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A Few Thoughts About Cats & Dogs
There are two types of people in this world: dog people and cat people. While I consider myself an animal person in general (hence why I am a vegetarian) I have the presence of mind to know which one I am: a crazy cat lady. Not that it would take a rocket scientist to figure this out, mind you: I am reminded of the fact every day at around 5:00 a.m. This is when Chez Shitty’s pride starts agitating for breakfast. Believe you me if Greenpoint had lobbyists in the public interest as persistent as my furkids our neighborhood would be a much different place. But I digress.
This is not to suggest that I dislike dogs (such as the lovely Miss Olive depicted at left). I do. Canines simply don’t appeal to my peculiar sensibilities. “Man’s best friend” (as they are rightfully called) are pack animals. They very much desire to have a leader, an “alpha dog” that tells them what to do, when to do it, and so forth. In a nutshell they are eager to please. A little too eager, if you ask me.
While some might like to start their day with slobbery licks and wagging tails, this is not for yours truly. The way I see it, such auspicious beginnings only lead to disappointment later. No sir, when it comes to preparing ones self for the rigors of the day yours truly wants to wake up to a face like this.
Meet Joy. She is one of the many adorable and adoptable cuties calling Empty Cages Collective her home. Rest assured this 1,000 mile stare is only skin fur deep. She is in actuality a very sweet young lady who would very much like to exchange her life behind bars for a nice, warm, cozy home this holiday season. Maybe yours? Joy has had all her shots, is FIV and Feline Leukemia free and has been spayed. What’s more she has also been litter trained!
Which brings me to the primary reason I prefer cats over dogs.
When an ice storm hits you don’t have to dress them up, schlep outside and pick up their poop: a litter box will suffice.
You can learn more about Joy and her friends by checking out Empty Cages Collective’s Pet Finder page. And remember kids crack kills!
Miss Heather
Southside Photo Du Jour: Hanukkah-ish Edition
Filed under: Williamsburg
I like to call this bit of street art (which hails from South 4th Street) “Darth Dreidel”. This is because it resembles a dreidel and appears to have Darth Vader’s mug on it. Lest you are wondering if such an item exists in real life, dear readers, it does— albeit using R2-D2 instead. Happy holiday crafting Sci Fi geeks!
Miss Heather
There Was A Little Street…
Filed under: Williamsburg
Millard Fillmore was without argument one of the WORST presidents to inhabit the Oval Office. From who else (other than our current lame duck) can your enjoy such rhetoric/doublespeak like this?
God knows that I detest slavery, but it is an existing evil, for which we are not responsible, and we must endure it, till we can get rid of it without destroying the last hope of free government in the world.
—Millard Fillmore
But I’ll cease beating around the proverbial Bush. I have the pleasure of sharing the same birth date as this jerk: January 7. Initially I felt guilty about liking the place that bears his name in Williamsburg (a beautiful block located in a wasteland of over-development and crass commercialism).
Until I noticed this.
Henry Miller* wrote:
There was a little street, just a block long, which lay between Grand Street and North Second Street, called Fillmore Place. This little street was obliquely opposite the house my grandfather owned and in which we lived. It was the most enchanting street I have ever seen in all my life, It was the ideal street— for a boy, a lover, a maniac, a drunkard, a crook, a lecher, a thug, an astronomer, a musician, a poet, a tailor, a shoemaker, a politician. In fact this was just the sort of street it was, containing just such representatives of the human race, each one a world unto himself and all living together, a solid corporation, a close knit human spore which could not disintegrate unless the street itself disintegrated.
I say we landmark this block (before it is disintegrated) and rename it Miller Place! Or at the very least give him a toast this upcoming Friday (December 26): Mr. Miller’s 117th birthday.
Miss Heather
*Whose tomes entertained me for many hours while working as a temp receptionist at Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter’s Equity Research department one summer. Tropic of Cancer is by far the better novel, but Tropic of Capricorn (clearly) has its moments. If my memory serves me correctly I also (re)read Slaughter House Five, Cat’s Cradle, Animal Farm and 1984 as well. Miss Heather loves to be paid $14.00 an hour to man a front desk, not answer phones, “buzz in” the occasional jerk who “lost” his pass card and read. Although on occasion I had a former temp (permanent hire) berate me for positioning the magazines on the coffee table in a linear fashion. She preferred them to be “fanned out”. She thought that was more appealing to visitors. Whatever.
Williamsburg Photo Du Jour: The Recession Has Arrived
Filed under: Williamsburg
This choice bit of bicycle basket goodness hails from Driggs Avenue in Williamsburg. There really isn’t much more I can say. This arrangement pretty much speaks for itself. Although the empty (?) can of Pabst Blue Ribbon is a nice touch.
Miss Heather
P.S.: I am slowly— very slowly— uploading more bicycle basket goodies to my pet project: Shit In Bicycle Baskets. Thank you for your contributions and patience. Trust me, it’ll be worth it! Can you say used diapers, astroturf and golf clubs? Uh-huh!
Southside Photo Du Jour: White Rabbit
Filed under: Williamsburg
From South 3rd Street.
Miss Heather
Williamspoint Photos Du Jour: Rides
“The Beast”, Powers Street, Williamsburg, 11211.
“Gonna Get Got”, Powers Street, Williamsburg, 11211.
“The Bed Bug King”, Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint, 11222.
Ask not for whom the Bed Bug King comes, he comes for thee!
One would think given the nature of what they’re exterminating the Bed Bug King would be a little more low key. I guess not. Having the “Bed Bug Mobile” parked in front of one’s digs has got to be more than little embarrassing. Ouch.
Miss Heather
Williamsburg Photo Du Jour: A Moment Of Zen
Filed under: Williamsburg
From Frost Street.
Miss Heather
Exxon Claus?
Many of you who have lamented over Manhattan Avenue’s lack of Yuletime wattage might have noticed the fancy energy efficient lights that were fired up last Friday, December 12. Well, as it would happen they have a very interesting benefactor (from the December 10th edition of the Greenpoint Gazette):
…Town Square still faces the daunting task of raising the funds for the lights. Companies like ExxonMobil, MetroFuel, and the New York Power Authority have pledged their support and Assemblymember Joe Lentol, Councilmember David Yassky, and Esposito have lent their voices to the call for community support. The Greenpoint Gazette, Greenpoint Lions, and North Brooklyn Development Corporation are helping with collections from local merchants.
Yup, you just read that Exxon is one of the folks ponying up the dough for these bad boys. I don’t know about you, but the given sheer environmental havoc this company has wreaked on our community and the fact that petrol is going for a pretty penny these days I would have expected our “neighbor” (Who some of you might remember co-sponsored Earth Day at McCarren Park this year!) to single-handedly fund a Dyker-fucking-Heightsesque spectacle bathing our main drag in retina-searing glory. Hell, it damned better be visible from outer space for that matter!
In other words, not something that looks like a raver’s glow wand or a swizzle stick gracing a Mai Tai at the local Tiki Club.
Call me a scrooge but this is insulting. Seriously.
Miss Heather
P.S.: The reason the usual lights were not up this year is because ponying up money for them is completely voluntary. And in a sour economy people clasp their wallets a little more tightly than usual. Had Manhattan Avenue created a Business Improvement District (thus spreading the financial burden equally among business owners) it is probable we would have had are usual garish show of holiday cheer this year. Several attempts have been made to start a B.I.D. here. All have failed. Mostly in part to one person who saw fit to engage in a campaign of misinformation about what creating a such an entity entails.
Grand Street has a B.I.D. They have Christmas lights.
Graham Avenue also has a B.I.D. They too have Christmas lights. (See where I’m going with this?)
They also have a holiday trolley to take you to see Santa Claus this weekend.
But the Garden Spot doesn’t have a B.I.D. So we get “Exxon Claus” instead. Lucky us. You can see last year’s lights (courtesy of our very own Bitchcakes) by pointing and clicking your way over to the New York Shitty photo pool.
South 4th Street Gets Bombed… Again!
It has been a while since I have checked out South 4th Street: home of what is arguably the slickest and most visually explicit anti-dog shit signage to be found in our fair city. Wishing to see how these admonishments were faring I swung by South 4th Street to see how things were shaking. I will start with the good news —I’m grading on a bell curve here— because (let’s face facts) this location isn’t going pass as dead ringer for Brooklyn Heights anytime soon: the block looked relatively clean.
And now for the bad news…
It would appear the sign itself has been bombed. I don’t know about you but what I find fascinating is the time and effort this person took to smear dog (?) feces on this missive. It would have easily have taken half the time simply to toss it in a plastic bag. Damn.
Miss Heather
‘Tis The Season: Southside Sampler
Filed under: Williamsburg
From South 2nd & 3rd Street.
Miss Heather
NYS Flickr Pool
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