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El Gatos will be happy I am sure, but Promethea and I are going to be sad for awhile I am sure to return to the US of A. Especially since Bushg still rules with his playdo fist.

We are wrapping up in Playa Grande north of Tamarindo on the pacific coast. The shuttle bus pick us up in a few hours for the trip back to San Jose. Our flight is tomorrow...back to Newark.

I can honestly say that Playa Grande, the site of a huge national oceanic park is the best beach I have ever seen. The senerity is breathtaking. We missed the nesting of the Leather Back turtles though, and we really did want to see a turtle weighing up to 400 kg nesting on a bech...but dems the breaks.

WTF.

Why is it that the W and the V trains run almost twice as often as any
train I want to take? They both terminate in Manhattan when headed
downtown and both are virtually empty every time they pass my position on
the platform.

Why does the MTA hate me? I wait and wait for N's and all I get is
W's. Not only is W the middle initial of the world's worst leader in
history besides Hitler (sorry Pol Pot, you have been surpassed), but
it's just a useless train.

Please tell me if you ride the W or the V so I may openly mock you.

Have you ever been walking down the street on a rainy day and gotten splashed (like in the movies) by a car hitting a puddle? If you have, you're certainly not alone.

After months of searching, I have finally found the most splash-prone block in all of Manhattan. Drum roll, please;

**55th Street between 8th Avenue and Broadway - north side of street.**

Trust me, do not walk down this street in the rain. It is a favorite shortcut for cabbies and there are at least a dozen parking facilities within a stones throw. I have tried to avoid walking down this block, but it's convenience trumps its danger as I work on 55th Street.

I took these photos on the roof in Bay Ridge. It was amazing how the clouds rolled in just in time to create the perfect photo opportunity.

Cheers.

[image:1937] [image:1938]

Introducing Gawker's NYC Subway Smell Map. An interactive guide to the smells of NYC Subway stations. Smell something that isn't listed? Let them know.

It was a damp morning last week while I prepared for my morning jog around the sidewalk of Prospect Park. I chose a large Oak tree to lean against to stretch my calfs. After a few strenuous moments of pushing against the tree, I looked up to notice a Latino man behind the wheel of a delivery van waiting at a red light. He was covering his head with both arms, trembling, looking up at the large tree with fear in his eyes. I realized then that the direction I was pushing looked as though I was trying to tip the 40 (plus) foot tree on top of his van. While his look of terror turned to a smile, his light turned green and we shared a laugh.

Feel free to agree or disagree on this but I have a beef with rude, unaware, New York City sidewalk pedestrians. I personally believe that while walking down a busy sidewalk in this city (or any city for that matter) foot traffic should be synonymous with standard automobile traffic laws. When a "blind" shopper exits his or her favorite deli or boutique (while babbling on their cell phone) they must yield! You have the right-of-way. If a collision occurs they are at fault. If "damage" occurs, i.e. broken ribs, after being struck to the pavement, or head-butted in the sternum (think French, World Cup Soccer) they are the ones that are going to have to contact their insurance company to pay the hospital bills.

Last night (7/27/06), New York City got hit with some spectacular lightning that I was lucky enough to capture in digital glory. It's a much more time consuming process than you might think. With the 4 pictures (through my window screen - sorry) you see below, there are about 50 that captured absolutely nothing. I have immense respect for photographers and hope one day to hone my skills and take some wicked photos.

I swear this one was a direct hit to grohk's router!
[img_assist|nid=1853|title=Lightning 4|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=100|height=67]

All of these are taken from deep in Bay Ridge Brooklyn. This one in particular, made my baby hairs stand up - it was a very close strike.

Sometimes, I like Bloomberg...In fact lately, he has been growing on me, but it never lasts long. Something like this always comes along to remind me that though he is liberal on many issues, he is just too damn eager to walk all over the rights of people who he disagrees with.

As I discovered during the RNC back in 2004, Bloomberg and the NYPD supress our [constitutional right to peaceably assemble](http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html). In the wake of those past authoritarian [gulianiesque](http://www.newyorker.com/archive/content/?040301fr_archive01) crackdowns, the courts decided that the NYPDs "crowd control" regulations were too broad. Now Critical Mass and other biking activists are under attack again from the Bloomberg administration. The [NYPD is seeking new rules designed to crack down on Protesters and Bicyclists](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/19/nyregion/19demo.html?ex=1310961600&en=...):

I have nothing more to add.

>The New York State Court of Appeals refused to recognize same-sex marriage in an order issued on Thursday, deciding that the issue should be addressed by the Legislature.

[CNN](http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/07/06/gay.marriage.reut/index.html)

Bastards.