…ish. Things have been crazy. Work has been non-stop, and every time I sit down to write, something comes up. Reporting has been nearly out of the question. Bad, bad blogger.

I realized at some point when the password to this site became fuzzy that I had to make a choice: keep going, or bid adieu. Instead, I’m compromising.

For the next several months, the site will have weekly news updates. I’m also working on recruiting a few others to provide the occasional original story. Many, many apologies for email that went unanswered. I really appreciated the notes from people asking where I disappeared to (The answer? Grad school, mostly. Sad tale.). Keep an eye out this week for links, but here is a teaser: the NY Post reports on a recent settlement with the NYPD, City Limits looks at the state of Sunset Park as a Promise Neighborhood and Inhabitat offered a sunny take (along with renderings) of the Sims recycling plant that broke ground on the waterfront.

For those of you who sent notes, I’m going to do my best to write back. Is there a story you think should be covered? Send me a note. I’ll pass it on to the reporters I know out on the beat.

Lisa

Dear All,

Sorry of the constant changes to the interface. I’ve been cycling through different formats, trying to figure out what best suits what I’m trying to do–keep you updated on news and provide a straightforward, clean looking site. It’s a work in progress, but I think I’m nearing completion. After more complicated arrangements, I decided the blog format offers a casual approach that can encompass hard news and local stories. I hope to add a few bells and whistles to this simple site template soon.

In the meantime, lots has been going on. In the next few days I’ll make sure to offer updates on recent news, some stories I’ve stumbled upon and some great new(ish) images from around the way.

Got a story? An update? An event? Let me know, and keep in touch.

Best,

Lisa

P.S. It seems with the most recent upgrade, I’ve lost many of my images. I’ll try to backtrack and upload them soon. The site does look a little bare… Got some great neighborhood shots? Send those along too. Don’t forget a date, some context and your name (or alias).

In the studio with Eric Johnson – Maize – 8-15-08 – Bolts and Washers, originally uploaded by Marshall Astor – Food Pornographer.

Several of you have written in the past to ask if Sunset Park Chronicled had a feed. Now it does.

In fact, you have several options for keeping up with the posts here. Just over to the right you may subscribe to the post and/or comments feed (—->).

For those of you who aren’t on the feed/reader train, you may opt for email updates. There are more tweaks on the horizon. Stay tuned.

Best View in Brooklyn asked me to post this flyer for Community Board 7 holiday gift drive. As everyone knows, this year is hard all over. Almost 25 percent of Sunset Park lives below the poverty line. Those are the official numbers. For those that can afford to give time or donations, this gift drive  offers one opportunity. Community groups around the neighborhood and food pantries present another. If you know of other drives to  help those in need, please let me know. I’ll happily post it for the community.

Matsuo Bashō, the most famous Japanese poet of the Edo period. Drawing by Sugiyama Sanpû, c. 1700.

One always feels slightly ambivalent receiving more spam comments than genuine ones. In recent days the numbers of products, videos and prescription suggestions has been rather remarkable.
But then spam like this arrives, and the world seems right again:

Having a obstinate demeanour is also utter important.
In vest-pocket, still, memory is not a giant culmination, reasonable corrupt what your motherboard requires.

I have no idea what it means or how its author meant it to promote the lexapro link the spammer had embedded between its lines, but it doesn’t really matter. This latter-day Bashō is the bomb.

Sunset Park Chronicled is three weeks old. It has 2,707 views to date.

Many thanks to all the readers. Although the past few days have been a bit slow, several more in-depth pieces are on deck. As always, leave a comment or send an email if you think something has been overlooked, under-reported, or simply misstated. If you like what you read, that’s great to hear, too.

You can send questions, comments, and suggestions to sunsetparkchron@gmail.com. You can also now follow the Sunset Park Chron on Twitter.

Best,

Lisa