things are gonna get worse

August 1, 2011

The wife says "I don't wanna be pessimistic but, things are gonna get worse."  Her general take on the world financial vibe has been spot on.  But I was not ready for some sketchy, scruffy dude on the 3 train to lick his lips and fire up his crack pipe in a pretty full car at 11pm last night.  That move has  not been in favor in two decades.  The thing about crack heads is that nobody wants to engage them because they are on the kooky unpredictable side.  So nobody says anything.

first bass

july 29, 2011

caught my first striper a few nights ago out near the Galls at marker 2 in nantucket.  Not a keeper but a beautiful fish in the moonlight nonetheless.  Sweet stars and a the sound of the drag getting pulled. YES!

consulting

July 7th 2011

Hoyt street Brooklyn.  Consulting for Edwin Gould.  Reading cases.  Looking at length of service, trends, making recommendations.  Life is a good.  There is even a unique store one block away.  Still looking for that elusive child welfare policy job.  The wife and kids are in DC hanging with Aunt Joan and HH DL.  I am playing frisbee and icing my ankle.

time flies

june 7th, 2011

the twins turn nine today.  Ben is getting a basketball and clare is picking out some new sneakers.  How did we get here?

don't know where else to brag

may 25, 2011

our stumpy corgi, clovis, has burgeoned into an accomplished frisbee dog.  I have done almost nothing.  I take her to the dog park. flip a fastback.  she runs/jumps and gets it.  Most of the time she brings it back. Repeat as necessary.  How crazy is this.  I just figured that it would take training and practice.

watching the world go by

May 12th, 2011

The last couple of mornings clovis and I have perched on the sunny bench outside the local coffee joint on 119th and Lenox.  i drink java, Clovis eats muffin crumbs and we watch the world go by.  Harlem has changed since I taught school near here at the height of the crack craze.  That deserted, jittery, where is 5-0 feeling is gone.  Replaced by Italian folks with maps looking for chicken and waffles.

After traveling to many places I can safely say that NYC is truly different.  Geneva, Vienna, Budapest, Beijing, Athens, Istanbul, Ulan Bator are all amazing.  But lenox and 119th is really a place where can watch the world go by during the time it takes to drink a large coffee.  Every language, every hairstyle, every shape, every color, every day.

people are still checking it out

May 2, 2011

Pretty cool that folks are still looking at the swampert blog even though I have not posted anything in a month.  The job search is nowhere near as exciting as the search for self, family and adventure.  However, I have had a chance to do some fun re-connecting and shmoozing with past supervisors/peers/ and potential allies.

Meanwhile we are almost fully ensconced in 4 bedrooms in Harlem.  Clare has already lost her student metrocard and the house is full of scholastic testing jitters.  Clovis seems a little down (probably missing Sherman, Polly and Dave) and somewhat confused by the aggressive posturing and smack talk by all the pit bulls in the Morris Park dog run.

This is the first neighborhood I have lived in where the coconut icy guy is a daily presence.  And even if I have to pay the "gringo price", how bad can things really be.

The artiste in residence has worked with a photo developer friend to enlarge, print and frame some of the best shots from the trip.  They are gorgeous and they are for sale (insert plug here.)

peace