In Shaw (an historically gentrified blog): 06/01/2006

Friday, June 30, 2006

Outside of Daves

This morning I noticed a pile of wood and rubbish outside of Dave's Seafoods' front door. Gives me a bit of hope for the future as that is a sweet corner for any sit down coffee place.

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Let's make illeagal behavour legal, then it will B OK

According to the Washington Times, the city may consider making double parking legal. My response, no, no, no. Bad people, bad.
I'm thinking the law of unintended consequences. Imagine a church, they have a parking lot, or a hunk of land where cars park. Ya know if the city is starting to allow double parking... Sell the land, or throw up an administrative or mission focused building instead. It would take away the incentive for places that have responsible parking policies to remain responsible. More so if those places are near to others who have their irresponsible parking policies catered to by the city.
Before anyone says it's just a few hours once a week, let me just say that some churches are more active than others, and the bigger the church the more activities. You've got early morning service that may be at 7:30 or 8AM. Then there is the regular time service at 10 or 11AM. Between the early and the regular there is Bible Study or Sunday School. The regular service can be over 2 hours long, depending on the domination and or if any baptisms are occurring that day. So you could have parking problems from 7:30AM till sometime after 1PM. Almost 6 hours during the day.
And under fairness would any other non-profit or a business who has peak business for 6 or so hours once a or twice week also be eligible for double parking? If the restaurant and bar owners got together and said, "hey we need more parking on Saturday night from 9PM to 2AM!" Would they also get a concession?
You know what would be helpful? A study. No keep doing what ever you're doing 'cause I wouldn't want to delay things for the sake of a study, but a study would help. Get the location of every single church, mosque, temple, meeting house, coven and what religious have you and map it. Find out when are their peak times (Sunday morning, Friday night, Saturday sundown, Wednesday night, etc). Map where people double park in mass (regardless of assumed reason). Detail (size, DC/MD/VA tag, if DC what ward)what cars are parked in and what cars are blocking, and for how long/ when. I'd bet that you'd find that most religious places of worship practice responsible parking practices by having parking lots and more or less respecting the laws of the city during their peak times. And where people are double parking en mass, are near a few large churches, making up a small percentage of the District's whole worship population. A large number, maybe not a majority but a large number, of double parkers are from one of the surrounding states, possibly followed by DC residents from various Wards. A majority of the blockees would be DC residents, if there is regular parking on that street. But that's my guess.

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On a personal note: American Dream and poverty

Wednesday's posting sparked a fair amount of discussion. And maybe some of us come from different backgrounds different experiences, and thus a different point of view. I really don't tend to have these discussions with my close friends. Mainly because my close friends share the same working class background ('cept Nora) and sometimes part of the family drama that we left back home includes members who would be classified as poor. There is no need, or desire to dwell on their condition, and it may result in no desire to dwell on it here with non-family members.
To check what my background was I gave mom a call yesterday. "Poor, lower-middle, lower-middle, well compared to my family, poor," she said. I asked her what she considered herself now. "Lower-middle." I would call my sister to check her status but that seems a little mean. She lives in public housing.
From my aunts and uncles to my own family the American Dream, or at least parts, have been available. In some it has been lived out, struggled for, and in cases, achieved. My grandparents were North Carolina sharecroppers, my aunts and uncles went to college, putting themselves through with a mix of summer jobs, scholarships, the GI Bill and other support. Mom unfortunately mom didn't go to college, so she didn't go forward. From my point of view my aunts and uncles lead comfy middle class lives, and were able to provide for their children and put them through and keep them in college. Coming from the poor/lower-middle range with a combo of scholarships, loans, grants and emotional support from my parents (who mind you, didn't save one red cent for my education) I was able to go to college. With college and then grants to go to grad school and then taking out another loan and working part time to go to grad school again, I am the woman I am today. So you have two generations that have raised themselves up.
In my background are friends and family and people I went to school with, with their own struggles. I compare notes with other friends who have similar intimate characters in their background. The movement from one situation to another, from poor to middle class is not theoretical, when it is observed closely over time in the lives of people we know on a deep level and in our own lives.
That upward movement is not easy. It takes something inside to persevere and fight, as well as opportunites that society provides. America is the land of opportunity. Pell grants, state colleges and universities, small business loans, programs for first time homebuyers, FHA loans, Vet benefits, tax incentives, social security*, etc provide just some of the opportunites. I am so lucky to be born here.

*Yes, the program will be gone by the time I get 65 but it frees up parents and their siblings from having to directly support 100% my grandparents' living expenses. I hope that it will remain solvent long enough to support my parents, so I (and maybe my sister) won't have to deal with all of my parents elder care expenses.

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Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Does this place challenge your beliefs?

Chatting with another resident, he mentioned that he used to have certain beliefs or ideas about poverty, crime and such but then he moved here. It is one thing to see people from the comfort of your car as you drive back to your homogeneous neighborhood, pass people of different social classes in those brief encounters, or hear about situations on TV or read about it from journalists, it is another when you have to live with the diversity of people and ideas and not on your own terms.
Poverty takes on a whole different dimension when you live next to or on the same block or around as people you would describe as poor. Your encounters with the homeless are not in a soup kitchen where you are volunteering or a fund raiser. Your relations with people who struggle financially are deeper because they are your neighbors. In some strange way you may be forced to relate to them as equals. Appreciate them, be annoyed by them, and they with you, as equals. No distant pity here. And I think equality is a good thing.
Prostitution seems to be a victimless crime to some people but when it is in your back alley it really isn't. I have heard, mainly when listening to Libertarians, that recreational drugs should be legalized and then we wouldn't have the crime. Well I've never believed that, but does one keep that kind of thinking when your neighbor's car is broken into by a crackhead? Would a legal crackhead not break into cars? Yes, alcohol is legal and strangely we're not so fond of all the liquor stores in the neighborhood.
Now I'm debating to touch race. After deleting and retyping, and deleting and retyping, I'll write this... There is a diverse set of people in this neighborhood. You have middle class blacks, poor blacks, folks directly from parts of Africa or the Caribbean, Anglos from down under, and, but not limited to Protestant Koreans from G-d knows where.
But back to my point. Has living here changed your point of view on certain issues?

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Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Water, Water everywhere

(think Eva Cassidy)
Wade in the water
Wade in the water, children
Wade in the water,
G-d gonna trouble the water.

There is more water in my basement this morning. Still not bad, nothing my wet vac can't handle. New Kid on the Eckington Block reports that Fragers & Home Depot (no surprise there) has no wet/dry vacs or dehumidifiers, but National Wholesale Liquidators does.
Oh and the kittens have been moved out of the wet basement to the bathroom. Tuxedo kitty has a new home where he can be loved. His sisters are having a good old time in the bathroom, even Tortie kitty (aka Ugly) has agreed to be petted and scratched behind the ear (still don't try to pick her up).
My commute yesterday and today was tolerable. The intersection at 5th and R strangely was not overflowed with water. The sewer drains are usually blocked and clogged and two small lakes form there. Not today. But still my shoes are wet. Thank goodness I keep an extra pair of shoes at my desk, but I swear these things are a 1/2 size too small.

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Monday, June 26, 2006

2006 DC Flood

My basement is okay. Okay in the sense that I don't have to lift my ankle length skirts. There is water in there, but the dehumidifer is going and the sump pump is working so all is well. Once the rain stops the basement will be dryish in a day.
I do remember the August 2001 flood that destroyed several of my neighbors' basments. The water runoff joined the sewage in the ancient pipes and overflowed. Their toilets and drains in the basements backed up and cause a lot of damage as many of them had apartments and full fledged living quarters down there.
Of course, in 2001 I don't remember so much other stuff around town flooding. The National Archives downtown is closed, OPM has an unscheduled leave for today because so much has been disturbed downtown. I don't remember Metro having to close stations in 2001. All this is new and worrying.
As long as the electricity holds up I'll be fine.

Labels: weather

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2006 DC Flood

Labels: weather

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Free kittens

Well it has been over a week and I am having a bit of trouble fostering these little darlings. So if you would like to take them off my hands it would be wonderful.
Anyway there are three kittens. Tuxedo kitty has a potential home, but I have to get back to the potential parents. Calico kitty almost had a home but Mrs. Potential Parent is resistant so I've been told to go ahead and try for a home. Calico kitty likes to be held and have her head rubbed and scratched. She has a lovely purr. Tortie kitty, I vote tortie kitty most likely to spend most of the day under the couch. She does like to play but isn't so fond of being held.
Anyway, if you can take these kitties away, like tonight or tomorrow night it would be great. I'm running out of cat food and kitty litter and time. Kitty litter is heavy and I'm car-less. This rain isn't helping. Worse yet, when the kittens were taken to the vet for spaying and neutering*, being in a room full of cats set some tingling off in my nose. So the kittens have been moved to the cellar of the house, they really need to be with people if they are going to be adopted.
I am seeing the limits of my own ability. If it was just one kitten maybe I could do this a bit longer, and give the attention needed, but three is beginning to take a toll. I was hoping I could have 2 kittens in homes Sunday, but, things just didn't work out that way.

* Sadly the vet determined the kittens to be "too small" for surgery, which I wish we all could have known what the limits were before. They will be big enough when they are over 3 lbs.

Labels: animals

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Friday, June 23, 2006

Cops and the guys on the corner

What do the guys who hang out on the corner do when a police car parks itself on the corner?
Answer: Play football in the street.

What do they do when two police cars are parked?
Answer: Go to G&G. Or around thereabouts.

What do they do when they have come back from G&G?
Answer: Go to a house where they have visited before, sit in the yard, play football with the little kids, send some text messages and wait till the police have driven away.

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Dead Body in a bathtub lottery

In yesterday's Washington Post there was the District of Columbia Notice of Real Property Tax Sale (J section). It lists the properties for which taxes or other things owed to the city have not been paid and their liens are up for auction. As you may remember the Tax auction was how Edmund A. Wilson lost his house. But he had left this earthly plane (or is it plain?) without notice and material things like houses probably meant little to him afterwards. Yes, he was the dead body, found in the bathtub, when the new owners took possession.
The tax sale is from July 10 till all the tax liens have been auctioned off. Most people, particularly in this Real Estate market, like ninety someodd percent, pay their delinquent taxes or what have you. The tiny percentage of properties where the owners don't pay their taxes are up for foreclosure. The problem with foreclosure is that there might be a huge mortgage on the property or other liabilities, would would need to be paid by the foreclosurer. But sometimes, like the lottery, you win big, and you get a property.
Since more than likely one won't get a property at auction the reason to participate is the interest rate. According to what I could pull out of the tax sale rules (pdf) interest accrues at 1.5% per month. My poor math skills tell me that is 18% a year. Not bad considering my credit union is offering about 4.5% on a 6 month CD. But, that is only on the taxes owed, not the amount you bid over, or that nasty $150 auction fee added to the bidding. Because the auction room includes idiots who believe they will actually get a house with the auction (no just a lien) they tend to bid the properties above an amount that would give back a decent return in interest. But not for all properties, so it is possible to make a little money on the tax sale.
I'm debating about participating this year. I have to see what extra money I have laying around that can be tied up for 6 months. Last year I bid but didn't get anything because the bids went above a decent rate of return (is that the right term?) and I wasn't going to bid just to bid.
Update: I noticed that the DC.Gov doesn't have the list of properties up and there doesn't seem to be an electronic version of it on the Post or Times websites. There are several properties owing the tax man. 1419 and 1421 3rd St are on the list, so is 206 Bates, 1504 1st St, 142 Bates, and many more. Let's say, more than I'd rather list.

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Thursday, June 22, 2006

Teenage love: Ewwww

Today. On the bus. Two kids. Maybe aged 15. Let's just say you can pick your friends and you can pick your zits.... Ewwww. Yes, I am aware that something like 80some% of women have admitted to, well, messing around with their SOs blackheads but really. Leave that for the bedroom or some place private, not a city bus. Where I can see you. And be grossed out.

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Grocery stores

There are good Giants and crappy Giants. Same goes for Safeway. And Shoppers Food Warehouse. I guess the difference is age but sometimes I notice the products, the quality of the products differ too. That's just wrong. I should find the same quality of garlic or apples or salad in one Shopper's or Giant no different than another Shopper's or Giant. But sometimes, crappy building, crappy produce. Is it just me? Anyone else noticing a difference 'round here?

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Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Alcohol sales and drugs

Chatting with my friend Bc I mentioned our neighborhood woes regarding the liquor stores in Truxton. Bc works for a nonprofit (in the sense that they lose money) that works with health data and apparently one of his co-workers has a couple of papers on the relationship between alcohol sales and drug activity.
So if you happen to be in or near a university or medical library check out the following:

Freisthler, B.; LaScala, E.A.; Gruenewald, P.J.; Treno, A.J., An examination of drug activity: Effects of neighborhood social organization on the development of drug distribution systems. Substance Use & Misuse, 40(5):671-686, 2005. [with P.J. Gruenewald and A.J. Treno of PRC].

Abstract: Objective: The ability to determine the geographic locations of illicit drug markets is central to the development of preventive interventions that address access to drugs and associated problems, such as violence and crime. Method: The current study examined individual self-reports of drug activities and demographic information obtained from two waves of a telephone survey of 1,704 individuals aged 15 to 29 conducted in 1999 and 2001 across 95 census tracts in a Northern California city and measures of neighborhood characteristics derived from Census 2000 measures. Results: The results of the study showed that, at the individual level, younger people and male respondents reported most drug activities. At the aggregate level, neighborhood poverty was directly related to higher rates of drug activity. Residential stability was found to moderate reports of drug activity observed by African-Americans and young people. Conclusion: Social processes reflected in neighborhood characteristics of census tracts influence rates of self-reports of individuals' exposures to drug activities.

and

Freisthler, B.; Gruenewald, P.J.; Johnson, F.W.; Treno, A.J.; and LaScala, E.A. "An exploratory study examining the spatial dynamics of illicit drug availability and rates of drug use," Journal of Drug Education, 35(1):15-27, 2005. [with P.J. Gruenewald, F.W. Johnson, and A.J. Treno of PRC/Berkeley]

This study examines the spatial relationship between drug availability and rates of drug use in neighborhood areas. Responses from 16,083 individuals were analyzed at the zip code level (n = 158) and analyses were conducted separately for youth and adults using spatial regression techniques. The dependent variable is the percentage of respondents using drugs in the past year. Neighborhood drug availability (the major independent variable) was measured by the percentage of non-drug users who had been approached to purchase drugs. Data were obtained as part of the Fighting Back community evaluation. For youth (aged 12 to 18), drug sales in adjacent and surrounding areas were positively associated with self-reported drug use in areas where youth were residents. For adults, drug sales within the neighborhood were negatively associated with drug use, while drug sales in immediately adjacent neighborhoods were positively related to self-reports of drug use. Findings suggest that the areas where rates of drug users are greatest are not necessarily the same area where drugs are sold. Designing strategies to reduce the supply of drugs should receive input from city and regional planners and developers, as well as law enforcement and public health professionals.

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Very small space design

I could waste hours looking at Apartment Therapy's 2nd Annual Smallest Coolest Apartment Contest site. The idea was to judge living spaces 650ft and under. I'm soooo thankful for 1,000 sq ft. But it is amazing to see what others have done with less space than mine.
The ones I love are Waynes' Diagonal Conversion with 476 sq ft. ; K/B's Madison reflection @ 295 sq ft; Joe's Hip New Home @420 sq ft if only for the way he has the toilet; K &G's Santa Monica Apt at 550 Sq Ft; Bri & Chad's at 350 sq ft; Jane's and Darkos 645 sqft home; a Dramatic Bostonian at 288 sq ft; Katrina's & Stephen's 550ft studio; The MiniMansion at 440 sq ft; Thom's San Fran Delight645 sq ft; Emily's Simple Sanctuary at 600 sq ft; and David and Im's One Space

Not exactly a fav but very good honorable mention isIvar's Simple Pared down looks like an art installation.

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Monday, June 19, 2006

Public Service Announcements

First, if you are the owner of a shiny new car that any little teen hoodlum would be happy to ride around in and it is an automatic, get a club. Yeah, that ugly thing that goes on your steering wheel. There are some guys who want to steal your car. Also while I am at it.... decent drapes are also a little theft deterrent, particularly if you have a really cool and expensive electronic item (or items) that are clearly visible from the sidewalk. For myself, I just steal design ideas when I can see into your house. But there are others with less honorable ideas when they look in.

Second Vegetate sent out this:

There is finally legislative movement that would allow Vegetate to get its ABC license. This legislation, Bill 16-0696 would amend the current law that restricts any establishment that is within 400 feet of a school from getting a liquor license.
Specifically, it would allow the ABC Board to consider liquor license applications for restaurants and taverns that are within 400 feet of schools, whether or not a license of the same type is already in the area. This is a city-wide legislation, not legislation just for Vegetate or just for the Shaw neighborhood--though clearly we will benefit if it passes.
Next Friday, June 23rd at 10am in the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Councilmember Jim Graham, chair of the Consumer and Regulatory Affairs committee, is holding a public hearing to discuss and hear testimony regarding the Bill. We are asking that all who are interested in this issue attend the hearing. The more people who simply show their faces in support of the Bill, the better. We are also asking everyone to wear a white shirt or blouse, so that the council members know that you are there to support restaurants and taverns. We will have white ribbons for those who aren't wearing white.
If you are so inclined, you may testify as well. If you plan to testify, you should call John Adams at 202-724-8198 before 5p.m. on Wednesday, June 21st. You will then have three minutes to speak at the hearing on the 23rd.
Finally, if you can't make the hearing, you can submit written testimony to all the council members on the Consumer and Regulatory Affairs committee. Below you will find the email addresses of all the council members on the Committee, as well as a sample letter that you may modify as you see fit, which addresses the issues relevant to this legislation.
We look forward to seeing you on the 23rd. If you have any additional questions, please email us at info[at]vegetatedc.com
Committee on Consumer and Regulatory Affairs

Jim Graham (Ward 1), Chairperson
jim[at]grahamwone.com
Sharon Ambrose (Ward 6)
sambrose[at]dccouncil.washington.dc.us
Kwame R. Brown (At-Large)
kbrown[at]dccouncil.us
David A. Catania (At-Large)
dcatania [at] dccouncil.us
Adrian Fenty (Ward 4)
afenty[at]dccouncil.us

If you want to email a councilmember send the following or make your own:

Dear Councilmembers, Graham, Ambrose, Brown, Catania and Fenty:

I am writing to ask you to support Bill 16-0696, introduced by Councilmember Jack Evans. While I am a strong advocate of protecting children from underage drinking, I also support restaurants and taverns in developing neighborhoods throughout the city. In fact, I believe it is possible to both protect children and allow new business development, if the current law is changed.

We want the ABC Board to have the authority to consider liquor license applications for restaurants and taverns that are within 400 feet of schools because the law as it stands now does a disservice to the entire city. Due to the grandfather clause, neighborhoods whose only ABC establishments are liquor stores, many of which are less than 400 feet from schools, can continue to see more and more liquor stores opening. But sit-down, fine and casual dining restaurants and taverns can't even be considered, which will cause many valuable businesses to close and others never to exist in neighborhoods that sorely want and need them.

Moreover, as the examples of Vegetate and Queen of Sheeba in the Shaw neighborhood clearly show, the council should also rethink the way the 400 feet is measured. The 400-foot rule should state that the distance between an establishment and a school is measured from the main entrance of the school to the main entrance of the restaurant.

Please make it possible for new restaurant and tavern establishments to flourish in developing neighborhoods. Don't penalize them because such establishments haven't survived the decades of business losses in our neighborhoods; or because of problems with existing irresponsible establishments; or because of administrative issues associated with taking licenses away from bad businesses. It is impossible to predict that any one restaurant will act irresponsibly. Instead, please demand that ABRA focus on severely penalizing those establishments who are found guilty.

Unless the issues covered by this Bill are addressed, there will continue to be obstacles to the kind of development that the tax-paying citizens of the city want.

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Friday, June 16, 2006

Housing and such

Pity the poor intern. Cramped in a badly furnished apartment with 2-3-4 other bright eyed bushy tailed interns for over $1,000 a month. The $1,250 price quoted by the Post is a bit more than what I pay a month for a mortgage for my house. I'm guessing a good amount of that is location, location, location. Even with a year lease, those parts of the city can be pricey and just shocking for some folks coming from lower rent towns. They should be thankful this isn't New York City, I think cardboard boxes are going for $2,000 a month.
Speaking of renting, Jimbo sent me some time ago a pro-rent anti-mortgage link. Eh. Yes, home ownership has it's downs. It would be nice if something broke or started acting weird I could call a manager, no bug a manager (because they seem to take their sweet time), to fix it. But when something breaks or whatever I have the luxury of deciding how long I can live with the broken screwy thing before I fix it, or pay someone else to fix it. Yes, you can rent better than what you can buy. You can rent a better neighborhood, more space, more amenities, etc. The other problem with home ownership is that it is hard to up and move when the need arises. Yet with all these downs I still think home ownership rocks.
Why do I think so? Well my mortgage (30 yr fixed) is lower than a Summer Hill Interns' monthly rent. That helps. In time these things work themselves out. The first year was hard for me, I wasn't making much and the mortgage and maintenance ate up a lot of my disposable income. As time progressed, I moved up career wise, my mortgage was stable and the neighborhood got more attractive. Rents will go up and you have no control over them. I will determine how much more I'm going to owe on the house by fixing it up and customizing it to my wants. In the future, when rents rise to a point where they are way over my mortgage and house expenses I could rent it out and move to Florida, where the rents are cheaper.
There is also a sense of control over my life that I will credit home ownership with, that has a great value to me. I'm able to foster the cats, at whim, because I own the house. I can rip out the carpet, paint the walls dark, put holes in the walls, move stuff around, because it is my house. No one can tell me to move out (short of me being a health hazard). I can make long range plans.
I will still encourage my renter friends to buy something, but no rush, not in this market anyways. Yes, the prices are nuts, but in time your salaries will rise and your tolerance for roommates will decrease. So save up for a down payment, and when the time comes, maybe not this year, or next year, but sometime, buy a place you can call your own.

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Thursday, June 15, 2006

3 little kittens

...are sitting in my living room. In a cage. Angry. Frightened. I swear the tuxedo kitten is saying, "beycth I'm gonna keeel yooo."
Momma cat is still out there and man is she smart. She figured how to trip the trap without being inside.

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Subjective view of MLK library

Big A$$ Disclaimer: This is just one woman's opinion. Which you are free to disagree with because a) beauty is in the eye of the beholder, b) everyone may have a different user experience and the following is just one of that of the 5 billion or so people on the planet and c) everyone has different user needs that change with time and (sometimes) space. Also I do sometimes identify myself as a librarian, however I have never served as a Public Librarian. I have worked mainly in academic libraries and one association library, which are different from public libraries. Also I tend to use academic libraries and the agency library at work for my library needs.

Okay. I was reading in today's Post "Through Glass Darkly: D.C.'s Poor Vision for Library" and disagreed with a few things. For one, I think, and this is just my subjective opinion, that the Martin Luther King Library designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is a ugly building and just plain ugly inside. To my eye is it just another nondescript ugly officey looking building downtown. But you may disagree, and that's ok. The author of the article writes that "the library is a splendidly welcoming public building." Personally, this is just my personal experience, I haven't found it so. I compare it to other libraries I have used, and so far the best public libraries, in places where I resided, are the Arlington County main library (on a street that starts with Q) and the Gainesville, FL main library (circa early 90s). The MLK Library seems more like a reflection of the rest of DC government, some parts good, other parts not good or a bit horrid, and overall, blah.
Back when I had a subscription to American Libraries, the magazine of the American Library Association (I let my membership lapse because my then new employer does not pay for memberships), I remember there being an article every once in a while about library buildings and design particularly for libraries and the big problem of trying to get non-librarians to understand that we have special needs, and those needs being ignored. I will admit that library building design does not interest me that much so, mainly because I'm not in a position where I will need to design a library. So the the articles I did read, it was a quick read. Personally, I don't think I have seen the MLK touted as a great example of how a library building should be. It might have been, but I haven't seen anything coming from the library world (from architects and others but not so much librarians, hum) saying that the MLK is all that. Maybe that was in an article, and if so, please cite it. Another big problem is maintenance, but that's not the only thing.
Well since I don't have the Waltha T. Daniels library to go to, I will go to the MLK if I have to. The Washingtonia division is there. And when the copiers, the change machines, and microfilm reader/printers work properly, it's all good. The enjoyment comes from the materials found and the mood of whoever is in charge of the room, not so much the design and layout, which does not really encourage sticking around. For other needs, the library my agency has at work is good and has the professional literature I need, and wouldn't expect any public library to have anyway. Also if it somewhat-slightly-maybe-depending on how you think about it, relates to my job I can get the agency library to do an inter library loan for me, to get me the book/ article/ microfiche I need. Then as a dues paying alumni I can use and borrow from the University of Maryland's library.
As libraries go, I have seen and experienced better.

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Wednesday, June 14, 2006

House renovation- the thinking phase

I made a list of the stuff I want done with the house, with very short explanations. 2 pages.
This week I will chat with my personal mortgage guru. The problem is that my main mortgage has a crazy low interest rate, my 2nd mortgage has an ever changing/ increasing interest rate and if I liquidated all my stocks, cut up the credit card and gut out my savings, maybe I could pay that 2nd mortgage off. I'm not sure if I want to refinance or just get another 2nd mortgage.
Later I will chat with the two contractors I'm interested in. Mainly because I know they will leave something for me to do so I can save some money.
Maybe before that I may need to talk with an architect or structural engineer as the big things I want to fix are structural. The party wall between me and the other house is thin. The bricks, that are on dirt, are like chalk. The floors aren't level. Okay, that doesn't bother me that much. And. And I want a green roof and I am not green roof ready.
After the structural stuff there is the list of "fix it" stuff that comes from years I figuring out what is wrong with the house. Some of the "fixes" are aesthetic. Other fixes are design issues.

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Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Kittens on rug

Kittens on rug 2
Originally uploaded by In Shaw.

After work I put cat food in the white bowl that sits in the cat trap. These are the kittens I need t trap. Good thing is that one ran into the cage when I approached. If I hadn't made it hard to shut the trap I could have trapped one kitten at a time. And I saw Momma. Momma was definately "Momma" as I saw her underside.

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Monday, June 12, 2006

Firecracker season

'Tis the season for firecrackers. During this time you can try to train your ear to tell the difference between gunfire and firecrackers. Or you can be like me and say they are all firecrackers. Luckily (knocking on wood products) I haven't seen a lot of firework stands. Yet.
The firecracker noise will continue from now till about mid August. I don't remember what the rules are regarding the District and firecrackers.

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Kittens in the alley update

Thanks to Marty and Emily for putting out traps, providing food, and picking up the caught kitties. Thanks also to Justin and Lindy for providing traps.
Well we got two cats. First capture was one of the kittens on Saturday. Later that night or very early Sunday morning "Momma" was captured. Yet, it was discovered that "Momma" wasn't "Momma" ,she was a he. Why a male cat is hanging with a bunch of kittens? I don't know. Could be that there is a female cat that is also black and white (yeah, they're all black and white) that is around. Well "Uncle" or "Poppa" has been snipped and clipped (ear clipped). The kitten is being fostered by someone who needed a companion for another fostered kitten.
Now the goal is to get the other 3 kittens, that have not been captured used to the cage being around and eating wet food. I had been leaving out dry food (what do I know, I've only raised dogs) but they are supposed to really like the wet. So hopefully, I can capture the kittens and get them in a foster home so they may be adoptable.

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Friday, June 09, 2006

I wanna camera here.

I don't read the Washington Times but thank goodness other people do. Apparently there was an article about speed and red light cameras being racist. This idea being based on the idea that the cameras are in black neighborhoods and thus hurt black drivers. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
For one. If you live in a neighborhood with the cameras, you know where they are and adjust accordingly. People do slow down in that stretch near the bridge just before the Fed Ex building, and after they pass it...people speed up. The cameras are there to capture the forgetful (as in you forgot the camera was there), the people who don't live here, and speeders.
Second, attend a neighborhood meeting and you will find black people who want cameras. Okay, not so much speed cameras but cameras to get the drug dealers moving. I'll bet you money if you told the folks at a BACA meeting that BACA (the northern 1/2 of Truxton Circle) was getting one camera and asked where they wanted it, we'd be fighting over which corner. If anyone asks, I vote for a camera NJ and R or the Florida Avenue park. People at R and NJ don't seem to believe that red light means stay stopped. Instead it means if you don't see any traffic, and pedestrians aren't traffic, go anyway.
Third, as someone pointed it out, this city has a 60% black population. But also I have to note that if you are driving in from PG County, another majority Black area, you have to drive through more of the city and thus you're going to hit more traffic cameras than someone driving from majority white Virginia. What of MoCo? Connecticut Ave has more traffic lights and traffic and pedestrians than say the NE stretches of New York Ave. So just by geography alone, you're more apt to get a ticket.
If you take away cameras please replace them with citizen ticketing, where DC residents have the right to fine and ticket traffic violators. There a couple red light runners I have in mind.

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Metro hates bus riders

Well that's the message I get and got really loud and clear this morning when someone decided to move the bus stop from where it was for years to the other side of the terminal, resulting in my bus blowing past me. If Metro truly liked their bus ridership, they would make it easier to ride the bus.
Metro does not make it easy to ride the bus. For my commute I take the train and the bus and believe me the train is way easier. I'm not going to get into the lonely bus stop with just a sign, sometimes not even telling you what bus may come along there, and more often not even hinting what the bus' schedule is and whether or not it runs on the weekends. Yes, there is the Ride Guide, but that requires getting on a computer or having a mobile device that surfs the web. At the very least, at the train terminals there should be something that tells you where the buses that run around there go. The bus schedules on the kiosk, not always there. The little maps on the bus stop signs, not always there either, particularly if several buses share that sign and their schedules take up every single panel. The maps they do have, not really the most detailed, but at least they are something.
The bus rider is required to do extensive research before engaging in an unfamiliar bus ride. I don't have to do the same with the train. I look at the subway map in the station that tells me where the different trains go to one of the hundred and something stops. At the train stop there is almost always a neighborhood map that gives me a general idea of where to go from there. But if you want to take a bus from that train stop. Hope that DASH or Ride-On go from there because those bus routes and schedules are more often more helpful than Metro (PG County's THE BUS is way worse). There is only one station I've been in where there was a bus route map for that area (can't remember if it was the District or Maryland).
Even if you know where the bus is supposed to go the bus terminals at the train station sometimes is quite confusing. One day I had to catch the 80 bus at Ft. Totten. I know where the 80 bus goes and stops from the Union Station area to Brookland, anything beyond that is unfamiliar. So I get to Ft. Totten. There are what seems to be over a dozen bus stops. Luckily there is a Metro employee available to tell me which of the twenty odd bays I'm supposed to catch my bus. I wound up asking an employee because I was standing at a stop that said 80, but not the right direction, which wasn't clearly marked. It wasn't the right stop. I had to go to another bay a good 100 feet away from the other bay marked 80. What happens when the metro employee is not to be found, or there are other people ahead of you also in need of the employee's attention.
Signage and maps. That's all I want. Take a metro bus map, laminate it, tape it up on the kiosk. Laminating is too much? Then take the map and tape it up. If a route is changed, take a magic marker, and mark it up. Also if a metro station has more than 3 bays for buses, tell me which one I need to go to, because I can't see from a distance if that 2 inch character is a "3" or a "B" or a "8".
Come on Metro, show the bus rider some love.

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Wednesday, June 07, 2006

I propose "Annoy a teen for good" day

Walking home one day I ran into one of the neighborhood teenagers, also walking home, and began some light chit-chat. In the course of conversation I discovered he's a Junior and will be a Senior when the school year starts up again. "So, what are you going to do after school?" I asked. The answer was to get as far away from home. My cousins had the same idea, but that's another topic. "Maybe college" he said and rattled off a couple of places he thought would be interesting, NYU, something in Boston, Florida. I pounced at Florida, being a University of Florida grad myself (GO GATORS!). I started selling the idea of UF and how it is a good (and way more affordable) school, the weather, what dorms he should look into, etc.
After we parted ways, I thought I should annoy more teens, particularly Juniors about college. Well my college, 'cause that's what I know. And if not college, because it may not be for everyone, a trade. But then, I don't actually know that many older teens. The kids I know are around 14 or younger. Too young to bug about college.
If I see him again today, or tomorrow, I think I'll bug him again about Florida.

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Affordable housing

Well considering there are developers still developing and candidates running for stuff, affordable housing may pop up in the discussion.
Yes, every one is for affordable housing, to a degree.
The project over in NE Eckington, the Fairfield Development Project is supposed to have 8% of its units affordable for those making 80% of the AMI. If I'm reading the HUD data right (pdf file) for one person it is $41,700 and $47,700 for two. So of the 625+ housing units, about 50 or more will be affordable. Eight percent does not sound like a lot, but it is better than 0%.
On the other end 100% affordable housing projects are bound to attract neighborhood opposition. Also it is concentrating poverty which is not good for the neighborhood and not good for the residents of the projects.
So the question is, when developers or politicians talk about affordable housing what kind of affordable housing are they talking about? And with the politicians, how they propose to carry out creating, making, affordable housing is a concern. Will it be via some financing scheme/ tax break where a percentage of units are to go to folks making up to a certain income? Then what is is good percentage that makes the project commercially viable, does not concentrate poverty, and provides a decent number of affordable units? Will it be housing vouchers, where we've seen, folks could concentrate themselves in poorer areas. I don't have any answers but I do know that the Devil is always in the details.

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Monday, June 05, 2006

Kitten in Garden

Kitten in Garden 2
Originally uploaded by In Shaw.

Just two (the second is the black spot o' fur under the folding table) of the four feral kittens that have been spotted in the yard. One I have already named "Scardy Kat" as it runs at the very hint of danger or sound or movement or anything for that matter.
The kitten in front of the white white pot is taking in the lush greenery of the yard. Later three kittens will engage in a game of attack hide and seek between the folds of a outdoor rug I have folded over in a corner.

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You may want to actually show up at this BACA mtg.

UPDATE:
I'm disappointed that only the usual suspects showed up, I was hoping for more of you. But off the top of my head this is what happened.....
The developers showed their stuff for an Eckington project. 625-675 units, 850 parking spots. Jim Berry asked about jobs for the community, and not just laborer positions, jobs for architects, accountants, etc in the community. After the developers departed Jim mentioned that we need a resume library to find the accountants and whatnot in the community. Mary Ann talked up Flower Power and she'd like donations for the reception, such as a bottle of wine, food, etc. On the topic ABC licenses, it will be a long battle. The ABC board is very business friendly, so much so that the battle with the liquor store on the corner of 4th and Florida has been going on for over a decade and their license still gets renewed. Jim Berry solicited invitations from residents to send him their stories, videotape, etc relating to the stores. Jim also prepared the audience for what the store's supporters will throw at them such as, "These white people.... these new people are coming in and wanting to change things.... I've been here 40 years..... drive out black businesses..." One of the 15 candidates for Ward 5 spoke. At 9:05 I left 'cause Vance went on one of his non sequiturs.
I'll type up my notes and place them on the site where I keep the other notes, provided I don't loose them under a pile like I did the other notes.

***********************
It's the first Monday of the month and so there is a BACA meeting. On the agenda tonight are the three liquor stores whose (is that the right word "whose"?) liquor licenses are coming up for renewal. Our great leader Jim, wants to hear from you and it would be good to hear testimony from supporters, as I gather there will be opposition. There was a petition that did go around so I'd be surprised if there isn't someone who would oppose.
And there are some other things on the agenda:

Paul Tummonds, Esq.
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP
re. the Fairfield Development Project at the Capital Commerce Center
Agenda for the evening also includes updates from the following committees:
Membership
Public Safety
Youth Services
Transportation
Environmental Services
Land Use, Planning and Economic Development

Monday, June 5, 2006
Mount Sinai Baptist Church
3rd and Q Streets, N.W.

Rooms 1 and 2 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

For more information regarding the meeting and/or the Association, please contact Jim Berry at (202) 387-8520

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Dear Political Minions

Don't do stupid stuff.
Names have been changed to protect the innocent and guilty.
I was with a bunch of neighbors and one of the topics that came up was mayoral runners Candidate X and Candidate Y. There were supporters of Candidate Y who reported that when Candidate X and X's minions came by, some minions were spotted taking Y's yard signs and replacing them with X's. Now if the yard sign change occurred without the express permission of the yard's owner, that would be very, very wrong. Didn't the minions think this through? If you support Y and your Y for Mayor sign is replaced by X, wouldn't you tell your neighbors and everyone else? This would then reflect badly on X, particularly for something small and petty. Instead of taking and replacing signs on PRIVATE PROPERTY X's minions should have done what candidate Z has done and just plaster PUBLIC property with Z's signs. Yeah, it is easy to guess who Z is.
It is unknown if Candidates W's or V's signs were touched at all.

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Friday, June 02, 2006

Harvest time

The above was what I harvested today. I thought it was time to bring in the peas, as it is getting hot. Same goes for the lettuce. I am going to have to plant corn mache for a summer salad. I picked my onions because I have a fish dish I want to cook. While I was out picking peas and salad, I got some string beans, and the three red things are strawberries that made it inside the house. Typically I eat them before coming in. Like the salad the spinach is begining to go bad, so I picked that too and I will steam it or cook it (spinach and peas and beans) and freeze them.
Anyway the above came from the below.

It is amazing that this is the garden post picking. There are still beans growing and producing. The tomatoes are flowering and I have two little baby roma tomatoes. The basil is still deciding what to do and I have to pick more Swiss Chard. I am trying to find the balance of how much I should (and need to) pick and leave something for later. I should have picked more salad.

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A help seeking problem

Back when I had a car I would have car problems. I would bring my car to the shop and say my car is doing X. The worse thing was when it was doing X and failed to do X again when taken to the shop. If the guys could not observe X or problems associated with X and thus could not help me, but they would find something else wrong and charge me for that.
Tis the same problem with the hangers out on corners and under closed store awnings. You, a citizen observe X (drug dealing, public urination, whatever) and call the police. When, and if, said police show up, the offending citizens have A)left the scene, or B)already did X and are just hanging out taking advantage of their right to be in a public space.

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Yard Sale in TC and Warner St. June 3

I got the letter some time ago, but it was during the time I was applying for jobs. So it went under a pile. It is still under a pile. I got piles of piles. Lucky my neighbor has more of a follow through spirit than I. The letter was from another neighbor on the square who is organizing a multi-family yard sale June 3 from 10-2 covering possibly the 1700 & 1600 blocks of 4th and New Jersey NW and 400 blk of Warner St.
So tonight I will go into the basement and plan to sell for a really low price (think $.50 to $5 because I was just going to freecycle them) a file cabinet, some unused knives, a model for a Smart Car, USB flash drive, squash plants, etc.

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Flower Power 2006 tickets

Okay on the sidebar I have a PayPal button so you can buy a ticket from me for this lovely event. Tickets are $10 and I tacked on .37 for the stamp to mail it to you. This year, we promise it will not be a death march. We will not force you to see 40 odd individual yards. And this year, it is in July, not August.
Also, unless you live in the Co-op or on the 1500 blk of 3rd, which haven't been hit yet, you should have gotten a flyer and a nomination form if you live in the Bates part of Truxton Circle (north of P St).

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History, me complaining, history, stuff about the immediate hood (Truxton Circle) and the surrounding neighborhood (Shaw), gentrification, demographics, and some more history.

: Name: Mari; Location: Washington, D.C., United States

In Shaw (now with more gentrification) is about the changes going on in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC. Mainly the eastern section of the neighborhood that is still "transitional". Topics range from horrid community meetings, to culture clashes, to remodeling and the unromantic view of living in an old house. This Old House, bite me! Please note that this is a personal blog and does not represent anyone else's opinion except my own, not my employer, not my universities, not that of my family, church, friends or neighbors. Just me, so I retain the right to post or not to post any irresponsible tripe that comes into my head.

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Inital your posts or ID yourself somehow & no cussin' Random announcements in the Shaw/Bloomingdale Area