Posts Tagged ‘Archives’
Archives #046
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
These archive posts are reaching into Newtown Pentacle’s backups, and are pulling posts that went public on this date, in their respective years, going back to 2009. This practice will continue until I’m back on both feet full time, and new photos and stories can be gathered. For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, I broke my left ankle at the end of September.
Further, as I predicted, the minute that the docs told me it’d be ok to start normal activities again – atmospheric temperatures dropped down into the 20’s, then it started snowing here in Pittsburgh, and the combination of all that resulted in leaving behind icy conditions.
No bueno, regarding the ankle and ice. Hopefully, this is the last week of archive posts, and next week new material should start showing up again.
Thanks for sticking with me during this trial, it’s meant a lot – the comments, views, etc. have definitely buoyed me up during dark times.
2013’s ‘uneasy voices’ detailed the scene as yet another one of the endless ‘Astoria Hullabloo’s’ set up just under my window when FDNY and NYPD suddenly appeared in large numbers on Broadway.
This sort of thing would occur at least once a month during the entire interval that I lived on Broadway’s corner of 44th street in Astoria. Yes, I lived directly over Gino’s Pizza. Zuzu the dog liked sleeping on the tile floor directly over their pizza oven, during the winter months.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Hey, that’s my shadow! You can see the outline of the street cassock filthy black raincoat and everything. Good times…
A standard ‘short walk’ I’d commit to at least once a week was to negotiate over to 39th street, at Northern Blvd., from Astoria, then walk past Sunnyside Yards and southwards up a shallow hill to Skillman Avenue. Skillman would then negotiate me across Queens Plaza and off the hill, slotting my feet into a path which led directly to the Degnon Terminal and the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek. There and back again was about 5-6 miles and a great short walk. Miss that route.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I didn’t used to just walk south from Astoria, it was just the more interesting walk visually than the other way. Y’know… another favorite destination for a short walk was Luyster Creek on the northern side, but there were so many long stretches of just residential blocks, which are rumored to be full of humans. In some spots, there are positive infestations of the man-apes. Always did I avoid the crowds and congregations of the humans, given the changeability and capriciousness of their moods.
I love’s me a post industrial and often deserted waterway, I do. Throw in all of the fence hole POV’s at Sunnyside Yards… Dutch Kills won most of the time.
In 2015’s ‘known specie,’ your humble narrator found himself walking over to the forbidden northern shore of Queens via ‘Astoria, astoria.’
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Archives #045
Friday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s been a long and strange experience, the broken ankle thing. Far and away the most painful injury suffered during the last twenty thousand and nine hundred twenty five days. As of publication of this post, the broken ankle injury occurred roughly one thousand eight hundred and ninety six hours ago. I spent the first three weeks of that interval in an opioid haze caused by the necessity of pain killers. I was helpless as a baby, as well.
Voting was a challenge due to the ankle, but a Cop helped me get up a set of steps to the polling site for the parking area, and I then cast my lot.
2010’s ‘ceaseless mazes’ talks about an encounter with the New York & Atlantic on the LIRR’s Lower Montauk tracks in Maspeth.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The opioid interval of this experience saw me watching endless hours of police bodycam footage on YouTube for some reason. Since, I’ve been preparing a twenty item long list of ‘things you don’t do when the cops show up, as it really sets them off.’ One of these (#13) is ‘don’t threaten to track the Cops down where they live and kidnap their kids.’ That really doesn’t go down well with the gendarmes, who happily slap a ‘terroristic threat Felony charge’ on the ‘perp’ in return.
It’s Batman rules. You’re not going to win, so just give up when the cops get there. Shut your trap and let them do what they do. The only person you talk to is a lawyer. Batman rules. Batman rules? You’re not going to be able to beat up or resist Batman, that’s the rule. You also can not win a fight with the Cops on the street.
2012’s ‘poor substitute’ detailed a ride on MTA’s holiday nostalgia trains.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m hoping that these archives posts will be a thing of the past pretty soon, but let’s see how sound the ankle actually is, and whether or not I can truly resume my normal activities. Thanks for sticking with Newtown Pentacle through all this, it’s been a balm knowing that y’all are here.
These archive posts are reaching into Newtown Pentacle’s backups, and are pulling posts that went public on this date, in their respective years, going back to 2009. This practice will continue until I’m back on both feet full time, and new photos and stories can be gathered. For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, I broke my left ankle at the end of September.
Finally, 2016’s ‘unctuous haggling’ walks around the “Carridor” of Northern Boulevard nearby the border of Astoria and Woodside.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Archives #044
Thursday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As described yesterday, medical clearance for a return to whatever it is that I call ‘normal’ is at hand. I’ve still got a long orthopedic road ahead of me, as the busted ankle’s surgical recovery period will still be playing out for several months. It’s sore, and I can feel the various tendons and ligaments growing annoyed while reversing the atrophy which they’ve suffered, during the period when I was adorned with a cast.
In many ways, this is how this particular moment feels to me. I’m back, maybe? Care to step outside?
2009’s ‘Mt Zion 4- A Lurid Shimmering of Pale Light’ was published on this date, part of a series exploring the centuried polyandrion.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve still got another month of ‘PT’ ahead of me. So far, it’s all about stretching and strength training for the affected limb. I’ve had to explain to my trainer that I’m probably the least athletic person he’s ever worked with and that a ‘spasmodic, lurching, flying, and scuttling’ form and posture of locomotion is normal for one such as myself. Christmas week is theoretically when I’m meant to have a sit down with the surgeon who slotted me back together, and that’s when I’m expecting this experience to start to really wind down and recede into a bad memory.
2011’s ‘hewn rudely’ discusses the ‘ancient home of graft’ which is what they used to call LIC before consolidation with the larger city.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’m writing this on Thanksgiving Day, so there’s actually a chance that next week (2nd week of December) you might actually see something newly gathered here. No promises, as there’s still weather to contend with, and it’s meant to be snowing in Pittsburgh for the next few days…
These archive posts are reaching into Newtown Pentacle’s backups, and are pulling posts that went public on this date, in their respective years, going back to 2009. This practice will continue until I’m back on both feet full time, and new photos and stories can be gathered. For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, I broke my left ankle at the end of September.
Another cemetery post was published, this time in 2012, in ‘Tales of Calvary 13- The Callahan monument.’ You never know what, or who, you’re going to find at First Calvary.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Archives #043
Wednesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This post is being written on Thanksgiving Day, and after my most recent physical therapy or ‘PT’ appointment, I’ve got a lot of thanks to give.
My ‘PT guy’ has issued an expiry on me wearing the walking boot, and wants me to phase into just using a pair of regular shoes full time again. Additionally, it looks like I’m cleared – as far as the second week of December goes – to start my walks again. It’s going to be a slow start – 1,000 feet and back for the first day and then increased increments after that – but this ankle nightmare is finally moving into the category of ‘something that happened’ as opposed to ‘something that’s happening.’
2012’s ‘glassy eyes’ was part of a survey of Newtown Creek’s uplands with a Columbia professor who was gathering samples of whatever biologies the flood waters had deposited upon LIC.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ve entirely missed autumn this year, which blows. Additionally, it’s been so long since I’ve shot a photo that I’m going to have to inventory what’s inside my camera bag. Charge the batteries, clean the glass…
It’s like having a prison warden tell you that the parole board has approved your application, this.
2013’s ‘strange instruments’ saw me pondering both the corrosive dissolution of aging, and whether or not there are subterranean grottoes beneath Queens Plaza.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I should mention that the evolving situation with the ankle has never been pain free, and the joint seems a little angry about losing the bracing of the walking boot, but since that cast came off a little over a month ago – everyday has been a little better than the one before. I’m sleeping through the night without getting woken up by sudden pain, for instance.
These archive posts are reaching into Newtown Pentacle’s backups, and are pulling posts that went public on this date, in their respective years, going back to 2009. This practice will continue until I’m back on both feet full time, and new photos and stories can be gathered. For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, I broke my left ankle at the end of September.
2017’s ‘after action’ detailed an encounter with a thoroughly destroyed automobile on the corner of Vernon and Jackson in LIC.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
Archives #042
Tuesday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the Dutch Kills tributary of Newtown Creek, as seen from the former Uneeda Biscuit factory in Long Island City, which is currently called LaGuardia Community College’s building C. I shot this one right before the first ever press conference that I was supposed to speak at on behalf of Newtown Creek Alliance, and this was also the first time I met Rep. Carolyn Maloney. She taught me how to smile for the cameras, and offered the trick of mushing your tongue up against the back of your teeth while grinning to cover up any gaps in the dentition.
In 2010, ‘Hunters Point Avenue Bridge Centennial, Dec. 11’ was published, hawking a free event which – as it turns out – was the first Newtown Creek event that had my name on it. This event is where all the tours and boat trips and Creekathons started. It’s also the last time that my pal Bernie Ente attended one of these goofy events before he got sick and passed away.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
One of the things which I consider as being pure serendipity is that during the years I was focused on Newtown Creek, a mad king in Albany decided he wanted to replace the Kosciuszcko Bridge. I’d swing through the work zone about every two weeks and do a photo survey of the project. Eventually, I was invited to join the stakeholders group, which gave me onsite access. In the end I managed to record the scene before, during, and after the construction project played out.
In 2014, ‘worse because’ brought readers to DUKBO – Down Under the Kosciuszcko Bridge Onramp – on the ragged border of Maspeth and LIC.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Want to know why everything costs more these days? Corporate consolidation, that’s why. The concrete sector of the building industry in NYC, for instance, has been purchased away from ‘family’ companies by a national conglomerate – bit by bit. Monopolies charge whatever they want for their product, as there’s no competition.
These archive posts are reaching into Newtown Pentacle’s backups, and are pulling posts that went public on this date, in their respective years, going back to 2009. This practice will continue until I’m back on both feet full time, and new photos and stories can be gathered. For anyone who hasn’t heard the news, I broke my left ankle at the end of September.
2015’s ‘flat platform’ explores what the modern version of NYC would be like if we were still using pack animals to move things around instead of using trucks and other vehicles.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
Buy a book!
“In the Shadows at Newtown Creek,” an 88 page softcover 8.5×11 magazine format photo book by Mitch Waxman, is now on sale at blurb.com for $30.
The Newtown Pentacle 