Break(fast)

I broke my fast this morning, sitting down to a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of milk. I still felt good but decided it was time to eat. I'd lost ten pounds leading up to my arrest, and I discovered this morning that I had lost an additional five pounds due to the fast. I now weigh 145 lbs. Fasting allowed me time for reflection. I feel as if I've righted myself and can now think clearly.

A Day of Fasting

I haven't eaten anything since Friday evening. Given the chain of events the past few weeks, I felt the need to purge my body and clear my mind, and as the weekend approached, I decided to fast. It was purely by coincidence that my day of fasting fell on Yom Kippur. My sustenance has come from a lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and vinegar concoction. I've been drinking them since yesterday. Last night I hit a rough patch but stuck to my guns. I woke up this morning feeling amazingly clear-headed and really, really good. Because of that, I've decided to continue my fast until tomorrow morning.

A Shave and a Haircut

Upon learning that I was to be arrested and appear before a judge, I felt that it was in my best interest to cut my hair, which had gotten rather long, and give myself a clean shave, something I don't do often. That Sunday I stopped by the Brooklyn General Barber for a haircut. The night before showing up at the police precinct, I shaved. I took this photograph three days after my arrest.

Tornado in Brooklyn?

It appears that I may have walked home during the middle of a tornado yesterday. I had just emerged from the subway station on my way home from work and noticed that it was sprinkling rain. I opened my umbrella, looked west, and saw the advancing storm mere yards away. Within seconds, it hit with a vengeance, wind sweeping past me and whipping my umbrella to and fro. My legs and feet were drenched by the time I was able to duck into a store for shelter. The storm passed as quickly as it came. It wasn't until this morning that I discovered that roofs had been stripped and trees felled.

Wanted: Dead or Alive

I made it all the way to work this morning without seeing any "wanted" posters bearing my image. It's going to be a good day.

Counting Down: 39 Days to Go

Just letting everybody know that I've added a countdown timer to the blog. As of today, I have 39 days to go until my first court date.

The Tombs

While researching a documentary that she's currently working on, my friend Amy Peters came across this Wikipedia entry.

She offered me a little solace by writing, "Enjoy having been a unique part of NYC history, if nothing else." The reason being that I spent the majority of my jail time in two holding cells at the Tombs. I was arrested at 9:00 A.M. a week ago today and sat in a cell at the precinct from 9:00 A.M. until 12:30 P.M., at which time the arresting officer and two detectives transferred me to the Tombs in lower Manhattan. At 1:30 P.M. I was placed in a holding cell at the Tombs and sat there until 7:00 P.M. At that point, I was escorted along with five or six other guys to a smaller holding cell just outside the courtroom and waited there until 10:30 P.M. It was then that I finally met with my attorney. Shortly thereafter, I was brought before the judge and arraigned, entering a plea of not guilty. On my way home, it had never felt so good to stand on a subway platform, waiting for the train.