Uncategorized – Mitchell's thoughts, photos, etc.

A Great Opera

Marc and Alana loved “La bohème.” They knew they would. This was their thirteenth time seeing it. They knew the fourteenth and fifteenth viewings were on the way. The two turned their iPhones on as they exited the opera house.

Marc had his usual sports and market notifications from Apple News. But what caught his eye was that the woman who was attacked near Lincoln Center passed. Marc flashed his phone in front of Alana’s eyes. The two of them looked at each other and slowly cracked smiles. They would never want to hurt anyone. They only use their powers for good. Before Anat turned to their side, they never sought to kill her. All they did was slow her down. But this woman was so evil and did vile things that they always believed the world would be better off without her. They decided they would toast Christy when they got their beers.

The two got into the restaurant and ordered PJ Clarke’s proper fish chips with mugs of Stella Artois. They raised their glasses and saluted Christy. But they also knew they needed to keep close watch on her. She was deadly. She could go after decent people. They texted Anat to check in on their kids and inform her of what happened.

Anat knew of the not-so-dearly departed beast. She knew she’d raise a glass as soon as her babysitting duties ended. She would never drink while minding the children.

When Anat fought, she would never have killed anyone. This holds even when she was evil. She just wanted control and to put her enemies in their place. She and Jen even made up for what happened in camp when they were kids. Christy is a different character.

But they were pleased that the woman she took out is dead. They would have never killed that slob. Odds are, they would have never even attacked her. That is, unless she did something to them. The beast hated Marc the most. But she had issues with the others. She had issues with everyone. The world was now a better place. But they would have to stop Christy.

The Art of Being Thankful

By Mitchell Slepian

Is saying thanks over? Is an auto thank you note received from organizations that you donate to in memory of someone or to help someone fundraise for a cause enough?

We all know that as soon as you donate online, most organizations send you an automated thank-you message. Yes, I donate to a few places that do not do that. They do not even send out traditional thank-you notes or acknowledge it when they say ‘you’. I am not talking about a small donated. But even that deserves it. I recently did the NY AIDS Walk. People donated anywhere from $10 to $100 to help my fundraising effort. Yes, the GMHC, which sponsors the walk, sends the automatic email to the donor and to me as the fundraiser.

I personally thanked everyone as soon as I saw they donated. In most cases, I did via a personal email. I made a few calls or did it in person. After the walk, I sent a few pictures and wrote a cheesy thank-you note quoting my favorite show, “Rent.” I included a few images from the walk and noted the total. Some people wrote back and congratulated me. I hope to do better next year.

Recently, I attended a few or two. I made donations to the places the deceased’s family asked mourners to donate. I got the note from the organization in the mail fairly quickly. All noted that they told the families. They never wrote back.

Years ago, a co-worker of mine gave birth to a girl. I sent a Baby Gap gift card. She sent an email to thank me. Some people mentioned that she should send a traditional note. I said, thinking she probably thought it was a waste of paper. For the record, I hate using stamps. But do when I need. I used to wait in line at the post office and buy one stamp. I know how to buy books of stamps. I usually lose them. Lo and behold, a few weeks after she sent the email, she sent a personal thank-you note via snail mail. Class.

As technology forges ahead, some remain traditional and classy. Some forget to.

Christy Gets More Violent

Christy was near Lincoln Center. She was not on the campus, certainly, nowhere near the fountain that Marc loves so much. The usual crowd heading to the theaters was round and about. She was watching them.

She noticed a disgusting woman, who was about 5’2 and slightly overweight, and was wearing glasses. The woman was texting on her phone using Siri. The sound of her voice nauseated Christy. She made herself sound important. At least she tried to. Christy heard such arrogance in this heinous specimen’s voice. She stood there waiting and listening. She knew she had to attack. It was a matter of timing.

The woman put her phone into her purse. As she was zipping it, stale, moldy bread landed between the zipper’s threads. All of a sudden, pieces were flying all over. They were smacking her in the head. They got caught in her eyes. One piece belted in the back. Christy just wouldn’t let up.

Turns out Marc and Alana were on their way to the opera. They were only a few blocks away and in their own world. Their twins were at Anat’s, smiling as they were eating baby food. Anat has turned into quite the mommy.

Marc and Alana were excited to see “La Boheme” for the 12th time. They couldn’t get enough of it. They knew they’d keep seeing it every opera season. Sometimes they’d see it more than once. They were heading to the brunch at the Smith before the matinee. Once it concluded, they’d wind up at PJ Clarke’s.

Christy was still attacking this woman, who was now wheezing around on the concrete and barely able to breathe. People were gathering around her. Christy was now perched atop the roof of David Geffen Hall. She was no longer slinging bread.

Sirens were blaring as Marc and Alan approached Lincoln Center. They saw pieces of bread all over. They knew what happened. They sensed Christy was nearby. They saw the EMTs pull up and lift the woman onto a gurney. Marc froze.

He knew the woman Christy attacked. He did not like her at all. The two used to fight at an old job like cats and dogs. Marc never wanted to see people get hurt. But in his mind, he was not upset that this woman was being rushed to the hospital. He overheard the EMTs say she was not breathing and had a lot of blood loss. They weren’t sure if she was going to make it. Tough as it was for him, he cracked a smile. This woman was the beast from hell.

What Do People Want to Read?

Where Do Their Interests Lie?

By Mitchell Slepian

We all know we are swamped by too much copy. Whether it be news, fiction, non-fiction, or social media posts. We can agree that social media falls between fiction and non-fiction. We all know people who swear by it and believe everything that’s posted.

Some of you know, for many years, I have been working on a graphic novel. It is taking too long. I need an illustrator. For those of you following, Marc, Alana, Anat, and the rest of the bunch, I thank you. There will be more soon enough.

The questions on my mind are: What are people interested in reading, and how can I get them to read it? As a PR professional, I was taught that when pitching a journalist, I need to explain why a story is newsworthy and why readers will care. I remember creating the American Institute of CPA’s (AICPA) Economic Outlook Survey Index. The AICPA had an economic outlook survey. No one cared about it. Duke University and CFO Magazine partnered on one. Several other universities had a survey I wanted ours to reach new heights. At the time, we did it with North Carolina State University. I spoke to trusted reporters at Bloomberg, Dow Jones Newswires, and a few other media outlets. The journalists told me to create one index. I got approval and did it. I offered embargoed data to Bloomberg, Dow Jones, and The New York Times. All of them ran it. That was in 2011. The survey continues to run and gets top-tier media coverage. I have long left the AICPA. But now I was able to create something that people wanted to read.

I have been writing blogs on many topics, including but not limited to AI and how it is shaping our future, Coney Island, how people try to sit anywhere at shows and games at Madison Square Garden, Yankee Stadium, and other venues, the Staten Island Ferry, etc.

The Drop on the Cyclone, Luna Park, Brooklyn, NY

My blog about Coney Island and the Ferry got many clicks. The AI blog got several comments on LinkedIn. But one person read it. Weird. I wrote about LinkedIn. People did read it. Did it reach the numbers of Coney Island and the ferry? Not even close. I know from my PR work that certain industry trades carry a lot of weight. Their circulation numbers are not high. But consistent placement in those outlets leads to top-tier media, such as The Wall Street Journal.

The Ferry Sailing By the Verrazzano–Narrows Bridge

I know my blog posts are not at the level of the top trades and media. But I have a small but growing following. My AI post would have opened up new areas. Maybe we haven’t gotten there with AI yet. Or we are over exposed, and people are taking a break from reading about it.

The question remains: are people more interested in things that are changing and reshaping our world? Or, would they rather read about the things they grew up with and are closest to?

Is AI Really That Smart?

Or Is It Just a Tool?

By Mitchell Slepian

We are all using AI. We are all worried about it. Will it cancel our jobs? Will it take over? How useful is it? Will we see AI-created art the next time we visit the Guggenheim?

We are the beginnings of a new phase. We could be a little further into it. The questions raised are is it smarter than us? There are many answers. To begin, we have seen so many industries change. At one point, there were a few news stations we’d watch on our TV sets. Then came 24-hour cable news programs. Now they stream and it is all over social media. We used to listen to music on records, reel-to-reelss, 8-track, the trusty old cassette, and then the “modern” CD. Now we listen to it digitally on our phones, laptops, Alexa, etc.

I just completed working on a video for an organization I chair. The producer used Speechify for the narration. Did it solve our needs? Did it create more work? Yes and No. Sure, it took the voice narrative and created a transcript. It saved time. Did it spell things right? No. Con Edison became “Khan Edison.” We didn’t have Star Trek characters in our video. I wish. Did it spell people’s surnames right? Yes and No. A few times, it spelled a name correctly at the beginning of the video and butchered it elsewhere. Did it pronounce things right? Yes and No. It can’t capture ethnic accents. It certainly provided a lot of help. But we wanted our video to sound authentic, with that Brooklynese and Staten Island sound. Was it useful to our process? Totally. What did we learn? The apps are super helpful. Are they foolproof? No. Should we continue to use and expand our use? Yes.

There are tools like Grammarly to do grammar checks. Word does it. Do they get everything? No. These tools often make mistakes with proper nouns and trademarked names, and they are obsessed with the Oxford or serial comma. Some style manuals (APA and Chicago) use it. At the same time, some (AP) does not. Wordsmiths will continue to debate this. Do we need the clarity it provides, or should we save space? Will AI learn this? Will it make suggestions to steer you in the right direction? I bet it will.

These tools suggest other words than what you wrote. Are they accurate? It is a mixed bag. You can run the same copy through the app multiple times. Try using different apps. It is like looking at multiple weather apps. One says rain. The says heat wave. These apps have similarities. It often gives different grades and suggestions each time. You can get a 100 on round two and a 94 on round three. I doubt that in the span of five minutes, it is being reprogrammed to catch new things. But it does clean things up and gives you a good idea of what needs improvement. It is up to you to use the tools to fix things.

AI works great when building press lists for PR pros. It can do a deep dive into a media outlet and pull up key contact information, deadlines, and submission requirements. It is great when doing research. It is great when doing background information on companies you want to do business with. Sometimes, using Google’s Gemini or X’s Grok, you get quicker results than searching a corporate website.

But when using it, you must verify. Do some quick research to make sure things are accurate. Proof it. Do not trust it 100 percent. It will always get better and become a more useful tool. Of course, we need to remember it is only as smart as those who programmed it. But in many ways, we are getting smarter by challenging ourselves to be more innovative.

Is That Seat Available?

Did You Purchase it?

by Mitchell Slepian

I regularly attend concerts, movies, the theater and Yankee Games. Venues include Madison Square Garden (MSG), City Winery, the Beacon and the Stadium. In most cases, the seats are assigned because the other audience members and I purchased specific seats.

Sure, there are occasions where the shows are general admission seating or standing room only. I am not a fan of this, but I have learned to live with it. There are some venues where I can stand it. Those include the Brooklyn Paramount (maybe because it is across the street from the original Junior’s) and Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport. Irving Plaza is ok. Terminal 5 and Webster Hall suck.

About two weeks ago, I saw Florence and the Machine at MSG. I’ve seen Florence many times. She rocks. I had a decent seat. The two seats in front of me were empty for the opener. I was happy. I always want those seats empty. It makes it easier for me to see the stage. Two women sat in those seats. Were these their seats? No.

They looked and said, “Oh, open seats.” Yeah, it’s like a movie theater. The people who had the seats arrived just as Florence took the stage. The people left. They did say, “oh we are down this aisle. But we saw open seats and thought we’d take them.”

They got up, and the rightful occupants sat down, and Florence and the Machine were amazing. This is far from the first time this has happened.

Last week, I was at the Stadium. We beat the Orioles 11-3. I was in my usual spot (Section 232A). For several innings, the seats next to me were empty. Eventually, a friendly family sat next to me. They were up and down a lot. People were seated in front of me. They, too, were up and down a lot. I do not understand how you cannot be there for the first pitch and can miss an inning. During the sixth inning, when I get online for ice cream, I watch the game on the TVs by the concession stand. So, the seats ahead of me were empty. People came over and asked the folks next to me if anyone was seated there. They said yes. But they have not been there for an inning or two. The people who asked for those seats planted themselves in them.

The Stadium has the handicapped seating area near my section. People plant themselves there. Thankfully, the ushers do make them leave. But not right away. They used to have ushers in all sections and kept out those who were not supposed to be seated in a particular section. The Garden and Radio City try. But they don’t always succeed. Broadway and Lincoln Center generally get it right. It’s time to bring the ushers back to the other venues. It is time for people to understand it’s not a free-for-all.

A Trip to the Bronx Zoo

Jen decided to take Benjamin and Jerry to the Bronx Zoo. The real one. Not the Stadium. One day, they will get there. Despite Anat’s sick loyalty to the Red Sox, Jerry decided he loves the Yankees. He only wished he were old enough to have seen the Core Four. Oh well.

Everything was great. Jen had stuff under control. Ben and Jerry were becoming good friends. Benjamin was a grounded kid and not as goofy as Mom. But he had his moments. He was dancing with the lowland gorilla. He only wished he really were with him, and that the gorilla was not in a cage. But he watched it and danced along. Jerry liked the serpents and tigers. Jen was all smiles and bought the kids ice cream. That turned into a mistake when it wound up all over them. But they are kids and were having fun.

They were meandering over to see the giraffes. That is one of Marc’s favorite animals. As they passed the elephants, Jen got hit in the head with a moldy piece of bread. She was knocked to the ground. Benjamin ran over to his mom. She was scraped up and slightly bleeding. More bread was flying their way. It missed.

Jerry saw Christy launching her bread near the elephants. She was hanging off a tree like a monkey. Jerry needed to test his aim. He usually shoots his olives at a more direct target. He’s never shot at someone swinging off a tree branch.

Meanwhile, Benjamin got napkins and was wiping his mom’s face. She got up and kissed him. Jen was shaken. But okay. Jerry launched his first round of olives. A few missed. But one hit Christy on the arm, causing her to fall into the water that the elephants were drinking. She panicked. One of the elephant’s trunks was slapping water around to cool down and to communicate with his fellow elephants. Christy was getting soaked. She tried to stand up and get to the fence. She tripped and wound up back in the water. She was getting quite dirty.

Jerry waltzed over to Jen and Benjamin. He was all smiles when he was Jen was ok. They carried on and went to see more monkeys.

Seeing Things Through a Different Lens

By Mitchell Slepian

Do you ever try to see things through a different lens? Are you so stuck in your usual way of thinking that you cannot? It might even scare you to try to look. The other day, I was at Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. I was thrilled to see that the plaza renovation is finally complete. It made the fact that I looked through a different lens even more special.

Normally, when I stroll through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, I have my camera with my Nikkor105MM F2.8 macro lens. That’s the lens that lets you to closeups of the flowers. You can shoot shots of the bees flying around and landing on the pretty flowers. Perhaps they are fetching honey. That’s an old joke from a camp skit. The lens allows you to take close-ups of a nice ribeye with that glass of red behind it and hashbrowns on the side.

I love shooting macro. But it doesn’t allow you to go wide or zoom. You are at a fixed focal length. That’s cool. Most of the best portrait and street photos are shot that way. I have taken dozens of floral shots with my 105 mm lens. I have been contemplating going to the BBG with a different lens. I finally did. I brought a Nikkor 24-70MM F2.8. Some call this the everyday lens. It is amazing. It gives you the versatility to do nearly everything. It doesn’t go as wide as a standard wide-angle. Nor does it let you zoom like the 70-200MM. It goes from wide to short telephoto. It is light and won’t weigh you down. It is a great choice when you wanna go out with just one lens and not be weighed down by your camera bag.

As I walked by Prospect Park towards Grand Army Plaza, I was shocked to see that the renovation work was complete. It took about two years. For NYC, that’s super-fast. They’ve been doing track work on the R-subway line for several years with no end on the horizon.

I was so happy I took my 24-70 lens. The macro would have done a great job. But framing the shot would have taken much longer and been more difficult. The other lens allowed me the flexibility I needed. Yes, I tried to take a shot of the Brooklyn Museum. No dice. I need my wide-angle lens. If the museum were about a half-foot smaller, I could capture it.

As I entered the garden, I took my usual opening shot of the field and was able to capture it all. I was able to shoot the ponds and capture them perfectly. As for the close-ups of the flowers, it did okay. It captured them nicely. Does it capture the same detail as the macro? No. But that’s why they make that lens.

Bottom line: seeing things through a different lens opens your eyes to new things. Give it a try.

Video Review

Marc and Alana reviewed the video. They paid careful attention to Christy A. They were ready for her. They saw how evil she was and wanted to put an end to her nastiness. They had no idea where she lived. Marc used a face ID app to learn more about her. She has a very low profile. But he found enough. He figured out she lived near Avenue J and Coney Island Avenue. That’s only a few stops on the Q to Coney Island.

Marc didn’t want to spend his time tracking her. But he wanted to know her general whereabouts. He did not know she was related to Jay. Not that makes a big difference. He did not want to fight a teen. But he didn’t want his kids fighting her. At least not yet. They were just a few months old and learning. They were still in diapers and being nursed by Alana. Marc figured they needed to learn more control. It amazed him how quickly they could snap in and out of their super characters. But he’s not surprised. Unlike the other offspring, both of Marc’s kids’ parents have superpowers. This made them particularly powerful.

They wanted to keep things peaceful for their kids’ first Passover. They enjoyed their matzah, wine, grape juice and some fresh fava beans. Alana knew if Christy came after her kids when they went to Coney Island or Brooklyn, it’d be four against one.

Christy Keeps Attacking

The weather was getting nicer. Denos Wonderland and Luna Park recently held a blessing ceremony for the Wonder Wheel and Cyclone. The Polar Bears were getting ready to be Solar Bears. The lines at Nathan’s were getting longer, and people were able to sit outside and munch on their hot dogs without freezing.

Christy was excited. More people on the boardwalk gave her more targets. She had no particular care about who she attacked. Anyone was a target. The NYPD had its hands full with her. She launched her moldy bread everywhere. She was just wild.

Turns out she’s Jay’s cousin. But the two of them haven’t spoken in years. Jay is still getting high and fighting with glass. He still wants Jerry back from Anat. That wasn’t going to happen. Jerry was getting powerful and is now old enough to really understand how he wound up with Anat. He’s a happy kid. He enjoys doing all the things little boys do and cannot wait to be old enough to ride the Cyclone. He loves the Wonder Wheel and the kiddie rides at Denos and Luna Park.

Christy was going after the little kids who were waiting in line with their parents at Nathan’s. The NYPD tried to stop her. But she moved fast. They had no intention of opening fire. But knew if she didn’t stop, they might have to fire warning shots. Or fire at her.

She was firing off bread like the world’s best reliever was able to fire off his cutter. She wound up hitting the wrong person – Jerry, who was there with Anat. Suddenly, she was splattered with olives. Anat watched. She didn’t want to hit a teenage girl. But if she had to, she would. Jerry launched olives as if they were being fired out of an Uzi. Olive oil followed his shots, making her slip. He tried to run over to her. But Anat held him back. She thought he did what he had to do. Christy got up and started firing at Jerry. He fired back. Anat’s watchful eyes didn’t move. People were running away from Nathan’s. No one wanted to get hurt.

Christy kept firing. Jerry got nailed in the head. He stumbled. But regained his footing. Anat had had enough. She launched apricots, dates, and raisins. She was ready to fire off prunes. But Christy started running to the beach. Jerry looked at Anat and started to run after Christy. Again, Anat pulled him back. Christy reached the beach and jumped into the magical waters of Coney Island. She did a few laps and went under. She came up firing soggy bread at those walking around.

Jerry aimed from the edge of the boardwalk and nailed her in the chest. She went down in the water. But bounced up. Jerry fired away. Anat was shooting a video and sending it to Alana and Marc.