Glass and Light

I thought tonight I would share some photos I've taken which show light and shadow on a few of the beautiful glass buildings in Manhattan.

The first photo is of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. After spending the day watching some great kids for a friend, we came out of the subway at 59th Street to see a large and ferocious-looking storm approaching. I told the kids we were going to make a run for their mom's office because we didn't have an umbrella and it looked like the rain would come any moment (though I obviously found time to stop and snap a picture). You can see the storm clouds reflected on the top portion of the buildings and the bright sky reflected below. I was pleased with the picture, but of course the image is not nearly as striking as the actual sight. (And in case you are wondering, we did make it indoors before the rain started.)



The next few photos were taken just outside of Ground Zero. SeaTac and I were on our way to meet friends at Michigan's place a few days before the September 11th anniversary. I attempted to take photos using a variety of settings on my camera, but one can only do so much with a point-and-click, so most of them did not turn out very well, but I did find a few interesting images. The glass building on the left is World Trade Seven.

A Fresh Job Idea

I have some great friends who pass along job leads to me when they find something that might be a good fit. Michigan sent me the following job post from Craigslist today. I really do need a job, but I'm not sure if this is the career path that I want to pursue.

need someone to sit on lap

Date: 2009-09-22, 5:45AM

I have bad back problems, and need someone to sit on my lap for four hours a day ,it helps me straigten my, back I know it sound weird but it helps , willing to pay ten dollars and hour for four hours , twice a week , has to be in good shape and looking for a male to do it because they are stronger to do this sort of job, if you are interested e mail , this is not bs ,you could watch tv, use computer I will even give you food, please respond , thank you

• Location: lynbrook
• This is a part-time job.
• Principals only. Recruiters, please don't contact this job poster.
• Please, no phone calls about this job!
• Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

Original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/lab/1386413954.html

To Remember and To Act

It's a blustery and rainy day in Borough Park. I love the feel of a cool and rainy September morning. One of the joys (and sometimes pains) of living in a mass-transit city is that you get to walk in the midst of the weather, instead of being more insulated and apart from it. As I was walking to the laundromat just before the rain this morning, I saw the flag at half-mast in the local elementary schoolyard, and the memory of September 11, 2001 came back strikingly clear. The weather today is much different from what I saw in New York on the television eight years ago, but somehow it seems fitting that the weather is so dreary on this day of remembrance. I don't remember feeling this sad about that day for a long time.

It is important and right that we move along and progress and improve after those terrorist attacks, but it is also appropriate and right to take time to remember and reflect and mourn the losses of that day as well. And I hope that in remembering, we will be motivated to make choices and take actions that improve ourselves and the world around us. It is fitting that the President declared September 11th a National Day of Service and Remembrance and that volunteerism was such a central theme of the memorial service in Lower Manhattan this morning.

These are pictures of the Tribute in Lights from 2008. The first picture is from City Hall Park and the second is from my fire-escape in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

Look! Up in the Sky....

....It's a bird!

It's a plane!

No! It's a cleaning lady!!

I was visiting some friends at the mid-town school office recently when Michigan noticed this woman holding onto a window so she could clean it. I estimated that she was probably about ten or eleven stories above 56th Street. We just stared at her in amazement... but not the kind of amazement which leads you to want to emulate the person you are amazed by. The kind of amazement that just makes it almost impossible to tear your eyes away from the person doing the stupid thing you are "amazed" by.

I suppose I should clarify that I didn't just stare at the woman. I obviously took the time to find my camera and take some pictures. Michigan was the compassionate one, repeatedly saying, "Please don't fall. Don't fall, lady. Please don't fall..." I mean, really? Come on, lady! How badly do you need the outside of those windows cleaned? If the windows were for her, then she needs to re-think her cleaning chart. If the windows were for an employer, either she's just an over-achiever, or those employers need to be taken to task for expectations that are WAY too high (no pun intended). We have equipment for those sorts of jobs!

I took a crummy video (I always forget I can't turn the camera sideways) that you are welcome to watch below.