FUNNY. YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE A WRITER

The DAILY BEAST internet headline is "Catskills Gets it's Groove Back, With Brooklyn's Help". I'm such a sucker for this shit, immediately clicking on it. It's the usual. The Catskills are on everyone's tip. The young, good looking, "hipster" who wrote the piece said nothing new, except basically giving credit for the "leg up" to "Brooklyn". And by that, he meant "hipster Brooklyn", completely ignoring Hassidic Brooklyn. Huh?
    Hassidim has been in the 'skills almost as long as the Osterhouts. That said, I'm probably the first generation to interact with the other tribe. The GOD LOVES FAGS sign is in english and Hebrew. And after 20 years on the mountain, owning both a church and a synagogue, I've had my share of interactions. And I must say, they've all been cordial and kinda fun. I fuck with the rabbis and they fuck right back with me. Once, when swastikas appeared at the local elementary school, I went investigating. With luck I got to talk to the district superintendent. I introduced myself as a "Jewish" writer and wanted to find out just what the climate was in school regarding the recent spray painting? She looked me up and down and replied "Funny. You don't look like a writer."

   Let me tell you another story. On the weekend I agreed to help photog Marianna Louise with a little location shoot. I know plenty of tumble down, abandoned bungalows on back roads. Her boyfriend Horst and I set up some old chairs in the snow, while ML set up her shot. Just before she was ready to click the remote, a car pulled up. A small blonde woman got out screaming. "YOU CAN'T BE IN THERE. YOU'RE BLOCKING THE ROAD! (we weren't) I'M CALLING THE COPS!" As I was trudging up the bank, in the snow, to calm this nut down, her husband got out of the car. He was much bigger and just as loud."GET OUT OF HERE........NOW!" he yelled, as he took pictures of my license plate. I tried to explain our innocent, artistic quest....in between asking him "Why the fuck do you care?" and telling him to go fuck himself. What was my point?
   Oh yeah. The Hassidic landlords in Brooklyn have driven out the hipsters with high rent and now they are about to join them, along with the Hillbilly, Black Mayor of Monticello in Jail, casinos coming, thanks for helping us get our groove back, foray that we call home. DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE. THERE IS NOT A MICRO-BREW ON EVERY CORNER. It's still a struggle up here. That's not to say we can't use a little influx of hipstercash. FYI- your landlord in Brooklyn may be your neighbor up here. And he's gotta be home by sunset on Friday. Be forewarned. All in all I think it's good y'all are coming.  Welcome to the neighborhood. Just watch where you point your camera.