Like Smartmom herself, quite a few Park Slope moms are getting ready to send their first child to college or on a gap year next fall. It’s a major transition and one that is likely to bring tears to their eyes.

via Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn: It’s Mother’s Day But Who’s Crying? Smartmom, of Course.

Just yesterday some friend and I were chatting about how sad it is that the rat race begins when you’re five these days. (Or pre-natal, even.)

This post made me laugh though because even when a kid wants to take a year off before college and slack and see the world or whatever, it is now a formal part of the process! It is called a “gap year” and parents “send their [kids] . . . on a gap year”.

When I was a kid it was called being a slacker! (Not that there’s anything wrong with that of course.) wtf.

FIPS Undercover III: Target = Sux Brooklyn, NY on Vimeo on Vimeo

I do miss my sig, however. I think I will add that to my list of tasks during break, getting a permit to keep my handgun at home.

Brownstoner: No Oyster Bar? How About a Methadone Clinic?.

At the popular Target in downtown Brooklyn yesterday, shoppers were surprised to hear about the chain’s security measures.

Target’s target: Theft as economy sinks and shoplifting rises.

Since when is the Brooklyn Target “popular”?

From Yelp:

I’m a total fan of Target.  But this Target was just bad.  I’m used to my Targets back in California fully stocked and ready to go… but this one was just RAVAGED.

or

So, the apocalypse is nigh….oorrr??

This place is the worst. Every time I go I get overwhelmed by the crowds and and kids and the mess and the complete lack of at least half the things I need and then I leave feeling defeated and angry.

But then….then I go crawling back for more…O target! Restock! Please!

or even

oh boy. i love target generally. and i seem to have wound up in targets all over the country for one thing or another. i can always waltz outta one with a load of goodies. this target, however, is a disaster. you have to be very choosy about when you actually visit this location. unless you have a death wish or are a super-masochist, i would not advise going on saturday or sunday at any time. definitely skip going on monday since they are plumb cleared out from the weekend hordes and friday can be a bit hairy as well. i suggest midday on a wednesday and even then you will be deeply regretful and you will spend at least one extremely aggravating hour.

the problems:
-lack of stock
-insane overcrowding
-general store filth
-out of control lines
-there are never, ever any carts or baskets to be had.
-generally slow and/or surly staff.
-forget about ever getting anyone to help you in the electronics dept.
-you have to venture forth into the atlantic center, which is essentially like walking into the gaping, sulfur-stinking jaws of hell

the pluses:
-most people aren’t seemingly bright enough to realize that just because a line is an express line that does not mean it is going to move quickly or at all, especially when there are 85 people on it and you are winding through the bathing suit section. therefore, you can sometimes score a decent line and only wait 15 minutes to check out.
-the prices. when you find stuff, the price is right.
-the clearance stuff at the end of aisles
-the pharmacy is actually great. they are quick, there is never a line (that i have seen) they are super nice and will answer all your questions and if you’re picking up a script or dropping one off they will ring up whatever other sundry items you’ve got with you.

And that’s just the first three, out of 82 reviews!

A fairly nice cafe, although fairly standard. The coffee was not nearly as good as Gorilla Cafe, but it was quiet and there was no jockeying for a table. So I’d say a good choice if you are seeking to just find a quiet spot to read or something. Not so good if you want to feel hip and cool.

First, I went to Crossfit Virtuosity, and discovered there that my friend’s tenant, whom I’d met earlier because he is a quant, is a crossfitter, and I ran into him at crossfit. Then a few days later, in the subway station I saw a friend from San Francisco who had moved to Brooklyn a few days before I did. Then just last week at a restaurant in Park Slope I ran into a couple of people whom I’d met while out with some other friends a couple weeks ago. They don’t even live in Brooklyn; they live in Queens. Then just two days ago I ran into a friend at the Gorilla Cafe. So that’s four random meetings in one month. I don’t think I had as many as four random meetings in three years of living in Phoenix. I think I had maybe one or two.