Who's running the NYC Marathon this year? Anyone?

I will be out to cheer-- let me know when you'll come by the Bronx (mile 20) and I'll look out for you.

We hitched the Kayaks to Aaron's bike today, now we can transport our human powered watercraft with human powered landcraft.


Kayaking under the Broadway Bridge to see some secret graffiti in new york.

Exploring the city by boat!

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"Beginning Sunday, you can immerse your senses in “Water Lilies,” the triptych with the 40-foot-plus wing span, and “Water Lilies,” the wide-angle, single-panel mural. On one wall the triptych rumbles forth its rich panoply of blues, greens, lavenders, creams and pinks, like a full-bodied symphony. Opposite, the lone panel responds, a glissando of violins, with a pale, silvered reiteration of the same palette shimmering into silence."

Serenade in Blue,  New York Times, September 10, 2009

 

I want to video tape people looking at this thing and trying to pretend to like it. I think it'd be good for a hospital waiting room or something... I'm not saying it's totally ugly. It's just not "great" -- not in the sense that these art reviews talk about it.

Every time they drag this thing out The Times writes solemnly about it in an even more "gushing" way than the last time. Like it's the greatest paining ever. It it just keeps getting better. To infinity. Give me a break.

The world of art is nothing but a cult of personality. The difference between "untouchablly great" and merely "good" has more to do with the ever increasing fetishization and romanticization of the lives of the artists and the "revolutions" they created-- than the content or quality of the art.

I'm so unimpressed with this BS.

(This is how we play chess!)

This is my niece, Diana. She is an amazing little girl. I feel so lucky to be her aunt. A month ago she got very sick and we didn't know what it was-- She is in the hospital now. It's a little hard to write about but this sweet little girl is really struggling right now. I'm visiting her as much as I can. Here parents have been amazing and very strong. Family and friends are all pitching in to help. We'll fight this and we'll win!

And there is a way you could help.

She has a rare disorder called HLH. It strikes only 1/1,000,000 young people. So, she may need a bone marrow transplant soon. It is always hard to find a match. So, I'm pestering everyone I know to sign up to be a donor! THIS MEANS YOU. If you don't help Diana you may help someone else. So, please sign up. It's easy! They will mail you a swab to swab your mouth and then if a match is found you will be contacted.

Sign up here:
http://www.marrow.org

If you sign up let me know. I want to get 100 people to sign up and I'm keeping count.

Today a big summer thunderstorm broke suddenly. The street filled with water and our sky light made a huge racket as the rain hit it. Cool air rushed in from all of the open windows. And the smell of rain. I was sad not to be out there-- I love the way it feels to get caught in a big storm. I decided to go out anyway but, by the time I was dressed with rain was mostly over and there was only a little lightening here and there.

But the air! It was so fresh and clean. You could just smell the plants growing the way they do after rain and it just made me feel light headed with oxygen. It was cool and the rain had knocked the smog away and the air just tasted so fresh.

As I ran the clouds cleared and then the sun was back just in time for the most beautiful sunset. I have never seen the Bronx so pretty bathed in soft pink light and the sidewalk sparkled with sunlight and little droplets caught even more light... it was like running in liquid sunshine! It came between the buildings in wide slats of lights, children came out playing making long shadows, the swing sets squeaked and the basketball players returned to the court in time for just one more game.

I love a good thunderstorm. Rain makes the air sweet. I think the best time to run in summer is right after the rain.

I remember how adults used to say this too me and I'd roll my eyes since clearly they hadn't been teased the way I was being teased. Later as a teen I picked of the retort "It's what inside that counts? Oh that's just something sad ugly people say." If I was to be ugly at least I would not be deluded too.

In the end, I concluded that "what's inside" did count most-- it took me long enough but I got to the point where I knew it was true. But, frankly, even though I know it's true I just don't think I could tell that to a young person with a straight face-- I mean look at the example adults set in the world around us-- look at all of the superficiality... the way people act-- it's so transparently focused on outward appearances it is sickening.  And it's so easy to get caught up in it all. So, what do we tell young people? How do we explain it?

And what do you think counts?

I come out of my building this morning and this is what I see:



It didn't seem that anyone was seriously injured, thank God.
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They do not do enough to enforce the speed limit or traffic laws in my neighborhood. People are always speeding on the Grand Concourse. They zip on and off of the side streets... this is the 2nd crash in 6 months near this intersection. I saw a man nearly get hit yesterday morning too. Thank God none of the kids who go to the elementary school one block away were on the sidewalk!

People act like it's a highway or something-- you don't get a pile-up like that with low speeds. They need to enforce the speed limit in my area and ticket people who speed. This is a residential neighborhood not a highway!

More images here.

(docthestampede has made this in to a funny macro.)