A Voice in the Night

Make that an ominous voice in the night. A couple of hours after I did some stir-frying on the stove for the first time last night there was a voice from overhead saying “Warning…carbon monoxide, Warning…carbon monoxide”. Whoa! It was coming from the ceiling detector.

Earlier I had noticed a slight smell coming from the stove but passed it off as an odor caused by using it for the first time. Wrong! It had a gas leak.

On to the web I went and found an emergency number for Keyspan (the gas company). I have a portable fan, moved it into the kitchen, and opened all the windows. In the frantic rush to set the fan up in the kitchen, I stood up and banged my head on a cupboard corner (an awkward design btw) and split my scalp open. So, there I am holding a paper towel over the wound while adjusting the fan, which is sliding around due to vibration. What fun!

Within a half hour, the tech from Keyspan was here (about 11 pm) with his detection meter. Yup, the stove was leaking gas. I’m still confused about the leak, since carbon monoxide is odorless. The gas guy gave me somewhat of a hard time about what I had reported on the phone (re: carbon monoxide vs gas). He definitely had an attitude…which I just ignored.

This morning I called Ann the apartment building manager who leased me the apartment. Within an hour, there was a hubbub of activity in my kitchen, Ann, Elvis (the super) and the stove maestro. The stove and I got a lot of TLC. Just another day in the big city.

Storage Central

Well here it all is…the chaotic results of U-Haul moving day. The Studio is now Storage Central. What a day it was from start to finish. Thank god for Sambou and Jesse.

Day begins…outta bed, Road Runner web connection is down…fiddled with modem, rebooted, etc, etc…no luck…phone rings…Sambou is already at U-Haul earlier than expected…out the door to the R train…it is cold outside…Metrocard doesn’t work after several swipes…attendant checks it…”Sorry but it expired on 11/22”…where the hell did that month go?…there’s an R train in the station…i’m moving as fast as I can but my knees are already hurting…doors close before I can get on the platform…doors open again…yeah!…maybe luck has changed…finally get to U-Haul…meet Sambou…get on line for truck…line moves slower than molasses in the winter…Jesse arrives…finally start moving stuff out of the locker and wheeling it down the long corridor to the truck…I help some, but can’t do much…can you hear Paul Robeson singing in the background “Body all aching and racked with pain”…did I mention that I had one of my back episodes during the week to go along with my aching knees…I sit in the truck cab frequently…about noon the truck is loaded…down 4th Avenue we go with me at the wheel…there’s space at the fire hydrant out front but a car parked at the corner…Jesse takes the wheel and adeptly maneuvers the truck at an angle into the space and up on to the wide sidewalk…ramp down…and into the lobby we go…while moving stuff into the lobby, an impromptu meeting evolves by the elevator door, including Ann (who rented the apartment to me), Elvis (the bldg super who I finally meet) and a number of senior tenants…all complaining about the lack of heat (that’s another story)…this is sitcom stuff…time for some food…off to Happy Garden, a block away on 3rd (aka “restaurant row”) for some Chinese take-out…whoa!…this is damn good wokery…I’ve eaten in many good Chinese restaurants and done a lot of stir frying, but this is top notch…good, fresh ingredients, stir fried by someone who knows what they’re doing…this is not Panda Express stuff…I’ll be back many times…finally everything is in the studio…back to the U-Haul barn we go with Jesse at the wheel…I’ve learned that he has had some significant experience with truck driving and moving…he and Sambou were a pleasure to work with…neat guys…back on the R train and home…the day is done…at last!…p.s. I find that Road Runner is running again! Whoopee!

Moving Day Tomorrow

I have no idea who this is, but it looks like he’s wishing good luck for my big move tomorrow. He’s running in the 2007 NYC Marathon and the photo just happens to be in front of the U-Haul truck rental and storage building on 4th Avenue at 6th Street. That’s where I’ll meet Sambou, another helper and pick up the truck tomorrow morning. All my earthly possessions will then travel down 4th Avenue to my apartment. Hooray!

How did I find this photo you ask. Serendipity strikes again! I was reading a most interesting blog named The Gowanus Lounge by RSGuskind, a Brooklyn writer/photographer. I clicked on to his Flickr account where he has many photos of this year’s NYC Marathon. He was taking them on 4th Avenue. So there you have it.

As an added serendipitous kick, did you notice OP Finland? Now how many Finns were running and he happened to be in this photo? Not many is my guess. I thought many times when I was still running about running the NYC Marathon. That will have to wait till the next lifetime. But, I sure will be watching next year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I’m thankful to be alive and to be here at last.

It may just be Thursday this year but “wait ’til next year!”. Only old Brooklyn Dodger fans would understand the meaning of that.

Pandora Perfecto

Have you heard of Pandora.com? In my view, it provides the best music listening on the web. You can create “radio stations” that suit your particular tastes in music. You can do a “thumbs up” on selections you like and a “thumbs down” on those you don’t. How cool is that? Pandora has struggled to survive because of the licensing mess but it deserves to. It is a high quality service.

There was a Pandora message in my inbox today. They have just launched classical music. How neat! Check it out. If you have an ear for good music, you’ll be glad you did. I’m not sure how the links below will work if you’re not a member. So sign up! It’s free!

New on Pandora: Classical Music

Since we launched Pandora 2 years ago, our most common request from listeners has been that we add Classical music. We’re excited to announce that Classical music is now available on Pandora. Enjoy, and please let us know if you have any feedback. The Classical Genome is a work in progress and we’d love to hear any of your suggestions on how to improve it.

If you’re new to Classical music, here are a few stations we created to help you get started:

* Symphonic, Classical Period Listen Now
* Symphonic, Romantic Period Listen Now
* Piano Concerti, Classical Period Listen Now
* Opera, Romantic Period Listen Now
* Chamber, Baroque Period Listen Now

Alternatively, you can create a station by typing in the name of your favorite composer:

Elvis is in the House

Did I mention that my apartment building superintendent’s name is Elvis? Maybe it figures.

Back in 2000, I went on a Municipal Art Society bus tour of the Brooklyn waterfront. It was simply fabulous. I’ll never forget it. We drove through the Bush Terminal area and went inside the Brooklyn Army Terminal building. Cass Gilbert, a skyscraper pioneer who also designed The Woolworth Building, designed it.

We drove by the building in the van ride down 2nd Avenue (becomes Ridge Boulevard in Bay Ridge) on the way home from Costco the other day. Check the satellite view to see the building. It’s enourmous. Zoom in and you can see the inner atrium where the train came into the building.

Probably few remember that Elvis was in the BAT house also. It was one of the few times he rode on a train. BTW, Bush Terminal is on the waterfront in Sunset Park, down the hill from where I was born on 43rd Street (close to the entrance to Sunset Park and the pool).

I have photos of Nana’s brownstone on my Dell (in U-Haul storage). Now that would have been a great inheritance if it were still in the family. My mom and sister Signe sold it long ago before the Brooklyn renaissance for about $6,000. What’s it worth now? Don’t ask.

Sunrise, Sunset

This was the view this morning. I haven’t seen Tevye yet but I know he’s out there somewhere. I can’t see the sunset, but of the two views I’ll take this one.

(Tevye)
Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?

(Golde)
I don’t remember growing older
When did they?

(Tevye)
When did she get to be a beauty?
When did he get to be so tall?

(Golde)
Wasn’t it yesterday
When they were small?

(Men)
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

(Women)
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

(Tevye)
What words of wisdom can I give them?
How can I help to ease their way?

(Tevye)
Now they must learn from one another
Day by day

(Perchik)
They look so natural together

(Hodel)
Just like two newlyweds should be

(Perchik & Hodel)
Is there a canopy in store for me?

(All)
Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly flow the days
Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as we gaze

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears

The Studio

My apartment isn’t a studio it’s a one bedroom. With two rooms, there’s more space than I really need for daily living. However, if I think of these two large rooms as a blogging and web center, photo workshop, music center, photo gallery and new plant lab, it’s just right. I’ve never lived in a studio or loft and this isn’t Williamsburg but it will do just fine. So, it’s now ‘the studio.’

The entry hallway is le grande entrance. Okay I exaggerate a bit, but it’s a long hall (pun not intended). Someone could live in it. It calls out for artwork on the walls. A circular overhead fluorescent fixture’s not very cool but maybe there’s some way to add auxiliary lighting with some theatrical quality.

There are rolling racks and plant lab paraphernalia that weren’t off loaded at the Ebbets Field Middle School. They’re in my storage space. I was going to leave them there temporarily and move just personal stuff. I’ve now decided to move all of it here into the studio. It belongs here.

There are two large east-facing windows in each room. There will be a rolling rack in front of each of them. Who knows where new plants will come from but I’ll find them. Doing this will give an insight as to where New Yorkers buy indoor plants. A visit to Home Depot is on the agenda. H.D. and Lowe’s are where most of the original lab plants came from.

I also need work space and furniture for a photo workshop. There are a ton of slides to be scanned and uploaded to Flickr. I bought a slide scanner many months ago but did not have time to even try it out before I left San Diego. I have slides going back to those I shot in ’86 during the Statue of Liberty relighting weekend along with lots of digital street photography from my daily walks in Balboa Park last year.

This space isn’t sleek and modern but it has lots of character. As you can see, there are arched doorways and lots of molding including picture rail molding around the upper walls. Pictures will hang from these moldings.

Anyway, think architectural motif and furnishings. I see a drafting table stool and modern IKEA type furniture. I’ll just keep the door to the pink fixture bathroom closed for a while. One day at a time…

A Bed, a Bed at Last

Floor sleepers of the world unite! Rise up and defend yourselves against the overt discrimination that exists, be it your mother, kids or friends. What? You sleep on the floor? Poor you can’t afford a bed? Here, maybe we can help you.

Okay, it’s not for everyone but it works for me and probably more people than you realize. Last night, even with my knees screaming at me like banshees, it was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a while.

I hauled my bedroll in a black trash bag from my U-Haul storage unit (picture hobo Bob on the subway with his stash bag) down to the ‘studio’. Then it was off to Century 21 Department Store to find something to cushion the hard parquet floor.

The store was a trip. How many people know that discount shopping was born in NYC with the opening of E. J. Korvette? I remember it well. How many who now take discount shopping for granted know about the infamous ‘fair trade’ laws that Korvette defied. Plain and simple, discounts were illegal as in law breaking. Can you believe it?

The spirits of Eugene Ferkauf and Korvette are alive and well at Century 21, the operative word being alive. The store was a beehive of shopping energy to the max. After finding the separate home store building, I located the bedding department. I wandered around looking at bedding stuff and asked a young man in the department for advice. He steered me to a foam mattress pad. Guess what? He turned out to be a floor sleeper having to deal with his mother’s admonishments. Funny…but figures!

Next it was on to the bath department. I found a good quality bath towel for 3 bucks and was looking for a hand towel. There was a rack of I think “zero twist towels”. I had to peer around the rack to read the pricing sign. Shortly a diminutive woman looking like the towel fairy queen floated by and said “three ninety-nine, a dollar ninety-nine” in her lilting Brooklyn Jewish accent as she pointed to each bin with her wand (or whatever it was). I am going to wire myself and blog some of these sounds and conversations. I think they’re priceless!

BFN BB

First Night in Paradise

Here we are in the lap of luxury…well maybe not quite! I’m going to film this and pitch it to Steve Jobs for a Mac commercial. Think PC dolt slowly becoming a Mac hipster.

Here’s the scene. I’m reclined on a makeshift bed made from clothes out of my suitcase The MacBook Pro is on my lap. Of course being ever so Apple user friendly and ultra versatile, it also functions as a night-light and warms my thighs. Does it cook eggs too and did I forget to say it’s intuitive? By the way this freaking thing is heavy enough to press pants.

There is no furniture in the room. The walls are bare white. Light is coming from the overhead ceiling fixture with two unshielded bulbs. It’s a bit garish but functional. If you’re comfortable in a police lineup you’d do fine in this light. MS Word for Apple is set at 200% so the screen is readable at arms length.

Excuse me. Time out for dinner (reaching for turkey club with avocado sandwich from Starbucks).

Okay I’m back after an unsuccessful attempt at sleep. The ‘bed’ unfortunately is unstable because the parquet floor is as slippery as an ice rink. The clothes pads keep moving around like they’re hockey pucks.

Oh well, it’s only 10:15 and my mind has been too revved up too sleep this early anyway. Tomorrow I’ll hop on the R train up to my U-Haul storage unit and pick up the big black trash bag with my pillows and bedroll.

I know it will work because I’ve been sleeping on it for the past 10 years. I may need a mat or pad under the quilt but that will get done after my first visit to the Century 21 Department Store on 86th street. From what I understand if you can’t find it on 86th street, they probably don’t make it.

I’ll also call Sambou (formerly from Zimbabwe). He’s the good soul who bailed me out of the U-Haul truck when I finally turned it in. I wouldn’t have gotten off the truck without him. There are boxes of canned goods from my cupboards in San Diego that were piled on to the truck. He can use them far better than I.

Backing up earlier in the day, I arrived here after a car service ride from the HOJO to discover two guys in the middle of the lobby hunched over weird looking elevator parts scattered on the floor. They were pounding and torching the grotesque looking pieces of metal like there was no tomorrow.

Light from their arc welding was dancing on the walls and ceiling. The scene was from Dante’s Inferno or is Kafkaesque more appropriate. They spoke broken English but I got the message that it was going to take at least an hour. They were obviously working under great pressure.

I knew the elevator had a problem the other day when David Todd and I were here. It was no big deal because just the first floor was blanked out and service worked from the second floor. Not today however! Of course, my timing is impeccable. Here I am, finally “at home” with about 2 tons of luggage needing to be hauled up five flights at the very time the elevator is kaput.

No problem. I called David as planned and we were able to exchange favors. Up went the luggage in short order with David’s help.

He dropped me off at the Starbucks where I posted the news about my new apartment. Later, it was a beautiful walk home after dark. The streets are very well lit and more than charming. I passed a church nearby and the beautiful modern library next door to my building was lights ablaze. How cheerful. It will be picture postcard pretty around here during the coming holidays.

I arrived at the door to have it opened by a young man in the lobby who saved me from fumbling for my keys. He had already pressed the elevator button and we both waited and introduced ourselves. He is Brian (or Bryan) from Arizona. After a bit we realized the elevator was not working.

The torch heads were obviously not able to finish the job today. So, up the stairs we went. We walked and talked as we moved up the floors only to arrive at the same floor. Guess what? He is my next-door neighbor. What are the odds of arriving here precisely at the time to meet my next-door neighbor on my first day? This is a six story building with many, many apartments. Go figure. But then again that’s the ordinary on this most unordinary journey.

BFN BB