Matthew Gallaway

Winter Is Coming, Which Means Omar Little Is Still More Relevant Than Rory Gilmore

1. It was fairly cold this week, which meant that I had to ditch the running shorts for wind pants and a few layers of long-sleeve running shirts; one is made out of some stretchy, futuristic material that feels like wearing a wetsuit and is very warm (note: I've never worn a wetsuit) and the second is made of a very thin wool that's all the rage these days in cold-weather athletic and business-casual office gear. I bought one of these wool dress shirts and while I don't think it's something I would wear in the summer -- contrary to reports, I find it a little itchy compared to cotton -- it's perfect for colder days. 2. On Sunday, Stephen and I went for a walk over the High Bridge, where we saw a hawk perched on one of the posts. The picture is a little blurry because I didn't want to get too close and I was using my phone. 3. You can see the Bronx in the background; there's actually quite a bit of forest up here, which I imagine is why the hawks like it. This part of Manhattan and the Bronx recently received $60 million for upgrades to the parks on both sides of the East River, which I imagine in a decade or so is going to yield some impressive results. From what I've heard, they're going to have mountain bike trails and rock-climbing areas and similar "outdoorsy activities" I probably won't do but will be fun to watch from a distance. (Especially the bikers, who sometimes need to "take a chill pill" when they're passing runners (me) on the narrow bike paths along the Hudson.)4. Fort Tryon already looks amazing, but there's a lot of space (not pictured) beyond the heather garden (pictured) that could stand to be refurbished. 5. Did everyone watch the new Gilmore Girls? We did! In the past few weeks, I've been reading a lot of pro and con pieces about the show -- pro: "Gilmore Girls is an amazingly progressive Work of Feminist Art" and con: "Rory Gilmore is the worst (reads Ayn Rand) (lol)" -- and while I probably lean more toward the con side of things because I feel like I would never be friends (or want to be friends) with anyone on the show (except for Zack Van Gerbig <3), I did enjoy watching (most) of the new season. It does present a version of "Americana" that -- for me, anyway -- I think is difficult to detest. It could have been so much worse, as Stephen (a much bigger fan of the original series than me) pointed out. Non-white Americans are still laughable tokens on the show, but gay-wise, I was encouraged that Michel is actually gay and out now, and it was sort of funny when, at the town meeting, everyone was waiting for the mayor to admit that he should be marching in the gay pride parade (although a bit :( when they had to cancel because there was only one available marcher). Overall, now that Rory is thirty-two and an aspiring journalist, I found her struggles interesting at moments but I thought the writers continually sabotaged any empathy by having her jet off to London to see her super-annoying boyfriend (Cary Agos from The Good Wife at his smarmy worst) and his troupe of "zany" Yale friends. Honestly, I think the writers would have done better to pay homage to the Mary Tyler Moore Show -- which was funnier and so much more progressive -- instead of the Wizard of Oz. (The town musical was very funny though!) 6. In other television news, Stephen and I finally started watching The Wire. We missed it during its actual run in the aughts and though we tried an episode now and again, it never really grabbed us. Plus I always found Treme kind of boring/preachy, which led me to suspect that The Wire was "overhyped." GUESS WHAT I WAS WRONG. The Wire -- which btw is probably the conceptual opposite of Gilmore Girls -- lives up to all the hype. I won't say that I've "lived" The Wire, but having lived in Washington Heights since the late 90s, I've certainly witnessed enough to know that the series rings true in many important ways; especially the soul-crushing community meetings with the police and politicians, where one resident after the next gets up to complain about something most of the world takes for granted and the police and politicians are like "we're on it" and nothing ever changes. 7. Or nothing ever changes until the waves of money start pouring in, which for better and for worse (and there's plenty to be said on both sides) is now happening in Harlem and Washington Heights. Anyway, the show captures all of this and a lot more with unusual -- and maybe unprecedented -- nuance. 8. And to have a character like Omar, unapologetically gay AND black AND from the same streets where he makes a living holding up drug dealers, still feels miraculous. How did I miss this show the first time? Well, better late than never. Omar represents everything I want television (and books and movies) to be in 2017-2020.  9. Let's hope that the incoming president inspires some new television (and books and movies) that, like The Wire (made under Bush 43) are entertaining AND political. So much television from the past eight years feels like it was made in an apolitical GoT-esque bubble where things like class and race and gender and poverty and homophobia don't really matter, but if this election demonstrated anything, it's that we're not post-anything. With so much at stake, a good story might not be enough.   10. As our garden knows, "Winter is coming, and it's going to be long."


   

The Beauty of November Trees Is Also a Temporary Antidote to Despair

1. This morning I did my "long run" of the week, which -- if the maps on the internet are to be trusted -- is just over 14.5 miles. I finished in 1:40 -- as in one hour + forty minutes -- which should put me in range of 1:30 for the half-marathon (13.1 miles) I signed up to do next winter. During my twenties, one of my goals, in addition to never holding a real job, was to finish a marathon in under three hours, which -- despite running two -- I never accomplished. Looking back, I now see that I didn't train as hard (or really, as "smart") as I should have, which is why I "hit the wall" and "basically crawled" across the finish line of my second one in 3:15. It was an improvement over the first one, but still not "the three" I was hoping for. (The first time I ran a marathon, I idiotically started at the back of literally 26,000 people and had to weave through runners the entire race, which is not a good strategy!) It's not that I didn't train, but I was cavalier about it -- I had always been a pretty good runner! -- and didn't do nearly enough structured speed and hill workouts (not to mention "core conditioning"), which are agonizing but important if you want to run fast, which I did (and do). Granted, these days it's easier because of all the advice and expertise about proper training and fitness -- and even how to deal with nagging injuries -- you can find on the internet; it's sort of like political news on FB, exact the exact opposite! (Lol?) I'm pretty sure I'll never make that three-hour marathon goal, but cutting it in half seems like something worth pursuing. Part of aging, it seems, is knowing how much to fight and how much to compromise, and -- for me -- this new running phase I'm in is a good "exercise" I'm sure will apply to other parts of my life as time unfolds.    2. There's also the advantage of running in upper Manhattan, which offers vistas like this view of the Hudson River looking north, not far from the GWB where a whale was recently spotted breaching. (True story!) Granted, to get to this park, I had to run up Fort Washington Avenue, where I was almost killed by 1) ten cars, 2) three buses, 3) five hundred bikers (all wearing neon outfits), 4) sixty pedestrians who took up the whole sidewalk with the leash on which they were walking their eighty dogs (because some ppl have more than one), and 5) one dog that lunged at me like Cujo as I ran past, missing my face with its snarling jaws by no more than two centimeters. Dear Dog Owners: Wtf. (Still, I bet I could definitely make 1:30 in the half if they have ferocious, attack dogs on the course.)3. Ladies and gentleman: Fort Tryon Park. 4. The lawn just south of the Cloisters. This is always my favorite part of my run, because there are no cars or bikes, and the paths are wide enough for dog walkers and runners. 5. Let's go for a walk through the Heather Garden and pretend we're on our way to have tea with Emily Bronte (who did not vote for DT, obv, and who will be remembered far longer than he will). 6. But Dear Political Commentators: Seriously? Let's not "give Trump a chance" -- not even a tiny one - because we already know with 100-percent certainty that everything he says is a lie and every policy he proposes will be a nightmare for everyone who isn't a straight, white, and very rich male.  7. The roses are always blooming somewhere up here: it's one of the miracles of upper Manhattan, along with the fact that 95 percent of the population voted against DT.   8. You have to give DT&Company credit for having "gigantic balls," though. Like what did Mike Pence, who supports the "religious-based rights" of people to discriminate against gays, expect to happen when he went to a Broadway show with a cast of non-straight, non-white, non-men? And DT called theaters "safe spaces"? So many wtfs. 9. Dear Gods of Urban Park Design (and Associated Trees and Plants): Thank you for reminding us that beauty exists in the world when our society, under its current leadership, is getting uglier and uglier. 10. The oak trees next to the Hudson will be a good place to contemplate the many changes (and proposed changes) we're about to confront. 11. And let's not forget the many, many buildings in Washington Heights that are and always will be objectively more beautiful than "Trump Tower." Here is one of them. 12. From what I understand, Trump and his prospective cabinet are taking the weekend to ponder the translucent, fragile delicacy of Japanese maples. (Wish this was the kind of "fake news story" now plaguing FB. Serious question: in all of the proposals to "fix FB," have you read any that state the most obvious solution, which is not to get your news from FB? Or maybe to log on like once a week instead of 24/7?)13. Weather permitting, every morning when I get back from my run I take everyone out into the garden for a walk. Here's Zephyr. "The flip-side of Hegelian-derived optimism regarding incremental evolution is that things can also become incrementally worse over time, too."14. And Dante: "Don't bother me. I'm on a secret mission." 15. And Elektra: "How do we react when society is turned over to a group of flying snakes? I can tell you that negotiation and deference are not in my arsenal." 16. And Clio "The Millennial": "You guys. That National Geographic show about the evolution of cats was amazing!" Actually, Clio was riveted to the television and the show was very interesting if you like watching cats of any kind. 17. Here's our birch tree, with a crown of gold.  18. And Clio, as entranced by the last day of perfect November weather as she was by the cheetahs. 19. And me, praying that the next four years will not be as bad as they now seem.








 

The Hudson River Running Project: Leaves and Legacies

Some random observations: 1) Our Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Elizabeth') is not very big, but it's the star of our garden right now. For years we moved it around: one spot was too dark, one spot was too bright, but now it's taken hold and has lots of room to grow. I can't wait to see it in ten years. (This should give hope to the progressive elements of the Democratic Party.)2) Now that daylight savings is over, there's more light in the morning, but it's less angled/striking in Fort Tryon Park. We're heading into the winter season, when the twisted branches of the elms and the oaks grab our attention. 3) The 'legacy' imperiled by the election of Donald Trump does not belong to Barack Obama, but to Bill Clinton, who ran as an 'outsider' but was basically a moderate-to-severe Republican in most of his policies. (Hillary was unfortunately unable/unwilling to distance herself from this legacy, and so it was hers to bear, also.) That said, we should be relieved that the 'fake liberal' charade of the Clinton-era Democratic Party is coming to an end. As for Barack Obama, his legacy is intact. He will always be remembered as i) the first African-American president, the symbolic importance of which is hard to overstate and was the greatest loss in terms of Hillary (having leaders who are not straight white men is ipso facto critical to democracy in the twenty-first century and is surely a reason DT is doomed to fail quickly, and is also the reason the Democratic Party must choose Keith Ellison to lead it going forward and not a corporate sellout/lobbyist like Howard Dean *Howard Dean scream*); ii) the first president to take a legitimate stab at universal health care (even if he was forced to make compromises that ultimately made it increasingly dysfunctional (but demonstrates the need for a single-payer system, which will eventually happen), iii) the first president to oversee many advances on the LGBT front, including marriage equality, and iv) a president who by executive decree or other means helped to enact many other progressive measures (despite facing in incredibly hostile Congress) related to the environment and the fair treatment of minority and disabled segments of our society. President Obama's legacy is therefore one of fairness and compassion, and I was never not proud to have him represent me. Less favorably, he is also part of a legacy of increased (and possibly unconstitutional) executive power, which will be used by our new president to horrifying effect, nor did Obama do much to steer the Democratic Party at large away from the rocky shoals in which it has now foundered. (I like to believe he would have done more if he had been able to; let's see what he does after he leaves office.) 4) I feel very fortunate to live in a city where ninety percent of us voted for Hillary. Being a New Yorker, it goes without saying that eighty-nine percent of these people annoy and frustrate me -- especially on the subways -- but we are of one mind when it comes to certain important things.5) Desperate for something to watch while we cook/eat dinner, we've been half-watching The Crown, which received a lot of great reviews, I guess because it cost a lot to make and features countless castle interiors. But it's not a show I can endorse, unless you're interested in the tribulations of rich, straight white people in the 1950s. We have some serious problems, but let's be grateful that we don't have a monarchy in this country. Is being a monarch difficult? Maybe! But the episode where the aging Winston Churchill is disappointed in his portrait is maybe the most boring premise for an hour of television ever imagined, and the episode delivers. In the same way I crave elected officials who are not straight, white men, I (still) crave shows about non-straight people (unless they're psychotic, like Norma Bates <3). This election, in other words, should also be read as an indictment of Hollywood. Btw, another unwatchable show about straight, white ppl is HBO's Divorce. Maybe Looking wasn't perfect, but it was 100000000000000 (ten billion) times better than Divorce.
6) Running through the trees next to the Hudson is always magical. 7) One thing Donald Trump won't be able to do is rewind time, and for that we should also be grateful.

The High Bridge Park Project (Post-Election Analysis)

For those of us who believe in the ideals of democracy -- loosely, 'one person, one vote' and 'equal rights for all' -- last night was a horrible result to a horrible election. But before going any further with those ideas, let's take a moment to admire the tranquil beauty of the High Bridge Park, which runs along the eastern bluff of Washington Heights to the Highbridge, the oldest bridge in the city. (And yes, it's High Bridge -- two words -- Park and the Highbridge, don't ask me why.) Stephen and I took a walk here on Sunday BT (Before Trump) and, as usual, found it impassible with the mobs of people. Just kidding, it was nearly empty -- a miracle if you consider that Washington Heights is the most densely populated area in the city -- allowing us to pretend that we were in Vermont or Lake Placid or an alternate universe where Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were not running for president. Right now, of course, it's easy to blame the opposition, which is obviously permeated with racist, homophobic, misogynistic, xenophobic ignorance, but it's also important to remember that Donald Trump harnessed legitimate anger at the way the working and middle classes in this country have been treated by 'the establishment' (and notwithstanding the fact that Republicans are a big part of this establishment and did much -- or even more! -- than Democrats to create the conditions that fueled Trump.) Let's also remember that Hillary Clinton was not a strong candidate, and we Democrats have only ourselves to blame for nominating someone s0000 unchill, especially after Al Gore, John Kerry, Michael Dukakis, and Walter Mondale.  Let's also stop forgetting to list gays from the groups and minorities who stand to lose from this election, along with ethnic, religious, women, immigrants, the disabled, the sick, and more.  Our country is increasingly undemocratic in ways that could our agrarian framers couldn't have foreseen. We who live in big cities and big states shouldn't count less than someone who lives in a small town in Alaska or Wyoming. Whether or not the system is completely broken is debatable, but it's definitely not working. (Except for the very rich, for whom life is very good.)And when we start thinking about 2020, let's not forget what it was like to wake up to Nixon, Reagan, and Bush I and II, and pretend that it can't ever happen again. I find it difficult to believe that anyone who lived even through Bush II is 'shocked' by the outcome of this election. Can you really be shocked when something happens over and over and over again? Ask yourself: "Am I eight years old or less?" If not, don't be shocked.  The world is filled with beauty; let's remember to find it.

Fort Tryon Park Is Insane Right Now (Election Analysis)

So many things are insane in a bad way right now I wanted to take the opportunity to show off something that's insane in a good way. Ladies and gentleman: Fort Tryon Park, insane (in a good way). In case you missed just how insane (in a good way) Fort Tryon Park is right now, here's another picture in which you can also see the George Washington Bridge. I've also cropped out the obnoxious apartment tower just to the south of the bridge, another legacy of New Jersey's governor.New York City doesn't really "peak" in terms of fall colors until November, which is nice if you didn't manage to get to Lake Placid in mid-October. This week was perfect weather for running, which I feel a little guilty saying because it's probably due in part to global warming. (Science readers, feel free to weigh in.) Here's a patch of purple asters to distract you from _______, which is making everyone I know nervous. I'm just hoping that ___ and that ___ because if ____ it will be ____. Or maybe it will be _____ even if _____ because ____. I once sent a postcard to a friend, which said, "Hi Rebecca _______ _________ ________ ___________ Matt" (We're not friends anymore, although I'm not sure the postcard was the cause; like so many people in the modern world, we drifted apart.) I had serious oak-leaf hydrangea envy in the park; we've tried to plant a few in our garden and they died, probably due to insufficient light and space. Or maybe 'envy' is the wrong word, because Fort Tryon Park is in 'a different league,' so far above me that I can only feel awe and admiration in the presence of such beauty. It's how I feel watching Olympic marathon runners reel off 26 five-minute miles. Whatever happens on Tuesday, I'm going to be consoled by the idea that Wednesday morning will arrive with Fort Tryon Park still empty and intact and awesome and available for early-morning runs. I'm pretty sure I'll watch the election returns, but maybe I won't: I've been going to bed early so that I can 'get my ass up' in the morning and go for a run before work. (Something I never thought I could do.) And then I'll take the path down to the river, which will be steep and inviting to everyone who wants to fly past the fallen leaves.