on the way to work: "BICTH" spray painted on the side of a truck, a baby with acne, a man with "CLAUDIA" tattooed diagonally across one side of his neck, Claudia (?) with her arm around him, a person sitting alone at a table, shouting, with papers spread in front of her. "i like middles," he continued "it is in the middle that extremes clash, where ambiguity recklessly rules."
hopewell: "in five minutes we saw a fight, a woman's cold ass and a man break into an ATM ("mac machine")"
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
casual encounters
this morning a homeless man sitting in the middle of a steaming pothole asked me if he could have my coffee. i couldn't hear him because i was listening to music so i took out the right headphone and he repeated, "are you going to finish that coffee?" i responded, "i think so. sorry." later i passed a gesticulating businessman whose left hand waggled like a loose tooth. it was prosthetic but obviously outdated (made of wood) and hanging by a splinter.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
10 things about the neighborhood
01. There is a stretch of sidewalk between our door and the Berks station that is not covered in cement. It is covered in broken glass instead.
02. Tony’s Way Sports Bar is our local purveyor of 40s (Olde English and Coors Light, as far as I know).
03. The Pizza Shop is on the way to the beer distributor, but
04. Father and Son’s has fried Oreos on the menu.
05. Ida Mae’s is both cheap and delicious and CLOSED ON MONDAYS.
06. Coats at Circle Thrift are $6.
07. The lot formerly known as Needle Park will someday be a high school (I feel less uneasy about the habitual drug user than the habitually hostile high school student
08. You see a lot more grey than green around these parts than in other parts of the city.
09. There is at least one quince per weekend at the rental hall on Front & Norris.
10. A woman lives in Nikki’s room. She’s of medium height, long brown hair with bangs, pronounced brow and sunken eyes. Her dress may have once been a pastel color, but is now the color of long years and desperation. Her fingernails are always dirty. She sits there all day and all night. Sometimes I try to talk to her, but all she ever wants to talk about is her children, “Where are they? What you done with them?” “I don’t know,” I say “maybe Nikki took them.” I get strange vibes from her. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, I clutch my evil eye bracelet to keep from shuddering since I don’t think it would be wise to offend her. I’m glad she doesn’t live in my room.
02. Tony’s Way Sports Bar is our local purveyor of 40s (Olde English and Coors Light, as far as I know).
03. The Pizza Shop is on the way to the beer distributor, but
04. Father and Son’s has fried Oreos on the menu.
05. Ida Mae’s is both cheap and delicious and CLOSED ON MONDAYS.
06. Coats at Circle Thrift are $6.
07. The lot formerly known as Needle Park will someday be a high school (I feel less uneasy about the habitual drug user than the habitually hostile high school student
08. You see a lot more grey than green around these parts than in other parts of the city.
09. There is at least one quince per weekend at the rental hall on Front & Norris.
10. A woman lives in Nikki’s room. She’s of medium height, long brown hair with bangs, pronounced brow and sunken eyes. Her dress may have once been a pastel color, but is now the color of long years and desperation. Her fingernails are always dirty. She sits there all day and all night. Sometimes I try to talk to her, but all she ever wants to talk about is her children, “Where are they? What you done with them?” “I don’t know,” I say “maybe Nikki took them.” I get strange vibes from her. Sometimes, not always, but sometimes, I clutch my evil eye bracelet to keep from shuddering since I don’t think it would be wise to offend her. I’m glad she doesn’t live in my room.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
extra crooked
the garbage disposal is broken and the sink floods.
two nights ago both of the shower doors fell, one toward the door and one on top of me. i lunged for the former thinking "more broken glass?!?" and somehow caught it before it hit the ground. for a second i was naked with the water running, stretched, holding two giant panes of glass with no way of putting either down.
the oven doesn't work.
two nights ago both of the shower doors fell, one toward the door and one on top of me. i lunged for the former thinking "more broken glass?!?" and somehow caught it before it hit the ground. for a second i was naked with the water running, stretched, holding two giant panes of glass with no way of putting either down.
the oven doesn't work.
Friday, January 2, 2009
NYE
Our last hausguests of 2008 (and our first of 2009) were Calder, Dorothy and Jon Leslie. This was early on New Years Eve before things got fuzzy.
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