We’re so Barbaric

I was watching a video of a baby piglet taking a bath that someone tweeted, saying something like “This is your breakfast, enjoying a nice warm bath.” It’s a hard world to live in if you believe eating animals is wrong. I don’t ever lecture about it, or post pictures (mostly), because I don’t believe that is how minds are changed. But it is hard to walk around with the bodies of animals hanging in windows, or arrayed in grocery shops and elsewhere.

I saw these guys and just felt bad. They were swimming along, la-de-da, and then they were yanked from life in some cruel and scary way, and now here they are, tossed in a bucket, in bits and pieces. No one grieves for them.

In Search of a Christmas Pot-Holder

It’s a modest quest. I need a new pot-holder and I want one with a holiday theme. Shouldn’t be too hard, right? We shall see how I do. In the meantime, here is a shot from the Loser’s Lounge 25th Anniversary show. Thank you for existing, Loser’s Lounge! You’ve given me many, many happy, wonderfully entertaining evenings over the years.

Bleecker Street and the Holidays

Even though a lot of the stores are shuttered and empty, because the rents are insane, (scroll down) it’s still festive on Bleecker Street. It’s now a thing to go over the top on the outside front of your store window. This is right at the corner of Bleecker and Perry. I don’t even know what that store on the corner sells. I can’t tell looking in the window.

Here’s a sign on one of the windows of the empty storefronts. I think this explains why so many are empty. There were a number of pop-ups when I was walking around the other night (stores that are only there for a day or two, or a week or so). Look at the rents for just a pop-up! Since the stores are almost always empty when I walk by, or have maybe a customer or two at most, who on earth is making at least $20,000 a month?? No one. Hence the empty storefronts.

I’m on a Best Books List!!

Mental Floss included Damnation Island on their list of Best Books of 2018!! Thank you editors of Mental Floss! It’s a great Christmas present. I’ll be in a good mood for weeks because of your selection. Woohoo!!

Tin men I came across while in Chinatown, getting new lenses for my glasses. (Except I think I crossed over into Little Italy when I took this shot.) Strangely, my eyesight has improved. How often does that happen??