Bike log, vol 4 - New Jersey Edition
Missy | October 19, 2008
This version looks so much more impressive, doesn’t it? Too bad it was only 23 miles. (Not always an easy 23 miles, considering the hills in Palisades Interstate Park…my knee started making snapping noises with every rotation at around mile 4. I could swear I rode further than this map indicates–the equivalent of the tip of Manhattan–but I didn’t know where I was or where I was going, so who knows.) UPDATE I screwed up the map - I did ride further! About 4.5 miles–the equivalent of Yonkers on the NYC/Westchester side, probably the top edge of the above map–before turning around.
Not knowing a priori how many miles I would be covering in New Jersey, I made the decision to take the A train to 168th Street instead of riding ~12 miles just to get to the place where I really wanted to start riding, which was the GW Bridge. Holy moly! It’s so high! The nice thing is, there is no loitering on that bridge–no, really, there’re “No Loitering” signs–which is so, so different from the Brooklyn Bridge. That makes for a more peaceful ride.
I’m not bummed about the mileage–today was about seeing fall foliage and, considering I spent over 5.5 hours yesterday getting to/from and sitting through the opera, I wanted time to enjoy my weekend at home, which is to say, watch Season 2 DVDs of 30 Rock. But back to the foliage for a sec. This is pretty much what I saw on my route today:
Okay, you win this one, New Jersey.
Then I came home and washed my hands and face and shot a selfie immediately after, still all red and freckly.
This may be my last big ride for awhile.
Weekend update
Missy | October 12, 2008
Mihow looks at photo listings and drinks a Genessee Cream Ale at the Quality of Life show at Factory Fresh in Bushwick, featuring photography by Jake Dobkin, Sam Horine, Luna Park, and Street Stars.
At Floyd Bennett Field. If you post a sign that says “Danger Area Closed Keep Out” next to a door opened wide enough for a human body to slide through, what do you think is going to happen? That’s right.
Bike log, vol 3
Missy | October 11, 2008
I haven’t been commuting to work by bicycle lately because I prefer to go early to avoid traffic (not that avoiding traffic in New York City is possible) and to go to the gym for a bit before showering there. But, I must be super sensitive to daylight because I can’t get my ass out of bed in the dark. Hence my weekend rides to make up for it.
This morning I started to create this map, then stopped because I was afraid of what it would tell me and then I would talk myself out of the ride. At the end of it, my body estimated 35 miles. The map told me 49. 49!?!?>%$#@?! Maybe 47, because the Cross Bay Bridge was closed to pedestrian and bike traffic so I had to improvise with the train to get to that island in Jamaica Bay. Of course, I made stops along the way–Floyd Bennett Field, Breezy Point and Rockaway Beach, Canarsie Pier. I got to see Marine Park and Howard Beach, which I found rather peaceful until Wikipedia informed me of its mafia presence.
I started to worry that I might not make it home before it started getting dark (I began my journey around 11am). I also wanted to drop dead during the last, oh, 15 miles. My stash of LifeSavers for sugar kicks did not go far enough in saving my life. I got punched in the face with the sun and the last of this year’s freckles. A fly flew into my ear and buzzed around in there for several hysterical seconds. My toenails hurt. I intend to be supine for the rest of the weekend.
Pictures to come!
Hooked on iPhonics
Missy | October 9, 2008
Now occasionally slightly bigger. No less arbitrary or of shoddy quality.
(L) The Prince Street subway tile, inspiration for my online avatar (Flickr, Twitter, etc). I related most to the grandma figure.
(R) Selfie in my bathroom mirror, on the way to the NYFF opening film & party. Too bad you can’t see my awesome Alice + Olivia dress (the whole outfit was pretty much exactly as you see in the link). The jacket was a last-minute add-on because I thought it was going to be cold. It was not. It did, however, mist throughout the evening yet we nevertheless chose to stand in the outdoor garden at Tavern on the Green.
Remember when I said my iPhone performed better than my film SLR, at least in terms of light sensitivity? Proof.
Sally Hawkins, the brilliant Mike Leigh, and Scott Foundas at the Q&A following the NYFF screening of Happy Go Lucky. Hawkins’ Poppy will annoy the shit out of you but, if you’re patient, it’ll all pay off.
Attractive man with casual style scribbling mathematics in a notebook (sorry you cannot see it) on the subway? A Listen Missy version of, “Hellloooo, nurse!” He was impervious to both my camera and my googly eyes.
(L) Giacometti. Just because.
(R) One day I walked into my 8-unit building and saw this pile. None was for me.
Oct 9, 2008. The Dow fell another ~680 points. News crews are all over Wall Street. I suppose there is no other story right now.
Best damn tapper, most smartest
Missy | October 6, 2008
Recently I was looking for something fun to do–not that I ordinarily do unfun things–and on a whim I signed up for a tap workshop. I got my tap shoes today and, you guys, it’s taking every ounce of my being not to tap around the apartment. I can hardly stand it.
I make mistakes
Missy | October 5, 2008
Gabe Levine is possessed by the music.
Last week I saw Takka Takka, possibly my favorite Brooklyn band right now–fightin’ words considering TV on the Radio released their best record to date less than two weeks ago. There are so many elements to Takka Takka’s songs to pick out and appreciate; lately I’ve been really into the percussion parts. Anyway, this post is not about Takka Takka but instead a story about my shortcomings as a photographer. As a fan, I was excited to shoot them, now that I’d stocked up on 3200 speed film (actually, I now need to re-up) and especially because they were playing the Mercury Lounge, which is small enough to be conducive for getting up front and taking photos. On my way out the door, however, I reached for my 24-120mm lens instead of the individual 50mm and 28mm lenses for a little bit more flexibility but I forgot that what the lens offers in focal length, it loses in aperture. Worse, the Mercury Lounge folks (or, perhaps, the band) decided not to light the band from the front. An f-stop of 3.5 meant I didn’t stand a chance in heaven or hell. My meter was telling me–and I’m quoting this verbatim, “You’re kidding, right?” I fussed in Photoshop for days but this was the best I could come up with.
The band’s website is here. Please check them out immediately and look for them at CMJ.
Bike-o-rama
Missy | October 4, 2008
Today’s ride took me to Coney Island, around Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge–including the Shore Parkway Greenway that runs under the Verrazano Bridge– and through Sunset Park for a total of 26.3 miles. It felt like it, too, let me tell you. The Gmaps pedometer claims I burned ~2700 calories, which seems preposterous but if it means I can stuff all of the food, everywhere, into my maw, then okay.
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Listening
Unmap
Volcano Choir
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Reading
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again
David Foster Wallace
