The view from Jefferson Street

It's 9:12 a.m., and it's already hot!

An Excessive Heat Warning will be in effect in the five boroughs from noon to 8 p.m. The temperature could reach 95-degrees in Bushwick today, while the heat index could eclipse 102. Tomorrow's high temperature in the city could surpass the century mark.

Let's hope that I get everything done the to-do list so I can make a hasty retreat to Fire Island in the morning.

The view from Jefferson Street

It's a sultry summer morning here in Bushwick with thunderstorms on tap throughout the day.

The view from Jefferson Street

A hot and humid day is on tap here in Bushwick.

Summer finally arrives in Bushwick

It's currently 78 degrees at the Weatherbug reporting station near my apartment; that must mean summer has made a long-delayed appearance in Brooklyn. And the thunderstorms that have swept across Brooklyn over the last couple of days simply confirm the previous observation.



A downpour seen from Jefferson Street passes over Maspeth, Queens, earlier tonight.

A couple of garden variety storms popped up over Brooklyn and Queens earlier this afternoon. A short downpour provided even more water to the basil, lettuce, parsley and tomatoes growing on my fire escape. The humidity remains, but the storms that swept across the area yesterday sparked tornado warnings in Fairfield, Nassau and Queens.

A short, but drenching downpour hit shortly after 6 p.m. The bulk of the storm passed north of Brooklyn, but two more followed behind it over the subsequent hours. Attached is a link to a video I took from my bedroom window late yesterday afternoon. Notice the lightning bolts in the background--over Manhattan.

A pre-summer share

With jubilation over last Thursday's landmark California Supreme Court decision, a recent ruling on the integrity of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," and other pro-LGBT developments over recent months, an easy cliche can be made in terms of activists and others taking some much needed time off -- or at least a few days over this Memorial Day weekend.

My pre-summer share, if you will, on Fire Island began last Friday under cool and rainy day and raw temperatures, but the Mr. Fire Island Leather contest and other events throughout the Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove prove summer lays just around the corner. This island remains a celebration of fantasy and hedonism in many ways, but it rather selfishly feels good to escape the city for a day, a night, or in my case the summer. The beach is waiting, but enjoy a few hours, or days, away from the computer, blackberry and Internet and enjoy the weekend...