in non-Halloween New York happenings

So on Tuesday morning I made a pilgrimage to my Fake Bank in my old hood and while I was there went to The Garden to pick up my usual sandwich (seriously, all I have to do is walk up to the deli and say "my usual" and they make it)--sourdough baguette with fresh mozzarella, these delicious sundried tomatoes that are more sweet than savory and arugula. And ample olive oil. To consume during (an all-too-brief) lunch in the park with akozorez. Anyway, as I was paying, I noticed the following donation box at the register. I just asked theophile if it seemed as insane to him as it did to me, and he validated my WTF reaction.

Let's play WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE (literally):


Also on Wednesday I was taking a bus from the Upper West Side down to Union Square to meet Maoist Boss for a bit at the WORLD CAN'T WAIT rally. Naturally, the entire perimiter was crawling with cops and the bus was moving very, very slowly. Like, it literally took 10 minutes to get from 18th street to 14th street. Across the aisle from me was sitting an old couple--both of them must have been in their late seventies or eighties, very well-dressed and affluent-looking, the woman had old-time expensive jewelry, and they were talking about the traffic, and wondering what was causing it. As the bus inched past Union Square they looked out the window and saw the rally and the woman said "oh, that must be why, there is something going on." She asked me: "dear, do you know what is happening there?" I said, "yes, there is a rally at noon today." "Oh," she said. "What is it for?" I said that it was against Bush and the war. "Oh," she said determinedly. "That is worth being stuck in traffic for." IT WAS SO CUTE! Then the bus driver joined in and we spent the next 10 minutes talking about how the war is illegal and immoral and how Bush should be at the Hageu. I asked if they wanted to go, and they said they couldn't, but the old woman said in her very old, crackling voice, "but you go, honey, and give them hell for us."

And that is why I heart New York.





Also it's either flood or famine with movies for me, after not seeing any movies in the theater for months, I saw two this week: "Shopgirl," with ID on Tuesday, and "Everything Is Illuminated" with annabelle last night. I had mixed feelings about the latter (still maintain that Elijah Wood has only two facial expressions, some of you have seen me imitate them, also it was unclear why, given that it was a film about and Jewish self-hatred in the historical context of anti-semitism, the word "Жид" that is thrown around in every other sentence in Russian in the first half of the film was consistently subtitled as "Jew" rather than "Kike," which would have certainly been an absolutely accurate translation, and one which would have made a lot more sense, given that the characters mean to be derogatory), but "Shopgirl" was, surprisingly, better than I had expected. I mean, I assumed I'd enjoy it because it is the sort of film that I enjoy, but I also ended up liking it, which was unexpected. Perhaps I just appreciated Clare Danes basically playing Angela Chase, ten years older, again, since I loved her in that role and not so much in anything since.

Anyway, I have pumpkin ale to drink now.