Blog Buzz: Looking on the BrightSide

So this week finds me at a new job! Yes, I finally got a gig after eight months of doing nothing but getting fucked up and spending my hard earned unemployment checks. Damn, I already miss it.

But on to bigger and better things (or so I’m telling myself). It’s going well so far. I got the job through my sisters aunts sister. It pays to know someone or as GG puts it, cronyism and nepotism at it’s best. Word.

Now some Blog Buzz.

First thing of interest to me this week was the Hello Health thing. That doctor dude who broke on the scene talking ’bout being able to IM and email your doctor and have a house call has now opened a legit ‘practice’. “Members pay a $25 monthly fee, and an additional $75-100 per visit depending on condition.” I’m working on a temp basis right now which means no health insurance, but at $25 a pop a month Dr. Jay Parkinson may be a viable interim solution. – Racked

The Heath Ledger bar Five Leaves is actually going to be called BrightSide. Jud Mongell says, “He drew the floor plans and thought of the name — BrightSide — because it’s on the bright side of McCarren Park.” – Hollyscoop

Elaine Perlov tried Cafecito Bogota’s Sunday brunch and it looks like an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Aspiring supermodels unite! Today there’s a gig right here in The ‘Point waiting for you. “Looking for models for fashion shoot on Thursday, August 7, 2008. All genders and races welcome. Looking for ages 18-30. Please send headshot and full body shoot to KWstudiomanager [at] hotmail [dot] com” – Craigslist

Is Franklin Street the new Bedford Avenue? “The main drag of Bedford Avenue has morphed into a strip of collegiate bars teeming with yuppies who titter about smoking joints after the baby’s asleep. As the price of Blue Moon creeps ever higher on North 6th, barflies have set out in search of better jukeboxes and less stilted atmospheres in Brooklyn’s upper reaches, and many have found new haunts in Greenpoint.” Try the Franklin Street Pub Crawl this weekend and see how we compare. – clubplanet.com

Curbed has some beautiful interior shot of St Elias, the Kent Street church that’s being sold with the a-ok for turning into condos. – Curbed

Ah the Studio B drama. It’s been covered and re-covered. If you live under a rock – they’re ‘closed’. Yeah, we’ll see how long that lasts… Now I definitely haven’t studied the violations or every article on the subject but here’s my two cents as someone who used to work as an architects expediter for the DOB. Strictly my personal experiences and observations.

Because of all the drama and complaints it finally got the DOB to come out and shut them down for probably the illegal work done without a permit on the roof deck. What happens next is going to probably be plans filed to approve the work already done with maybe a bit of going back and forth. The DOB will probably want them to change one or two things, they’ll re-file and go over everything with a Plan Examiner. Eventually, everything will be approved and Studio B will open again. How long this all takes depends solely on the pull they have with the DOB.

A Plan Examiner can be a total dick and just make you keep going back, over and over again with some bullshit small change every time or you can get a cool one who will simply advise you on the shit you need to do to get it approved the first time. I think Studio B will re-open sooner rather than later, they seem to have the deep pockets and connections needed that will ensure this.

More fucked up is the CB1 voting unanimously and denying their cabaret license. That sucks, but truthfully? Not the end of the world. They can’t throw official dance parties but not having a cabaret license never stopped anyone from dancing.

But hey, I could be wrong.

The Hobos of the Nassau G Train. Not to be confused with the Hobos of the Greenpoint Ave G Train. Or the Polish Prostitute of the G-Train. – The Petite Sophisticate & Patrick Moberg

The Pool Partiers bring their style to Texas. Hey, why not return some of your hipsters while you’re at it? – Austin Sound Check

Holy crap. Can you believe the new Hostel for Hipsters in Williamsburg is not a total disgusting mess? Well, not yet at least. Wait until the crackheads and criminals find out! – NYDN

Another cheap Mexican joint opens up. Another one claiming to serve Mexican ‘street food’. This one is called La Superior and it’s on the South Side. It looks like a place I need to try since my local one is *off limits* from now on. – Shecky’s

Neighbors Allied for Good Growth (formerly Neighbors Against Garbage) a group that advocates for public policies promoting healthy mixed-use communities. They give a voice to the people who live and work in the North Brooklyn neighborhoods of Greenpoint and Williamsburg and they just started a blog called Neighborhood Watch. “We hope that this blog will be a resource to the North Brooklyn community for updates on the neighborhood, useful information for you to deal with issues, and opportunities to get involved in solving local problems.” – NAG

The concert days are numbered for McCarren Pool. At the end of the Summer it’s time to for the pool to turn back into a pool. The best quote from this New York Times article? “The basic need of that pool is as a pool and recreation center for all the peoples of North Brooklyn, which includes a lot of black people and a lot of Latino people,” Ms. Yampolsky said. “Its basic needs are not for the fashionistas of Williamsburg.” You tell ’em! – NYT

And lastly, The Habitat is having Italian Week with some really scrumptious options like Fried Calamari, Sweet Italian Sausage Sandwiches and Homemade Lasagne. There’s a real shortage of decent Italian food in Greenpoint (I know Williamsburg has a bunch of amazing choices but I’m talking about Greenpoint) so I suggest you take advantage while you can.