5/28/23: Ran around Central Park thinking it was a measure of our fitness since we've been running around it for 23 years now, off + on, not in recent years except when visiting + the last time we lived here we ran more in Riverside (which we can also run in since it's only a few blocks over). 2000–2001 we ran around the park a lot (entering near the Met) training for the NYC marathon which we never ran since it felt weird right after 9/11. Then 2002–2004 we lived near Columbus Circle so ran the park from that corner. Then 2007–2008 we lived on 74th right off CPW + ran a lot in the park entering at Strawberry Fields, upwards of 4 loops around, even tho we weren't training for a marathon, that we remember. The park has gotten more + more crowded w/ runners + bikers in the recent decade, back in 2000 don't think they even had lanes + markers indicating which way to run. The carriage road is still our favorite, tho you still have to get off it a few times to complete the loop, which is a perfect distance, 10K/6 miles. Besides the Central Park loop we have access to these other runs that we documented last time we were living near Morningside 2013–2015. We never did document our running routes from Swann St, mostly b/c we usually did the same run that avoided cars as much as possible (except during the pandemic when we could run anywhere), up 15/16th through Malcolm X park + down Harvard or Hobart into Rock Creek, then usually up the Klingle Valley trail, w/ a few variations on the theme, especially within Rock Creek. Anywayzzz, feeling healthier already after our 1st week, all the lifting + moving boxes + furniture around, working out in a gym, etc. Sleeping well, this place totally quiet. No Ménière's symptoms except slight tinnitus + still deaf in our right ear.

5/30: The unpacking continues. Deliveries of stuff to fill in gaps. New digs probably won't be show ready for a while. Windows are filthy, need to figure out how to clean them. Here's what the "powder" room (what we now call the cocaine room, that will be used for storage or as studio) looks like:

(+ yes, that book on top is the Amy Sedaris cookbook)

... + even our 2nd bathroom is being used as temporary storage for musical instruments until we get shit set up:

Started on The Great season 3, huzzah. And speaking of apartments in UWS, last night watched Single White Female which we never saw before because we couldn't get past the stupid title. The name of the book was SWF Seeks Same, which seems racist, no? It was as stupid as we imagined.

6/1: Caved in + set up a mailing list... figured we need some sort of way to communicate to the outside world. Next maybe we'll allow comments on 5cense? Kind of fun going through our contacts to recruit, out of 500 or so ppl got ~200 to sign up, thanx if U = 1 of them! Of course got the usual "glad to see Calamari is back in action" sort of responses, even tho Calamari has been here all this time, just not on social media. Not that we have anything to say just yet, but we might have some events/releases in coming months, now that we're back in the saddle of NYC + making more of an effort to not be such a misanthropic recluse.

Speaking of upcoming releases, got proofs for Red Earth... our 1st foray into POD. Using Amazon KDP. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em... let the jungle consume you, jump into largest river in the world. Hard not to, prices at BookMobile going up + up, even if U print a batch of 100. Amazon KDP is ½ the price + no inventory to carry! Can't believe we haven't been using POD all this time. We tried it 10 or 15 years ago + just wasn't satisfied w/ the quality, but now we can't tell the difference. And U don't have to exclusively use Amazon, U can print up as many "author" copies as U want at cost. Maybe we'll write up a more detailed POD addendum to our nuts + bolts indie publishing post.

6/3: Got a TV! For the 1st time in our adult life... crazy, for as many movies as we watch, been watching all these years on our laptop or plugged into a monitor. We had a TV as a kid, but once we moved to Mexico age 12 we lost interest in television + when we came back never bought 1. Tho we never had the bumper sticker, we were a "Kill Your TV" sorta punker in the '80s. When everyone's eyes were glued to the White Bronco chase scene we were clinging to the side of a mountain somewhere. The only thing we wished we had a TV for was Seinfeld. Butt yah, finally drank the kool-aid + got a 65" crystal ultra HD 4K TV, or rather the TV got us, seduced us into buying it. Got it out of the box + set it up + then figured the 1st thing we should watch was Dune, even tho we've already seen it twice. Then we noticed a pinpoint of light, a pixel stuck on green. And once U notice a dead/stuck pixel U can't unsee it. 1 pixel out of 8,294,400! We tried to ignore it, hoping it would just go away. And then the next day we scoured the Internet for hack fixes, including playing those damn videos which almost gave us a seizure so had to throw a sheet over it. We unpacked boxes w/ the TV strobing + flashing in the background, thru the sheet, even. Called Samsung but there was nothing they could except ship us a new 1! Which meant we'd have to ship this 1 back... all for 1 defective pixel, out of 8,294,400! Such a waste of styrofoam, cardboard + resources to deliver it, not to mention the Congo minerals that likely went into it... what to do? Tried the Donnie Darko staredown method, which worked to fix our fridge last summer, but it didn't work. Nor could Jaguar help us, b/c Jaguar's realm is communications, not display. Last night we watched an episode of The Great, which in UHD is TMI, then A Place in the Sun (hadn't seen it since the '80s) + the pixel wasn't so noticeable w/ black + white analog movies. Also started to rewatch Boogie Nights, again, not as noticeable, probably b/c they used real film... it's this high definition digital crap where it's noticeable. Analog distortion + defects are so much more interesting than digital. We'll see, maybe we'll just learn to live w/ it, otherwise we'd have to live w/ our conscious, of causing so much unneccessary waste for 1 damn pixel.

selfie when the Samsung rep asked us to text them a pic of pixel in question

Speaking of waste, still unpacking boxes + breaking down cardboard. Building furniture, a few more bookshelves since we don't have built-in shelves like Swann St. A new desk for bedder-½. Credenza for the TV. Shelving to turn coat closet into a pantry. Set up a triage unit for wounded creatures/artwork (poor DieGO (i.e. our dog) lost their head!).

casualties

DieGO recapitated (U can see scars + prosthetics from previous injuries)

Another excerpt from the 4thcoming 1/ 4 i am ĐNA got published in swifts & s l o w s:

6/5: Yesterday walked downtown to Parkside Lounge for an Ellipsis Press reading w/ Donald Breckenridge, Jared Daniel Fagen, Pamela Ryder + Moyna Pam Dick. Great to be back around like-minded peeps.

last night's booty haul