september 3

if you ever find yourself in brooklyn, there are a few places you should go sit and people-watch. bedford avenue in williamsburg is one of them--i think gun-holster man is testament to that. another is mccarren park. it's one of the two parks near my house, the other being mcgolrick park. mccarren, though, is much larger--it has a few soccer/football fields, a baseball diamond or two, a track, plenty of grassy areas to sit in, a big concrete area that i think is supposed to be tennis or basketball courts but which are always hosting a softball game, and a skate park. plus, crazy people. so many crazy people. while i was there reading last night, the first person to catch my eye was the 30-something year old man who was driving a remote control car while he walked his dog. that's not really crazy i guess, just a combination of multitasking that i've never imagined before.

the other person who caught my attention was everything that's wrong with this place. it was a guy, around my age, rocking all black and a mohawk, riding a bike that was two frames welded together, one on top of the other. none of this, in itself, makes him the portrait of empty hipsterdom--that bike, whose seat was six feet high, could very easily be a lighthearted challenge he made for himself. the key to my hatred of him is the look he was giving people as he rode past. it was as if he mistook altitude as justification to look down on everyone. the condescension he gave off was unmistakeable. 

this particular example is especially infuriating in that no one rides a six foot tall bike without expecting to get at least a few glances, but it's something quite common around here. it's really my only complaint about brooklyn. far too many people are solely concerned, or at least seem to be solely concerned, with achieving a certain level of cool. there are plenty of people around here (hawnay troof for the win) who are genuine and brilliant and are give this place the best parts of its reputation. unfortunately, they also attract this contingent of shallow souls who can, in certain instances, make brooklyn, and new york as a whole, seem wholly devoid of meaning. it takes a lot of work or a lot of luck, i'd imagine, to make a worthwhile life here. it seems to be entirely worth the effort, but by no means is it for the fainthearted.


so, in an effort to avoid these people, i'm focusing my efforts on places which require dedication to something real. i've decided not to apply for jobs at restaurants and bars and whatnot but instead to put my effort into finding work at one of the universities around here, or in a good bookstore or record store--something where people are less likely to be putting on airs and more likely to be truly interested in something. i realize, of course, that this severely, and perhaps fatally, injures the likelihood of my being able to live here permanently. but i think i'd rather take the time to do it right than to make sacrifices just to say that i live in brooklyn. plus, the more i think about it, the more i think living in the country and working on a farm would be good for me right now. but, that being said, if any of the applications i've put in or emails i've sent end up leading to an opportunity, i would certainly stay.