F ³: Heroes and Illusions

No one is perfect. More than that, everyone will eventually let you down if you insist on holding them to impossible standards. Yet we all have moments of hero worship, I suspect. Whether it’s someone we know in real life or a public figure or celebrity, we sometimes feel a sense of connection and admiration that makes us feel good: about them, about ourselves, even about the world at large.

For the purposes of today’s post, though, I’m really talking about people we know from afar. Personal relationships are entirely different kettle of fish. 

Here’s the thing : it hurts to discover that the trust you placed in someone was ill-founded. Even if they’re just “someone on the internet.” 

And yet it feels like it’s bound to happen. We live in a world where the 24 hour social media machine continually reveals things about people that we didn’t necessarily want to know. Sometimes those revelations are true, sometimes they are baseless. It’s a letdown when someone you admired turns out to be not so admirable.

All this is to say that there are certain people whose presence in the world makes me feel good and I would like to draw a big circle around them to protect them from this fate. In other words, I am begging the universe that we never find out some horrible scandal about these folks. Is it too much to ask that to have a few wholesome people to believe in and enjoy?

I hereby declare that I never want to learn truly horrible things about the following people:

Mr. Rogers

Jimmy Carter

The guy from We Rate Dogs

The fellow who runs the Muppet History account

And that’s just for starters. I’m sure I’ll think of more later. It does concern me that I don’t have any women on this list. I wonder if that means anything?

Hmm.

Now, sometimes there are people out there we truly don’t like whose foibles and character flaws come to light. And it might be natural to feel justified as the truth comes out. But, honestly, after the last 24 hours, I’m exhausted.

I might just retreat into the world of cats, dogs, otters, and Muppets for a while.

How about you? Are there some people whose existence just makes you feel better, like an oasis in a troubled world? Would you like to feel one hundred per cent confident that you’ll never learn something truly horrible about them? Or is it just me?

Let me know. 

Village Green/Town² Comments

A Delightful Dumpling Diversion

 

Why yes, I am going to piggyback on an article from the Baltimore Banner this morning. I’ve been awake since four am and, alas, it has not made me more brilliant nor improved my work ethic.

We set out to find dumplings in Howard County. We found a new obsession. Abby Zimmardi and Jess Nocera, Baltimore Banner. Photography by Eric Thompson 

This piece reminded me of that brief era when we thought that Patch was really going to be a dynamic, ongoing part of the local scene. Remember when David Greisman and Lisa Rossi did a series dedicated to the best local chocolate chip cookie? Those were the days. 

We're David Greisman and Lisa Rossi, Patch editors who work "in the field" each day all around Columbia, eating cookies along the way to fuel our efforts at journalistic muckraking.

At this point, after covering everything in our part of Howard County from crime and catastrophe to cute and cuddly—fueled by coffee and, well, you know—we think we know what we're talking about.

Now that the nostalgia is kicking in, perhaps you remember when the Patuxent Publishing used to send their young journalists to the Howard County Fair? That was a while ago. There’s just something delightful about the camaraderie in such pieces.

They let us out of the office and we made the best of it. Let general silliness and hijinks ensue. 

As we ate, we marveled at the colorful Chinese lanterns and waterfall beads hanging from the ceiling. We spent our time at Asian Court — a restaurant with Cantonese food and Hong Kong-style dim sum — having fun spinning the lazy Susan in the middle of the table and talking about silly childhood memories, like Clara getting injured in weird ways as a child.

True confession: I was completely won over by their description of the dining room at Tea Horse Sichuan Bistro as “swanky”, a word my mother used to use and which I assumed had fallen out of common usage.

Want to know more about the actual dumplings? You’ll need to read the article. The restaurants featured are Pepper House, Asian Court, and Tea Horse Sichuan Bistro. Also, it’s not every restaurant piece that features more than one piano.

Are you a dumpling connoisseur? What local establishments would you recommend?

Village Green/Town² Comments 

How I Got Lost on the Way to Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15th and runs until October 15th. I’ve been planning on devoting some space to it here and have begun the process of collecting information. And then a funny thing happened. I got sidetracked.

My husband was treated to a special lunch yesterday by a coworker who explained that his family was celebrating what he described as Korean Thanksgiving. “Oh!” I thought. I wonder if that’s related to the announcement I saw for an event at Wilde Lake High School this Sunday.

Korean Society of Maryland 

Chuseok (or hangawi) is one of the biggest holidays in South Korea. It’s a time when families gather together to give thanks to their ancestors for an abundant autumn harvest.

Sometimes called Korean Thanksgiving, Chuseok is celebrated with good food, wine, and family  gatherings. It typically takes place in September or October, according to the lunar calendar. - -Everything You Need to Know about Korean Thanksgiving , 90 Day Korean web

Well, let me find out more about Chuseok in Howard County, then.

And that is how I discovered … the Mid Autumn Festival, quite by accident. (Not to be confused with Chuseok)

It’s time to hang a lantern, share a mooncake and peel a pomelo – Mid-Autumn Festival is here.

Falling on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, it’s celebrated primarily in East and Southeast Asia and is a time for families to gather to sample autumn harvests, light lanterns and admire what’s believed to be the fullest moon of the year.

In 2024, the Mid-Autumn Festival, or the Moon Festival, falls on September 17. - - Mid-Autumn Festival: Mooncakes, lanterns and so much more, CNN Travel

The Howard County Libraries hosted a celebration on September 14th at the Central Branch entitled “Dances of the Mid-Autumn Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival”. And on September 28 The Howard County Chinese Cultural Center will be presenting a gala at the Jim Rouse Theatre.

Howard County Chinese Cultural Center 

At this point you probably won’t be surprised that, while doing further research, I happened to learn about:

Indian Cultural Association of Howard County, Maryland

Yes, this weekend at the Howard County Fairgrounds, the Indian Cultural Association of Howard County, Maryland presents a Festival of India.

The Indian Cultural Association is proud to present the FESTIVAL OF INDIA – DIWALI MELA to celebrate our Culture, History, and Heritage. On September 21st and 22nd, 2024, all roads lead to Howard County Fairgrounds for a taste of all things Indian! 

Wait a minute. “Diwali Mela.” Diwali is a holiday, isn’t it? I wonder…

And that, my friends, is how I started with Hispanic Heritage Month and ended up researching Diwali Mela. And did you know that More Than Java Café in Savage Mill is celebrating all things Jamaican this Saturday?

More Than Java Café

In the meantime, mark your calendar for this event in early October.

And don’t forget this season’s final Lakefront Live this Saturday. It’s a Latin Dance Night. 

If you have more local info about this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month, send it my way.

Village Green/Town² Comments

 

 

On the Road Again

 

In honor of yet another morning of the ol’ Car Switcheroo at my house, let’s take this show on the road. I received a message yesterday with the words: 

There’s got to be a blog post in this!

Clarksville Cow Cuddling! And they’re on Instagram. Their website indicates that they’re an independent business that operates out of Mary’s Land Farm (technically Ellicott City?)

Meet Snap, Crackle, Captain, Crunch, Pebbles, and Little Rock for cuddles, brushing, and feeding. Great for toxic stress relief and animal assisted therapy activities.

It’s not just about the cows, though. You may book sessions with cows, calves, bunnies, and…unicorns?

It was my understanding that cuddling with a unicorn was possible only if one possessed certain personal attributes. 

Anyway, this looks like another one of those activities which could be fun if you are not allergic to everything. Stick this in the file along with Goat Yoga. Or Cat Cafés.

Next up, these on the road photos were taken (by a passenger) in Oakland Mills last night and I was shocked, just shocked.

Yes, that’s the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile traveling on Stevens Forest Road towards the Ice Rink at the Oakland Mills Village Center. Why was I shocked? Well, it isn't exactly a usual sight. More than that, I realized that I had a preconceived notion that the Weinermobile was a daytime phenomenon. A nine to five gig, if you will.

Was I thinking that it “rested” at night? Um…maybe?

Even more shocking, it turns out there isn’t just one amazing Weinermobile. There are six of them. Really? Now you’re going to tell me that there’s more than one Santa.

Anyway, it’s in the area for these upcoming stops: 

You can catch it at the Laurel Walmart on Thursday. 

As for me, I haven’t seen anything unusual on the road lately but there was that time I encountered this monstrosity on 95 South…

…a car pulling some kind of wooden boat on wheels. In the boat was an enormous octopus sculpture with black tentacles hanging out over the edges and a huge blue head. The car pulling the boat had a hammerhead shark on top and possibly mounted weapons (like spear guns?) facing forwards on the hood. 

I’m still recovering.

Seen anything noteworthy on the road lately?

Village Green/Town² Comments 

In Troubled Times: Dan and Claudia Zanes Step Up

 

I’ve meaning to tell you about this. The weekend’s events jogged my memory.

Dan and Claudia Zanes performing at the Chrysalis, June 18, 2022, IAT

Musicians Dan and Claudia Zanes, seen above performing at the Chrysalis in Merriweather Park at Symphony Woods, have released a new album. It’s called Pieces of Home.

Image from Dan & Claudia Zanes social media

The duo, who moved from Brooklyn to Baltimore in 2019, describe themselves as:

Haitian-American music therapist / jazz vocalist Claudia Zanes and Grammy award winning performer Dan Zanes. We play electric folk music for all-ages.

One of the deciding factors in moving to Charm City was an invitation to become a part of a Baltimore nonprofit called “Our Joyful Noise.”

Our Joyful Noise Offers Happiness and Healing Through Music, Max Weiss, Baltimore Magazine

Our Joyful Noise is a network of area musicians who bring their talents to traditionally underserved audiences, such as women facing incarceration, autistic children and their families, cancer patients, veterans experiencing homelessness, seniors with disabilities, patients with Alzheimer’s and other memory issues, and youth and adults in the Franklin Square neighborhood in West Baltimore. Their goals is to “perform in spaces where they can do the most good.”

As (Dan) Zanes explained on their Instagram page, 

OJN has made it easy for us and for many other musicians to connect with different communities around the city who don't always get the good stuff. The OJN model is simple, soulful, and strong - coming from the heart with an understanding that active participation in the well being of our neighbors is essential to our own well being. These days we're all asking ourselves "what's my purpose, how can I be of service in these troubled times?"

That’s an excellent question. How can I be of service in these troubled times?

Dan and Claudia stepped up over the weekend with a heartfelt post on social media. 

Damn, not again!

This current wave of negativity towards Haitian people here in the U.S. is totally out of control.

Here's something we can do to push back: Let's crank up the support for our local Haitian restaurants (and other businesses) and dig into the music.

Like the people, the cuisine and sounds are beautiful.

Our post today is for the folks who want to learn more but may need some encouragement.

What follows is a primer on Haitian food and music, including a playlist. Go to their Instagram to read the whole thing. 

Pieces of Home, on the Smithsonian Folkways label, is available in a variety of formats . If you need a little something to get you going this morning, you just might want to Fly Like a Raven. 

Village Green/Town² Comments

Back at the Basketball Court…

I want to tie up some loose ends from yesterday’s post because I seem to have unwittingly given some folks the impression that the County took away the basketball court permanently. Not so. It was moved to a different location nearby.

In this image you can see where the old one was (in orange) and where it was moved (blue).

Image from hocogov 

You see below that the basketball court was moved away from the residences on Early Spring Way and rather closer to the apartment complex. (Though not right on top of it.)

Images taken from a Google search

This has apparently been a solution that everyone is happy with and when you add in the new bicycle park it looks like the county has done everything in its power to meet the needs of the community. That’s great.

It still doesn’t change the fact that there’s a very real trend to remove basketball courts and not just in Howard County. While the usual reason given is that they are “too noisy,” the underlying attitudes often lean more towards the old “attracts a bad element” tropes. 

In short: we make a big deal out of standing up against racism and championing diversity here but that doesn’t mean there isn’t any racism to stand up against. It can be quiet. Subtle. It can wear reasonable clothing and fit in where you’d least expect it. 

While talking with a friend yesterday we realized that the ongoing reframing of basketball courts as undesirable is yet another blow against places where teenagers can hang out without spending a lot of money.

“Unruly” at the Mall, “too noisy” on the basketball courts. What’s a teenager to do?

A shout out to Safa Hira, Director of Communications for Howard County Government, who answered my questions about the Huntington Park project and provided the image above which shows the before and after of the basketball court. 

A tip of the hat to reader and (well-known blogger in his own right) Jeremy Dommu who added this information to the bigger picture:

The other really nice thing that the County has done recently is add an ADA path up from Vollmerhausen to Huntington Park.  There used to be a "desire path" up this small hill (another recent subject of yours!) but now the County has formalized it with a nice curving gradual incline paved pathway.

In looking at a plan for improvements to the park I’m guessing that he is talking to what we see proposed toward the bottom of this photo slightly to the left of center. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Huntington Park Renovation Plan, 2017

Did you know there’s a place you can go to find out what events are happening in Howard County Parks? Here you go. (Take note: some are run by HoCoRec & Parks, some are rentals by private individuals/groups.)

The weather predictions look fairly reasonable for today. Perhaps a trip to one of our HoCoLocal parks is in order. Which one is your favorite? 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Obsolete?

 

Creative reuse. I’m all for it. That’s why I clicked the link on this article from Biz Monthly. 

Generous donation establishes Howard County’s first bicycle traffic garden,  George Berkheimer, Biz Monthly

Or maybe it was the pull quote in the tweet from Making Change that piqued my curiosity: 

"A new Bicycle Traffic Garden for children at Huntington Park in Columbia provides an innovative model for the sustainable reuse of obsolete basketball and tennis courts."

Why would basketball courts and tennis courts ever become obsolete?  They might age and require refurbishing, maybe. But - - in Howard County? Outdoor recreation facilities becoming obsolete? That puzzled me.

The new park itself is lovely. You can see for yourself in the photos posted by Howard County Recreation and Parks on Flicker.

Here’s one of them.

Image from HoCoGov website

Here’s a description from From HoCo Rec and Parks:

Built for young and inexperienced riders, the colorful and interactive traffic garden teaches new riders to follow directional signs, learn safe street skills, and encourage proper etiquette when riding. A first-of-its-kind in Howard County parks, the Department hopes to find additional locations in the future for similar bike-riding experiences and wants to remind visitors that a bicycle helmet is required.

Okay, I like it. But explain to me why this basketball court at Huntington Park was obsolete.

Nick Mooneyhan, Director of Recreation & Parks is quoted about the transformation on the County website:

Transforming an old basketball court that was no longer in use into Howard County’s first Bicycle Traffic Garden not only promotes sustainability, but also creates a dynamic and inclusive space for everyone. It’s a testament to the positive impact that can be achieved when we reimagine existing resources through collaborations. 

Interesting. In the Biz Monthly article, George Berkheimer writes:

The idea presented itself after Howard County relocated Huntington Park’s basketball court to minimize noise for a nearby residential community. District 3 Councilwoman Christiana Rigby and her chief of staff, Colette Gelwicks, worked with Fionnuala Quinn, director of Virginia-based Discover Traffic Gardens, to design the concept.

…after Howard County relocated Huntington Park’s basketball court to minimize noise for a nearby residential community.

This space wasn’t obsolete. It was apparently in use enough that it was deemed a nuisance by nearby residents so it was…decommissioned?

I don’t know the particulars of this location. But I do know that there’s been a steady removal of basketball courts around the nation and even in Canada. 

They say removing playground basketball nets is about noise—I say it’s about race, Kearie Daniel, Today’s Parent

Is recreational basketball so noisy all by itself that it can’t successfully coexist adjacent to residential neighborhoods? Or is something else at play here? 

Hmm.

Anyway, creative reuse. I like it. Here’s an event today that’s a win win for everyone:

Sustainability Clothing Swap hosted by the Community Ecology Institute’s Green Seeds Interns.

Harriet Tubman Cultural Center (8045 Harriet Tubman Ln, Columbia) 

Saturday, September 14th from 10:30am - 1:30pm.

Bring clothing you're ready to part with and a bag to bring home your clothing swap finds!

New and gently used clothing only. No undergarments, please.

This clothing swap is part of the interns' Climate Action Plan Project

Have a great Saturday!

Village Green/Town² Comments

F ³: Can We Fix It?

As we begin to see some rather well-known Republican figures endorse the Democratic presidential ticket  there has been some back and forth amongst Democrats about how we should feel about this. On the one hand, some of these folks have been lauded for putting country above party. On the other hand, some have a track record of being so reprehensible that it is hard to feel good about their support.

I can’t begin to claim I know the motivation of any of these people and it would be silly to do so. 

One thing that’s been on my mind is the notion that for Republicans, the only viable option to irrevocably separate their party from Trump and begin the process of loosening the stranglehold of MAGA politics is for Harris/Walz to win resoundingly in November. Perhaps some of these folks do have a noble intent but maybe for some it’s more akin to chewing one’s leg off when caught in a trap. 

Imagine. The best way for these Republicans to “get their party back” is to smash it with the Democratic Party.

Obviously I believe that the Democratic candidates offer the better ideas and have a better overall track record in governing. But it’s likely that for some Republicans a choice to vote Democratic this November may be based on expedience alone. We do not necessarily need to make role models out of them - - and it would be stupid to mock them - - but honestly we are all better off when any voter can look at Donald Trump and his ideology and reject what they offer.

There’s just one thing…(enter Detective Columbo.)

Much has been made of the recurring role of Democratic leadership in straightening out the economy following Republican administrations. The pattern is well documented over the course of many years. As much as Republicans rail against tax and spend Democrats, the evidence shows that economy consistently does better with Democrats at the helm and much worse under Republicans.

It has become rather predictable and frankly exhausting to keep seeing this play out (not to mention the burden on each newly elected Democratic administration needing to wade in to the mess left to them by their Republican predecessors.) And now we are seeing Republicans essentially use Democrats to beat off the poisonous part of their own party that they have been unable to overcome on their own.

Well, it’s a service we’re happy to provide. I guess?

If there are good Republicans, principled Republicans, truly believing in democracy Republicans - - why weren’t they able to thoroughly reject Trump and his ilk? Where are their better ideas and better candidates? And why weren’t they strong enough to prevail over MAGA ideologues?

That’s for historians to sort out, I suppose. In the meantime, if the Republican Party has anything valuable to contribute to American democracy their best chance is to overwhelmingly defeat Donald Trump in November.

Village Green/Town² Comments

Banner Headlines

 

It’s another one of those crazy car mornings over here. There are two articles worth taking a look at today, both in the Baltimore Banner. 

Hispanic, Asian, multiracial population growth boosted Howard County in 2023, Ramsey Archibald, Baltimore Banner 

And:

Columbia is good for families. But can it draw more young professionals?, Jess Nocera and Abby Zimmardi, Baltimore Banner 

Both seem to me to be pieces of a larger puzzle which might be called, “Who comes, who stays, who leaves. And: why?” 

One thing I noticed in the article about young professionals was that the only visually identifiable Black resident in any of the photos was the County Executive. I can’t automatically tell you what that means but it definitely means something.

I’m not saying that it was the Banner’s job to seek out a suitable number of young professional Black people to round out their photographs. But I am wondering if Columbia has Third Spaces where young Black professionals feel comfortable and are thriving. I wonder if the reporters who wrote the article saw the attitudes and inclusion of Black Columbians as something that matters. 

It matters. 

Attracting young professionals is a big goal of the Howard Hughes Corporation and a lot of their recent work seems to be geared at attracting young folks with buying power. Still, largely because of the long gap in Downtown Columbia’s development, much of what they have done feels like pockets of urban living “dropped into suburbia without the means to be successfully interconnected and functional.”

It doesn’t feel organic. Granted, someday it may. Right now it feels rather like that small expensive piece of decor that the tv home designers claim will “bring a moment of luxury to the room.”

Also of note: the Columbia Association’s brief foray into caring about what the young people think with the advent of the (ill-fated) Millennial Advisory Committee. By the time they got around to reaching out to Millennials I wonder if they were aware that Gen Z was coming and would matter, too. 

I don’t know. This is not a critique. Think of it as morning musings on a Columbia theme.

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Uglification

I had an unexpected opportunity to take a slow start to this day and I seized it. It can be truly delicious to take one’s time in the morning when that isn’t the usual plan of action. On the other hand, luxuriating in the extra time caused all of my blog ideas to get loose and float out into the universe. If you see any, send them back my way. 

Much of the online discourse this morning is either about last night’s Presidential debate or remembrances of 9-11. Not truly inside of my focus for the blog, although I have written about 9-11 in the past. 

So I’m going off on a tangent. (Big surprise.) Do you know what this is?

Join @MissionFirstHG, @autismsocietymd and Howard County Housing Commission for the Groundbreaking of Patuxent Commons – 76-unit housing community for adults with disabilities, seniors and families in Columbia, MD - on 10/1.

Or this?

Photo credit Enterprise Community Partners

What about this?

Image property of Dorsey Overlook 

All three represent new housing in Columbia/Howard County. And I’ve been thinking a lot (again) about how we are conditioned to look at housing construction as alarming, ugly, or wrong. I know I’ve written about this before but it’s an ongoing concern of mine.

Why is it exciting and promising in 1972 to see new housing cropping up everywhere but in 2024 it’s a harbinger of doom? When did Howard County become “full”? Was there a cut off date? Did we all wake up one morning and discover that new housing was ugly and a blight on the natural environment?

I know that among my readers I have folks who are extremely well-versed on issues of housing and zoning and local infrastructure. I am not asking for a treatise on the pros and cons of each individual project and/or the strength/weaknesses of local zoning ordinances.

I’m talking about perception.

If there is this pervasive sense that new housing is, on its face, unattractive and detrimental- - that’s something that’s learned. Because there was a time in this same area where new housing represented hope and opportunity and joy. 

It reminds me of the end of that well known Twilight Zone episode where a post-surgery patient is horrified to discover what she looks like.  To the ordinary television viewer she is perfectly lovely. But when you look at the faces of those around her…she’s not like them. And that alone is what makes her ugly. 

In order for places like Patuxent Commons, Legacy at Twin Rivers, and Dorsey Overlook to be ugly to us, we have to make an intellectual decision that they represent something not like us. Something that threatens what we have. 

Why do we do that? Do we have to do that? 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

Irrational

On Sunday I mentioned “the intractable nature of the ‘cell phones in school’ conversation.” Let’s talk about that. 

Cell phones and the dominance of social media in teens’ lives is another factor in their difficulty to connect and make friends- - and a big one, I suspect. There was a time when I was hopeful that this “new technology” could be used as a springboard for research and all kinds of learning experiences in the classroom. I am less optimistic today. I can’t say unequivocally that they are a work of the Devil and should be banned but I do think kids are harmed and we could be doing a better job supporting them.

As an aside, I find it interesting how attitudes have changed in the years since cell phones were allowed in schools. At the beginning I saw more teachers trying to maintain an open mind and explore ways to use technology in the classroom, whereas parents were flat-out objecting. Now I see teachers practically begging to get the devices out of the classroom and it is parents demanding that they remain. “An Alarming Deficit”, Village Green/Town², March 22, 2023

What if I need to communicate with them? What if there’s a school shooting?

Yes, it’s true. I was very open minded about students having access to technology in school. I saw possibilities for new kinds of learning and I thought that it was important that we guide young people in how to safely and responsibly interact with the Internet and social media. What I didn’t understand was how social media thrives on manipulating dopamine and that our kids were now guinea pigs in a long term investment in making money from their clicks. 

If you talk to teachers they are keenly aware of how this has degraded both classroom learning and relationship building between students. It is not a question of upgrading their lessons to be more engaging than a game on a smart phone as one HCPSS Board member opined. It is the complete impossibility of competing with the influence of social media that demands continual interaction and response all through the day and often into the night. 

In a way, it’s a kind of a drug. Young people don’t have any kind of healthy immunity and, let’s be honest: many adults don’t, either. I’d love to say “let’s help them use this technology responsibly” but what we are seeing in schools is how smart phones contribute to bullying, instigating fights, sharing revenge porn, difficulty in paying attention and a disconnect from the joy of learning. 

And yet. 

What if I need to communicate with them? What if there’s a school shooting?

There you have it. As long as we as a nation allow school children to be at risk of mass murder in the classroom, many parents will be unwilling to let go of the one tangible lifeline they have to those children. 

I’ve heard some pretty convincing reasoning that suggests that students having access to cell phones during a mass shooting makes them and everyone around them less safe. What I haven’t heard is any acknowledgment that trying to get distraught parents to accept these rational arguments is completely unrealistic.

Every day we are asking parents to send the most precious part of themselves into a place where they may be slaughtered. We ask them to accept that our nation won’t pass the most basic of common sense gun laws to protect them. Adding insult to injury, we are quicker to offer “Stop the Bleed “ classes in school settings than we are to stop the access to the AR-15s that cause the bleeding.

And then we ask parents to be rational about student cellphones?

This is not rational.

It is not rational that we ask children to go to school, day after day, not knowing if today is The Day, while we ignore the negative impact that trauma will have on their potential for learning.

You can’t demand that people make rational choices when you are not giving them even one rational thing to hang on to. 

I do think we need to get smartphones out of classrooms. I completely support teachers who are asking for this change. But I cannot judge parents who look at each year’s death count rise and know it could be their child and there’s nothing they can do about it.

Village Green/Town² Comments

The Four Restaurants of the Apocalypse

 

Cali Burger, Corner Bakery, Halal Guys, Po Boy Jim. What do they have in common?

They’re restaurants. They’re in the first floor of the apartment buildings that face the Mall in Columbia property. They’re closed. 

I’ve seen some interesting online conversations about why they all closed. Probably the most balanced is happening on the ColumbiaMD Reddit. I say “balanced” because there seems to be more of an understanding that it probably isn’t just one simple thing at play here but rather a combination of factors. In so many online discussions people join in to further their particular pet theory and then linger to defend it. 

Not a lot of learning goes on.

As for me, my pet theory is that parking has a lot to do with it. Back in 2015 I wrote a tongue in cheek piece about how the introduction of parallel parking in that particular area would be the end of Columbia as we know it. 

Dangerous Precedent, November 9, 2015

And again when I encountered some rather creative parking in that same area:

I Told You So, June 29, 2022

There seems to me to be some kind of cognitive disconnect between the planners’ intent: free parking is available in garages in the buildings themselves, and consumers: I want to park directly in front of the business or right across the way in the fringes of Mall parking. Maybe we’d all be smarter if we chose the free parking in the garage but for some reason that feels counterintuitive and we don’t.

And then we get frustrated trying to nab one of the few spaces out front or in taking our lives in our hands trying to cross whatever that ring road is between the Mall parking and the restaurants. It’s just easier to go somewhere else. Yes, yes - - no doubt we’re doing it all wrong. But we are doing it. 

Now what?

It reminds me of the concept of “desire paths” that appear in parks and other public places which show quite clearly where people want to go as opposed to where the preordained pathways tell them they should go. “Stupid Columbians,” you may say. “Don’t know how to use a free parking lot.”

People vote with their feet. Or, in this case, cars.

But that is only one of many components at work here. 1) Each individual restaurant has its own unique struggles. 2) Keeping a restaurant afloat through the pandemic years is unusually challenging. 3) Rents in that area may be very high. 4) That small island of apartment buildings may not generate enough foot traffic to keep multiple restaurants in business. 

I saw another suggestion which intrigued me. The poster said that those businesses are not ones that people who actually live in those buildings were going to use every day or at least several times a week. I think that’s a good point. Overall most of those first floor retail establishments are too expensive for daily living. Another suggestion made: how about a convenience store/bodega?*

So who are they supposed to serve?

To be fair, it’s also true that this area is part of a larger plan which isn’t yet complete. Right now it’s more like an urban island which has been dropped into suburbia without the means to be successfully interconnected and functional. Perhaps one day it will all make sense.

In the meantime, someone suggested putting in a Cava and I’m all for that. 

What do you think?

Village Green/Town² Comments

*Don’t tell anyone, but so far no one has suggested a Really Nice Cheese Shop.

Yeah - - No

Here they are, folks! All the things I won’t be writing about this morning:

• Casual racism in everyday life and where you least expect it
• The intractable nature of the “cell phones in school” conversation 
• What people on Twitter are saying about concert venues in the suburbs
• Have they gotten to the Long Reach side of Blandair Park yet?
• HCC has gone through a rebranding process and has new logos. Why?

All worthy topics and perhaps someone else will write about them today because, at my house, all signs point to no. Some days the old brain refuses to budge. What can I say?

It looks like it’s going to be a gorgeous fall day. Perhaps I need to get outside. Maybe the cool weather and sunshine will help reset my brain. It could happen.

Have a wonderful Sunday. Got any good local ideas? 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

That’s Not Columbia!

 

Do you have a particular way you like to be photographed? We’re all familiar with those old familiar Hollywood lines like “I’m ready for my closeup” or “Shoot me from my best side.” The advent of the selfie has revealed a whole new kind of artistry when it comes to revealing one’s best side. 

Have you ever seen a photograph of someone you know and yet somehow it doesn’t even look like them? Perhaps it’s the lighting or the angle. Maybe it’s makeup or what they are wearing. I had an experience like that but it wasn’t with a person. It was with Columbia.

Fox 5 DC did a story about a recent Wallet Hub survey but that’s not what caught my eye. It was this:

Photo property of Fox 5 DC

My first thought was: that’s not Columbia! 

I clicked on the article and there was that photo again, along with this one:

Photo property of Fox 5 DC

Oh, okay. I know where that is. 

But, honestly, I felt a bit indignant. Of all the Columbia views that we know and love, why did Fox 5 choose ones that were so ordinary and unappealing? (This is not a swipe at Town Center, by the way, which has plenty of photo-worthy vistas.) One wonders if the station just sent someone to drive through town and they took a picture from their car at a stop light. 

There’s nothing false about the photos. They were indeed taken in Columbia. But I realized that I do have a rather proprietary feeling about what kind of views I want my town to be presenting to the world. That’s probably been reinforced over the years by the consistent usage of the old familiar locations such as the Lakefront and the People Tree, Open Space with all its pathways, pools and tot lots. You know what I mean: Columbia green and beautifully landscaped. Modern in a retro-Columbia sort of way. Dare I say “iconic”?

Columbia has always had mundane and unexceptional views. Every place does. We just don’t publicize them. 

So this is probably more a blog post about me and my preconceived ideas about what Columbia looks like and less of a critique of the Fox 5 photographer. It activated that same sort of feeling I had when Julia Louis-Dreyfus bemoaned the unpleasantness of her Columbia experience while filming Veep. I didn’t like how it made us look. Or maybe how it made me feel.

Of course, to us, Columbia is a place unlike any other. We have our own wacky brand of exceptionalism. - - #morethangateway, Village Green/Town², December 12, 2013

We can’t control how people see us. Perhaps in the early years we could. The older Columbia gets, the less that will be so. Still - - it was such a disorienting feeling to look at that photograph and, for just a moment, have absolutely no idea where it was.

What do you think?

Village Green/Town² Comments 

F ³: Perspective

 

Most of my teaching career was spent teaching preschool and kindergarten children. By the time my students were grown they had long since forgotten the teachers from their earliest years. That’s fine. I don’t think most teachers are in it to be remembered. I mean, it’s nice when it happens, but it’s not the point.

When you teach you are absolutely in the moment with that group of students. It’s hard to be anything other than on, on, on when young children live in the world of now, now, now. But when you experience moments of rest and reflection you do think about things like overall goals. What are your long term aspirations for these kids? What are you hoping to bring out in them? What do you want them to carry with them after your time together?

I used to talk to parents at conference time about three things:

• Capacity for enjoyment
• Curiousity
• Willingness to take risks

Most of those parents came in overly concerned with these things:

• ABCs
• 123s
• Pre writing fine motor skills

Yes, I’d assure them, we are working on all those things but I don’t want to overlook those first things because they will be essential for as long as they live. 

I was playing the long game. These kids will have a life far beyond me. What kind of a life do I wish for them? What magic beans will I carefully place into the metaphorical drawstring pouch that they will carry on their way?

An interesting twist of fate for me is that social media has made it possible for me to find out how some of those long-ago students are doing. It’s fascinating and sometimes humbling. A kid whose behavior just about broke me has become a filmmaker for National Geographic. Another who had no interest in listening or following directions has become a nurse. She cared for COVID patients in those early pre-vaccine days and has now transitioned to working in oncology. In both cases I look back and think I probably didn’t fully understand those little people and could have been a better teacher for them.

I think it’s important to realize that. It’s true that in the moment you do the best you can. But perspective shows you glimpses of where you might have been better. Without perspective you lack the opportunity to grow and improve. 

Of course these realizations have come pretty late for me, but, they’re still worth having in the here and now. In those moments of struggles with other people there exists the possibility that I’m not seeing something or that I’m just too sure that I know what’s right. Can I learn from all this? I hope so.

So today I’m thinking of all of those kids whether I know where they are or not. I don’t care what kind of a career they have or whether they are making a lot of money: I’m proud of them for being who they are. Filmaker, nurse, ballet dancer, French pastry baker, up-and-coming DJ, social worker, rocket scientist and Air Force pilot and so many, many more.

Wherever you go, don’t forget to carry those Magic Beans with you: capacity for enjoyment, curiousity, willingness to take risks. And if you get the chance to gain some perspective, don’t pass it by. 

Village Green/Town² Comments 

And Again

I wish I had something new to say this morning. I don’t.

*****

Final Thoughts, Village Green/Town² August, 2019

They say your whole life passes before your eyes. In my case, it was a little different. It was my daughter’s life. I lay on the floor of a preschool classroom. I heard screams and the sounds of people running and furniture being pushed aside. Then, for a moment, I was briefly alone.

I lay there, my face against the cool linoleum floor and thought of my daughter. How she was at home, packing the last of her things for college. How I would have to drive her somewhere and leave her and our lives and relationship would never be the same.

She was the child of my old age, I used to joke. The child I had longed for all those years when I was divorced and dreaming of a stable, loving relationship and a new family. She burst onto the scene with jet black hair and star-sapphire eyes and, in so many ways, was a bundle of mysteries.

They say that childhood lasts such a brief time. When you are getting no sleep and losing your mind with the exhausting labor of it all, you wish someone would speed it up. You roll your eyes when someone waxes sentimental about those “precious moments”. You reach for another cup of coffee and wonder if you will ever sleep in again.

But I am probably dead or dying now, I think, as I lie on the floor of the school for young children where I now work. The shooter burst out of the bathroom and I was the first one hit. From the silence around me I’m guessing everyone else made it out alive. But I don’t know, and I’m afraid to look.

This is the world I’m giving my daughter. A world of mass shooters and death unprepared, where school and church, mall and workplace are all potential pits of blood and bodies. What kind of a parent am I? How can I simply pack her into a car and drop her off when I know I can do nothing to protect her?

The man with the bullhorn and the safety vest announces the simulation is over. I hear laughing and joking. Someone comes in to help me off the floor and asks if I am alright.

I’m not.
 

*****

Photo property of CBS News, quote by Marisa Pyle

Regency Redemption

At long last, a chance for me to make amends for my appalling display of ignorance back in April when I did not recognize this event at Savage Mill as a reference to the wildly popular Bridgerton television show. 

Who is Lady Savage and why is she inviting local women to a Night Out in May? Why does this mood of this artwork look a little creepy to me? Is this a mystery night? Will the ancients be raised from their slumber? Does Lady Savage have any skeletons in her closet? And where’s Lord Savage? Does she keep him locked in the tower? 

Many thanks to the kind folks who gently clued me in. What can I say? I try to know a lot about HocoLocal things but I don’t always know a lot about television.

Thank goodness the folks at the Homewood Center have provided me with an opportunity for redemption.

Tea is Served!!

You are invited to join us for a Regency Tea Fundraiser on September 8th from 2:00 - 4:00 PM at the Carriage House in Columbia. Tickets are now available for purchase. Regency attire is preferred, but not required. Tea, cucumber sandwiches, and cakes/cookies will be provided. There will also be a silent auction. Money raised through ticket sales and the auction will go towards the purchase of free books for kids, the Tea Event, and future literacy activities.

For more information, contact Ms. MacLaughlin at kathleen_maclaughlin@hcpss.org. To register , visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdOfljztODRSvxZgECcmXLK48Gh-sM1_YgIVNxjw9anasagHA/viewform 

Buoyed by my prior (awkward) experience, I can safely say that this upcoming event is inspired by Bridgeton. On the other hand, if you’re a Jane Austen devotee I think you’d be equally welcome. 

More than 60% of Homewood's alternative education students qualify for Free and Reduced Meals and the school does not have its own PTA as they draw students from all over the county. That is exactly why they are hosting a fundraiser to enable their students to have an enjoyable Scholastic Book Fair experience. 

If you aren’t available to attend the fundraising event itself, or if unmasked social events aren’t your cup of tea these days, I’m sure that you can make a direct donation to the Book Fair fund.  I will find out how and update this post.

UPDATE: Thanks to Ms. MacLaughlin for responding to my query so promptly!

Tickets are: 

1=$20

2= $35

3= $50

4= $65

5= $80

Volunteers and students get free admission. 

If you don't plan to attend, you can donate at the PayPal link: https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/979QmA6NGW

Are you a Bridgerton fan? Or, do you have sentimental Book fair memories? Let me know.

Village Green/Town² Comments