i got a car and i’m going to tell you about it.

Hi, me again. It’s been a while! Honestly this whole “living through a global pandemic” thing has seriously depleted my mental capacity for writing and reading and even actually thinking about things but stuff in general has started to “ramp up” again so let’s give this a try.

I got a car! It’s not brand new, it’s my parents’ old car which they sold to me for free because they are the greatest parents ever and I’m a spoiled piece of shit. But it’s my car! The official paperwork says so! It’s a 2009 Suzuki SX4.

Her name is Daisy.

I haven’t had my own car since 2006, when I hydroplaned and crashed my car into the median on 78 West near Harrisburg, PA. The car was “totaled” and then I had no car. It was a tough time because I felt like I NEEDED a car and was lost without one. I had a panic attack at a car dealership when we were getting a car for my 17 year old sister because I thought about how I didn’t have a car and like what was I going to DO?! It was a dark time.

In January 2008 I moved to the Heights in Jersey City and started my commuting to work in Manhattan duties and to my surprise and delight I DID NOT NEED A CAR AT ALL. Like it was mind-blowing, how little I needed a car. Growing up in a rural area where you needed to drive everywhere made me feel like you couldn’t get anywhere without one. But in “the city” we have a pretty robust network of public transportation, ever heard of it? I could get to work AND fun and back home again all on the PATH train. And if I wanted to go home-home, I could take NJTransit or the bus. The bus sucks but yes it is available.

And so it went for many years, until 3 years ago when I moved to The Hill and I was like holy shit I’m so far from everything and I don’t have laundry in my building and I might actually lose my mind. But before I lost my mind I noticed that when people came to visit or even if I just looked out the window, 95% of the time there were parking spots available. “Parking” was one of my biggest concerns when considering have a car in “the city” and it seemed like on The Hill there were always parking spaces close to my house (knock on wood, now they’ll disappear ugh).

So I figured it was time to get a car. My parents had an old one they weren’t using and Daisy was just sitting there sulking and collecting a layer of pollen all over her from the trees she was parked under and she needed a new human friend and it worked out perfectly!

My sister and my brother-in-law also played a part in this beautiful story by helping to get her checked out, fixed up, and road ready. AND I AM BEYOND GRATEFUL.

Now I use Daisy to do super fun shit like get groceries…

Go on hikes…

And drop off and pick up laundry.

I will say that my favorite thing to do is the grocery thing. Like it is so gratifying to not have to worry about the weight of the groceries you’re getting, like “Will I be able to carry them?” because you DON’T have to carry them until you get home and you can take your time bringing them all inside and up the stairs and it is just the best. I can’t recommend it enough.

Hiking is fun too, like really freaking fun, but I’ll tell you about that another day.

Anyway good to see you again and maybe if you need a ride somewhere I’ll give you one.

walls to smalls at deep space gallery.

It took me so long to write about this and I know I keep saying that and I’m truly sorry but this is my recap of Walls to Smalls at Deep Space Gallery.

Walls to Smalls is a show featuring art from street artists that usually get their art on using a “wall” as their canvas but for this show they did art on smaller pieces of material that then went onto a wall for display. Walls and smalls, smalls and walls.

The cycle continues.

As always, it’s a great show! And it’s there for a few weeks so you have plenty of time to check it out. DON’T SLEEP, as they say.

Let’s talk about the art.

Duel ris had pieces that looked like they were made with sharpie in a notebook and I LOVE THAT. It really makes me excited that real art can be made with such simple tools. Tools that are fully available to me and everyone but only a special person, aka a person with a special skill, aka an ARTIST, could make art this nice with two very simple tools.

Please continue to blow my mind, thx.

Blusterone had work that showed scenes from the subway and it made me think about how I really haven’t gone on the subway in a REALLY LONG time. Like maybe not since last summer? The PATH train sure, but not the subway. Weird.

We stared at these Mustart pieces for a while and tried to pick out all the different elements we could see. It was fun to take the time to really stare and study.

Most importantly we saw a uterus.

Beyond that, we all were pretty pumped about the chains turning into birds.

Rubicon – do we know the people depicted here? These paintings made me think I knew the people in them because a few weeks ago I saw the artist post a call for old Polaroids that he would then paint. I don’t know why that made me think I knew them but the man especially looked really familiar.

This piece by TDee is a peacock, which is a kind of bird so I love it, duh.

AND IT IS SO BRILLIANTLY BLUE😍

This piece by Boogierez reminded me of Sara Fasolin, an artist I admire on Instagram. In my notes I referred to this as “bird/teeth Instagram thing.” Because this lady ALSO has teeth on her in a weird place. Teeth in weird places is so creepy but in a fun scary way.

Ntel had this fun piece with a bright green background and PINK FROGS. Pink animals? Can’t go wrong.

Optimo almost always has this top hat guy around but this time he was IN GOOOOOLD. And I loooove goooold.

Chris RWK’s pieces had this friendly looking little robot and I love this friendly looking little robot.

Of course the one with the little red bird is my fav.

It’s essential that we befriend the robots so we’re on their team when they become our overlords.

Another favorite recurring character is this guy by Keith VanPelt. This time around I really loved the one with a feather in his hat. Because feathers are from birds.

Barc The Dog I’ve never seen before but LOVE the dog and its shark/dino teeth. It’s very cartoon-ish and cartoons have my heart forever.

Boogierez had the only photos in the show and photos are hard to make special, in my opinion. Especially because everyone has the ability to take photos at their fingertips. But these are special! They stand out.

That’s not even everyone! There are a ton of artists in this show. These are just some of my personal favs but I think you should go and check it out to see what YOU like. Don’t take MY word for it, I’m an amateur.

Walls to Smalls is at Deep Space Gallery for the next few weeks. You can DM them on Instagram to make an appointment!

brood x, baby.

It’s BROOD X, BABY! Brood X is back in a big way and they’re ready to crawl around and make some noise and breed and also get eaten by some birds! BROOD X IN DA HOUSE.

On the news I’ve heard them say “Brood ten” but I personally prefer the “Brood EXXX” pronunciation because it’s WAY MORE BADASS and these bugs are BADASS AS FUQ.

I spent some time communing with them this past weekend and I’d like to give you a full report.

First of all, I was super pumped for them to come out.

I knew they were coming because we all did, and I started to think about the last time they were here. When the cicadas came out 17 years ago in 2004 I was 19 years old, between my freshman and sophomore year of college. It was an interesting time. It felt tumultuous but I think I was just dramatic. I remember thinking about what my life would be like now, 17 years from then. And I reflected on it like “the next time these cicadas come, who will I be?” I didn’t think about how old I would be, it wasn’t a number. It was more a…vibe? What would my LIFE VIBE be. I kind of didn’t know. I just wondered.

It’s weird how something that happens periodically can be used to track growth or decline or whatever. The cicadas, the olympics, the seasons. A reference point for a place and a space in time and the person we were at that particular space and place.

Back then I was off school for the summer and working at our community pool as a lifeguard and also teaching cheerleading camp. I definitely had more than one “boyfriend”…IT WAS THE NAUGHTY AUGHTIES. Also I was 19. Like come on. Who DIDN’t have more than one “boyfriend”?!

I remember partying like all night every night and sneaking into the pool we worked at for late night swims. Legit scaling a large fence and running and jumping into the pool. Shh, don’t tell my old boss.

I guess that was probably illegal.

During the day the cicadas took over THE WORLD and crashed into everything and made little kids cry and many dogs ate them and barfed. It was a whole thing.

Back then I tried to think about/remember if I had seen them 17 years before THEN, in 1987, but I only would have been 2 years old so I didn’t remember. Apparently they were around, but more in Long Island. I guess. According to the Internet.

So fast forward to now and I am who I am now and only have one boyfriend (like a real one, no “quotations,” a significant improvement from multiple in quotations ones) and I was excited for them to come back around mostly because I love birds and especially my mom’s chickens and they love to feast on regular-ass end-of-the-summer cicadas so I thought they would be PUMPED to feast on a whole big swarm of them.

It’s part of their cicada strategy! There are so very many of them that they expect to, as a majority, get gobbled up by predators. They “expect” it from like an evolutionary level. I don’t think they really planned this with actual cicada thought processes.

Or maybe they did.

BUT there are so many that even though a ton get eaten there are still a healthy amount of them that breed and produce larvae and the larvae end up underground and the whole party starts again.

Unfortunately there weren’t very many at my parents’ house this time. They live in a river valley and I wonder if that has something to do with it but what do I know. My sister’s house, on the other hand, HAD A TON. And it’s very near the pool I once worked at that also had a ton. Both places are at a high elevation for the area. Maybe that has something to do with it but again what do I know.

Either way I made my parents take me up there so I could see more than the insufficient amount of periodical cicadas I was seeing at their house.

We got out of the car and could hear a low echoing creepy sound. They make the craziest weirdest robot dinosaur alien sound. I don’t even know what it comes from as far as a part of their body generating it but it’s kind of like a weird screech or scream. There are groups of them in trees and grass kind of constantly singing and calling out to each other, but if you pick one up or it flies into you and gets pissed it FREAKS THE HECK OUT. I mean I don’t know if they can get mad, I think they’re just disoriented and screaming out to their pals for validation or whatever.

They seem to have a lot of trouble navigating, overall. They just kind of randomly fly around and bump into stuff. I question whether their freaky red eyes can even see sight. I guess I should Google it.

If I looked up toward the sun, I could see them skittering past in a flutter of translucent wings. In some spots it was a cloud of them, in others just a few random stragglers.

There were a ton of them dead on the road, on the sidewalk, in the swimming pool.

One day we went back to the river at my parents’ house and the Brood X crew seemed to be having a ton of trouble dealing with open water. The dragonflies mocked the cicadas that fell to their demise, their thin wings so wet they could never fly again, screaming as they were swept away by the current.

I used a small stick to save a few, mostly because I wanted to pick them up and check them out. Fish jumped up out of the water to eat the others.

IT WAS A FRENZY.

Overall it was most weird to hear the cicada noise at the beginning of the summer instead of at the end. There are always regular cicadas every summer and I’m sure they’ll be back this year in August, but it’s a very “end of summer” feeling I get when I hear that sound and I had to keep reminding myself it’s still the beginning.

IT IS STILL THE BEGINNING, YOU GUYS.

I’m pretty sure they’re fading away now and they’ll all be dead soon, and the larvae will be safe underground to appear again in 17 years.

Who will we be then?! What will be our life vibe?! How many boyfriends will we have?! WILL THE ACTUAL ALIENS COME TO SAVE US FROM OURSELVES?! I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

jersey city women’s collaborative summer clothing swap.

On Saturday I was VERY hungover from a wedding I went to Friday evening (weddings are back!) But I somehow managed to drag myself out of bed and onto my boyfriend’s scooter and made it to Canco Park for the Jersey City Women’s Collaborative summer clothing swap.

First of all, Canco Park is awesome. WHY HAVE I NEVER BEEN TO CANCO PARK, YOU GUYS? WHO EVEN AM I?

Now that I’ve been, I have to go back on a sunny day, because they had a TON of flowers…I think it may be like, their “thing.” I also swear I saw a goldfinch but I could have just imagined it because a little boy kept talking to me and I felt awkward and was looking for more things to have a conversation with him about because he was a person deserving of my attention.

I really hope it was really there.

Beyond that it was the perfect place for a summer clothing swap AND a self-serve tie dye station with gentle expert “try dye” guidance from Kiki Buccini!

When I arrived they had already set up a small area of the park with clothes that gals had brought with them to swap. It was a little grove of trees surrounded by a kind of railing thing that was great for hanging clothes on! They also had some tables and clothing racks there but I was really impressed by the use of the space that was already there.

I LOVE A GOOD USE OF SPACE.

Just like at their swap in January, we took timed turns picking out new items and it was all very organized and nothing scary or competitive happened. Anytime I go anywhere my biggest fear is that something competitive will happen.

Please no.

Unlike the other swap, we didn’t drop off our items in the days/weeks before and instead brought them with us on the day of. I was a little worried that it could get confusing or overwhelming but it didn’t at all! Again, very well organized. I’m always impressed with folks that pull off full-on fun and relaxing events with ease and make the whole thing look effortless. I know it’s not! But I applaud their ability to make it look easy and also make it fun.

FUN FUN FUN!

Speaking of fun I got a TON of stuff that I love including but not limited to: 3 pairs of dangly earrings, a black Tahari suit (like what do I even need a suit for? BUT I LOVE IT), some sundresses, and a lace LBD. I love these swaps. I LOVE THEM. Just because I love shopping so incredibly much and it is 100% a problem and I definitely need shopping-specific therapy and/or support groups to stop myself, but this gives me a shopping experience without shopping! Like I’m not spending any money besides the money that I have already spent on the clothes I brought with me that I don’t want anymore!

It seems like the perfect activity for women like myself, really.

Another perfect activity for me is tie-dyeing because it is FUN and COLORFUL. We were instructed to bring whites we wanted to dye and I brought all kinds of whites except for the one white (shirt) I REALLY WANTED TO TIE DYE that I got from The Grind at the Jersey City Mural Festival.

The white that didn’t make it.

Nay, that particular white was left at home. I was pissed.

But I did have a grand time dyeing the whites that I managed to remember and for that I am forever grateful. Kiki walked us through how to tie dye and went over some different patterns, and then it was time to party! Well, the “wear gloves and carefully dye stuff on a tarp so as not to mess up Canco Park” kind of party.

It was an ebullient afternoon and I can’t wait for another swap. I’ll start looking for old clothes now. I also still have some whites to tie dye so hopefully that comes up again. If not I might do my own tie dye activity, I’ll let you know!

wine tasting with lourdes of the vine.

Last night we greatly enjoyed a wine tasting with Lourdes of the Vine at lil dove cafe in the Jersey City Heights. I had it planned as a special date night and it didn’t disappoint with its special-ness.

Full disclosure, every time I go to a wine tasting I’m drunk beforehand or I get too drunk during and forget everything. I’ve even gone on a wine-tasting only vacation and didn’t learn a single thing.

But this one I remember some things from!

We were seated in the backyard kind of class-room style facing the front FOR INSTRUCTION and I made us sit in the front row because we sit in the front row in this family. Because I’m deaf and can’t hear in the back…but I also like being in the front and raising my hand and volunteering for things. I’m basically an ideal audience member.

lil dove cafe’s backyard is so peaceful and lovely and there were lights and trees and art and a water dispenser to the side to promote hydration. And wine!

There was a cute little wine and pairing items menu and a cool placemat thing that I didn’t fully understand and still don’t but respect it as a system.

After we sat down they immediately brought out the BIGGEST AND MOST ALLURING CHARCUTERIE BOARD OF ALL TIME. I mean, it was MIND BLOWING. LIKE WOW.

We started to ravenously gobble it right away but then were embarrased to realize we were probably supposed to save it for the pairing/tasting. So we stopped eating it but by the end of the night we hadn’t eaten it all but we couldn’t eat anymore and I still feel guilty about that.

But the wine! It was “natural” wine, which seems to be defined in some capacity by “farming that doesn’t f**k over everything else on the planet.” And it was good! The first one we tasted was Lambrusco and of course that’s a fav because it’s the perfect pizza wine.

For the second wine Lourdes really broke down the tasting process and I learned a TON I am NOT JOKING. She spoke a lot about “sensory memory,” like using senses and things you’ve sensed before and apply that to the new current thing you are sensing. And I loved that!

It turns out that accessing old sensory experiences to interpret new sensory experiences in your brain is a great and mind blowing idea. I never thought of it that way and it makes me understand wine tasting better as an an activity.

When people smell wine and swirl it around and look at the color and have opinions and conversations about it based on their senses…I pretty much have thought that was bullshit for a long time. Maybe not bullshit but like, “I don’t understand how it works so it’s not for me.” But last night I felt like i found some understanding! Like something just finally clicked, between wine and I. The smells and tastes made sense. I was killin it.

The sensory memory thing really got me, you guys.

Lourdes also reminded us that when the wine is first poured – don’t drink it right away! “Take a moment with the wine. Namaste with the wine.” In the past I have always gulped all of mine before we even talk about it and then I have nothing to test out. So I believe this is probably a good thing for me to remember and I’ll be a better wine taster in the future.

LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

Thank you Lourdes of the Vine and lil dove cafe!

jersey city mural festival.

Hi hello just a quick recap of the Jersey City Mural Festival, 2021. It was the hottest day in the history of time and I didn’t even do my hair or makeup and I got incredibly sweaty but it was OKAY because we were among art and that’s what it’s all about.

Tools of the trade.

I would have loved to go to the opening night event on Friday at &co, but it started at 6:30pm and I had a work call until 7.

So rude.

The opening night event was an artist talk with Ron English and I just know it was great because my friends’ Instagram stories said so. Many know him as the “Godfather of Street Art” and that is pretty badass. I would have loved to learn more about Ron in person but all I have is this Wiki article and that’s all I will provide to you.

Deal with it.

The article says he was born in Decatur, like the Sufjan Stevens song, so I’ll give you that too. I hope it softens the blow of the horrified outrage felt over me not being able to attend the artist talk. (it’s a fav)

Moving past that, the actual mural festival was on Saturday and Sunday. There were things to see in a few different spots around town, but I was only able to make it to the Downtown area, and I’m sorry. I know that’s rude and unforgivable.

The Jersey City Mural Festival was held under a bridge/overpass area and maybe that seems weird at first glance but it was so hot and sunny out and DUSOO (“Down Under the 78/139 Overpass”) was protected from the sun’s harsh rays and pretty cool in temperature like a basement. So like, GREAT IDEA EVERYONE.

As we entered the festival we had to sign in for contact tracing and we were asked to wear our masks. The end of mask time is upon us but we went out with a bang, rocking masks on our sweaty-ass faces at this fest.

It was the right thing to do.

It’s worth noting that going into it I didn’t realize the artists would be art-ing BEFORE OUR VERY EYES! I guess I just thought the stuff would all be painted already and there would be beer there and we’d all hang out and cheers like, “To murals!” And look at stuff and then go home.

But that wasn’t it at all! The artists were THERE and they were painting AS THE FESTIVAL and it was AWESOME. They had all these fun kinda…lifty trucks(?)…that had platforms on them and they were extended into the air and they were painting from there.

Lifty truck, in repose.

Some artists were also using old fashioned ladders and others were simply standing on tiptoe and I respect that because I can’t ever reach anything and am constantly forced to stand on tiptoe.

I should have taken more pics and learned a little more but I was kind of enjoying taking it all in with my pals and I don’t think I should be in trouble with myself for that so I forgive me.

With that being said I just want you to know that this is by no means a full, comprehensive report of the Jersey City Mural Festival. I was there for 45 minutes. I’m just going to share a couple of things I liked and maybe you’ll like them too.

I really loved this octopus by Pawn. LOOK AT ITS EYE. There’s something with animals when you can really see their eye(s) and look into them and see their animal feelings on a basic primal level and I don’t know animal eyes always take me to A PLACE. I know this is a painting and it has no feelings. It’s just the SUGGESTION of feelings, to me. And the colors are beautiful.

I also really liked the tentacles.

I believe this painting by Keith Murray is of goldfinches, the NJ state bird. If it’s not, oh well. At least the picture has an NJ state chair (RU RAH-RAH!). But I do love birds. And NJ. Like a lot.

Joe Waks is already a fav of mine from Deep Space shows and I really love the yellow and the rainbow colored rockin polka dots of all this. Sorry it’s not that great of a pic of the actual art, more of the work in progress. And the lifty truck!

LIFTY TRUCK 4EVA.

Here’s another work in progress and lucky for him he did NOT have to stand on tiptoe.

The lady in a shell thing! Can’t go wrong! I do love this version by Ree Vilomar because the shell lady is holding a spray paint can and in the finished version the little naked angel baby Cupid things are flying over some graffiti…oh also with spray paint cans! Love it.

So, that’s it. That was my experience at the Jersey City Mural Festival. I loved it! Can’t wait for them to do it again. Let’s do it EVERYWHERE under EVERY OVERPASS. WHO’S COMIN WITH ME?!

pushing up the daisies 2021.

This weekend I went to Pushing Up the Daisies 2021 and it was everything I hoped for and more. I was seriously very excited about it which could have set me up for extreme disappointment but luckily it was great and no one was disappointed.

LOVIN IT.

Pushing Up the Daisies 2021 was held at the Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery. The event is always held there and it needs to always be held there or else it’s not Pushing Up the Daisies. Maybe it seems like an “odd venue” but I think it’s the best venue of all time. If I was dead and buried there I would be glad that living people paid to be there and came to party with me. It’s just the highest level of respect, wanting to party with someone. And showing up for that party. Even if they’re dead.

I wish the dogs were still there.

Last week I spent a lot of time thinking about and getting pumped for this event. I planned my outfit, my snacks, the ways I was going to entertain myself. It was my music festival for the summer, I guess. Since I don’t recognize or have any interest in any bands in the Gov Ball lineup anymore. I was mostly just excited about being outside and listening to live music. The outside world and bands playing music both make me really happy.

So I was there all day mostly alone. I laid on my beach blanket and wore a bathing suit because everywhere is the beach and I don’t care what anyone says about that unless they agree. It was a really, really nice day. The sun was so bright and warm. An impossibly perfect spring day.

IMPOSSIBLY. PERFECT.

Like so perfect that the thought of the possibility of more perfection in the future as the summer approaches makes it EVEN MORE PERFECT.

It was great. And the bands were great! GREAT GREAT GREAT.

First up was Sofia Oro. I thought she was super talented but what do I know, really? Either way I was entertained and she did awesome covers of Wicked Game by Chris Issak and Criminal by Fiona Apple. Also she was only 17!

Wow. What a way to start the day and it was only 1:30pm.

Sofia!👏🏻

Next up was Rockstar Racecar from Bloomfield, NJ. They were introduced as from Montclair but then they were like “Actually Bloomfield but no one cares about Bloomfield so we say ‘Montclair.'” I would like to submit that I DO care about Bloomfield and acknowledge that it is a different, separate place from Montclair. Thx.

I enjoyed them! The one guy had blue hair which is always fun. In my notes I wrote that they had a song about Coney Island and how much they like it and I personally hate Coney Island LIKE A LOT but I did like the song.

Then I got super into my snacks and taking pictures of myself and I stopped paying attention and taking notes for a while. The following bands performed during that time: Steel Press, Viktor.Digital, Pynkie 5, and Morningside Lane. Although I wasn’t FULLY paying attention at this point I do know that it was all enjoyable music and I would surely return to listen again.

Thinking a little bit harder about it I do fully remember Pynkie 5 because the gal was wearing THE CUTEST OUTFIT and if anyone ever tries to tell you that outfits don’t matter they are IDIOTS.

Then the clock struck 5 and it was time to transition from the day session into the night session.

My boyf joined for the evening sesh and I was 💕👏🏻🤗

Puppy Pile started off the evening sesh, and I kind of remember what they were like but mostly I just got stuck on thinking about their name, Puppy Pile, and thinking about a pile of actual puppies. And this made me glad. So thank you, Puppy Pile.

Hudson City Rats were up next and they’re always fun. I enjoy their instruments and their vibe and their beards. Thank you for your service.

The CROWN JEWEL, if you will, of Pushing Up the Daisies 2021 was Jersey City’s own Desir Decir. Yay! Love them! LOVE THEM LOTS. Glad to see them back in the world! I’m glad to see everyone back in the world post COVID and they are part of and encompass everyone so good to see ya Desir Decir.

Going into the day I thought the last band was going to be The Jack Moves, who are also very fun. But then it wasn’t them and I was confused. Did I invent that The Jack Moves would be there in my mind? It wouldn’t have been the first time I invented something in my mind that simply wasn’t true. But I returned to @rockitdocket on Instagram to confirm and didn’t see them there but clicked over to @jcmusicscene and there they were tagged in a post on April 19 of this year promoting Pushing Up the Daisies. So I’m not crazy…well I am but at least not about THIS particular thing. Whew. Guess they just couldn’t make it. We’re all human, after all.

Anyway the last band ended up being Lapeche and I’m sorry but I was very tired and already at home by that point. It was a long day! I’m sure they were great though. Shout out to Lapeche, I’ll catch you at the next one.

BECAUSE COVID IS ALMOST OVER SO THERE WILL BE MORE, A TON OF “NEXT ONES” AND I CANNOT WAIT.

Pushing Up the Daisies 2021 was a great time and I think everyone there would agree. If they don’t we don’t need them.

I really didn’t take many pics of the show and only have silly ones of myself, like this. Sorry.

The cemetery looked great mostly because helpful local folks have been volunteering for “Wake and Rake” events on Saturday mornings for the past few weeks! They awoke and were raking and also doing other types of groundskeeping to really make it super nice for all of us.

Thanks everyone, you did a fantastic job with a valuable public service and I salute you.

YOU, yes YOU, can keep an eye out for future Wake and Rakes here. If they set more up I think I’m going to do it some Saturday soon so maybe I’ll see you there! Usually there are goats that trim the grass and maintain the grounds and I’m not sure what’s up with them so I guess people are the goats for now.

Thank you everyone for a lovely, sunny, snack filled day in the cemetery I can’t wait to do it again soon.

notable animal residents of jersey city – lincoln park turtles.

It’s been a while since I’ve written about anything, and it’s been a longer while since I wrote about notable animal residents of Jersey City. So I would like to bring to your attention the Lincoln Park turtles.

YOU GUYS. THESE GOSH DARN TURTLES. HOW COULD YOU NOT LOVE THEM?!

I don’t know what kind they are. Don’t ask me what kind they are. Maybe YOU can tell ME what kind they are?

My biggest thing with them is that they live in the middle of Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park is an urban park! And it’s a lot of fields of sport and also regular fields and that doesn’t say “turtle,” to me. BUT they do have a seemingly man made (but I don’t know its life) lake/pond/small body of water and THAT is where the turtles of Lincoln Park reside.

Are they always there? Even when it’s cold? The truth is, I don’t know, you guys. I’ve recently been googling “torpor” and what that means for some types of animal pals and I have a feeling turtles are involved in a torpor-like situation once the temperatures drop. I mean, AT THE VERY LEAST, torpor ADJACENT.

JK I think it’s just straight up regular torpor. And if they’re doing what that post says they have been in the lake/pond/small body of water THIS ENTIRE TIME. THEY WINTER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WATER WHERE THE WATER DOESN’T FREEZE AND THEY GET OXYGEN FROM THE WATER HOLY SHIT.

So that’s where they must go! NOWHERE. So freaking cool!

Either way they’re back now and they are SUNNING THEIR COLD-BLOODED BUNS right there on the cement shores of the Lincoln Park Lake.

AND THEY ARE LOVING IT.

They climb up out of the water to sunbathe AND I GOT A VID OF THE CLIMB TODAY AND IT WAS SO ADORABLE.

It did have this kind of Phoebe Cates in Fast Times at Ridgemont High vibe but I’m not mad about it.

• 

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Phoebe Cates in Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a TREASURE. Not like in Drop Dead Fred where she is a WIMP who SUCKS for most of the film.

But back to the turtles of Lincoln Park. I’m so happy to see them. I look forward to learning their spring and summer habits as I go to the park at different times of day and communing with them when they’re feeling brave and don’t jump off the cement and back into the water when humans approach. I know children like to commune with the turtles too but the turtles are braver when children aren’t around so do with that what you will.

Stay away from my turtles, kids. Is what I’m saying.

Okay, okay I’m sorry, it’s fine. The turtles of Lincoln Park are notable animal residents of Jersey City and we all deserve to be among them. Go check them out! BUT DO NOT SCARE THEM I WILL BE SO PISSED.

madame claude at white eagle hall.

During Normal Times™️ White Eagle Hall was a fun, fab, fantastic place to see live music in Jersey City. I saw some of my most favs there: Best Coast, Waxahatchee, The Black Lips. LIFE WAS GOOD.

Life isn’t that good now but we DO have the option of dining at Madame Claude AT White Eagle Hall and I think that’s pretty great, you guys.

We can eat food and drink drinks AND hear live music! The folks playing the music walk around and play the music! We can be inside this really cool historic building that I actually really, REALLY missed and have a great night!

Last night we really had a great night.

I had a TON of La vie en rose cocktails. Definitely lost count but it was a ton.

A TON.

The La vie en rose cocktail has lychee and vodka and some other stuff but I was mostly in it for the lychee. And the lychee was in it for ME.

We had a charcuterie board as an appetizer. Because we do what we must.

For my entree I chose the salmon. IT WAS INCRED. GET THE SALMON YOU GUYS.

They were kind enough to allow us to outsource dessert because it was my friend’s bday. Like they let her bring in a tray of banana pudding from baonanas and a delicious cake. The birthday desserts were EXCEPTIONAL and I was glad we got to have them.

All night the band played jazzy music on stage and it set a wonderful mood.

It was a great choice of birthday venue for my pal and I’d love to go back.

The end.

community cleanup.

On Saturday I was glad to attend a community cleanup on Pacific Ave in Jersey City. I walk and bike and scoot down Pacific Ave a lot to get downtown and I was like yes I’d like Pacific Ave to be clean let’s do this.

So we did.

The cleanup was run by Clean Green Jersey City. We met up on Pacific Ave and were given trash bags and REALLY FUN TRASH GRABBERS.

Like really fun.

They gave us plastic bags to collect trash in and plastic gloves to wear. The plastic gloves went right over my regular gloves! The ones I wear FOR WARMTH.

We were told to go in pairs or off on our own and I was like “I choose off on my own byeeee” and it was very peaceful and calming to zone out and pick up trash for an hour or so. I’d reccommend it.

There were a lot of empty alcohol bottles. Like an insane amount. I think I also came across some road kill that was in an advanced state of decay.

Cool.

But as I picked up trash I could see the street start to look better right before my eyes! I’m not making this up. It seemed really great. There’s a lot of trash around the town and it would be great if we could clean more of it up.

It’s as simple as that.

Before I went to the cleanup I was thinking about whether it would make me more sensitive to seeing trash around. Like if I didn’t notice trash before, would I notice it more now?

And for the last 48 hours…yes. I have been noticing trash WAY more. THERE IS SO MUCH TRASH OUT THERE.

My own street on The Hill is a huge trash fest. There is a local man that walks up and down the street with a grocery cart and he picks up some of the bigger trash and carts it away but street cleanup isn’t a one man job! It’s not a one SHAN job either, I think we should get a crew over here. And maybe we will someday!

In the meantime there are other community cleanups happening soon in our Jersey City community!:

You can sign up via their Google doc.

Go pick up some trash, it feels great and it’s great for the town and the land and the other folks that live here, too.

Woo!