...more recent posts
i accidentally bought some percale pillowcases and have since decided that this is the only way anyone ever buys percale. have a different opinion? come at me, bitch! (sorry, thats the cinnamon talking.)
returning my air conditioner today. there was some high pitched rattle that had developed and it was within the 30 days that amazon would take it back so i swung into action. that primarily involved negotiating for an hour via chat to india in an effort to exchange for a new model at the same price (unclear at the moment if i was actually was successful) and procuring shipping labels, a box, bubble wrap and tape. i was worried about carrying the extra large box on the subway at near rush hour but was gifted with a near empty m train from home depot on 23rd st.
but now im actively anxious as i await the doorbell as i have since i went out around 1130 when the ups truck arrived. i managed to slide the old a/c down to the ground floor and my new a/c was in the truck but the ups guy didnt want to take it until the truck was less encumbered. and i without dolly hadnt brought the 85 lb package to the truck nor was i interested in carrying away the new one.
so i am at the mercy of the delivery guy. i assume he will attempt a delivery but im never sure he wont forget or fail in some way. also, i left the a/c by the door and i doubt it will somehow disappear into the bowels of chinatown but there is always that possibility. so lots of unnecessary anxiety just waiting waiting waiting to finish this task which then wont be finished until amazon honors the claims of an office drone half a lifetime away.
more fun with plumbing. i wont complain about how long it took the plumber to engage with the project because he is here now or he was a minute ago. now he is out solving a problem i created for him although admittedly i thought it was the easiest solution and therefore cheapest solution which is turning out probably not to be the case.
all the pipes for my shower are outside the wall and probably pretty ancient. though who knows, maybe they were replaced 30 years ago. im told they are brass painted over with a matte silver finish though the finish has been unfinished for as long as ive been here and undoubtedly much longer.
the final 3 foot pipe leading up to the shower arm (a term i just learned) and ultimatley the shower head had eroded at the juncture just above the hot and cold knobs. so it wasnt a plumbing emergency since there was no leakage, i just couldnt take a shower or at least not one very well as i found out this morning as i held the broken pipe in place as i attempted a quick rinse cycle. but as far as i could tell the threading on the female coupling was intact and only that the one stretch of piping needed to be replaced. the plumber in his hasty appraisal had just decided it was easier to replace the entire run of pipes including the faucets and the shower head, et al. should i have cared? probably not. was it likely something marginally less asthetically pleasing? i couldnt even say because he never brought it over for me to see, although he complained that he couldnt return it which seems unlikely as it was purchased today and is unopened.
i never actually complained that he was replacing "an antique" for something lesser, but that is what he decided was my concern. i really was thinking of it as the simplest fix, as i said, and the cheapest. i left him alone to do what he would after he snapped at me for acting like his wife which he doesnt have. but in the time he was disassembling the shower arm from the wall he decided he would give it a go... without any real prompting. so he left and came back with the same poorly painted brass pipe with some fresh new threading on one end. i didnt even know that was a thing. unfortunately, the threading didnt match. he said something about it being female to female. i gave him a 'whaddya gonna do' look, and the answer was look for a connecting piece to join the two. is that a fitting? maybe?
so the buzzer just knocked me out of my stupor. next stage is upon us. im not gonna even bother to look in until he yelps in frustration or triumph.
the order of things (itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini)
Mayor Bill de Blasio was asked about his thoughts on the statue. "That is a frightening thought," de Blasio said. When he's wearing clothes I don't like him. I can only imagine what he's like without clothes."
De Blasio added, "of course we are not going to let people put up ad hoc statues."
A hawk (I think? Alex?) on the fire escape across the street.
Using data with an unprecedented level of detail, a team of international researchers, including some from Oregon State University, have found that a major earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone is more likely than previously thought.
I have no choice but to keep looking - five years after the tsunami
usa micro brew roadtrip / how is that a good idea?
For you New Yorkers are looking for something to do this week.
what is the mechanism for catching this moment on camera?
https://youtu.be/NK1TCMQgE9A Leyenda senior Luis Chacon 'Aspirina' dancing rumba with his sobrina Ismaray (afro cuban dancer legend and his grandaughter)
4th of July NYC fireworks drone footage:
11 essential roadtrips in the us
doing rt 66 in a tesla
From the Notify NYC mailing list: A solar powered plane is scheduled to conduct a flyover across various parts of NYC tomorrow morning, 6/11, from approximately 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM. The aircraft will enter NYC near the Verrazano Bridge and travel northbound to the Statue of Liberty before turning east to travel over JFK Airport. A helicopter will accompany the aircraft to take photos of the operation.
Did you see this Bill?
Hallett Nature Sanctuary is one of the Park's three woodlands (along with the Ramble and North Woods). It was originally called "the Promontory" by the Park's designers. The underused and inaccessible landscape was closed to the public and preserved as a bird sanctuary by NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses in 1934, and in 1986 renamed in memory of George Harvey Hallett Jr., a birdwatcher, naturalist, and civic leader.
The sanctuary remained untouched until 2001, when the Central Park Conservancy took up its restoration and maintenance. Hallett Nature Sanctuary is a perfect example of how even the "wildest," most naturalistic habitats in Central Park require constant planning and care in order to thrive. As a result of the Conservancy's removal of invasive plant species and introduction of native plants, the sanctuary is more diverse and healthy than ever, supporting various wildlife populations. To learn more about the Hallett Nature Sanctuary from Doug Blonsky, the Conservancy's President & CEO, click here.
No pressure, but we're expecting this sort of thing on the highlight reel.
Gowanus’ Coignet Building
where landmasses would have been in pangaea.
Streit's Matzo factory condo design revealed. Nooooooo! One and two bedrooms starting at $975,000.