#Manhattan roofing company

[gkeithroofing]

5 Factors to Consider When Hiring a Manhattan Roofing Company

Choosing the right roofing company is crucial when it comes to maintaining or repairing your roof. With the city’s unique architectural landscape and harsh weather conditions, you need a reliable and skilled roofing contractor Bronx. Here are five essential factors to consider when hiring a roofing company in Manhattan.

Experience and Expertise Licensing and Insurance 24 Hour Emergency Roofing Services Customer Reviews and References Detailed Written Estimates

So, choosing the right Manhattan roofing company can make a significant difference in the quality and longevity of your roof. To make sure your roofing project is in capable hands, you must take into account a number of factors like experience and expertise, duration of services, customer reviews about the services or the cost. For residents and businesses in New York, G. Keith Roofing and Waterproofing is a trusted general roofing contractor serving the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island areas. Your peace of mind is just a phone call away. So, relax and contact today to connect with G. Keith Roofing and Waterproofing for all services like routine maintenance, major repairs, or even emergency services.

[mcgavinroofing]

Professional Manhattan Roofer Company

Are you trying to find a reliable Manhattan roofing company? Unmatched experience in roofing solutions catered to your needs is what McGavin Roofing offers. Our staff guarantees strong, effective, and visually beautiful roofing installations and repairs since they are dedicated to quality and client happiness. With McGavin Roofing, expect outstanding service and dependability.

[roofingbronx]

Roofing General Contractor and Concrete

At R Luis Contracting, we are here to help you bring your dream home to life. As a full-service home renovations company we offer a wide range of services including residential and commercial construction, renovation, remodeling, and more!

[probablyasocialecologist]

AI can turn some impressive party tricks, but it's unsuited for solving serious problems in the real world. This is true of predictive AI, whose correlations are data-driven conspiracy theories, and of large language models like ChatGPT, whose plausible waffle is always trying to pull free of the facts. The real issue is not only that AI doesn't work as advertised, but the impact it will have before this becomes painfully obvious to everyone. AI is being used as form of 'shock doctrine', where the sense of urgency generated by an allegedly world-transforming technology is used as an opportunity to transform social systems without democratic debate. Faced with social structures whose foundations have been eaten away by decades of privatisation and austerity, the political response is to pump money into 'frontier AI' while hyping it up as the most awe-inspiring technology since the Manhattan Project. The Prime Minister says he will "harness the incredible potential of AI to transform our hospitals and schools" while ignoring leaking roofs in the NHS and the literally collapsing ceilings in local schools. This focus on the immaterial fantasies of AI is a deliberate diversion. When large language models are touted as passing basic medical exams, it's because they've absorbed answers from across the internet. They are incapable of the embodied understanding and common sense that underpin medicine, education or any other form of care. One thing that these models definitely do, though, is transfer control to large corporations. The amount of computing power and data required is so incomprehensibly vast that very few companies in the world have the wherewithal to train them. To promote large language models anywhere is privatisation by the back door. The evidence so far suggests that this will be accompanied by extensive job losses, as employers take AI's shoddy emulation of real tasks as an excuse to trim their workforce. The goal isn't to "support" teachers and healthcare workers but to plug the gaps with AI instead of with the desperately needed staff and resources. Real AI isn't sci-fi but the precaritisation of jobs, the continued privatisation of everything and the erasure of actual social relations. AI is Thatcherism in computational form. Like Thatcher herself, real world AI boosts bureaucratic cruelty towards the most vulnerable. Case after case, from Australia to the Netherlands, has proven that unleashing machine learning in welfare systems amplifies injustice and the punishment of the poor. AI doesn't provide insights as it's just a giant statistical guessing game. What it does do is amplify thoughtlessness, a lack of care, and a distancing from actual consequences. The logics of ranking and superiority are buried deep in the make up of artificial intelligence; married to populist politics, it becomes another vector for deciding who is disposable.

[imsodishy]

Several Sentence Sunday

share a couple sentences from your WIP and tag a couple people to do the same. Easy-peasy!

From the next episode of my sitcom inspired series Four's Company

You sell yourself short, you know,” Billy says, uncharacteristically quiet. Steve looks over at him, but Billy's not looking back, he's gazing out across their neighborhood instead.

“Look,” he goes on, slow and awkward, “I don’t exactly know where I'd be right now, if not for you. But, I know I wouldn’t be here.” He throws his arms out wide, to encompass all of New York City Steve supposes. It's not like they have a spectacular view or anything, they're not up remotely high enough for that. Their little strip of roof isn’t even facing the glittering Manhattan skyline.

Steve gets what he's saying though.

He jostles their shoulders together, “You'd have gotten out.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Billy kills the last of the cigarette and pitches the butt to the street below.

no pressure tags: @robthegoodfellow @fizzigigsimmer @izzyspussy @shieldofiron @rigginsstreet @ anybody else! (seriously! nobody tagged me, I'm just being the change I want to see in the world) 💜

[1nm806]

At any given time you could climb up to the roofs of Manhattan and find assorted newsies up there, I think.

Jack and Crutchie get up there and Jack rambles on about cowboys and seeing the big wide world and Crutchie smiles and listens and knows that his brother is all talk. Jack wouldn't really leave New York, not unless he got to take everyone with him. Jack's waxes poetic about this place he's never been too, and Crutchie joins in the daydreaming, knowing neither of them are taking it seriously. It's like make believe to them.

Davey and Les is always the former chasing down the latter, who is "too young to be somewhere this high up", but they end up chatting up there anyway sometimes. About Les' fears of going back to school without his new friends, about whether the newsies will still welcome them if they don't work with them, about whether they'll even remember them. Davey, of course, says that they're silly things to worry about. The Jacobs family made an impression on the newsies, and it'd be ridiculous to think they'd forget the pair of them. He doesn't say that he has the same fears.

Jack and Davey is mostly silent, with the occasional worry spoken softly between them, shot down by the other with words of kindness and the underlying tone of "you're being stupid to say that, course that's not true". Once Davey asked Jack if he really would leave to Santa Fe without them, and was content when he received the answer of: "Not without you. Not without any of you."

Race and Jack talk loudly into the night, bickering and playing cards and seeing if they can throw things at targets they set up back when they first became friends. Very few serious conversations have happened with them, but there were a couple of ones about relationships or worries they didn't think they could say to the others. The odd tear-filled conversation about sexuality is overshadowed by the constant talking over each other and teasing. But it doesn't go unappreciated.

The rare times that Spot is up there with anyone, it's normally Racer. Race who talks and talks and occasionally pauses to let the other add commentary. The pair of them make fun of Jack, and talk about issues going on within their boroughs. It's not a special place for them, but the lodging house is loud, and Spot always makes his way up to the roof of it whenever he visits for a while - just to get away from it all. Race follows him up there after a while, then keeps him company with chatter and hand-holding until Davey inevitably joins them and he can go back down to play more card games.

Davey and Spot exclusively end up there when they're both already too exhausted from socialisation to continue it. They sit in almost complete silence, drinking in the sounds and sights of NYC, until one of them eventually regains their voice and asks the other how things are going. They discuss important meeting topics and whether or not this next challenger will dethrone Spot (the younger boy is confident in his abilities, but checks with Davey's logical mind whenever he can). Davey asks him about Jack, and about the history of the bad blood between Manhattan and Brooklyn. And, now he thinks about it, Brooklyn and everyone. Spot nods along and explains in an incredibly biased way the reasons, and in turn asks Davey about his school - about his lessons, classmates, "anything interestin been said there lately?".

Jack and Spot used to go up there. Back when the latter liked the Manhattan leader. He still tries to spend time with Brooklyn's leader, but more often than not it ends in awkward silences, snide comments and the shorter boy announcing his leave about 2 minutes in. Then one day, Jack manages to catch the other boy when he's talking to Davey. He joins them, and Davey - after a few minutes - says something about needing to get Les home and leaves. It's completely silent, the wind's blowing, and goddamn it Jack's sure the other boy will just leave as well. But he doesn't. It's the only time Spot opens his mouth and says what he means to the Manhattan newsie - and he's still not sure why he did. He tells the other that him leaving the strike was a betrayal that cut him so deep he considered cutting all ties with the borough. He says that Jack hadn't left just the strikers, but friends and family, and that he'd left it all on Davey and him to sort out the mess as leaders. It's the only time he ever says to Jack that he thought they were family. And he makes it clear that he's unsure if they can ever be again. They're up on the roof for hours, long enough that the sun sets and rises. It ends with them both going off about their days, and if both leaders were seen and heard in tears that night, well. That's neither here nor there.

[ray-jaykub]

Tmnt x male!reader mini-shot

My inbox fucked up and deleted an ask but I was lucky enough to remember it! If you see this ask and it's yours I hope you enjoy it, I had fun writing it!!

Bayverse turts meeting male reader for the first time who asks if they're sea turtles

—-------------------------------------

It was a cold night in Manhattan, water sprinkled from the sky and brought a specific chill. If you had super vision or looked close enough, you could see in the dead of night four figures atop an apartment complex. Four shivering figures. The smallest sniffles and rubs his hands together.

"C'mon man I'm ready to go home, Lee let's just call it a night!" Mikey looks over to Leo who is facing west towards the moon. He's quiet. Considering his little brother's request. They'd been out in the rain for long enough that Don had set up an umbrella to protect what gear that isn't waterproof and Raph had taken to crouching under a small shed, frustrated. "Ain't no way criminals gonna come out tonight, Mike's right. We should head home."

Leo turns to see the condition of his brothers and takes a solid breath. "Yeah, yeah there was no point in coming out tonight–" They all freeze, the sound of the door to the roof opening and out steps a young man. Mikey nearly flings himself off the side of the building but Don quickly pulls him back up by the lip of his shell, saving him from busting his tail. They watch their new company walk onto the rooftop with a (f/c) raincoat and slowly notice they aren't alone. Each brother prepares himself to hear the sounds of terrified screams and running footsteps but are instead met with a question. 

"Oh my God, are you sea turtles??"

Leonardo is, for the first time in his life, truly stunned. How does one respond to that? He looks towards his brothers and finds them looking back at him, waiting for Leo to make a call. He thinks maybe it'd be best to move tail and leave the young man alone but instead his mouth does the opposite.

"...I'm sorry, what?" The guy takes the hood of his rain-coat off and smiles, "Are you sea turtles?" Leo slowly shakes his head, still caught off-guard by the question. "No, no I think we're box turtles right?" He shoots a pleading look towards his brothers who had crowded with Raph under the shed. They're shuffling on their feet but Donnie clears his throat and slowly steps out with his umbrella.

"Actually we are a sub species of the terrapene carolina family Eastern box turtles to be exact. Pretty common." he pushes his glasses further up his snout. Mikey runs out from under the shed, nearly toppling over Donnie to greet their new acquaintance. "Blah blah blah, all you need to know is that we're the cool species! We're faster, smarter, and kick ass. A lot better than some bland old turtle, tell 'im Raph!"

Raphael scowls at his little brother, obviously perturbed by being included in this ridiculous conversation. He walks out from the shed but instead moves to stand by Leo. "Yeah, whatever, Leo, don't you think now would be a good time to go?" The man in the rain-coat jumps at that, quickly waving his hands in defense.

"Hey wait don't go! I still have so many questions. Like why are you green? Do you have a second eyelid? Can you churr like a turtle?" Raph huffs and turns to leave over the side of the building. If those three wanted to deal with another human then that won't be his problem. Donnie and Mikey though seem eager to answer the questions, albeit with wildly different answers.

"We're actually built of a variety of colours but it primarily depends on our diet!" "No, green is just a cool colour so as a way to show we're cool we're green! Some less than others though." MIkey cuts his eyes to the two behind him, laughing. Don rolls his eyes so far you're sure they'd fall out but continues. "Now about the eyelids I'm not entirely sure... If we do we haven't figured out how to use them yet but that'd make for a project." he mumbles to himself, pulling out a tattered note-pad and chewed pen writing his thoughts down. He looks back up to the fascinated male.

"And yes we do churr, just not often. It's meant for more vulnerable moments." Michelangelo perks up. "No it isn't, I could do it right now if you want!" The human nods eagerly but before he can get started Leo comes up behind him, hand on his shoulder. "While I'm sure he'd love to see it, we have to go, the sun is rising.''

Everyone looks towards the horizon and surely enough a sliver of orange can be found across it. "Aw man, maybe some other time then! I'm sure we'll see you again, right?" It's obvious the question is more directed towards Leonardo and when he looks down at their company he squares his shoulders, standing taller. "It's possible, but if we find you've said anything about this to anyone we will find you. And we will deal with you appropriately." The tension is thick but Mikey has a wide grin and grabs his hand, vigorously shaking it.

"We gotta go but my name's Michelangelo! We'll text you later about meeting up again, maybe I can show you my dope ass churr next time!"

Before he can ask how they'll text him Donnie nods to him as his phone chimes. "That's us, we'll see you later!" The three leave the same way Raph did, each giving their goodbyes and what was once a roof buzzing with life is now silent. Leaving y/n alone, dazed by the interaction.

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

15 Inventors Who Were Killed By Their Own Inventions

Marie Curie -  Marie Curie, popularly known as Madame Curie, invented the process to isolate radium after co-discovering the radioactive elements radium and polonium. She died of aplastic anemia as a result of prolonged exposure to ionizing radiation emanating from her research materials. The dangers of radiation were not well understood at the time.

William Nelson - a General Electric employee, invented a new way to motorize bicycles. He then fell off his prototype bike during a test run and died.

William Bullock - he invented the web rotary printing press. Several years after its invention, his foot was crushed during the installation of the new machine in Philadelphia. The crushed foot developed gangrene and Bullock died during the amputation.

Horace Lawson Hunley - he was a marine engineer and was the inventor of the first war submarine. During a routine test, Hunley, along with a 7-member crew, sunk to death in a previously damaged submarine H. L. Hunley (named after Hunley’s death) on October 15, 1963. 

Francis Edgar Stanley - Francis crashed into a woodpile while driving a Stanley Steamer. It was a steam engine-based car developed by Stanley Motor Carriage Company, founded by Francis E. Stanley and his twin Freelan O. Stanley. 

Thomas Andrews - he was an Irish businessman and shipbuilder. As the naval architect in charge of the plans for the ocean liner RMS Titanic, he was travelling on board that vessel during her maiden voyage when the ship hit an iceberg on 14 April 1912. He perished along with more than 1,500 others. His body was never recovered.

Thomas Midgley Jr. - he was an American engineer and chemist who contracted polio at age 51, leaving him severely disabled. He devised an elaborate system of ropes and pulleys to help others lift him from the bed. He was accidentally entangled in the ropes of the device and died of strangulation at the age of 55.

Alexander Bogdanov - he was a Russian physician and philosopher who was one of the first people to experiment with blood transfusion. He died when he used the blood of malaria and TB victim on himself.

Michael Dacre -  died after testing his flying taxi device designed to permit fast, affordable travel between regional cities.

Max Valier - invented liquid-fuelled rocket engines as a member of the 1920s German rocket society. On May 17, 1930, an alcohol-fuelled engine exploded on his test bench in Berlin that killed him instantly.

Mike Hughes - was killed when the parachute failed to deploy during a crash landing while piloting his homemade steam-powered rocket.

Harry K. Daghlian Jr. and Louis Slotin -  The two physicists were running experiments on plutonium for The Manhattan Project, and both died due to lethal doses of radiation a year apart (1945 and 1946, respectively).

Karel Soucek -  The professional stuntman developed a shock-absorbent barrel in which he would go over the Niagara Falls. He did so successfully, but when performing a similar stunt in the Astrodome, the barrel was released too early and Soucek plummeted 180 feet, hitting the rim of the water tank designed to cushion the blow.

Hammad al-Jawhari - he was a prominent scholar in early 11th century Iraq and he was also sort of an inventor, who was particularly obsessed with flight. He strapped on a pair of wooden wings with feathers stuck on them and tried to impress the local Imam. He jumped off from the roof of a mosque and consequently died.

Jean-Francoise Pilatre de Rozier -  Rozier was a French teacher who taught chemistry and physics. He was also a pioneer of aviation, having made the first manned free balloon flight in 1783. He died when his balloon crashed near Wimereux in the Pas-de-Calais during an attempt to fly across the English Channel. Pilâtre de Rozier was the first known fatalities in an air crash when his Roziere balloon crashed on June 15, 1785.

[dailyunsolvedmysteries-movedd]

15 Inventors Who Were Killed By Their Own Inventions

Marie Curie -  Marie Curie, popularly known as Madame Curie, invented the process to isolate radium after co-discovering the radioactive elements radium and polonium. She died of aplastic anemia as a result of prolonged exposure to ionizing radiation emanating from her research materials. The dangers of radiation were not well understood at the time.

William Nelson - a General Electric employee, invented a new way to motorize bicycles. He then fell off his prototype bike during a test run and died.

William Bullock - he invented the web rotary printing press. Several years after its invention, his foot was crushed during the installation of the new machine in Philadelphia. The crushed foot developed gangrene and Bullock died during the amputation.

Horace Lawson Hunley - he was a marine engineer and was the inventor of the first war submarine. During a routine test, Hunley, along with a 7-member crew, sunk to death in a previously damaged submarine H. L. Hunley (named after Hunley’s death) on October 15, 1963. 

Francis Edgar Stanley - Francis crashed into a woodpile while driving a Stanley Steamer. It was a steam engine-based car developed by Stanley Motor Carriage Company, founded by Francis E. Stanley and his twin Freelan O. Stanley. 

Thomas Andrews - he was an Irish businessman and shipbuilder. As the naval architect in charge of the plans for the ocean liner RMS Titanic, he was travelling on board that vessel during her maiden voyage when the ship hit an iceberg on 14 April 1912. He perished along with more than 1,500 others. His body was never recovered.

Thomas Midgley Jr. - he was an American engineer and chemist who contracted polio at age 51, leaving him severely disabled. He devised an elaborate system of ropes and pulleys to help others lift him from the bed. He was accidentally entangled in the ropes of the device and died of strangulation at the age of 55.

Alexander Bogdanov - he was a Russian physician and philosopher who was one of the first people to experiment with blood transfusion. He died when he used the blood of malaria and TB victim on himself.

Michael Dacre -  died after testing his flying taxi device designed to permit fast, affordable travel between regional cities.

Max Valier - invented liquid-fuelled rocket engines as a member of the 1920s German rocket society. On May 17, 1930, an alcohol-fuelled engine exploded on his test bench in Berlin that killed him instantly.

Mike Hughes - was killed when the parachute failed to deploy during a crash landing while piloting his homemade steam-powered rocket.

Harry K. Daghlian Jr. and Louis Slotin -  The two physicists were running experiments on plutonium for The Manhattan Project, and both died due to lethal doses of radiation a year apart (1945 and 1946, respectively).

Karel Soucek -  The professional stuntman developed a shock-absorbent barrel in which he would go over the Niagara Falls. He did so successfully, but when performing a similar stunt in the Astrodome, the barrel was released too early and Soucek plummeted 180 feet, hitting the rim of the water tank designed to cushion the blow.

Hammad al-Jawhari - he was a prominent scholar in early 11th century Iraq and he was also sort of an inventor, who was particularly obsessed with flight. He strapped on a pair of wooden wings with feathers stuck on them and tried to impress the local Imam. He jumped off from the roof of a mosque and consequently died.

Jean-Francoise Pilatre de Rozier -  Rozier was a French teacher who taught chemistry and physics. He was also a pioneer of aviation, having made the first manned free balloon flight in 1783. He died when his balloon crashed near Wimereux in the Pas-de-Calais during an attempt to fly across the English Channel. Pilâtre de Rozier was the first known fatalities in an air crash when his Roziere balloon crashed on June 15, 1785.

[iobartach]

@writteninscarlet asked; “ did you live here before? or… like, in the future, i mean? “

the art of time slipping prompts

Were it not for the device attached to his wrist, stating the coordinates of his current location, he would've thought he'd been lied to. Sold a cruel deception, if only to see his reaction. But as it happened, this was no sinister act of trickery. The information was correct; they had reached the precise location of where Babylon Towers once stood. Or would stand, give or take a few decades from now.

A random suggestion had turned into a tour of Manhattan, enabling the Spider of tomorrow to discover more about the city that would become almost recognisable by his time. The mere concept of moving through the city by foot had stood out to him, but he was quick to take it in stride, matching her pace with ease as they crossed from street to street.

After walking for a while, a question had been asked about his current residence, a barebones apartment yet to be furnished. It was a far cry from the company supplied suite he had back home, a place he began to doubt he'd ever see again, if couldn't solve the mystery of what was preventing his return to his proper time.

Before his thoughts could drift any further though, Wanda's question draws his mind back to the present, and to the bustling corner bodega that stood open before them, serving contented customers as welcoming music could be heard emanating from inside.

"Yeah, on the 133rd floor. But..." Trailing off, shaded hues veered upwards, past the roof and up towards a pristine, cloudless sky. A vista that, much like the New York of today, would become blotted out by even taller megastructures, in years to come.

"It looked nothing like this." In fact, the place looked more like what he would see in Downtown, where sunlight was replaced by artificial means, and the worst criminals that Nueva York had to offer roamed the streets unchallenged.

[gkeithroofing]

What are Environmental Benefits of Using Tile Roofs in New York?

Tile roofs grace the skylines of New York, admired for their timeless elegance and durability. But did you know these roofs also boast surprising environmental benefits? As you consider a new roof or a replacement by a trusted roofing contractor in New York, here’s why tile roofs might be the perfect eco-conscious choice.

Designed to Last: Tile roofs are incredibly durable, often lasting 50 years or more. This longevity means fewer roof replacements over time, reducing waste and the need for additional roofing materials.

Energy Effectiveness: High-quality insulation from tile roofs helps keep homes warmer in the winter and colder in the summer. This energy efficiency can reduce the need for heating and cooling, thereby lowering energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Reflective Power: The reflective properties of tile roofs can help to reduce the urban heat island effect. This is particularly beneficial in densely populated areas like New York, where heat absorption from buildings can lead to higher temperatures.

Low Maintenance: High-quality tile roofs require minimal maintenance compared to other materials. This translates to fewer chemicals needed for cleaning and repairs, reducing environmental pollutants.

Sustainable Materials: Clay and concrete are two materials that occur naturally which are abundant and sustainable and are used to make many tile roofs. These materials have a lower environmental impact compared to synthetic roofing options.

So, for high-quality clay tile, concrete, and fibre tile roofs in New York, Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island, contact G. Keith Roofing and Waterproofing. As a leading roofing contractor in New York, G. Keith offers expert installation and 24 hour emergency roofing services in new york to ensure your home is protected. Call us at 646-964-1501 to get started on your environmentally friendly roofing project today!

To further enhance your home’s efficiency, consider our premium roof vents. Proper ventilation is crucial for maintaining a healthy, energy-efficient home. Click here to learn more about our roof vents and how they can benefit your home.

[unhinged-and-wellread]

2023 in Books: Severance, Ling Ma

Book: Severance by Ling Ma (2018)

Completed: January 14, 2023

My rating: 4.5/5

Summary: Meet Candace Chen. She's a 20-something who coordinates Bible production for a publishing company. She keeps the wheels turning — even when the world is literally coming to an end. When a pandemic causes the apocalypse, she stays her course until that's no longer an option. We follow Candace before, during, and after collapses. We watch what it means to survive through it all.

Capitalism in the End Times

Prescience. That's the most shocking part of Ling Ma's Severance. A pandemic story written in 2018, Ma's novel mirrors COVID-19's near-global experience.

When the pandemic starts in the novel, there's speculation over how brief lockdowns would be. We see characters get takeout and relish in the opportunity to get out of the office. Businesses start to shut down.

Through it all, young professional Candace Chen continues to labor. She takes a special assignment as the last one to physically work from her Manhattan office.

Why?

She needs the money, and the payout is too good to refuse.

Throughout the book, we see infrastructure collapse. Candace joins a survival group and deals with its power dynamics. One set of superiors is replaced by another. The world moves on but in a way much worse than before.

During the pandemic, I, like many other people, continued to work. The job provided stability and health care during an "unprecedented" time. I worked from home. This was a huge privilege.

But I started to notice something: My hours started creeping up. As members of my team were let go, I started working 10, 12, 13 hours a day. I worked weekends. If I wasn't watching television or cooking, I was at work. It became both my structure and my everything.

Those with a similar experience during the height of the pandemic will be able to empathize with Candace. Now we know, in a way more acute than before, that capitalism's demands continue and intensify in times of crisis.

As pandemic restrictions lifted, we witnessed a K-shaped economic recovery. The people who were already well off, especially those in less-impacted industries, continued to thrive. Those in worse economic conditions struggled.

In many ways, this is the aftermath we currently live in. Inflation went (and is still) through the roof. Housing is expensive. Global tensions are high, with conflict from Ukraine to Palestine.

And yet, I clock in and pay bills. I produce, in much greater volume than pre-pandemic. I look out at the world — often with hopelessness — still very aware of the material demands that must be met. So I work to meet them and do what I will with the trimmings.

Severance is a read that made me feel seen. If you're a burnt-out workaholic, feeling like a cog in the machine, this book will speak to you too.

[roofingbronx]

Roofing Northeast Bronx

Roofing Northeast Bronx

[alightinthelantern]

Tudor City is an apartment complex located on the southern edge of Turtle Bay, on the East Side of Manhattan in New York City, near Turtle Bay's border with Murray Hill. Designed and developed by the Fred F. French Company, it lies on a low cliff, which is east of Second Avenue between 40th and 43rd Streets and overlooks First Avenue. Construction commenced in 1926, making it the first residential skyscraper complex in the world. Tudor City was one of the first, largest, and most important examples of a planned middle-class residential community in New York City. It is named for its Tudor Revival architecture. The complex is a New York City designated landmark district and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The 13-building complex consists of 11 housing cooperatives, one rental apartment building, and one short-term hotel; these buildings collectively house 5,000 people. Most of Tudor City's buildings are arranged around 41st and 43rd Streets, which slope upward east of Second Avenue; the eastern ends of the two streets are connected by Tudor City Place, which crosses over 42nd Street. Two parks flank 42nd Street, and there was once an 18-hole miniature golf course in the southern park. The buildings generally contain stone, brick, and terracotta facades, as well as ornate Tudor-style details. The Fred F. French Company advertised Tudor City heavily, erecting large signs on the roofs of two buildings on 42nd Street, which could be seen from blocks away.

Before Tudor City was constructed, tenements and slums dominated the area. Following the development of the nearby Grand Central Terminal and office buildings during the early 20th century, Fred F. French began planning a residential enclave in Midtown Manhattan. French announced plans for Tudor City in December 1925, and the first 12 structures were completed in phases between October 1927 and late 1930. The section of 42nd Street through Tudor City was widened in the 1950s with the construction of the nearby United Nations headquarters. The final building in the complex, 2 Tudor City Place, was finished in 1956, and the French Company sold the Hotel Tudor in 1963. Harry Helmsley bought most of the remaining buildings in 1970 and resold them in 1984 to Philip Pilevsky and Francis J. Greenburger, who converted most of these structures to co-op apartments.

The complex contains 12 apartment buildings, named Prospect Tower, Tudor Tower, Windsor Tower, Woodstock Tower, Hatfield House, the Manor, the Hermitage, the Cloister, Essex House, Haddon Hall, and Hardwicke Hall; it also includes a hotel, the Hotel Tudor. Woodstock Tower, in the center of the complex, is the tallest tower of the group, and was originally topped by a flèche, a gothic spire. Tudor City's original shops included three restaurants (providing room service for a fee), grocery, liquor, and drug stores, a barber shop, and beauty parlor. Services included a post office, indoor playground, private nursery, maids, laundry and valet service, private guards, garage, a furniture repair and rug cleaning service, and a radio engineer who would repair and connect aerials. Residents published their own magazine, and there were also organizations such as a camera club. The enclave also contained such amenities as an ice-skating rink and tennis courts, in addition to a library, babysitting service, and bowling alley. Prospect Tower and Tudor Tower both contained two rooftop decks, while the Manor contained another roof deck; there was also a water playground for children.

Due to their distinctive architectural style, Tudor City has been heavily featured in television in film. Appearances include The Godfather Part III, Scarface, Taxi Driver, and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy.

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Dark Prophecy: Chapter 1 (SPOILERS)

We're only at the second book and the title is already this ominous.

"Lester (Apollo) / Still human; thanks for asking" You're welcome. I like to show that I care.

"When our dragon declared war on Indiana, I knew it was going to be a bad day." Starting off strong. I wonder how Indiana is going to fight back. Do they have an army at standby?

"Cyclopes of Pittsburgh" Are those the same cyclopes the Lost Trio fought? No, I looked it up. They were in Detroit.

"Potina, the Roman goddess of childhood drinks, who pursued us in the form of a giant red pitched emblazoned with a smiley face." I thought my friend was just kidding when he said they fought the Kool-Aid man. Anyway, did Zeus/Jupiter send Potina to just make his son's life a little bit worse?

"the cupola of the Indiana Statehouse" CUPOLA (n.): a small dome, especially a small dome on a drum on top of a larger dome, adorning a roof or ceiling

"would not respond to over-the-counter zit medicine." He had time to try? Clindamycin and Benzoyl Peroxide Gel from Walgreens is somewhat effective for me.

"You're the one who's been having visions" Ohoho! He's been visions? While awake? Is he pulling a Hazel now? "the city you dreamed about" Aw, never mind.

"Not the yummy kind of licorice, either; the nasty variety that sits for eons in your stepmother's candy bowl on the coffee table. And, no, Hera, why would I be talking about you?" Canonically, Hera is a fan of licorice? As if I needed any more reason to hate her.

Apollo's description of Indianapolis... man, I feel sorry for anyone living there who reads this. "one proper New York neighborhood . . . stretched out to encompass the entire area of Manhattan, then relieved of two-thirds of its population and vigorously power-washed" He makes it sound like even the people who live in Indianapolis don't want to live there. Can any Indianapolians confirm?

"Capture Apollo before he can find the next Oracle." I find it cool that Apollo's BFF in this series is also the one trying to capture and kill him. "She also happened to be my demigod master, thanks to Zeus's twisted sense of humor." Apollo, I don't think Zeus specifically chose Meg for you. You walked into that yourself and if it were anyone's plotting that led to this, it was Nero's.

"as restless as Festus." Hey, a rhyme.

"CAFE PATACHOU" He named the café! The café's going to be important, I betcha!

"At Three Mile Island in 1979, the mortals somehow failed to realize that their partial nuclear meltdown was caused by an epic chainsaw fight between Ares and Hephaestus." Yo, what?

"Their faces were too placid. Their dazed smiles" THIS IS THE SAME SPELL LUKE HAD ON THE CRUISEGOERS. Is the entire city of Indianapolis brainwashed?

"Festus projectile-vomited a column of flames" Aw, no! But maybe he doesn't hate Indiana after all. Maybe that was a warning that he was about to get sick again. "Valdez was fireproof. His clothes were not." I guess Calypso hasn't gotten around to making him a fireproof wardrobe yet.

"I imagined walking into a T.J. Maxx" Do books work like movies with companies paying for product placement?

"something about her proportions seemed off." Monster. She's a monster. A resident of the uncanny valley. "What if they erected a statue of me in my present form--a giant golden Lester in the center of their city?" I think the more plausible welcome you're going to get is being stuffed in a sack and dragged to their headquarters.

"the sound of finger bones breaking." She hurt herself trying to punch this lady? Nanette's got a solid face. "Her head toppled off her shoulders . . . Its base was as smooth as stainless steel." Oh, she's a robot. Don't tell me now that all the inhabitants of Indianapolis have been replaced by automatons. Were the people with Capgras right for once? "Its voice came from its gut area, which meant..." That she's one of the people without heads! Those people whose face are on their torso and who don't need a head.

Do blemmyae have special powers, though, or are they just gonna wrestle them?

[gallifrey1sburning]

An incomplete list of things that have gone wrong since my move to a new apartment and city two weeks ago:

Moving truck and car both ran out of space and we had to throw out a bunch of shit we didn’t intend to (this is on us for underestimating how much we had accumulated in six years)

The super didn’t leave us the elevator key to lock it for the movers to use

The city didn’t provide the promised “no parking” signs to reserve space for the moving truck in front of the building on a narrow, one-way street

The movers dropped and left a massive hole in the back of one of my bookcases

The movers also broke the Edison bulb in my floor lamp off in the socket and lied about it, so I was just convinced I bought the wrong size replacement bulbs. Twice. Before noticing the fucked up corpse of a lightbulb base in the lamp and removing it with needlenose pliers (thanks, crafting!)

In unpacking, found that the beautiful wool cable knit sweater I spent an entire year knitting in college and was very proud of was infested with some sort of insect and had to throw it out.

All frustrating but manageable, yes? BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE

No hot water for the first FULL WEEK we were here

When they sent a plumber to fix the hot water, he saw that the air conditioning unit was flooding the utility room, so we had to turn it off. It’s been four days and it’s not fixed because they need access to something on the roof but…

…they can’t get to the roof because the key is gone and no one in the building or management company knows where it is

(PS the hot water fix is a workaround because it ALSO isn’t venting properly through the roof)

To keep the air circulating while the water heater is borrowing air from the apartment while its roof access pipes are blocked or whatever (I am not a tradesman, I am relaying what the professionals have told me), we are supposed to keep a window cracked. When we tried to do so, we found that the double-hung windows were installed incorrectly, and if you try to open them, the entire top pane drops violently. There is no screen on the top portion of the window.

(This is notable because there are A LOT of insects flying around in this area right now, none of which you would want in your apartment)

The dishwasher is broken

The drains are not draining

We partially moved here so I could start working hybrid, and today, for what would have been my fourth in-office day, well, let’s just say that I did NOT make it in, and that might have something to do with what the New York Times referred to as a “doom loop for NJ commuters” with delays in ALL types of transit into Manhattan ranging from one to four hours. People were jumping out of buses inside the Lincoln Tunnel. I opted to work from home in my unairconditioned apartment, where the thermostat was registering 84 degrees. Which could technically be worse, but certainly wasn’t pleasant.

Took a break from work and decided to run an errand locally; went to the garage to find our car straight up GONE - after several hours of panicked calls with the management company and reporting the car stolen (because the management company said they didn’t call a tow truck on us), turns out we’d read our move in packet wrong and were in the wrong spot, and instead of calling the super or building management to ask us to move, our neighbors CALLED THE COPS and had us TICKETED AND TOWED. Which they are very much not supposed to do by building standards but isn’t technically illegal, just shitty behavior. And since we hadn’t driven in 9 days because we’re trying to use public transit as much as possible (when it’s running, anyway), the car had been held by the tow company for 5 days by the time we saw it was gone and it cost us $500 to get it back, plus $56 for the ticket.

And the most horrendous thing about all of this? I’m still happier than I’ve been in YEARS, because New York and I have been in an on and off abusive relationship since 2007 and she is one of the epic loves of my life.

Oh, also our rent Is fucking ASTRONOMICAL. Welcome home to me.