Archive for the ‘Government’ Category
On the Rainbow Room
In which The Gay Recluse writes metaphorically about life. Let’s say you were invited to a cocktail reception in the Rainbow Room, hosted by ____ and featuring a talk by _____, a political hero of yours who now works at a prestigious law firm. And even though it was a corporate event, which is never […]
Filed under: Dissonance, Government, Longing, Memory, Politicians, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: Crab Cakes, Law Firms, Midtown Manhattan, Rockefeller Center, Suits, The Rainbow Room, Ties, Wine
In which The Gay Recluse documents the exceedingly beautiful ruins of Washington Heights. Location: Audubon Terrace Address: Broadway between 155th and 156th Streets Remarks: Of all the exceedingly beautiful ruins in Washington Heights, perhaps none is more heartbreaking than Audubon Terrace. Not quite dead, it is like a great whale stranded on a beach; as […]
Filed under: Architecture, Capitalism, Communism, Decay, Government, New York City, Politicians, Resignation, The Gay Recluse, Washington Heights | Leave a Comment
Tags: American Geographical Society, Anna Hyatt Huntington, Archer Milton Huntington, Audubon Terrace, Beaux Arts, Dominican Neighborhoods, The American Academy of Arts and Letters, The American Numismatic Society, The Hispanic Society, The Museum of the American Indian, The Smiths, Washington Heights
In which The Gay Recluse ponders the transformation of the monumental into the mundane (and vice versa). Date of Incident: January 26, 2008 Time: 4:38 pm. Causes of Disaster: Failure to follow implemented routines; boredom, malaise. Remarks: Clean-up of the disaster area had already begun when workers were attacked by a savage, rampaging beast. There […]
Filed under: Animals, Government, Technology, The Gay Recluse, The Russian Blue | Leave a Comment
Tags: Cats, Disaster Footage, Homeland Security, Mess, Toys, Zephyr
In which The Gay Recluse ponders the transformation of the monumental into the mundane (and vice versa). Date of Incident: January 21, 2008 Time: 1:35am. Causes of Disaster: Failure to implement long-term planning procedures; budget overruns; bureaucratic miscommunication. Remarks: It was long ago noted that the tube in question was reaching dangerously low and unsustainable […]
Filed under: Government, Infrastructure, Language, Resignation, Technology, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: Cinnamint, Digital Photography, Disaster Footage, Homeland Security, Technology, Tom's of Maine, Toothpaste
In which The Gay Recluse ponders the role of technology in the transformation of the monumental into the mundane (and vice versa). Date of Incident: January 15, 2008 Time: 6:34pm. Causes of Disaster: Narrow countertop; careless placement of container; fatigue; needless “multi-tasking.” Remarks: After much debate about whether to even supplement the salad in question […]
Filed under: Gay, Government, Landscape, Technology, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: Cherry Tomatoes, Cooking, Digital Photography, Disaster Footage, Grape Tomatoes, Salad Dressing, Salad Preparation
Given the long-ascendant Manhattan real-estate market, people are often surprised to learn the extent to which abandoned, burned-out property still plagues Harlem and Washington Heights. On our block alone — which is not even close to one of the worst around here — there are three completely annihilated townhouse “shells” and several other larger buildings […]
Filed under: Architecture, Decay, Gentrification, Government, Landscape, New York City, Pessimism, The Gay Recluse, Washington Heights | 1 Comment
Tags: Ailanthus, Ann Coulter, HPD, Marcus Millichap, Massey Knakal, Pigeons, Rats, Real Estate, Shells, Uptown Manhattan
Yesterday as we approached Ft. Tryon Park for our weekly promenade in Washington Heights‘ most beautiful cliff-side heather garden, we were confronted by a small regiment of bagpipe players, apparently rehearsing for an upcoming event. We sat for a few minutes on one of the adjacent benches and observed these maneuvers, in which the band […]
Filed under: Government, New York City, Politicians, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: 2008 Presidential Campaign, Bagpipes, Bette Midler, Ft. Tryon Park, Heather Gardens, Parade Maneuvers
On Repulsion
As we watch Repulsion, the Roman Polanski film starring “the young” Catherine Deneuve, it’s hard not to be impressed by the way Polanski — like so many great artists — seems to predict the future. Released in 1965, the film presents a tightly wound portrait of a London which — and as a metaphor of […]
Filed under: Film, Government, History, The Gay Recluse | Leave a Comment
Tags: Catherine Deneuve, Horror Movies, Iowa Caucus, Nervous Breakdown, Repulsion, Roman Polanski
We could not look back at 2007 without offering our appreciation to all of the scientists out there whose groundbreaking research has done so much to perpetuate our society’s most cherished and deeply held gay stereotypes. It is most remarkable how in every instance, such research continues to ignore a — if not “the” — […]
Filed under: Drivel, Gay, Government, Language, Law, Science, Stereotypes, The Times | Leave a Comment
Tags: Best of 2007, David France, gay fruit flies, gay mice, Gay Research, Gay Science, Gay Stereotypes, John Tierney, New York Magazine, The Gay and Lesbian Review
How sad we are to learn (this from The Times) that “the New York City Council cleared the way this afternoon for a 17-acre campus expansion by Columbia University, the largest in its history.” How sorry we are for Nick Sprayregen and his family, the owners of Tuck-It-Away Self-Storage, the largest private-property owners in the […]
Filed under: Architecture, Gentrification, Government, New York City, The Times, Washington Heights | Leave a Comment
Tags: Columbia University, Eminent Domain, New York City Council, Tuck-It-Away Self-Storage, West Harlem
To the brave soul who trapped a mouse in a gluetrap and left it in the hallway, bravo! We would like to commend you for digging so deep and summoning the courage to carry such a ferocious beast — did you use your bare hands? — to the elevator, where we and countless others were […]
Filed under: Government, History, Philosophers, Resignation, Washington Heights | Leave a Comment
Tags: Compassion, Courage, George W. Bush, GOP, Karma, Mice, Mouse, Schopenhauer
On Giving Thanks
While this day is not so different than so many others, to the extent we feel like we are under siege — fending off sickness and financial ruin and political censure at every turn — as we survey our past and contemplate what lies ahead, we are grateful for many things. Such as? Well, life […]
Filed under: Capitalism, Communism, Dream, Government, History, Memory, Pessimism | Leave a Comment
Tags: Clementine, Conservative, Democrat, Liberal, Libertarian, Religious Right, Republican, Thanksgiving
The Gay Recluse 