Ulmer Park #71, 5/3/07

Whew, finally. That was a busy couple of weeks...I had a friend from Minnesota visiting for a week, went to New Jersey more than a couple times, had things stolen, finished my library school application (woo!), and read a few (gasp) purchased books. But eventually, I finally found the time to finish the book I took out of Flatbush, that being I, Stagolee. It was an excellent book, and the clear, straightforward prose would have actually made it a quick read if I'd had any time at all. It turned out to be much more complex than I had originally anticipated, though, which was a pleasant surprise. The bits regarding political corruption, and the state of both the Democratic and Republican parties near the end of the 19th century, were very interesting (though I don't know how much of it was based in fact). Apparently the author, Cecil Brown, also wrote a non-fictional account of the murder and the songs it spawned, Stagolee Shot Billy, which you can read about here.

So after finishing that book late last night, I set out today to the next library. My goal was to get the one available copy of The Children of Húrin, the newly released J.R.R. Tolkien book, in the entire Brooklyn Public Library system. It is a longer version of the story of Túrin Turambar, which is a chapter in The Silmarillion, which I have read, and which I recommend to any Lord of the Rings fans who haven't. Luckily enough, out of 33 copies, the one available one was in a library I had not been to. Therefore I set off for the Ulmer Park Branch.

Branch: Ulmer Park
Location: 2602 Bath Ave at 26th Ave
Transport: R train to 36th St.; D train to 25th Ave.
Book: The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien
Date: Thursday, May 3, 2007

Can't believe it was two weeks since my last library, I was starting to go into withdrawal...anyway, the branch was very nice, filled with kids who just got outta school, working on projects, hanging out, whatever. I went to sit at one of the less occupied tables and finish the other book I've been reading, only to notice a sign reading "Reserved for Seniors." It's like adult swim, but...with tables. I'm not sure if "Ulmer Park" is an actual neighborhood, but according to my sources I was on the edge of Bensonhurst and Bath Beach. Ok, I guess entirely in Bath Beach. Anyway, the houses were gorgeous, the weather was gorgeous, the flowers and trees were gorgeous. Assuming the honeybees make it through this year, we can enjoy flowers next year as well, though I only saw one bee all day today, and it was a bumblebee.

In any case, the library was nice, a large selection of books and adequate facilities, ah who am I kidding, I was in full on Tolkien nerd mode, I barely noticed the place. It was nice though, really. And so far the book is excellent, by the way, sort of like an extended director's cut of a story, totally totally totally rad. Ok, I'm babbling, I just want to get back to reading some more of it. The upshot being that you should hear from me soon, cause I'll be done with this in no time. Or maybe more horrible/awesome circumstances will befall me and it'll be another two weeks. We shall see.

One last thing: my crappy rechargeable batteries (ENERGIZER! DAMN YOU!!!!!) can't hold a charge, and I was ready to go, so I figured I'd just buy a couple AAs at a convenience store in the area. I somehow managed to spend a dollar on batteries that are a) significantly lighter than normal AAs and b) didn't work. At all. Not even a little bit. By the time I tried them I was nowhere near the store and I didn't feel like going back and complaining, so I shelled out another $2 for some batteries that actually worked. I relate this story not to lament by own bad luck, but to warn you, the reader. Don't buy the batteries that aren't in the full packaging just cause they're a little cheaper. IT'S NOT WORTH IT! Pictures anyone?



Front! A car! A van! Panama!



And then there's always the door...



And the ever popular angle. Well that's it for today. I should be back very soon though, really. See you next time.