At the age of 72 I think I am in a position to say that I have suffered from a lifelong writing block. I'm going to make an attempt to overcome that block here.

I feel like I have a few things to say -- but let's see if I'm ready to say them so publicly.

It helps that I am pretty sure that nobody will read anything I post here (but I am prepared to find out that I am wrong about that}.

I am an alter kacker (it's Yiddish; if you're reading this you have the wherewithal to find out what it means) who resides in Upper Manhattan... in the same neighborhood (in fact, just a few blocks away from) where my father grew up. While I myself was abducted to the suburbs at the tender age of six months I never liked the suburbs, much preferred the uptown city neighborhoods I experienced when I stayed with my granpdarents, and finally moved to the city (when it was still affordable to do so) in the late 70's, when my unsatisfactory career in graduate school came to an abrupt conclusion.

So while I may not be a typical New Yorker I think I can lay claim to being a genuine New Yorker -- for whatever that is worth.

I only mention this because I expect to be expounding at times on the subject of "community" and this background seems relevant.

I will close this little outburst with a hashtag which, I hope (if I can maintain any sort of momentum with respect to this writing thing) will serve as a sort of "Coming Attractions Trailer":

SeizeTheMeansOfCommunity

I'll just leave you to think about what I might mean by that...