Uncategorized – Page 7 – Mitchell's thoughts, photos, etc.

Marc and Alana take a ride

Marc has been in a state of depression for weeks. Alana played Bauhaus, The Cure, Depeche Mode and the Smiths to cheer him up. Yes, that music is some of the most depressing on Earth. But it helped those two. It helped Anat, too.

The place where he grew up is going away. The site with the Woodsman is going away. The land will still be there. But it may not fully be under their control. The spineless people who operate fell into a pit. They’ve never been the brightest. But the got even dumber. They’ve been this way all Marc’s life. His fadder, who went there, too warned Marc about them. His leader did the same. So did many others.

Marc and Alana were flying up there in her Infiniti. The Ramones were cranking. The boys from Forest Hills played an extraordinary role in his summer camp. We all know how Jen and Anat were enemies in camp. Later, they became friends. Jen will even attend Anat’s wedding. Yes, Marc and Alana discussed their wedding. Discussed was all they did. They laughed about walking down the aisle.

Alana pulled into the muddy parking lot. The gate was up. They decided to hike to Marc’s precious grounds. The grounds where he grew up, where he met his leader. Where he first heard the tales of and finally met the Woodsman. Marc knew it was all going away. He was shaking during his hike up.

Since they couldn’t drive up, he knew they would have to pass several buildings he spent time with him. The office was gone. He felt bad. But didn’t weep. He only went there to pick up the mail. He walked by where the dining should be. He saw an empty plot of land and chips of wood all over. A cabin or two that we used for handicrafts and other activities was not too far away. No more. Gone.

The shower house, which he rarely used, was nearby. No, he wasn’t a dirtbag. Marc showered in the more private single stall shower on his hill. He would do so at about 1 in the morning. He always showered in the dark. Sometimes the water heater that they housed from another site worked. Sometimes the shower was ice cold. He didn’t care. His eyes looked toward where the shower house would be. Gone. Tears were starting to form in his eyes. He supposed the site where a famous staff member who rocked in the dining hall and used to play with his little guy in was gone. He guessed the DNA evidence was bulldozed down.

They approached his hill. Alana was holding his hand. She knew his was a wreck. She started kissing him. She pulled out her iPhone and cranked “Pulling Mussels from the Shell,” which went into “I Wanna Be Sedated” and ended with “Come Together.” He got to the foot of hill. Sometimes he thought ty were fools on that hill.

He collapsed. His precious leanto was gone. He slept in it during his teen years. He and his leanto mate used to drink Genny Cream Ales in it. They ate Freihoffers cookies and ate sandwiches with red sauce from El Monaco’s. That restaurant has been gone for decades. His leanto mate loves to rest.

He couldn’t get up. When he did, he shot pomegranates, barley and honey everywhere. Alana stepped away. Marc continued like a mad man for over an hour. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to. But she started shooting him with wine. She thought she could harm him. She nailed him in the chest with an apple.
He ran toward her. He picked her up and held her. He was pure mush. Eventually, he put her down. They sat on the hallowed grounds where his leanto was. He was afraid to hike to the site of the tip-pan.

Anat is still mulling over calling her parents

Thanks to Jerry, Anat now has a heart. Her wedding was three weeks away and she still didn’t tell her parents. Of course, they haven’t spoken to each other in nearly three decades. She wondered if they’d even talk to her. She had no idea what they were up to or how their health was.

Anat dialed a few of the digits of their phone number. She held the phone for five minutes while deciding if she should type in the last digit. She placed the handset back in the receiver and had a shot of Arak.

Jerry just woke up. She smiled. He ran over to her. He had breakfast and started practicing firing olives. Anat was worried. She wanted him to be calm. She didn’t even understand why he had this power. She was her son. But not by blood. But that didn’t matter. Her love for him and his for her wrote over the blood relationship. They were a true family.

She mailed and emailed all the invitations. She was thinking of doing a dairy wedding. She knows a guy who has connections to a dairy farm. He’s known for getting the best milk and cheeses. Sometimes he’s busy cleaning some campsite. But he usually pulls through.

Meanwhile, Marc and Alana were tired of being continuously tested for COVID-19 to enter venues. Like everyone, they have had enough of the virus. They knew politics played a role in it from the beginning. And now, aså most believe, that’s all it is.

Jay knew about Anat’s wedding. He was planning to make an appearance.

Marc returns to camp

After Anat’s successful bridal shower, Marc borrowed Alana’s car and went up to camp. Marc was very worried about some of the campsites. The clowns that run this place, who call themselves professionals really screwed up.

Marc had to make sure the property was safe. Plus, he needed time in his old leanto, the lake and dining hall. If only his favorite latrine still stood. He would go pray by the tip pan. That’s all that’s left of the social center of his youth.

Marc pulled into the parking lot. The gate leading into the camp was closed. That never stopped anyone. He parked and climbed over the small chain. He hiked past the dining hall and ballfield. It was grown in. They couldn’t play softball or their special version of Ultimate Frisbee on it. He made a note to have the grass cut next time he came. He figured he and Alana could do it with their powers.

He saw some deer by path near the ‘ole campsite that an almost famous musician used to run. He stopped for a moment and searched his vaulted aisles of memory. Marc looked at his phone and say a what’s up text from Alana. He replied all was well. He was hiking up to his campsite. He planned on spending the night in his leanto. He had some food in his backpack. He’d light a cooking fire when he got to his spot.

Marc went to his leanto and placed his belongings in it. He walked over to the lake and jumped in. The water was cooling down. He swam for about an hour. He exited the lake and walked to the site of the waterfront his leader used when he was a kid. The docks were gone. But Marc knew where it was. There was a special pipe where the docks used to be. Marc took a look at the pipe and smiled. He jumped into to that section of the lake. He got out and walked to his site.

He lit the fire and started cooking his steak. He planned to bake brownies. The remains of a Dutch over were still in the site. It has been there for over three decades. He remembers when a kid lost the Dutch oven bakeoff and cried for days. Oh well.

Marc was expecting to be alone for the weekend. He played U2, Depeche Mode and the Psychedelic Furs. He was enjoying his steak when he heard noises. He looked around. He saw nothing.

He went back to his steak and Genny Cream Ale. He felt good. All of a sudden, he heard the cry of the mighty buffalo. He didn’t think the Woodsman was going to pay him a visit this time. He figured it had to be him. He was honored. He was ready.

Silently he approached Marc. He picked up a Genny and started drinking. Marc rose in his honor. The Woodsman smiled. He looked at Marc and smiled. He began to speak. Marc’s ears were ready.

“Marc, you did well at the Boathouse. Jay must be stopped. He will confront you again. Alana will be by your side. I’ve been watching you since our last meeting. She will always be by your side and you by hers. Before you leave this site, you must clean the side of the hill. The bozos that run this place have made a mess. When you’re done you must drink a glass of milk. When you’re done go look for a red bucket. I think you know what it’s used for. You will find answers to your next struggle in it.”

Marc remembered the legend of the bucket. It was started by a dear friend, uncle and leader. He and Marc’s leader ruled the camp back in the day. He felt their presence as the Woodsman and his herd of buffalo disappeared in the woods.

Jay Rises

Coughing like a maniac Jay rose from the lake. He wasn’t submerged for too long. His eyes were bloodshot. But they usually are. Marc saw him rising. He jumped off the roof of the Central Park Boathouse and landed in the water. He was firing pomegranates the whole time. Marc landed in the lake. Jay shot glass at him. Marc pelted him with the ‘ole camp standard—Dead fish. He wondered if Jay remembered this. Possibly. However, he and Marc weren’t in the same group. Marc’s group were the master of dead fish fights.

Fish guts were up Jay’s nose. While this was happening, park staff was rowing out to get the two out of the water. Marc was using fish v. his superpowers so he wouldn’t get caught. To protect Marc, Alana fired apples and wine at the rescuers. She didn’t want to hurt them. But knew protecting Marc’s identity was more important in the greater scheme.

The rescuers boats slowed down. As they stopped Marc grabbed Jay out of the lake and left him ashore. Marc ran into the bathroom of the boathouse to dry off. Alana fired several shots of wine at Jay. Several figs landed in his ears.

Meanwhile, the ladies were toasting Anat. Alana raced back in and grabbed a glass of wine.

Anat’s bridal shower

Ann came to visit Anat and Jerry. Part of this was mandated to make sure Jerry was okay. Anat was days away from legal adoption approval. Ann noted all was well and suggested they take a walk. Anat wasn’t in the mood to go out.

But listen to Ann she did. She was afraid of jinxing her quest to be a mom. They walked around for about 30 minutes or so and wound up at Strawberry Fields. Anat loved it there. They walked up to the Central Park Boathouse. As they walked in Alana, Jen, Dan’s mom and sister and some others surprised her. She was moved to tears. Marc was on the roof on standby to provide outdoor security. Dan was roaming around the building undercover. Dan still had no idea of Anat’s powers. Inside Alana figured she and Anat could handle any issue.

The afternoon moved on. Great wine was poured and delicious Icelandic salmon was served. All was quiet. Marc had his eyes on the lake. He saw Jay in a rowboat. He texted Alana. He decided not to text Anat. He didn’t want to ruin her party. He didn’t bother with Dan. He liked the guy and knew he was strong. But he was no match for Jay.

Marc didn’t want to wait for Jay to exit his boat. He fired pomegranates and honey. He had a direct hit with the honey his hands started sticking to the oars. Several pomegranate seeds wound up in his eyes. He dropped his oars into the water and panicked. He tried to grab them from the water. But he fell right in. Meanwhile, Alana was watching and shot wine into his ears and nose as he was falling in.

Mordaciously, Anat was talking to her soon to be sister-in-law and sipping chardonnay. She had no clue what was going on. Marc jumped off the roof and met Alana on the ground. They ran to the docks at the boathouse. They saw a Central Park staff member rowing out to help Jay. They did not want this. They fired more of their weapons at Jay while he was bobbing up and down. They tore into his life jacket. It fell off. Jay went under.

Pandemic Watch: NYC Subway: Now that’s Entertainment. Or is it?

By this point, most of us New Yorkers have ridden the subway. Some of us have ridden it many times. I took my first ride, June 2020 when they reopened barbershops. The subway cars were very clean and empty. I took several more rides as the summer progressed and haven’t stopped.

The rides were pleasant. But something was missing. Or was it? During the early rides, the “entertainers” were not there. ‘Ya know the people I am talking about – The dancers, gymnasts, singers, the people who do tricks with their dogs and of course the subway “religious leaders” who bless and praise everyone.

During my early subway rides, I marveled at the peace and quiet while reading a book on my Fire tablet. Although I found it pleasurable. I felt like something was missing. Several rides later one of the usual musicians came aboard with his guitar. He serenaded us with his voice as his fingers strummed. Naturally, he came around with his hat looking for tips. Some passengers tossed him a few coins or handed over a dollar or two. Most ignored him.

As time went on and more rides were taken the dancers were back. The gymnasts, the people who do backflips and pretend they are firefighters when they slide down the hand poles followed. So were the preachers and other philosophers. Long before Facebook had medical experts, philosophers and politicians, the NYC subway was chock full of them. It still is. It always will be.

Of course, now we have the people who need selfies of their shenanigans on the train. Heaven forbid they miss a chance to post to Instagram or Tik Tok. Last Thanksgiving, a mask less woman of about 20 years of age danced around an empty car while snapping shots of herself.

Sometimes you get lucky. You get a festival. This means you have battling actors, guitarists, drummers, singers, etc. All are vying for your attention and money. You always have the candy salesman. Some even take credit cards. These business persons will swipe your card on their device or walk off the train with it.

Well, I am glad they are back. Love ‘em or not they are part of our city’s culture and spirit. Now that we are living in a cashless society, I wonder how this affects the way they make their livings?

Time to get off the train. I am not worried about missing a performance. The subway stations are loaded with entertainers.

Marc wants people to write more maturely

Marc had a group of summer interns at his office. He’s only met one personally. Thanks to COVID-19, all work is done remotely. Marc doesn’t care. But he misses his office. He likes to talk baseball and Star Wars with his officemates. He doesn’t get the same satisfaction doing it online.

Marc finished a Zoom with his crew. They were sweet young college kids. He planned an end of summer lunch at PJ Clarke’s on the Hudson. He figured it’d be nice to get them together even it was a farewell.

Of course, he was annoyed at some of the kids, as he called them. They communicated mostly via text and emails. He hated the way millennials write. If he saw one more text that read, “Good morning! How are you? I am so excited to be working on this project!!!!!! I can’t wait to go to the lunch!!!! Thanks so much for planning it!!!!!” All these annoying chats contained emojis of cats, dogs, flowers, and hearts. It made Marc sick. He discussed this with Alana. She felt the same.

Marc got to Clarke’s early. He spent an hour or two shooting photos of the Hudson River. He needed a beer before the crew arrived. It would help him. Dani a sweet intern. Not too cute. But sweet arrived shortly after him.

Marc thought it was nice to meet in person. So did she. Immediately she was posting this to What’s App and Tik Tok.

Marc deleted those apps. They annoyed him. She knew that. So, she shoved her phone into his face to show him. She wore this big grin. He saw all the emojis and exclamation points. She smiled at her. She got excited and took a photo and posted it.

Again, she shoved her phone in his face. This time he had it. He looked at her and unleashed a few pomegranate seeds. He fought with both seeds and the whole fruit. Dani was hit right in the face. She dropped her phone and started to cry as she picked it up. She had no clue what happened. Since he thinks she’s a sweet kid he splattered her with honey. She was laughing and crying. He bought her a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The rest of the gang arrived and they settled in for lunch.

During the gathering, he thought about his actions. Marc felt bad. But he had enough of the poor habits today’s kids have. It was burning him for the last few months. He did mention it to his pool of interns. Some got it. Some never will.

Alana goes back to the office

Thanks to COVID-19 Alana had been working from home. Today she finally went back to her office. For the most part, she did like working there. The office was having its employees rotate-some days home-some days in-house.

Alana was happy to see Jill and Murray. They were her buds. She saw Bill in the corridor. He was a nice guy. An older fellow waiting for retirement. He no longer cared about work or anything. He had been demoted two levels. But kept his salary and other benefits. He was not shy about letting everyone know he was just biding time till he could walk out with the retirement plan he wanted.

Some people let it go. They knew he was harmless. He was never an aggressive leader. He was somewhat competent. Somewhat lazy. But a likable fellow.

Of course, Alana who was mild-mannered in the office hated him. She found him immature. She felt he held back other people with his laissez-faire, I don’t care attitude. They got along. But he was so lazy. That irked her. They smiled at each other in the hallway and went to their desks. No one had offices. It was the Bloomberg-style open seating. No one cared. Most wore their headphones and listened to the tunes of their choice. Alana was listening the “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” by Bauhaus. Her mix moved along to include the Sisters of Mercy, Siouxsie and the Banshees and for kicks Led Zep.

She plugged away. She went to the break room to get tea. Bill was there whining. She just shrugged her shoulders and got her tea. She went back to her desk. About an hour later she was in the elevator with Bill. They were going to buy lunch. They made simple chit-chat in the elevator.

Alana was pissed. She was not happy with the discussion with Bill. He was just getting under her skin. She knew how many people needed work and this piece of trash was just skating along. She always thought they should have let him go and brought in someone who would do the job and bring something to the plate. The only thing Bill brought to the plate was ham and cheese. The funny thing is he claimed it was kosher.

The two exited the elevator in the Rockefeller Center Concourse. Alana walked to the salad store. Bill walked to a sandwich shop. The concourse was empty. Alana stopped and watched him. These days she was not too aggressive. She knows what she can do. But Bill just made her angry. She launched an apple that nailed him in the back of the head. She did it for all the people who should get a break and have his job. Those who would work. Not drink coffee all day and bitch. He fell forward. She decided to drown him in wine. He wound up on the floor. Alana was about 10 feet away from Bill. He knew he was being attacked. But had no idea by who. While on the floor she pelted him with figs. She left him on the ground and bought a salad.

Meanwhile, Jay was in the prison yard. He was plotting his next escape. Anat was still debating with Ann and others about calling her mom.

Wedding plans continue

Anat woke up with a splitting headache. She knew she was fine. It was just jitters about her wedding. She and Dan set a date. But she had so much work to do. As smart as she is, She’s completely clueless about wedding planning. They knew they’d honeymoon in Israel. That was about all she was able to plan.

She was still ruminating over talking to her parents. She wanted them to see how she cleaned up. Ann suggested she give it more thought. She knew what Anat had been like. She remembered their first meeting when the police brought Jerry to the children’s center.

Anat sat at her desk and cranked Bauhaus. She wasn’t sure what her wedding song would be. She thought it’d be cute to dance with Jerry. The kid was just getting into Joy Division. So, she’d pick one of their tunes. The only argument she had with Dan was over the dress. He was hoping for her to be all dressed in white. She wanted all black with black make-up and nail polish. She won. But decided to just excite him she may wear white panties.

She stepped away from her desk and went outside. Jay was standing right in front of her building. He was ranting about getting Jerry back. He didn’t see her. She snuck up behind him and unloaded raisins and apricots. They smacked right into his neck. He turned around and tried to launch glass at her beautiful blue eyes. She ducked and refired. She plugged the dried fruit up his nose. He opened his mouth to breathe.

She filled his mouth with raisins. He started to choke. She kicked him in the knees. He went down. She texted Dan that he was at her building and acting crazy. She kicked him a few more times. She heard sirens.

A squad pulled up and they saw him on the ground. The officers assumed he was stoned. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had dried fruit all over him. They cuffed him and shoved him into the car. Anat was pleased. But knew he’d escape.

The three meet

Shockingly so far there was no social media or other coverage of the powers of Anat, Alana and Marc. None of Jay. At this point, Jerry only used his powers once. But he practices a lot. Obi-Wan would be proud.

The three got together at City Winery. Anat wanted to discuss what if anything she should tell Dan. The three looked at each other. Alana explained how her dear friend, Tzipora knew what she could do. But had no clue about the rest of the gang. She went over how she saved Stacy in a bar. Jen pretty much knew. But was so daffy she probably didn’t notice or understand what was going on. Sweet girl.

They raised their malbecs and decided to keep their powers quiet for as long as they could. They worried about Jerry. He’s only four. Little kids say a lot. But they make stuff up. And he was just getting into superheroes and Star Wars. Of course, none of that is made up. It is real.

Then Anat asked Alana to be in her wedding party. Ann was going to be maid of honor. She needed another person or two. She was going to ask Jen. Then she asked if she should call her parents. It was the first time she would have spoken to them since her grandmother passed.

Alana and Marc had no response. She did mention, Mike Mussina her first real crush agreed to come. She remembers sitting a few seats away in economics classes at Stanford. He said he’d wear an Orioles hat and not a Yankees one. He remembered her bizarre affinity for Boston. Marc was excited. He wished he’d wear a Bronx Bombers hat.

They discussed wedding security. All was well. They got up to leave and saw broken glass everywhere along Pier 59.