Two Shaw Area Blogs to Mention
BAANC Blog- That the Blagden Alley And (is that what the other A is for?) Naylor Court Blog. So get your announcements for the next BAA meeting here as well as other information around the BA/NC area.
And
Bread for the City which has an office on 7th Street has a blog. From what I've read it is a group blog so keep note that the poster may not be the author. There are some Shaw topics, but most, so far deal with affordable housing. There are good reads, but there was at least one post that made my eyes roll. The
latest post by Kate Perkins deserves a read because she talks about neighbors as neighbors and the limitations of mixed income projects. Well that's how I read it, and I really like her humble tone.
Labels: misc
That ringing
I've figured out where the bells that ring the hours come from. I was walking near Immaculate Conception on 8th and N one evening and heard the bells there, sounding like they were coming from the church. All this while I was guessing it was coming from LeDroit or over by Howard.
Si (of MVSQ) mentioned that sound bounces around on the buildings, which could explain my confusion.
Labels: churches, misc
Nobody's from here, depends
This would be a better referenced post if I knew where the heck my Census table was, but alas, I don't have it. But when I find it, I'll correct the data and cite it and all that good academic stuff.
One day I had a question, a question that fun Census data could answer. Who's actually from here? There are DC natives, they proudly mention that they are from here. But so many people I meet around Shaw are not. Heck DC has only had two elected mayors born DC, Sharon Pratt-Kelly and Adrian Fenty. Marion Barry was from Mississippi.
Broken down by race, a little over half of DC black population is DC born. It's something like 55% or 58% depending on how I factor in foreign born Blacks. The majority of non-DC native blacks come from Southern states. I'm from Florida, so I'd be part of that. Of the white population only something-teen percent of y'all are from here. Over 80% of you are not from here. Which s probably why, if most of your contacts, associates and friends are also white you'd probably be under the impression that no one is really from here. White non-natives, tend to be from all over, with a slight majority coming from the northeast. Of other racial groups, a majority are not from here either.
Going by the data it can explain some different dynamics at play as a more transient population moves into areas with a lot of native oldtimers. A population of people, black (that 40%), white, Latino & other from diverse areas having their own culture, ways, and reasons for coming to DC may from time to time conflict with the indigenous culture and ways.
Labels: misc
Sittin around the house
My family was never really big on holidays. Mostly we'd treat it like an extra weekend day, which is what I'm doing today. My big plan is to once again attempt to clean the first floor and make sure no one sets anything off in my front yard.
I love my little bit of 600-800 sq. feet of American dirt so much that I will fiercely protect it with a water hose. Though it looks like it won't be much of an issue this year. There is the possibility of non-firework friendly weather and the low level of pre-4th firework noise.
Labels: misc
Fireworks have now started
They may have started before this weekend but it was this weekend when I started to hear them go off. With a lack of firework stands so far (have you seen any?) and other factors I gather this year won't be as noisy as the previous ones. The proof will be in the 4th of July pudding. The best way to describe 4th of July night 'round here is 'crazy'. Smoke and noise and debris everywhere almost on every corner, kind of crazy.
Will there be on the off chance a quieter 4th? I'm not ready to bet on it, but if it is a bit more sedate with fewer neighborhood D.I.Y. shows competing with the big show on the Mall, I wouldn't be surprised.
Labels: misc, quality of life
Risking a jinx- fireworks
At the risk of jinxing it, have you noticed a decrease in pre-4th of July firework noise? I swear this time a few years back there was the old neighborhood question of "fireworks or gunfire?" Over time I've noticed a decrease in firework activity that used to start up around mid June and continue into early August. It's late June and I've only heard one incident of fireworks going off.
The 4th also provides a good gauge of what's going on with the neighborhood. It will be interesting to see how many drive by fireworkings there are. The drive bys are where people with MD tags jump out from their mini-van, get their big package of fireworks out and light them up on a DC corner, then jump back into the vehicle and head back to Maryland. With gas prices above $4 a gallon, we might see less of that.
Then again the reason I might be hearing fewer firecrackers, is because this year I have insulation and completely closed windows(AC).
Labels: misc
Powerless
If you are reading this, you probably have power.
Before I left home all the lights went out. Checked next door and they lost power too. Asked the folks a few houses down, no power. The next block, no power. I debated sticking around the house, but realizing I can't do squat, I went on to work.
There is no power along 9th Street from the Convention Center to the Spy Museum. The traffic lights were out. Looking west on New York and Mass Aves, it appears the lights were out there too.
===
Oh and Happy Friday 13th.
===UPDATTE===
If the
Pepco Outtage Map is anything to go by, my milk and meat should be fine.
Labels: misc
PSA- Roommate Scam
I've gotten a couple of emails lately regarding something that at a closer look appears to be some sort of scam targeted at bloggers. I'm not sure but after the 3rd or 4th email exchange I'm sure I'll have a better clue. When something in the emails tipped me off, I started looking to see if this was a scam I hadn't heard of I found sites regarding scam emails I've gotten before.
I've had roommates all my adult life. The longest I've ever been without a roommate is 1 year. So this means advertising for roommates in the City Paper, and Craigslist. I've gone through enough roommates and had to advertise for enough roommates to get 3 kinds of scam emails. So as a public service, I present:
Scam #1- Fashion Model AbroadShe's fun, fabulous, out going and will be doing work in the fashionable city of Washington, DC. Sadly dah-lings, she is in the deepest of Africa with her mother and cannot be reached by phone.
Example:Thanks for the mail and i appreciate your efforts towards this .I am interested in renting your room.I will need more info from you regards to the house and also i need to know the deposit that i will be paying before i arrive,i am from ENGLAND,but currently based in west africa now with my mom because she works for a missionary school and she is posted down here,i want to move over to the US,Kindly get back to me ASAP with the deposit i need to pay because i will like to pay for the deposit before my arrival and i will like to know the total amount i will be paying for a whole year but i will like to pay the deposit first of all,I do part time modelling and also i have finished with my masters programme.I do model and i have job offers already in the US,I have my masters degree in accounting.My job will be based on contracts so i do not have to go to work all the time,I will only need to go to work 3 times in a week.
Scam #2- London Lawyer UncleHe is contacting you on behalf of his niece who will be coming to the States. Never mind that I'm looking for a roommate and not renting an apartment. Please note different emails.
Example: --- colly smith [collysmith2007@yahoo.co.uk] wrote:
Hello,
I'm Colly Dave of smith Ventures from United Kingdom.I came across your profile for your place to be rented out.I am interested in renting your place for my neice who will be coming to the US. Please answer my following questions below:
1) I will like to know if your appartment is still available
2) I will like to know the rent fee per month and if you require deposit.
3) I want to know if you accept cashier check for payment so I can make an advance payment before her arrival that will stand as commitment
4) Lastly, I will like to know more about you.
I will be very glad to have all this questions answered.
NOTE;REPLY TO collysmith2006@gmail.com
Hope to hear from you soon
Best Regards
Colly
Scam #3- Unknown money bagsStraight and to the point. They got a money order, they want to send it to you for the rent and deposit. (I tend to delete those quickly and not respond so I have no examples)
Probably Not A Scam But A Waste Of Thought- Lil' Miss Scaredy PantsShe's a student and wants her BFF from 3rd grade, her aunt or 2nd cousin to scope out the place for her, before she comes and applies. I've had these types contact me and it never pans out, so I see these responses as a waste of my time. I'm happy for Auntie M or Becky or whomever to contact me directly, but they never do, or logistics never work out.
Labels: misc
I've seen this scene before
Last week heading out from work, pondering taking a cab home to test out the supposed lower prices, I saw a couple walking along Pennsylvania Avenue. What grabbed my attention was the pleading man. The woman was a long haired blond in her late thirties, maybe mid forties wearing a tight fitting black jeans and tee. The man was in his late forties, sorta moppish hair cut, wearing the most nondescript clothes ever.
Man: Let me drive you home
Woman: [silence and keeps walking ahead]
Man: Please [followed by more whiny pleading]
Then there is a certain point when he looks like he's going to get down on his knees, as she's keeping her stride on....
Man: She means nothing to me!
Well that explains a lot. Dude, you're in trouble.
Labels: misc
Risk and Benefits
I was looking at mutual funds for an education fund I'm supposed to set up for the niece before the year is out when I answered a question on someone
else's site about crime in Shaw. So this explains the state of mind I was in when answering.
Life is filled with risk. And not just one kind of risk, all sorts of horrid things could happen to your health, heart, and soul. Add to it, it doesn't get evenly spread. You could move to Shaw, live here for 7 years and experience nothing but good. Just as well you could move here, buy a money pit, have your car stolen, get hassled by various people on the street, and move out after 2 years, bitter and angry.
Your experience here could depend on a slew of factors ranging from your personality, your immediate environment, that big wild card, fate, and how all those things mix together on any given day. Say you did buy that money pit, and by chance you mention it to some neighbors/friends/ co-workers who experienced the same problem and could advise you before you threw too much money at it. Or maybe there are a thousand little things that go wrong that need fixing, whether you're the kind of person who could install drywall in your sleep or if you can barely change a light bulb may color how you see the place(the availability of loved ones who like coming over to help with that sort of thing count too).
Only you, know 'you' well enough and what's going on in your life to determine if you can tolerate the various risks of buying a fixer upper or moving into a group house on this or that street in Shaw.
With that said, there are benefits to living here, and this too depends on you and what's going on in your life. I like being able to walk home on a mild day after work. It helps that the job is tiny bit over a mile from the house. If you work in Dulles, this is not a option for you. It helps that there are several other easy transportation options to work and there are several places to walk t, which makes it possible to live without a car. I don't know if the car-dependent people get much out of this. I've been in the house for 7 years, fixed it up and have little intention of moving anywhere anytime soon. But should the University of Florida call me out of the blue wanting me to work at one of the non-med libraries..... see ya. I believe, and know for myself that homeowners who have been in their houses for a decent length of time, say around and over 10 years, should see a decent return on their investment. The reinvestment of commercial ventures (restaurants, coffee shops, stores), improved metro (a straight Green line was not always there), improvements to decaying residential properties, and a more attractive Downtown (remember when it was dead after 6 and on weekends?) have made Shaw a more attractive place to be. There is still room for improvement.
More good neighbors than bad. More good experiences than bad. Interesting stories to tell. Yeah, so far it's been like a slow growing stock that pays decent dividends.
Labels: misc, quality of life
People watching
This is mainly a response to those who say, all people in DC dress a certain way, plus something I noticed about the Gallery Place 3-6pm crowd.
Maybe it is where you live and work and who you actually notice versus the people you sort of ignore thing. If I went by what people just around where I work, a good number wear whatever the uniform supply company put out (security, maintenance, and Downtown BID personnel), followed by what can be called business causal which is a huge range, followed by people in suits, and then casual (shorts/jeans and tee-shirts, or what I wear on Fridays to work).
Now let me speak of the Gallery Place crowd. Despite also being called Chinatown, there is a noticeable lack of majority of persons of Asian decent mulling around. Sometimes what's going on at the Verizon Center determines what crowds are seen along 7th and H. If I see a lot of suburban harried looking parents with children I guess the Wiggles or whatever big ticket children's entertainment phenom is in town. Crowds of people in over-sized Caps jerseys, hockey game. But there is another set of people who I must of not noticed before, young African American men and women dressing in a highly conscious urban style.
Not really paying attention, I just probably lumped these folks in with the rowdy after school crowd of kids who look like the kids from my neighborhood. But then, after waiting so many times for the bus I noticed groups of late-teens, twenty-somethings with the big sunglasses and a detailed attention to coordinating their whole look. I noticed the newness and crispness of some of the clothes, ie a total lack of wrinkles. I tend to prefer a more conservative and preppy look. Yet, as I'm noticing this subset of the crowd it was like a little light going off, where, "oh, I see what you're doing. That goes, with that, which accentuates that other thing."
Anyone else notice them too?
Labels: misc
Make your dog parks where you may
Coming home yesterday from the R Street exit of the Shaw/Howard station, noticed a man with his mid-sized black dog finishing up a romp around the enclosed space that was the Waltha Daniel's Library. It appears that the gate was open on the 8th Street side and I guess the pair made use of the temporary green space. As far as a more formal option goes, ANC 2C02 Kevin Chapple
has a posting about a petition for a dog park in Shaw.
I don't own a dog, but I see a need for dog parks. And to the argument that parks should be for people. Well they are for people, people with dogs.
Labels: misc
So how was your weekend?
Mine?
Great. Friday
I appeared in the Washington Post's Express newspaper, but didn't know it until I got an email about it. Tis the problem with having a subscription to the main paper, not having a need to pick up the free one. It's a decent article and maybe later this week I might explore the whole researching where to buy process.
Saturday, you &%#!! took all the croissants. Ok, not all, you left two. I swear it was barely 9:30 when I got to Catania's and she was out of a lot of my favorites. In that week's
Food section Catania was mentioned so I expected there'd be fewer choices, but by golly people. Since I had a lot of trouble fitting into my ball gown that night I guess it was for the best. So that I can lay off the buttery goodness that are the $1.25 croissants, let me share a trick with you. I tend to buy a whole bunch and bag/wrap and freeze them immediately. When I want a hot croissant for later I take it out and microwave it in a ziplock bag for 1 minute and 20 to 35 seconds at 30% power.
Later that day I went out to Glen Echo Park for the Strauss Waltz. About 20 minutes before my ride was suppose to arrive I discovered my dress no longer fit. I'm sure it was a comical scene as I got my roommate to try to zip me up, while I'm sucking in and the fabric just refused to come together. After a couple of tries we gave up. So I went to Plan B dress, a longer, even more formal looking gown. That didn't fit either. I did find a dress but I'm going to have to lay off the croissants.
Maybe it would help to lay off the butter and the cream too. As Sunday I made
Lapin a la Moutard, Rabbit with Mustard Sauce. I found fresh rabbit at the Florida Market/Capital City Market on Saturday in that big building with all the vendors and stalls inside. The mustard cream sauce was delicious, problem is that it is mustard and a boat load of heavy whipping cream, with a pinch of tarragon.
In the garden the tarragon has sprout back up. Through the winter it lay dormant, now it's already to be used. It's been in its pot for about two years and comes back in the spring. Also I was able to take some seedling cuttings and make them into salad. I threw the seeds in the pot a few weeks ago and now I'm able to reap some reward. Well with the Black Seeded Simpson and the arugula, the mache is too small to bother with still. I swear last week I threw some radish seeds in the pot and there are little seedling up already.
Anyway, hope you had a good weekend.
Labels: Capital City Market, gardening, misc
Going backwards in heels to music
This has nothing to do with Shaw. Or even the District of Columbia. This falls under the "it's my blog I'll post what I want" rule.Every year I look forward to the annual
'Evening with Strauss Viennese Waltz' at Glen Echo. It's where I dig out one of my only two formal dresses, pack a couple of heels and somehow get myself out to the wilds of Maryland to dance with strangers in tuxes.
If you haven't been out to Glen Echo Park for anything, I highly recommend you go at least once and if possible do something in the Spanish Ballroom. There are a couple of different regular dances out there for swing/lindy hop, waltz, zydeco, contra, and folk held in the ballroom. I don't remember if I've been on the merry-go-round there. I believe it will be in operation this weekend, so if my dance card is free and it is still on, I'll probably go for a ride.
Oh yes, for the annual waltz there are dance cards. You get a tiny pencil and a little booklet on a string and you try to get the card filled out (or not in my case as I don't know how to tango and there is at least 1 tango for the night). Besides the main waltzing, there is the tango, and one German named dance that involves a lot of hopping and though quite fun, by the time you really get into it, it's over. All in all it is great fun, a great excuse to dust off the formal wear and cheap ($15 bucks).
Labels: misc
Joys of Craigslist
Jimbo discovered a Craigslist
complaint about a car at Q and New Jersey with a car alarm that constantly goes off. I guess it is around the same area where I saw the torched remains of a car... it was completely black, so either it was torched or a lousy car painted completely with flat black paint.
I was bobbing around Craigslist looking at the rental and for sale pictures, because I like to see how people decorate or design their spaces, when I came across
this. Ok, would someone like to explain WTF is that? What exactly is being advertised in the picture?
Labels: misc
Dump Truck Protest
I work in lower Penn Quarter and right now I'm being serenaded by dump truck horns. If I stick my head around a colleague's cubical I can sort of see a huge convoy of building construction dump trucks. Some of them have signs. Unfortunately the only one I could read said "Fuel Costs". There was another that might have said something about occupational safety or another about insurance. A periodic complaint we have on our floor is it is nearly impossible to read protester's signs, so we spend most of our time trying to figure out what the heck is the message.
The on going, cacophony of truck horns sounds like the brass section tuning up.
Update= I went down to the street level to take a look, one sign said "Fair Compensation", which looks like "New Construction" from the office window. Also from the street, those horns are loud.
Labels: misc
April 1st
April showers means... less watering for me.
It did cross my mind to do an April Fools post. Something along the lines of 'French Bistro to come to corner of R & New Jersey', but I thought that, that, would be too cruel. However,
Frozen Tropics has gone on a April Fool's roll, my favorite of which is "
Local Historians Just Make Sh t Up". Followed by "
Girlfriend No Longer Has Excuse To Not Visit H St Boyfriend" with a lovely observation of a segment of the west of 16th St anglo-female community.
"I saw Napa used sun-drieds," said Ginny referring to the sun-dried tomatoes sprinkled liberally throughout NAPA's menu. "And that was the deal-sealer for me. No white woman with a college degree can pass them up. I am going to come over at 7 p.m. maybe 7:30 this Saturday. Tell him to make sure no black guys are hanging on the corner this time."
Labels: blog, misc
Is the grass greener and sometimes you can have too much of a good thing
Last week I attended a farewell dinner. No farewell dinner sounds to formal, we met at a restaurant, parked at a couple of tables the staff pulled together, drank and talked about the honoree's career. The man of honor used to be my boss and was leaving to do work at another institution.
Anyway, former boss man and his wife are selling their Capitol Hill home because it is just too busy. I've known the couple for a while, and have been to their house. When I visited about a little less than 10 years ago the way I navigated their neighborhood, was trying to stay on the not-scary part of the street. Believe it or not, parts were kinda sketchy at night a decade ago. Now their street is less dark and frightening.
However, since the increased commercial activity along Pennsylvania and 8th Street, their neighborhood has gotten loud. I remember him complaining once how he could hear his neighbor's alarm clock. So with new complaints about increased traffic, both car and foot, I can understand why he and his wife want out.
On one level a vibrant commercial strip is a good thing. However, it is a mixed blessing. It makes your house more valuable, neighborhood safer and there are more amenities. However, you're afraid to move your car, because when you come back there may be nothing on your block, or near your block, when you come home (sounds like Dupont Circle). And then there is the street noise of cars, and people talking.
I don't know where they will go if and when they sell. I guess they will stay in the city, maybe a quieter, or better insulated part of the city.
Labels: misc
Conversations I need to stop having in mixed company
I was in Georgetown talking with a woman when in the conversation I mentioned my usual neighborhood complaints of guys on the corner, drug dealing, the friendly neighborhood crackhead (formerly crack ho as no one has lately reported her doing business), and vacant houses. She asked "Now where do you live again?" This is when I realized I should have kept my mouth shut, as idle chatter about boyz in the hood and other transitional neighborhood woes don't play well in other parts of town. I do remember responding to the question with humor.
Labels: misc
Little White House
One of these things is not like the other,
Come on won't you tell me so.
Can you tell me which thing is not like the other.
Before my song is done.
And now my song is done.
Labels: misc
There is bell ringing in my ear
I've been meaning to mention it, but have you noticed bells chiming, sometimes ringing off the hours in the past month or two? I have no clue where this is coming from. Scott is guessing that they are in the direction of St. George's Episcopal on U St in Eckington/Bloomingdale. Anyone else have a clue of who is ringing the bells?
Labels: misc
Books & seeds
I stopped by the Big Bear to check out their
little library and pickup some coffee grounds for ye olde compost bin. Not much there on the bookshelf so I'll be seeing what I can spare from my shelves, that might make for an interesting coffeehouse read.
Currently I'm reading Sudhir A. Venkatesh's
American Project and I'm only at page 87. It isn't as much of a page turner as his
Gang Leader for a Day, it covers around about the same material but is more academic, and talks more about the governmental bodies that play a role in the history and operations of the Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago. There were a few things that have caught my attention so far in the book. One was the story of the Robert Taylor Homes starting off as mixed income housing and how policies helped turned it into a poor people warehouse. The second thing is the underground economy developing and the incentives for relatively benign activities to be driven underground. On this second thing, the underground economy included child care services, food and craft production, car repair, hair styling, subleasing, and under the table labor as well as criminal commerce such as selling stolen items, drugs, gambling, prostitution and 'protection.' What I find fascinating are the incentives that keep the non-criminal stuff underground. Anyway, when I'm done with the book I will add it to the BB library.
On seeds, I only got one bite for an exchange. I'll try again. Any one want to engage in a seed swap meet?
Labels: crime, gardening, misc
Games Children Play
From the screaming and yelling the neighborhood kids are engaging in and a certain chant, I believe the kids are playing Jerry Springer. I'm not going to look out the window to see if anyone is playing the role of Trailer Trash Transvestite. And yes, I'm posting this at 10:55PM. And, yes, the kids are outside at 10:55PM. No, I don't know why the kids aren't in the house.
Labels: misc
Gender and the corner
This is an observation, and I am weak on gender theory, but we've got guys on the corner. You know, the ones you're calling 311 or 911 on for hanging on the corner. It's males, men, boys, hanging on the corner. Where are the women? Home? At work? Any ideas?
Labels: misc
It's 8AM Thursday, do you know where your toy sized dog is?
I'm not sure about the breed, but it wasn't a bichon frise, and I'm not entirely sure if it was a
shih tzu maybe a scotty but it was a little white dog on the 1600 block of 5th St NW without a human around that I met up with on the way to work. It barked at me and walked away (south on the even side of the sidewalk) as I tried to approach it to look at it's tinkling tags. I walked about 30 feet off my normal route before I turned around and gave up. I'm not going to mess with a dog that doesn't want to be bothered with me.
Anyway, if that's your dog, that's where I last saw it.
Labels: misc
Islamic_Way
Once again. Blogger is being a butt. So I post for your entertainment, Islamic Way, which I think is that tiny stretch of road that is the turn off to get on to New Jersey.
Labels: misc
Halloween recap
Well it got to a slow start. 5pm, nothing. 6pm, nothing. 7pm, kids on the block hover on one side of the street and costumed relatives driven in hover with them.
Sometime between 7:30pm and 8:10pm an impromptu costumed block party breaks out, with blond little tykes in too cute costumes(with parents), running up and down the sidewalk around with black princess fairies, as teens in Scream/Jason masks gossip and josh around, while semi-un-costumed adults of the whole diversity rainbow give out candy and flit back and forth across the street. Passing slowly by twice was a police cruiser, whose occupant added to the festive spirit by giving a ghoulish laugh over the car's loudspeaker. A few Latino trick or treat families stumbled on to this scene and one woman giving out candy had her costumed kids take pictures with the passing kids.
My favorite costume was the bloody skateboarding doctor. A kid/young adult went house to house on his skateboard and he had a blood splattered lab coat, face shield/mask, and a stethoscope. A few others on my block got a kick out of his get up as well.
Then the uncostumed gang of teens started showing up, and that's when I turned out the lights and walked a few doors over to crash the Halloween party for parents. It was breaking up when I called it quits a little before 9pm. When enough big slovenly teens start running around and the cute kid numbers are nil, it's not fun anymore.
Labels: misc, neighbors
Reminder: Halloween
Today is Halloween, and yes, kids do trick or treat in the hood. I know of at least three houses on my block giving away candy. I don't know or think kids bother with condo buildings, but they will go to houses. Also be aware that the lame non-costumed losers will beg you for candy (if you are giving it out), accept it as part of the day. But there is no reason you have to give them the good stuff.
Labels: misc
Announcements
Inshaw.com/ann.htm has been the page I've been posting the odd announcement. I say odd, because I post things when I get around to it. There are some groups whose stuff I don't post, but most of the time if I don't post something, it's because I'm lazy. Or I didn't get it early enough. I need a week at the least. Or there was other stuff going on when I got the message and then it got buried under a ton of other emails. Or, there is the odd chance that my spam filter caught it.
Anyway, on this page over on the right hand menu, I've got a link for those random haphazard announcements that can overcome my too full email box and my habit of procrastination and not wanting to do stuff.
Labels: misc
Waddaminute: Porch Culture
Something said at the Shiloh FLC Gentrification forum is not sitting right with me. And this is just my life experience, which may not reflect someone else's who may have lived in a different era and place. But the idea of porch culture being so prominent isn't exactly jiving with my memories.
I grew up in a mediumish North Central Florida city in the 1970s-1980s. I'll admit there has been some climate change, but the general weather is hot & humid. I had no clue what people meant by humidity until moving north because when it was hot it was always humid. Shade did not matter, much. So in the 70s I think people did hang out on their screened (Florida has big bugs) porches, but as air conditioning, sweet, sweet humidity controlling AC in the form of window units became more affordable in the 80s and 90s people in my neighborhood were seen less often on their porches.
Also, I think cable also played a part. My family got cable in the early 80s, 1982 or 1983 to be exact. Yes, it is entertaining to watch the world go by sitting on the porch, but so are the stories and wrestling and that new Michael Jackson video in the AC.
FF to today in Shaw.
Not that no one hangs out on their porch or stoop. I will occasionally sit outside in the front yard, when the mood grabs me. Cell phone guy will be out, in his front, broadcasting his business (at some point he'll wander to his backyard too) loudly and clearly. Other households will sit out front for a smoke, or to decompress before heading back inside. There are so many inside things that demand our leisure time, so it seems unfair to blame gentrification for the decline of porch culture. Maybe technology is to blame.
Labels: gentrification, misc
GAS LEAK! at 3rd and R
There is a Haz-Mat crew (orange jumpsuits) and cops and firemen all over the place. From the small band of Latino workers under a shaded tree and the small backhoe on the corner, it may seem that some construction work was going on and a gas line was hit. I wonder if the GC called
811 before digging? Anyho I had to leave the smell of gas (or something) was irritating my nose something fierce.
Labels: misc
Friday wrap up
Instead of going to work I went to Ocean City, MD (for a professional meeting) and grabbed some seaweed and small shells for the compost bin. I'll wash off the salt and throw what I have in compost bin tonight. Seaweed (once you wash off the salt) is very good for compost and the shells I guess provide calcium.
If you spend more than 10 minutes on Google and can't find what you're looking for it may be time to consult a librarian.-- Lesson learned at conference.
Has anyone noticed that a bunch of houses on Bates are up for sale? Has anyone also noticed that it seems to be the same realtor? Or is it just me?
Lastly, I've been thinking of the whole, well now our Truxton/Shaw houses are worth 2x or 3x as much so such and such should happen. The fault I find in this is that houses in more established DC neighborhoods are also worth 2x to 4x as much. It is not that anything has happened. There have been improvements in transitional neighborhoods such as ours that make the price raises just more than inflation. However, my $300K (formerly $100K) fee simple house with yard is worth as much as a studio sized condo in Dupont with no parking or balcony. On the plus side I could trade it in for a small detached house with a lawnmower worthy yard in the uncool section of College Park, MD (PG County). I guess my rambling point is although we know how much our own and our neighbors' houses are worth, we should also know the comparables across town.
Labels: houses, misc
Oh hell no!
Most of the time stuff happing down at the mall, down in the Federal part of the city has little impact on Shaw. But the ceremonies to celebrate the Great Darth Lord's continuing rule over the Empire on the 20th will make the roads around the Convention Center close. 11th Street between NY Ave and N, N Street to 6th St, and 6th to Mass Ave closed from Wednesday to Thursday. Will Darth Dubya be in Shaw? Why oh great Darth Lord why?
Labels: misc
