October 18, 2003
As we Lefties obviously always do when we gather, we plotted the furthering of the Liberal Media’s anti-American agenda, including, but not limited to, cheering on the prospects of greater quagmire in Iraq and another million lost jobs; we also ate, drank and generally made much merry.Julia posted some snapshots of the Friday evening gathering at Brothers’ Barbecue in lower Manhattan; this one shows, from left to right, me, Carpe Icthus of The Sacred and the Inane, Dwight Meredith of the late lamented PLA (who flew up from Georgia!), Mary Beth Williams, and the back of Jim Capozzola’s head. There were lots of other bloggers and their S.O.’s scattered about, some of whom I never even managed to meet, and I’m not even trying to list them all.
The next day a very similar set of people gathered in Julia’s back yard in Queens to drink too much, apply fire to slabs of meat, sing Beatles songs, and plot to undermine America’s moral fi—oh, I’m sorry, we’ve already had that joke. Here’s a page of photos from Elayne Riggs of Pen-Elayne On the Web. To expand on the captions, “Seth” is the person known to an international audience of blog connoisseurs as The Talking Dog, whereas “Mad” is the indefatigable Madeleine Begun Kane. [08:29 PM]
I have got to do something about that double chin.
You could donate one for someone who needs a chin transplant. Then you'd be in trouble if something happened to the remaining chin.
I try to think of myself as garlanded in chin.
I'm not sure how much it helps.
You, on the other hand, when you're not looking down and over your shoulder, didn't have one that I noticed.
I clamp a document clip on the back of me neck to depluralize my chinular area. That's also an accupressure spot for my sore sciatic nerve, although while it's on I do tend to pull to the right when I walk.
If I hadn't been to the place myself (long ago) I wouldn't have believed the place in the pictures was Queens.
"If I hadn't been to the place myself (long ago) I wouldn't have believed the place in the pictures was Queens."
Er, why? What am I missing?
It's a variation of, and I think I'm quoting you accuratly, "Why, yes, a Tree Grows In Brooklyn. Matter of fact, millions of trees grow in Brooklyn."
To those of us not in NYC proper, NYC is those three streets in Manhattan they show all the time. Of course NYC (and Chicago) has areas of low density single family residences. But all the world sees is the concrete canyons.
So, the outer world experiences a disconnect when they see "suburbia" in Queens.
sheesh, you know I'd been feeling all left out 'cause I wasn't invited so I searched my Inbox and whaddya know - i was invited! Missed it or forgot or something...
Oh well. maybe next time.
Criminently. As Teresa just now remarked, we'd better make sure there's a next time.
As for trees and grass and detached houses and stuff, heck, we have miles and miles of that in Brooklyn, too.
But yes, as Erik says, there's a rock-solid belief out there in America Beyond New York, that New York City is an endless row of treeless concrete canyons. In fact, New York City is covered with trees. Even our not-especially-prosperous block in Brooklyn, right off grubby old Fourth Avenue, is lined with trees.
NYC has one of the highest urban concentrations of trees in the country.
-l.
Well, I hereby offer the urban north forty for next time.
I'll even start cleaning a week earlier.
My point: Julia's yard is not typical of Queens.
My view of NYC is not monolithic. But as I grew up on Long Island, and my mental image of Queens comes from what was visible from the LIRR and Expressway: Rather densely packed suburb.
It didn't help that the few off-the-highway places I regularly visited in Queens as a kid were rather densely packed suburb.
You know, I've been thinking about starting a blog now that typepad is out there making it easier for us non-techie types. If it'll get me invited to bbqs I'll really have to cave. I'm not wearing all black though.
MKK
Hard-Hitting Moderator: Teresa Nielsen Hayden.
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