Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self. - Cyril Connolly
Friday, July 28, 2006
Downy Oshun to see D' Ponies
That's where I'm headed with my sister for the weekend. Chincoteague. For a couple of days of biking, bird watching, and pony watching, and to maybe scope out a rental cottage for next summer.
Wednesday and Thursday were the Annual Pony Swim and Auction in Chincoteague, so hopefully, the remaining herd that was swum back across the channel today is now relaxing in the woods and beaches after their annual traumatizing trek.
I love amazon.com. I popped on there Monday in the hopes that I could grab a couple of books for the weekend, and sure enough, in my door last night, there was an amazon.com box containing the latest summer "must read" beach book, Ruins, along with The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, by Michael Pollan. And if you haven't read Pollan's other book, The Botany of Desire, run out and get yourself a copy. In it, he presents a really erudite account of the histories of apples, tulips, potatoes and marijuana to illustrate how these species have successfully exploited human desires to succeed. A very good summer geek read!
Based on the originality and cleverness of the first book, I wasn't going to pass up a chance to read his next one.
It will also be a day of unprecedented violence in Iraq. Of course, he will be condemned to hang, and insurgents will revolt over the injustice of it all. Or...in the unlikely case that he does not get condemned, sectarian violence will reach a new high.
Either way, October 16 and the days to follow are likely to be even worse than the killing and violence going on now. If you can imagine that.
My BFF Diane broke up with her long term man over the weekend after months (years) of arguing, therapy, and generally not getting along on major issues. Still, the breakup is hard. It sucks. We've all been there.
So......as Diane strikes out again into the dating void, she wanted to know what we all find as top attractions nowadays in men.
Friend Sharon writes:
Shares at least a few common passions (e.g., bicycling, cooking, together)
Sense of humor/playfulness - can see the lighter side of life.
Self-confidence.
High self esteem
Physically attractive
Handy. Able to do light plumbing, painting, etc.
Hmmmm. All very desireable, all noble. At my age however, I've gotten far more basic and realistic.
Nowadays I'm happy if I get my own personal Top 12 (in no particular order - OK #12 is really the most important):
They have their original teeth.
They have most of their original hair, or at least no comb overs, or bad toups.
They must know that "irregardless" is not a word and never, ever, use it.
They must know, and use, the correct pronunciation of "nuclear" and "nucular". And no, I'll never sleep with the most powerful man in world if it means giving in on this issue.
Bicep tats on men are like lower back and belly button tats on women. They. do. not. age. well.
Please understand and use the correct application of "flammable" and "inflammable".
Same goes for "ensure", "insure", and "assure".
If you unfold a road map, I expect it to be folded back up the same way, and if you empty something - replace it. This applies to: doors, toilet seats, cartons of milk, shampoo bottles, salad dressing, etc.
Having more than one TV and one bathroom is essential for a relationship. 'Nough said.
At 20, I came with carry on luggage. I now come with a matched set of Louis Vuitton that won't fit in the overhead compartment. You do too. Accept it and move on. Neither one of us are relationship virgins, let alone physical ones. There are in-laws, out-laws, children, step people, and exes to deal with. Deal. And deal gracefully.
A Blackberry / Palm / iPod / Bluetooth headphone is not a Penis, and I'm not impressed. If we're together, they are off.
And the most important trait I look for anymore?
12. You make me think, you make me laugh, you make me come? I think I can work with you.
For the last three days, we have been bombarded with scenes of Lebanese and US/Lebanese citizens fleeing their country and their homes in advance of the latest "unpleasantness".
We have seen heart wrenching scenes of innocent Lebanese and Isreali children burned, orphaned or left homeless by attacks in defense or offense of their countries.
Wars they did not engage. Enemies they do not know. Fears and hatred they do not have unless taught by their parents.
Ignorance, hate, and intolerance are TAUGHT. NEVER inherited.
My point with this post is that while all the Israeli and Lebanese civilians are getting the Royal Refugee treatment this week - what about the 50,000 plus Iraqui citizens and children that have been killed, orphaned or left homeless since the start of our war?
Why are Israelis or Lebanese different in their "refugee" status?
More importantly - where are the Iraqui children and what's being done to save them?? NOW PLEASE.
I had to attend one of those "Sr. Executive" (insert charity here) fund raiser events this evening. The price of admission to one of these things is to basically determine how many 'zeros' you have to put on the check you leave at the end of the evening. As charitable and voluntary as it sounds...it's not. In order to meet expectations; real, or undefined, there is a "tithe" associated with positions at my level. Some are very specific, and others, like the event this evening, are more subtle, yet no less "unexpected".
I treat these things as a price I'm expected to pay for my position in my job, as well as my corporation's position in the community. I'm also expected / required to sit / serve on a number of charitable or civic boards throughout the year, and I'm given time off to perform these services.
Anyway...as we were all standing around with our glasses of wine and catered hors d'ouevres, a representative of one of the charities pointed out the following FACT:
Baltimore has more people living under the poverty level, in a smaller area, than New Orleans did before Katrina.
Imagine Baltimore's stadiums filled to capacity, and people trying to evacuate to Philly or NYC...... Scary.
And if that mental image didn't bother you - I hope that the fact that Baltimore's poverty level is worse than New Orleans did.
Worse yet, the images from Katrina highlighted long standing issues between the "haves" and " have nots", as well as the poor and elderly that can't move without assistance.
I made sure that my check will make a difference in this statistic.
David Dickerson, a Democratic candidate for one of the two Maryland Senate seats, was arrested Saturday after police were called to a hospital where his wife claimed she was raped. Dickerson was charged with second-degree rape, second-degree assault and fourth-degree sex offense.
According to charging documents, the victim said she and her husband met in her home country of Latvia and married last year when she was 18. She told police that shortly after moving back to the United States, she was deprived of food and physically abused -- even after becoming pregnant.
There's not much more I can add to that. How on earth does someone like this get enough money and support to launch a Senate Campaign??
Only 56 species of butterflies left in the United Kingdom? Can you even imagine a world without the magic of butterflies? The miracle of metamorphosis?
I went to a butterfly farm with over 100 species of butterflies once. All flying around in a colorful tickertape of bright colors and delicate wings. It was beautiful.
I remember catching a luna moth one summer at our cottage. It was the size of a small bird, and one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen.
A world without butterflies is too terrible to contemplate.
To the FUCKTARD that rang me at 3:33 AM this morning when I had JUST fallen asleep at 2:30 AM after driving my friend to and from DC at midnight so she could meet other friends this morning....
Fuck You.
I don't care if you had a severe case of "Drunk Dials" last night, or still had me on your speed dial list.
I want to sleep in on the weekend. If I want to call someone right away - I'll call you. Leave me alone....
So I get a call at work today from the Secret Service.
No kidding.
A small group of us have been invited to the White House in a couple of weeks to see my friend Robert get invested as the new Ambassador to Algeria, and we all have to go through a security clearance.
Date of birth, Social Security, Driver's License Number, Passport Number, etc....
If it wasn't the Secret Service, then my identity has just been stolen.
If you thoughht electric cars have to be ugly, meet the Tesla Roadster. Powered by more than 6,800 lithium-ion batteries, can go zero to 60 mph in about four seconds. Top speed: 130 mph.
THIS makes me sadder and angrier than losing either of the last two elections. Not just the fact that 2/3 rd's of Americans support stem cell research, but that with all the controversial, bipartisan issues that have come up in the 6 years he's been in office - he wastes his first veto as POTUS on something as important as this.
These cells will eventually be destroyed - period. Selfishly restricting their use to create cures for LIVING people is not only stupid and short sighted, it's criminal. By doing this, he ensures that millions more people will die than will ever be born from frozen embryos.
I hope he's ashamed of himself, and I hope Congress overrides this ASAP.
I know this investigation is just getting under way, and a lot more information may come to light, which might change the circumstances in question. But right now, given the horrible, and unprecedented medical and humanitarian circumstances that occured during Katrina, and given the unthinkable choices these professionals were facing, I can only hope that if these patients had been my parents or loved ones, these people would be heroes in my eyes to have avoided their needless suffering, not arrested like common criminals.
So...I had to detour a whopping three blocks to get out of the neighborhood this morning. All the road signs and street blockages in Bolton Hill are up in anticipation of this weekend's Artscape Festival.
It was too damn hot to take my evening stroll last night, but from what I saw over the weekend, the new sculpture installations that they put up every year on Mt. Royal Blvd. are some of the best they've done in recent years (IMHO).
Hopefully, it will descend into the upper eighties and nineties by the weekend, or people will be dropping like flies, and I don't even want to think about the Food Court or Porto-Potties.
If anyone wants to come down this weekend, I strongly advise taking the Light Rail or Metro, but if I can't talk you out of that, I do have.....Drum roll....ONE FREE PARKING SPOT at my house, less than three blocks from all the action, and you'd have access to air conditioning, free ice tea, and a clean bathroom. Living in Bolton Hill makes Artscape quite tolerable, if not down right enjoyable. Call ahead - first come, first serve. If you're coming down for the festivities - call me - I'll meet you at Mt. Royal Tavern.
Fireworks at 10:00 on Friday night! There are only a handful of bands I really want to see this year: Ricky Skaggs, and Citizen Cope on Friday, and of course, Carl Filipiak at 1:00 on Sunday. Closing the Festival on Sunday evening is none other than Michael Franti and Spearhead, and if they put on half the show they did at Jazzfest in New Orleans last spring - you're in for a treat!
My buddy Robert who just returned from 2.5 years in Baghdad, reports that summer temps are ROUTINELY in the 115-120 range in Iraq, and they had several days where it hit 140. That's One hundred and FORTY degrees - not a typo.
In a country where even electricity can be a luxury, air conditioning is scarce, and the local culture frowns on things like public swimming pools.
Standing in the checkout line at the grocery store yesterday (6 people deep, and I'm standing behind a Buddhist nun in saffron robes, and two trannies having an argument over which sugar free gum to buy. The tranny with the largest Adam's apple won. I love Baltimore.) Anyway, only three of nine checkout lines in this store are ever staffed and it's taking forever. I'm perusing the magazine rack of tabloids (Suri - is she an alien?), and the usual assortment of decorating mags and fashion mags featuring anorexic teens (you know, just once, I'd like to browse a copy of the Economist while I'm standing there, but sadly, no), when I see this magazine cover:
And with a sudden stab of recognition (or horror - I'm not sure which), I suddenly realize that this is my exact same set of sheets and linens in MY bedroom! Of course, I have lavender gauze curtains tying the theme together, and a Danish teak bedroom set, but still.....
A sure fire way to ensure that I WILL NOT vote for you as Delegate to the House of Representatives in District 40, is to let your volunteers litter my entire neighborhood (zip code 21217) with unwanted flyers stuck in our windshields in direct violation of the City's new ban on flyers and circulars:
ENVIRONMENTAL CITATION UNDER CITY CODE ARTICLE 1, SUBTITLE 40: The ban is Legislative File Number 05-0082 (version 0) It reads in part...***...A person [shall] MAY not [place or] affix OR PLACE [an] ANY advertising circular, notice, or other printed item: ... (1) IN OR on any [motor] vehicle in the City, [of Baltimore without] EXCEPT WITH THE EXPRESS permission of the [motor vehicle] owner or operator OF THE VEHICLE; OR ... (2) IN OR ON ANY RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY IN THE CITY (WHETHER IN OR ON A FENCE, RAILING, DOOR, PORCH, LAWN, SIDEWALK, OR OTHERWISE), EXCEPT WITH THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE OWNER OR OCCUPANT OF THAT PROPERTY. ...***... § 1-3. ENFORCEMENT BY CITATION. (A) IN ADDITION TO ANY OTHER CIVIL OR CRIMINAL REMEDY OR ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURE, THIS SUBTITLE MAY BE ENFORCED BY ISSUANCE OF: ... (1) AN ENVIRONMENTAL CITATION UNDER CITY CODE ARTICLE 1, SUBTITLE 40 {"ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD"}; OR ... (2) A CIVIL CITATION UNDER CITY CODE ARTICLE 1, SUBTITLE 41 {"CIVIL CITATIONS"}. ... (B) THE ISSUANCE OF A CITATION TO ENFORCE THIS SUBTITLE DOES NOT PRECLUDE PURSUING ANY OTHER CIVIL OR CRIMINAL REMEDY OR ENFORCEMENT ACTION AUTHORIZED BY LAW....***...§ 1-4. Penalties. ...(A) Any person who violates a provision of this subtitle is guilty of a misdemeanor and, [upon] ON conviction, is subject to a fine of not [less than $10 nor] more than [$50] $100 for each [separate] offense.... (B) EACH CIRCULAR AFFIXED OR PLACED IN VIOLATION OF THIS SUBTITLE CONSTITUTES A SEPARATE OFFENSE.
This incident has been reported to the City's Environmental Control Board.
In other news, your website has not been updated in more than 3 years. You might want to do something about that. Seeing as how you are trying to run a campaign. Or not.
I think it's simply ludicrous to keep basing the success of a new movie on its opening weekend box office receipts.
The only way to really tell how successful a picture was, is to measure how many discreet tickets were SOLD. With ticket prices continuing to rise in urban areas to as much as $10 and $12 a ticket, this "blockbuster" trend will continue, when in fact, overall ticket SALES have fallen due to competition with cable, DVDs and the internet.
If you didn't watch the last half and overtime of the World Cup yesterday, you missed some amazing Soccer.
"He told me Materazzi said something very serious to him but he wouldn't tell me what," agent Alain Migliaccio told BBC Five Live Sport.
Sources in France say it is believed Materazzi insulted Zidane's mother.
I'm sorry, that just does not justify a viscious, bullying attack. Especially, when you are the captain of your team in overtime for the World Cup. I'm sure his mother would agree, and is more ashamed of him, than proud of his misplaced chivalry.
So, my BF, D. just called for our weekly Saturday morning coffee klasch by phone. As usual, we started talking about what trip we should start planning for next.
"What do you think about going to Transylvania at Halloween for a party in Dracula's Castle?"
"Ummm, slow down there Buffy - really?"
"Yeah, my friend K. is putting it together - a trip for 20 people. We should go!"
"How much $$$"
"Dunno yet - she's working on the itinerary - should know in a week or so."
Heads up geeks! The Department of Energy has a really cool website list of the Top 100 most important scientific discoveries supported by the DOE's Office of Science in the last 25 years.
From decoding the human genome to determining that a particular set of three equations can, in fact, capture all the laws of Boolean Algebra, the list is both daunting and impressive. I can't wait for the next 25 years!
A $400 Million dollar effort, called the Amphibian Survival Alliance is being launched to try and stem the tide of losing thousands of amphibian species.
Between nine and 122 species have slipped over the edge to oblivion since 1980, when the assessment said the most dramatic declines began.
That's the saddest thing I've read all week. Childhood would be forever changed without summers spent catching frogs and salamanders in the streams and creeks.
Not to mention how utterly cool they are in general.
Since I moved to the city, I've gotten used to, and in fact covet, many of the cultural treasures, that others might view as oddities. In addition, Bolton Hill, has the added eye candy of Artsafarian/MICA students serving as barristas in our favorite cafes and bistros, and some VERY colorful 'hos plying their most ancient of trades on my corner at 3:00 AM. Nevertheless, you can never really be prepared for what you'll see or hear on my street, or in my neighborhood, on any given day.
A few months ago, I had a bagpiper on my street. This evening, as I was driving down Mt. Royal Terrace, there was a man with long hair, glasses, and baggy shorts, walking along like he had NOT a care in the world and was strumming a BANJO. AND...it was pouring rain. Vicious, late afternoon, summer storm, rain. Didn't bother him one bit.
I love this neighborhood.
Soooo....I got home and was still marvelling over the itinerant banjo player, and how much I love my neighborhood, and then I got quick emails from my friend L, in London, and my Aussie houseguests of last week:
Brit: "Have tickets for Wimbledon (Court 1) tomorrow. Next week am off to Dublin to look after nieces and nephews again....and then I head to Normandy (France) to hook up with my friends from Atlanta. "
Aussies: "Loved seeing you! Paris was lovely, and the house in the South of France is everything we'd hoped for. You must come to Melbourne soon. XXOO"
I have to say - I miss them both terribly, and I hope they know that.
But somehow, I kinda think that last evening's impromptu, 4th of July hangout at the last minute, on a gorgeous summer evening with neighbors and good friends, was every bit as exotic in its own way. Certainly as memorable, and with the tease of strolling banjo minstrels in your backyard....
Hmmmm ...just depends on your point of view. The view from here is pretty damn good.
(Although - my friends' places in Melbourne and London both rock, and I'd love to visit then again.) As with anything in life - it's the people - not the place - that make moments special. And if I ever get to a house in the South of France - I'll be sure to tell you just how special it is.....
Speaking of neighborhood, - They are starting to put up the sculptures, installation pieces, and wiring for Artscape!!!
Johnny Depp has been very forthcoming about the fact that he modeled his Jack Sparrow character after Rolling Stones icon, Keith Richards. In what is a remarkable show of good humor and self deprecation, Richards has agreed to appear in a cameo as Jack Sparrow's Dad in the next "Pirates of the Carribean" flick.
Maryland, that is. And when you can buy tubs of fresh, off the dock, lump backfin crabmeat for $9.99 a pound....I'd rather not live anywhere else. Throw in the heirloom tomatoes, fresh corn on the cob and other summer treats.....
It's a good thing,
PS: If you're within reading distance, it's the Superfresh at 42nd street in Hampden that's practically giving away the crabmeat this weekend. I need another freezer.
It would seem that men really do place a higher priority on beer and football than on sex.
Soccer and sex, it appears, do not mix very well - even in Germany, where prostitution is legal and the World Cup organizers have pushed the slogan "A Time to Make Friends." There are plenty of friendly fans here, most of them male and many pie-eyed by alcohol. The bad news for the sex trade is that they would rather guzzle another beer than go looking for a prostitute.
"For most people, it's just too complicated," Ms. Klee said. "It's difficult to say to your friends, 'I'm going to leave you now and go to a brothel for 20 minutes.' That's not normal behavior."
Is it just me, or does the thought of something going horribly wrong on the next shuttle launch, make you think that sending a shuttle into space on the Fourth of July is perhaps not such a hot idea?
I warched Cloumbia explode on live TV 21 years ago, and I'd very much like to not have to repeat that experience.
Weird. I was FORCED to putz yesterday. Just as I was cleaning up and putting away groceries at about 5:00 last night, PFFFFT. No electricity. All the power went out.
WTF?
I hurried up and put the perishables away and shut the fridge, and called BGE. I was worried that my switch to Washington Gas and Electric, which was to occur on July 1, but was supposed to be "invisible" to me (except for my bill), had resulted in an error somewhere and that my service was cut off. Luckily for me, not so. The whole street was dark.
I'm not sure what it is about our area, but we are plagued with electric outages and BGE comes out, digs a hole or fiddles at the top of a power line and leaves, without ever seeming to FIX the problem.
I phoned in the outage and was told the power would be back by 8:30 PM.
Hmmm....so much for dinner. I grabbed my book and happily headed up the street to "b", where my favorite, cutest-boy-in-the-world waiter, Josh, was happy to see me - again. "You're cooking tonight!" I told him. He laughed and said "long time, no see", since I had been there for brunch earlier, I should have just stayed all day.
After chatting with half the neighborhood, a bowl of fresh gazpacho, and a plate of grilled tilefish stuffed with crab, longastino, and brie later, I headed home in hopes of power. I got home seconds before the heavens opened up and it poured rain.
No power. Called BGE again, only to find out that the power was not scheduled to be back on before midnight!!
Get candles. Ponder going out to the movies, but it was past the 7:30 start time of most, and besides, I already rented the ones I wanted at Blockbuster for the evening. Idea!!!
Watch the movie on the laptop! Check battery level and it looks like I'll just about make it.
Sure enough, as if on cue, when the "low battery" warning came up on the laptop at about 10:30, the lights flickered back on, and I was able to catch the last bit of the movie on the big screen.
After two weeks straight of working 14 hour days, and having house guests on top of that, I have this weekend OFF. Completely and totally OFF. OFF as in no plans, no demands other than what I choose to do, and since I have very little disposable $$$ this month after the vacation in AZ, and a lot of traveling, family gifts, and friends visiting in June, I can't really afford to do anything extravagant anyway. I literally cannot remember the last time I had four days off all to myself with no guests and no travel (other than being sick - no fun there). Heaven.
So yesterday, after I slept in past 8:00 (completely decadent), I putzed. REALLY putzed. I started a new book (see sidebar, Chris Moore's latest, A Dirty Job - laugh out loud funny), took a nap, enjoyed the weather out on the deck, drank ice tea, and putzed some more. And after burning a duck breast for dinner on the grill, when I was really good and putzed out, I had a glass of wine and went to bed early to read some more.
Today, I have accomplished.....more putzing. And good coffee, and the Sunday NYT, and most of the crossword puzzle (Sunday is obscenely hard). Now, I am putzing again, but will shower, take myself out to brunch, get some groceries, and plant pots and pots of flowers and work in the yard. Tonight, I will grill fish tacos with mango and black bean salsa and watch a movie of my choosing.
Tomorrow: more putzing, and some cleaning of the storage room and touching up some paint around the house.
