Village Green/Town²

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

  I can’t overlook the work that went into Columbia Association’s “Twelve Days of Christmas”-themed series of videos. You shouldn’t either. It starts here. Image from CA social media It has taken me a while to realize why I find this photo slightly eerie and this morning I figured it out. This is not the Lakefront stage as we know it, but rather an image of things yet to come. With added holiday embellishments. It’s giving me Uncanny Valley vibes but you may feel differently. The rest of the videos show CA doing what they do in real life and I have been enjoying them. You can see the full set (they're not quite done yet) on their Facebook page or on Instagram . * I’m sharing this because 1) they went to a lot of work and 2) I think there continues to be a kind of ignorance or general misunderstanding or disconnect about what various local institutions do.  It used to be that people had no clue what was CA vs. what was Howard County Government. Now I’ve seen examples where pe...

Today’s blog began with one photo.  Dancer Maddie Rodrigue as photographed by Maria Morales, WMAR 2 New The story: Howard County dancer lives her dream as Radio City Rockette , Maria Morales, WMAR 2 News A Howard County woman who fell in love with the Radio City Rockettes as a 12-year-old girl is now living her dream on the famous New York stage. Rodrigue started dancing when she was 3 years old. Her first teacher was her mom, who's also a dancer. She performed in school productions at Marriotts Ridge High School, where she graduated from, and trained at Peabody Ballet in Baltimore and Maryland Youth Ballet before heading to New York at 18. I saved it but I didn’t know what I would do with. I’m always looking for interesting local stories about the arts. I don’t see all that many about dance. ***** And yet, somehow, the dance story found me. The next photo came into view not all that long after.  Terri Ann Royster, image from Banner obituary  Terri Royster, a professional...

A few dribs and drabs from the week.  Santa did manage to visit the Oakland Mills Holiday Parade and the Clarksville Commons Market.  The missing Santa from Payne’s has been having a rough season but will soon be on the mend. I forgot to mention that, when I visited Kendall Hardware store, stacks of Santa’s business cards were at the checkout. I suspect it was this fellow I discovered last year.  Last on the Santa front, this continues to be my favorite semi-local Santa photo, taken by a reader of the blog back in 2017. She described the scene as follows, “Santa was handing out candy canes at BWI. Lots of people around.” There’s so much going on in this photo. I see something new in it every year. ***** A confession. In writing about crime watching and birdwatching this week I made the following claim. Strangely enough, the more one watches birds at the feeder - - camera or no camera - - it doesn’t alter one’s world view. It just has more birds in it. I haven’t come to b...

  In Maryland news that only the current Baltimore Sun would cover… Anne Arundel’s safe-sex mess has councilman in a pickle , or “Anne Arundel posted a Christmas-themed safe-sex message. A councilman had thoughts.” Benjamin Rothstein, Baltimore Sun  In a moment that feels oddly reminiscent of the Howard County School Board’s Condom Kerfuffle , a member of the Anne Arundel County Council is offended by a pickle. From a post on Facebook promoting the article: Photos from Baltimore Sun social media. They do not credit the photographer.  And now for a closeup. Anne Arundel Department of Health: Tis the season of giving, but don't forget to wrap it! Free safe sex kits are available now. Get yours today! https://ayrs.io/u4nhXQ Councilman Nathan Volke: Really hope the next county administration appoints people in the Anne Arundel County Department of Health who have some respect for one of the holiest times of the year... smh Yes, of course I responded. Public health initiatives...

  At long last, the day had come. The office of the doctors I see most frequently was officially open at the Lakefront. The website says the building, officially named the South Lake Medical Office Building, looks like this. I suspect this is not a photograph but something more aspirational. An artist’s rendering? I came early to allow extra time to find a place to park, as directed by the office. And then I didn’t really know where to park. There’s a lot in front of the building that doesn’t really feel connected to the building. And, from that lot, it isn’t exactly easy to figure out where the entrance of the building is. Knowing that piece of information is a good thing when deciding where to park.  Still, I chose a spot and found my way up to the building. It isn’t entirely self-explanatory but I can’t say I was taking my life in my hands, either. As I neared the building I discovered a car ramp for car drop-offs, and a ramp that led to parking under the building. Ohh…well...

  I’ve just come from a rather disconcerting discussion on Reddit about an incident at the Mall in Columbia.  It begins with a photo and a question,  What happened at the Mall? One of the responses begins,  My mother, who perpetually listens to the Howard County police scanner, says… It reminded me of the folks who urge everyone in their neighborhood to install Ring cameras to “help the police.” These are the people who live in fear in suburban neighborhoods because they just know they saw someone who didn’t belong there. The comment that convinced me to write this post was this one, because I think I know where it is heading. Do you think the bus stops have helped or hindered all businesses including malls? I wonder who takes the bus stop if they are coming to be a consumer and if they are I wonder what percentage ? My response: Are you suggesting that people who can afford cars are better consumers? Or that people who use transit are innately undesirable? I could b...

Dear Senator Alsobrooks: I want my vote back. I didn’t expect to wake up to this news as I scanned Bluesky this morning, but: there it was.  Here are the 28 Dem Senators who voted to advance the first federal ban on trans athletes & a federal definition of sex that would make trans & intersex people non-existent: Angela Alsobrooks (MD), Tammy Baldwin (WI), Richard Blumenthal (CT), Lisa Blunt Rochester (DE), Chris Coons (DE)… I noticed a comment: Angela Alsobrooks, grand marshal of the 50th baltimore pride parade Really?  Really??? Yup. Image from Angela Alsobrooks social media accounts The photo above was accompanied by these words: I was so honored to lead Baltimore's 50th Pride Parade as Grand Marshal and celebrate with our community in love and appreciation for our LGBTQ neighbors. We must never lose sight that everyone deserves the freedom to be who they are and love who they love. I am livid.  When did Ms. Alsobrooks “lose sight that everyone deserves th...

I woke up to the news about Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer. On any day of the year this would be tragic news. After the past few days it feels catastrophic. I've been rereading old blog posts looking for direction.  Two sentences are running through my head. What evil lurks in the hearts of men? It’s the guns. I’m sharing an old post from 2018 today because I’m horrified by how relevant it still feels and I’m almost embarrassed by my naïveté. There’s no mention here about the massive concentration of money which was always a key player in this process. When so much of what might be an agent for good is purchased and neutralized, my exhortation to vote feels…hollow.  The Dealers of Darkness , October 28, 2018 In order to take the country in a direction that any reasonable person would recognize to be wrong, it is necessary to take away their ability to see the truth. Our vision relies heavily on an access to light. And so light is what is systematically being taken awa...

 “Stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen” is a sentence I learned purely from being on the internet. It was quite a while before I learned its context.  To give you an idea how pervasive it is, I present here a Google search which I performed just moments ago:  Search: stop try Google Suggestions stop try stop trying to make fetch happen stop trying to be god stop trying to be god lyrics stop trying to make fetch happen meme stop trying to make fetch happen gif stop trying to make fetch happen meme generator stop trying stop trying to make fetch happen meme template stop trying to make fetch happen quote Not quite sure how God got in there but that’s another story altogether. I found myself contemplating this meme-able moment when I read a recent request on social media. Here are the relevant words: …live closer to that area but willing to travel to Columbia/HoCo… “Columbia/HoCo.” An actual sighting in the wild and I didn’t say it.  At some point on the blog I took to us...

  Friends, there is an emergency. A Santa emergency. It says so right here. Payne Christmas Trees, Levering Avenue in Elkridge Apparently Santa is experiencing an emergency. I’ve done some research on the HoCoLocal scene and I think it may be because he is overworked. Or, possibly, overfed. Only a small sampling… Santa has been spreading good cheer all over town and twice on Sundays. But one can only hope he’ll have the good sense to steer clear of this mêlée. FREE SHOW featuring Radio Hero Band LIVE on stage! & The Biggest Christmas Party in Town — Again. And Yes, It's Still Absolute Chaos. Mark your calendars, because SantaCon 2025 at The Reckless Shepherd is coming in hot. This is the holiday throwdown where all the jolly maniacs, boozy elves, and unhinged Santas unite. Festive? Yes. Classy? Absolutely not. Fun? Hell yes. Now, there’s a quick way to get on the Naughty List!  Still, Santa is well known for getting along with everyone. Event at My Pet Store & More, ...

Places you expect to see an extremely tall bird: Sesame Street. Places you do not expect to see an extremely tall bird: the doctor’s office. I kid you not: this sculpture/statue is in the office of my ob/gyn group. I had stopped by with a question about the patient portal. Yes, I’m the crazy lady who asked for permission to photograph this. “Do you mind if I take a picture of your bird?” If you must know, my first thought upon encountering this unexpected creature was something like this. By now I’m convinced that I was put on this earth to see oddball connections.  But what I didn’t know what what kind of bird it was. Considering its location it seemed likely that it was a stork. After scrutinizing a number of photographs of storks I was not convinced.  So I asked a friend who I know to be knowledgeable about birds. The response I got did not solve my problem. Her answer? "Greater Skullpiercer" Wow. What a name. I went off to do some research. After quite some time I texted ...

  A high quality N95 mask can discourage the spread of airborne illnesses and filter particulates such as dust and environmental mold. Of course, universal vaccination against COVID, for instance, and eradication of mold from structures - - such as homes, schools, and workplaces - - are better.  A high quality N95 mask cannot protect you from breathing in CO2. It doesn’t work that way. You can’t even reduce the risk in any way. I think it goes without saying that there’s no vaccination to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, either. You pretty much have two choices: eradicate the carbon monoxide or avoid the place where it is. Period. I was alarmed and upset when I learned that employees at the Savage library branch had been sickened seriously enough at work that they had to go to the emergency room for treatment. Carbon monoxide poisoning is no joke. People should not have to fear coming to their place of employment. And we want to think of libraries as safe spaces, right?...

  After several hours of struggling with mental tasks yesterday I made myself leave the house purely to recapture some sanity. I needed to pick up some cash from the bank machine and then I thought I’d buy a few lottery tickets.  I succumb to visions of big lottery wins about three or four times a year, largely when I have an intense desire to give to important causes. I don’t spend much. I don’t win. And, after a couple of weeks, the impulse abates.  This is the result of enormous privilege. My first lottery ticket purchases came when I was divorced with a young child, working two jobs, and over my head in credit card debt. My dreams were the desperate dreams of struggle. My fantasies were simply of releasing the fear of going under.  Today, though not wealthy, I have enough. Sure, we can all think of fun things to do with extra money. But  the fact that my biggest lottery dream these days is to become a philanthropist reflects a big change in my life circumsta...