Here in New York City, my border collies are a freak magnet so I wasn't surprised today when a disheveled guy came up to us on this morning's walk.

He asked me, "Are those borderline collies?"

death of car
Originally uploaded by eriador42.

Last Thursday, my car died. I knew it was gonna' happen. The car was 17 years old. Still it was a surprise when it happened: a big cloud of blue smoke, smoke in the car itself, I could hear pieces of the engine falling out onto the ground.

I placed an ad on craigslist and some kid (18) came by and bought it. He plans to fix it and I'm glad I sold it to someone who plans to do that instead of having a junk yard come by to scrap it for parts.

Location of death: Citifield.



We decided not to replace the car.  It's a hassle in NYC.  Expensive to insure and park ($200/year at work & $125/mo at home).  Our garage was a block away down a very long and narrow alley with a 90-degree turn at the end.  Even if we found a space on the street, there was still the issue of alternate side of the street parking.  So I'm a subway commuter now.



My college's new walkway from the subway to campus.

Be safe.  Dap.

Dan Halloran is the leader of a neo-pagan religion who calls this community his Reich, who routinely practices animal blood sacrifice, and who has support from some of the worst hate groups in our country today,” said activist Michael Sais as to why he was protesting the candidate.

Video news story

NY1 | 24 Hour Local News | Top Stories | Whitestone Residents Question Council Candidate's Religious Rituals

I was listening to the Roches while driving home and really listened to the lyrics (see bold):

We are Maggie and Terre and Suzzy
Maggie and Terre and Suzzy Roche
we don't give out our ages
and we don't give out our phone numbers
give out our phone numbers
sometimes our voices give out
but not our ages and our phone numbers

Guess which two of us made a record
guess what the other one did instead
the two who made the record
have been a singing group for ten years
singing group for ten years
and now a trio we are
born on the fourth of December

We come from deepest New Jersey
but now we live in New York City
we better get outa there
before the shit hits the fan
shit hits the fan
you might say where have they played
all over the country and in England

Who have we worked with
do we know anybody famous
anybody famous
do we know anybody famous
anybody famous
and as a point of interest
we spell our last name R-O-C-H-E

We are Maggie and Terre and Suzzy
we spell our last name R-O-C-H-E

Copyright 1979 DeShufflin Inc.
The Roches – Lyrics from “The Roches”

And then I realized that the shit did hit the fan (9/11).

On an industrial lot in Brooklyn, N.Y., three garbage bins have been transformed into swimming pools. They're set in what looks like an urban country club — with tent cabanas, barbecue grills and a dozen plastic beach chairs.
New Take On Dumpster Diving: Just Add Water! : NPR

The New York Connecting Railroad (which is elevated) is 100 feet from my apartment.  No problem normally, except in the last few days the Acela trains blow their horns as they com up to my street. 

This bridge was the inspiration for the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia.
Hell Gate Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Some 6.9% of the New Yorkers surveyed said they had experienced flu-like illness between May 1 and May 20. Flu-like illness was defined as having a fever accompanied by either cough or sore throat – symptoms that can reflect a range of different illnesses. “The findings don’t tell us exactly how many New Yorkers have had H1N1 influenza,” said Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City Health Commissioner. “But they suggest it has been widespread, and mild in most affected people.”
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

If the sample was representative, then 56,000 New Yorkers were ill.

Yes, this is a blind guy, with a mike and amp, dog, and laminated signs.  He was talking about special street crossings for blind children.  E train, Jamaica.





This guy use to carry an accordion.  I guess it got too heavy. He's blind, too.  N/W train, LIC.

An Air Force One lookalike, the backup plane for the one regularly used by the president, flew low over parts of New York and New Jersey on Monday morning, accompanied by two F-16 fighters, so Air Force photographers could take pictures high above the New York harbor.

But the exercise — conducted without any notification to the public — caused momentary panic in some quarters and led to the evacuation of several buildings in Lower Manhattan and Jersey City.
Air Force One Backup Rattles New York Nerves - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com

So let me get this straight: you want to photograph the Statue of Liberty (as if there's not enough photos of it already in the Corbus archive) so you send the bizarro Air Force One without telling anyone.  Hummm.  More than likely they were spraying NYC with a secret and experimental anti-Flu drug.