Ramblings in The Borough

So I realize that I have not updated anything ina little while here, it's been pretty quiet in The Borough. With summer ending and most of the summertime festivities done and over for the season - there really hasn't been much to report.

Gives me an opportunity to do some ramblings about job hunting and taking naps in The Borough. But how boring is that? Yes, I continue to search for a job and clean my house.

There have been a few things I've taken part in - I continue to volunteer when and where I can for environmental causes, but my main focus has been writing those sharp cover letters and scouring job boards for suitable opportunities. Not the most exciting thing to write about.

For those who care, I'm still somewhat torn between selling my soul to corporate america for lost of cash and a job I can probably do with my eyes closed - and making a big change and getting into something a bit more socially meaningful and a much lower rate. It's a hard sell to change fields at this point - which is why I keep going back to what I know and do best. Meanwhile I'm painting - making new art all the time and having immense fun with the digital cameras (have I shown you my 700 underwater photos yet?).

I had dinner with some friends for Rosh Hashannah, and we ended up taking a walk through the Slope playing one of my favorite games "Remember when" trying to remember what storefronts had been there and me pointing out spots where I had spent time as a teenager. We perused the used book shop and strolled the avenue. It did give me warm and fizzy recollections of life here, even in the 90's when there was a large extended group of friends and we spent alot of time hanging out in various bars and locales in and around the slope.

Those nights at "The Toy Bar" with clanging noise makers and over-priced Yuenlings is over - the building looks like its been condemned and I wonder where the family has gone to. A number of the daughters were about my age and I remember running into one of them somewhere else and she smiled and came over, even though we had never really known each other - she took the time to come say hello. There was this camaraderie that made you feel like you were part of something special - and everyone knew you and your family.

The Slope is not like that anymore - well not for me anyways - most of the young urban hipsters live in that other borough called Williamsburg (but don't tell them they really live in Bushwick) and the Slope is filled with out-of-towners (we call them foreigners) that say "yes I live in Brooklyn now, we left Man-hattan for Park Slope, it's so lovely". If only I could beat people up for being pretentious.

Now I know I said I was not going to rant at all - the whole point of writing about life in The Borough was to go and see and do things and talk about them - shine a light on the positive but when your home (aka: The Slope) has turned into a baby-stroller nightmare. I miss the way it used to be and that's probably why I do all of my grocery shopping in Prospect Heights.

So I guess the point is that it's better to say nothing when you have nothing good to say.