My big project will be an ongoing effort, which keeps an eye on the rhythms of NYC.

Any subject undergoes a trajectory of cycles, but it requires steady application in that specific area to be able to discern its quirks and variations.

I’ve been working with a lot of first responders, the very people who go in to tackle what everyone else runs from. What an amazing bunch! Just as some musicians might lay claim to having perfect pitch or an antiquities dealer can verify the provenance of a centuries-old item, these guys know, from the sound of a siren, which type of police unit or which fire company is zooming by. If they smell smoke, they can tell exactly what kind of fire it is. It might sound like magic, but it’s because anyone who has a particular skill they use daily learns to know the nuances over time until it becomes second nature.

Every so often, someone will pose a question about how I might apply my brand of math to their line work. I love exploring these ideas because it expands the application. What follows are a couple observations that are a byproduct of this effort, just a couple specific things:

• Toward the end of the first week of June through July 2021. The end result that likely comes with a fall-off in building inspections due to COVID within the city. More detail forthcoming as that time approaches. In general, infrastructure and electrical wiring issues.
• I’ve been waiting to see who all the mayoral candidates are for 2022 and have more work to do. What’s clear is this: whoever becomes elected is likely to try to pass some measure of police reform next year that is not likely to fly with the current administration;
• Also for 2022: probably not surprising but I imagine there will be more trending stories about the city trying to lure in some razzle-dazzle big tech business with valentine deals as a way of handling the budget crisis, though, to be sure, it’s likely it will meet with skepticism and squawking.

So how is all that going since last month’s post? The good news: I’ve returned to my old habit of getting up earlier and carving out space to Get Stuff Done before the day’s mayhem kicks in. Thought I would skip a month or two of posting monthly horoscopes for being inundated–so that resolution didn’t really hold.

As for the ongoing pandemic. I have a fair sense that August will almost feel like Back to Normal…then come autumn of 2021, another round of caution, continued mask-wearing and social distancing before a life somewhat more normal returns in 2022. Last year I was thinking we wouldn’t have a vaccine until the second half of 2022, but upon second thought, what I was looking at may have simply been the idea that everyone wouldn’t be fully vaccinated until then. That’s starting to make sense, given the slow roll-out and virus variants.