Posts Tagged ‘Snow’
delvings into
Adjusting to the frozen realities of our time.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
As a housebound invalid, which is what these frigid temperatures reduce one such as myself to, it has been a bit of trial accepting the simple fact that the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself will never again shine down upon and warm the good land of Queens. One can really get a sense of why the events which would signal the oncoming Viking apocalypse (Ragnarok) were called the “Fimbulvetr” – which translates as “awful, great winter” – after the last couple of weeks. Eschatology notwithstanding, a humble narrator wishes that something – anything – would happen, even an oncoming storm of vengeful Valkyrie, just to break the monotony of the “Frozone.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
At this stage, it seems that I’ve watched everything which Netflix offers. I can recommend “Lilyhammer” without reservation, and I’ve finally caught up on “Sherlock” and can understand what everyone has been going on about. I’m rereading David McCollugh’s “The Great Bridge” and endeavoring to finally slog through the final chapters of “Gotham” by Mike Wallace and Edwin G. Burrows. Also, planning for this years series of walking tours is underway.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I’ll be doing an event at Brooklyn Brainery in February, which will be discussed in a post later this week, and preparation for this will occupy a bit of my time, but like my little dog Zuzu – I’m bouncing off the four walls right now. I should have become a slave to Opium at some point in the past, so as to pass through intervals in the frozone in a cloud of nepenthe.
“follow” me on Twitter- @newtownpentacle
heavy grief
Today’s post is all about perspective.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It’s going to be hot today, so it’s time to think about staying frosty. The historic low temperature for June in New York City was set in 1972 when it was just 46 degrees. It’ll feel like double that at solar maximum today, so I thought that scenes from the snowpocalypses of recent memory might offer some comfort. Stay cool, kids.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Personally speaking, I unfortunately will be out all day in the direct gaze of the burning thermonuclear eye of god itself. A busy series of Newtown Creek related intervals will carry me back and forth and forth and back from hallowed Astoria to hoary Greenpoint. One could always feign stomach illnesses, “nobody argues with diarrhea” as I always say, but I actually desire to fulfill my on site obligations- it wouldn’t be cool to back out at the last minute, you might say I was “being cold” and I wouldn’t want to be frozen out of future opportunities.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
I am not at liberty to discuss what I’m doing in the morning yet, which will entail getting up just after sunrise, but suffice to say that I’m going to the last place you’d expect me to today. You might even say that you’d expect a cold day in hell would be more likely than what my actual plans are. Suffice to say that I’ll be wearing protective clothing despite the heat, which will include long sleeves, gloves, and a hard hat as well as steel toe boots. Stay frosty, lords and ladies, and to quote a certain popular television show- remember that winter is coming.
Want to see something cool? Summer 2013 Walking Tours-
The Insalubrious Valley– Saturday, June 29, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Newtown Creek Alliance, tickets now on sale.
Modern Corridor- Saturday, July 13, 2013
Newtown Creek walking tour with Mitch Waxman and Atlas Obscura, tickets on sale soon.
cursed season
“follow” me on Twitter at @newtownpentacle
– photo by Mitch Waxman
During the snow storm on Friday, Our Lady of the Pentacle indicated that she had become a bit peckish and desired a meal. Unfortunately for us, many of the restaurants here in Astoria had wisely shuttered their doors early.
Accordingly, we set off across the frozen waste to find acceptable comestibles. Naturally, one brought a camera along with him.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This will be a week of darkness explored, here at your Newtown Pentacle.
As mentioned in an earlier post, an effort to betray normal sensibility and habit is underway, one of which is to shoot during the optimal hours of diurnal light. Nocturnal Astoria was fairly deserted, at least by Astoria standards, and an eerie pall of quiet hung about the place- punctuated only by the sound of plows and salt spreaders and the occasional exhalations of Spaniard revelry.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Small groups picked their way through the snow, as an obscuring miasma of wind blown ice particles occluded vision. It was not particularly cold, oddly enough, just windy. Road salt lent an oddly oceanic scent to the air, which mingled with those foul humours rising up from the subterranean sewage tunnels underlying the street.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
A fine icy powder as it fell, the snow hardly interfered with my lens, as it did not cling to the glass. In the end, it was the always reliable Politos Pizza on Broadway just off Steinway which satisfied the gastronomic urges of Our Lady and myself. An alcoholic drink was procured next door at the venerable Cronin and Phelan pub for dessert.
At only ten at night, the barkeep announced last call, an indication that the storm was growing worse- for if a NYC Irish bar is closing up early…
Also:
Remember that event in the fall which got cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy?
The “Up the Creek” Magic Lantern Show- presented by the Obscura Society NYC- is back on at Observatory, on February the 15th- This Friday.
Click here or the image below for more information and tickets.
Scenes from a Snowpocalypse
– photos by Mitch Waxman
The recent and much commented on Blizzard of December 28, 2010- which we in the frozen zone of Astoria refer to as “The Snowpocalypse”- produced many memorable moments around the ancient village. Made especially clear was that the internet, designed to withstand a nuclear attack, has become vulnerable to seasonal weather in the hands of corporate stewards such as Time Warner Cable.
Here’s a few photos of the experience, and notice the Daily News Truck- which was stuck in the middle of 44th street from 4:30 AM to 11PM and was finally towed out by a block long hydraulic chain. The auto in the second to last shot zipped up the block- the wrong way- and got stuck into the very spot that the truck was in. Some of these shots are unforgivably grainy, as they were captured at extremely high iso speeds.
Incidentally, the iPhone shot of the truck being towed finally out is here.
Abominable Snowman of Astoria
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Zuzu, our noble dog and faithful subject, demanded reasonable access to the amenities of curb and hydrant and so compelled- I grabbed the camera and we went out into the storm. On the corner of 45th and Broadway, we came across this sinister homunculus.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Mastery over snow and ice is but one of Zuzu’s many abilities, but her foot pads are vulnerable to ice melting chemicals and road salt. Her pads were prepared for the saline ponds and frozen mounds with an application of Musher’s Wax, which is a commercial variant of Beeswax. We left her comical coats and sweaters at home, since there really was no point in them as Zuzu was punching in and out of snow banks. Cry Havoc, and let slip, declareth the dog, and we went to Newtown Rd. and 43rd street.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
It was decided that Broadway, where we just were, would be a superior spot to sniff. As always, the corner grocery is open. Somehow, these guys had power back during the Astoria black out in 2006, and their sandwich counter is both clean and surprisingly affordable. They even make home made yogurt! Zuzu stared at this corner for a while, it was probably since she knows that this is where yogurt comes from.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Giving my loyal canine a moment of privacy, Zuzu went about her business while I stared up into the trees. A dogs life has so little dignity, offering a moment of discretion when they need to powder their noses is only polite. Cleaning up her steaming dog egg, I realized that the snow was again taking a turn for the worse. So did Zuzu.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Zuzu got cold, or hungry, and decided it was time to go home at this point. I followed.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Zuzu during warmer times.
The Newtown Pentacle 