Day 68, Be Brave Project; Neighborhood Fun or Smug Eco Mummy Alert?

I received a flyer through my door around two weeks ago. "West 90th Street News", from the West 90th Street Park Block Association. This is not the type of thing that was distributed at my old address, where neighbor's dogs occasionally urinated outside my door but otherwise I lived in unbothered isolation.

Next weekend is apparently a biggie here on West 90th, with two days of activities including a street "Green Up" day, a Block-long tag sale and bake sale. The Green Up day is on Saturday from 11-1. The primary activities are getting daffodil bulbs to plant in containers and in garden fronts on the block, sanding and painting tree surrounds that haven't been maintained by the nearby buildings, painting yellow curb markings to define the no parking areas, and re-painting fire hydrants. Sounds sort of fun, actually. . .might get to know some of my neighbors. Seems like a friendly, helpful sort of thing to do. The kind of thing people do in Chicago, actually--not NYC.

But I am reluctant.

This seems like the kind of thing that might be made for people who have children--to foster a sense of community here in NYC. In other words, if I showed up, would I be surrounded by self-consciously virtuous eco-Mummies and their children?? If so, I cannot imagine anything more off-putting. I would smile my rictus grin at their kids--I never know what the hell to say to children, particularly these strange spoiled hyper-confident NY ones--and wish to hell I were at home.

However. An ex-boyfriend of mine did something like this, at his old place in Grammercy Park. He was assigned an area to keep clean, and one morning when he was out tending it, no doubt wearing his black biker's jacket and Ramones t-shirt, he began chatting to a woman in a suit who was walking by. Turned out she also had a little plot that she was keeping clean. Turns out she lived in the area. . . And then, Peter told me on the last night I ever saw him, it also turned out that she had inherited a three bedroomed rent-control apartment.

I knew he'd marry her, and he did.

But if leather jacketed Italian guys do stuff like this, then why not me? It's a good way to meet people in the area, and I do desperately need a cat sitter for Christmas.

Or I could put together a table for the tag sale on Sunday, though that requires 6 hours of sitting outside in the brisk chilled air. My final option is to bake something for the bake sale that day, which really is the wimp's way out because all I do then is give my banana bread to the relevant people and then walk away. Not much involvement.

So I will think about it today, and then probably call and volunteer for the Green-Up Day on Saturday. . .after I check the weather.

I don't see myself doing rainy day charity. At least, not yet.

*****

Re. the Be Brave Project:

I have continued on the medical front, and woke up yesterday to get my blood tests. Such an inconvenience, because (like most lushes) I am such a creature of habit that not having my morning cup of tea really chapped my ass. Sipping an abstemious glass of H2O somehow didn't do it for me. Hopped the D train down to Columbus Circle, where a large-busted lady in a very tight flowered smock took one, two, three, five vials of blood from me, and then wanted a urine test out of the blue. Good lord!

I am a little nervous about the results of the blood test, and also wondering if there's still some infection from those abscesses floating around my system. . .but I also am very curious to know things like my cholesterol level and my iron level. Next step on the medical front is to see the Doctor again in 9 days, and begin making appointments for gynecology and cardiology.

I'm getting it ALL checked out, for the first time this millenium.

Oh my I hope it all looks good. . . today another trip to the dentist to make sure my Lower East Side is infection free and to get fitted for a crown. Good bye, Europe money!