July

I paid the rent. Made amends. Now I catalog the crises. Time to get repairs. Time to face the anger, the consternation, the racist discomfit.

Made the somewhat surprising discovery that a friend from upstate who came to the City for a doctor visit had her appointment directly across the street from where I work. Like, when I used to sit on the other side of the floor I might have seen straight into the office where she had her appointment. That seems a little strange. She was in town a few weeks earlier and we met up but no such spatial bits of kismet occurred, as far as I know.

I helped clean up some TKs in a friend’s obit. No one could remember his ex-wife’s last name. They were only married a few months. I could not remember her last name either but through the magic of newspapers.com I found the wedding announcement in a Rochester newspaper. Having done that research and cleaned up the TK I have to ask: Would he be horrified to see that woman’s name rise up in his obit? And what of her? He consistently said marrying that woman was the biggest mistake he ever made. For the obit I could see mentioning that he was briefly married, and that it accounted for him relocating to another state. But is it appropriate or necessary to refer to her by name?  I don’t know…

I feel like every day at this job could be my last. Getting fired would be fine. I have nothing lined up but I could get my shit together and think of something.  I still have my setup at home as if I am running the business I left behind after so many years. The business failed but there is always possibility there. I just gave up. I was burned to a smoldering crisp. I could say the same about this job. I still get concerned about certain encounters and such.

A neighborhood in Brooklyn is plagued by a stench unlike any other. Since June 26 an abandoned garbage truck has been parked on Church Av and Marlborough Rd, across from a synagogue. No one seems to know who left it there or what circumstance led to its abandonment. Most of the identifying information has been spraypainted over but clues remain. It is a very unnerving sight, and getting near to it feels like a brush with death. It is said to attract hoards of rats but on my visit I did not witness rodents. Just a lot of flies and a lot of stink.