Author: ruhlwrite

A dozen African masks. A baby grand. And a bouquet. If we are the sum of our possessions, these tell us most of what we need to know about Milton “Mickey” Wilner. Let’s start with the flowers. Mickey bought the $40 bunch of carnations, daylilies and daisies for his wife, Dorothy, on the occasion of their anniversary. (Dorothy’s fresh out of the hospital, and there may be other gifts coming, but that’s a surprise.) He remarks that they have been married 84 years. Oops,…

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You can set your clock by Dana D’Ascoli. Every morning in every kind of weather, she’s in Astoria Park logging lightning laps from 5 to 6. She does her swift strides solo, which makes the whole act even more impressive because it’s really hard to keep getting up at 4:30 a.m. without someone nudging you to do it. “People ask me why I don’t run,” says Dana, who speaks at warp speed. “It’s because I’m a slow runner. But I’m a fast walker.” And…

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It’s hard to remember that Zoe Manuel is only 15 years old. Sometimes even she forgets. That’s because Zoe’s acting as an adult, acing college courses and working part time in a pet store. A sophomore at Middle College High School, she’ll have four LaGuardia Community College courses — vocabulary enhancement; psychology; Italian I; and literacy and propaganda — under her belt by the time the semester ends. “When it comes to classes, it’s simple —…

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Every day begins with an organic green smoothie. Kelly Bennett tosses some baby lettuce, kale, blueberries, a whole banana and half a pear into the mighty jaws of the Vitamix, which jackhammers them into juice. As she pours the mixture into a glass jar, Kelly, a self-styled eco-urban dweller, positive thinker and lover of almond lattes and fresh-cut flowers, explains that she doesn’t drink every meal. She’s vegan, working on becoming raw vegan, but she does eat plants that aren’t…

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Don’t let the rocking chair fool you. Sure, Norm Sherman is sitting in it shoeless, but he has no real need of rest or relaxation. A gregarious grandpa with a beard, he’s been working hard ever since he was 5, and at 76, he views his retirement as his final job, an important one he gives virtually all his time and energy to. Seventeen years into his so-called non-working career, he has the rigorous routine down pat. What with running seniors programs at the North Queensview Homes and…

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