Thursday, October 28, 2010

October in Bushwick

by Jyll

Just got back from the gym. First time I've gone in months, if we discount that hilarious stint with that trainer back in September (and believe me, I do). I just go and mess about on the elliptical machines, because I'm too intimidated by all the boys to go near the weights, but man it feels good. I love this gym, too. It's in an old wherehouse. It has a row of 16 barely working treadmills, two floors of weights, black and white TV's with wrestling and telemundo, and official commissioned signs (as in, they paid someone to make these) posted that say things like, "If U Walk On The Tredmill Backward U Will Lose Ur Membership!!!" and "DO NOT WEAR BOOTS ON THE EXERCISE EQUIPMENT THIS IS NOT A CLUB".

The guys there seem pretty cool, too. Maybe I'll join one of their gangs.

Guess I should mention that this is in my new and beloved neighborhood of Bushwick, out in Brooklyn. My area is basically a Mexican ghetto that is steadily gentrifying by the minute, which means there's still good food and good times to be had but enough cops and hipsters around that the risk of mugging goes down by like 76%. Living out here in the barrio makes me feel right at home, I feel like I am back in California. It's been so hot and humid that it's still like borderline summer out here, and no one knows how to summer harder than Mexicans. Mariachi music blares, windows open, little scream-y Mexican kids run around the streets, their parents sit on the stoops and talk, and you can smell what Abuela is cooking from the middle of the block. It's fun. And they do it until well into the night, like, little kids will be up running around until 1 or 2 in the morning on a school night. Must be so fun to be one of those kids.

Nearly time for bed but I wanted to post before I half-assedly plan Saturday's lesson. I teach a 4-hour ESL class to adults, and I told them that we'd have a Halloween party in class. Forgot that I am going to be something slutty this year and that it'd be highly inappropriate to teach a class dressed as a bumblebee whore, especially if I want to get tenure. What can I wear that I more or less have in my closet so that I don't have to spend $$$? Any ideas?

1 comment:

  1. hey its that guy from Mammoth daycare who was guessing all day how tall you are. I wanted to tell you again that I think there is something tremendously special about you. You are going to make a great mom one day.
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