Bullet points

*There was an impromptu block party on East 91st Street today. The street was closed because the entire east half of our block was being taken up by a large crane -- the kind used to construct luxury high-rises -- in pieces, being put together. Tens of neighbors were sitting on their stoops, just watching. (I guess the cable was out?) At one point, they even had pizza.

*I was reminded that this is the 2-year anniversary of Michael DiRoma's death. Michael started the group that played capture the flag on the streets of New York, a group I took over in September/October when he went back to school. He was supposed to meet a group of us at a poetry slam when we found out. He was killed in a car accident. Plenty of thoughts about Michael and the entire situation, but no words.

*The above caused me to look through old emails, and I found this: an introduction to a brief paper about the representation of minorities in television news. I hope my sarcasm translates to the web...

There's no escaping it. It's everywhere. No matter where, there's an abundance. Everyone is confronted with it daily, on TV, in magazines, in the streets, on the train…yup, Black people. Representing 17.4% of Manhattan residents on the 2000 census, it's impossible to escape the sea of undeniable Blackness encountered every day. Of course, this group of people who are so vastly different and live in such a unique way must be represented in the news for what they really are. And thanks the objectivity that the Fourth Estate, our lovable journalists, brings to Television News has done for Black People everywhere as Morgan Freeman did for Penguins. And without a question, all coverage is fair and even-handed...

The capitalization is intentional.

*I need to remember from now on that laundry day and gym day should not coincide. I'm going to feel this in the morning.

*Once again, I've proven to myself that I love to self-sabotage. It seems like the only relationship (or potential relationship) I haven't sabotaged was the one with the girl I knew would run away and break my heart. (Of course, you could say the way I handled things afterwards sabotaged the potential friendship...but I knew too much of her; she was too vulnerable around me and couldn't be my friend after telling me everything I knew, even about her thoughts and feelings on her supposed best friend.) Again, lots of thoughts about this, but no words.

*Spring training is in full swing. It's a happy time of year for baseball fans, because we know that even when the rest of the world treats us poorly, baseball is there. Spring training is the best time of year for baseball fans because your team can lose every game and you can still feel good. In fact, the entire month of April is like that, too. So many teams go .500 or worse in the month of April and still end up in the playoffs. (Maybe next week I'll actually find out if that's true...but I can think it without statistical analysis, and it makes it even better to be a baseball fan.)

*I saw a kid and his dad kicking a soccer ball to each other as they walked down the sidewalk today. It made me nostalgic for experiences I've never had. Funny how that works.

*I'll leave you with advice that was given to me in the form of a note in my 8th grade yearbook: "Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." Thanks, Mike.