Have you seen the lot on Smith St. and Huntington, right on the Gowanus Canal? I pass it every day on the F train, and I’m fascinated by the “Poke” mural.
I think it’s brownfield that used to be a natural gas plant, but I LOVE that mural! It’s pretty elaborate for graffiti. I want that font!
I am assuming it predates the Facebook “Poke”? Anyone have info on the Smith Street MPG lot Poke Mural?
When I tuck my four-year-old son into bed every night, I repeat the same thing my mother always said to me at bedtime, “Happy dreams.”
But recently, my son told me that he never has happy dreams. He has always been a good sleeper and other than the obligatory asking for a glass of water, he has never had problems going to bed. So when he said he only had bad dreams, I was very surprised.
But it’s when he describes his dreams that I get upset. His nightmares go from the classic, dreams about falling, to the heartbreaking, dreams about being hit by a truck. His surreal dream-scapes really freak me out, “There is a scary puddle with a face that turns into a monster,” and “A monster swallowed a balloon.” When I ask why this is scary, he tells me, “Because the monster is choking.”
It is bad enough that he has nothing but terrifying dreams, but the biggest monsters in his dreams are his parents. I can hear myself yelling at him:
“Don’t climb up there, you’ll fall!”
” Do not step in the street!”
” You better not run through that puddle!”
” Do not leave balloons on the ground; your baby sister could choke to death!”
His nightmares don’t seem to affect his sleep, but should I be concerned that he doesn’t have sweet dreams and that my anxieties seem to be the inspiration for his bad dreams?
The Park Slope Food Co-op has been a lightning rod for criticism for years, from people complaining about the co-op banning bottled water, nannies covering members the mandatory work shifts, and most recently, the meeting to decide whether to decide if they should boycott Israeli products. Because the Israel boycott flap got so much attention, Reuters Chadwick Matlin decided to “live-tweet” the most recent Food Co-op general meeting (which had nothing to do with banning Israeli products.)
Oh how the hilarity ensued. And all the blogs laughed and laughed. Oh those silly, stupid co-op members/Park Slope residents/Brooklyn resident/Liberals/Democrats etc. (the derision broadened as the comments went on.)
But why is a business that is truly democratic, and gives everyone a chance to speak, including the kooks, subject to such ridicule? (Full disclosure, I was briefly a co-op member, so I am familiar with the fringe element of a number of the members…let’s face it, some of them are genuine squirrel-bait.)
But rather than just take pot shots, the Atlantic puts it in perspective with the article The More Things Change the More Food Co-ops Stay Mockable, “The temptation to mock is irresistible. We love to laugh at the Park Slope Food Co-op as the ne plus ultra of overwrought political correctness and smug social consciousness. We need that in our disgruntled, cynical lives.”
Maybe the Park Slope Food Co-op is a naive cockeyed optimist who thinks they can change the world, and that might make them seem a little batty. But I’m sure if someone live tweeted a Reuters board meeting, you’d hear a few things a little more scandalous than people concerned about plastic bags. Chadwick Matlin, are you willing to direct your clever smarm on David Thomson and James Smith?
I am thrilled that Whole Foods is FINALLY going to open in Gowanus. Regardless of what you think of of Whole Foods, it is a well run business. It’s clean, they have excellent products, and the employees are friendly, professional, and efficient.
Always the sentimentalist, here are some of the things I will miss by not shopping at some of the other local grocery stores:
Key Food
I’ll miss your produce pre-wrapped in plastic and packed in threes.
Trader Joe’s
I’m not sure what I’ll do without your overly-OVERLY-friendly cashiers.
Fairway
Who wouldn’t miss the byzantine cobble-stoned route that one must drive to get to Fairway.
Met Food
I will miss your friendly cats (but the bugs in the pasta, not so much.)
The Park Slope Food Co-op
I think I’ll miss you most of all, where will I get the over inflated sense of self regard that comes with shopping at the co-op.
What will you miss while shopping at Whole Foods?
Brooklyn Brood 