Bits of Spam

Aug 04

The return of Christ has already been scheduled, according to this billboard outside the Double T Diner in White Marsh, Maryland. (According to their web site, “God will destroy this world on October 21, 2011.”)

Geez, what a bummer.

Aug 03

Massive alien monster moth, seen outside the Double T Diner in White Marsh, Maryland. Yeesh!

Jun 01

Two songs I love

May 31

Austin Burger at Abel’s on the Lake:

Topped with goat cheese, avocado, red onions, tomato, lettuce. It was amazing.

May 30

Austin Burger at Abel’s on the Lake:

Topped with goat cheese, avocado, red onions, tomato, lettuce. It was amazing.

Downtown Austin #ATXpress:

View from southbound I-35.

May 29

Not a great omen. #ATXPress:

On the front page of today’s edition of the Roanoke Times.

First meal of #ATXPress:

Aaron introduces me to Pioneer Pit Beef, near Security Square Shopping Center.

Apr 16

Humanity, compassion, and the revolution that lies ahead of us. -

This is one of the most important pieces I’ve ever read, encapsulating just about everything I believe, and written by a roller derby friend of mine. Please take a few minutes to read this and let yourself think.

Mar 08

“

I’m hoping somebody can help me with a serious problem. The city of Baltimore is looking at my house for having too many pets. My room mate is going to apply for a multiple pet license, but even with that we will have 2 more pets than we’re allowed. Failure to comply may result in all of our pets being seized.

I have two cats that need a new home, both are up to date on their shots and in good health. They are brother and sister, about 2 years old. Baileys is an orange tabby, Guinness is a black and white torti. They are both awesome cats: love people, get along well with other cats, tolerate most dogs. I got them when they were about 2 months old. The previous owners found them abandoned in a gutter when they were 2 weeks old. I do not want to split them up, since they didn’t know their mother and have always been together.

Please let me know if any of you are interested in taking these guys in. Also, please forward this to anyone who might be interested. Unfortunately time is against me here: if I can’t get them a new home this week, they’ll probably have to go to a shelter.

Thanks for your help,
Dani

Feb 09

As Baltimore clears its streets, the residents often become as much of an obstacle as the snow does.

The city of Baltimore is still recovering from last weekend’s crippling 26-to-30-inch snowstorm (with another 10 to 20 inches of snow arriving this afternoon), and there’s understandably a lot of talk about how well the city has handled the job of clearing its streets of snow and ice.  Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake—only having been in office since last Thursday—and the agencies she oversees have received plenty of praise for their handling of the situation, and also a lot of complaints about what hasn’t been done yet.

To those of you who are bashing the mayor and the city for how they’ve done so far, I offer two words:  BE PATIENT.  And to those who counter that with “I have been patient for long enough!” I answer with three more words:  NO YOU HAVEN’T.

Consider the following, if you will:

• For a city that has a nationally-famous reputation for being managed badly, a lot is getting done. The city is handling the aftermath of this storm better than it has handled much smaller storms that came in the weeks—and years—before it.  The city seems to be learning to do things better, but total improvement can’t happen overnight.

• The city does not have the equipment, personnel, or resources to handle a snowstorm of this magnitude. Realistically, we shouldn’t expect it to, since this is a city that gets an average of 18 inches of snow a year (usually in the form of several smaller storms) and is coping with budget shortfalls and a massive deficit.

• The mayor has been upfront and transparent about how the street operations have been going. She’s been making unprecedented use of social media networks to keep citizens informed about the efforts that are being made and making herself much more available to radio and television stations than her predecessor ever did.

• The streets that matter the most are, for the most part, in excellent shape. Yes, there are a lot of people who can’t get off their side streets, but if the city does not clear enough of the snow and ice on its most important roadways, the city will not be able to handle even a greatly reduced amount of necessary traffic, roads will become gridlocked everywhere, public transit will be unable to operate, the city will grind to a halt, and it won’t matter if you can get out of your residential parking space in the first place.

I’ve done more than my share of driving around in the city since the snowstorm first arrived, and I’ve come to the conclusion that the city is handling it better than its residents, who are often more to blame than the city is for more progress not being made on the condition of the roads.

Allow me to explain.

Baltimore’s most essential roadways are designated as “snow emergency routes” and are marked with black-and-white signs that specify 12-hour periods in which you are prohibited from parking your car on that side of the block when instructed by the city.  Everyone understands the meaning of these instructions, and the city goes to reasonable lengths to let people know when a snow emergency is being declared (and really, in situations such as this one, you shouldn’t even need to be told).  My main gripe with the city is that it rarely seems to enforce these rules by ticketing and towing those who don’t comply; regardless, the law is out there and it’s clear.

That said, here’s how things are supposed to work:  People clear their cars from the snow emergency routes.  Those roads are plowed from curb to curb, restoring the entire width of those roadways.  People are then able to to use the available parking on those roads, allowing the city to focus on plowing secondary roads and residential streets that are littered with less automotive obstacles.  If the plan is followed by all, more gets done, and it gets done faster.

After having heard a lot of complaints about the condition of Baltimore’s trendy and iconic Hampden neighborhood, I took it upon myself to check it out last night.  West 36th Street, known locally as “The Avenue”, was in miserable shape:  limited room for traffic, piles of snow all over the place, and a roadway that wasn’t even snowpacked very well (much less plowed clear).  However, it was clear to me that the city wasn’t given much room to work with, since much of the snow piling was done around cars that were left on the street during the storm—some in regular parking spaces, some wherever they could be left.  This is a scene I saw in other neighboorhoods as well, such as Fells Point.

To those who live in these neighborhoods and have been venting your fury nonstop, let me assure you that you’re being heard.  Maybe too much.  If your street hasn’t been cleared, don’t take it personally; the city is learning to handle these circumstances better, it is focusing first and most on its highest priorities, and it is underequipped to handle the task at hand, even this long after the last flake has fallen.  Yes, you absolutely should hold the city responsible for what needs to be done, and yes, you have every right to be frustrated if your car is still trapped by snow…but after a certain point, your words becomes noise, your demeanor turns bitter, and you encourage people to tune you out when they would otherwise listen.  Don’t go there; it will only make things worse for you (and also for those who can hear you).

And to Mayor Rawlings-Blake, you’ve handled this crisis remarkable well for someone who’s only been on the job for a few days; just understand that beyond all this praise are a lot of expectations for the future.

Feb 04

You dropped food on the floor. Do you eat it? Consult this flowchart.

Click for full size.

(via)

Jan 23

“

I think the deeper reason people are so inflamed by this petty war is that Conan in his own way has come to represent the aggrieved, the injured, the wrongly terminated. I think there is a sense in this country that giant corporations are ruining everything, even late night talk shows. Something so insignificant takes on greater importance because I think on some level, “The Tonight Show” actually has become a very flawed stand-in for all the jobs lost to corporate greed, arrogance, and stupidity. We see Conan as a victim because we feel as though, like us, he wasn’t given a fair shot. If a guy like that, a guy who has everything, can be downsized and demoted, what hope do the rest of us have?

Moreover Leno is installed back in his abdicated throne. It feels like a coup, a particularly unfunny coup. And above him, all the top brass still have their jobs. Just like all the top brass in every other failed or bailed-out corporation. It feels unfair. And it makes people mad.

Dec 11

Chocolate Peanut Butter Reese’s Cake!

OMG. WANT WANT WANT.

(via thisiswhyyourefat, fuckyeahpeanutbutter)

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