Village Green/Town²

First there was Ignite Columbia . Then there was Inspire Columbia . Now there is Excite Columbia . Excite Columbia, which is being launched by CA, is a self-described Citizens Academy. I think that's great. I am curious to learn more. I asked the following questions and received a prompt response from Celeste Olinger, director of communications and community engagement. Who do you envision is the target audience for this? Excite Columbia's target audience is any resident that lives on Columbia Association-assessed property, including new homeowners as well as anyone interested in being involved with Columbia Association. We want people to have a greater understanding of the way CA operates and how CA serves the community. Once someone completes this, what's next? Does it qualify one for anything? Do you imagine it might become recommended for those seeking office? High school or college students? New homeowners? People will emerge more informed about CA and its ...

From the movie, "A Thousand Clowns" -- Murray Burns : [ shouting at rows of houses ] Campers! The entertainment committee was quite disappointed in the really poor turnout at this morning's community sing. I mean, where's all that old Camp Chickawattamee spirit? I'm sure I speak for all of us here when I say that I... [ pause ] Murray Burns : Now, I'd like to say right now that... that... [ softly ] Murray Burns : Campers, I can't think of anything to say. *** Good morning campers! Today is my first day back teaching for the year, I have a middle schooler with insomnia who is waking me up every hour to share her woes, and my brain is running on empty. Here's hoping that tomorrow is a better day. hocoblogs@@@ Posted with Blogsy

What's going on over at Inspire Columbia? Well, I'm glad you asked. Here's a question: How can Columbia grow and expand, while protecting the character of each of our neighborhoods? And here is one of the answers: I suggest that we NOT grow and expand. (AUG 13, 2013 Diana B6) Why do we need to grow and expand? Instead let us maintain, improve and enrich. Growth is not always better. There will always be someone who wants another store or another restaurant. Let's appreciate what we have. There must be an end to this growth or we will become an urbanized, crowded region like Towson, Silver Spring or Bethesda. These are not places I'd want to live. I came to Columbia because it was attractive, convenient, diverse and suburban. I don't want to fight traffic or walk in the snow from a satellite parking lot to run errands. We can always visit more "vibrant" places when we have the urge to -- and then go home to the peacefulness of Columbia. The ...

  When I was on the OM Village Board, I remember having a thorough discussion about where to place bike racks in the Oakland Mills Village Center. But my feeling was that we didn't come to a final decision. Months later I remember asking Sandy Cederbaum, "Whatever happened with the bike racks?" And she said, "Oh, in the end we decided on such and such." And we did get the bike racks, and everything was fine. One of my few frustrations with being on the Board was that we had so many issues to address that we rarely had time for follow up. Not that the follow-up didn't get done, it did. Any loose ends were taken care of by the Village Manager and any other appropriate Village staff. But the Board doesn't always have time to revisit that. You'd be amazed at how much your Village Board is doing, folks. I'm bringing the issue of follow-up to the forefront today because of something my daughter said yesterday after her first day of school. ...

Today is the first day of school. I watched my daughter carefully choose her outfit, style her hair, apply make up, pack her book bag, make sure she had her house key and her lunch. She paused impatiently outside for a picture. She was ready to get the day started, to get seventh grade started. Exactly one hour earlier I watched my husband do the very same thing--well, minus the makeup--carefully choosing the right bowtie to go with his first day of school outfit. He took coffee and an instant breakfast. His bag was packed with class rosters, music, and lesson plans. (He probably won't have time to eat lunch.) He is a teacher. He chooses to go back to school, year after year. For many people, school is just one time in their lives, and when they're done: they're done. For teachers life is measured out in coffee cups and Diet Cokes and the rise and fall of the academic calendar. Richard spends the school year teaching music and his summers playing music, writing music...

  Hot off the presses! Here's what is happening in Cinnamon Tree at Talbott Springs and the surrounding environs: One of my more recent neighbors has a band called Ventura Highway that plays The Second Chance and other local venues. She also sings the occasional tune with the Dave Phenecie Band. She. is. good. My neighbors across the street completed a significant addition to their house and now my husband wants one. Probably everyone wants one. Catacorner to us are the young couple who take their beautiful cat out for walks. On a leash. Who knew? Works for them, and makes for a happy cat! Our handsome young neighbor has returned safely from his most recent deployment. I almost didn't recognize him because of the massive beard he grew while away. Alas, he had to shave it off so I guess it didn't meet the requirements stateside. Upon his return he bought a grill and patio furniture. Hope he's enjoyed some serious summer fun. He deserves it. Our most immediate...

Online news outlets and blogs don't exist in a vacuum. We write, and we make a space for comments. We encourage conversation. As I have written before, some blogs seem to get more comments than others. Sometimes following the discussion is as good as the original post. Local news outlets have struggled with how to deal with folks who just love to be mean. The Patuxent site used to be dominated by a few choice individuals who loved to come in and shoot up the joint, making actual discourse impossible. The newer Explore Howard site seems to have more moderation. And so the gun-slinging has moved over to Patch. Professional news sites set a policy for comments. But we, as individual bloggers, have to set our own boundaries. And that is completely appropriate. If you comment on my blog, you are a guest in my house, so you have to obey house rules. I raise this issue because it came to mind when I was asked to speak about Dennis Lane at the recent HoCoBlogs Party at The Second ...