Neither more nor less

Last night at 113 Avenue A , friends of Ray Alvarez , proprietor of the renowned East Village institution known as Ray's Candystore , gathered with fake champaigne and real cheesecake in hand to watch Selena dance for Ray to celebrate Ray's 74th birthday. Selena had several ardent oglers , pardon me , admirers... including Ray . With all the food , drink and wholesome entertainment , everyone had a good time . Happy Birthday Ray !!!!

Amy gave me something very rare and special today , a true four leaf clover .

A small park full of ardent furry lovers hop from tree to tree and love to love for brief trysts in the trees , in the bushes and on the asphalt in a frenzied flagrant lovefest this middle January : it's squirrel mating season .

Look in any direction in our Tompkins Square Park and in the distance where your gaze finally ends you will find the wall of buildings that encloses our park . This wall draws the limit of our park and in doing so becomes a part of our park . Demolishing and replacing any building in this wall demolishes and changes a part of our park .

We have lost so much of our valued old city to the new soulless products of the current developement frenzy. Isn't it time to abate and limit this frenzy and at least around our parks preserve some of what has been with us so long connecting us physically to our past providing us with a sense of place in our otherwise rapidly changing and alienating city . We do not need another tall , numbingly banal building where Saint Brigid stands : we already have one just up a block on ave. B..