Foggy Bridge

Fog and drizzel this morning, but I wanted to get on my bike. I headed to Gorilla and had a coffee and read the paper a bit. I almost lost it reading about the first family of mammals to go extinct: the baiji in China (frickin' China!!!). I started getting wet around 3rd Avenue and was pretty soaked by the time I reached the bridge. I liked the look of the lonely bridge shrouded in fog. Here's a view for you.

Peace Man

I was taking a picture of an empty beer can in a paper bag on the bridge, when this man walking towards me began waving at me. I couldn't hear what he was saying as I had my earphones on. Turns out he wanted me to take his picture! "Take a picture of me!" he shouted. He stretched his arms out and gave me the peace sign...or is it "Victory"?

Twisted

I had my beautiful new Samsung camera phone out in case I saw any weird activity on the bridge and accidentally snapped this twisted shot of the Muni Building.

It's cold enough that the bike and tourist traffic on the bridge is beginning to thin out. Still, even the asian woman with the full-face-mask can out pedal me.

E.Coli Lettuce?

Yes banana peels, but let's not forget the e.coli piece of lettuce on the biker's path of the bridge! Perhaps it was discarded by a suspicious person eating a sandwich?

I also noticed that the beard sticker was scratched out and destroyed. Maybe that was an act of vandalism by jealous hairless man unable to grow a decent beard...?

Bike on Bike on Bike on Bridge

So lucky that I get to bike to work. Fast enough to escape the bums but slow enough to see the banana peels. I get to work more ready to face the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. And, there's always a chance I'll get hit by a bus and not die but have to stay in the hospital for a night and then rest up at home for a few weeks or months, reading back issues of the NY'er and discovering a new favorite single malt.

Banana Peels Take Manhattan

These two happy banana peels are in down for the holidays. As I was biking in this AM they asked if I would take their picture in front of the skyline. I was late, but I couldn't resist these slippery characters! Anyway, here's the shot. Pretty good for a cell phone, huh?

Dog Full of Money

Peculiar sticker that I saw today: Dog Full of Money" At first glace I thought it said "Dog Full of Memory."

Anyway, I googled it, and apparently this sticker appears in the streets of London. I found it referenced in 2 blogs:
blog 1
blog 2

Apparently, "DFM are those dogs you see outside shops that people put coins in. They are the best thing ever. We need to promote them for the good of humanity."

Here's the actual Dog Full of money website where you will find a gallery of pictures of these dog statues.

The site, which encourages users to download and paste up various mutant DFM's (one has four eyes, another a horn, and the one I saw has two heads), has this disclaimer:
Dog Full of Money cannot be held responsible for any product misuse. DFM/Dog Full of Money products are not intended to be placed on public or private property without prior consent. It’s naughty don’t do it ever ever ever!!!!!

Fun stuff!

A Rose is a Rose is a Rose

There it was, a rose wedged between thewooden slates of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Mythology and superstition

• In some pagan mythologies, no undead or ghostly creatures (particularly vampires) may cross the path of a wild rose. It was thought that to place a wild rose on a coffin of a recently deceased person would prevent them from rising again.
• Since the earliest times, the rose has been an emblem of silence:
  • In Greek Mythology, Eros presents a rose to the god of silence.
  • In a Celtic folk legend, a wandering, screaming spiritnew moon. was silenced by presenting the spirit with a wild rose every
• Roses were used in very early times as a very potent ingredient in love philters.
• In Rome it was often customary to bless roses on "Rose Sunday".
• Amongst Muslims, it is still believed that the first rose was created from a tear of the prophet Mohammed, and it is further believed that on a certain day in the year the rose has a heart of gold.
• In Scotland, if a white rose bloomed in autumn it was a token of an early marriage.
• The red rose, it is believed by many religions, cannot grow over a grave.
• Rose leaves thrown into a burning flame are said to give good luck.
• If a maiden had more than one lover, it is believed in one mythology, she should take rose leaves and write the names of her lovers upon them before casting them into the wind. The last leaf to reach the ground would bear the name of the lover whom she should marry.
• It is believed that if a rose bush were pruned on St. John's Eve, it would be guaranteed to bloom in the autumn.

What's Euskera?

Today's Brooklyn Bridge graffitti find: 310 project.com

It's a site written in Euskera (a basque language) but was also available in Castillian, and English. I was expecting some other crazy conspiracies or manifestos, but no: Lots of pictures of teenage boys doing extreme sports: skating, surfing and snow boarding...

Other sightings: the local brooklyn bridge policeman in his electric cop mobile was yapping away on his cell phone while driving...hmmm...I've seen him in various activities other days, such as reading a paper, and looking at tourist women's backsides.

Bridge Conspiracies

I noticed this graffitti scribbled on the bridge "Google:9/11 Inside Job" so that's exactly what I did. I couldn't believe how many sites exist that state that 9/11 is an inside job!

These are some of my favorite snippits from a couple of the conspiracy websites:

"Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices." - Voltaire

Employees of Odigo, Inc. in Israel, one of the world's largest instant messaging companies with offices in New York, receive threat warnings of an imminent attack on the WTC less than two hours before the first plane hits.

Firefighters and rescue workers talked about explosives and bombs going off, all over in the buildings.

The Houston Chronicle reports the FBI was notified of a fifth grader from a Dallas suburb who told his teacher, "Tomorrow, World War III will begin. It will begin in the United States, and the United States will lose."

Found: Brooklyn Bridge Blunt

Besides the cigar...Big day today, the hypergraphiac waved at me as I passed him by. It startled me, as I was trying to get close so I could see his piece of paper and photograph!

Wear Beard

I saw this sticker this morning on the bridge railing. I just looked up the website, and here's the beard manifesto (in English-they also posted it in castillian):
When you've been wearing beard for a while, the day that you finally shave it off everybody goes like "dude, you really look better, you seem younger". That's why beards are cool. That's why we all should wear beards. Because, these days, to commit oneself to such an act whose consecuences directly lead you to diminish your beauty and your so called youth is brave, really brave. And the world needs brave people. People capable of believing in their ideals, or their beards, despite everybody's opinions. Despite of the fact that everybody's opinions are similar. Despite. To this point, it's quite obvious that these words are not meant to be just a hair thing. It's a proven fact that women do exist, and that hair doesn't grow in their faces. But that's not the point. The point is that they, women, certainly do have ideals. Opinions. Beliefs that shouldn't be shaven. Because they're the reason why you think for yourself. The reason why you're unique. Because they are, after all, what you are. For that, and for the fact that it makes you look interesting, wear beard.

Found

The hypergraphiac was on the move, even on this cold, blustery November morning. He's becoming an unusual usual on the bridge.

Also, will begin my new "FOUND" series, where I will post pictures of random lost or tossed objects on the bridge.

Today: A bright red glove and a school child's paper cup Thanksgiving project

The bag lady and the Hypergraphiac

Two bums today. I got very close to the hypergraphiac and his handwriting is very small and organized!

Here's more on hypergraphia from Wikipedia:

Hypergraphia is an overwhelming urge to write. It is not itself a disorder, but can be associated with temporal lobe changes in epilepsy and mania.

Causes of Hypergraphia

Several different regions of the brain govern the act of writing. The physical movement of the hand is controlled by the cerebral cortex which comprises part of the outer layer of the brain. The drive to write, on the other hand, is controlled by the limbic system, a ring-shaped cluster of cells deeply buried in the cortex which governs emotion, affiliated instincts and inspiration and is said to regulate the human being's need for communication. Words and ideas are cognized and understood by the temporal lobes behind the ears, and these temporal lobes are connected to the limbic system. Ideas are organized and edited in the frontal lobe of the brain.

As of current, hypergraphia is understood to be triggered by changes in brainwave activity in the temporal lobe.

Satyr Spotting

There he was, a real life satyr on the bridge this morning! Well, except that he had roller skates instead of hooves.

In Greek mythology, satyrs (in Greek, Σάτυροι — Sátyroi) are young humans, possibly with horse ears, that roamed the woods and mountains, and were the companions of Pan and Dionysus. In mythology they are often associated with male sex drive and Greco-Roman art often portrays them with erections.

Tourist Sports Bizarro Parrot Jacket

Brooklyn Bridge Joy Dance

Ok, here's another one!

Dancers

Today I work from home, so no crossing the bridge for me.

So instead, I post an interesting video I found on You Tube (How did I miss seeing them filming this!): Two dancers evolving on a Schubert melody, shot on the Brooklyn bridge in New York City.

The Scribbler

At first I thought I saw the brooklyn bridge bum at the foot of the Brooklyn side of the bridge, but he didn't have a piece of paper. Just as I put my camera away towards the end of my walk, there he was, scribbling away! He has a different jacket on too! Or is it the same on reversed?

Other sightings: a tourist dwarf

Graphomania

This is the grapho-maniacle bum from the bridge. Anyone who can tell me what he's writing gets a prize....

Couldn't tell if this person was homeless or simply someone reading his paper over a trash can...Not sure about that H&M bag....I did see the usual bum at the foot of the bridge, he carried the same brown piece of paper and pencil and was muttering to himself.

School kids

It was a coooold morning walk, but the sun was bright and warm! Sightings today: joggers Getting ready for the marathon???), cyclists, and school children getting their lesson on the universe. Littlle girl noticed I was sneaking a picture and made a face...

On the way home, already dark, sightings included a huge pile of throw up on the bike lane...hmmm

Moonlight

An almost full moon on my cool walk home tonight over the bridge

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Big, black bum writing in pen on a torn brown paper bag.
That red-headed bike woman who wears the bandana and goes real slow.
Nice cop in his cop jitney.
My ride to work is like a vacation.

Sunset

I left work early, realizing I didn't have any lights/reflectors on my bike for the dark ride back. Beauftiful sunset on the bridge! Other sightings: 1) lots of European tourists, 2) regular bum, 3) student artists drawing the skyline 4) cameraman filming a guy accross the lane holding a keyboard 5) saxophone player on a bench

Bike Ride

Yesterday I rode my bike to work, with my friend Amy, who is a pro biker! It was a beautiful warm fall day. I'd forgotten how quickly I can get to work on my bike!

Monarch Butterfly

Took this picture at the foot of the Bridge in Manhattan...a Monarch butterly was among many, except this one had a torn wing. Monarchs are known for their lengthy annual migration. They make massive southward migrations from August through October.

Morning Walk to work

I took this picture on my daily morning walk walk to work over the Brooklyn Bridge. The usual scene, cyclists, tourists, other new yorkers who also walk over the bridge on a beautiful sunny Autumn morning.