Defeat and Moving Forward.

I surrender to you, bed bugs. You win. I've tried my best to kill you. I've been patient. I've tolerated having my possessions doused in chemicals. I even allowed toxic powder to be spread along my walls and bed frame. It seemed like the problem had been quelled for a while, but when my girlfriend started getting bites again, I learned that the tenants living on the floor above me weren't allowing the exterminators into their apartments. Unfortunately, toxic powder on my floors is no solution for mentally-challenged neighbors. So, I decided that if the people in my building want to cohabitate with bed bugs, I'm moving the hell out.

I haven't had a moment to breathe this past week. I've been recording the guitar parts for my band's new record every night in New Jersey after work. My schedule has been- wake up at 8am (at my girlfriend's house), go home to get ready for work, get to work around 10am, leave work around 7pm, take bus to New Jersey, arrive around 8pm, record until 12am, arrive back in Brooklyn around 1:30am, sleep, repeat. Somewhere amidst all of that, I managed to find a new apartment. This is my new bedroom (a wall of it at least):



I have no idea when I will find the time to actually move my stuff into this new place, but I am relieved to have found it. I signed the lease and got the keys this morning. It's a nice place, though significantly smaller than my previous apartment. It's a trade-off that I'm willing to make for no bed bugs and a shorter commute. My old place was a 12 minutes walk to the Graham L train, and this place is only 5 minutes (even shorter if I go to the Grand station). I have until June 1st to move out of my current place, so I should be alright.

Tomorrow, I'm flying to Lafayette for my sister's college graduation. I'm missing the actual ceremony, which is on Tuesday, but I don't think she really minds. Then, it's back to New York on Monday night, and.... who knows what's next.

Street Art +

I captured these street pieces on my walk to the Graham L train a few weeks ago and thought I would share them with you all. One thing that I really enjoy about commuting is all of the street art and subway ephemera that I encounter. I have a photo set on flickr of détourned subway posters that I've photographed since I moved here. My old commute on the Nassau G train contained a hotbed of good subway collage. Most of the my photos were taken there. Here are some of my favorites:









I've noticed a lot of interesting street art in the warehouse area along the Greenpoint/ Williamsburg border. This is a close-up of a portion of a fairly large wheatpasted print near my practice space:



And finally, here is a photo I took a couple of weeks ago when I was on my way to a guitar shop in Williamsburg and was struck by the beautiful colors and composition of the ivy growing on this building: