Today a kid riding his BMX bike on the sidewalk almost ran into me. I froze, deer-in-headlights and waited–hoped–for him to look up and see me (which he did). But in that brief moment I had a flash of a thought: please don’t look up. Please run me over.* I want this to be over. […]
Category: Cities
Day 19: routine
Now that I’ve finally started sleeping properly again I have fallen into what you could call…a routine. 6:30am wake up naturally, lie in bed for 15-30 minutes7am check news7:15am brush teeth wash hands drink water meditate (lol)7:45am clean any leftover dishes from last night heat water for tea sit in windowsill8:15am eat two brownies wash […]
Stay-at-home day 12: the backyard
It is nice today and all of the windows in our apartment are open. There are lines of laundry strung out between buildings, pigeons that fly too close to windows, stray cats, two kids playing soccer, a man directly below me doing tai chi in the sun, next door the neighbor tills a small garden […]
Day 7: lockdown
I called the yarn store in Greenpoint to see if they’re open on this last day that non-essential businesses can be open. They are. I’m going. And if when I get there I find that there is a run on yarn I’m going to be PISSED BECAUSE I KNOW Y’ALL DIDN’T START KNITTING SINCE YESTERDAY […]
Day 4 adventures in quarantine: urban foraging and navigating the American welfare system
This morning I woke up to a text from the front-of-house manager saying she was at the restaurant with my check if I wanted to swing by today. So immediately my day went from no plans to PLANS. Water, teeth brushing, pants, bike, out the door. My weather app said it wasn’t raining out but […]
Tales from quarantine
Game shop: out of Scrabble. Bike shop: out of bikes. (Really though, a bike shop in Clinton Hill sold out of bikes.)
Lost: part 3
Students confuse teachers, patients confuse psychiatrists, lovers with confused hearts confuse lovers with clear hearts. – Tom Robbins On Sunday morning sometime in the 7 o’clock hour I sit on a bench reading a book and waiting for a bus. I often wait at this bus stop early in the morning and although I don’t […]
Things I smell while riding my bike
Day: Saturday April 13Time: 5:30am-8amLocation: Ridgewood, Greenpoint, Williamsburg, NolitaWeather: Light rain, heavy rain, drizzle, mist, dry, mistSmells: wet, exhaust, bread, exhaust, shit, warm butter, bacon egg and cheese, sour garbage, weed, coffee, exhaust, sugary croissants, lakes, spring, Southern France, cigarettes, exhaust
How to belong
Last week I was walking through the greeting card aisle in my local Rite Aid when a man stopped me and asked me if I spoke Polish. He needed help understanding one of the greeting cards written in English. (I don’t speak Polish.) This happens more than you might think. Or really, what usually happens […]
Performance anxiety
All month there have been upright pianos sitting out in public spaces around New York City. They do this every year, but this was the first year that I got myself together enough to track one down and play it. When I sat down at one for the first time I was very nervous. I […]
Anne Foster 