Coney Island- Post Astroland

May 2009
With out of town friends visiting, it was time to hit Conney Island. It was my second time going this year, with the same results. Without Astroland, Conney looked more like the end of a party as the sun is coming up. All the initial excitment of getting there fades the minute you see the changes. A lot of the rides are gone, and what hasn't been taken over by new children rides, has been left bare. Not that Conney Island was a rejuvenating and uplifting place to begin with, but now it looks more barren. Patches of concrete now rest were crowds used to walk. For all the bold claims Thor Equities has made, it looks deader than ever.

The good part is, that a lot of carnival freak vendors have moved in. I have been intrigued by freaks and oddities since I was a kid, and having traveled abroad have seen deformaties and freaks in many developing countries. Unfortunatley in these countries a disfigured child or animal usually means a revenue source, and so, freak shows are common. So blame it on my upbringing, but I am a fan of freaks and oddities. In addition, I am a big fan of freak show are, the eye catching posters and signs of an era long gone, before tv and the discovery channel took over. There carnival signs are dope. Beats a museum anyday. And yes, they do really have a two faced cow, that you can pet. I recommend the cyclops human baby in formaldahyde, along with the chupacabra and mermaid carcasses.


Note the excite parents in the back ground. Wifey in pink with the husband in a suit, smoking a cigar.

Available to pet!























Merry-go-make way for the condo and mall...

Thank god, what would be the point of shooting a dead one?
In a time long lost.......

Block Trooping

Good old Conney. You took Astroland out, made it into a parking lot, reduced the crowds, but you kept the same ol expensive shit food. 5 bucks for 5 chicken wings.

This is a classic. Gonna print a copy of this and keep it in my back pocket, to remind myself what my wife will look like.

If I hadn't caught a glimpse of the shit hop playing these days, I wouldn't have found this interesting. May be getting old, but never knew their was such a thing as this. Thought it was a hip hop reference to drinking cough syrup, but nah, it exists.



For all the complaining about laundry day and doing laundry out there, I have to admit, I don't mind it. I am also one of the few remaining in my circle of friends that actually does their laundry, rather than dropping it off. Is it glamorous or worthwile, no. But it has to be done, and I am not about to pay extra to have someone fold my boxers and match my socks. I am capable of doing it, and frankly, unlike most people that claim to be too busy to do laundry, I make the time. With a backyard in the back, laundry becomes time for me to go sit out back, read the Economist, and drink a beer. All in the laundermat. Ahem to that.

Spring Time in Smashandgrab!

Its spring time, that means its time to get your spring fashion on. What will this years new "must have" be? After a comprehensive review of this years hot spring fashion, or fashionista consultants have found the HOTNESS for SPRING 2009. Stewie Gangsat Shirts! Sold exculsively on Ave of Puerto Rico, Bushwick. Get them before your friends do!
There goes the neighborhood. With the amount of condos now affecting my hood, its not surprising that the buff has arrived. This wall on Broadway and the BQE, with the old Rate, Slope, Darks, and Sober finally came and went. I saw trees being cut down weeks ago, so I can only assume that the rest is to follow. Now I see joggers in the hood. Time to get out.
Its the small things like this that brings small chuckles to my face, in an otherwise dull, annoying, cramped, bitter, and half asleep morning commute. God bless.
ALAS! The answers to ALL my problems! It turns out I CAN sue!
OLD MAN AND THE DOG! How does a guy with nothing but a shopping cart and a plank of wood get to have a poodle. I want one too!

Death in the Waiting Room!

Woodhull Hospital, Flushing and Broadway, Bushwick,2009

We are all aware of the stereotypes attributed to shitty hospitals, especially the "dying in the waiting room." Unfortunately, I exprienced a double whammy yesterday. I had to take someone to Woodhull yesterday, and ultimately paid the price of a 4 hour wait from arrival on to departure. Aside from sitting in the damned room for 4 hours, I was surrounded by patients having arguments with the staff over the long wait, people making threats of vomiting unless they got service, and the occasional drunks that got kicked of the waiting room for loitering. I had heard Woodhull ER waiting room was like the waiting room in a bus station, but never like this.

But then came the a man and his wife. The man was panting, and just looked fucked up. As they waited for a nurse to check them in, the man all of a sudden tilts his head backwards and stops breathing. The wife yells, and a nurse comes running in. After a few slaps on the face, she ran away, and then within 20 second a whole group of doctors with a stretcher came. Then I heard one of the doctors asked, "Does he have a pulse?" and then the dreadful reply of "no." A few chest presses, and it was apparent the guys was dead. They pushed the stretcher back behind the doors, and left his poor wife, by herself sobbing in the waiting room, while the rest of us kept on waiting for our names to be called. All within 8 feet of me.

My friend who was getting treatment, later told me, that the doctor has told her, the man had died of an overdose.

By 9:30pm we left. I had lost my Sunday afternoon, but that was peanuts in the scheme of things.

SMASHANDGRAB goes to Austin, Texas!

From the cold, grey, and littered streets of Broadway, Smashandgrab2000 found itself in Austin for the South by Southwest Music Festival. Customary to its Brooklyn ways, it was nothing short of debauchery. A lot of confused, aimless walking around, with little or no music listening. In other words, scumlife. Nevertheless, it was a success. A good break from the grime, rats, the cold, and subway rides. I saw trees, the sun, and birds. One story buildings, streets with no sidewalks, and many highways. Met cool people, and as always saw random shit, only available in Austin, and presented for your viewing pleasure. The drawbacks? No public transport, and no cheap chinese food restuarants. So long General Tso's chicken. Thanks to the Music Gym and crew for the drinks and hospitality.

Trees, sun, and a river. Ain't that something.


I lied about the not seeing music. I did make it out to the Kanye and Talib show, though I must say, Kanye is wack. Go back to Disney world, you teenage hip popper.

I did stumble into this little piece of Brooklyn though. Word up to the Broadway n Marcy Crew.

And as usual, no weapons on the bus allowed. It appears all it takes is a sticker on a public bus to ensure our safety. If we had them stickers on our bus, I'd leave my gun at home.

I was also very surprised to see this fairy got away, and was fluttering quite freely. Come on texas, what do we have you for? Nice Troy/Bradd Pitts sandles you got there, butterfly.

And this is how the clean portapotties in Texas. Since no back alleys-behind-the-dumpsters or in-between-cars-when you see no headlights exist.

And this is a little gecko I caught. Its the simple things in life that make me happy.

No trip to texas would be complete without a bull skull. Especially one used as a garden decoration. Where you get yer garden at? Cause I don't got one.

Judging from the sun, trees, beautiful home, and lack of the elevated subway line, this mos def is not the Myrtle and Broadway intersection.

Now this lil critter here smells like an opossum cut in two.

Sundried Roadkill. THAT we don't get here. I stepped on a rat a few weeks ago on the G train platform, but couldn't step hard enough to kill it before it ran away. So that doesn't count.

My buddys backyard. I forgot backyard existed. But look at that! Trees and lawn chairs.


Dead Bats. Smaller and less dirty than dead rats.