Category: Uncategorized

I work for the Federal Government!  In certain circles I am now hated!

I start on Friday, but here’s the deal. The Census is going all out to get an accurate count. They’re setting up these assistance centers all over the country where people like me will help you with the Census form.

I’ve been assigned to Carmine Street, which I’m thrilled about. It’s the once-Italian section of the West Village. It’s a little bit that way still, but like every place else it’s changed.

Anyway, the scary part is I’ll be alone. No Census buddy to help me or talk to. They gave me a box and sixty billion Census forms in something like 60+ languages, many I’ve never even heard of and I’m supposed to be able to help them all.  I’m supposed to be able help people who speak Tigrinya or Tagalog or Llocano fill out their Census form.

I’m looking forward to that part actually, although I’m nervous about doing well. By the way, Bengali is beautiful written out. So many of these are beautiful. Ohmygod, the Cambodian looks the hardest. It has the most subtle differences from letter to letter.

The picture is of the place where we trained.  Those Mormons certainly love counting people. They were very nice hosts.

I have to post quickly, I’ve got to get ready for my Census training, and there was a mix-up and maybe I’m not even supposed to go up there but I’m going to show up just in case.

I went up to Inwood yesterday (way way way uptown Manhattan, also has the highest unsolved murder rate in Manhattan). I was looking for a haunted house and I need to go back to check another spot. While I was taking pictures of possibilities I was also taking pictures of other aspects of the area that I loved. And I love elevated train stations and platforms.

That unsolved murder rate by the way refers to old murders, which are still awful, but I wonder what the murder rate is today. What I saw was so beautiful and quiet and nice, for the most part.

I took a temp job with the Census Bureau and I start training tomorrow!! I have to say, I’m really excited about it. I’m hoping that this will somehow lead to a job working with their archives. That would be a dream job for me.

Ugh. It looks like yet another rainy day. I’ve been waiting for it to stop so I can go up to Inwood to take pictures. I’m writing up this haunted house story that someone sent to the Parapsychology Lab.

It’s a really good story, but I also love the glimpse it gives of New York from a long, long time ago. The person who sent it in was such a good writer. The problem is, she doesn’t give the exact address of the house, so I’m going to do my best to figure out which one it is based on her description. If I can’t, I’ll just take pictures of the spot she writes about to give a sense of the area the house is in. Or was in.

I saw this coffee table on my way to choir practice. The style wouldn’t work in my apartment, but I do love it.

Very cloudy and stormy looking. This is looking downtown.

And West, toward the Hudson River.

And of course I can’t resist a shot of the Empire State Building.

A friend of mine just started an online magazine called Urban Firefighter! Congratulations Ray McCormack and Erich Roden! Woohoo!! It looks great! That page turning thing, which I thought wouldn’t work, actually works beautifully.