Here are two seemingly endless lists of “Toy Hazard Recalls” and “Infant/Child Product Recalls (not including toys)”. Reasons for recalls run the gammut from choking to lacerations to toxic lead poisoning - truly scary stuff. Saddly no Elmo items are on the lists.

“The highly acclaimed art of renouned artist Dale Chihuly, exploring the visual relationship of glass and nature, makes it’s New York-area debut in the Botanical Garden this summer, from June 25 through October 29. The exhibition, Chihuly at The New York Botanical Garden, will feature dozens of groupings that include thousands of stunning, hand-blown glass sculpture throughout the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and in other spectacular settings across the Garden. Enjoy a self-guided tour and take in the splendor of the entire Botanical Garden.” - Promo Email

“Where can you go to really cool off on these hot summer afternoons? The city is full of public pools that offer that most surreal of summer-in-the-city experiences: the urban suburban pool party.

*All city outdoor pools are free and now open to the public through Labor Day. General hours of operation are 11am to 7pm. Call individual pools for more specific information, or online at nycgovparks.org.” - UrbanBaby

If I had only known before.

POP’S PICK: It’s the first extra long ‘weekend walkthrough’, lots to do, see, and hear. The family is heading out to Long Island to rub elbows with Diddy (not) and learn to surf (no, really). So peruse the things to do in the city, though this pop will be out hangin’ ten … or just hanging on for dear life. Alas I’ll be missing the Afro-Punk weekend at BAM and Seu Jorge at Central Park and the opening of the PS1 Summer Warm Up DJ series… damn!

FRIDAY
DailyCandy
Bard’s Magical SpiegelPalais
What: A Belgian tent of mirrors, with dining booths, a dance floor, and acts ranging from a Hungarian gypsy band to DJ Spooky.
Why: Nothing says God Bless America like a hand-hewn Belgian pavilion.
When: Fri.-Sun. Thru July 30. Check schedule for details. [The website promises] “Daily fun for the family”
Where: Fisher Center at Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson (845-758-7900).

FlavorPill
Afro-Punk Weekend
when: Fri 6.30 - Tue 7.4
where: BAM’s Rose Cinema (30 Lafayette Ave, Bklyn, 718.636.4100) map
price: $10 per screening

“Punk” is one of the shiftiest words in the cultural lexicon, and while the idea of a film festival doesn’t automatically scream “punk,” BAM’s Afro-Punk weekend certainly does. The series explores cultural rebellion from a black perspective, covering topics from Black Panther history to drag queens in Paris to jazz pariah Sun Ra. Of special interest are screenings and talks from roots radical Don Letts, the filmmaker/DJ who introduced white punks to reggae at London club the Roxy in 1977, and Afro-Punk, a documentary by co-curator James Spooner on the evasive subject of race and the punk rock scene. This year, you could celebrate independence with another washed-out day of beer and fireworks, or you could, you know, actually celebrate independence. (MP)

DailyCandy
Celebrate Brooklyn
What: Jazz-punk-electro-infused TV on the Radio and beautiful Afro-pop-Congolese-rumba singer Angelique Kidjo.
Why: It’s free and outside. Isn’t that what the weekend’s about?
When: Fri., 6:30 p.m.; Sat., 7 p.m.
Where: Prospect Park Band Shell, Prospect Park W., at 9th St., Park Slope (718-855-7882 ext. 45).

SATURDAY
FlavorPill
Target First Saturdays
when: Sat 7.1 (5-11pm)
where: Brooklyn Museum of Art (200 Eastern Pkwy, Bklyn, 718.638.5000)
price: FREE
Target and the Brooklyn Museum of Art celebrate fine art and street art at this month’s First Saturday. Beatboxers and breakdancers perform around a mini-Lady Liberty in the Steinberg Family Sculpture Garden between screenings of Dave Chappelle’s Bed-Stuy Block Party, graffiti-doc Style Wars (1983), and old-school classic Wild Style (1982). To fete the museum’s new exhibition Graffiti, shadow-chasing chalk writer Ellis G ties the renegade murals to the contemporary art world and John “Crash” Matos discusses his own 20-year tenure in the graf scene. Partygoers inspired by the upstart artists can leave their own legacy in full color (in a dedicated space) until Coney Island’s Black Underground Show lays down a funky, old-school soundtrack to the night’s festivities in the BMA’s parking lot. (IB)

DailyCandy
Real Food Market
What: Organic and biodynamic market for butter, cream, cheese, beef, fish, and other ecofare from farmer co-ops and regional artisans.
Why: Giving the Greenmarket a run for its money. (Yay, capitalism!)
When: Every Sat., 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Where: Petrosino Square, Lafayette St., b/t Kenmare & Spring Sts.; 6th Ave., b/t Bleecker & Houston Sts.

FlavorPill
Warm Up feat. Body & Soul
when: Sat 7.1 (3-9pm)
where: P.S.1 (22-25 Jackson Ave, LIC, 718.784.2084) map
price: $10
New Yorkers revive their Saturday summer pilgrimage to Long Island City today for the first of ten of P.S.1’s legendary Warm Up parties. Music aficionados groove and frolic in the courtyard under the white opulence of NYC architecture group OBRA’s balloon-like shell canopy. Walls quake with deep-house beats from the Body & Soul DJs, whose Danny Krivit, François K, and Joe Claussell reunite after 10 years to inaugurate this sun-splashed musical orgy. Revelers beat the heat indoors with exhibitions from emerging artists, such as Lisi Raskin’s mock Dirty Bomb factory, Drew Heitzler’s Rockaway surf video, and Curtis Mitchell’s sculptural show incorporating rotating footage from Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 masterpiece A Clockwork Orange. (FAY)

Note: Arrive early to beat the lengthy line for admission. Afterwards, keep the party going at LIC’s Water Taxi Beach with eclectic DJs at Rebound, catch hip-hop legend DJ Premier at Williamsburg’s Triple Crown, or bump to minimal techno at 3rd Ward in Bushwick.

FlavorPill
Antibalas w/ Balkan Beat Box and Ska Cubano
Sat 7.1 (3-6pm)
Central Park SummerStage (Rumsey Field at W 72nd St, 212.360.2777)
FREE
In Central Park, it’s easy to forget you’re in the city. That’s especially true tonight, as Antibalas channel African polyrhythms, Balkan Beat Box mix punk and old-world klezmer, and Ska Cubano meld Jamaican riddims and Cuban mambo. (JDS)

Tonic email
Tonic (a babysitter event)
107 Norfolk Street (Between Delancey & Rivington) 212-358-7501
* Miho Hatori at 8:30pm
* Wake Up Snakes plus Monotract plus Heathen Shame plus Laundry Room Squelchers at 10:30pm
* Shades of Brown: Sight & Sound in subTonic at 9pm

SUNDAY
UrbanBaby
Chinatown 4th of July Festival
The Chinatown Independence Day Parade features colorful floats, lion and dragon dances, and marching bands. Enjoy live music, dance and kid activities at the Block Party on Market Street.
When: Sun., 7/2, 1-5pm; All ages; Free.
Where: Parade begins at Grand and Mott; ends at Canal St.

FlavorPill
Seu Jorge w/ José González, Alex Cuba Band, and DJ Cut Chemist
when: Sun 7.2 (3-6pm)
where: Central Park SummerStage (Rumsey Field at W 72nd St, 212.360.2777) map
price: FREE
The stripped-down folk of both Brazilian Seu Jorge’s Portuguese-language Bowie covers and Swede José González’s takes on the Knife and Springsteen disarms with earnest vulnerability. While Jorge’s soft samba, accompanied by traditional Brazilian musicians, welcomes audience sing-alongs, González’s introspective sound can quiet even the rowdiest crowds. Multi-instrumentalist Alexis Puentes leads his Cuba Band — and with it — Latin pop into the future by combining traditional Caribbean melodies with a jazz sensibility. Segueing between today’s performances is ex-Jurassic 5 turntablist Cut Chemist, whose recent single, “The Garden,” re-contextualizes bossa nova legend Astrud Gilberto’s voice with hip-hop beats and live percussion. (CN)

FlavorPill
Indie Everything
CitySol feat. Aa w/ Japanther, the Occasion, Parts & Labor, Tomorrow’s Friend, and the Wowz
Sun 7.2 (1pm-sundown) Solar One, Stuyvesant Cove Park (24-20 FDR Dr, Service Rd East)
FREE
Solar One kicks off their eco-aware summer music series today with a great lineup of local art rockers and DJs, interactive exhibits, and a green lifestyle marketplace — all powered by renewable energy. Did we mention the sweet waterfront location? (JL)
Note: Because of last Sunday’s rain, this event was rescheduled from Sun 6.25.

MONDAY
FlavorPill
M*A*S*H (1970)
when: Mon 7.3 (dusk)
where: Bryant Park (6th Ave & 42nd St) map
price: FREE
Let it never be said that director Robert Altman is pedantic. Even though M*A*S*H, his first studio feature, was adapted by a blacklisted screenwriter from Richard Hooker’s anti-war comic novel about his experiences as a military surgeon in Korea, it boasts far more pratfalls than sermons. The ensemble film’s social commentary washes over you as painlessly as its theme song’s lyrics in a series of irresistible vignettes punctuated by Donald Sutherland’s lovely whistle and a where-were-they-then cast including Robert Duvall, Elliott Gould, and Tom Skerritt when they were still unequivocally loose-limbed and nice-looking. (LR)

Note: The lawn opens at 5pm. Though the film won’t begin until dusk (between 8 and 9pm), arrive early for a good seat.

TUESDAY
UrbanBaby
Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks
If it’s fireworks you want to see, this is the annual spectacular of color and light. 2006 marks the 30th anniversary of this extravaganza and will feature more than 120,000 bursts of pyrotechnic color and a live soundtrack from the New York Pops.
When: Tues., 7/4 at 9pm; All ages; Free.
Where: Visible from any unobstructed view in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens; South Street Seaport (FDR Drive from the Staten Island Ferry Terminal to Pearl St. Ramp), East River 23rd to 42nd St. (FDR Drive 14th to 42nd Sts.) and Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

White man, white woman, white baby
Black man, black woman, black baby
Black man, white woman, black baby
White man, black woman, black baby
- From ‘Fear of a Black Planet’ by Public Enemy

In 1990 the song Fear Of A Black Planet hit radio airwaves and added unease to the delicate racial balance of urban community life. Those were charged times – the Brooklyn and Los Angeles riots, Spike Lee’s film Do The Right Thing, Ice Cube’s gangsta rap album Amerikkas Most Wanted – it was a time when race relations were a hot topic.

The “black baby” mentioned in the song is quasi scientific and metaphoric of course, but even if the baseless connection to Mendel’s Law is disregarded, for the metaphor to work the society to which the message is being communicated has to share the general view.

My son, with his wild hair, ambiguous features and mocha complexion serves as a case study of Public Enemy’s fallacious ethnic arithmetic. At birth his shock of jet-black hair made my papoose appear to be more Native American than Black. As he lost all of that lanugo his features seemed more Caucasian like his mother. Then after his first summer in sun he looked ‘tan’, but his features remained ambivalent.

Almost every minority group my son and I have encountered has attempted to claim his features as their own. A random Latina immigrant drawn to my son’s charm went through a laundry list of possible Hispanic origins “Domincano? Puertorriqueño? Colombiano?” and walked away vexed when she completed her guesswork and realized that I would not be forthcoming with an answer.

Most of the other gentle confrontations have been humorous affairs where strangers try to place his mishmash of physical characteristics. A Korean storeowner, whose shop my wife frequented during the pregnancy, described my infant son as “halfie-halfie” when she met him on one of his first outings.

Where minorities are eager to commandeer his cuteness, my son’s skin color and other enigmatic idiosyncrasies have caused inexperienced whites nothing but embarrassing moments since his birth. The most extreme was one tolerance-testing pediatrician, who on my son’s first check-up postpartum, was so confused by his skin tone that he misdiagnosed him as Jaundiced.

Misdiagnoses not withstanding, the white majority’s lack of experience with my mixed child has been filled mostly with laughable moments. From disbelief of my paternal status, “Oh, that’s your baby?” to a warning not to get used to his loose curly tresses as “His hair’s gonna get kinky in a few months.” The latter came from the white mom of a dark-skinned little girl.

It’s not just the people that I encounter in my day-to-day fatherly duties that are making earnest attempts at understanding the new upsurge of mixed ethnicities. The MAViN Foundation, staffed entirely by mixed-race individuals, took an introspective look at the culture then embarked on a crusade to educate the nation about the new mixed generation. And though in 2000 the United States only added the possibility for respondents to check more than one category to define their race, I feel this is a move in the right direction.

When contacted directly for a response to the relevance of Fear of a Black Planet to modern day multiculturalism, Chuck D. offers a reasonable polemic. “I’m in the airport,” apologizes the leader of the seminal rap group. He is currently on an international junket with the band and is forced to offer a truncated response. “2001 was a full 11 years after Fear’s release,” continues Chuck. “I really never believed in racial categorization, but knew that this is how I was viewed…truth is that non-white is in a clumped category, but white is more clearly defined in America…”

Chuck D. presents the unfounded point most skeptics argue, that the U.S. Census Bureau simply herds then disregards the data of respondents who indicate that they are of multiple ethnicities. “The Census Bureau preserves all the information that people provide to it about their race,” says Ann Morning, Assistant Professor of Sociology at New York University via an interview published on the mixed-race advocacy website Swirl, Inc. “But when other federal agencies analyze those data, at times they must translate multiracial categories to monoracial ones.”

A troubling point, and in contacting the United States Census Bureau for an update I was advised that no changes were to be made for the next scheduled collection of data in 2010. This leaves a lot to be desired from the Census Board and its subsidiary agencies, but is at least not a step backward.

Possibly the most commonsensical encounter I have experienced was while enjoying a stroll with my family. Half-drunk, a male blue-collar worker regarded my wife with an incredulous stare. His gaze was then directed at me and then lowered to subsequently observe our stroller-bound child.

He deliberated for a few seconds, then on reaching an inebriated moment of eureka declared, “Black and white make brown!” And I am left to think that if a drunken middle-aged laborer can realize the changes taking place in the racial schema of American society, our government and its slow-acting organizations can’t be too far behind.

+ also published in Brooklyn Parent magazine

“I’m happy to announce that my updated website is up and running. The site represents my new series of photographs – The doudou project, dog portraits among other new portraits, new photographs of the Toys and Dolls series and additional Artwork.” - Davina Zagury

Robert Thorn: If there were anything wrong, you’d tell me, wouldn’t you?
Kathy Thorn: Wrong? What could be wrong with our child, Robert? We’re the beautiful people, aren’t we?

Famous last words. There’s something strange going on with our son lately. I doubt we’ll suddenly discover a strange numerical birthmark, or witness his head swivel 360 degrees, or be the targets of cross-room projectile vomiting … okay, scratch that last one, that has happened, but his recent behavior led my wife to last night proclaim, “I think our son is possessed.”

She was joking of course, and as it were 21 days past the day of the Omen, we sat and bounced ideas back and forth trying to come up with a way to battle the rebellious mind of our 20-month-old.

Here are five of the things he does, and how we plan to handle them:

1) BEHAVIOR Hitting and kicking: All of a sudden hitting and kicking are a new means of expressing affection or sparking humor. He’ll smack you squarely then laugh and say “funny”.
ACTION My wife and I decided that instead of simply saying that it was not nice, we would show him by reacting as if he had just broken whatever body part he just kicked. We also plan to use a word that is not currently in his vocabulary to explain what he has done, ‘hurt’.

2) BEHAVIOR Throwing stuff: Toys, books, utensils, and most irritatingly food get tossed if in the way of something else – in the case of food it’s usually more food.
ACTION As soon as he does it, all the fun will stop abruptly. He’ll then be asked to retrieve the item and return it to its original place (excepting for food of course). Once the task is completed we’ll praise him for listening and responding positively (using 20-month-old vocabulary of course).

3) BEHAVIOR Lack of patience: It usually starts off nicely. “Please [anything]”. If the requested item is not furnished promptly there might be another gentle request. “Please [that thing]”. And then of course starts the faux waterworks and forced wailing.
ACTION A lesson in ‘frustration tolerance’. My psychologist father in-law advised that all parents should try to hold out for a reasonable time before granting a request as this promotes ‘separation’, the idea that not everything will be immediately provided by some outside force.

4) BEHAVIOR Devil/Angel distraction: He does something that’s an unmistakably and intentional attempt at provoking a reaction – any reaction, then if he gets a negative response he’ll do something sweet like request a “Hug?” or “Kiss?”
ACTION Suppress the laughter, though it is really funny that our toddler is trying to play mind tricks on us, and be firm in advising him that he will not be getting a hug or kiss and why.

5) BEHAVIOR Lung cleansing: Lately he likes to scream at the top of his lungs in an apparent attempt at drowning out all the sounds around him. As you can imagine, in order for him to accomplish this goal he has to be loud. Very loud.
ACTION Nothing. We decided that there are certain battles that are not worth fighting. So what if a few people are aurally discomforted for a few seconds (or minutes)? They’ll either understand because they have kids of their own, or they’ll think twice about not using contraception with their current partner.

“LYNN, Mass. (AP) — Much of Don Durkee’s 80-year life has been Fluff. His father first began peddling Marshmallow Fluff - a gooey, spreadable, sticky delight - door-to-door in 1920 and later founded a family business to make it. Ever since, New England schoolchildren have grown up on Fluffernutter sandwiches - peanut butter and a layer of marshmallow on bread. Now, in its home state of Massachusetts, Fluff has come under fire.

A state senator proposed limiting its availability in school lunchrooms to once a week, horrified at the prospect of it being a daily staple of kids’ diets. Another lawmaker jumped to Fluff’s defense, nominating the Fluffernutter as the official state sandwich.” - AP (more)

My wife and I try to do what we know is best for the environment; we could be categorized as mindful consumers, if not convenient environmentalists.

Prior to our son’s birth we entertained the idea of cloth diapers. I spent my early childhood in cloth diapers, and fondly remember helping change my younger brother’s nappies and watching mom soak them in a pail in the bathroom.

My wife wasn’t enthused about the idea of us changing, soaking and washing cloth diapers, so she sought out and found an alternative – Seventh Generation brand diapers.

This seemed a viable solution. “Seventh Generation Baby is a line of baby products that are better for babies and the earth they will inherit, and that perform as well as traditional brands.” We certainly couldn’t argue with that logic, so we went ahead and ordered boxes and boxes of Seventh Generation diapers and wipes.

I disliked the anomalous scent of the wipes, citrusy, but in a strange chemical way, and so I went out and bought a package of Luvs, which smelled more traditional. Then after a few months our son outgrew the largest size of Seventh Generation diaper offered and we squeezed his dimpled butt into the size 5 which was supposed to be for babies 27+ pounds.

The decision on our part to hold out on purchasing any other brand regardless of the size issue might have been good for the environment, but it certainly was not good for our son. Slowly he developed small bruises on both of his upper thighs. At first we thought it had something to do with the way we were securing the Velcro on the waistband, but as the bruise got progressively got worse, we decided that regardless of the “dioxin exposure and cancer, birth defects and environmental and reproductive disorders” Seventh Generation claims other brands cause, we started shopping for Huggies Pampers emblazoned with Sesame Street’s little red devil. These diapers have a wider waistband and the Velcro closure is made from a much softer material (not the hard plastic of Seventh Genration) which does not abrase his soft skin.

Now the bruises are gone, but it irks me whenever I change him and he chants “Elmo, Elmo.” And I am certain my wife is none too happy that I coerced her into giving in and using diapers “made with materials that have been whitened with chlorine. But these whiter materials come with unpleasant consequences. Bleaching with chlorine creates dangerous toxins such as dioxin, furans and other organochlorines. Once loose in the environment, these chemicals accumulate in both people and animals.”

To their credit, Seventh Generation now makes a size 6 (35+ pounds) but after our last experience only proclamations of direct environmental and health risks and not simply “linked” ones could convince me to switch back.

“18: Amount in billions, that children aged three to eleven spent last year as consumers, according to a recent report from Packaged Facts. The report also projects the child consumer market will reach $21.4 billion in disposable income by 2010.” - Metro

Remember the Elmo craze a few Christmases ago? Or the Furby blitz? Well the Dutch have got us beat.

“AMSTERDAM, June 21 (Reuters) - Wuppies, little tufts of synthetic orange fur with eyes, are becoming a national craze with Dutch backing for their World Cup team reaching fever pitch…

The chain quickly ran out of mega wuppies, which are now being traded on eBay for as much as 28 euros, about four times their original price.” - Reuters (more)

“The camera loves you. With that silhouette and those pearly whites, why be bashful?

Pardon? (Inaudible whisper.) Oh. Those pictures. All over the web, you say?

Well, that’s unfortunate — but no reason to throw in the towel.

Test the waters again with an underwater portrait from Splash Photography. Meet sharpshooter Pamela Crimmins (pcrimminsny@earthlink.net) at your pool (um, right) or hers in Connecticut, and she’ll wash away your worries as she (decked in flippers, mask, weight belt, and stinger suit) spends hours snapping your best mermaid poses.” - DailyCandy

Or you can just buy a Kodak underwater disposable camera and get all Avedon/Cousteau this summer.

I was away from my son for two days this weekend. It wasn’t a failed attempt at ditching fatherhood, or a run-in with C.S.A., though both of those subjects would make interesting stories, I was off in the wilds of New York putting together the wooden Erector Set that is to be our country house.

While away I suffered serious bouts of separation anxiety. “Has his cough gotten worse? Did he suffer a fall in the playground? How early did he wake in the morning? Is he going stir-crazy because it’s raining and he can’t go outside?” I found myself thinking of all these things and delved deeper into my house building apprentice responsibilities in order to dispel the thoughts from my mind.

On returning I was welcomed home by a toddler that seemed to have aged two months in two days. When I opened the door and he saw me, he scrambled around trying to find something to present to me in a form of show and tell greeting, something he does not just with me but with any visitor, he picked up his plush duck off the floor. “Papa,” he said. “See it? Duck.”

I got out his new size one soccer ball and he was thrilled to see that it had simply been residing in the car for the past couple of days and had not gone to permanent oblivion, as I am sure his pint-sized mind had thought. He held it above his head and made an impressive drop kick and then waited for me to acknowledge his skill. “Wow!” I said. “Great kick!” Which made him smile.

Though it’s always great to know that you can be separated from an adult you love and know that they’ll be there awaiting your return, it is such a thrill to know that your child missed you as much as you did him.

POP’S PICK: If I were in the city (as opposed to Upstate trying to finish our lean to) I’d most likely check out the Billyburg film festival or the Mermaide Parade but according to the weather man, it’s supposed to rain like crazy.

[update on last weekend: 20 guests (including an infant, a toddler, an adolescent and a dog), a huge traffic jam and pouring rain don’t usually make for a great camping experience. But last weekend’s trip Upstate was unbelievable. Frisbee and fire-roasted fish; call it upscale camping.]

FRIDAY
DailyCandy
The Refugee All Stars
What: Poignant documentary about a band of refugees (literally) trying to escape violence in Sierra Leone.
Why: Live performances before and after the film will make you move.
When: Fri., 7-10 p.m.
Where: Central Park SummerStage, Rumsey Playfield, b/t 69th & 72nd Sts.
[I heard them on NPR, I know what they’re trying to do, but I can’t say I love it]

SATURDAY
DailyCandy
Macaroni and Cheese
What: New spot spoons variations of the cosmically connected pair (including meats, veggies, and breadcrumbs).
Why: Cheesy without being cheesy.
When: Opens Sat.; Tues.-Sun., noon-10 p.m.
Where: S’mac, 345 E. 12th St., at First Ave. (212-358-7912).

FlavorPill
Second Annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival
feat. Big Daddy Kane w/ Lupe Fiasco
Sat 6.24 (1-8pm) Tobacco Warehouse (1 Main St, Bklyn) map w/ registration
[why: Because you like it when you’re called Big Poppa]
More than a decade before Jay-Z and Biggie could claim to be “Brooklyn’s Finest,” Bed-Stuy’s own Big Daddy Kane was perfecting his fast raps and battle skills. Catch a true hip-hop hero alongside upstarts Lupe Fiasco and Rhymefest. (JRC)

Mermaid Parade
Sat 6.24 (2pm) Coney Island
Celebrate summer with music, costumes, and plenty of kitsch at this year’s Mermaid Parade. The identities of celebrity King Neptune and Queen Mermaid are still top secret, but expect a way-out walk at the nation’s largest art parade. (LT)

Billyburg Short Film Festival
feat. Michael Showalter and Japanther
Sat 6.24 (6:30pm) McCarren Park Pool (Lorimer St btwn Driggs Ave & Bayard St, Wburg) map $10
The first of many chlorine-free activities to fill McCarren pool, the Billyburg Short Film Festival plunges in tonight with a Stella-fueled party featuring a 90-minute mix of narrative, experimental, and documentary cinema, with strong showings of comedy and art-punk. (MB)

Note: Food from area businesses and $1 Stellas courtesy of My Open Bar will be available for purchase.

SUNDAY
Willy Bee’s
302 Metropolitan Avenue
Michael Leyden’s Acoustic Corral
Sunday, June 25th, 12-2 p.m.
Willy Bee’s Sunday Music-and-Brunch Series
Mike will pluck his guitar’s silly strings. Kids and grownups alike will love every minute of the performance. Mike immediately becomes part of your family, much like every kid’s favorite uncle! His CD’s “Where Are Your Piggies?” and “Gabdern Chicken” are available at Willy Bee’s.

FlavorPill
Into Me / Out of Me
when: Sun 6.25 - Mon 9.25 (Thur-Mon: 12-6pm)
where: P.S.1 (22-25 Jackson Ave, LIC, 718.784.2084) map
price: $5 suggested donation
[why: because your kid loves the book Everybody Poops]
The folk wisdom “better out than in” materializes through art in P.S.1’s new summer show, in which contemporary artists use bodily functions to explore nuances distinguishing the external and the internal. Andy Warhol’s pissy Oxidation Painting questions what is art and what is better left flushed, while Matthew Barney’s early video installation Field Dressings features the famed artist nude, patching his orifices with petroleum jelly. Other highlights include works by Marina Abramović, known for radical performances in which she transforms her body into a slashed-and-suffocated canvas, and Paul McCarthy’s quirky, erotically grotesque sculptures. (CA)

It’s the day after hump day, and I’m feeling kinda crappy. Especially after learning that Philly is the new New York … I hate their cheeses steaks.

I don’t have one really good subject to write about, so I’ll just rant about nothing:

The playground in the NW corner of Union Sq. draws a much more mellow crowd than the one in Washington Sq. park. I learned this the hard way yesterday. My son wanted to play ball with a couple of older girls (9-years-old maybe?), they didn’t, I retrieved him which made one of the two comment, “That was weird.” Their parents weren’t much more friendly, so we left and waded in the central fountain.

Signing up for the public Parks Department pool in our neighborhood was a bitch. There was a man that was dressed like a woman, who turned out to be a woman that just looks very manly, helping us. It must have taken 30 minutes for us to get our ID’s (yes, my 19 month old needs an ID) in which time my son squirmed and whined and yelled “Water! Water!” which didn’t phase to public service employees one bit.

Last day of music class today. I can’t say I’m gonna miss it. It was becoming a bit of a drag since my son couldn’t really get involved the way he wants to. I think we’re going to try to find some kind of free-form guitar lessons or something, maybe he’ll like that more.

No World Cup soccer at the baby cafe. I contacted the owner with the idea and though she agreed it was a good one she said they didn’t have a TV or cable, which seemed like it would be a great investment for them. This after all is the World Cup.

I feel so much better now …