeing the bigger picture.

Some attack games are:
Othello, Chess, Checkers, and Connect Four

There are also unfriendly games where I feel left in the dark while playing. Two examples of this are:
Master Mind and Battleship

My favorite category are word games. Generally this category holds the most potential for me to win. Games in this group include:
Scrabble, Upwords, Boggle, the Five-Letter Word Game, and Taboo.


Week Updates:
-Reading the difficult, but gloriously perverse Gemini by Michel Tournier.
-Tomorrow, Veronica and I will attend our first tap dancing class. Self-actualization!
-I need suggestions for my bookslut column. If you have a favorite, independent bookstore, which has a fabulous story, let me know, and I'll look into interviewing the owner.

Still more distraction...

(I tested out my macro function on something non-food related: the view from my window.)

My new bookslut article is online!

Or see it from the homepage here.

a distraction

While I continue to make changes to my blog, please enjoy pictures of my bike ride around Roosevelt Island.

According to Wikipedia, the following people were prisoners on Blackwell's and Welfare Island (former names of Roosevelt Island):

* Emma Goldman — several times, for activities in support of anarchism and birth control and against the World War I draft.
* Madame Restell — for performing abortions
* Mae West — served eight days on public obscenity charges for her play Sex
* Billie Holiday — served on prostitution charges.


More time online: I've found a fabulous blog, which chronicles a biker's life in Astoria and beyond.

Under Construction

My banner, blog name, and layout are under construction. Stay tuned.

my favorite time of day

...is when the sun is setting over Manhattan. Sometimes I remember to look out my apartment windows (these shots are taken from my bathtub) or to run up to my roof to watch the colors change before darkness sets in.

The good people of the Genographic Project sent out a mass email, asking for more details from all of us that took part in the Astoria study. I referred the coordinator to my blog and he wrote:

"Just read your blog entry about the street fair. Very observant, especially about Spencer and his sunburn."

Suddenly I feel famous.

Something is brewing; the air is different. Or maybe it's just that everything seems on the brink. I'll say more when I know more, or maybe you have hints about this?

It's been almost a year since I've lived and/or worked in a basement and my blog still has its old name. Should I just give up and keep it the way it is?

Listening: to all 23 songs in my itunes with the word "lost" in the title.

Reading: Veronica recommended Gemini by Michael Tournier, which should come in the mail in the next couple of days.

Watching: the Republicans. This is way better than television.

Trying: to apply myself.

Tomorrow: if all goes according to plan I'm headed back to Aikido after my month-long sabbatical.

a nervous condition

Sometimes I think about all the restaurants I will never go to in New York and I feel overwhelmed and distraught. Is that normal? And then when I do go to a restaurant, there's so much pressure to order the right thing because I don't want anything but the best.

I tried to coin the term, Urban Panic to describe the feeling of having too many choices in an urban setting, but Urban Panic already has connotations that I'm not trying to conjure up.

Another example of this is when I go to a bodega and I worry that I'm being robbed by paying too much for something that I could get a couple blocks down for less money. Sometimes, this makes shopping for basic groceries all too stressful and I end up storming out of stores without purchasing toilet paper, a box of cereal, or a carton of (soy) milk.

Anyway, this is a nervous condition and I'm still working on coming up with the right name for it. (Let the record show that I know I am incredibly spoiled as this is one of my main problems in life.)

Veronica and I had a lovely brunch at Cafe Lalo, though I am disappointed that I went with the chef's recommendation, which was not anything special. But the ambiance, Veronica's food, and the delicious Chocolate Espresso Mousse Cake that we ended up with made me want to go back, even if it means opting out of going to another place where I haven't eaten.

"And that's why you don't teach lessons."

Lesson: Biking to my work is not only doable, it's super easy.

If I had actually entered the bridge at the correct entrance last weekend, I would have had a week of riding my bike to work under my belt.

This morning's route:

home ----> Queensboro Bridge ----> E 60th St and 1st Ave ----> Loop all the way around Central Park ----> Scone, coffee, and the nyt at Alice's Tea Cup on East 64th ----> back home

All before noon.

Afternoon Update:




Biked to Long Island City for some reading and a cold beer at Harry's Water Taxi Bar. Can you tell that I am frantically trying to make the summer last up until the last hour?

"high" art

On the rooftop of the Met, three Jeff Koons sculptures are on display. I work two blocks from the Met, so at the end of my day, I headed over to see what the fuss is about.


Though the sculptures weren't much of a sight to behold (seeing them online was good enough for me), the crowd was pleasantly subdued. I watched the real tourists pose for pictures, purchase over-priced drinks and bags of chips, and consult their guidebooks and maps.


The Met rooftop seems like a good, post-work stop every once in a while.


I am looking forward to trying out another hot-spot near my work, Café Sabarsky, which is in the Neue Galerie. Two of my friends recommended this café after I told them the location of my new job.


To add to my artsy day, tonight I'm going to check out Luis Bunel and Salvador Dali's film, L'Age D'Or. But a French film from 1930s might be pushing it a bit for ADD Gi.


Off to get cultured...

Unintentional tourism

We didn't want to be tourists tonight; it just sort of happened that way.

Denise and I planned to check out a bar near my work, Subway Inn, which is supposed to be one of the last remaining dive bars in Manhattan. A dive indeed: the place smelled like a bathroom, the music blared, and every seat in the house was taken.

Someone on yelp wrote:

"I love a good dive, so long as the staff provides a nose clip and goggles.

Ew. Ew. Ew. I can scratch at my tongue all night, but I'll never get clean a la Lady McBeth.

Subway Inn is trashy, nasty, and absolutely scummy. I went on a bad date here. I don't really talk to that guy anymore..."

So yeah, I guess I like dive bars, but not that divey.

We ended up at Serendipity 3 where we each enjoyed a Frrrozen Hot Chocolate. I'm trapped in a vicious tourist cycle, although there's nothing vicious about it.

ALSO! One hour until Obama's speech. I can't contain my excitement.

The Skinny: A Guide to Lightweight Reading

Kim requested a list of books that are both literary and light-weight (thin) for commuting purposes. Her complaint about reading fiction on the subway is that the books she loves are too heavy and hard to handle when she has a cup of coffee in one hand and she's holding onto the pole with the other.

Well, Kim, to this I say, "No more excuses!"

I took a glance at my bookshelves and here's what I found. (Feel free to add more suggestions.)

1. Two or Three Things I Know for Sure (Allison)
2. Giovanni's Room (Baldwin)
3. The Palace Thief (Canin)
4. Emporer of the Air (Canin)
5. Breakfast at Tiffany's (Capote)
6. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (Carver)
7. Will You Please Be Quiet, Please? (Carver)
8. Woman Hollering Creek (Cisneros)
9. The House on Mango Street (Cisneros)
10. Slow Man (Coetzee)
11. Disgrace (Coetzee)
12. Drown (Diaz)
13. The Safety of Objects (A.M. Homes)
14. Jesus' Son (Denis Johnson)
15. The Nimrod Flipout (Etgar Keret)
16. Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri)
17. So Long, See You Tomorrow (William Maxwell)
18. Member of the Wedding (McCullers)
19. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (McCullers)
20. The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (McCullers)
21. First Love, Last Rites (McEwan)
22. The Cement Garden (McEwan)
23. The Comfort of Strangers (McEwan)
24. Bluest Eye (Morrison)
25. Lives of Girls and Women (Munro)
26. Vintage Munro (Munro)
27. The Boy (Murr)
28. Cool for You (Myles)
29. Talking in Bed (Nelson)
30. The Diving Pool (Ogawa)
31. Later the Same Day (Paley)
32. A Sport and a Pastime (Salter)
33. Civilwarland in Bad Decline (Saunders)
34. Pastoralia (Saunders)
35. Rat Bohemia (Schulman)
36. Taking Care (Williams)
37. The Night in Question (Wolff)
38. The Death of Sweet Mister (Woodrell)
39. A Room of One's Own (Woolf)
40. To the Lighthouse (Woolf)
41. Three Guineas (Woolf)
42. Eleven Kinds of Loneliness (Yates)

doing it up, like the big tourists that we are

Vanessa thinks I'm a good luck charm when it comes to tourist activities. Today, she invited me to join her and her visiting friends for a romp around Manhattan and Brooklyn.

We started with a trip to the top of the Rock. There was some obligatory cartwheeling that the guards allowed until they decided we had finished our photo shoot.



Then we headed downstairs for chocolate decadence at La Maison Du Chocolat before I was swept over to Park Slope for a delectable feast at Franny's where Vanessa works her fanny off. (Get it?)

This night felt like a solid dose of comfort food. Such a happy, full belly to bring me sweet dreams.

p.s. Do I cartwheel like a (GASP!) left-hander?

foiled twofold

I took an early-day bike ride to Long Island City/Hunters Point. I love this area of New York, and secretly wish I lived there. Maybe my next apartment...

This morning, my goals were:
1. To bike into Manhattan so that I could figure out the best commute to work.
2. If that goal failed, which it did, to drink and enjoy lunch at the Water Taxi Bar. My second goal failed, too.

Here's why I was unsuccessful:
When I arrived at the Queensboro Bridge, I talked to the police guy on duty. He said that he's never seen anyone bike onto the bridge and that there isn't a bike lane. But there was a sign instructing bikers to enter the bridge. I was too scared to go over the bridge when the police dude was advising me against it. I need to do more research.

I arrived at the Water Taxi and realized I had left my wallet in my apartment. The woman at the gate was super friendly and said she'd let me in without my wallet, but then I wouldn't be able to drink or eat, so I biked home.

I'm refueling and deciding if either of my goals is worth the effort today. At least I had a nice bike ride.

a bunch of romantics

Veronica, Alexis, Kim, Umber, and I met for Moonstruck in Central Park. Free popcorn came in two flavors: Oreo and cheddar. Oreo popcorn was a first for all of us. (Kim is rocking out the cleanse--day 10!--so she didn't partake.)


Before the movie, Kim and I met up at Bloomingdale's where I stumbled into a Mac promotion for their new berry-colored makeup line. I ended up eating a lot of free cherry tart, receiving a free makeover (hence my Drag Queen appearance in this picture), and convincing myself that I needed to purchase blush.

The screenwriter, John Patrick Shanley introduced the film. He turned out to be an ex-hippie (current hippie?) who rambled on about the interconnectedness of nature and life on earth.


And then: Magic. It was so incredible to see Moonstruck with such a passionate audience. We cheered, laughed, and then protested during the technical difficulties.

When the credits rolled, we all sang That's Amore along with the movie as though the song was the national anthem.

G-D doesn't want me to fly.

*Thursday, August 14: Stefanie and I attempt to go up in the hot air ballooning in Central Park. The rides have been shut down for the night due to stormy weather.

*Tuesday, August 19: Stefanie calls just to make sure the park hasn't closed down hot air ballooning for the night before we head out there. She is told that there are no rides due to high winds.

*Thursday, August 21 (tonight): Stefanie and I head to the park with hopes as high as an untethered hot air balloon. The rides have been canceled due to the possibility of high winds. THE AIR IS NOT MOVING!! NO WIND IN SIGHT!

*Tomorrow is the last day of hot air ballooning in Central Park. We have given up. The line will be too long from all the days of canceled flight. Will I ever get to be in a balloon, soaring "freely" through the air?

Astoria crime update: Remember my citation for riding my bike on the sidewalk? I just received notice that the charges have been dropped. No need to appear in court! Freedom!

I have tomorrow off! (No idea why...) So excited for CHER (Moonstruck) in Central Park!!!

something so good

I've wanted to have a better week, but it's been rough, really rough. I don't like writing on my blog when things are difficult. Tonight put an end to all of that. Cinema can do that to me.


Umber, Ben, and I met up for the last night of this year's Outdoor Cinema at Socrates Sculpture Park.


The band, Bachelor Sound Machín was beyond ridiculous and silly-brilliant, definitely the funnest (that's right, funnest) performers I've seen in a long time.


But the real surprise of the night was the heart-stoppingly gorgeous film, Duck Season. We had never heard of this indie feature. On the walk home, we couldn't stop talking about the genuine, saccharine beauty we had just witnessed.

I'm sorry that the screenings are finished for the summer, but I am thankful and amazed for the incredible curating powers who lined up such incredible films-- particularly this last one, which I now consider a favorite.


On my street, I found a shiny mess of ribbons, which perfectly describes how I feel inside right now.

My fiction is going to be published!

Dear Gili,

Thank you for submitting to Pindeldyboz. I liked "The Giraffe Knocking Over the Elephant Knocking Over the Leopard Knocking Over the Ostrich," and I'd like to publish it, if it's still available. I thought the tone of the piece was intriguing—only gently satirical, it takes Harrison almost as seriously as he takes himself, and carried me through the piece as I wondered what he'd do next.

Warmest regards,

Nora Fussner
Editor, Pindeldyboz

a deviation from our usual Sunday brunch

We did things differently this week. No Ovelia because Kim is mid-cleanse. Instead, we hopped from destination to destination, but spent the bulk of our time playing cards and reading the paper at Himalaya Teahouse.


Organic grapes, growing in the backyard garden of Himalaya Teahouse.


Mellow Kim, half way through with the fast. Go, Kim!


The paper looks magical in Umber's hands.


My shiny, new Russ and Daughters shirt.


The most deliciously sweet, meaty grapes I've ever tasted.

Not going to be that girl on the couch.

After a couple of days of feeling down, I have begun to regain my strength. I woke up and knew that I needed to actively abandon this sadness.

Today was exactly what I needed to spring back:

A pigeon pooped on my bare foot. Well, I was wearing flip-flops. I like to believe that this is good luck.

I finally bought the shirt from Russ and Daughters. I've wanted this shirt for a long time, but I've been afraid to buy it because of the possibility of having the logo mistaken for the Jesus fish. I also picked up the most incredible Australian ginger sweet-things.

I strolled across the Williamsburg bridge and back.

I watched American Teen, which was good, but not great. At bad moments, it reminded me of the horrible movie that Ben Stiller's company makes out of Winona Ryder's movie--the movie within the movie-- in Reality Bites. At good moments, I was unable to differentiate myself now from my angst-ridden thirteen-year old self. (Seems like that should be considered a bad moment, but I think it shows the strength of a movie if it can send me back in such a visceral way. I felt like Hannah, the artsy girl in the movie: trapped on a couch at a party with a bunch of normal people and no way to escape. Sadly, it's not been that long since the last time I was in a situation like that.) Anyway, I'm glad I saw it.

Heartbreaks are the worst.