Across 110th Street

Tonight was the first night in a stretch that I've felt really good on the walk home from work.  Properly nourished and rested from the four-day holiday weekend I sprinted through intersections on 12th Avenue -- always an indication that I'm feeling fit.  I ran three out of my four days off and the legs are strong.  No knee or hamstring pain.  The key is to maintain one's conditioning; it allows access to states of exuberance that are normally associated with youth.

Today was a beautiful day, sunny and warm.  At the noon lunch hour I deposited a check at the Chinatown BofA and then walked across 6th Avenue to the post office and mailed some compact disks to old college buddies.  From there I walked up King Street to Mon Hei Chinese Bakery where I bought some coconut rolls.  Then it was back up the hill to the local.

Last night I watched Across 110th Street starring Anthony Quinn and Yaphet Kotto.  Most people know the title song by Bobby Womack because Tarantino featured it in Jackie Brown.  Released in late 1972 the movie itself is dynamite.  I particularly appreciate Yaphet Kotto's performance.  He plays a clean black cop -- it's a Sidney Poitier role -- and he's got a baleful force that anchors the film.  I have a weakness for any shot-on-location "real life" drama from that time period.  It's the way the world looked when I was a kid.