On my rush hour bike ride from midtown east to Bed Stuy to Boerum Hill I listened to Fresh Air about the Koch brothers, a review of the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and a zencast about our 5 capacities: Mindfulness, Faith, Discernment, Effort, and something else. I passed community gardens in full bloom, terriers being lifted by their leashes, and a sedan’s sideview mirror hit my left bike handle.

I was heading south on Vanderbilt toward Bergen, my turnoff, and heard my name. I turned around and saw Sarah who I met on a bike camping trip. She looked freshly showered and was going somewhere with her friend who’d just moved in. A lot of people are moving to new places in Brooklyn, the friend said. I had just come from looking at an apartment. 

I went an extra block past Bergen out of my way to check out the bookstore but didn’t go in because on the sidewalk in front were 3 cardboard boxes surrounded by women on their knees arm-deep in paperbacks.

Some of these I took for Misha’s brother for whom I am a personal librarian. He has been living in/on the Caribbean on/in a cruiseship since February playing tenor sax.  I have introduced him to Raymond Chandler, Gary Shteyngart, Colum McCann, Michael Thomas, Gregor von Rezorri, and Tayeb Salih. The books get passed around to other crew members. For Christmas his parents got me two Stefan Zweig books.

I’ll send him Bangkok Tattoo, O Henry Prize Stories, The Sportswriter, maybe the Solnit. I don’t know if he has the patience for Duras or West. Maybe being on a boat would help him appreciate Moby Dick.