Posts for the “Personal Notes” category…
Some personal notes I have written. Maybe call it a blog? Updated sporadically and in bursts; notes tend to be daily but my decision when to post them is arbitrary.
June 16, 2026: Found two small  Mojo Jojo (Powerpuff Girls) stuffed things outside of Housing Works today. They both have odd zippers on the back of their heads; maybe small purses?
June 12, 2026: Thank God the group of 20-somethings sitting at the large table at Kos Kaffe finally have shut up. I swear, it was like sitting next to a bunch of yammering middle schoolers for a while. Just endless whining and kvetching about nothing. Icing on the cake when some dude was endlessly asking if he should […]
May 24, 2026: At the Baby Yoda movie, everyone wants to see Baby Yoda. Even in the previews, everyone reacts to Baby Yoda on screen. Well, now that I have seen the Baby Yoda movie I can say this:  So hollow and meaningless… That at the end you half expected Sigourney Weaver’s character to turn to the camera […]
May 2, 2026: “Life is full of pain. But I am not afraid. The pain I feel is the pain of fleeting joy.” Is a profound line spoken  by the character Lucy — and then repeated by Nadja — in the 1994 film, “Nadja.”
April 24, 2026: Fell off my bike and broke and dislocated my left pinkie finger. My left arm is now in a partial cast. What happened was I was riding my bike home from Park Slope. It happened at around 6:00pm. At 5th Avenue and 64th Street there is construction on the bridge/overpass and the metal plates on […]
April 19, 2026: I have a new abandoned/discarded stuffed thing to add to my ever growing collection of abandoned/discarded stuffed things I have found in the roadways of Brooklyn: A small Monchhichi doll in great condition! I found the fella face down in the middle of the bike lane just outside of “Save on Fifth” on 5th Avenue […]
April 10, 2026: First real day of Spring and two achievements! One, I finally caught the damned mouse. “Caught” is a polite way of saying I killed the mouse thanks to a classic Victor mouse trap. Set the trap in a cast iron pan in the kitchen; the one the mouse likes sniffing around in. Also, I have […]
April 6, 2026: Really weird dream. Don’t remember the narrative, but the first part included a life-size brownstone made out of wire and cloth. It was light enough to be flown over my head and at one point I could look up inside of it while it was being moved around. Also had another dream where a large/decorative […]
March 18, 2026: Had an odd dream. I was riding my bike in some barren industrial area; filled with mainly 1 story buildings. Some car screeches behind me on the left, turns in front of me and then parks in a cross street. I ride past the street and some guy gets out of the car and tries […]
February 5, 2026: Today was a rainy, grey and dreary day. So I didn’t ride my bike to Kos Kaffe as usual. As much as I like the cold, I am sick of this dreary weather and how I get soaked if I ride my bike in it. Can’t wait for the next few days when it warms […]
February 4, 2026: Found a gray, full sized, Labubu (“Have a Seat”) face down in the middle of the street on 5th Avenue and 38th Street while walking my bike. I guess the kids from D&D&W were right; they seem to be following me!
January 23, 2026: My blood pressure was 120 over 62 at the clinic today. And I found a stuffed Pikachu in the middle of the road at 6th Avenue and Senator Street. And I found a black braided USB C cable at the laundromat. So hey! Winning today.
January 22, 2026: National Grid said they would come around between 8:30am and 2:00pm. I waited until 3:00pm. They showed up at 3:30pm. Rode my bike to Kos Kaffe. Had pizza at Two Boots. Called up National Grid. 30 minute call to tell me that someone would call me tomorrow morning about setting up an appointment. Little kid […]
January 1, 2026: Maybe I should center my past memories writing on food? Based on Phil Rosenthal, creator of “Everybody Love’s Raymond.”
December 10, 2025: This was a dream I had: Woke up to my next door building on fire… Again. I go up to the roof and see the firemen have put things out. But the building is richer and more modern. Huge. Multiple families but not like now. Like one family per floor. I leave my bag somewhere […]
November 27, 2025: Oddly pleasant dream. I was in an apartment that was more like my place at 494 Atlantic Avenue. The backyard was filled with trees. It was spring-like weather. A giant frog is on a nearby roof. Some patty pan squash is on the roof vents and related equipment; like they grew nearby and fell there. […]
August 23, 2025: Someone left a bandana filled with cherry tomatoes outside of Housing Works on 5th Avenue in Park Slope. It was a yellow Chicago Reader bandana. I picked it up and was worried it was dog poop or something. Relieved it was just cherry tomatoes. Threw out the tomatoes because I wasn’t going to eat them […]
August 21, 2025: A bunch of skateboarding and scootering Mormons just rolled past me on 5th Avenue and Ovington Avenue in Bay Ridge. I’ve seen all four of them before; must have set up shop in the neighborhood. Good luck converting Arabs and Muslims to the Church of Later Day Saints!
August 20, 2025: Are pressure cookers a hot commodity? Because there was some elderly Asian guy outside of Kos Kaffe selling a pressure cooker. Maybe on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace? It was raining and he was under the awning. He was trying to sell it to some young Arab looking guy who had the cash out. But the […]
August 17, 2025: Found a folded up dollar bill near Bay Ridge Avenue and 4th Avenue today. Also found two dimes in front of the Park Slope Food Co-op. Found a Citibank debit card on 5th Avenue and 57th Street yesterday and mailed the card back to the Sunset Park Citibank today. Lots of finance related stuff this […]
August 16, 2025: First traumatic bike accident today! I was behind a B63 bus that was at the stop at 5th Avenue and Garfield Place; Bay Ridge bound side. Was pedaling around the bus an 2-3 pedals in… Whacked right in my front wheel by a black SUV with Pennsylvania plates. It hit so hard my front bag […]
July 28, 2025: It’s a Monday and it’s 92F at the beginning of a heatwave. Around 45th Street and 5th Avenue I spotted a freshly dead rat in the road. Car was behind me and wanted to pull in and I clearly heard a loud squish when the car turned in and ran over the rat. I didn’t […]
July 25, 2025: Riding my bike back home from the food co-op was kind of scary today. Around Greenwood cemetery and near 27th Street and 5th Avenue, the storm clouds showed up. The sky darkened and I could see the storm hit around Sunset Park. Lots of dust and wind blowing up a mess. I was worried it […]
July 24, 2025: Had a little spill on my bike. Not an accident, but a spill. I was zooming down 5th Avenue at about 17Mph, when I gambled about braking at 40th Street. The light was turning red and I was past the yellow and thought I could zip through it, but the SUV on 40th Street was […]
July 22, 2025: Saw the odd old homeless guy who sits around and reads and listens to his radio on a bench in front of the bagel shop while out to get pizza. When I was walking back I saw he left his reading glasses behind. I almost wanted to grab them to return to him, but decided […]
July 14, 2025: There was a woman sitting next to me at the cafe mumbling to her phone as if she was dictating. Moved away from her because she didn’t even say “God bless you!” when I sneezed.
July 12, 2025: New milestone unlocked: After trudging through reading Douglas Coupland’s “Generation X” (1991) for weeks I finished reading John Steinbeck’ “Cannery Row” (1945).

 “Generation X” was okay… I cried at the end when the main character found humanity after being hugged by a bus full of kids.

 “Cannery Row” was really good. A breeze to read […]
July 8, 2025: Something very weird just happened on my iPhone 16 on T-Mobile with an eSIM; personal device. Sharing just in case anyone else experiences similar.

 My weather app temperatures on my iPhone 16 (running iOS 18.5) suddenly changed from Fahrenheit (U.S. region) to Celsius. My region in “Settings -> General > Language & Region” was oddly […]
July 7, 2025: I really hate drinking. I feel a bit ditzy when I drink, but otherwise I feel hollow hours after and a few days after. No fun. Just hollowness and that’s it.
July 6, 2025: People in working class neighborhoods in Southern Brooklyn never leave their neighborhood. Ever. I should know: I grew up in Brighton Beach back in the day. I see the same attitudes in other parts of Brooklyn as well. The people behave like urban wildlife; pigeons, mourning doves, squirrels, rats… All are focused on survival: They […]
July 1, 2025: White guy in cafe is sitting with, what I assume to be, his daughter. She is putting a smiley face on a water bottle and is eating oatmeal. Man who I assume is her dad is sitting right next to her shouting into his phone, “I need money!” And “I need money right now!” He […]
June 25, 2025: The ache around my right shoulder seems to be gone. I think it was some kind of transient issue. I’ve been riding my bike at least twice a day through traffic; maybe I swallowed something and it went down my windpipe? Maybe it was something stuck in my right lung and now my body has […]
June 21, 2025: Standing on my roof and looking at the new World Trade Center in 2025 and thinking about the U.S. B-2 bombing of Iran. Are we going to war? is this all officially World War III? I’m afraid the U.S. will be the target of another major terrorist attack; just like 9-11. Hope for the best!
June 20, 2025: Bay Ridge still feels tense. Repressed tension. Can’t even make a simple joke anymore. Gotta be careful.
June 19, 2025: Found a blue Labubu (“Big Into Energy”) in the street while riding my bike through Sunset Park. It was in the street on 5th Avenue near 62nd Street. It is very clean but is missing its eyes. It doesn’t matter because I replaced the eyes with two small foreign coins. I guess it was fate […]
June 18, 2025: I noticed that my arms aren’t as tingly in the morning after noticing the ache in my right shoulder. I wonder if they are related?
June 17, 2025: I have some kind of odd ache in my right shoulder. Not exactly a pain, but an odd lingering ache that almost feels like numbness but it’s not. I was still able to loosen and tighten the rear nuts on my bike. Adjusting the rear wheel so my chain is tighter because I noticed a […]
May 27, 2025: Writing this 5 months later. After Drumpf took office. Everyone in Bay Ridge is tense. Maybe they are pro-Drumpf, maybe not. But everyone is accusatory and tense. Folks who used to hang out in front of buildings don’t anymore; I guess they don’t want any arguments or fights?
March 19, 2025: Writing this in the midst of insomnia at 4:30am. It was caused by binge reading Christine Wenc’s Onion book. Triggered PTSD stress. Even had a yogurt and can’t fall asleep. Might as well wake up and try to take my mind off of it.
March 8, 2025: Went to a party at Tommy’s place on Riverside Drive. While the building was impressive, with a front door that automatically opened, the apartment itself was oddball. Very small for a shared floor. In fact it was somewhat like a slightly larger version of my place. Turns out the place was his mother’s place; he […]
March 3, 2025: Looking for expiration dates on food items that are November 4, 2028 (or higher) so I can hold it in my hands in 2028 and happily say, “We made it, tuna! A new guy is elected President… We finally made it!”
February 28, 2025: Sometimes I feel I am being obnoxious if I cut people off on my bike while they are crossing the street.
February 18, 2025: I hope the mourning dove couple on my window is safe from the cold and from the red tailed hawks they co-mingle with.
February 10, 2025: The area bordering the north side Bay Ridge and the south part of Sunset Park is prime example of abysmal urban planning. The Gowanus Expressway cuts through that sad part of the neighborhood and leaves a scar of a community filled with remnants of a neighborhood that once was and a time that has forever […]
February 9, 2025: Mind stuck with memories of every crappy elementary school teacher I ever had. From Mrs. Brody in 2nd grade, to Mrs. Simon in 4th Grade, to Mrs. Julius in 5th grade after that nasty lady on February 5th. Nasty, petty women filled with hatred.
February 5, 2025: Ms. Anger Angie saw me peeing in the parking lot behind the building. Screamed at me. She filmed it. I peed in a pile of leaves and twigs. She confronted me and accused me of being a package thief also. I guess anyone she doesn’t like is a package thief. Me, the old guy with […]
February 26, 2025: I used to like the sound of helicopters flying overhead. Down by Brighton Beach, patrolling the shore. Coast Guard, NYPD, news choppers… You name it! Casually flying overhead with no intent. Nowadays, it’s mainly NYPD overhead. Patrolling the streets; looking out for pro-Palestinian marchers and related troublemakers. Sadder skies.
January 19, 2025: Red tailed hawk sits stoically in the tall backyard tree. Crows caw around it. The mourning doves pay no mind. Rottweiler outside of the Park Slope Food Co-op howls in unison with the FDNY Squad 1 truck flying down the block; siren’s wailing. Siri voice selection dialogue: “The colors of the sky fade with the […]
January 14, 2025: The profound sadness of an empty storefront with the back door open; revealing a bright cheerful yard.
November 6, 2024: Weathered paint, crusted by seasons, clings to the door that has been rarely opened.
November 2, 2024: The mourning dove on the window sill remains calm, despite my flashlight and camera flashes. A small positive omen in the dark of night. You spend 5 seconds listening to something too closely and suddenly you know too much. Headlights pierce the veil of grey of dusk as I weave in and out of traffic.
October 26, 2024: On Halloween, we all unite to eat fish, bears and kids. Swedish Fish, Gummi Bears and Sour Patch Kids.
October 15, 2024: I’d feel much better if there were more bleak and overcast days in October again.
October 6, 2024: She had the mouth of a frog and stunning brunette hair that framed her face with such a lightness that one forgot about any flaws and imperfections. Blue and shiny Lamborghini weaves in and out of traffic on 5th Avenue in Sunset Park. Revving its engine as it passes taco trucks, garbage and miscellaneous jaywalkers.
October 1, 2024: Imagine a vast empty desert with a worn, hand painted sign that reads, “Civilization.”
September 27, 2024: The magical clearing of the air as a bunch of chatty tweens gets off the bus.
September 26, 2024: The child’s screams are drowned out by the bustle of the Avenue.
September 24, 2024: The brisk air of fall reminds you of the hunger in the evening.
September 19, 2024: The world is too sad to believed. You couldn’t make it up despite wishing you could.
September 16, 2024: His stomach was like a small personal black hole; sucking all of his energy. From his arms, his legs and his head.
September 15, 2024: Contorted man in a walker crossing under the BQE. Cris-crossed like a spider contorted by itself; screams to himself by the construction barrier and the bridge.
September 14, 2024: I am grateful to the powers that be that I was able to ride my bike today.
September 12, 2024: Innovating better ways to cry since 1968.
September 10, 2024: Who the fuck are you cat? And where did you come from? Can’t tell if the young guy in the park sitting under a tree is yelling in Chinese at the rat, the squirrel or me; we’re all equal targets. Chinese yelling guy gets up and walks away. The neighboring pigeons take his place; gleaning […]
September 9, 2024: Bald hoodie beardo on the bus. Watching YouTube reels while wearing your ragged shorts and tired black sneakers. Wonder when you’ll get off?
September 8, 2024: The fleeting redemptive healing power of a tortured rich kid slumming on an indie rock label. The rich kid indie label releases their friend’s rich kid caterwauls to the dilettante rubes in the indie rock peanut gallery. Children galavanting in the community garden. Blowing bubbles and chasing each other while stuffed animals on a nearby […]
September 4, 2024: Norman Fell was the Don Cheadle of his day.
September 3, 2024: Someone who knows more than you is no more an expert than you are ignorant.
September 1, 2024: Anxious for the wind on an early September day. The lingering malaise of the first overcast, foggy day in September.
August 31, 2024: The birds are always there for your inadvertent mistakes and overt kindness.
August 24, 2024: Porsche SUV parked at the bus stop revs up and speeds away.
August 3, 2024: No creases on my skin that I’ll admit to. It takes a rich person in a poor neighborhood to appreciate decay.