It was a lovely weekend, and end to a very pleasant week in NYC. I haven’t been reading as much as I’d like, but I am slowly easing back into my fiction and non-fiction as we head into the fall, and the weather begins cooling.
I finished Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson. this week. It is a hopeful, albeit dark vision of the immediate future. The message that we are going to have to radically rethink the economy and society to address the future right around the corner left me thinking deeply about what I am building and contributing to the conversation. I really love the way Kim Stanley Robinson uses science in his writing—it leaves me something to aspire to in my own writing when it comes to technology.
I put on the Cat Stevens Tea for the Tillerman album this morning. I like to listen to it occasionally because it reminds me of my mother. I founded myself laying on the couch listening to Hard Headed Woman and smiling when I heard these lyrics.
I'm looking for a hard-headed woman (headed woman)
One who will make me feel so good
And if I find my hard-headed woman
I know my life will be as it should - yes, yes, yes
Then I time travelled back to my 15 year old self, and how I’d view myself now — using Cat Stevens as my time traveling machine. Guess Freud could find a few things to say about these emotions I am having listening to music on a Sunday morning.
Audrey and I went to see Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in Waiting for Godot. What an experience. What a masterful expression of the mundanity, absurdity, and pain of being a human being. All of the actors were amazing, but it was mind blowing to see Keanu and Alex together in real life. I couldn’t help but feel that they both were destined to do this theater production 35+ years after doing Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. I will remember and feel the experience that was on stage this week for the rest of my life. Thank you!
New York City recently updated their bicycle laws allowing police officers to issue a criminal summons instead of civil ticket. You can see its effect on the street, but you can also see how the legal system enforces along racial lines. While there are exceptions, most of the people you see stopping at lights and obeying the bicycle laws are black and brown, with white people on Citibikes just blowing through stop lights and hauling ass wherever they want, revealing how things work in America.
Audrey shared with me the Unbreaking Government project, where some amazing people have come together to document what is being dismantled and broken in the federal government during this administration. This gives me hope. I have been pretty depressed over what this administration has inflicted on many of the government agencies, and I am thankful someone has stepped up to document what has been broken so that when we get through this we can begin to rebuild.
I am so very thankful for my daily rides in Central Park. I can’t express just how beautiful it is in the park right now. There are some parts of the ride where both Poppy and I lean back and hold our heads up taking it all in—knowing just how special each moment is. We are so very fortunate to be alive today and living in New York City. I really have made it. Not just in a career sense, but life in general. I live in New York City and ride around in Central Park for 2 hours every single day—what more could a guy ask for!
I took another trip down to Philly this week for a workshop with my business partner Jerome. Well, technically I bypass Philly and stop in Paoli, PA. It is a cute little down about 20-30 minutes beyond Philly. We meet at a co-working space just outside of town. Our sessions are always non stop, with just a break for sandwiches in the cafeteria and dinner w/ ciders at a local pub downtown. I thoroughly enjoy building a business with Jerome, and will have more to share about what we are up too soon.
I got into a fight on 8th Avenue this week by the New York Times building. As I came to an intersection a young man was pushing a vendor cart in the bike lane. He wasn’t really pushing, someone else was, he was more flailing around and dancing. Anyways as I squeaked past at about 2-3 MPH his leg kicked the sidecars tire as we went by. He chased me through the intersection and jumped in front of the bike. I jumped off and pushed him away from Poppy. He came at her again and I told him to stay away from my dog and pushed him down. Then he started actually all crazy like in the movies—I got on the bike and left. Don’t mess with my dog!!!
Audrey and I are listening to some Jazz records acquired during our latest outing. I don’t have much in my life that I will drop money on without a second thought. Records are top of that list, and Jazz has seriously increased the dime i drop on records. Plus the Westsider Records where we went to is my second favorite record store, and when their new arrivals sections has some gems— I don’t miss a beat snatching them up, and I usually can’t resist picking up a couple newer albums as I make my way to the checkout counter.
The architecture in the Amsterdam neighborhood where the Westsider Records is located is my favorite. It is amongst the oldest neighborhoods in NYC, and clearly got some turn on the 20th century investment that still shapes the neighborhood today. I am always game for a stroll up to 72nd for a hot dog, record shop, or head over to Central Park and back. The neighborhood has a vibe that works for me, and if we didn’t love our apartment so much I’d suggest we get a place up there.
I had to feed Poppy breakfast Sunday morning because Audrey was running a race. If you aren’t aware, you can’t just serve Poppy a bowl of kibble to Poppy. If you do, she just sits there and stares at you. Poppy expects a sardine on top of her kibble every morning. It is just the way things are. You kind of need to be quick about it too, otherwise she will let know a little more forcefully than staring at you with those Rottweiler eyes.
We had some more tire issues this week. We had a flat on the front coming home on 8th Avenue. Then today we noticed our rear tire is a little worn and was starting to come through, so we replaced it before we set out this morning. However about halfway around the park we noticed the lip of the tire was off the rim in one place. We stopped and fixed it. But then noticed it was coming out again—so we headed home. I am guessing it was a faulty tire and the lip doesn’t catch on the rim.
My littlest sister is coming to town this week. Excited for her to see and experience New York City. I feel like Audrey and I have balance right now in our personal lives. I like being able to share that with my family. It jut continues to be the wider world that is out of balance. It hurts my heart to tune into the news and social media right now. It feels like they want everyone to suffer and be scared right now. I feel like resisting that is the most I can do right now. My greatest contribution is riding around the park with a Rottweiler in a sidecar making random strangers smile. It is the best I got right now.
Please take care of yourself and get offline this week, — Kin Lane
