Month: July 2011

Some of the email I get is so badly composed I worry that a lot of people don’t get the help they need because they don’t know how to ask for it. I’ve decided to put together a few tips for writing email.

Tip 1A. Get to the point.

State the purpose of your email in the first sentence. Just say flat out who you are and what you’re writing about and what you want from the person. I know you think you have to sell them on it first, or ease into it, but taking too long to get to the point increases the chances that the person won’t read through to whatever it is you’re writing about.

Let people know right away why you’re writing them so they can read the rest of the email with that understanding. It’s disorienting otherwise. You’re reading and reading and you don’t know why. Sometimes when I finally learn why someone has written me I have to reread the email in that light (not fun when you get a lot of email). Some people never tell me. Don’t assume that your reason for writing is obvious, or that the person will figure it out and offer what you need without your having to ask. Tell them that at the start.

Tip 1B here.

NOTE: There are exceptions to every rule and every tip I’m going to give, of course. But breaking the rules is an art. Only the most adept can pull it off.
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A garden at Canal Street and the highway that wasn’t there yesterday. Okay, it was, but not too long ago it was much more bare. When did trees have time to grow this high?? Some were at least two stories high! I thought putting a small park there was a bad idea, it was such an unpleasant spot. But now it’s so green and lush and the trees are so big you feel hidden from the surroundings. If I worked in this area I would take my afternoon breaks here, with a cup of tea.

I agonized about where to watch the fireworks, down on the river or up on my roof? There was a nice vibe down on the river. I overheard the tiniest bit of the conversation pictured here and what I picked up was: the guy on the right has been out of town for a while and was very very very happy to be back. He was comparing the cops in NYC to the cops in whatever place he was, and they were all enjoying the comparison and each other’s company and it was very sweet. But …

… I went for the roof. Every year I take pictures of the fireworks and every year they don’t come out. I figured I’d only subject you to one mediocre picture of fireworks, and …

… one picture of the Empire State Building. Those are not clouds but smoke from the fireworks.

A piece in the Times today reminded me that I meant to thank the four republican senators who voted for same-sex marriage. It’s one thing (and a good thing) to do the right thing when you have a lot of support. It’s quite another when a lot of people are against you and you’re putting your career at risk. So thank you Senators Mark J. Grisanti, James S. Alesi, Roy J. McDonald and Stephen M. Saland.

Today is a better Fourth of July thanks to you and everyone else who worked towards the passage of this bill. We still have a long way to go, but we’re in a better position to celebrate the freedom of America when we do what we can to make sure ALL our citizens have access to the same rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

A workman has been here fixing a bunch of cracks and leaks in the ceiling, so we’ve been moving the furniture around as he works. Finney decides the end table in the middle of the room is the best spot to sleep. It makes no sense.

The other day Rachel Maddow tweeted a link to her favorite quote, which was Merlin saying the following to a young Arthur in T. H. White’s Once and Future King (great book):

“The best thing for being sad,” replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, “is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake in the middle of the night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world around you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting.”

I liked it because I’ve been writing this document called “The Bitter End.” It’s about all the ways I might spend the rest of my life, things that sound fun and satisfying to me, and almost all the things I came up with involved learning new things.

And here is the sad sign. Even sadder, the next day it rained and this sign was illegible. On a happier note, I know from when a friend lost a dog that chances are whoever found him either gave him or sold him to someone who loves him too.

Can I just say I always loved clothes likes this, way before Mad Men? This was in the window at Lord & Taylor’s.

The holiday Fourth of July weekend is putting me in such a good mood, even though I’ll probably work most of the weekend. I’ve finally accepted that laying around on the couch all day is never as fun as it sounds (except on occasion). I’m much happier puttering. Besides, as long as you’re doing work you enjoy, when you work on a holiday, it still feels like a holiday.

Oh, and the fireworks are on the west side again this year!! Maybe I’ll make a movie of the people and fireworks along the Hudson.