Sitting in a movie theater in Puebla, Mexico, waiting for the 19 minutes of commercials and previews to end, I was dismayed to see what I'm sure many of you already knew was coming soon:
The Simpsons Movie.
I had always heard the rumors over the last few years, of course. But having been somewhat off the grid lately, it took me by surprise.
It's sad that it has finally come to this. But the signs were there. About four or five years ago the show had started to run out of steam with jokes and plots too easily forgotten -- well, by most people anyway.
But I really thought they had pulled through in the last two years. Not sure what had happened. A new creative team perhaps? Either way, it looked like the show was displaying some of its former glory. Certainly not shark-jumping time.
But I guess not. Just as all other TV shows before, both good and bad, The Simpsons will likely not last much beyond the movie's closing weekend. It has been a good run, after all.
Maybe they'll still do the Halloween specials each year.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
The Year in Sports
Things didn't go so well for Tecki this year in the Wide World of Sports.
Boston fell apart toward the end of the season and didn't make it to the playoffs, and the Panthers are pretty much on the same path. DC United struggled all the way to the semifinals before losing to New England. Even Barcelona lost the Club Champions Cup in Japan.
There's still hope for the Bobcats, though ...
Whatever city we end up moving to this year had better have a winning team, good Law School or no.
Boston fell apart toward the end of the season and didn't make it to the playoffs, and the Panthers are pretty much on the same path. DC United struggled all the way to the semifinals before losing to New England. Even Barcelona lost the Club Champions Cup in Japan.
There's still hope for the Bobcats, though ...
Whatever city we end up moving to this year had better have a winning team, good Law School or no.
Friday, November 10, 2006
A great day for everbody
Being an ex-pat in Mexico makes it hard to keep up with all the news coming in from the elections, and the good news just keeps coming.
Rumsfeld out, democrats in. Charlie Taylor loses his grip on my beautiful mountains, O'Malley as governor of Mary Land, even our district 8 in Corncob has a teeny tiny chance of going blue. (but I'm not holding my breath, except when I walk though a tunnel here.)
And even just now I find out that Virginia is turning a nice shade of blue in the senate for sure.
For certain, everyone here seems just a little bit nicer to us now. The guy at our copy shop was ecstatic when we told him we´re democrats. K told him it was a good day for us, and he replied: It's a good day for everyone!
So is it? God only knows, but if D$ could come down from the chandeliers for just a moment, I'm sure he'd repeat his wisdom of a month ago: We'll still be going toward the cliffs, just at 50 mph instead of 150. And that's from a guy who really, really thought Kucinich had a chance.
Immigration reform is more likely, and maybe, just maybe there's some light at the end of the Iraq tunnel. Maybe. But even as they celebrate, the dems are falling back into form.
The blue party has always been fractious and a little neurotic, so compromises will surely have to be made, but that's for backroom deals late a night with boxes of pizza and gallons of whiskey. In public, can we get Pelosi to do more than offer a concesion speech at her victory rally?
We won! We surrender!
Rumsfeld out, democrats in. Charlie Taylor loses his grip on my beautiful mountains, O'Malley as governor of Mary Land, even our district 8 in Corncob has a teeny tiny chance of going blue. (but I'm not holding my breath, except when I walk though a tunnel here.)
And even just now I find out that Virginia is turning a nice shade of blue in the senate for sure.
For certain, everyone here seems just a little bit nicer to us now. The guy at our copy shop was ecstatic when we told him we´re democrats. K told him it was a good day for us, and he replied: It's a good day for everyone!
So is it? God only knows, but if D$ could come down from the chandeliers for just a moment, I'm sure he'd repeat his wisdom of a month ago: We'll still be going toward the cliffs, just at 50 mph instead of 150. And that's from a guy who really, really thought Kucinich had a chance.
Immigration reform is more likely, and maybe, just maybe there's some light at the end of the Iraq tunnel. Maybe. But even as they celebrate, the dems are falling back into form.
The blue party has always been fractious and a little neurotic, so compromises will surely have to be made, but that's for backroom deals late a night with boxes of pizza and gallons of whiskey. In public, can we get Pelosi to do more than offer a concesion speech at her victory rally?
We won! We surrender!
Friday, October 13, 2006
Words and Palabras
Words shape reality, and I wonder how things would be in the states if newspapers there used "invest" instead of "spend" when they report on government projects. After all, who likes to spend anything? Maybe all those libertarians in Charlotte would finally shut up if we called the light-rail an investment. Well, probably not, since they hate spending money on principle.
But how would the repubicans fare if we said the government was investing in afterschool programs, public transit and education? Would it be as easy for them to cut programs for the poor or public works?
Spanish has a way of tearing away the veneer of English words and getting right at the heart of things. For instance, sprawl is called "desorganisacion urbana." We ought to be using the same precise language when we fight powerful developers who want to plop their stripmalls and freeways in our cities.
We are still trying to learn, and hope to make more sense of the language. I think I'm starting to like it.
But how would the repubicans fare if we said the government was investing in afterschool programs, public transit and education? Would it be as easy for them to cut programs for the poor or public works?
Spanish has a way of tearing away the veneer of English words and getting right at the heart of things. For instance, sprawl is called "desorganisacion urbana." We ought to be using the same precise language when we fight powerful developers who want to plop their stripmalls and freeways in our cities.
We are still trying to learn, and hope to make more sense of the language. I think I'm starting to like it.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Si yo fuera gorbernador de Carolina del Norte
Education has been on our minds lately. Partly because we are, essentially, back in school, and partly because being in another country for so long can bring a new perspective on your own. Also, having lived in Baltimore for 2 years prior to this, we had a good view of the general disnitegration of public education in America. As we walk to and from the city, the conversation usually ends up as a discussion of what we ought ot do with schools back home.
We tend to pride ourselves on valuing education. Certainly school is compulsory to a much older age in the US than in other countries, Mexico included, but what good is compulsory education in a rundown school with overworked, underpaid teachers? We say we value education, but we aren't willing to spend the money. So our schools fall apart, our best teachers leave the profession tired and frustrated after a few years, and our students fall further behind.
So, if I were governor of North Carolina, or whatever state we end up in, I'd put forth the following:
Pay teachers what they're worth: Who wants to stay in a profession that prevents them from ever owning a house of their own or paying off their student loans? Maybe then we can talk about requiring teachers to get master's degrees. After all, if you had a choice between going to school for 6 years to become a teacher or a lawyer, which one would you choose?
Hire more of them: The most students K ever had in one semester at a private school was 64. The most our neighbor, a public school teacher, had was 156. Which teacher is going to be able to help the ones who need the most attention?
Compulsory bilingual classes: Starting in kindergarten, all the way through 12th grade. This isn't Mayberry folks. We're not just competing for businesses and jobs with Richmond and Atlanta anymore. We're fighting with Barcelona, London, New Dehli and Shanghai. We can't be the only ones in the room who speak just one language.
History: Did you know the $ sign originated in the Spanish colonies? And, hey, what the hell was the Mexican-American war anyway? All I ever got was a paragraph and a picture of James K Polk. How can we not know the history of our 2 closest neighbors? Americans know next to nothing about Mexico and Canada, and we're the losers. Better, in-depth American history coupled with extensive North American history can corect that.
Of course, there is so much more that needs to be done, but this is a start.
We tend to pride ourselves on valuing education. Certainly school is compulsory to a much older age in the US than in other countries, Mexico included, but what good is compulsory education in a rundown school with overworked, underpaid teachers? We say we value education, but we aren't willing to spend the money. So our schools fall apart, our best teachers leave the profession tired and frustrated after a few years, and our students fall further behind.
So, if I were governor of North Carolina, or whatever state we end up in, I'd put forth the following:
Pay teachers what they're worth: Who wants to stay in a profession that prevents them from ever owning a house of their own or paying off their student loans? Maybe then we can talk about requiring teachers to get master's degrees. After all, if you had a choice between going to school for 6 years to become a teacher or a lawyer, which one would you choose?
Hire more of them: The most students K ever had in one semester at a private school was 64. The most our neighbor, a public school teacher, had was 156. Which teacher is going to be able to help the ones who need the most attention?
Compulsory bilingual classes: Starting in kindergarten, all the way through 12th grade. This isn't Mayberry folks. We're not just competing for businesses and jobs with Richmond and Atlanta anymore. We're fighting with Barcelona, London, New Dehli and Shanghai. We can't be the only ones in the room who speak just one language.
History: Did you know the $ sign originated in the Spanish colonies? And, hey, what the hell was the Mexican-American war anyway? All I ever got was a paragraph and a picture of James K Polk. How can we not know the history of our 2 closest neighbors? Americans know next to nothing about Mexico and Canada, and we're the losers. Better, in-depth American history coupled with extensive North American history can corect that.
Of course, there is so much more that needs to be done, but this is a start.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Stay on Track
So I leave the country for a little while and I find out some pack of libertarian jackals have decided to try to repeal the transit tax. Turns out they don't want to face the fact that they live in a city, not some cute little tax-free small town in some idyllic Ayn Rand oil painting. Oh look, there's Tara S. kicking a dog.
You can't have a city that depends on only one form of transportation. It just won't work, and I'm tired of having to pound the truth into you people. If you don't like paying taxes for huge public works projects, you need to move. Wyoming has almost nobody around. You can shoot your guns at photos of FDR all day there and no one will try to infringe on your right to act like a moron on your own personal property.
But when you live in a major metropolitan area with about 1 million other people, you have to learn to share, and to pitch in from time to time. Things cost money folks. Roads, schools and rails aren't free, but they are all most definitely necessary.
You can't have a city that depends on only one form of transportation. It just won't work, and I'm tired of having to pound the truth into you people. If you don't like paying taxes for huge public works projects, you need to move. Wyoming has almost nobody around. You can shoot your guns at photos of FDR all day there and no one will try to infringe on your right to act like a moron on your own personal property.
But when you live in a major metropolitan area with about 1 million other people, you have to learn to share, and to pitch in from time to time. Things cost money folks. Roads, schools and rails aren't free, but they are all most definitely necessary.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
The Great Wall of Texas
Could the republicanos please stop trying to make living in Mexico harder for us?
Sitting in the bus station in San Miguel I got to read all about the big wall they want to build along the border. The post got it right, this will do nothing more than harm our relationship with Mexico, which has gotten to be pretty high on my priority list lately, and damage the environment without doing fuck-all to actually solve the problem.
Instead of trying to build pointless barriers, we need to be working together to figure out how to make things better for both countries. Good fences don't always make good neighbors.
Sitting in the bus station in San Miguel I got to read all about the big wall they want to build along the border. The post got it right, this will do nothing more than harm our relationship with Mexico, which has gotten to be pretty high on my priority list lately, and damage the environment without doing fuck-all to actually solve the problem.
Instead of trying to build pointless barriers, we need to be working together to figure out how to make things better for both countries. Good fences don't always make good neighbors.
Friday, September 15, 2006
The Law of Mediocrity
Hola chicos y chicas.
After two weeks in Mexico, I have managed to shake off all the negative and positive stereotypes people have filled my head with, and begun to look at the country through my own eyes.
The negatives are obvious enough if you ever watch American movies or TV or listen to a lot of music. But no, we haven't met any banditos, people here aren't lazy or trying to rip us off, and things are no more dirty than in Nueva York or Baltimore.
But, I also have to say that all this talk about how polite everyone is and the nice slow pace, and especially the super-well-behaved kids has also, sadly, turned out to be falso. At least in GTO, only the old folks move slow. Everyone is in a big hurry, ready to push you off the narrow sidewalks into oncoming traffic in a heartbeat. Kind of like NYC, but with smaller sidewalks and without crosswalks or traffic signals to give a sense of efficency. In fact, if you think Mexico is slow, it is more likely because things just don't work quite as well as they should, not because folks aren't in a hurry.
And kids here are just like those in the other United States. Some good kids, some rude ones, all is the same.
The longer I am here the more apparent it becomes that people are about the same everywhere. The same mix of friendly, rude, polite, clueless, angry, happy and all the rest. Just with a different accent.
This is something I have always suspected, but as I travel more, I find more evidence. Cultures are different, values are different -- to a certain extent -- but people are people, and that's bueno.
After two weeks in Mexico, I have managed to shake off all the negative and positive stereotypes people have filled my head with, and begun to look at the country through my own eyes.
The negatives are obvious enough if you ever watch American movies or TV or listen to a lot of music. But no, we haven't met any banditos, people here aren't lazy or trying to rip us off, and things are no more dirty than in Nueva York or Baltimore.
But, I also have to say that all this talk about how polite everyone is and the nice slow pace, and especially the super-well-behaved kids has also, sadly, turned out to be falso. At least in GTO, only the old folks move slow. Everyone is in a big hurry, ready to push you off the narrow sidewalks into oncoming traffic in a heartbeat. Kind of like NYC, but with smaller sidewalks and without crosswalks or traffic signals to give a sense of efficency. In fact, if you think Mexico is slow, it is more likely because things just don't work quite as well as they should, not because folks aren't in a hurry.
And kids here are just like those in the other United States. Some good kids, some rude ones, all is the same.
The longer I am here the more apparent it becomes that people are about the same everywhere. The same mix of friendly, rude, polite, clueless, angry, happy and all the rest. Just with a different accent.
This is something I have always suspected, but as I travel more, I find more evidence. Cultures are different, values are different -- to a certain extent -- but people are people, and that's bueno.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Crash course in NCness
Went four wheelin' today.
Just around C&S's yard, on the one they bought for the kid, but it was enough for us.
Then S took us each on a ride on the big one. Probably the best way to be welcomed back to North Carolina after two years up North is on the back of a high-speed four-wheeler with your arms wrapped around the sweaty midsection of a good friend.
Just around C&S's yard, on the one they bought for the kid, but it was enough for us.
Then S took us each on a ride on the big one. Probably the best way to be welcomed back to North Carolina after two years up North is on the back of a high-speed four-wheeler with your arms wrapped around the sweaty midsection of a good friend.
The dustbin of history
I thought going through all of my childhood things at my parents' house would be sad, if not traumatic.
A few hours and several hefty bags later, I was relieved of this notion. Very little was spared, save for the comicbook collection, a Route 66 sign and a Transformer I was going to give to Goodwill today, but turns out might be worth something on eBay.
I filled two of their recycling bins with old school papers, notebooks, newspapers and posters, plus folded boxes whose contents should have been tossed years ago. Anything that wasn't slated for charity or recycling ended up in the giant City of Charlotte garbage can -- filled almost to capacity.
Look homeward. To unload the detritus of your youth and get a fresh start. It's like leaving home all over again.
A few hours and several hefty bags later, I was relieved of this notion. Very little was spared, save for the comicbook collection, a Route 66 sign and a Transformer I was going to give to Goodwill today, but turns out might be worth something on eBay.
I filled two of their recycling bins with old school papers, notebooks, newspapers and posters, plus folded boxes whose contents should have been tossed years ago. Anything that wasn't slated for charity or recycling ended up in the giant City of Charlotte garbage can -- filled almost to capacity.
Look homeward. To unload the detritus of your youth and get a fresh start. It's like leaving home all over again.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Building, and rebuilding, a mystery
We stopped at the alma mater to drop off some ridiculous forms K needs filled out by the dean of students office to apply for law school. No idea why these forms are necessary, but I guess this is just preparation for a long career dealing with unnecessary paperwork and bureaucrats.
All these high schoolers were wandering around campus carrying furniture and bags full of books. Some kind of summer camp, as far as we could tell. Strange, though. Classes should be starting soon. I hope they get those kids off campus before the students show up. They'll need time to clean up the dorms.
Anyway, what the hell is up with the Atkins library? We drive along to the visitor deck near Cone, and they've stripped the library tower. Better waterproofing they say. Why weren't these bricks put up in the first place, or did they not learn their lessons from the staircase they built and had to tear up 6 years ago because it wasn't up to code?
They've been working on this library since before I was a freshman. It looked like a scene from a war movie during my orientation and was a constant source of frustration for most of my matriculation. They finally got it looking pretty good, and now they figure out that the fake bricks weren't keeping out the rain.
Damn. Those kids were sure young.
All these high schoolers were wandering around campus carrying furniture and bags full of books. Some kind of summer camp, as far as we could tell. Strange, though. Classes should be starting soon. I hope they get those kids off campus before the students show up. They'll need time to clean up the dorms.
Anyway, what the hell is up with the Atkins library? We drive along to the visitor deck near Cone, and they've stripped the library tower. Better waterproofing they say. Why weren't these bricks put up in the first place, or did they not learn their lessons from the staircase they built and had to tear up 6 years ago because it wasn't up to code?
They've been working on this library since before I was a freshman. It looked like a scene from a war movie during my orientation and was a constant source of frustration for most of my matriculation. They finally got it looking pretty good, and now they figure out that the fake bricks weren't keeping out the rain.
Damn. Those kids were sure young.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Those Talladega Nights
We just got back from seeing Talladega Nights with C&S.
Was it a great movie? No.
Did I like it? Yes.
Will I ever intentionally see it again? Probably not.
But at that moment, returning to the Great NC after two years, watching a NASCAR-themed movie in a historic theater in Kannapolis with Cheerwine and a bucket of popcorn.
Like driving down the New Jersey Turnpike and Born to Run comes on the radio.
Perfect.
Was it a great movie? No.
Did I like it? Yes.
Will I ever intentionally see it again? Probably not.
But at that moment, returning to the Great NC after two years, watching a NASCAR-themed movie in a historic theater in Kannapolis with Cheerwine and a bucket of popcorn.
Like driving down the New Jersey Turnpike and Born to Run comes on the radio.
Perfect.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Hanging off the back of the iBandwagon
The gift of an iPod is an excellent gift indeed.
Not only was I able to rescue my iTunes from work before leaving, but Dr. H and LG put tons of their own music on it in special playlists just for us.
The fun of the iPod is second only to its usefulness in unwanted social situations. I took the iPod to the dealership while waiting for the oil change and all that, and no one bothered me the whole time.
It's like a sonic forcefield.
I only wish we had brought it to the DMV.
Not only was I able to rescue my iTunes from work before leaving, but Dr. H and LG put tons of their own music on it in special playlists just for us.
The fun of the iPod is second only to its usefulness in unwanted social situations. I took the iPod to the dealership while waiting for the oil change and all that, and no one bothered me the whole time.
It's like a sonic forcefield.
I only wish we had brought it to the DMV.
Hard times at the DMV
We bit the bullet and went to the DMV yesterday to get our affairs in order so we can officially become North Carolinians again. Even the Concord DMV is pretty busy, and it probably didn't help that we got there around lunch time.
Other than the long wait, the only problem was the guy sitting next to us who wanted to tell us his whole life story. He regaled us with stories of unpaid car insurance, past car wrecks and the ongoing saga of dealing with an irresponsible tenant.
This went on for much less time than it seemed, I'm sure, but by then we were desparately watching the sign by the testing room, hoping that either his number or ours would suddenly appear. K didn't get to leave until after he started telling us about how he hadn't dated in more than 6 years.
I had to endure more before his number came up.
When I got to the testing room, I noticed K taking the computer test. Shit. Do I have to do that?
But then, I figured she probably asked to take the test to see how well she could do while waiting for the machine to spit out her license.
It took me all of five minutes to finish up. Turns out that my old NC license from before moving to Mary Land wasn't set to expire until next year, so they just treated this like I was getting a duplicate. Didn't even have to take the sign test.
K, on the other hand, had an expired NC license and thought that the sign for two-way traffic with median meant "Triangle Ahead."
Well, not really. And she aced the computer test, which she says a trained monkey with brain damamge could pass. So yeah, we feel reeeeal safe on the roads in NC now.
Getting the tag and title, though expensive, was quick. And, with a trip to Toyota for an oil change and state inspection, we were finally, officially, in NC again.
All of which was made easier to tolerate with the new iPod.
Other than the long wait, the only problem was the guy sitting next to us who wanted to tell us his whole life story. He regaled us with stories of unpaid car insurance, past car wrecks and the ongoing saga of dealing with an irresponsible tenant.
This went on for much less time than it seemed, I'm sure, but by then we were desparately watching the sign by the testing room, hoping that either his number or ours would suddenly appear. K didn't get to leave until after he started telling us about how he hadn't dated in more than 6 years.
I had to endure more before his number came up.
When I got to the testing room, I noticed K taking the computer test. Shit. Do I have to do that?
But then, I figured she probably asked to take the test to see how well she could do while waiting for the machine to spit out her license.
It took me all of five minutes to finish up. Turns out that my old NC license from before moving to Mary Land wasn't set to expire until next year, so they just treated this like I was getting a duplicate. Didn't even have to take the sign test.
K, on the other hand, had an expired NC license and thought that the sign for two-way traffic with median meant "Triangle Ahead."
Well, not really. And she aced the computer test, which she says a trained monkey with brain damamge could pass. So yeah, we feel reeeeal safe on the roads in NC now.
Getting the tag and title, though expensive, was quick. And, with a trip to Toyota for an oil change and state inspection, we were finally, officially, in NC again.
All of which was made easier to tolerate with the new iPod.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
So long Mary Land
Our final journey from the Free State to the Great NC was about 180 degrees from every other trip we'd taken since moving to Maryland. Rather than pack the car the night before and wake up at 3 in the morning to avoid the DC/Richmond clusterfucks, we stayed up late Friday night to visit friends as part of out farewell tour of the Mid-Atlantic and finished packing in the morning.
There was more laundry than I'd realized, and we still had to clean the Undisclosed Location for our hostess. It didn't help that I still don't know how to properly set the alarm on my cellphone, leading us to wake up late.
We had brunch at 10 with Dr. Huxtable, Lawyergirl was visiting her family in PA, and said our goodbyes. He made a good point, that we shouldn't be sad about leaving since our friendship has reached the point where it can endure even great distances. A good note to leave Charm City on.
Of course, the city was more reluctant to let us go. We hit every single red light between the end of I-83 and the beginning of I-395 at Camden Yards. And away we went to the District to visit El Raton and D one last time.
We snacked on cheese, bread and coffee, enjoying lively conversation and preparing for Mexico. It was a fun time for all, complete with photos, and not a hint of sadness. After all, we lived on opposite sides of the country for three years. This is nothing new.
And so we hit the road in earnest this time, thinking that breaking up the drive would make it easier. But I-95 is the busiest highway in the US, and made sure to let us know that. It was stop and go from the Mixing Bowl almost all the way to Richmond, and we didn't get to Corncob until well after dark.
We arrived home to find that our dog does indeed remember us, but she's made herself a little friend in our absence. She plays with K's parents' new cat, who follows her around when they're not playing. They even got into the bed with us last night, the cat climbing all over us for quite a long time before settling in for the night.
We are disturbed by this new development.
There was more laundry than I'd realized, and we still had to clean the Undisclosed Location for our hostess. It didn't help that I still don't know how to properly set the alarm on my cellphone, leading us to wake up late.
We had brunch at 10 with Dr. Huxtable, Lawyergirl was visiting her family in PA, and said our goodbyes. He made a good point, that we shouldn't be sad about leaving since our friendship has reached the point where it can endure even great distances. A good note to leave Charm City on.
Of course, the city was more reluctant to let us go. We hit every single red light between the end of I-83 and the beginning of I-395 at Camden Yards. And away we went to the District to visit El Raton and D one last time.
We snacked on cheese, bread and coffee, enjoying lively conversation and preparing for Mexico. It was a fun time for all, complete with photos, and not a hint of sadness. After all, we lived on opposite sides of the country for three years. This is nothing new.
And so we hit the road in earnest this time, thinking that breaking up the drive would make it easier. But I-95 is the busiest highway in the US, and made sure to let us know that. It was stop and go from the Mixing Bowl almost all the way to Richmond, and we didn't get to Corncob until well after dark.
We arrived home to find that our dog does indeed remember us, but she's made herself a little friend in our absence. She plays with K's parents' new cat, who follows her around when they're not playing. They even got into the bed with us last night, the cat climbing all over us for quite a long time before settling in for the night.
We are disturbed by this new development.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
One for the Lorax
It's time we start seeing the city for the trees.
The recent heatwave brought to mind an issue that's occupied me for some time now. Namely, how to get more trees into the city. Walk from a shady block to an unshaded one and you'll know what I mean. More than just decorations for suburban yards, trees shade cars and pedestrians, keep cooling costs down for houses and other buildings, filter air pollution and reduce stormwater runoff.
Walking and driving around the greater Baltimore metro area, I'm surprised at just how many places here could, and should, have more trees. Too many treeless yards, too many sidewalks exposed to the sun. Highway medians and shoulders covered only in grass, if that.
Expanding the tree canopy in cities like Baltimore can drive down overall temperatures, helping to reduce the need for air conditioning during much of the summer, even during heatwaves. Paved streets, sidewalks and parking lots, plus tall buildings and lots of brick and concrete, radiate heat like an outdoor oven. We will have to redesign tall buildings to use less energy and absorb less heat, but as for everything else, all we need are a few more trees.
This is especially important with the impending BGE rate hike in Maryland, but applies throughout the country. Obviously a densely packed neighborhood like Hampden can't have as many trees as Roland Park, but the extra shade provided by tree-lined streets would still provide some relief from the heat that would otherwise be radiating off streets, sidewalks and buildings. And make the area more pleasant, to boot.
Air filters are increasingly popular in offices and houses, so why not apply the same logic to the outdoors? Trees filter air pollution at the local level and, coupled with other pollution-fighting techniques, can greatly improve residents' health and quality of life. Additionally, runoff from this area is killing the Chesapeake Bay. More trees means less poison flowing into the bay.
Baltimore, especially, has plenty of room for trees. The city should require builders to preserve more of the canopy and create incentives for property owners of all kinds (homes, businesses and others) to plant trees themselves. Baltimore can take the initiative by planting trees on all city-owned property and along the rights of way of every street and thoroughfare in the city limits. In addition, the city can also work with conservation groups to purchase and protect the few remaining urban forests in the city, setting them aside as mini nature preserves.
New trees alone won't turn the worst neighborhoods in Baltimore into safe and friendly places, it won't reduce traffic and won't turn failing city schools into elite prep. schools. But with global warming looming over the city, as well as blackouts and heat-related deaths becoming as common in summer as fireflies and cookouts, every little thing helps.
The recent heatwave brought to mind an issue that's occupied me for some time now. Namely, how to get more trees into the city. Walk from a shady block to an unshaded one and you'll know what I mean. More than just decorations for suburban yards, trees shade cars and pedestrians, keep cooling costs down for houses and other buildings, filter air pollution and reduce stormwater runoff.
Walking and driving around the greater Baltimore metro area, I'm surprised at just how many places here could, and should, have more trees. Too many treeless yards, too many sidewalks exposed to the sun. Highway medians and shoulders covered only in grass, if that.
Expanding the tree canopy in cities like Baltimore can drive down overall temperatures, helping to reduce the need for air conditioning during much of the summer, even during heatwaves. Paved streets, sidewalks and parking lots, plus tall buildings and lots of brick and concrete, radiate heat like an outdoor oven. We will have to redesign tall buildings to use less energy and absorb less heat, but as for everything else, all we need are a few more trees.
This is especially important with the impending BGE rate hike in Maryland, but applies throughout the country. Obviously a densely packed neighborhood like Hampden can't have as many trees as Roland Park, but the extra shade provided by tree-lined streets would still provide some relief from the heat that would otherwise be radiating off streets, sidewalks and buildings. And make the area more pleasant, to boot.
Air filters are increasingly popular in offices and houses, so why not apply the same logic to the outdoors? Trees filter air pollution at the local level and, coupled with other pollution-fighting techniques, can greatly improve residents' health and quality of life. Additionally, runoff from this area is killing the Chesapeake Bay. More trees means less poison flowing into the bay.
Baltimore, especially, has plenty of room for trees. The city should require builders to preserve more of the canopy and create incentives for property owners of all kinds (homes, businesses and others) to plant trees themselves. Baltimore can take the initiative by planting trees on all city-owned property and along the rights of way of every street and thoroughfare in the city limits. In addition, the city can also work with conservation groups to purchase and protect the few remaining urban forests in the city, setting them aside as mini nature preserves.
New trees alone won't turn the worst neighborhoods in Baltimore into safe and friendly places, it won't reduce traffic and won't turn failing city schools into elite prep. schools. But with global warming looming over the city, as well as blackouts and heat-related deaths becoming as common in summer as fireflies and cookouts, every little thing helps.
Joe Joe was a man who thought he was a democrat
Not that I live in Connecticut or anything, so maybe it's not my responsibility to say this, but could someone just slap Joe Lieberman, hand him a highball and sit him down in a comfy chair?
His aggressive response to losing this primary, as opposed to the half-hearted dissent to losing/winning the 2000 election, is astounding.
The fact that he is willing to jeopardize a democratic victory in November, after being rejected by democratic voters in a fair and legal primary election, shows that Joe Lieberman deserved to lose the primary. The main beef of Lamont and his supporters was that Lieberman doesn't represent them or their values anymore. Insisting that he will ignore the results of the democratic primary and run as an independent just underscores the fact that Lieberman really doesn't represent democratic voters in Connecticut, thereby strengthening Lamont's case.
I mean, don't Connecticut democrats have the right to choose a candidate who actually shares their views? Lieberman seems to think that he deserves to win simply because he's been in office for so long already.
It's time, Joe. Things have changed. Besides, the Senate elevators are packed with staffers and tourists now. Just not the same as it used to be.
His aggressive response to losing this primary, as opposed to the half-hearted dissent to losing/winning the 2000 election, is astounding.
The fact that he is willing to jeopardize a democratic victory in November, after being rejected by democratic voters in a fair and legal primary election, shows that Joe Lieberman deserved to lose the primary. The main beef of Lamont and his supporters was that Lieberman doesn't represent them or their values anymore. Insisting that he will ignore the results of the democratic primary and run as an independent just underscores the fact that Lieberman really doesn't represent democratic voters in Connecticut, thereby strengthening Lamont's case.
I mean, don't Connecticut democrats have the right to choose a candidate who actually shares their views? Lieberman seems to think that he deserves to win simply because he's been in office for so long already.
It's time, Joe. Things have changed. Besides, the Senate elevators are packed with staffers and tourists now. Just not the same as it used to be.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Better than roving gangs of 8-year-olds
Just in time for my sudden interest in sports.
So, this is probably news only to me, but I still found it worth noting. Good to see that Clay Aiken and his new haircut aren't the only ones representing the Green and Gold nowadays:
UNCC alumnus continues shutout streak
ART STAPLETON, The Record (Hackensack N.J.)
NEW YORK - On a day the Mets made yet another financial investment in one of their future stars, John Maine once again pitched like one.
He blanked Philadelphia for six innings and the offense did the rest Sunday night in an 8-1 victory, increasing the largest divisional lead in the majors to 13 games in front of a crowd of 39,144 at Shea Stadium and a national television audience.
With Mike Pelfrey biding his time in the minors and Brian Bannister on a rehab assignment, Maine, a former Charlotte 49ers standout Baltimore drafted in the sixth round in 2002, continued to show why the Mets were forced to not only keep him here, but in their starting rotation.
So, this is probably news only to me, but I still found it worth noting. Good to see that Clay Aiken and his new haircut aren't the only ones representing the Green and Gold nowadays:
UNCC alumnus continues shutout streak
ART STAPLETON, The Record (Hackensack N.J.)
NEW YORK - On a day the Mets made yet another financial investment in one of their future stars, John Maine once again pitched like one.
He blanked Philadelphia for six innings and the offense did the rest Sunday night in an 8-1 victory, increasing the largest divisional lead in the majors to 13 games in front of a crowd of 39,144 at Shea Stadium and a national television audience.
With Mike Pelfrey biding his time in the minors and Brian Bannister on a rehab assignment, Maine, a former Charlotte 49ers standout Baltimore drafted in the sixth round in 2002, continued to show why the Mets were forced to not only keep him here, but in their starting rotation.
Butterstick
It would have been sad indeed if we lived so close to DC for so long and never once got to see Butterstick (a.k.a "Tai Shan") before leaving. And so it was that we found ourselves maneuvering through the crowds of tourists to catch a glimpse of His Cuteness.
The day started out fine with one last trip to the Waverly Farmers' Market to take pictures, smell the smells and bask in the memories. Then we made our way to Hampden to enjoy one last meal at Golden West. K had it all planned out: We'd order her two favorite dishes, the Breakfast Burrito and the French Toast.
Only they were out of toast.
Despite this setback, we still managed to gather up the strength to drive to DC and park illicitly in Mt. Pleasant. One last time with the Golden Lion Tamarinds. One last time not seeing the Orangutans climbing the ropes over head. And off to the panda exhibit to see them sleeping. Just sitting there.
Man.
We decided to take a walk and come back, reliving memories of zoo trips past. These last few weeks before The Big Move have been filled with last times. We'd probably been to the National Zoo more times than is normal for a couple without kids, but we always had fun. One of the perks of living in Baltimore is being so close to DC.
And then we saw the Pandas again, and they were awake. Oh. My. God. He's jumping, running, falling off of things, bouncing around like a happy little poofball. Not a bad way to end our last zoo trip.
The day started out fine with one last trip to the Waverly Farmers' Market to take pictures, smell the smells and bask in the memories. Then we made our way to Hampden to enjoy one last meal at Golden West. K had it all planned out: We'd order her two favorite dishes, the Breakfast Burrito and the French Toast.
Only they were out of toast.
Despite this setback, we still managed to gather up the strength to drive to DC and park illicitly in Mt. Pleasant. One last time with the Golden Lion Tamarinds. One last time not seeing the Orangutans climbing the ropes over head. And off to the panda exhibit to see them sleeping. Just sitting there.
Man.
We decided to take a walk and come back, reliving memories of zoo trips past. These last few weeks before The Big Move have been filled with last times. We'd probably been to the National Zoo more times than is normal for a couple without kids, but we always had fun. One of the perks of living in Baltimore is being so close to DC.
And then we saw the Pandas again, and they were awake. Oh. My. God. He's jumping, running, falling off of things, bouncing around like a happy little poofball. Not a bad way to end our last zoo trip.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks
Dr. H and LG got us tickets to last nights Orioles game against the Mariners, compliments of The Firm. Stuck in Gotham City dealing with some legal emergency or something, LG couldn't make it. But the Intrepid Teacher's Assistant stepped in to take her place.
It's been just over 2 years since we planted our flag in Baltimore, and this was one of those Essential Baltimore Experiences we knew we had to have before unplanting it (like drinking Natty Boh - check!). I hadn't been to Camden Yards since taking a tour as but a wee Tecki on a family trip to Baltimore. Even though I had little interest in sports in general, or baseball specifically, I had always thought it would be nice to watch a game there.
The Firm has some sweet seats, right above the Visitors' dugout, so we felt like pretty important people. The heat fell upon us like a hot, wet blanket with a heat index of 105. But K had the foresight to bring a cooler full of water, so we were well-prepared. The sunset brought little relief, and the hot night reminded us of Vegas in July. If I had even wanted to pay $6 for a bottle of American beer, the heat would have dissuaded me of that desire.
But the game was great and, I think, I managed some good pictures using the Sport feature on the camera. Zoom not so good, but hey.
And by great, I mean the Os actually won. Whether it was well-played, I have no idea. But, either way, turns out we must be a good luck charm. Too bad we're only just now realizing this. Maybe this means Leon's soccer team will be champions in Mexico this year.
One highlight of the night was when Dr. H harassed a Mariners fan who plopped down in the seat in front of him without paying for it. A truly Baltimore experience.
It's been just over 2 years since we planted our flag in Baltimore, and this was one of those Essential Baltimore Experiences we knew we had to have before unplanting it (like drinking Natty Boh - check!). I hadn't been to Camden Yards since taking a tour as but a wee Tecki on a family trip to Baltimore. Even though I had little interest in sports in general, or baseball specifically, I had always thought it would be nice to watch a game there.
The Firm has some sweet seats, right above the Visitors' dugout, so we felt like pretty important people. The heat fell upon us like a hot, wet blanket with a heat index of 105. But K had the foresight to bring a cooler full of water, so we were well-prepared. The sunset brought little relief, and the hot night reminded us of Vegas in July. If I had even wanted to pay $6 for a bottle of American beer, the heat would have dissuaded me of that desire.
But the game was great and, I think, I managed some good pictures using the Sport feature on the camera. Zoom not so good, but hey.
And by great, I mean the Os actually won. Whether it was well-played, I have no idea. But, either way, turns out we must be a good luck charm. Too bad we're only just now realizing this. Maybe this means Leon's soccer team will be champions in Mexico this year.
One highlight of the night was when Dr. H harassed a Mariners fan who plopped down in the seat in front of him without paying for it. A truly Baltimore experience.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Take me out to the ball game
Having only recently become enamored of the Beautiful Game, I've noticed plenty of anti-soccer sentiment on this side of the Atlantic and Rio Grande. Soccer's certainly not for everyone. I haven't thought about it myself since elementary school. But the amazing vitriol people in the states spew towards futbol ranges on the absurd.
Many of them complain that soccer is boring. But that can't be it, because plenty of good ol' American sports are boring, too. Chief among them Baseball. After all, you can say soccer is just a bunch of guys running around without scoring, but Baseball is just a bunch of guys standing in the heat waiting for something to happen. Seems to me that Lacrosse is just rich Mid Atlantic prep schoolers hitting each other with big sticks. And I'll never understand the obsession with watching people play Poker on TV.
But people can openly enjoy those games without fear of reprisal.
The problem lies, unfortunately, in the fact that Europeans love it. I mean, they Love it. Oh, and all those brown folks stealing our fruit-picking and janitorial jobs. So the equation is obvious, if you love soccer, you must hate America. And you're gay. Definitely. Gay and a democrat. A gay, Spanish-speaking democratic terrorist. Who hates America.
Or that's the impression I get online. I say we should live and let live. I mean, at least the World Cup actually involves the World, while the World Series theoretically involves two countries, but usually only one.
BTW: Go Red Sox!
Many of them complain that soccer is boring. But that can't be it, because plenty of good ol' American sports are boring, too. Chief among them Baseball. After all, you can say soccer is just a bunch of guys running around without scoring, but Baseball is just a bunch of guys standing in the heat waiting for something to happen. Seems to me that Lacrosse is just rich Mid Atlantic prep schoolers hitting each other with big sticks. And I'll never understand the obsession with watching people play Poker on TV.
But people can openly enjoy those games without fear of reprisal.
The problem lies, unfortunately, in the fact that Europeans love it. I mean, they Love it. Oh, and all those brown folks stealing our fruit-picking and janitorial jobs. So the equation is obvious, if you love soccer, you must hate America. And you're gay. Definitely. Gay and a democrat. A gay, Spanish-speaking democratic terrorist. Who hates America.
Or that's the impression I get online. I say we should live and let live. I mean, at least the World Cup actually involves the World, while the World Series theoretically involves two countries, but usually only one.
BTW: Go Red Sox!
Monday, July 24, 2006
Best Birthday Ever
So, I'm a big sucker.
"Let's see Clerks II on Saturday! I have to work that morning, but D&S can give you a ride."
Imagine my surprise when we got to The Senator and went upstairs, ostensibly to see an exhibit on Natty Boh, and had my picture taken like a celebrity by Dr. Huxtable.
Friends of all kinds, from baltimore and parts yonder (those delayed by an overturned dumptruck on I-95) to greet me and wish me well into my 28th year. With lots of pizza and falafel and an excellent selection of drinks.
We watched the aforementioned movie from the air conditioned comfort and splendor of our own private skybox, an experience not marred in the least by the fact that the auditorium below was practically empty. I felt like the president of BoA, or at least some small company. I enjoyed the rush of exclusivity when going in and out of the PRIVATE door from the lobby, while the common folk milled about.
The Natty Boh documentary later was the perfect ending. They were giving out free Boh in the lobby, so I was able to finally sample "The Drinking Man's Water" without paying for it. It would have been a shame to live here for 2 years and not at least try it. I didn't finish it. But at least I tasted it.
Many thanks to K for putting all of this together. I had no idea what was happening. This was a perfect weekend!
And thanks to Dr. Huxtable and Lawyergirl for all their help in making it possible, and to D&S for being such good liars.
"Let's see Clerks II on Saturday! I have to work that morning, but D&S can give you a ride."
Imagine my surprise when we got to The Senator and went upstairs, ostensibly to see an exhibit on Natty Boh, and had my picture taken like a celebrity by Dr. Huxtable.
Friends of all kinds, from baltimore and parts yonder (those delayed by an overturned dumptruck on I-95) to greet me and wish me well into my 28th year. With lots of pizza and falafel and an excellent selection of drinks.
We watched the aforementioned movie from the air conditioned comfort and splendor of our own private skybox, an experience not marred in the least by the fact that the auditorium below was practically empty. I felt like the president of BoA, or at least some small company. I enjoyed the rush of exclusivity when going in and out of the PRIVATE door from the lobby, while the common folk milled about.
The Natty Boh documentary later was the perfect ending. They were giving out free Boh in the lobby, so I was able to finally sample "The Drinking Man's Water" without paying for it. It would have been a shame to live here for 2 years and not at least try it. I didn't finish it. But at least I tasted it.
Many thanks to K for putting all of this together. I had no idea what was happening. This was a perfect weekend!
And thanks to Dr. Huxtable and Lawyergirl for all their help in making it possible, and to D&S for being such good liars.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Bush and Denny on a fieldtrip
I really don't have anything funny to say here. I think the photo speaks for itself.
Katie Couric is a harbinger of ... uh ... what?
If you're like me, you've been awating Katie Couric's impending Anchorship at CBS with more that a little trepidation. We've watched the news slide downhill into the soft, mushy world of infotainment for years now, and putting Katie C. in Ed Murrow's old seat would seal the deal, so to speak.
Or will it?
Couric herself says no. Seems she was losing patience with reporters who wanted to know how she would dress for her debut and what her hobbies are. She itched to change the subject, according to the Boston Globe, and was glad to explain how she'd been traveling the country to hear what us regular folks want from our news machines.
"They want more perspective, more stories put in historical context. They want us to go a little bit deeper," Couric said. "We also heard that the news is too depressing. Obviously, we can't sugarcoat [things] , but we can be more solution-oriented.
"Sometimes we assume that people know a lot more than they really do. So I'd like to not just do the news of today but take a broader look at the ramifications" of the news.
What could this mean? Has CBS bowed to the pressure of a thousand liberal bloggers? Or are we about to recieve in-depth, historically contextual reporting on Laura Bush's wardrobe?
It sounds like Katie wants to be remembered as Couric. We'll see what happens.
Or will it?
Couric herself says no. Seems she was losing patience with reporters who wanted to know how she would dress for her debut and what her hobbies are. She itched to change the subject, according to the Boston Globe, and was glad to explain how she'd been traveling the country to hear what us regular folks want from our news machines.
"They want more perspective, more stories put in historical context. They want us to go a little bit deeper," Couric said. "We also heard that the news is too depressing. Obviously, we can't sugarcoat [things] , but we can be more solution-oriented.
"Sometimes we assume that people know a lot more than they really do. So I'd like to not just do the news of today but take a broader look at the ramifications" of the news.
What could this mean? Has CBS bowed to the pressure of a thousand liberal bloggers? Or are we about to recieve in-depth, historically contextual reporting on Laura Bush's wardrobe?
It sounds like Katie wants to be remembered as Couric. We'll see what happens.
The one where you kick the ball, but can't touch it
Okay. I get it now.
After a month of World Cup madness, I finally get why people love this game the world over.
So help me, I even watched a DC United game on TV a few days ago (Turns out the undisclosed location has a bit of cable). After all those years of seeing their posters on the Metro during summer vacation.
And good news, since we'll soon be in the land of futbol.
After a month of World Cup madness, I finally get why people love this game the world over.
So help me, I even watched a DC United game on TV a few days ago (Turns out the undisclosed location has a bit of cable). After all those years of seeing their posters on the Metro during summer vacation.
And good news, since we'll soon be in the land of futbol.
Law School Forum
Pretty intense. Lots of fresh-out-of-college types with no idea how to dress. Guys in cargo shorts and polos, girls in tank tops. Times like these when we realize just how dumb we used to be.
K was sick the whole time, but carried herself well. I mapped out the room so we could hit all the schools she was interested in. Bang, boom, zoom. And a good thing too, since she ran out of steam suddenly and we had to leave earlier than expected.
Good talk with the folks at Wisconsin, and we loved Madison when we visited on our honeymoon. She's out of their league, LSAT wise, but she really was impressed by all their programs and the people at the table.
Hit all the NC schools, Chapel Hill, Duke and Wake. All good. UC Davis has childcare for law students -- not that I'm sayin', I'm just sayin'. U Penn is top 10 and in a big urban area, good clinics and relationship with community. I think they have housing options too. Too many brochures all around. Gonna have to take time to read up on all of them.
And Harvard. I mean, you can't not apply when you're K. It would violate the laws of nature, or something.
K was sick the whole time, but carried herself well. I mapped out the room so we could hit all the schools she was interested in. Bang, boom, zoom. And a good thing too, since she ran out of steam suddenly and we had to leave earlier than expected.
Good talk with the folks at Wisconsin, and we loved Madison when we visited on our honeymoon. She's out of their league, LSAT wise, but she really was impressed by all their programs and the people at the table.
Hit all the NC schools, Chapel Hill, Duke and Wake. All good. UC Davis has childcare for law students -- not that I'm sayin', I'm just sayin'. U Penn is top 10 and in a big urban area, good clinics and relationship with community. I think they have housing options too. Too many brochures all around. Gonna have to take time to read up on all of them.
And Harvard. I mean, you can't not apply when you're K. It would violate the laws of nature, or something.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Where, O where is the #61 Bus?
K is stranded in Charles Village waiting for a bus. And it's about to rain.
The bus was supposed to arrive at her stop at about 3:20, she called me at 3:30 to vent, and the bus still hadn't shown up by 3:40 when she hung up.
Oh, and she has a tutoring appointment at 3:30. Or had.
So the MTA may have just cost us quite a bit of money.
And she's had to deal with a particularly rude driver more than once on this route, when she's actually able to catch the bus.
The #61 bus is one of those lines the MTA wants to terminate. They say there aren't enough passengers to justify running it. Is it possible there aren't enough passengers because of the terrible service? After all, the bus only runs about every 20 to 30 minutes, except during rush hour, and it can't even stick to that already inconvenient schedule.
It's almost as if the MTA wants to alienate riders and potential riders so they can shut it down. It's really too bad, because the buses are actually nice enough once you get on.
Well, I guess it won't be our problem for much longer ...
The bus was supposed to arrive at her stop at about 3:20, she called me at 3:30 to vent, and the bus still hadn't shown up by 3:40 when she hung up.
Oh, and she has a tutoring appointment at 3:30. Or had.
So the MTA may have just cost us quite a bit of money.
And she's had to deal with a particularly rude driver more than once on this route, when she's actually able to catch the bus.
The #61 bus is one of those lines the MTA wants to terminate. They say there aren't enough passengers to justify running it. Is it possible there aren't enough passengers because of the terrible service? After all, the bus only runs about every 20 to 30 minutes, except during rush hour, and it can't even stick to that already inconvenient schedule.
It's almost as if the MTA wants to alienate riders and potential riders so they can shut it down. It's really too bad, because the buses are actually nice enough once you get on.
Well, I guess it won't be our problem for much longer ...
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Watching the World Cup in Little Italy.
"Yeah, baby. We already got the flag up and everything!"
And we were lucky to get reservations at Ciao Bella to see the Cup, since the trickle of people became a torrent just before the game began. K and I felt like impostors, a pollack and an Irish-English hybrid with just a smidgen of (gasp!) French Canadian in her blood. Fortunately, no one asked to see our papers, and we had our own Italian American along to vouch for us.
Fact is, most folks there probably don't speak a lick of Italian beyond what they learned on The Sopranos, although we did have a real, honest-to-god Italian couple sitting at the table in front of us. And were they happy when that last Penalty Kick flew in. Most folks there seemed happy to be there, but a few guys, one already sporting a black eye, kept shouting at the French players.
The whole place erupted in cheers and ecstatic shouting, flags flew into the air from bags and purses, and we got the hell out before anything could happen. Not that anything did. As soon as we hit the street, a couple of guys on a Vespa sped past, honking their horn and waving a big Italian tricolor. Horns honked, people cheered in the streets. High fives for all, whether real Italian or just Italian for a day.
No better place in the US to watch Italy beat France, except maybe Boston or New York. But hey, we finally found something to like about Baltimore.
As for me, it was great to finally pick the right team. After a month of watching more soccer than I've ever watched before, of sitting helpless as the US, Polish and Mexican teams all went down in flames, finally that GOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!! went in the right net. And it doesn't hurt the US team that they actually managed to keep the eventual World Cup winners to a tie.
So, you mean I have to wait another 4 years for more?
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Viva Italia!
I'm not one of those Freedom Fries types, the kind who boycotted all things Francophile after Chirac opposed the Iraq war. In fact, not only were the French right ot oppose the war, but I'd love to visit Paris one day. It is one of the centers of Western culture, after all.
But I still wanted them to lose yesterday. I mean, seriously. The French annoy me. They think of themselves as the pinnacle of Western Civilization, just like we do. Yeah, thanks for the help during the Revolution and all, and for designing Washington, DC. But seriously. the attitude is a little much.
Of course, the Italians probably think they're better than us too. But they aren't such jerks about it.
So, viva Italia. Word.
But I still wanted them to lose yesterday. I mean, seriously. The French annoy me. They think of themselves as the pinnacle of Western Civilization, just like we do. Yeah, thanks for the help during the Revolution and all, and for designing Washington, DC. But seriously. the attitude is a little much.
Of course, the Italians probably think they're better than us too. But they aren't such jerks about it.
So, viva Italia. Word.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Lime Time in Baltimore
Check out Lime in "Lower Federal Hill" (formerly Locust Point). Tiny place, and the lime-green decor can get a little old, but never been to a place where they bring out free tequila shots in place of chips and salsa. It's basically a bar with limited table seating. The wide selection of tequilas makes it hard to choose, but the margaritas are excellent -- or so K says. Danged designated-driverness.
We had second thoughts when we saw the tiny menu, about the size of the bar itself, had no vegetarian entrees. But the waitress cheerfully announced that we could have non-meat versions of the quesadilla and burrito. The tiny kitchen, essentially the back bar, had us a little worried we were about to re-hash our Tomate experience in Barcelona, where the kitchen was a microwave behind a partition near the cash register.
But surprise! The food was excellent. Probably the best Mexican food we've had in Baltimore since Blue Agave went to shit. Although, that's not a fair comparison, since Blue Agave at its peak served a kind of gourmet Mexican food. Lime makes no pretenses in that direction. And I just remembered the good food at Arcos in Upper Fell's Point, or whatever they're calling it nowadays. Either way, Lime's food was shockingly good.
The only real quibble is that our waitress just ... disappeared for a while. Not that we were in a hurry, and it was certainly better than a hovering waitress who won't leave you alone. But, we kinda like to pay when we want to pay. Y'know?
We had second thoughts when we saw the tiny menu, about the size of the bar itself, had no vegetarian entrees. But the waitress cheerfully announced that we could have non-meat versions of the quesadilla and burrito. The tiny kitchen, essentially the back bar, had us a little worried we were about to re-hash our Tomate experience in Barcelona, where the kitchen was a microwave behind a partition near the cash register.
But surprise! The food was excellent. Probably the best Mexican food we've had in Baltimore since Blue Agave went to shit. Although, that's not a fair comparison, since Blue Agave at its peak served a kind of gourmet Mexican food. Lime makes no pretenses in that direction. And I just remembered the good food at Arcos in Upper Fell's Point, or whatever they're calling it nowadays. Either way, Lime's food was shockingly good.
The only real quibble is that our waitress just ... disappeared for a while. Not that we were in a hurry, and it was certainly better than a hovering waitress who won't leave you alone. But, we kinda like to pay when we want to pay. Y'know?
Post-Fourth Ruminations
The lack of a computer over the last 5 days of vacation put this blog to a griding halt, and now I'm back at work, so this will just be a quick blast of commentary for my own sake more than yours.
Supposedly, Sam Walton's wife told him years ago to never open a store in a big city. She couldn't stand the idea of living in a town of more than 10,000 people -- at the most. I've come to realize than I possess the opposite desire. The idea of living in a tiny little town, or spending more than a few days in one, creates a creeping sense of dread and impending boredom in me. Of course, having friends nearby helps. And I guess I can see the alure to some folks, but as for me, I think I'd prefer never to live in a city smaller than Asheville. About 74,000 people, I think. No wonder I hate Wal-Mart.
Baltimore's public transit sucks. I mean, really. And this is from a guy who avidly supports transit. The buses run 40 minutes apart, the light rail closes up shop far too early, and the Web site is absolutely terrible and uninformative.
Went to the Roland Park 4th of July parade. Got there a little late and found the grandstand empty while John Phillip Souza blasted from the loud speakers. The parade had already moved one, looking as if the rich white folks had finally decided to take back the streets in a lolling blaze of red white and blue glory. The mass of children, dogs, bikes, small cars and stollers wound down the Avenue to one of the churches, where bomb pops and water bottles were handed out for free, like a bunch of America-hating socialists. I have never done drugs in my life, but if ever there was a time when chemicals could have enhanced an event ... at elast there was a dog wearing a flag bandana.
Supposedly, Sam Walton's wife told him years ago to never open a store in a big city. She couldn't stand the idea of living in a town of more than 10,000 people -- at the most. I've come to realize than I possess the opposite desire. The idea of living in a tiny little town, or spending more than a few days in one, creates a creeping sense of dread and impending boredom in me. Of course, having friends nearby helps. And I guess I can see the alure to some folks, but as for me, I think I'd prefer never to live in a city smaller than Asheville. About 74,000 people, I think. No wonder I hate Wal-Mart.
Baltimore's public transit sucks. I mean, really. And this is from a guy who avidly supports transit. The buses run 40 minutes apart, the light rail closes up shop far too early, and the Web site is absolutely terrible and uninformative.
Went to the Roland Park 4th of July parade. Got there a little late and found the grandstand empty while John Phillip Souza blasted from the loud speakers. The parade had already moved one, looking as if the rich white folks had finally decided to take back the streets in a lolling blaze of red white and blue glory. The mass of children, dogs, bikes, small cars and stollers wound down the Avenue to one of the churches, where bomb pops and water bottles were handed out for free, like a bunch of America-hating socialists. I have never done drugs in my life, but if ever there was a time when chemicals could have enhanced an event ... at elast there was a dog wearing a flag bandana.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Post-Interstate: The next 50 years
As we commemorate the founding of our Interstate Freeway system, it's time to look to the future.
For all intents and purposes, the Freeway system is finished. A few spurs and beltways are under construction, but all the original freeway routes are complete. Other than widening some roads and general maintenance, the greatest public peacetime construction project in the history of the United States is done. Now what?
As our urban freeways clog up with traffic, air pollution increases and oil prices become more unstable, it's time to do for public transit what we did for cars 50 years ago. The federal government threw money at freeways, providing 90% of construction costs for each project. Meanwhile, cities and states have to fight tooth and nail to get, maybe, 50% federal funding for transit projects. Washington love spending money, so let's at least throw some in the right direction.
America needs a high-speed interstate rail system to connect our major cities. And each state would benefit greatly from intercity and regional rail systems to take the pressure off their crowded roads. Most of us only have one way to move. Our public transit systems are underfunded, and our communities are built in a way that discourages walking or using transit. By supporting transit today in the same way the government supported highways 50 years ago, we can give all Americans a real choice in how to get around.
And at the same time, we can still improve the freeway system. Too many neighborhoods, especially poor black ones, were devastated to build freeways. These roads cut through our cities like great asphalt scars. Wherever possible, we need to bury these roads and rebuild the urban fabric.
Some freeways run below street level in cities, such as portions of I-83 in Baltimore, and can be covered up, or "capped." New development can then be built over them. Essentially a tunnel after the fact. Others, when feasible, ought to be re-routed through tunnels to free up land above for urban redevelopment.
In this way, we can have the best of both worlds. A freway system admired the world over, and a public transit system of equal merit.
For all intents and purposes, the Freeway system is finished. A few spurs and beltways are under construction, but all the original freeway routes are complete. Other than widening some roads and general maintenance, the greatest public peacetime construction project in the history of the United States is done. Now what?
As our urban freeways clog up with traffic, air pollution increases and oil prices become more unstable, it's time to do for public transit what we did for cars 50 years ago. The federal government threw money at freeways, providing 90% of construction costs for each project. Meanwhile, cities and states have to fight tooth and nail to get, maybe, 50% federal funding for transit projects. Washington love spending money, so let's at least throw some in the right direction.
America needs a high-speed interstate rail system to connect our major cities. And each state would benefit greatly from intercity and regional rail systems to take the pressure off their crowded roads. Most of us only have one way to move. Our public transit systems are underfunded, and our communities are built in a way that discourages walking or using transit. By supporting transit today in the same way the government supported highways 50 years ago, we can give all Americans a real choice in how to get around.
And at the same time, we can still improve the freeway system. Too many neighborhoods, especially poor black ones, were devastated to build freeways. These roads cut through our cities like great asphalt scars. Wherever possible, we need to bury these roads and rebuild the urban fabric.
Some freeways run below street level in cities, such as portions of I-83 in Baltimore, and can be covered up, or "capped." New development can then be built over them. Essentially a tunnel after the fact. Others, when feasible, ought to be re-routed through tunnels to free up land above for urban redevelopment.
In this way, we can have the best of both worlds. A freway system admired the world over, and a public transit system of equal merit.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Ghana defeats Brazil in Amazing Upset!
Yeah.
Anyway.
I don't know much about soccer, but that seemed a wee bit like a lopsided match-up. I mean, I was pulling for Ghana.
Not to win. No, no. I may be an American, but I know Brazil is the powerhouse. But, I mean, I kinda hoped they might score, y'know ... one goal.
But, being at work, I didn't get to actually see the game, except for the last few minutes at the Comcast kisosk at the Mall. So, for all I know, they did their darndest.
Oh well.
Anyway.
I don't know much about soccer, but that seemed a wee bit like a lopsided match-up. I mean, I was pulling for Ghana.
Not to win. No, no. I may be an American, but I know Brazil is the powerhouse. But, I mean, I kinda hoped they might score, y'know ... one goal.
But, being at work, I didn't get to actually see the game, except for the last few minutes at the Comcast kisosk at the Mall. So, for all I know, they did their darndest.
Oh well.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Notes from the undisclosed location
I forgot just how much apartment-complex living sucks. I already miss the sidewalks and trees of our "old" neighborhood -- seems so strange to call it that when we're so close and still have recycling in there -- and having a grocery store around the corner.
Not that I can't walk to Whole Foods now, but it's too far to just run over if we need something. It's just far enough to where I have to plan it out ahead of time if I want to walk.
And the walls are pretty thin here, surprisingly. K and our host are heavy sleepers, so it doesn't bother them, but I can't fall asleep with any noise. Oddly, once asleep, noises don't wake me up. And someone downstairs keeps playing the same music over and over again, and on our first night was holding some sort of party/illegal daycare with a pack of manic children running around screaming, laughing and banging into anything that vibrates up to our apartment.
But, I was the only one who noticed.
Not sure where we'll end up yet after our Big Adventure, but I already know what kind of neighborhood to live in. If we can only afford a condo, it has to at least have thick walls. And sidewalks. And something to actually walk to.
Not that I can't walk to Whole Foods now, but it's too far to just run over if we need something. It's just far enough to where I have to plan it out ahead of time if I want to walk.
And the walls are pretty thin here, surprisingly. K and our host are heavy sleepers, so it doesn't bother them, but I can't fall asleep with any noise. Oddly, once asleep, noises don't wake me up. And someone downstairs keeps playing the same music over and over again, and on our first night was holding some sort of party/illegal daycare with a pack of manic children running around screaming, laughing and banging into anything that vibrates up to our apartment.
But, I was the only one who noticed.
Not sure where we'll end up yet after our Big Adventure, but I already know what kind of neighborhood to live in. If we can only afford a condo, it has to at least have thick walls. And sidewalks. And something to actually walk to.
The wheels on the Baltimore Bus go round and round
But do they go fast enough?
So we had to test-drive the bus recently so K could figure out how to get to her summer job at Hopkins. The bus wasn't in any hurry to get to us, but maybe just because it was in the middle of the day and not during rush hour. Once it reached us it was easy to pay the fare and fast enough getting where we needed to be. I especially liked the clear automatic announcements of each upcoming stop. But I have a few complaints. Of course.
The MTA Web site is terrible. Not enough information on how to use the system, poorly designed, and the maps don't reflect any of the "Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative" Changes ... or do they? I don't know, but the maps still warn riders that the light-rail will be shut down to the north from 2005 to early 2006 for double track construction that ended months ago so I'm guessing no, it's not up-to-date. Not that the maps in the bus shelters are, either.
How do you make a transfer from one bus to another? Can you transfer to the light rail , or is that a separate fare? Why does the Web site not say anything, one way or another?
Monthly passes should be for a 30-day period that starts the day you buy them, rather than for one particular month. And you should be able to buy them whenever you want, rather than in a certain time each month.
None of the vehicles, bus or train, run often enough to be much help. If Boulder can get their buses running every 8 minutes or so, why can't Baltimore?
I hear the light rail is running more frequently and more reliably than before, thanks to the double tracking, but haven't had the chance to try it out. Now that we are temporarily living in an undisclosed location near the Mt. Washington station, we can try it out again. Maybe things are improving after all.
So we had to test-drive the bus recently so K could figure out how to get to her summer job at Hopkins. The bus wasn't in any hurry to get to us, but maybe just because it was in the middle of the day and not during rush hour. Once it reached us it was easy to pay the fare and fast enough getting where we needed to be. I especially liked the clear automatic announcements of each upcoming stop. But I have a few complaints. Of course.
The MTA Web site is terrible. Not enough information on how to use the system, poorly designed, and the maps don't reflect any of the "Greater Baltimore Bus Initiative" Changes ... or do they? I don't know, but the maps still warn riders that the light-rail will be shut down to the north from 2005 to early 2006 for double track construction that ended months ago so I'm guessing no, it's not up-to-date. Not that the maps in the bus shelters are, either.
How do you make a transfer from one bus to another? Can you transfer to the light rail , or is that a separate fare? Why does the Web site not say anything, one way or another?
Monthly passes should be for a 30-day period that starts the day you buy them, rather than for one particular month. And you should be able to buy them whenever you want, rather than in a certain time each month.
None of the vehicles, bus or train, run often enough to be much help. If Boulder can get their buses running every 8 minutes or so, why can't Baltimore?
I hear the light rail is running more frequently and more reliably than before, thanks to the double tracking, but haven't had the chance to try it out. Now that we are temporarily living in an undisclosed location near the Mt. Washington station, we can try it out again. Maybe things are improving after all.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
News you can't use
Word.
So, obviously I have not been keeping up with my blogging duties lately, and for that I apologize. So much going on, you know.
And if you don't know, you won't know.
But those who do know what a pain in the keister it is to do all the things we've had to do in the last few days to prepare for the you know what.
Observations, otherwise:
La Copa Mundial esta awesome! Although, even harder to understand while watching Univision. Unfortunately I picked a couple of losers to follow, US and Poland, so that's about it for me. Might keep an eye on things.
Kuba Kuba in Richmond is still a great little place to eat. Dig them Plantains. It's a small miracle when a restaurant is as good as you remember.
Downtown Concord is actually pretty neat. An organic grocery store, Argentinean bakery/Coffeeshop, some stores. Folks getting priced out of Charlotte but still looking for the urbanish life?
Sidewalks. Gotta have 'em. Although the middle of Concord has that old-school charm, the rest is crap. Hard to jog when you're looking over your shoulder to avoid cars.
So, obviously I have not been keeping up with my blogging duties lately, and for that I apologize. So much going on, you know.
And if you don't know, you won't know.
But those who do know what a pain in the keister it is to do all the things we've had to do in the last few days to prepare for the you know what.
Observations, otherwise:
La Copa Mundial esta awesome! Although, even harder to understand while watching Univision. Unfortunately I picked a couple of losers to follow, US and Poland, so that's about it for me. Might keep an eye on things.
Kuba Kuba in Richmond is still a great little place to eat. Dig them Plantains. It's a small miracle when a restaurant is as good as you remember.
Downtown Concord is actually pretty neat. An organic grocery store, Argentinean bakery/Coffeeshop, some stores. Folks getting priced out of Charlotte but still looking for the urbanish life?
Sidewalks. Gotta have 'em. Although the middle of Concord has that old-school charm, the rest is crap. Hard to jog when you're looking over your shoulder to avoid cars.
Friday, June 16, 2006
Prius Update
Our little green machine hit 50.2 mpg this week.
This is the long-term average for all driving since mid-December, when I decided not to reset the mileage calculator after each fill-up, meaning more than 9,000 miles have been covered.
Not bad for an "older" Prius.
This is the long-term average for all driving since mid-December, when I decided not to reset the mileage calculator after each fill-up, meaning more than 9,000 miles have been covered.
Not bad for an "older" Prius.
W's favoritist movie ever leads to new nature reserve
So this ginormous new wildlife preserve in Hawaii came into being becuase a movie about the islands "fired up" George Bush's imagination.
Aside from the fact that this creates an image of George in his cowboy PJs flinging the popcorn bowl into the air as he "leaps" up all excited about saving the turtles and seahorsies, this puts me in the mood to send our impressionable president a few new DVDs. After all, if thousands of scientific reports and impassioned pleas by concerned citizens don't work, what else do we have?
If we send him one about how fucked up Iraq is, do you think he might suddenly realize his "Stay the Course" policy is getting us nowhere?
Maybe if we send him a DVD about cute black kids living in a poor, crack-ravaged neighborhood in Baltimore, he'll put some actual resources into rebuilding our cities? Maybe if they look like the Cosby kids?
Any ideas out there? Leave a comment.
Aside from the fact that this creates an image of George in his cowboy PJs flinging the popcorn bowl into the air as he "leaps" up all excited about saving the turtles and seahorsies, this puts me in the mood to send our impressionable president a few new DVDs. After all, if thousands of scientific reports and impassioned pleas by concerned citizens don't work, what else do we have?
If we send him one about how fucked up Iraq is, do you think he might suddenly realize his "Stay the Course" policy is getting us nowhere?
Maybe if we send him a DVD about cute black kids living in a poor, crack-ravaged neighborhood in Baltimore, he'll put some actual resources into rebuilding our cities? Maybe if they look like the Cosby kids?
Any ideas out there? Leave a comment.
You know it's a slow week when ...
The biggest thing to happen at work all week is that they installed a new coffee brewer so the coffee will taste better.
Good news: it worked.
Good news: it worked.
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards
When we made our way down to the 8X10 to see James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards last night, we didn't actually think we'd see him standing on the sidewalk as we came up.
With nothing to say except the typical "oh my god, you're so cool, can you sign my left nipple?!" junk that goes over soo well, we just passed by quietly -- secretly happy that he was engaged in conversation with some other folks anyway so we had the excuse of not wanting to be rude. K said Bob Dylan complained that the worst thing about being famous is that every jackass wants to acost you in public, so that you could be thinking of some great new song and have it wiped out by some blathering idiot who has nothing better to say than "oh my god, you're so cool, can you sign my left nipple?!"
Besides, James McMurtry has that Crazy-Vietnam-vet-could-crack-at-any-moment look about him. No need to disturb him.
Anyhow, we thought we were arriving late, but then, so did the opening act. But, they were actually pretty good, so we didn't mind. Ryan Montbleau band. Funky little folk rock band out of Beantown. Hit all the right notes, including anti-war song and Black Crowes cover. Better than the hideous performance of Whispertown 2000 at the Recher a few months ago. And it looks like their Baltimore fan club was out in full force. Including the guy in the orange T-shirt who kept shouting encouragments and requests. A little too much. Overall, worth a second look.
And of course, James McMurtry himself. A fantastic set covering songs both new and old. What I really like about him is his ability to weave country-style stories with rock and roll music, creating this Texas redneck world of real people and places, all the while driving it with great force and hushed tones in all the right places. I can't really say much more, since I am shite at writing about music. All I can say is, I felt for just a moment as if we were back in Austin, and the last few months were only a strange dream.
Alas.
Mr. McM is in Charlotte tonight at the Visulite, for all my peeps in the greater Metrolina area.
With nothing to say except the typical "oh my god, you're so cool, can you sign my left nipple?!" junk that goes over soo well, we just passed by quietly -- secretly happy that he was engaged in conversation with some other folks anyway so we had the excuse of not wanting to be rude. K said Bob Dylan complained that the worst thing about being famous is that every jackass wants to acost you in public, so that you could be thinking of some great new song and have it wiped out by some blathering idiot who has nothing better to say than "oh my god, you're so cool, can you sign my left nipple?!"
Besides, James McMurtry has that Crazy-Vietnam-vet-could-crack-at-any-moment look about him. No need to disturb him.
Anyhow, we thought we were arriving late, but then, so did the opening act. But, they were actually pretty good, so we didn't mind. Ryan Montbleau band. Funky little folk rock band out of Beantown. Hit all the right notes, including anti-war song and Black Crowes cover. Better than the hideous performance of Whispertown 2000 at the Recher a few months ago. And it looks like their Baltimore fan club was out in full force. Including the guy in the orange T-shirt who kept shouting encouragments and requests. A little too much. Overall, worth a second look.
And of course, James McMurtry himself. A fantastic set covering songs both new and old. What I really like about him is his ability to weave country-style stories with rock and roll music, creating this Texas redneck world of real people and places, all the while driving it with great force and hushed tones in all the right places. I can't really say much more, since I am shite at writing about music. All I can say is, I felt for just a moment as if we were back in Austin, and the last few months were only a strange dream.
Alas.
Mr. McM is in Charlotte tonight at the Visulite, for all my peeps in the greater Metrolina area.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Aimless in Amish Country
Some childhood memories ought to stay in the hazy, soft-colored past.
Spent the day in Amish Country yesterday while K took the LSAT -- and kicked ass, I should say. Not that her score will be available anytime soon, but we can all safely assume an excellent score.
The only testing site anywhere near Charm City was Millersville, PA, right on the edge of Amish Country, USA. So while she sweated it out on the test, I wandered around aimlessly in search of chocolate (great!) shoofly pie (no dice) and decent gifts for various folks (yeek!).
It all started our so well, with a quick trip to Lititz, north of Lancaster, home of the Wilbur Chocolate Factory. The sweet, warm smell of chocolate flooded my senses as I stepped out of the car, bringing a smile to my face. Surely this is the greatest factory to live next to. Better than the smells that come out of Eddie's on some mornings.
I quickly made my way across the street, camera at the ready to catch the Oompa Loompas at work, only to find that they don't actually do a factory tour. However, they have a nifty little museum space with lots of chocolate-related items, and a store full of Wilbur items. Good stuff. I felt like a kid in some kind of store. It was hard to figure out what to buy, but I finally made some small purchases and left, a little sad that I couldn't take a picture of the smell to show K.
If I had known how little else there was to do in Amish Country, I would have stayed longer and eaten more chocolate.
We quickly discovered the night before that Lancaster City has little going on, while most folks seem to hang out at the Barnes and Noble on the edge of town. Aside from the very nice Italian Bakery near the courthouse, which closes too early, the city offered little of interest.
Not that the surrounding countryside did. I thought I'd spend the rest of the day taking in the sights and stealing people's souls with my camera, but the sights weren't much, and I felt bad about acosting the Amish. After all, they don't drive cars, they rarely use electricity and they're pacifists. Not bad.
Nothing left to do but shop, but every store was essentially the same as every other. Losts of country-ass kitsch, peppered with a few T-shirts and boxes of foodstuffs with Amish children on them. Not worth it.
Anyway, The LSAT is over, and I'll never go to Amish Country again. Except maybe the Train Museum. I missed that.
Spent the day in Amish Country yesterday while K took the LSAT -- and kicked ass, I should say. Not that her score will be available anytime soon, but we can all safely assume an excellent score.
The only testing site anywhere near Charm City was Millersville, PA, right on the edge of Amish Country, USA. So while she sweated it out on the test, I wandered around aimlessly in search of chocolate (great!) shoofly pie (no dice) and decent gifts for various folks (yeek!).
It all started our so well, with a quick trip to Lititz, north of Lancaster, home of the Wilbur Chocolate Factory. The sweet, warm smell of chocolate flooded my senses as I stepped out of the car, bringing a smile to my face. Surely this is the greatest factory to live next to. Better than the smells that come out of Eddie's on some mornings.
I quickly made my way across the street, camera at the ready to catch the Oompa Loompas at work, only to find that they don't actually do a factory tour. However, they have a nifty little museum space with lots of chocolate-related items, and a store full of Wilbur items. Good stuff. I felt like a kid in some kind of store. It was hard to figure out what to buy, but I finally made some small purchases and left, a little sad that I couldn't take a picture of the smell to show K.
If I had known how little else there was to do in Amish Country, I would have stayed longer and eaten more chocolate.
We quickly discovered the night before that Lancaster City has little going on, while most folks seem to hang out at the Barnes and Noble on the edge of town. Aside from the very nice Italian Bakery near the courthouse, which closes too early, the city offered little of interest.
Not that the surrounding countryside did. I thought I'd spend the rest of the day taking in the sights and stealing people's souls with my camera, but the sights weren't much, and I felt bad about acosting the Amish. After all, they don't drive cars, they rarely use electricity and they're pacifists. Not bad.
Nothing left to do but shop, but every store was essentially the same as every other. Losts of country-ass kitsch, peppered with a few T-shirts and boxes of foodstuffs with Amish children on them. Not worth it.
Anyway, The LSAT is over, and I'll never go to Amish Country again. Except maybe the Train Museum. I missed that.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
I see Gay people
So we've decided to placate a small but vocal segment of our society by discriminating against another small but vocal segment of our population.
I know. Most states have already passed bans on gay marriage. So, that reflects the will of the people, right? Well, people have been wrong before.
But, if so many states already have these bans, and the insidious Defense of Marriage Act allows said states to ignore the marriage laws of other states that allow gay marriage (Massachusetts, anyway), why, exactly do we need a Constitutional amendment?
As wrong-headed and bigoted as these bans are, they work fine without writing discrimination into the Federal Constitution as well. In fact, you might expect the States Rights, Limited Federal Powers Republican party to leave the issue to the states on principle.
Why, oh why, then, is the federal government all in a tizzy about gay marriage?
Let me check my calendar. Oh, yes. An election year. And really, what principle is higher than getting reelected?
I know. Most states have already passed bans on gay marriage. So, that reflects the will of the people, right? Well, people have been wrong before.
But, if so many states already have these bans, and the insidious Defense of Marriage Act allows said states to ignore the marriage laws of other states that allow gay marriage (Massachusetts, anyway), why, exactly do we need a Constitutional amendment?
As wrong-headed and bigoted as these bans are, they work fine without writing discrimination into the Federal Constitution as well. In fact, you might expect the States Rights, Limited Federal Powers Republican party to leave the issue to the states on principle.
Why, oh why, then, is the federal government all in a tizzy about gay marriage?
Let me check my calendar. Oh, yes. An election year. And really, what principle is higher than getting reelected?
Thursday, June 01, 2006
"One big Fiesta for Illegal Aliens and Homosexuals"
Oh boy.
Should I see it as progress when a black candidate running for office in North Carolina acts like Jesse Helms?
Vernon Robinson's ads attacking democrat Brad Miller seem a little, shall we say peculiar. I expect someone any day to come out and announce that his whole campaign has been a huge practical joke: NC 13th district voters, you've been punk'd!
I hope it's all true, honestly. Especially the part about the big gay illegal immigrant fiesta. Although, I'm pretty sure Catholic latino immigrants aren't exactly the most pro-gay folks around.
If they are, though, it'll be one hell of a party.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Public-Private Transit on the right track?
The Triangle's on-again, off-again commuter line gained a new hope as administrators decided to apply for a new FTA program to test whether public-private partnerships could build transit faster and cheaper than all-public projects.
Seems like an obvious attempt by the Bushies to throw more money into corporate hands, which is their favorite thing to do next to blowing up Middle Eastern countries and fucking up disaster responses, but in this case I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Some of the earliest transit systems in the country were privately owned, or at least started that way. I'm not going to bother looking this up again to confirm it, but I remember reading that the T in Boston started as at least a quasi-private venture, as did some early subway lines in New York. I know for certain that the streetcars that used to serve Dilworth in Charlotte were built and run by the same company that developed the neighborhood. The precendent certainly exists.
So, let's give it a shot. If these partnerships are succesful, it means a chance to build more transit faster and with lower costs.
If they don't work out any better than solely public projects, the Triangle at least gets something built.
Seems like an obvious attempt by the Bushies to throw more money into corporate hands, which is their favorite thing to do next to blowing up Middle Eastern countries and fucking up disaster responses, but in this case I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Some of the earliest transit systems in the country were privately owned, or at least started that way. I'm not going to bother looking this up again to confirm it, but I remember reading that the T in Boston started as at least a quasi-private venture, as did some early subway lines in New York. I know for certain that the streetcars that used to serve Dilworth in Charlotte were built and run by the same company that developed the neighborhood. The precendent certainly exists.
So, let's give it a shot. If these partnerships are succesful, it means a chance to build more transit faster and with lower costs.
If they don't work out any better than solely public projects, the Triangle at least gets something built.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
GM Execs' brilliant recovery plan
So, these guys get to keep their jobs while the factory workers get laid off?
The future of the American Auto Industry is in good hands.
This is why I drive a car with 100% Japanese parts.
Seriously.
49.8 mpg, bitches!
The future of the American Auto Industry is in good hands.
This is why I drive a car with 100% Japanese parts.
Seriously.
49.8 mpg, bitches!
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Tar Heel Bus Tour Expedition
Prompted by recent revelations that there are other schools in North Carolina, faculty from UNC Chapel Hill announced an expedition to explore the state's other 15 campuses.
"When we discovered the existence of other public universities, quite frankly, we were shocked," Richard Gumblefore said.
Rumors of "phantom universities" had floated around Chapel Hill for decades, but most students and faculty dismissed these other schools as impossible. Most believed that Duke was the only other school in North Carolina. Faculty plan to explore the farthest reaches of the state to see the universities for themselves, going as far west as Cullowhee.
"We aren't sure how the mountain folk will respond to our presence," Gumblefore said. "We've brought some trinkets, like light-up pens and Tarheel baseball caps, to gain their trust." He also noted that the faculty planned to bring mountain-climbing equipment, in case the bus is unable to navigate the narrow mountain passes.
One of the first stops on the expedition will be at UNC Charlotte, the fourth-largest school in the system.
"We look forward to seeing their campus," Gumblefore said, "And seeing this city of theirs. We hear it's at least as big as Chapel Hill."
"When we discovered the existence of other public universities, quite frankly, we were shocked," Richard Gumblefore said.
Rumors of "phantom universities" had floated around Chapel Hill for decades, but most students and faculty dismissed these other schools as impossible. Most believed that Duke was the only other school in North Carolina. Faculty plan to explore the farthest reaches of the state to see the universities for themselves, going as far west as Cullowhee.
"We aren't sure how the mountain folk will respond to our presence," Gumblefore said. "We've brought some trinkets, like light-up pens and Tarheel baseball caps, to gain their trust." He also noted that the faculty planned to bring mountain-climbing equipment, in case the bus is unable to navigate the narrow mountain passes.
One of the first stops on the expedition will be at UNC Charlotte, the fourth-largest school in the system.
"We look forward to seeing their campus," Gumblefore said, "And seeing this city of theirs. We hear it's at least as big as Chapel Hill."
Monday, May 15, 2006
Free Ride for Suburbanites -- Again
the Supremes denied DC the right to impose a "commuter tax" on folks who live outside the district but use its infrastructure every day for work. Driving on local streets, riding metro, depending on police services, fire services, etc. It costs money to keep that all up and running.
Hey, if they wanted to pay for all that, they'd move to the district.
Suckas!
Hey, if they wanted to pay for all that, they'd move to the district.
Suckas!
Monday Update
Bits and pieces from the weekend and beyond.
Folks in Baltimore love their dogs.
So much that they let the little rascals run wild all over any strip of grass in the city, no matter how close the nearest busy street or how many other people are trying to walk, run or jog in the same space. Let's make this clear: Fido is, deep down inside his cute, fuzzy wuzzy heart, still wild. He'll bolt at the first sign of a cat, squirrel or other dog and then, well, all you can hope is there isn't a car coming. More than that, when you see me huffing and puffing along in my running gear with my dog on a leash, could y'all at least, for the love of Pete, grab your dog? I mean, do you think I want your dog tripping me up while I exercise? Is this some fun game you like to play? I know it's unfair that there aren't enough Dog Parks in the city, but that doesn't mean you get to just declare any space a Dog Park, like Columbus claiming the New World for Spain. Act responsibly. Fido and I will thank you.
Folks in Baltimore like old crap.
There's a warehouse across the street from Tecki World Headquarters, where nothing much happens. Every once in a while a truck with a pink question mark on the side shows up and drops stuff off. Thought perhaps the Riddler had set up shop there, but alas. No Caped Crusader sightings in my future. Once a year this place has a big ass garage sale. They set up early, and had to tie caution tape in front to keep out the hordes of Roland Park housewives chomping at the bit for their chance to snap up antiques and lewdly painted mailboxes. A team of Pink-clad teenagers buzzed about, selling junk and serving doughnuts -- with their bare hands, yuck. Also serving some concoction known as "momossas." This misspelling made me as angry as the "cinnimon" ice cream at Sylvan Beach the night before.
Craigslist is awesome.
Sold a bunch of stuff already, a bunch more to come. Within a few minutes of posting a new item, I get plenty off responses. Mostly from immigrants, surprisingly. Got to meet a pretty international crowd of bargain-hunters, from as far as Nigeria, India and New Jersey. BTW: Still got stuff to sell, so check out the furniture section of Baltimore's site.
I love the Simple Life.
No, not the TV show. But living simply is the way to go. The previous generation seems to like collecting things. All kinds of things, useless and useful, significant and insignificant, working and broken. Too many people we know have houses full of junk they don't need -- if they ever did. That's why we've hit the CL, trying to dump our junk on other people and start with a clean slate. It's a bit rough at first, trying to pare down to the actual essentials. I don't know if I really want to go the whole Buddhist route, denying all material possessions. But the more books, appliances, furniture and knick knacks we pile up in the spare room, the more stuff we realize we don't need or even want. It's funny just how much stuff we've moved with over the years from place to place, only to get rid of now. But I already feel better. An uncluttered home means an uncluttered mind.
Malls suck, even downtown.
Jim Rouse is some big fucking hero for saving Baltimore and building Columbia, but all he did was plop a suburban mall along the waterfront. Yeah, yeah, he brought the suburbanites downtown to spend money, along with masses of touristas. Know what? Harborplace is the same as every other crappy tourist site in America. Fanieul Hall in Boston is the same place, except with Boston and Red Sox junk instead of Baltimore and Orioles junk. Same stores, same restaurants, same soullessness. It's a nice walk around the water, at least.
Speaking of Soulless malls.
It's time for Blue State America to do our patriotic duty and start makin' babies. Seriously. Went to the hell that is Arundel Mills on Saturday to have lunch with the TeckiUncle and TeckiCousin on their way to board a cruise ship in New Jersey. I've had the "Mills Experience" more times than I'd like, unfortunately, having somehow found myself at four of their mauls. Don't ask why. After saying our farewells to the happy travelers, we decided to do some shopping, as we needed some stuff. God. The grossness, the garishness, the whole ugly mess of it. All that's wrong with our beloved country can be found in Mills Malls across America. I could actually feel myself dying inside as we searched in vain for things we actually needed among the chain stores hawking useless junk and overstock while tripping over filthy, rude children and their cowlike parents. All we got out of the experience was a hat and a new appreciation for Whole Foods. It's time we worked to outnumber these people. Are you with me?
Well, that's the news from Charm City. Good Night, and Good Luck.
Folks in Baltimore love their dogs.
So much that they let the little rascals run wild all over any strip of grass in the city, no matter how close the nearest busy street or how many other people are trying to walk, run or jog in the same space. Let's make this clear: Fido is, deep down inside his cute, fuzzy wuzzy heart, still wild. He'll bolt at the first sign of a cat, squirrel or other dog and then, well, all you can hope is there isn't a car coming. More than that, when you see me huffing and puffing along in my running gear with my dog on a leash, could y'all at least, for the love of Pete, grab your dog? I mean, do you think I want your dog tripping me up while I exercise? Is this some fun game you like to play? I know it's unfair that there aren't enough Dog Parks in the city, but that doesn't mean you get to just declare any space a Dog Park, like Columbus claiming the New World for Spain. Act responsibly. Fido and I will thank you.
Folks in Baltimore like old crap.
There's a warehouse across the street from Tecki World Headquarters, where nothing much happens. Every once in a while a truck with a pink question mark on the side shows up and drops stuff off. Thought perhaps the Riddler had set up shop there, but alas. No Caped Crusader sightings in my future. Once a year this place has a big ass garage sale. They set up early, and had to tie caution tape in front to keep out the hordes of Roland Park housewives chomping at the bit for their chance to snap up antiques and lewdly painted mailboxes. A team of Pink-clad teenagers buzzed about, selling junk and serving doughnuts -- with their bare hands, yuck. Also serving some concoction known as "momossas." This misspelling made me as angry as the "cinnimon" ice cream at Sylvan Beach the night before.
Craigslist is awesome.
Sold a bunch of stuff already, a bunch more to come. Within a few minutes of posting a new item, I get plenty off responses. Mostly from immigrants, surprisingly. Got to meet a pretty international crowd of bargain-hunters, from as far as Nigeria, India and New Jersey. BTW: Still got stuff to sell, so check out the furniture section of Baltimore's site.
I love the Simple Life.
No, not the TV show. But living simply is the way to go. The previous generation seems to like collecting things. All kinds of things, useless and useful, significant and insignificant, working and broken. Too many people we know have houses full of junk they don't need -- if they ever did. That's why we've hit the CL, trying to dump our junk on other people and start with a clean slate. It's a bit rough at first, trying to pare down to the actual essentials. I don't know if I really want to go the whole Buddhist route, denying all material possessions. But the more books, appliances, furniture and knick knacks we pile up in the spare room, the more stuff we realize we don't need or even want. It's funny just how much stuff we've moved with over the years from place to place, only to get rid of now. But I already feel better. An uncluttered home means an uncluttered mind.
Malls suck, even downtown.
Jim Rouse is some big fucking hero for saving Baltimore and building Columbia, but all he did was plop a suburban mall along the waterfront. Yeah, yeah, he brought the suburbanites downtown to spend money, along with masses of touristas. Know what? Harborplace is the same as every other crappy tourist site in America. Fanieul Hall in Boston is the same place, except with Boston and Red Sox junk instead of Baltimore and Orioles junk. Same stores, same restaurants, same soullessness. It's a nice walk around the water, at least.
Speaking of Soulless malls.
It's time for Blue State America to do our patriotic duty and start makin' babies. Seriously. Went to the hell that is Arundel Mills on Saturday to have lunch with the TeckiUncle and TeckiCousin on their way to board a cruise ship in New Jersey. I've had the "Mills Experience" more times than I'd like, unfortunately, having somehow found myself at four of their mauls. Don't ask why. After saying our farewells to the happy travelers, we decided to do some shopping, as we needed some stuff. God. The grossness, the garishness, the whole ugly mess of it. All that's wrong with our beloved country can be found in Mills Malls across America. I could actually feel myself dying inside as we searched in vain for things we actually needed among the chain stores hawking useless junk and overstock while tripping over filthy, rude children and their cowlike parents. All we got out of the experience was a hat and a new appreciation for Whole Foods. It's time we worked to outnumber these people. Are you with me?
Well, that's the news from Charm City. Good Night, and Good Luck.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Why does the NSA need to know when I order a pizza?
The news hit me as I walked the dog this morning for her daily, well, you know. We passed the USAToday box and, as usual, I skimmed the headlines, because that's what USAToday is good for.
Except today.
Fun to watch all the rest of the news sites playing catch-up with the Gannet flagship. In the last few hours, all my usual online news sources have been posting urgent breaking news about how the NSA, late of wiretapping fame, has been collecting all your phone records. And mine, and his, and hers and ...
Although this doesn't exactly make up for the dumbing-down of American journalism or their incompetent management of local newspapers that fall within their grasp, today, at least, I'd like to thank USAToday in all of their color-coded, one-page article, big graphics and photos glory.
Except today.
Fun to watch all the rest of the news sites playing catch-up with the Gannet flagship. In the last few hours, all my usual online news sources have been posting urgent breaking news about how the NSA, late of wiretapping fame, has been collecting all your phone records. And mine, and his, and hers and ...
Although this doesn't exactly make up for the dumbing-down of American journalism or their incompetent management of local newspapers that fall within their grasp, today, at least, I'd like to thank USAToday in all of their color-coded, one-page article, big graphics and photos glory.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
I hate PowerPoint
God, but do I hate it.
I don't believe I've ever witnessed a "good" PPT Presentation (yes, PPT is the business slang for this insidious application, so lucky you, you're part of my Hell now), but some are worse than others.
Mostly, PPTs come in two varieties:
The ones where all the information you could possibly imagine pertaining to a topic is crammed into each slide to the point that they are incomprehensible on the big screen.
And the ones where they have everything bulleted out and then read. every. single. thing. exactly the same as it is written on the screen, essentially making the face-to-face presentation an even bigger waste of time than it would normally be. If you were just going to read it verbatim, why not just e-mail it to me so I can read it myself?
Most business folk labor under the impression that their terrible PPT slides can make up for their terrible public speaking skills, creating an audio-visual misery in conference rooms across North America.
Please, won't you join me in stopping PPT now? It's not too late.
I don't believe I've ever witnessed a "good" PPT Presentation (yes, PPT is the business slang for this insidious application, so lucky you, you're part of my Hell now), but some are worse than others.
Mostly, PPTs come in two varieties:
The ones where all the information you could possibly imagine pertaining to a topic is crammed into each slide to the point that they are incomprehensible on the big screen.
And the ones where they have everything bulleted out and then read. every. single. thing. exactly the same as it is written on the screen, essentially making the face-to-face presentation an even bigger waste of time than it would normally be. If you were just going to read it verbatim, why not just e-mail it to me so I can read it myself?
Most business folk labor under the impression that their terrible PPT slides can make up for their terrible public speaking skills, creating an audio-visual misery in conference rooms across North America.
Please, won't you join me in stopping PPT now? It's not too late.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Read the memo, dumbass
You know, W usually does some stupid things, but picking Red Foreman as the new head of the CIA is brilliant. I predict that Al Qaeda gives up by the end of the week.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
There B'More bars here
Whether it's Old Baltimore or New, dock workers or DC commuters, folks in this town sure do like to drink. How else can one neighborhood support so many bars?
Bitter sectarian strife has taken hold in South Baltimore/Federal Hill South as yuppie newcomers fight a war of attrition against entrenched Old Baltimore dead-enders.
Why can't we all just get along?
Bitter sectarian strife has taken hold in South Baltimore/Federal Hill South as yuppie newcomers fight a war of attrition against entrenched Old Baltimore dead-enders.
Why can't we all just get along?
Monday, May 01, 2006
Happy Loyalty Day!
"The Congress, by Public Law 85-529, as amended, has designated May 1 of each year as "Loyalty Day." I ask all Americans to join me in this day of celebration and in reaffirming our allegiance to our Nation.
I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2006, as Loyalty Day. I call upon all the people of the United States to join in support of this national observance, and to display the flag of the United States on Loyalty Day."
Uh ...
Either this is a sign that the Bush administration is on its last legs, or I should be packing up to move to Canadia.
Didn't May 1 used to be about honoring working people and the value of hard work?
Oh well. They could at least make it one of those awesome 3-Day-Weekend, get drunk at the beach wearing flag shorts kind of holidays. Grill some veggie dogs while signing your loyalty oath. Yeah, it's a party.
I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2006, as Loyalty Day. I call upon all the people of the United States to join in support of this national observance, and to display the flag of the United States on Loyalty Day."
Uh ...
Either this is a sign that the Bush administration is on its last legs, or I should be packing up to move to Canadia.
Didn't May 1 used to be about honoring working people and the value of hard work?
Oh well. They could at least make it one of those awesome 3-Day-Weekend, get drunk at the beach wearing flag shorts kind of holidays. Grill some veggie dogs while signing your loyalty oath. Yeah, it's a party.
A Day Without a Mexican ...
A Colombian
An Ecuadorian
A Guatemalan
Etc.
So the big day has come and I'm at work. Yeah.
We had some vague plans to skip work and ride the train down to DC today, but sort of wimped out at the last minute.
Such is the life of a working adult, I guess.
But, in solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters, I will be doing as little work as possible today and will spend no money.
I will also be reading the news vociforously today to find out the absolute latest on the nationwide protests.
Furthermore, I will attempt to decifer the grammatical rules that make "si se puede" mean "Yes we can." According to my limited espanol, wouldn't that be "Si podemos"?
No se.
An Ecuadorian
A Guatemalan
Etc.
So the big day has come and I'm at work. Yeah.
We had some vague plans to skip work and ride the train down to DC today, but sort of wimped out at the last minute.
Such is the life of a working adult, I guess.
But, in solidarity with our immigrant brothers and sisters, I will be doing as little work as possible today and will spend no money.
I will also be reading the news vociforously today to find out the absolute latest on the nationwide protests.
Furthermore, I will attempt to decifer the grammatical rules that make "si se puede" mean "Yes we can." According to my limited espanol, wouldn't that be "Si podemos"?
No se.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
The addicts' lament
"Since George Bush and Dick Cheney took over as president and vice president, gas prices have doubled!" charged Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), standing at an Exxon station on Capitol Hill where regular unleaded hit $3.10. "They are too cozy with the oil industry."
She then hopped in a waiting Chrysler LHS (18 mpg) -- even though her Senate office was only a block away.
"I can quit anytime I want," the senator explained. "I just, I just need a little more to get through today, that's all."
She then hopped in a waiting Chrysler LHS (18 mpg) -- even though her Senate office was only a block away.
"I can quit anytime I want," the senator explained. "I just, I just need a little more to get through today, that's all."
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Jane Jacobs, May 4, 1916 - April 25, 2006
American cities have lost a great advocate.
At a time when urban planners demolished entire neighborhoods to make it easier for cars to get around, Jane Jacobs was a voice of reason.
She opposed letting freeways strangle our cities and fought to save landmarks with deep meaning for their neighborhoods. You can still walk the streets of Greenwich Village because of her.
I have to admit that I'm one of those people who always intended to read her books, but never has.
I can only hope that her death will, at least briefly, bring urban renewal to the forefront of the media's consciousness. Not the massive, bulldoze-it-all projects of the last 50 years, but real renewal that engages the residents, rather than displaces them. Renewal that weaves a vibrant urban fabric, rather than tears it apart.
At a time when urban planners demolished entire neighborhoods to make it easier for cars to get around, Jane Jacobs was a voice of reason.
She opposed letting freeways strangle our cities and fought to save landmarks with deep meaning for their neighborhoods. You can still walk the streets of Greenwich Village because of her.
I have to admit that I'm one of those people who always intended to read her books, but never has.
I can only hope that her death will, at least briefly, bring urban renewal to the forefront of the media's consciousness. Not the massive, bulldoze-it-all projects of the last 50 years, but real renewal that engages the residents, rather than displaces them. Renewal that weaves a vibrant urban fabric, rather than tears it apart.
It's a gas, gas, gas
Boy, how about them gas prices, huh?
Bet you wish you hadn't bought that Jeep Grande Escalade Valdez.
I'm not much for gloating, but as bad as things are, I'm glad we had the foresight to buy a Prius back before they were popular. Not only did we get a great deal on the car in December 2002, but we'd have to wait 8 months to buy one today.
Folks said we'd never get the money back from gas savings. That was when gas cost about half what it does now. I mean, we're all hurting here, but I have to say I'm hurting less than a lot of folks I know.
High gas prices force people to pay attention. People talk about hybrids and transit all of a sudden, as if they'd never heard of them before. Unfortunately, most of these same people will go back to their SUVs and forget the bus and train if gas drops just 50 cents.
Thing is, it's going to go back up again. And we'll be right back where we are now, thinking about hybrids and transit, but doing nothing about it.
Long-term thinking. Try some today.
Bet you wish you hadn't bought that Jeep Grande Escalade Valdez.
I'm not much for gloating, but as bad as things are, I'm glad we had the foresight to buy a Prius back before they were popular. Not only did we get a great deal on the car in December 2002, but we'd have to wait 8 months to buy one today.
Folks said we'd never get the money back from gas savings. That was when gas cost about half what it does now. I mean, we're all hurting here, but I have to say I'm hurting less than a lot of folks I know.
High gas prices force people to pay attention. People talk about hybrids and transit all of a sudden, as if they'd never heard of them before. Unfortunately, most of these same people will go back to their SUVs and forget the bus and train if gas drops just 50 cents.
Thing is, it's going to go back up again. And we'll be right back where we are now, thinking about hybrids and transit, but doing nothing about it.
Long-term thinking. Try some today.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Duke students tend to have more money than you
I'm not going to waste my time pontificating on a case that hasn't even gone to trial yet. I'll leave that to Jesse Jackson and Rush Limbaugh.
But, is this not the most obvious, understated headline in the history of journalism?
Duke suspects raised in privileged surroundings
The only surprise here for some folks might be that these guys, along with most of the other lacrosse players, grew up in the North, not the South (It's an obsession in Baltimore, but you couldn't find enough kids for one team in Charlotte). A lot of reporters have framed the story as if it could only happen in the South. Racism doesn't stop at the Mason-Dixon line. This could have happened anywhere in the country.
Okay, that's enough.
Other headlines:
Baltimore has a lot of crime.
NASA announces Outer Space is 'really' big.
Bush is a crook.
Okay, so maybe that last one is only obvious to some of us.
But, is this not the most obvious, understated headline in the history of journalism?
Duke suspects raised in privileged surroundings
The only surprise here for some folks might be that these guys, along with most of the other lacrosse players, grew up in the North, not the South (It's an obsession in Baltimore, but you couldn't find enough kids for one team in Charlotte). A lot of reporters have framed the story as if it could only happen in the South. Racism doesn't stop at the Mason-Dixon line. This could have happened anywhere in the country.
Okay, that's enough.
Other headlines:
Baltimore has a lot of crime.
NASA announces Outer Space is 'really' big.
Bush is a crook.
Okay, so maybe that last one is only obvious to some of us.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
The Great Easter Egg Hunt of 'aught 6
Easter is here! Haven't found the chocolate bunnies yet, but I'm sure they're here somewhere ... right?
Springtime in the NC is beautiful. Flowers bloom from every bush and garden. And the temperature is a cool 90 degrees. Sandals and shorts weather.
The preacher started his sermon by saying there was no way to describe the ressurection. Then spent 30 minutes trying anyway. He told the congregation that God was like music, and we all had to shake our groove things. This did not go over well. Lots of nervous laughter. Episcopalians aren't much fun.
The kids at the church swarmed the yard afterward like well-dressed vandals, uprooting bushes and knocking each other over to find their prized eggs. Some had snuck out early to begin the hunt and were promptly beaten by the others when discovered. Their chocolate-smeared faces gleaming with the maniacal look of junkies in Baltimore.
Being without children, we managed to escape the carnage.
Springtime in the NC is beautiful. Flowers bloom from every bush and garden. And the temperature is a cool 90 degrees. Sandals and shorts weather.
The preacher started his sermon by saying there was no way to describe the ressurection. Then spent 30 minutes trying anyway. He told the congregation that God was like music, and we all had to shake our groove things. This did not go over well. Lots of nervous laughter. Episcopalians aren't much fun.
The kids at the church swarmed the yard afterward like well-dressed vandals, uprooting bushes and knocking each other over to find their prized eggs. Some had snuck out early to begin the hunt and were promptly beaten by the others when discovered. Their chocolate-smeared faces gleaming with the maniacal look of junkies in Baltimore.
Being without children, we managed to escape the carnage.
In the wasteland
Driving up WT Harris from the Old Tecki Homestead in East Charlotte always depresses me. While Baltimore has scads of great old buildings just waiting to be revitalized and filled with families and businesses, Charlotte suffers its own success. Still growing strong, the city and its suburbs sprawl across the landscape like a cancer. If all that growth could be concentrated in pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use neighborhoods instead of strip malls, fast food joints and ever-bigger Targets and Wal-Marts, I would be happier to come home.
Of course, any growth at all in East Charlotte would be nice. That part of town is falling apart, and I worry the eventual revitalization will be much more difficult than in urban cities like Baltimore. No matter how run-down the old homes, commercial and industrial buildings in Baltimore were, someone always eventually came along to renovate beacause those buildings and their neighborhoods had character. The vast stretches of Independence Blvd. and Albemarle Rd. have all the charm of ... parking lots. No one is going to look at the now mostly shuttered Coliseum Shopping Center and say, "Gee, I'll bet folks would love to move into some condos there."
Of course, any growth at all in East Charlotte would be nice. That part of town is falling apart, and I worry the eventual revitalization will be much more difficult than in urban cities like Baltimore. No matter how run-down the old homes, commercial and industrial buildings in Baltimore were, someone always eventually came along to renovate beacause those buildings and their neighborhoods had character. The vast stretches of Independence Blvd. and Albemarle Rd. have all the charm of ... parking lots. No one is going to look at the now mostly shuttered Coliseum Shopping Center and say, "Gee, I'll bet folks would love to move into some condos there."
Friday, March 31, 2006
Spending Priorities
Since I'm on the subject of money, let's return to the $7 billion a month we're spending in Iraq.
It's not just the levees in New Orleans. For decades, our cities and towns have fought tooth and nail to recieve scraps of vital funding for education, crime fighting, drug rehab, urban revitalization, transit improvements, economic revitalization, environmental clean-up, and a whole host of other programs.
The federales say again and again that there just isn't enough money to go around, so all we suffer due to lack of funds. But somehow we can spend $7 billion each month in Iraq for a war that was never necessary.
If we spent $7 billion a month on education in this country, we could rebuild every crumbling school, train and recruit the best teachers and give a private tutor to every struggling kid in America.
If we spent $7 billion on job training, family planning, drug rehab and crime prevention, the streets of every American city would be safe 24/7.
If we spent $7 billion a month on building a clean-energy infrastructure, we could cut our dependence on foreign oil and clean the environment.
If we're going to spend that kind of money anyway, why not spend it right here? How can we presume to tell the rest of the world how to live when we can't take care of ourselves?
It's not just the levees in New Orleans. For decades, our cities and towns have fought tooth and nail to recieve scraps of vital funding for education, crime fighting, drug rehab, urban revitalization, transit improvements, economic revitalization, environmental clean-up, and a whole host of other programs.
The federales say again and again that there just isn't enough money to go around, so all we suffer due to lack of funds. But somehow we can spend $7 billion each month in Iraq for a war that was never necessary.
If we spent $7 billion a month on education in this country, we could rebuild every crumbling school, train and recruit the best teachers and give a private tutor to every struggling kid in America.
If we spent $7 billion on job training, family planning, drug rehab and crime prevention, the streets of every American city would be safe 24/7.
If we spent $7 billion a month on building a clean-energy infrastructure, we could cut our dependence on foreign oil and clean the environment.
If we're going to spend that kind of money anyway, why not spend it right here? How can we presume to tell the rest of the world how to live when we can't take care of ourselves?
When the levee breaks ... again
What can it mean when our president is more than willing to spend $7 billion a month to occupy and, ostensibly, rebuild Iraq, but can't see his way to spending a total of $9 billion over the course of years to rebuild and strengthen the levees that protect a major American city?
Don't say the money isn't there. that isn't the point. We don't have $7 billion a month to spend in Iraq, but we're spending it anyway. I'd say efforts to protect our own citizens are at least as important -- especially when Iraq was a war of choice for our president, and the flooding of New Orleans was an emergency situation caused mainly by poorly built levees in the first place.
America needs to rebuild its own house.
Don't say the money isn't there. that isn't the point. We don't have $7 billion a month to spend in Iraq, but we're spending it anyway. I'd say efforts to protect our own citizens are at least as important -- especially when Iraq was a war of choice for our president, and the flooding of New Orleans was an emergency situation caused mainly by poorly built levees in the first place.
America needs to rebuild its own house.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
Luck, redefined
From the ACT:
[[ASHEVILLE – Jackie Novak could hardly wait for the official kickoff of North Carolina’s lottery this morning, stopping at the Hot Spot on Brevard Road on her way to work to shell out $20 for a dozen tickets.
She quickly scratched the first ticket to reveal a win: $3.
“How’s that for luck?” Novak said. “This is the only way I’m ever going to be a millionaire. I can work all my life and it isn’t going to happen.”]]
Sigh ...
[[ASHEVILLE – Jackie Novak could hardly wait for the official kickoff of North Carolina’s lottery this morning, stopping at the Hot Spot on Brevard Road on her way to work to shell out $20 for a dozen tickets.
She quickly scratched the first ticket to reveal a win: $3.
“How’s that for luck?” Novak said. “This is the only way I’m ever going to be a millionaire. I can work all my life and it isn’t going to happen.”]]
Sigh ...
BREAKING: Lotto Fever grips North Carolina
TeckiMom bought $5 worth of tickets.
Won $3, and a new ticket.
I hope they teach math good in them new schools they gonna build.
You know, just because South Carolina does something, it doesn't mean NC has to.
In fact, it's usually good public policy to do the exact opposite of SC.
For future reference.
Won $3, and a new ticket.
I hope they teach math good in them new schools they gonna build.
You know, just because South Carolina does something, it doesn't mean NC has to.
In fact, it's usually good public policy to do the exact opposite of SC.
For future reference.
No Sleep Til' San Diego
I just got a used copy of Licensed to Ill. I am fully aware that this is hardly one of their best albums, all the way back in their goofy-ass, drunken frat boy days.
Let me explain.
Way back when I was but a young and confused teenage Tecki, someone stole my friend's car. This bright young runaway hotwired the car, drove back to his house to pick up some stuff, and headed out for California. Although he had the money, he declined to pay for his gas after stopping at a station -- and some cops were nearby.
A chase ensued.
A tree got in the way.
When we went to the impound lot the next day to see the damage, we found clothes, half-opened boxes of lunchables and a bunch of tapes sprawled all over the interior. We left the lunchables, but felt justified in taking the kid's other stuff. Not a fair trade, but that's life.
Those days are gone, but the tape remains. Only, I don't listen to tapes anymore.
Let me explain.
Way back when I was but a young and confused teenage Tecki, someone stole my friend's car. This bright young runaway hotwired the car, drove back to his house to pick up some stuff, and headed out for California. Although he had the money, he declined to pay for his gas after stopping at a station -- and some cops were nearby.
A chase ensued.
A tree got in the way.
When we went to the impound lot the next day to see the damage, we found clothes, half-opened boxes of lunchables and a bunch of tapes sprawled all over the interior. We left the lunchables, but felt justified in taking the kid's other stuff. Not a fair trade, but that's life.
Those days are gone, but the tape remains. Only, I don't listen to tapes anymore.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
On UNCC, George Mason and things to prove
I have to give it up for the boys in green and gold.
Not, unfortunately, my own Charlotte 49ers, who did not make through the first round, let alone to the Final Four. But having read the news circulating around the improbable rise of the George Mason team, I definitely know who to root for now.
See, we have a lot more than colors in common. GMU and UNCC were both founded around the same time in the shadows of larger, older and better-known schools. Both suffer from the "commuter-school" stigma, as if they were nothing more than really, really big community colleges. And grads from both schools have felt the sting of lowered expectations when looking for a job.
I would have preferred if our team was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, if reporters from around the country had suddenly discovered the leafy campus on the edge of Highway 49, but hey.
If it couldn't be us, I'm glad it's GMU.
But guys, really. yellow shirts with green letters? What are you, Tweety Bird? Switch it. Trust me.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Jenny Lewis
We saw the Jenny Lewis show at the Recher last night. As expected, she, the Watson Twins and all the rest of the band put on an excellent show, building to an amazing crescendo with an unreleased song about Jack Killing Ma and ending with a Jesus song involving a duet between her and Jonathan Rice with overtones of early June and Johnny shows.
She has this creepy-June-Carter mystique, all bourbon and Spanish moss, with a powerful voice and a wide range. A big ol' electrified hootenany punctuated with slow, often freaky ballads.
Lots of College kids there.
Uh, yeah. I have to go to work in the morning. Do you mind starting a little early? Thanks.
So maybe Jonathan Rice shouldn't be covering George Thorogood, what with his hipster T-shirt and tight pants, but he can play the geetar something powerful. The spaced-out hipster persona contrasted nicely with his smart, clever music. He was a great breath of fresh air after the torture of the opening act.
Whispertown 2000 almost made me hate music.
Hate. Them.
If Jenny Lewis and her band were the epitome of well-practiced, polished professionalism, Whispertown demonstrated how godawful it is when a band just refuses to practice.
If they hadn't know each other's names, I could have sworn they'd never met before the moment they stepped on stage.
The only one who looked and sounded like he had any talent was the bass player, who may well have wandered accidentally on stage from a British pop band. The other three looked, and acted, like college kids pretending to be in a band. The lead guitar wandered around aimlessly, both musically and literally, and the two female singers made absolutely no attempt to coordinate anything. Off key from the get-go, their voices evoked actual physical pain. It was like watching the losing band in a middle-school talent show.
They butchered Gillian Welch's "Miss Ohio." I believe Ms. Welch is now legally obligated to shoot them. I'll have to check on that.
On a final note, we both thought it was rude of Jenny to not thank each member of the band at the end. She singled out just two people. What about the bass player and the drummer who sweated it out through the whole show? After all, they even wore the ironic old-school cowboy shirts and everything.
She has this creepy-June-Carter mystique, all bourbon and Spanish moss, with a powerful voice and a wide range. A big ol' electrified hootenany punctuated with slow, often freaky ballads.
Lots of College kids there.
Uh, yeah. I have to go to work in the morning. Do you mind starting a little early? Thanks.
So maybe Jonathan Rice shouldn't be covering George Thorogood, what with his hipster T-shirt and tight pants, but he can play the geetar something powerful. The spaced-out hipster persona contrasted nicely with his smart, clever music. He was a great breath of fresh air after the torture of the opening act.
Whispertown 2000 almost made me hate music.
Hate. Them.
If Jenny Lewis and her band were the epitome of well-practiced, polished professionalism, Whispertown demonstrated how godawful it is when a band just refuses to practice.
If they hadn't know each other's names, I could have sworn they'd never met before the moment they stepped on stage.
The only one who looked and sounded like he had any talent was the bass player, who may well have wandered accidentally on stage from a British pop band. The other three looked, and acted, like college kids pretending to be in a band. The lead guitar wandered around aimlessly, both musically and literally, and the two female singers made absolutely no attempt to coordinate anything. Off key from the get-go, their voices evoked actual physical pain. It was like watching the losing band in a middle-school talent show.
They butchered Gillian Welch's "Miss Ohio." I believe Ms. Welch is now legally obligated to shoot them. I'll have to check on that.
On a final note, we both thought it was rude of Jenny to not thank each member of the band at the end. She singled out just two people. What about the bass player and the drummer who sweated it out through the whole show? After all, they even wore the ironic old-school cowboy shirts and everything.
Metro History 101
Some. Guy Just. Wrote a book. about. the. Metro's. History.
I think I need to lay down.
Can this really be happening? Hooray for transit geeks!
My excitement over the release of this book, as opposed to my complete lack of interest in anything even remotely related to English literature or advertising is only further proof that I have made some unfortunate misteps in my educational career.
Gonna have to find a copy, grab one of those beers from the NOVA Trader Joe's, and turn off the ringer on my cellphone.
I think I need to lay down.
Can this really be happening? Hooray for transit geeks!
My excitement over the release of this book, as opposed to my complete lack of interest in anything even remotely related to English literature or advertising is only further proof that I have made some unfortunate misteps in my educational career.
Gonna have to find a copy, grab one of those beers from the NOVA Trader Joe's, and turn off the ringer on my cellphone.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Messing with Texas: The aftermath
Finished up the ATX trip listening to Rosanne Cash, Josh Ritter and The Little Willies free at Auditorium Shores, just across from the best photo-op for the Austin City Skyline. The weather held up all night, but started pouring the day K's Dad and I decided to go T-shirt hunting.
Mission Accomplished.
Notes on the Great State of Texas:
Sure texas law requires you to make a pilgrimage to the Alamo whenever you visit the state, but that doesn't mean you have to see the Riverwalk too. The parts near the big mall were overcrowded and touristy, the rest was pretty empty. Kind of a nice little greenway walk, but not worth the drive from Austin.
If you find yourself in San Antonio: Get a guidebook and a good map. There must be something to do there, but without these resources, you'll never figure it out.
Austin is Asheville with more money and tacos. Whereas A'ville has the hospital and Biltmore Estate, plus any number of bars and coffeehouses, Austin has Dell, Texas Instruments, the State Government and lots of little tech companies to employ you. Other than that and the plethora of excellent Mexican food, they're esentially the same city.
Texans wave to strangers more than Marylanders do -- that is to mean they wave to strangers. More people waved or otherwise greeted us as we walked or drove around town in one week than have ever done so in almost 2 years in B'more.
W is not as popular as you might think. Sure, we spent most of our time in Travis County, but the excess of anti-Bush stickers and T-shirts was heartening.
Seeing the countryside outside the cities, you can understand why they fought so hard to take it from the Mexicans.
Mission Accomplished.
Notes on the Great State of Texas:
Sure texas law requires you to make a pilgrimage to the Alamo whenever you visit the state, but that doesn't mean you have to see the Riverwalk too. The parts near the big mall were overcrowded and touristy, the rest was pretty empty. Kind of a nice little greenway walk, but not worth the drive from Austin.
If you find yourself in San Antonio: Get a guidebook and a good map. There must be something to do there, but without these resources, you'll never figure it out.
Austin is Asheville with more money and tacos. Whereas A'ville has the hospital and Biltmore Estate, plus any number of bars and coffeehouses, Austin has Dell, Texas Instruments, the State Government and lots of little tech companies to employ you. Other than that and the plethora of excellent Mexican food, they're esentially the same city.
Texans wave to strangers more than Marylanders do -- that is to mean they wave to strangers. More people waved or otherwise greeted us as we walked or drove around town in one week than have ever done so in almost 2 years in B'more.
W is not as popular as you might think. Sure, we spent most of our time in Travis County, but the excess of anti-Bush stickers and T-shirts was heartening.
Seeing the countryside outside the cities, you can understand why they fought so hard to take it from the Mexicans.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Wristbands? We don't need no stinking wristbands ...
Breakfast again at Austin Java, excellent food and coffee. Needed the caffeine after the dog next door kept us up all night. K and I finally had enough and tried to go there to knock onthe door and do our good cop/bad cop routine, but as we navigated the long staricase down the neighbors' hill we heard a lot of shouting and things being thrown -- K's dad had also reached his limit.
All that and it turns out these folks are out of town. Supposedly the problem is all being taken care of ... we'll see at bedtime.
But who cares when you're standing five feet from James McMurty while he belts out "choctaw bingo" and "we can't make it here" at a free showcase? As Greg might say: Man ...
Got some great photos of the man. Hopefully they'll look as good blown up as they do on the LCD. That was at Mother Egan's on E. Sixth St, btw.
We hit SoCo again and did the hell out of it. We went into every last one of those antique shops chock full o' stuff other people threw out but now I'm supposed to pay $25 for, and all the hipster stores full of ironic shirts, snarky magnets and funky toys I like to play with but never want to buy. Lots of Mexican curios and cowboy hats too.
Missed Life of Pi by about 5 minutes at the free showcase at Yard Dog art, one of those places for outsider art shows (Stuff made by batshit crazy people, ala Junebug or the AVAM in B'more) Most of the art was typical "What the fu--," but I have to admit there was one musician whose retouched old school country music posters blew my mind, and my bank. Not taking any of that home, sadly.
The band after Life of Pi sucked. Lots of noise, amps all the wy up and fuzzed out. If you can't play, just play loud. But, after we wandered the strip for a while and bought a metal lizard for the wall, we came back just in time for Sawgrass something, and they hit some good notes, ending with a rocking version of the old El Paso.
Ate at Curra's again, the tres leches cake was magnifico. So was the flan.
Saw our ducks again at the house. Tried to start a fire (not with the ducks), but it didn't take.
All that and it turns out these folks are out of town. Supposedly the problem is all being taken care of ... we'll see at bedtime.
But who cares when you're standing five feet from James McMurty while he belts out "choctaw bingo" and "we can't make it here" at a free showcase? As Greg might say: Man ...
Got some great photos of the man. Hopefully they'll look as good blown up as they do on the LCD. That was at Mother Egan's on E. Sixth St, btw.
We hit SoCo again and did the hell out of it. We went into every last one of those antique shops chock full o' stuff other people threw out but now I'm supposed to pay $25 for, and all the hipster stores full of ironic shirts, snarky magnets and funky toys I like to play with but never want to buy. Lots of Mexican curios and cowboy hats too.
Missed Life of Pi by about 5 minutes at the free showcase at Yard Dog art, one of those places for outsider art shows (Stuff made by batshit crazy people, ala Junebug or the AVAM in B'more) Most of the art was typical "What the fu--," but I have to admit there was one musician whose retouched old school country music posters blew my mind, and my bank. Not taking any of that home, sadly.
The band after Life of Pi sucked. Lots of noise, amps all the wy up and fuzzed out. If you can't play, just play loud. But, after we wandered the strip for a while and bought a metal lizard for the wall, we came back just in time for Sawgrass something, and they hit some good notes, ending with a rocking version of the old El Paso.
Ate at Curra's again, the tres leches cake was magnifico. So was the flan.
Saw our ducks again at the house. Tried to start a fire (not with the ducks), but it didn't take.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Tecki on the Spot in the ATX
Just got done washing our clothes in the bathroom sink. The cold water in the washer here doesn't work, and most of our clothes can't be washed in the hot water. K washed in the sink and I rinsed in the tub, jeans rolled up all Huck Finn like. At least the dryer worked.
Sadly, the guayabera was not to be. The prices in the thrift store were hardly thrift store prices, and the only shirt they had that looked good for a decent price had a black spot on the back. Maybe I would have bought it, but this was a church thrift shop, and they probably oppose choice or hate gays, so I decided it wasn't worth it.
Been jamming to some alt-country on the radio courtesy of 107.1, WGSR. Probably the coolest commercial station I've heard since WRNR in Annapolis. Better than TMD? Yeah kids, sorry. But I still believe in you. Really. Maybe one day I'll even make a donation.
We tried to hit some live music last night, but after parking a few blocks away and almost getting hit running across the highway, the place was packed, I mean solid, and we left the line of orange-clad fans standing outside and returned to our nice little lake house.
Ate at Chuy's Tex Mex. Plenty of Elvis pictures, but none of Jenna Bush from the night she was arrested for trying to use a fake ID or whatever happened that fateful night. Not exactly the place you'd expect a presidential daughter to hang out, but then, he's not much of a president.
The Drag near UT along Guadalupe made me wish once again that UNCC wasn't built all the way out in the sticks. I've pretty much aged out of a lot of what they have there, but much better than the few strip malls and chains we had back at Charlotte.
On a side note, I know Chapel Hill is the big school in the NC, but it would be nice to see even half as many people wearing green in Charlotte as I see wearing orange here. Now, UT is much, much bigger and older than UNCC, but c'mon folks. We aren't so bad? Let's show some spirit! I have some T-shirts you can buy ...
Anywho, waiting for the Tecki-in-laws to arrive. Have to pick them up at the airport. Flying Delta, so it's anyone's guess if their flight will be on time.
Sadly, the guayabera was not to be. The prices in the thrift store were hardly thrift store prices, and the only shirt they had that looked good for a decent price had a black spot on the back. Maybe I would have bought it, but this was a church thrift shop, and they probably oppose choice or hate gays, so I decided it wasn't worth it.
Been jamming to some alt-country on the radio courtesy of 107.1, WGSR. Probably the coolest commercial station I've heard since WRNR in Annapolis. Better than TMD? Yeah kids, sorry. But I still believe in you. Really. Maybe one day I'll even make a donation.
We tried to hit some live music last night, but after parking a few blocks away and almost getting hit running across the highway, the place was packed, I mean solid, and we left the line of orange-clad fans standing outside and returned to our nice little lake house.
Ate at Chuy's Tex Mex. Plenty of Elvis pictures, but none of Jenna Bush from the night she was arrested for trying to use a fake ID or whatever happened that fateful night. Not exactly the place you'd expect a presidential daughter to hang out, but then, he's not much of a president.
The Drag near UT along Guadalupe made me wish once again that UNCC wasn't built all the way out in the sticks. I've pretty much aged out of a lot of what they have there, but much better than the few strip malls and chains we had back at Charlotte.
On a side note, I know Chapel Hill is the big school in the NC, but it would be nice to see even half as many people wearing green in Charlotte as I see wearing orange here. Now, UT is much, much bigger and older than UNCC, but c'mon folks. We aren't so bad? Let's show some spirit! I have some T-shirts you can buy ...
Anywho, waiting for the Tecki-in-laws to arrive. Have to pick them up at the airport. Flying Delta, so it's anyone's guess if their flight will be on time.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Texas is the home of the playas and pimps
Howdy from Austin, Tejas!
The snacks on Southwest beat any I've had so far on any airline. What the airline industry needs to get out of bankruptcy: More Fig Newtons.
Strictly speaking, downtown is a mixed bag. Big, inhuman skyscrapers with blank streetfronts, but also some nice little stores. Las Manitas had great Mexican breakfast food and the atmosphere is about as unique as any place I've been.
Lots of hipsters milling about in anticipation of SXSW with little badges. Think they're so great ... More ironic T-shirts per square mile than any city in North America. Like all the perpetual grad students in the Western Hemisphere all converged on one location.
Sixth street was a long string of bars and souvenir stores. Not our thing, even when we were the target market.
But SoCo has it all, and the Barton Springs strip. Man, some awsome coffee places, thrift stores and music joints. Need to check out Guero's Taco Bar ... lots of music, food, all outdoors. There's a guayabera(sp?) shirt in the window of the church thrift store, but they're closed on sunday and were already shut when we got there Saturday. That shirt will be mine!
Curra's food is great and fast. A little aprehensive about the avocado margarita when it turned out to be frozen, but no worries. Goes down nice and smooth, "like alcoholic guacamole," says K.
And we visited the new 80,000 square foot Whole Foods. Like a liberal Wal-Mart. More organic, fair trade coffee, cheese, beer, shirts, housewares, books and produce you can shake a copy of The Believer at.
Well, gotta say hasta luego. Hot tub and good grub waiting!
The snacks on Southwest beat any I've had so far on any airline. What the airline industry needs to get out of bankruptcy: More Fig Newtons.
Strictly speaking, downtown is a mixed bag. Big, inhuman skyscrapers with blank streetfronts, but also some nice little stores. Las Manitas had great Mexican breakfast food and the atmosphere is about as unique as any place I've been.
Lots of hipsters milling about in anticipation of SXSW with little badges. Think they're so great ... More ironic T-shirts per square mile than any city in North America. Like all the perpetual grad students in the Western Hemisphere all converged on one location.
Sixth street was a long string of bars and souvenir stores. Not our thing, even when we were the target market.
But SoCo has it all, and the Barton Springs strip. Man, some awsome coffee places, thrift stores and music joints. Need to check out Guero's Taco Bar ... lots of music, food, all outdoors. There's a guayabera(sp?) shirt in the window of the church thrift store, but they're closed on sunday and were already shut when we got there Saturday. That shirt will be mine!
Curra's food is great and fast. A little aprehensive about the avocado margarita when it turned out to be frozen, but no worries. Goes down nice and smooth, "like alcoholic guacamole," says K.
And we visited the new 80,000 square foot Whole Foods. Like a liberal Wal-Mart. More organic, fair trade coffee, cheese, beer, shirts, housewares, books and produce you can shake a copy of The Believer at.
Well, gotta say hasta luego. Hot tub and good grub waiting!
Friday, March 10, 2006
Hot for Teacher
Remember how weird it was to see your teachers outside of school? Hard to imagine they even have lives outside the classroom, isn't it? I can tell you, as the proud husband of an excellent teacher, that they do. In fact, they spend most of their time outside the classroom getting ready for the next time they're in the classroom.
Teachers don't stop working when the school bell rings. They go to work early, grading and planning, and they coach, advise clubs, meet/correspond with parents and they stand on committees and attend faculty meetings.
And they take work home with them. Oh yes, they take lots of work home with them. More grading, more planning, more test-writing, more quiz-writing, more contacting parents and colleagues.
Teachers work anywhere between 50 and 70 hours a week, depending on: how many kids they teach, how many parents they have to deal with, how many clubs they have to sponsor, how many sports they coach, home many committees they are on.
Despite the hours they work, and despite the importance of their profession, teachers are notoriously underpaid. Not only that, but they are seriously underappreciated. Parents are rude and insulting, the general public has no idea how hard they work, and -- if you work for a public school -- politicians are constantly telling you what to do, blaming you for failing kids and making excuses for why you can't be paid as much as other professionals.
Forget about the summers. With the number of hours teachers work each week in 9 months, they're working at least as many hours as most people do in 12 months, if not more. So they deserve the break -- not that most of them get to enjoy it. Most teachers I know work some kind of part-time job in the summer just to make ends meet. If teachers worked all year long, they'd still be underpaid and overworked.
And, for all this they get a few lousy scented candles at the end of the year.
Now go out and hug a teacher.
Teachers don't stop working when the school bell rings. They go to work early, grading and planning, and they coach, advise clubs, meet/correspond with parents and they stand on committees and attend faculty meetings.
And they take work home with them. Oh yes, they take lots of work home with them. More grading, more planning, more test-writing, more quiz-writing, more contacting parents and colleagues.
Teachers work anywhere between 50 and 70 hours a week, depending on: how many kids they teach, how many parents they have to deal with, how many clubs they have to sponsor, how many sports they coach, home many committees they are on.
Despite the hours they work, and despite the importance of their profession, teachers are notoriously underpaid. Not only that, but they are seriously underappreciated. Parents are rude and insulting, the general public has no idea how hard they work, and -- if you work for a public school -- politicians are constantly telling you what to do, blaming you for failing kids and making excuses for why you can't be paid as much as other professionals.
Forget about the summers. With the number of hours teachers work each week in 9 months, they're working at least as many hours as most people do in 12 months, if not more. So they deserve the break -- not that most of them get to enjoy it. Most teachers I know work some kind of part-time job in the summer just to make ends meet. If teachers worked all year long, they'd still be underpaid and overworked.
And, for all this they get a few lousy scented candles at the end of the year.
Now go out and hug a teacher.
The news, such as it is
Where the hell have I been?
100% of my reader wants to know.
About to hop a plane to Austin, Tejas for the SXSW festival. Looking forward mainly to relaxing and eating comida mexicana. It's a bright, sun-shiny day here in Mary land. Yeah, that's right. It's finally nice around these parts, just before we go to a nice, warm place.
Y'all can look forward to lots of on-the-spot posts about soaking in the hot tub and sleeping til noon.
Dropped the pup off at her new kennel. This one lets her have her own little outdoor run. Much better than the jerks at PetsHotel who just locked her up in her gilded cage all day. Of course, I'll reserve judgement on this new place until after we get her back.
Been spending the lunch breaks digging through the CD collection at HoCo library. Most of the albums I wanted are "check out" (read: gone for good), but I did get a few gems, including Mr. Springsteen's Born in the USA.
Yeah. Not so funny, huh? Maybe next time ...
100% of my reader wants to know.
About to hop a plane to Austin, Tejas for the SXSW festival. Looking forward mainly to relaxing and eating comida mexicana. It's a bright, sun-shiny day here in Mary land. Yeah, that's right. It's finally nice around these parts, just before we go to a nice, warm place.
Y'all can look forward to lots of on-the-spot posts about soaking in the hot tub and sleeping til noon.
Dropped the pup off at her new kennel. This one lets her have her own little outdoor run. Much better than the jerks at PetsHotel who just locked her up in her gilded cage all day. Of course, I'll reserve judgement on this new place until after we get her back.
Been spending the lunch breaks digging through the CD collection at HoCo library. Most of the albums I wanted are "check out" (read: gone for good), but I did get a few gems, including Mr. Springsteen's Born in the USA.
Yeah. Not so funny, huh? Maybe next time ...
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Top Ten Ways to Topple a Presidency
Lewis Lapham's columns in Harper's have, since the tragedy of November 04, been my monthly dose of depression and angst. Each issue carries with it a torrent of well-crafted gloom and doom to bring the house, and the spirits of right-thinking liberal folks, crashing down long just enough for the next issue to arrive.
Not that I disagree with anything the esteemed Mr. Lapham says. Bush a liar? Yep. Corporations too powerful? Amen, brother. But for God's sake, man, give us options!
That's what I like about the Utne Reader. Sure, they're a little crunchy and Shiny Happy People, but they are goal-oriented. They don't just whine and moan about the state of the world. They go out and do something about it. Top Ten Ways you can:
Make Old People Smile
Turn Old Junk Into Useful Household Items
Build Your Own Hydrogen Car
I mean, yeah Lewis, I'm with you. Bush has committed high crimes and misdemeanors. He needs to be Impeached, with a capital I. We get it. Really. Now tell us how we might go about doing it! If I wanted gloom and doom, I'd go back to UNCA and listen to one of Dr. West's lectures. He, at least, was funny.
Not that I disagree with anything the esteemed Mr. Lapham says. Bush a liar? Yep. Corporations too powerful? Amen, brother. But for God's sake, man, give us options!
That's what I like about the Utne Reader. Sure, they're a little crunchy and Shiny Happy People, but they are goal-oriented. They don't just whine and moan about the state of the world. They go out and do something about it. Top Ten Ways you can:
Make Old People Smile
Turn Old Junk Into Useful Household Items
Build Your Own Hydrogen Car
I mean, yeah Lewis, I'm with you. Bush has committed high crimes and misdemeanors. He needs to be Impeached, with a capital I. We get it. Really. Now tell us how we might go about doing it! If I wanted gloom and doom, I'd go back to UNCA and listen to one of Dr. West's lectures. He, at least, was funny.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Shave and a haircut ...
The first thing I noticed when I walked in the door at Beatnik Barbershop was the bottle of Jim Beam sitting by the complimentary coffee. And instead of three-month-old copies of People, Marie Claire and Good Housekeeping, the waiting table had the day's New York Times.
This is the barbershop I've waited my whole life for.
I told Bill what I needed. Time to face the loss of hair, but no comb-overs, no products, no mercy. He talked me through what he thought would work, I agreed, and the cutting commenced.
The result: This is probably the happiest I've been with a haircut in years.
I still have much love for Kelly's Barbershop in Westville, but this is the first time I've found something in Baltimore that I liked more than its equivalent in Asheville.
http://www.beatnikbarbershop.com/
This is the barbershop I've waited my whole life for.
I told Bill what I needed. Time to face the loss of hair, but no comb-overs, no products, no mercy. He talked me through what he thought would work, I agreed, and the cutting commenced.
The result: This is probably the happiest I've been with a haircut in years.
I still have much love for Kelly's Barbershop in Westville, but this is the first time I've found something in Baltimore that I liked more than its equivalent in Asheville.
http://www.beatnikbarbershop.com/
Friday, February 17, 2006
What's a little domestic spying between friends?
What's that Mr. President? You say you had the power to spy on Americans without a warrant all along? No problem, we'll just change that pesky FISA law to make it all above board.
No need to delve into those murky constitutional questions or even ask the NSA to tell us how well the program worked. If you say you need to eliminate even the 72 hour grace period from your wiretaps, that's cool with us.
But what if the democrats complain? Oh, you've already got them under surveillance. Good.
Uh, now, you'll remember to delete that little recording we discussed yesterday, right?
Right?
No need to delve into those murky constitutional questions or even ask the NSA to tell us how well the program worked. If you say you need to eliminate even the 72 hour grace period from your wiretaps, that's cool with us.
But what if the democrats complain? Oh, you've already got them under surveillance. Good.
Uh, now, you'll remember to delete that little recording we discussed yesterday, right?
Right?
Thursday, February 16, 2006
The Great Firewall of China
Congress is shocked, shocked! to discover that some American businesses are aiding and abetting human rights violations in China.
The heads and legal counsels of Google, Micorsoft and other Tech companies were called in to answer before the Human Rights Commision and 'splain why they rigorously fight any hint of Internet censorship here in the States, but quickly bow to China's demands for censorship and the search records of anyone deemed an enemy of the state.
These Tech companies shouldn't be helping round up pro-democracy activists or censoring Web sites about Falun Gong. That's clearly wrong, no matter how good it might be for business. But why has Congress suddenly decided to go after them when it has given China "Most Favored Nation" trading status for years despite the clearly documented human rights abuses in China?
Google can't turn over the search records of Chinese activists or censor search results or blogs, but a whole host of American manufacturers can employ sweatshop labor under unsafe conditions while feeding the coffers of a communist dictatorship by driving their economy -- and destroying the environment, to boot.
I suppose it merely depends on the degree to which one helps violate universal human rights. Congress must have a distinction between passively benefitting from human suffering and actively causing it.
The heads and legal counsels of Google, Micorsoft and other Tech companies were called in to answer before the Human Rights Commision and 'splain why they rigorously fight any hint of Internet censorship here in the States, but quickly bow to China's demands for censorship and the search records of anyone deemed an enemy of the state.
These Tech companies shouldn't be helping round up pro-democracy activists or censoring Web sites about Falun Gong. That's clearly wrong, no matter how good it might be for business. But why has Congress suddenly decided to go after them when it has given China "Most Favored Nation" trading status for years despite the clearly documented human rights abuses in China?
Google can't turn over the search records of Chinese activists or censor search results or blogs, but a whole host of American manufacturers can employ sweatshop labor under unsafe conditions while feeding the coffers of a communist dictatorship by driving their economy -- and destroying the environment, to boot.
I suppose it merely depends on the degree to which one helps violate universal human rights. Congress must have a distinction between passively benefitting from human suffering and actively causing it.
Friday, February 10, 2006
You say Turin, I say Torino ...
So, am I the only one who didn't realize the Winter Olympics start tonight?
Remember when the Olympics were a big deal? Lillehammer, Calgary, Nagano? Good Times.
Salt Lake wasn't all that, I hardly even remember it.
I usually just watch the Opening Ceremonies to see what they come up with and to bask in the idealized Brotherhood of Nations concept, pretending just for one night that the world really is like that.
Once the torch is lit, though, I'm usually out. And the name? All I think of when I hear Turin is that shroud. No one needs the inverted face of Jesus staring at them while they watch the Skeleton competition.
One point of pride: Turns out that 9 Carolina Hurricanes will compete in Men's Hockey this year -- and not just on the US team, so that could be interesting. The TeckiSister should enjoy that. I might even tune in for that.
Well, whatever. SInce they say Old Man Winter is about to have his revenge for all that nice weather we had last month, pop open some beers, heat up the popcorn, and start up the Fanfare for the Common Man!
Remember when the Olympics were a big deal? Lillehammer, Calgary, Nagano? Good Times.
Salt Lake wasn't all that, I hardly even remember it.
I usually just watch the Opening Ceremonies to see what they come up with and to bask in the idealized Brotherhood of Nations concept, pretending just for one night that the world really is like that.
Once the torch is lit, though, I'm usually out. And the name? All I think of when I hear Turin is that shroud. No one needs the inverted face of Jesus staring at them while they watch the Skeleton competition.
One point of pride: Turns out that 9 Carolina Hurricanes will compete in Men's Hockey this year -- and not just on the US team, so that could be interesting. The TeckiSister should enjoy that. I might even tune in for that.
Well, whatever. SInce they say Old Man Winter is about to have his revenge for all that nice weather we had last month, pop open some beers, heat up the popcorn, and start up the Fanfare for the Common Man!
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