Sunday, October 04, 2009

A "Ghost Bike" for James

Posted by Mickey Z on 10/04 at 06:46 AM
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  1. Thanks for sharing that, Mick.

    I only met James once, but I miss him very much.

    Posted by JOS from Oak Park  on  10/04  at  09:27 AM

  2. Good mornin’ JOS…

    Mickey, I voted for your articles.  Thanks for the photos. I have had a mental picture in my mind ever since the accident. Your photos surprised me a bit. I pictured a much more congested area.

    Posted by RMJ from Ward Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts  on  10/04  at  10:39 AM

  3. Hi, JOS and RMJ.

    That area is usually far worse but on a Saturday afternoon, it’s not as bad. Plus, we wait for a lull to safely take the photo where I’m behind the bike.

    And thanks for voting…

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  10/04  at  10:44 AM

  4. Really poignant memorial.

    A ghost bike for James, who believed so deeply in the power and meaning of cycling in a motorized, polluted city. What if everyone stopped to think on what their “ghost” object might be. As it stands now there’d be a whole lot of folks memorialized with ghost tv’s, ghost cars, ghost smartphones, ghost laptops, and of course ghost military fatigues. Some people would have more abstract memorials: ghost abusive relationships, ghost denial, ghost greed.

    Those planet green posts about winter squashes and grains are mouth-watering, MZ. My speciality in that area is pumpkin soup (w/ coconut milk and ginger). And barley with anything.

    Posted by Keir from here and there  on  10/04  at  10:50 AM

  5. Awesome, awesome commentary, Keir. Sounds like a provocative post idea: what is your ghost object? Of course, no one can be narrowed down to a single entity but in terms of an actual object, would a saxophone be yours?

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  10/04  at  10:55 AM

  6. Yeah, that observation just left me breathless, Keir.

    Amazing.

    Here’s another one. If there was a ghost car left at every point where a car crashed and killed or seriously injured a human being, the highways would be dotted white and drivers would have to slowly weave among the dead.

    Posted by Andy from shanghai  on  10/04  at  12:59 PM

  7. Hey Andy, I saw that you also created a post for James today so it’s now linked in the second mention of his name in my post.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  10/04  at  01:04 PM

  8. Thanks. Saw that just now.

    Posted by Andy from shanghai  on  10/04  at  02:25 PM

  9. That’s a heavier question than I can answer here, MZ (#5). Suffice to say that the saxophone is just an extension of my lungs (which, of course, have greater meaning in a world of nicotine addicts). My ghost object is not an object, I hope. i want there also to be the possibility of ghost experiences, in which case mine is: listening.

    And it’s not just a musician thing: anyone can take a walk in the woods and arbitrarily stop and listen. That sound means the world to me.

    Posted by Keir from here and there  on  10/04  at  09:27 PM

  10. I couldn’t make the memorial either.  Thanks for posting these pics, Mickey.  I was in a store the other and saw someone who looked like James as an old man.  It was sad. 

    Also, I had no idea that amaranth could be popped like popcorn.  Why have I never seen popamaranth in stores?

    Posted by Charles from Jersey City  on  10/05  at  11:12 AM

  11. We’ll have to re-explore this ghost object idea. Maybe everyone gets two choices: one object, one more abstract.

    Charles: http://www.barossa-region.org/food/How-do-I-pop-amaranth.html

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  10/05  at  04:58 PM

  12. It’s hard to tell what’s more powerful, the front page photos or Keir’s #4.

    With The Grain Dept: organic oatmeal and raisins is a morning staple, spiced with cinnamon or maple syrup.

    The new Michael Moore film has merit. For the more well-informed, there are holes aplenty. He’s a skilled documentarian and this one is a net plus.

    Posted by Zen Prole from Pac NW  on  10/05  at  06:17 PM

  13. Hello, JOS, Rosemarie, Mickey, Keir, Andy, Charles and Zen Prole - from down under where it is still quite cold (around 54F today) alhough spring is now into its second month.  And a ‘thank you’ from me as well for sharing that with your fellow expendables, Mickey.

    Just wanted to ‘call in’ briefly at this comment board to let you know that Helga is still around and visiting regularly even if she does not have much to say at all at the moment.

    Keep up the great work and keep those comments coming, expendables!

    Posted by Helga Fremlin from Daylesford, Australia  on  10/05  at  09:33 PM

  14. Hi Helga

    Hope you’re getting through okay.

    Posted by Andy from shanghai  on  10/05  at  10:49 PM

  15. Thanks, everyone.

    FYI: A new post is up.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  10/06  at  04:40 AM

  16. I walk the 65th Street way across Queens Boulevard whenever it’s reasonable to do so, but 69th Street can’t always be avoided, and many times while crossing that street, I’ve wondered yet again how this terrible thing could have happened to my old roommate, James.

    I’ve been reading the posts here now and then (since I know of Mickey’s blog through political interests) and these posts are touching.  I don’t think I was as close to James as some of you, but we were friends and occasional proofreading coworkers for a year or so, and then we shared this apartment for a little over a month (and shared a lot of thoughts during that time), so needless to say, this tragedy was shocking to me also.  In fact, I still have this feeling of utter disbelief over what happened.

    By the way, James’ old room is still empty, but it’s going to be filled, probably this month.  I would have liked to move out, but I’m kind of stuck here because of harsh economic realities…

    So, especially since I’m still in the neighborhood… If anybody has another ghost bike event or something like that on the corner of 69th and Queens Boulevard, I hope I’ll be able to find out about it in advance, so I can take a walk over to it.

    Take care, all of you…

    Posted by Richard S. from Woodside  on  10/07  at  02:31 AM

  17. Thanks, Richard. Please stay in touch.

    Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria  on  10/08  at  08:22 PM

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