I’ve mentioned in passing my two writing gigs, but I thought I would dedicate a whole post to the both of them since the reality is that they take a good amount of my time.

If you’re wondering what is it exactly I do at HAND/EYE Magazine here’s your chance to learn how I spend my days. I am the online editor. So what the hell do I do apart from writing articles for the online version? Well, I edit stories from other freelance writers. I research topics and reach out to artists to potentially feature them. Sometimes I ask them to byline their own stories (and most of the time I have to finesse the language), other times I ask questions and ghost write it for them, but  the majority of the time I conduct an online interview with the artist then write the story. In addition, I ask for images, caption them, fiddle with the size if needed, etc. In addition, I have to come up with an editorial calendar, keep it up to date, schedule the stories, and so on. Basically that’s what takes about 85 percent of my time. I don’t deal with any of the tech issues at all. In other words, I don’t frig around with Drupal (I’ve been told not to touch it since it’s so glitchy. Although I have a feeling I could figure it out because I am a dweeb when it comes to figuring out software).

Ten percent of my time is administrative. I’m in charge of updating the subscription list and to mail out copies of the magazine. It’s a dirty job, Keith did it before me, and now it’s my baby. I’m hoping that when we’ve become a huge media conglomerate, I can give this job to someone else. Actually, it’s not that bad. It’s one of those tasks that’s nice to have so I can rest my brain.

Another five percent is trying to come up with ideas of how to increase our subscriber base. We talk about this, I would say, every couple of weeks, but I think between word-of-mouth and FaceBook, we’ve grown a little (or so it seems to me as I input the names of new subscribers on the spreadsheet).

I haven’t been involved with the print issue. YET. But I know that I might have one article in the next one on Haiti (I think it may be an expanded piece on Franz Zepherin).

For a small publication that prints two issues per year, but publishes online 48 weeks, I can say that we are BUSY. VERY BUSY. Lucky for me, though, I can make my own hours and work from home (or at the “office” if I have the desire to have a change of scenery.) I tend to put in my hours from 9 until 5, but I do take breaks here and there (post office, bank, grocery store, walk the dogs or take 30 minutes to exercise). Tonight is an exception. I’m working on a bunch stuff (this is one of those breaks) and I’ll probably call it quits around 10 pm. Do I work on weekends? Yep, pretty much. I usually write an article or two. This weekend looks like I’ll be writing at least three.

The second job is my book review column Dan’s Papers. It’s pretty straightforward. I read a book, and I review it. So far I’ve reviewed four books, and I have one coming up for Monday. Oops, make that four articles to write this weekend.

So that’s it in a nutshell. I write. A lot.  And now it’s time to work on some photo captions.

I spent this past weekend in Manhattan. I stayed with my good friend, stained glass artist Joseph Cavalieri. Joseph was extremely generous to put me up in his place in the East Village, and I had a blast walking in my old neighborhood, going to a fantastic show in Dixon Place and eating.

The purpose of my visit was twofold: the first, to see my friend; the second, to do some visual recognizance of the old neighborhood. You see, I lived on the Lower East Side for almost three years and Julius takes place on East Broadway and Essex Street. So I had to remind myself where certain landmarks are situated, and I’m glad I did. For instance, one of the minor characters notes that he can see The Bialystok Home for the Aged from Corinne’s penthouse loft window on Essex. Uh-uh, not possible. It turns out that the building I thought was the Bialystok is actually the public library. I also discovered that the Eastside Cafe is gone, now it’s a trendy restaurant. Orchard Street, where you could find great deals on clothes, especially leather goods, has gone a la Madison Avenue. Not in the sense of Armani and Prada, but in very hip, downtown designers who are just as expensive as Armani and Prada.

Oh, and if you’re looking knish, you can still find one at Yonah Schimmel’s. Otherwise, you’ll have to settle for a lot of fusion-type of cuisine. So what’s my beef? My main issue is that Lower East Side is losing a lot of it’s flavor. I bet the majority of the people who live there (with the exception of the dwindling Jewish orthodox community) can’t tell the difference between a bagel or a bialy. It’s nice that there are more restaurants to go to, but from my observations it seemed that most of them are pretty derivative. And all the monied folks that live there now all seem to be clones who chatter or text away on their smartphones, who are consumed with fashion and style, and making money.

It’s ironic that the Lower East Side, which was known for its progressive and socialist politics is now a mecca for capitalists. My friend Joseph keeps reminding me that neighborhoods evolve, and some of those changes are positive, but not to the point that an interesting and historic one becomes a shopping mall for the wealthy, or a tourist site for suburbanites.

There’s a small minority of New Yorkers who miss the grit and danger of the city. I’m one of them. I miss a lot of the character. And it seems to be disappearing each day. Businesses that were small and family-owned are displaced to Brooklyn, or God forbid, New Jersey, because rents are too high.  The mayor says he wants the best for New York, but he lets landlords get away with raising rents to astronomic levels.  It’s a shame because soon enough the city where people went to find opportunity will turn into a gated community for the wealthy.

And still, I want to move back to my old neighborhood, walk the same streets where my old Reds marched and protested, but the reality is that I’ve been priced out, and can’t go back to the ‘hood–even if I were to manage to up my income to my high-earning days as a PR professional, it’s become too rich for my blood. Who would have thought that the tony beach resort I live now is more affordable than the Lower East Side?

Times do change.

So, this post was a major digression from what I intended to write.  Especially since I have been incommunicado for almost two weeks. I promise to get back on track and keep it to writing. On that note, I have to read. Book review due for Dan’s Paper next Monday, along with a bunch of articles for HAND/EYE Magazine .