My book, The Killing Fields of East New York, is on the list for The Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize! This one means a lot to me. It was very important to me that I do a good job. Win or not, the fact that I made this list is heartening. And this is coming from the Brooklyn Public Library!!

Another favorite YouTube channel: Tia Weston. Also a home renovation channel, but I love this one because of Tia & her father (who works with her) and their relationship. The world would be a better place if we all had a dad like Tia’s. Start with the $1 House playlist . www.youtube.com/@TiaWeston

Star City is just incredible, a tour de force. The acting, the writing, the stories that are breaking my heart. Good god the finale. Every single second of it. Please come back Star City.

The next entry in my ongoing series, Faces I Can’t Resist. (I work in an animal hospital and I love your babies.) Video proof of how much kittens love their stuffed animals.

My book, The Killing Fields of East New York, in the wild! I love how well-read and bookmarked it looks! Thank you for sending this to me, Sharon.

Seen in the New York City subway last night. If you read the fine print, it’s about organ donation. The next sign over read, “How to outlive your ex.” But someone was sitting in front of it, and it felt rude to take a picture.

Everyone is probably sick of fireworks shots by now, but I like the NYC fireworks view from my roof and want to share it. But for the next few weeks I’m working mostly full-time at the animal hospital and I’ll have tons of animal pictures.

The Blue Angels + fly up the Hudson River. The sun was shining in a way that I could not see the screen on my phone. I just pointed and hoped. I’m amazed any shots came out at all! My favorite was that stealth jet. Always looks like something that we reverse engineered from an alien aircraft.

Researching my book The Killing Fields of East New York involved a back and forth btwn the National Archives & the Eastern District of New York (EDNY, a federal court) about who held the records for the trial I would write about. Turns out the EDNY removed the records from the Archives in 1978. 1/2

The next entry in my ongoing series, Faces I Can’t Resist. (I work in an animal hospital and I love your babies.) A sleeping puppy in a burrito!

A World Cup viewing on Jane Street, in the West Village, NYC. The takeout at this cafe, Bonsignour, is phenomenal. I highly recommend stopping by during lunch and getting something from inside to eat while you watch and socialize with my neighbors.

The next entry in my ongoing series, Faces I Can’t Resist. (I work in an animal hospital and I love your babies.) It’s okay little one. We will take good care of you.

The gauntlet I passed through to vote. I neglected to research the State Assembly candidates. Did a very quick search to find who is the most progressive. I hope I got it right.

I love libraries, librarians & the people who use libraries. I found this bird tucked into the plastic cover of Cloud Cuckoo Land, the book I just took out. Birds are key to this book & finding this was a delight. From now on I’m going to leave tiny presents in the back cover of library books.

I love Mixlab, the pharmacy that I use for my cats. They send a toy with every delivery. My cats love the new toys, but eventually get bored with them & they join the pile of toys in my livingroom. They go back to them sometimes so this pile of toys has become just one of the crosses I must bear.

I forget where I took this. It’s downtown somewhere, but I took it because I like graffiti. Looking at it now, I also love what’s left where they tore down whatever posters were up. It looks like a few messier, urban Mark Rothko’s.

The next entry in my ongoing series, Faces I Can’t Resist. (I work in an animal hospital and I love your babies.) I had to pry this kitten out of Cindy’s grip to get her back to her owner. She kept running from me yelling, “NO. NO.” The love was mutual. The kitten is crying “NO” in the 1st picture.

The next entry in my ongoing series, Faces I Can’t Resist. (I work in an animal hospital and I love your babies.) Hello? We’ll take a 100 more of these. In perfect health please. Thank you in advance.

New York Knicks on the roof! Kinda. They put up this massive screen on the roof across the street to watch the Knicks game last night (and what a game!). I don’t follow basketball, but I know how fun it is to get swept up so I love the effort here to hold one helluva watch party.

Reminder: I'm giving a talk about my book The Killing Fields of East New York on Roosevelt Island tonight at 6:30, at the Roosevelt Island Public Library, 504 Main Street! Come early and explore the Smallpox Hospital ruins!

The next entry in my ongoing series, Faces I Can’t Resist. (I work in an animal hospital and I love your babies.) Sad kitten in a cone. I’m so sorry baby. But you’re fine and you have your whole mostly cone-less life ahead of you.

Unfortunately today is the last day to see the great Ceija Stojka exhibit at the Drawing Center. Go if you can! She was a Roma artist, activist, writer, lyricist, and Holocaust survivor. Her work is a little reminiscent of Clementine Hunter. And Van Gogh. drawingcenter.org/exhibitions/...

I will always take the opportunity to peek at an apartment renovation. This was on 11th Street. The garden! Those intact arched windows! And the staircase railing. It must be great to be rich. Why can’t this be mine??

I was on the roof doing my jumping & stomping exercises (so as not to disturb my neighbors) when I looked east on Perry St and saw how insanely lush it is. That big patch of green is Perry btwn Bleecker & West 4th. The 2nd shot is looking west towards Hudson River. NYC really is Emerald City!

St. Luke’s Place is one of my favorite streets to walk down. It happens reasonably often because my local library branch is on this street. The back of the Tony Dapolito recreation center is also on St. Luke’s, but don’t get me started about the rec center. That’s a whole other post.

Storms are so pretty sometimes. This is the view from my window in the West Village, NYC, looking downtown.

The next entry in my ongoing series, Faces I Can’t Resist. (I work in an animal hospital and I love your babies.) Oh God. These creatures were living in this cat’s ear. We took care of it, but I think I’m experiencing a little PTSD from watching this. Must forget these things exist.

The next entry in my ongoing series, Faces I Can’t Resist. (I work in an animal hospital and I love your babies.) We’re always trying new ways to make the animals feel more safe in the hospital. This cat, who is clearly not amused, sits under a makeshift house made from an upside-down step stool.

Due to the miracle of rent stabilization I have been able to live in the West Village, NYC for 40+ years. But I feel like the Little Match Girl passing by stores I could never shop in. It’s nice to look in the windows though, and every time I walk around new stores appear.