Flower Power 2010- Call for volunteers
Help!
The Bates Area Civic Association will be having another Flower Power Walk this year and well people are needed. Hopefully the walk will take place on a Saturday in late June, so what will be needed are people to volunteer to give tours. Before that can occur volunteers will be needed to get the word out, help with signage (producing) and volunteering to host a sign. If this interests you contact Flower Power at bacaflowerpower at gmail period com or me.
Related to neighborhood beautification, BACA is planning on having a
big spruce up on May 1st. The last clean up I was able to make a dent in the trash in my alley. I picked up a big yellow bag at the start location, went back to my street, then hit the alley, and dropped it off at one of the trash drop off points.
But once again, I really need help with the Flower Power walk so please, if you can volunteer for one or more things, drop a line.
Lasty, I'm going to be migrating this blog over to another URL this week. There might be several "This blog has moved" posts. Ignore them until I post something at length stating the new URL (hopefully will be blog.inshaw.com) before updating your RSS feed.
Labels: BACA, blog, gardening
Can I boycott a place I'd probably never get to
Some of ya'll are aware of the
kerfuffle regarding U Street Girl and the owner of a wine bar
threatened legal action. She has recommended that others join her in not patronizing or promoting the 14th Street business. Okay.
I totally agree on principle, but honestly I haven't even gotten to the wine bars I actually want to go to, like Cork, so I don't know what use that would be. Also as a fan of redemption and forgiveness I hope that the owner of Du Vin Osteria, David Shott, will make an honest effort to undo the damage done.
Hopefully, we'll have none of that in nearby (to me) Bloomingdale. Tonight there is going to be an
open house Q&A for a proposed bar/pub/wateringhole at 116 Rhode Island Ave NW between 6 and 8pm. I guess it would be a good place to unwind after some
yoga 'round the corner. Seriously, I'm looking forward to the development, growth and appearances of all the small businesses in the Bloomingdale and eastern Shaw area.
Labels: blog, business, development, events, food/dining
Spring is loitering on the corner
You know good weather is around the corning when the boyz start hanging around the corner you prayed they had abandoned. Well, it's better than the bad old days when they'd hang on the corner in bad weather, day and night. So they started hanging out Wednesday, and they've brought on new staff. There is one guy I recognize from days past, but the other guys? Ranges from 'not sure' to 'he's new'.
With vigilance, hopefully, it will prove to be an unprofitable corner. Problem is that we are a handful of blocks from heroin central, over by where the Truxton Circle used to be. But so far, during the hour or so I was watching them, and really didn't see any cars stop. I wasn't the only one watching, a few others thought it was nice enough to sit on their stoops, or fiddle in the yard. Mix that in with the odd dog walker, joggers and strollers, I don't see how that's an attractive corner for a drug buy.
Also I want to thank the 5D cops who showed up and made several passes by the corner, and ventured into the alley. Of course by then the boyz had wandered off, but it was good they showed up anyway.
Unrelated Announcement- Blogger issues. Blogger is going to discontinuing a service I use so I'll need to migrate my blogs and I'm not sure what's that going to look like. So blogging may be spotty towards the end of the month.
Labels: blog, crime
New Neighborhood Blog- Edgewood
Edgewood has a blog-
Life on the Edgewood.
This blog has
an update on the Metropolitian Branch Trail, which sadly won't be whole between Rhode Island Ave and New York Ave metros this Spring.
Labels: blog
Addition to Comment Policy
I'm going to delete comments, even legit comments if the user name has a link to some commerical thing like Florida Condos, or Online Poker or the like. I've noticed the comment spam has gotten better and the comment that sorta adds something to the conversation, is something I debate about deleting if the user link is an obvious ploy to sell gold on-line or other stupid stuff to game computer models in regarding the worth of a site.
Of course there is the policy of "it's my blog and I'll delete what I want." I take no advertisements (not that I'm against it, it's just not something I've pursued), I don't get paid by anyone to do this, nor is the site, webspace etc is sponsored by anybody and is funded with my pocket-hobby funds (also sponsored by the hobby funds is the gardening). So this is just a courtesy post.
Labels: blog
Need inspiration
I has occurred to me that if my friendly neighborhood drug dealers are gone from my sight, why bother blogging? What will be my inspiration? The liquor stores aren't as much of an issue these days as in years past. Most of them now carry wine I can cook with. The number of problem houses are down, but then again it is winter and the problems associated with them are less visible. Complaining about the neighborhood was the greatest inspiration to my writing.
I was looking back at some old posts, as this blog does go back to 2003, to add tags, so I can find stuff, and see how I and the neighborhood changed. I see that I'm getting closer to the neighborhood I wanted. If I could say anything to the 2003 or the 2000 (when I moved to Shaw) me, it would be, 'it's going to be okay.'
Labels: blog
2008 InShaw Year in Review
Looking back at the 2008 posts so far there are a few themes that stand out, and some that don't but I'm bringing them forward anyways.
First are houses, houses for sale, houses that are abandoned and vacant, houses that are just plain ugly. Before the Wall Street apocalypse Shaw was experiencing the rise of foreclosures. We had attracted many investors who discovered the limits of HGTV and easy financing, that limit being psycho high prices that no one in their right mind would buy at and mortgages that no rent would cover. Then there were houses that weren't even fixed up that were placed on the block and we hoped, and are still hoping, that some one will fix them and get people living in them. Then there are the ugly re-dos, the pop-ups or pop-tops. The still horribly ugly pop-up at 26 P St NE that I blogged about in February is still there, still unoccupied and still ugly. I also took a look at vacant properties around the TC, which also had me looking at tax rates to see if those vacant houses were being taxed higher. Looking at taxes, I discovered dead people pay real estate tax at the senior citizen rate.
History has fallen as a topic over the year, I can't say that I'll get better. Earlier in 2008 I blogged about older photos of Shaw found, Bates Street, and the Shaw School Urban Renewal Area. A particular highlight was locating the language of the Redevelopment Act which laid out the borders of the Shaw neighborhood, which includes Logan Circle, U Street, and Truxton Circle. Speaking of the TC, the argument over the name died down (a bit) after the banners appeared on street signs in July.
In the area of commerce we saw several wonderful things opening and changing in Bloomingdale, which is just next door to the TC. Timor opened up with a few shelves and the milk that we all love. Big Bear got even more popular. The Bloomingdale Farmers Market just kept getting better and better, adding more vendors and remaining neighborly. The historic KFC also known as the bulletproof KFC closed. Luciana Cafe opened along North Cap in the TC, but the TC being the TC doesn't have a lot of businesses opening, so we got excited.
Crime was still doing a cha-cha of two steps forward one big step back. Earlier in the year I didn't write too much about crime. Also the long standing problems and nuisances of young men hanging out (possibly selling drugs) were slowly getting better. I noticed that the crowds of hanger-outers were getting smaller and less frequent. Gunshots were getting less frequent as well. Fireworks started later, and ended closer to the end of July. However, starting in Fall muggings and street beatings seemed to go up. Then there was the fatal stabbing at 3rd and R and the murder at 11th and Q. Also in the fall/winter period I posted the faces of two wanted men, who thankfully were captured.
Quickly skimming over politics, Mayor Fenty had been spotted at a BACA meeting and at Big Bear. I and other bloggers interviewed Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton. Jessica Lanza challenged Doris Brooks, but sadly did not win. But the 2C stalemate ended with the win of Theresa Sule. Michael A$$hat Brown got elected as a wink-wink independent on the city council.
There was a bunch of other things. I got central air. People started giving me booze and I was glad. KIPP looking at JF Cook. Lots more. But this is long enough.
Happy New Year.
Labels: blog
Taking a Break/ Chi-Town Gentrification Tour
I'm probably not going to be posting much for a while. I've been assigned to a 3 month detail that has made my commute 3x longer than normal, so I'm not really interacting with the hood that much. And I have to get to bed earlier because the disruption to my normal schedule is screwing with my sleep so that my body is sending me all sorts of nasty signals that I need more rest. It's a good project, a good detail, and once I get to where I'm supposed to be I really like the work.
Knowing I need some sort of rest, I've been planning a late vacation. Normally I avoid going anywhere in the summer. But summer vacation time is nearly over and I've been reading a couple books by Sudhir Venkatesh, who wrote
Gang Leader for a Day and
American Project. I just cracked open
Off the Books: The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor and man, I wanna go to Chicago. I want to get a lay of the land that was the Robert Taylor Homes. I also want a pizza. I hear they make good pizza in Chicago.
Two years ago I did the
London Gentrification tour, walking around the gentrified Brixton neighborhood. Yet, I had experienced Brixton several times before in 1993 and could sense a change. I've never been to Chicago. So I'll take suggestions of books I should read and places I should eat at.
Labels: blog, gentrification
Blogging Just Do It
I really enjoyed sitting on the
Roosevelt Institution's Expo panel on blogging. I was concerned because the other panelists were from nationally focused liberal group/organized blogs, and I'm so not. The crowd was good and they had good questions.
Something that was touched upon in the Q&A, regarding breaking into blogging. I was in disagreement with the other bloggers, and maybe that disagreement may be rooted in our different purposes for blogging and audiences. What I heard in their answers was a need for organizations/ organized blogs like CampusProgress.org and FireDogLake.com to bring up young bloggers, and supporting minority, gay/lesbian, and feminist voices because blogging takes time and money. Annually, this blog costs me between $75 to $135 a year, and that's only because I host it on my own site (not blogspot, which is free) and I have my own domain. So I don't see the barrier to breaking into blogging as a big deal, so I quote Nike and say "Just Do It".
Blogging is easy/Writing is hardGetting a Blogger or LiveJournal or other freebie blog account, grabbing time on your own or a library's computer to bang out a few thoughts is the easy part. What to bang out is the hard part, and for the time being I have inspiration and a pinch of talent. This wonderful neighborhood with all its ups and downs inspires me to write.
Writing is a talent. I'm not writing this to toot my horn, as I consider myself a mediocre writer, but I've seen some pretty bad writing (such as academic/ technical journals) to not take readable writing for granted.
Serve a need/ Scratch a nicheBesides being somewhat readable, I've got an audience. 'Cause an audience would explain why my server rates went up. However my stats tell me half of you are looking for a
Thai X-ing menu. [note- Taw needs to send me an updated menu, his prices went up]. So my niche, the unserved need I fill is for people looking for good Thai with a personal touch on Florida Ave. And then there is that other thing about writing about east of 9th St Shaw and other neighborhood observances. There's still room in the niche and I'm sure there are other DC neighborhoods with little/no coverage from the MSM in need of good storytellers.
...and lastly
On the Internet, no one knows you're a dumpy black chick
"We need to give voice to [fill in the blank]," tends to raise an eyebrow with me, since I am aware of there being at least a couple of good blogs written by at least 2 of the supposedly voice-less groups mentioned. Maybe I have a different interpretation of "a voice". So if anyone cares to gently explain it to me, I'd be happy to hear what is meant.
I am an African-American woman and I think I have a voice. It's just that I'm vocalizing another aspect of my being and that is of bitchy, broke, homeowner in the hood. There are several other bloggers who lend more ink/ pixels to chronicling
life as a black woman in a way, better than I could ever try. Several enough that the conservative black woman in Washington, DC POV is also out there in the blogosphere.
Though I use "I" a lot in my posts, I don't really talk about myself in a descriptive way. You may also notice I don't put up pictures of myself (there are several reasons for that, including my discomfort with taking pictures with people in them). So understandably in the early years of InShaw, people thought I was a gay white guy. Nope. That may of had something to do with the demographics of noticeable Shaw newbies /new comers and blogging in the early 2000s.
Nope. I'm just a black chick with a blog, a house, and wacky neighborhood.
Labels: blog, media
New Blog
My next door neighbor B. has a blog. It's still new so he's feeling his way around.
Jimbo and I have been helping him grasp the concept and purpose of blogging, so when you visit be nice.
The main, and eventual purpose of
Bohemian Yankee in the Capital: Salty dog author talks history, sports, queer imagery and urban development is to promote two books that he has coming out, one on GLBT Hollywood and the other on stadium development in the District of Columbia. Of the two I'm more interested in the stadium book,
Capital Sporting Grounds as it tells of some of the wheeling and dealing of getting the RFK built, and the location of various other sporting venues in the city.
Labels: blog, development, glbt, neighbors
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
Friday grab bag
Brian of OffSeventh
retires from blogging. He had a good run. I understand it, as you may know my co-blogger Truxtonian no longer posts. Back when I did bother to bug T. and ask him to post something, he said he didn't want to post angry. Understandable. There are things that make me want to quit too. However, I'm clinging to the idea of 'it's my blog, I'll post whatever the hell I feel like.' Which means not posting a lot of things, because I don't wanna, and I don't feel like it. And posting somewhat neighborhood related stuff that I care about right now, like houses, gardening, new businesses opening up. Next week it might be alley cats, some history related item, and "dude, where's my trash bin?" InShaw exists for my entertainment, when I cease to be entertained, so will the blog.
Yesterday, I wandered over to the courthouse after work to try to figure out how to legally get my name changed. I've been noticing that ever since 9-11 it's been harder to get people/ agencies/ companies to go along with the first initial, middle name, last name style I've been using since high school. There is a new ID I have to get as a federal drone that won't/ can't let me go by my middle name. So, I have to legally change my name, to my name. Sadly, I found the
DC Court website, not as helpful as I would have liked. I was able to find one of the name change forms, but no fee schedule ($60 for what I want), or what ID I needed (birth certificate, passport, etc), or the other forms needed.
So I walked over to find the main entrance blocked off and the Chief of Police standing in front of a bunch of local reporters. Someone was nice enough to point out the downstairs entrance that I didn't know about. Apparently
someone fell from the 3rd floor. The chatter in the elevators was that it was suicide.
I got my forms and my info and now I got to find my birth certificate, a newspaper with legal notice fees that aren't high, and $60 bucks.
Lastly, Mrs. Gibbs house, at 1626 3rd St NW is back on the market. Rumor had it that Mt. Sinai, which owns a few properties along the 1600 block of 3rd was talking with the family. Guess that fell through, if it was true. So 1626 & 1628 are on the market for a combined price of $635K if someone wanted both. Another thing I noticed was
1620 4th St. dropped its price again, and is $250,000, down from its original price of $390K. The taxable land value is $223K, so I guess the structure is almost worthless.
Labels: blog, government
Radiator bits and etc
Radiator bitsThere's a discussion on one of the listservs regarding radiators regarding a part. The radiator supply valve I gather... anyway, the beautiful internets can come to the rescue. I was looking for
radiator keys and an
air vent thing and got them from a hardware store on-line. Also when the plumbers hooked my radiators back up, they seemed to have had an ample supply of radiator bits, completely replacing the caked with 10 layers of paint parts. So though the radiator system is not widely used in the US, they aren't rare, so there is information out there about parts and maintenance.
ETCAlso, things have been getting busy and as I'm waiting for certain things to fall into place to allow me to start yacking about bits of Shaw & DC history I haven't been and probably won't be posting much. Also I'm thinking of switching over to Moveable Type, which may or may not mean shutting down the Blogger version.
The census project chugs slowly along as I do the tedious task of data clean up.
Labels: blog, house maintenance, radiators
Some Bloggy Housecleaning
I got a lovely note from my hosting service that I have gone above my allowance. The amount equals something I can find in my pockets doing laundry, so no big deal. Yet, this means I should do 'something' about the amount of stuff I've typed up over the years. Deleting old posts and saving them on a disk is an option. Seek and destroy large jpeg files is another. Or let my natural laziness come through and do nothing, until the extra costs go beyond what I may find in the laundry.
Also, did anyone go to the BACA meeting? I was a tad under the weather, so I missed out.
Labels: blog
Sign your name
Okay people, I've been getting a rash of Anonymous comments and they are ticking me off. Sometimes what the anons have to say is worthwhile, which is why it is unfortunate I have to delete them. Dang it people, claim what you write. I don't need your full name. I'll take initials, screen names, fake names, your 2nd cousin's twice removed nickname, but give me something.
My comment rules are simple. No cussing and ID your posts. How friggin hard is that? Heck, I'll take one initial, something.
-Mari(e)
Webmistress of In Shaw
Hostess of the Blog
Queen of my house
Labels: blog
BACA and Blogger issues
First, Blogger is taking it's sweet time posting my post and your comments. I'm guessing this will appear sometime tomorrow morning.
Second, there was a BACA meeting tonight and I may or not post my notes. If I fail to post the notes there are a few things I need to pass along.
202 373-3711 is the police non-emergency number. On my cell 311 does nothing.
Also ever wind up fighting with the 311/911 operator? Well you can ask to speak to a supervisor if the call is going that way.... and when you do and get hung up on, call 202 373-3700 for the call center supervisor.
Labels: BACA, blog
Well, that went well
Well today after getting my hair done, I went to the Shiloh Baptist Church Family Life Center's Forum on Gentrification. It was a good step on the part of the Family Life Center to have something of a dialog, which despite nearly falling into chaos*, where different opinions voiced themselves. Hopefully, some Shiloh groups and community members can come together again to improve communication, find out what we can agree on, and work together on that.
I really did not take any decent notes. Except a notation about something Alex Padro, one of the panel members said about who gentrification really hurt were the people in boarding houses and people in single family townhomes. Shaw has the highest concentration of subsidized housing in Ward 2, with Lincoln Westmoreland, Foster House, Asbury Dwellings and some other places. And, if I remember right, the tenant groups have long covenants that keep the housing affordable to them. So whatever happens in the real estate market, their fine. However, found out that the United House of Prayer, which had/has a fair amount of affordable housing is going market/ luxury rate.
Also it was good to meet/see people I mainly know from the online experience, Ray and the man behind OnSeventh. The great thing about neighborhood blogging is at some point you are going to run into people off-line. Oh, and I stand behind what I said about libel. If there is anything that I have typed that is untrue (outside of an opinion) bring it to my attention, and if it is false, I will retract it or adjust it, basically try to make it right. I am not hiding behind a blog, believe me, you can find me if you put some effort in it, like emailing me, or wandering over to a BACA meeting. At some community gatherings, some people (Scott Roberts) are more than happy to point me out.
After the forum I did talk to some folks who were members and volunteers for Shiloh. There are a few ideas that I hope some who can act on these ideas can work with. One is getting new Baptists in the area to join. Second is doing a better job of advertising different missions that can help people in need in the immediate area take care of immediate needs, like a food pantry and a benevolence fund, and if a person needs to tap into it right this minute, how they would get connected. Third, have a church presence on one of the civic association committees, like Ebeneezer Baptist is with BACA.
*****
I've been typing this up between dinner and had a nice long conversation with a fellow with a Shiloh justice ministry spin-off, the Urban Housing Alliance, who was at the forum. Long and short of it, because I really want to get back to dinner, what's going on with Shiloh and the properties and the official justice ministry to address issues is complicated. This is the part where I don't want to be bothered with the infighting because I have to side with my family members who are Shiloh members and supportive of current leadership. But the fellow made a good point of some failings with current leadership and some of the problems we are seeing.
Anyway, due to issues related to the infighting & parking, the Urban Housing Alliance will be meeting at a friendly location for them, 4311 R St, Capitol Heights, MD October 20th from 10:30AM to noon. 'Cause I asked, why out in Maryland? It seems they also meet in DC as well and their goal is to provide services, free of charge, to DC citizens (I gather from the discussion) to cut property taxes, lower rents, and hold on to homes.
Okay, din-din.
***************
UPDATE: Off Seventh has more
here and
here.
*I say the same thing about my church's screamy baby service with kids squirming and not providing the expected answers when the priest does the kiddie focused sermon.
Labels: blog, churches, gentrification, housing
A new day, now get to work
Lot of stuff I wanna cover ... It is September and InShaw has entered semi-retirement, or an active retirement. It may be another way of saying I'll post when I darned well feel like it, and post what moves me to post. So there may be several days when there is nothing, and periods of furious posting.
I've also changed the name slightly. So "(now with more gentrification)" has been dropped, in favor of what interests me, history. Gentrification still is in there but isn't the focus. The mad real estate boom has passed and the gentrification it fueled, has calmed a bit. If that rooming house, crack house, liquor store, vacant building hasn't been developed yet, it may be a while before it does. Maybe during the next wave of real estate fervor, maybe between now and then, and maybe never. In the meantime, there are other things to look at, like the past.
The past couple of years, the past couple of decades, whenever. I'm going with what a co-worker defined as history, anything that happened in the past. So anything between the Big Bang/Let-there-be-light and last week is up for grabs. But to be more DC focused I'll start somewhere in the 18th Century.
Today I just want to talk about Sunday's Washington Post.
Sorta under the title of 'gentrification' is
Income Soaring in Egghead Capital. Where I see the DC metro area is where the nation's well off African-American households live. Yet $55,547 is a pitiful amount compared to our Asian ($83,908) and Non-Hispanic White (94,290) colleagues. The data the Post provided kinda proved a belief that I had about the black middle class, they wanna get as far away from "Pookie" as their middle and upper-middle class white colleagues do. The highest median Black incomes $92,492 in Loudoun and $89,096 in Stafford, are far from the District ($34,484 and the highest percentage of population living below the poverty line).
Looking at my own middle class Black family, I and my blind great-aunt are the only ones in the District. The next closest relative tried to escape inner Beltway Prince George's County because of all that's going on around, but couldn't due to a failure to sell the house. If the house did sell, outer-waaay past Upper Marlborough would have been the new address. Then everyone else is in Fairfax Co. and Howard Co. I've noticed when the relatives move up in house, they seem to move further out. They express a desire for more space, more amenities (planned communities w/ clubhouse) and less crap.
But back to gentrification.... So if high earning African-Americans are engaging in black flight from the city and inner-ring suburbs, that could mean that they are leaving a residential void. A void filled by poorer Blacks and middle-upper class non-Blacks. Add to that the great big gap in incomes ($91,631-white; $67,137-Asian; $43,484-Hispanic and $34,484-Black), housing prices, and you got a problem. And I wonder, even if District employers provide the higher paying job opportunities, what is there to say that African-Americans who fill those positions will be from the District or will stay in the District? Okay, now I'm rambling, next...
Back from Behind Bars has a graph, that shows Truxton Circle as one of the communities where 5.1 or more (per 1,000 residents) ex-cons return to after being released from the criminal justice system. The other parts of Shaw (except what looks like upper U Street) have a rate of 5 or less per 1,000. The articles goes in on how those released have trouble finding housing and employment, and staying away from the things that led to prison.
And something that has more of a history bent an
opinion piece about Dunbar High School in its hey-day. It's more about integration and
colorism than the school itself, but the print version has a nice photograph of the school in 1931. The original school is no longer and it has been replaced by that prison-like building that dominates the TC skyline.
Labels: blog, gentrification, neighborhood history
InShaw: A historic blog
I've decided that September I will slowly start doing more history related posts as I semi-retire this. I've been inspired to go into a historical direction because of the work I've been doing at that place where they pay me to show up and do stuff. However, the problem is though I'm dying, dying I tell ya, to talk about all the gems I find while, doing the stuff they pay me to do. Since I've shown an interest in local/regional DC history I've been given (and I'm so thankful) projects that deal with the District of Columbia. However, I can't write specifically about those cool things I find on the blog, something about ethics and abusing my position. I can yak about it to friends, but not publish it on the web, or that's how I interpreted what my boss said. Any government lawyers read this blog? Wanna offer any advice?
In general, and I think I'm safe speaking generally, it seems to take projects that transform neighborhoods in this city decades from start to finish, not years, decades. Also I'm amazed anything gets done, ask me in person what I mean. I am amazed when I spot something that I swore was a 21st century fixture in the city, being advocated for/ or protested against, back in the 1980s. Oops, maybe I was too specific there.
Yes, and 1980 is history. I used to say that if I was alive during that time period it isn't history. I had to stop saying that once I hit 30. And in general 1980s DC is a whole 'nother city. Walk around downtown, and there are buildings that are just part of the landscape that weren't there in the 70s. The mayor was Barry.
Our neighborhood history, and that is everything that happened, oh yesterday on back, is interesting because we live here. It explains to an extent of why certain things are the way they are. Knowing what happened can enrich our lives here as residents and give a sense of our place in space and time. The other history stuff, the packaging to tourists crap, I have no care for. Nor do I care for simplified sanitized history, life is messy. And even worse, a sort of invented history, where you take a long period, say a 75 year span, pick and choose parts a la cart, slap them together in a vague narrative that puts an image in others minds that was never reality.
Okay, I'm ranting, I gotta stop.
Labels: blog, neighborhood history
Prepping for semi-retirement
I figure it's time to make this noise again, I'm going to place this blog into semi-retirement and focus on something else. I haven't yet picked a date, I'm thinking September or December 2007.
The other thing is, semi-retirement, I'm not sure what that looks like. I'm not going to give up writing about what happens in my immediate area, the TC, but probably not as often, not as regularly. And since I do like blogging, I'm not going to quit InShaw.
The thing is I want to write more about history and neighborhood history. Plain old history is a professional and personal interest. The
"Fun with Proquest" posts, digging into the Truxton Circle name, some other work I've been doing, and the need to get back to the neighborhood census project are pulling me in a different direction. There are other things that a change would address too, but I don't want to get into them right now.
Labels: blog
Memorial Weekend Grab Bag
Lots of stuff all under one posting.
Shiloh- Well I spent some quality time picking up tile with my aunt, a long time member of Shiloh, and she briefly brought up the thing with the vacant properties. There was a meeting, at first she heard it was 3 houses, now it's 4, and May 30th isn't enough time. We'll see.
Speaking of vacant properties, Si K over in Mt. Vernon went all out and
surveyed the vacant properties in the MVSQ region and found 100 properties, and 61 of them are taxed at the wrong rate. Read the report, with pictures
here. This is the type of thing the city 'should' be doing.
Speaking of reports, in NE at the Florida Avenue Market
Frozen Tropics has the
Florida Avenue Market Study (PDF) that was presented, at one of the several information meetings about its general development, not the New Towns fiasco. Check of FT and
Rebuilding Space's blog about
the Florida Avenue Market.
As a housekeeping measure, I'm disabling comments for 2003-2004 posts.
Speaking of house. Renovation is going along nicely. I need to put up some more
pictures at the Flickr site because the walls have been mudded and there is a ceiling. What I've been told, is that the trim and the stair railing will be next and that's going to take a while.
Hope you have a good weekend. I'm hanging out in the hood, while it seems everyone else left the city. If you are some of the few who haven't left the TC or MVSQ or central Shaw, drop me a line.
Labels: blog, housing, renovation
Quick blog before church
I don't write about everything that goes on in the hood. I still need to get out the shin-dig over at the still unopened for business Big Bear (yes, in Bloomingdale). And there was some sort of shoot out in the TC this weekend. The big items I haven't written about, mainly because other Shaw bloggers have, were:
Shaw being the 2nd bloggist neighborhoodThe Warehouse Theater in danger of closing because of property taxes
The
Shaw EcoVillage bike shop Chain Reaction closing (dang it where am I going to get my bike fixed now!?)
Okay I gotta go.
Labels: blog, business, taxes
I might be pale....
but dammit I'm Black.
Okay, I get it, there is a 'to do' about my blog on a listserv I'm not subscribed to. People are entitled to their opinions as I am mine, but let's get one thing straight, I'm not white. I'm a pale black woman. There are some white people darker than me (which reminds me I need to spend time out in the sun) but still, really. The photo is a picture of my dad. I didn't get my skin tone from him, I got it from mom.
Everyso often I guess it is good to review with an 'about'. So quick review of who I am and why I write the blog....
I am a SBF 30-something from Florida and a University of Florida grad (go gators!). I transplanted myself to the DC metro area for work and the family I have in the area keeps me here. I tend to describe myself professionally as a librarian, though I don't do strict 'library' work. I have a small distrust of the government, though I work for the government. The little townhouse in Shaw, is my first home, and I've owned it for about 6 years.
In Shaw is one of many blogs I started back in 2003. Like the other blogs, it was meant to keep friends updated. In Shaw, specifically was to supplement a conversation I was having with various friends who were also on the buying a house fixin' it up vibe. So I blogged. Looking back at my archives I'm trying to figure out where are my kitchen renovation posts, they might be on Livejournal, but keeping friends updated about what I was doing was a big reason. Also around about that time I was a regular on some discussion boards, pushing the idea of giving city living a chance. the blog was another way to talk about the neighborhood. Then some people emailed me, asking about the neighborhood. Being the librarianish kinda gal that I am, I was happy to try to provide people with information.
Why do I blog now? I have no idea. Habit, maybe. Thoughts/opinions get expressed and hashed out, instead of staying bottled up inside. Friends do keep up with me on this and my other semi-ignored blogs. Or they could just call me (pick up the phone dang it!) It also presents an excuse to do a little light research, when I'm in the mood to do so.
I have pondered the end of In Shaw as it exists now, I haven't figured out the how and when. For one, I'd like to pursue other projects and posting regularly takes some time. Secondly, it's soaking in that I showed up in the middle of the ongoing, never ending process of neighborhood change/ gentrification/ urban renewal and really my observations probably aren't adding anything new. I'll think about it some more.
Labels: blog
Sick and moving
I think got whatever headachey, muscle ache, toss yer cookies virus that's floating around. It was bad last week, and then I thought I was well, but then I went out with some friends and quickly discovered, no, I wasn't well. This weekend, same thing, I thought I was over it, and was proven wrong.
Part of me wonders if I really am sick or just anxious about the whole renovation, move out the house project. I've been packing and the house looks naked. Wall hangings have been taken down, most furniture has been given away, promised away, stored away, thrown away, or set in the big honking "Goodwill" pile. Having to figure out which of my worldly possessions goes into which category, has been challenging. Half of what is in the Goodwill and give away categories, I'd keep if I wasn't desperate to cut down on the amount I need to put in storage.
Then there is the issue of where am I going to live. I do have options outside of the borders of Shaw and I am really thankful for those who have opened their homes to me. However, they are not "in Shaw", nor close to the TC, so to answer Dr. Soh N. So's question of am I going to blog while I'm gone, the answer is I don't know. Probably not as much, which means I'll be putting pressure on Truxtonian to blog. If a suitable short term rental pops up in my hood, then I'll look into it.
Labels: blog, housing, renovation
My comment policy: Anonymous Comments
So as not to go off topic in another post I'm going to create a post regarding my comment policy.
No anonymous comments.
I may let some fly but most I delete. Sometimes I acknowledge the comment I deleted, sometimes I don't, and delete it forever so it doesn't even register.
I have various reasons for my policy, but let me point out four:
1. My blog. As in I own it. Please do not confuse this with public space as it isn't. I've created a space, which in all honesty was for the sheer entertainment of 5 people. And if I'm playing hostess, I'd like to know who my guests are.
2. Tone. I've noticed that sites that allow anon comments, no questions, can get fairly nasty. Not that InShaw has been free of such nastiness, it is just that I can put a cap on it or steer it in another direction. Also I truly believe that people will think before they post if they have to sign a name to it, thus moderating their tone.
3. Clarity. There was a post long time ago where there were at least two different anon posters. This was confusing to me and annoying.
4. Quirk. I just don't like anonymous posts. They get on my nerves. I find them somewhat annoying on other people's blogs, but other people can do what they want.
Yes, I recognize that by saying yes to my policy I'm saying no to some other things. One poster commenting on the comment policy mentioned privacy. Well, the thing is your IP address is tracked here by one of those buttons I put on the blog. I put it there to see how local my audience is, beyond those 5 people. If you want to be undercover, get AOL, Comcast, Quest, or Verizon and read the blog from home because a dozen regulars come from those IPs, so you can hide in the crowd. Or subscribe to the feed via some RSS aggregator like
Bloglines, which I use to keep track of over 50 blogs & podcasts. Second, I don't demand real names. I probably never will. I will demand that you pick an identity. Call yourself Bob, Jane Doh!, HRH Queen of Caffeine, the Raj of 9th St, whatever. However names like Phallic Cheney, or cruder, no. Anyway, my real name isn't spelled Mari, and technically, legally, according to the woman in Personnel who wasn't being particularly helpful, the name that EVERYONE calls me... apparently not my real name. Well, according to her.
Since I'm on the topic of Internet IDs, cultivate your real name in the places it should be. Also be aware of those other people who share your name. There is a woman running around with the simplified version of my name selling real estate in Seattle. When you throw in the initial, then it is pretty much 90% me, 85% in the right places, such as the history/ library/info sciences forums, things I've created for work, on lists of participants for conferences, etc. Your mamma might of given you a stupid middle name but thank her, because my friend Dr. So N Soh, PhD (obviously not his real name) who dabbles in SubjX as an amateur, keeps getting mixed up with Dr. So Han Soh, PhD who does SubjX as his profession. And there is a Dr. So Soh, MD, but he lives in Atlanta and there is little chance of confusion.
Labels: blog
Blogjam
FYI-
Jimbo has put together an event for
Oct 24 8pm at DC9. It features several DC gay bloggers and 1 straight DC gal blogger (Wonkette), doing selected readings from their blogs. It should be entertaining.
It is an 'In Shaw' worthy event, as it is a) in Shaw, b)on 9th Street & c)'cause I said so.
Labels: blog
Admin changes
After speaking with
Jimbo I have decided to allow anybody and their grandma to post comments. Let's see how well that goes.
Labels: blog
Statement
Recently I've been looking at my web stats for In Shaw and well I figure I should address some things:
A few people have subscribed to this blog and I am humbled that my rants would merit consideration. I looked at the other blogs In Shaw is grouped with and well, I don't know if I fit. I'm not a radical. My politics can be described as moderate/ conservative. I'm straight. I'm in my mid 30s. Black. I don't go clubbing. I am not cool. The In Shaw blog sorta reflects that, in that I'm against laws that would make it easier to get a liquor license, or anti-nightlife as some may say. I'm conflicted about the gentrification I write about, less crime good, people being displaced bad. I'm very conflicted about the rise in the Anglo population and the decrease of Black and Latino groups in Shaw as the sign of things "getting better". Or as my Anglo friends have heard me mumble, "who are these white people and what are they doing in my neighborhood?" I'm not a Socialist, and although I sympathize with folks being pushed out because of gentrification, I do not believe in undermining a property owner's right to sell his/her house at market rates, or rent their property at market rates. However, failure to maintain and secure property makes me less sympathetic to the owner and by all means the govt/community should be able to step in.
But those 20 or so of you who do read my blog I hope you do enjoy it and my snarky comments about my neighborhood. Feel free to comment or email me, or not, whatever makes you happy. And if you are a neighbor and I have made snarky judgemental comments about your house.... well that's just my opinion. If
YOU like your house, then it doen't matter what I think. If I've bad mouthed you, then feel free to bad mouth me on your blog, then we'll be even.
Labels: blog
