February 2012
25 posts
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The van had the light!
The van has a green light. It’s in the middle of the intersection when the teenage girl starts to cross against the light.
An older woman — gray hair; dark coat; big, waddly behind — walks after her and grabs her arm. The teen looks up to see the van and freezes.
The older woman does not pull the girl back to the safety of the curb. Instead she glares at the approaching van...
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Buffalo step
Today on Flatbush and St. Marks I ran past a boy, roughly eight years old, in a hoodie and jeans, enthusiastically and repeatedly doing a tap dance step known as the buffalo. I know this because I studied tap for many years. But of all the steps I learned, the buffalo may be the only one I remember. Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks it’s kind of fun.
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Take a bow
Just a few moments after I walked out of the church, ashes on my forehead, a woman with two children in tow stopped me in my path and yelled out to the kids, “Take a bow!”
I turned to see what she might be referring to but there was no one else there. Was she bowing to my ashes? I know New York is a secular place, but surely running into someone who celebrates this holiday isn’t...
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“I’ve done it on the subway and at the Museum of Modern Art, in Prospect Park,...”
– Look at Me, I’m Crying - NYTimes (via rachelinbrooklyn)
{From the draft file … }
It isn’t just that there aren’t enough private places. In New York, you are inches from numerous people most of the time. The routines of daily life — getting to work, eating, exercising,...
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Consuming Washington Avenue →
neighborhoodr-prospectheights:
super excited that there has been recent buzz on our ‘hoods influx of food and drink spots. there’s so much to enjoy around here!
I’m torn between the thrill of living on the best block in NYC and the selfish desire to keep it on the low. For now, my sense of generosity wins out; come and visit!
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Just some normal cafe chatter
Barista: So are you really into puppets?
Customer: I mean, not really _hardcore_ . . .
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That subway seat dance:
1. It becomes obvious the person directly in front of me is exiting. I wait for the person to gather their bags and prepare to sit.
2. As I’m graciously allowing the former occupant to stand, a girl (literally) dashes across the train and slips into the seat. Her father nods in approval. They’re each carrying numerous plastic bags.
3. I glare at the girl, then remember the recent NY...
She just lets him try
A boy about two feet tall is walking with a woman. They pass a staircase with two metal hand rails. The boy stops and stares at the rails, then climbs onto the first step, wraps his entire little body around one rail, and pulls with all his might. The woman doesn’t scold or rush him; she just lets him try.
It only takes him a minute to cease trying to pry the rail from the cement. He...
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PSA: Housing Works Bookstore Cafe: This romantic... →
OK that’s true, should have known Housing Works Bookstore Cafe could be counted on for a good time on V-day, if you know what I mean.
housingworksbookstore:
We’ve got great stuff for everyone this week. Illustration by Andrea Sparacio.
Tonight! Safe Space with James Wood and Jeremy Denk. I am so excited about this event. There is a GRAND FREAKIN’ PIANO in the middle of the store right...
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PSA: POWER BALLADS SING-ALONG →
This is the best NYC Valentine’s Day idea I’ve seen so far. Did I miss something better?
etceterawhatever:
Power ballads sing-along.
Pretty much my ideal valentine’s day. I have a soccer game at 9ish but maybe post-game I can take advantage of the following awesomeness:
Air Guitar Competition
Power Ballads Costume Contest (dress up as an 80’s or 90’s rock god, R&B star or...
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PSA!
All I really want is a compost open more than 1x/week so my freezer doesn’t get all crowded with old onion peels and egg shells. Granted this isn’t my borough but hopefully many of you will benefit.
This may be a good motivator for me to finish the song I made up about dropping off my compost at the Grand Army Plaza farmers’ market last week. I call it “Brooklyn Boy at the...
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One small ride for this cycylist; one giant leap...
It was one of those awkward stop signs where a bike turning right has to cross in front of a car, also turning right, to stay in the bike lane. We arrived at the stop sign at the same time, and since I had to cross in front of the car, I assumed he’d go first.
I turned to look at him, but he just waved me to go. As I did, I waved back to signal a thanks.
Halfway down the block he caught up...
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“I used to steal t-shirts two sizes too big for me. I’d just take them,...”
– pretentious West Village teenage boy to his clique
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We tryin' to keep it quiet.
Three boys in their late teens boarded the train together. One pushed a large cart, full of crates mostly covered with cloth. Another rolled an enormous hard suitcase. One carried a cardboard pizza box, and dispersed slices once the other two were settled.
A few minutes into the ride, I saw a small white nose protrude from a space in the bottom crate, which didn’t have a lid, just another...
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January 2012
25 posts
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little seattle keeps coming along →
jcgastronomer:
The familiar visage of the joyous Il Pagliacci of Cafe Vita in full neon was hoisted above the dirty, exuberantly hip streets of Ludlow last week. New York is this much closer to even better coffee.
Yeah, but when are we getting Theo?
{Also, that first sentences took me about 5 tries to read. We don’t talk like that in Seattle, just to be clear.}
{I’ve also never...
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Ways to annoy me on the subway
thisisalisha:
teresasaurusrex:
- Be on the subway.
- Hold onto the pole with the sleeve of your jacket as a germ-buffer like some weirdo who hasn’t heard of hand sanitizer. You look like a goddamn baby. You are in NYC and you’re afraid of germs? Just leave. Leave the island right now.
- Be a child who won’t stop staring at me.
- Be someone who doesn’t give up their seat to an old person.
-...
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Men speaking dismissively of a would-be model.
Man 1: I mean, she could do catalog work for Marshalls.
Man 2: She's super hot.
Man 1: She's _naked!_
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In Deed
zenjess:
Sometimes I go through these phases where I feel really disconnected from everyone.
Maybe it’s New York, maybe it’s the weather. I don’t know.
I have a feeling most people go through this at some point and it makes me feel better.
At the end of the day, no matter where you live, how much you make or what you do, you want to know that your life matters.
You want to know that...
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Come a Little Bit Closer
There is definitely a man in this cafe wearing a black suit and a red flannel furry hat and swing dancing with himself to “Come A Little Bit Closer.”
He’s got good moves.
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today in kindness from strangers
When the barista caught me staring at him - blankly, really - as I listlessly sipped from the nearly empty mug, I felt I owed him an explanation for my inactivity.
“I want to read a book that’s in my bag on the floor,” I said, perched on a high stool, “but I don’t want to move to reach all the way down there.” I shrugged. I’d move in a second. I just felt...
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Man by the subway platform: Excuse me miss, do you have an extra swipe?
Me: No, sorry I don't.
Man: That's okay. You've got a pretty face.
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