Village Green/Town²

Looking for some good reads? Got you covered. These three pieces from HoCo bloggers are drawn from the Personal Blogs category. If they have a common thread, perhaps it is travel: to far-off countries, from show to show, or down the pathways of our childhood imaginations.  Enjoy. "Shark in the Diving Well" Just Karin Talking About Stuff " What Theatre Means to Me" Scrappy Travels "I bought cat treats to carry in my purse, because of course I did..." Examorata The HoCoBlogs aggregator page has had some formatting issues for a while now. (At least on my iPad, it does)  I'd love to see someone in the community step up and sort this out. Do you know anyone who might volunteer their tech-y expertise to do that? It would be awesome to be able to see that page clearly again and see all the local posts at a glance.

I was reading this article last night: 9 things bosses do that make great employees quit It's a quick but well-thought-out piece. The author sums up by saying: If you want your best people to stay, you need to think carefully about how you treat them. While good employees are as tough as nails, their talent gives them an abundance of options. You need to make them want to  work for you. This made me think about schools. And teachers. And administrators. The head of the Lower School where I work is, without a doubt, the best boss I have ever had. She's level-headed, no-nonsense, direct. She's also warm and thoughtful, with a fabulous sense of humor. She's a creative problem-solver. She asks good questions. And she really listens to the answers. All of this makes a huge difference to the morale of the Lower School. Now, this year's HCEA Job Satisfaction Survey is out. You can look at the whole thing here . In going through the information summary I f...

People in Columbia have a strong proprietary feeling about the Mall. Remember the Poinsettia Tree debacle ? I have to admit that it is hard for me to understand this. To me the Mall is a commercial entity, nothing more. But it's clear that it has served a particularly important role in the evolution of the New American City. It was Main Street. Meeting Place. Downtown. And, because of that, some folks feel that citizens maintain a civic ownership of the Mall. They feel that changes should happen with community input and approval. An example, this post from Chuck Bubeck on the Celebrating Columbia Maryland and its Future Facebook page: Look for some new changes coming to the Mall Center Court starting next week in response to customer requests and to better highlight a major crossroads section of the Mall.  More seating and meet up space will be made available by better utilizing the space currently taken by the fountain, which will be removed.  While certainly an iconic ...

Yet again I get my news from David Hobby @strobist on Twitter, who alerted me to this: BIG ups to the one-woman heavy artillery squad on our local HS softball team today, who hit for the "home run cycle". #IsThatAThing #ItIsNow In response to this from Wild Lake High School: AMAZING! History made at the @hcpss_wlhs field today! @Fathom_Leslie hits FOUR HR's! A 1run, 2run, 3run, & GRANDSLAM! The cycle of homeruns! Hats off to Faith Leslie. I hear they are working on a suitably "fear-inducing nickname" for her. In other high school news, choral assessments were hosted by Howard High School yesterday, and no body tweeted about it. Well, almost nobody. Nick Novak, principal of Howard High School, shared a video clip of his Concert Choir and some positive words. But that's it. Where were all the choral music geeks? Directors? Principals and other admin? Parents? A bit of background: I track and share any hcpss-related music tweets for Howard Cou...

I loved the use of Columbia artist Gail Holliday's Posters as processional banners at the kickoff event to the 50th Birthday celebrations. Here is a photo (not mine) of the assembled banners. (If this is your photo, please tell me and I will credit you.) There's going to be an exhibit of Ms. Holliday's work beginning on March 30th at the Berniece Kish Gallery in Wilde Lake. The Opening Reception will be April 9th from 3-5 pm. This exhibit will focus on her posters of Wilde Lake.    If you are interested in seeing more of Ms. Holliday's works take a look at this Etsy shop,  Holliday Originals , or at this website of the artist's work. According to the site,   " All the original designs were hand pulled silk screens created by the artist." I wish I understood more about the silk-screening process.  It looks as though not all of the original posters are extant. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a complete set? This would make a coffee table...

Event today at Howard High School:   http://totallyhoco.com/#event|walking-while-black-l-o-v-e-is-the-answer-film-screening-discussion-hosted-by-congressman-elijah-cummings|124533 From the event page: Congressman Elijah Cummings is hosting a screening of the newly released film, “Walking While Black, L.O.V.E. is the Answer,” followed by community roundtable discussions featuring the StandUp, SpeakUp Howard Planning Committee! Please join us for this important event & community dialogue, it is free & open to the public. Also worth your time, this article by Erica L. Green: Bridging the Divide: Within Integrated Schools, DeFacto Segregation Exists It is specifically about the Howard County Schools. It sparked a number of conversations online yesterday. Some comments were insightful and others were head-smackingly off the mark, like most of social media, I guess. I have some thoughts on this but I don't think it's fair to lay them on you before you have rea...

The week began for me at the official kick-off of Columbia's 50th Birthday, held at the Mall. It had bagpipes, a procession, pageantry, songs, and speeches. But the highlight for me was the playlist that let up to the event itself. Winchester Cathedral There's a Kind of Hush Brown-Eyed Girl The Beat Goes On Windy A Different Drum Ain't No Mountain High Enough ...and more from the musical treasure trove of my childhood. Yes, I was singing along to everything, and so was the woman behind me. Oh, the memories. I may not have lived in Columbia, but the music gets me, just the same. Elijah Cummings was speaking when I had to leave to pick up my daughter from church. As I walked across the parking lot to my car I could hear his voice ring out and echo off of the shops and restaurants around him. I wondered if that had ever happened before. His words were, as they usually are, strong and stirring. (You can see it on his Facebook page. You'll need to scroll down a b...

This is happening tonight. Be there! http://www.hcconservancy.org/event/an-evening-of-columbia-storytelling-sharing-stories-for-a-stronger-community/ Columbia storytellers on deck are:    Kathie Rouse, John Butler, Min Kim, Candace Dodson Reed, Dr Ashai, Hector Garcia, Lisa Schlossnagle, Sue Garner, John Slater, Ainy Kazmi, Steve Sachs, and Sean Harbaugh. In a faculty meeting this week, a colleague mentioned a quote which I can only paraphrase: stories are the most basic and influential unit of human existence. Come on out tonight to the Interfaith Center in Owen Brown to be a part of some Columbia stories. I hope I'll see you there.

Update: Forest Ridge Community Center Fundraiser - Here is how to donate: You can come by tonight and attend or leave a donation.  If you would like to send a donation by check, make check payable to Enterprise Homes, Inc. and mail to Rena Ross, Forest Ridge Manager, 5890 Stevens Forest Road, Management Office, Columbia, MD  21045 So, today is my birthday. I know you probably want to help me celebrate. So, here's a suggestion. Forest Ridge Community Based Learning Center Fundraiser at The Other Barn Thursday, March 23, 2017 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. An invitation to the Oakland Mills Community  - Please join us for a Fundraiser at The Other Barn to support the children at Forest Ridge Apartments who attend   the Forest Ridge Community Based Learning Center. Due to budget cuts that are directly influencing the Howard County Public School System, the Community Based Learning Centers have lost a lot of the financial support they previously obtained. ...

I've been sitting on this piece because it felt too difficult,  but when I read this post yesterday from a former colleague, I knew it was time for me to speak. She writes: I don't know it all, but I feel disgusted about those using the awful rape of a high school girl in Montgomery County as a platform against immigrants and Latinos. I understand that it's an absolutely horrific crime. This does not mean that all immigrants are rapists. It does not mean they're all violent. From 1990 to 2013, the number of undocumented immigrants tripled from 3.5 to 11.2 million, according to an American Immigration Council study. However, violent crime in America dropped 48% during that period, indicating that higher immigration doesn’t mean higher violent crime, which includes murder and rape. The U.S. Government Accountability Office study found that of the three million immigrants — legal or not — arrested during that period, only two percent were for sex offenses. The Bureau...

You may already have seen this, but I was struck over the weekend by this post about Open Space by Ian Kennedy. The Battle for Donoughe Hill and the future of Columbia’s Open Space Kennedy paints a picture of Columbia's Open Space as more than anonymous locations on a map, but places that are known and loved. Places whose characteristics and "personality" have given rise to relationships and even name-giving, as Kennedy does in the anecdote for "Donoughe Hill." What makes Open Space special and worth defending is how we engage with it: walking, biking, playing, exploring, having neighborhood get-togethers, taking photographs, using our imaginations to engage in new ways. I loved this: Imagine a future where you look at a map of Columbia and you see the familiar pathways, pools, schools, neighborhood centers, and lakes, but on top of that you see things like sledding hills, fields for free play, streams with names, spots of interesting scenery or ec...

Add this to your calendar if you'd like to understand more about how Howard County ticks: "APFO 101" at Savage Library 3/22/17, 7:00 pm.    APFO means Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance.  Schools, roads, sewer, water, police, fire dept, hospitals, recreation--the kind of things  we often take for granted. If you are curious as to how decisions for new housing construction are made, or have concerns about school overcrowding, this would be a good place to start. This event is described as a meeting put on by community members for community members. Hosted by North Laurel resident Judy Fisher George, the goal is to present APFO information for those who have an interest but haven't known where to get started in getting the basics. People who served on the APFO task force will present information  and answer your questions.  Seating at the library is extremely limited. Depending on interest, they may have another session. This informational session ...

I seem to mention a lot here that I rarely go downtown. Well yesterday was a Downtown day for me. I had my first real experience of navigating the road closure at Little Patuxent Parkway. I wanted to go to FedEx/Kinko's to make some color copies for work. I wasn't sure what to do at first, but it was a fairly uncomplicated cut-through route via the Mall. Having left my work to be done at the copy place, I decided I'd return my overdue book at the Downtown branch rather than driving over to Ellicott City. Hmm. After a bit of reconnoitering I found the Mall exit and made it to the library. And the parking lot was packed. As it always is. That place is a hotbed of humanity on Saturdays. . Had a "wow, we really are multi-cultural" moment. I returned my book, paid my fine, gave profuse apologies. The forgiving clerk actually thanked me for my donation. (!)  Headed out to the parking lot. How on earth could I get back to FedEx? I ended up taking a right and going ...

I'm sharing this statement this morning in the hopes that it will be seen by more people. I agree that we need more than words to ensure that Howard County is "a place where diversity is our strength, and where neighborliness and civility are the standard," --jam Local Groups Respond to  Kittleman /Weinstein Immigration Announcement On March 8, 2017, County Executive  Kittleman  and Council Chairman Weinstein made an announcement regarding proposals to address the needs of immigrants in Howard County.   At no time have these needs been greater.  Council Bill 9 (CB9) , introduced by Council Members Calvin Ball and Jen  Terrasa , would have codified Howard County’s existing practice whereby police officers and other county employees generally refrain from inquiring ab out immigration status and  county police do not engage in enforcement of federal immigration law.   As anti-immigration rhetoric, hate crimes, and immigration enforcement s...

In light of news that the President intends to eliminate funding for the arts and slash funding for education, here's a reminder of why the arts--and play based learning--truly matter. Originally posted one year ago on this day. Key Ingredients You may have seen the news that the cast of the Broadway show Hamilton traveled to DC this week to perform for students in the White House. This tweet from Michele Norris caught my eye: Why @HamiltonMusical trip to WH was SO important. Simply put Arts Education matters. So there. She links to  this  Huffington Post article by Katherine Brooks, "Why The 'Hamilton' Cast's Trip To The WH Was So Important". " But the really revolutionary part of Miranda and his dapper blue suit making waves in the the White House Cabinet Room?  The fact that Obama's administration was honoring the importance of the arts -- and arts education -- in such a momentous and public way. " It isn't the  first ...

The year is 1962. The place is Belfast, Northern Ireland. The occasion  is the wedding of Sam McCready and Joan Carslake. This picture captures the joy and excitement of that moment in time. Sam and Joan are known today not only in Belfast but in many countries around the world. Beyond their long careers as teachers they have lived just as fully as actors, writers, directors, artists. They continue to travel and perform. I haven't come to know them because of their performing, though. My story became a part of their story when I married their son. We've been married since 1999, so we have a ways to go to catch up. Today I want to wish these two amazing, welcoming, and loving people a very Happy Anniversary and say thank you for giving me the greatest gift of my life. Your wedding led to my wedding, and your joy to mine.

In case you were wondering about conditions this morning, here's a PSA by a local student to bring you up to speed. https://twitter.com/becky_merson/status/841763597420240898 A tip of the hat to HoCo blogger David Hobby, (@strobist) who highlighted the video on Twitter. Have a wonderful day, bundle up, and be safe.

There's a new Indian restaurant in Clarksville. It's called Mint, and it occupies the location originally held by Pudgies Pizza. It has been in the works for a long time, and there's quite a bit of buzz on the Clarksville Happenings Facebook page now that it's up and running. My husband and I went there on Saturday night. The space has been beautifully redone. If you remember the Pudgies layout, you can see how they've turned the central area (that used to be the walk-up counter) into an elegant bar. Of note: they have gender-neutral bathrooms, which we thought was pretty cool. The service was attentive, perhaps a hair too attentive, but overall it was fine. My gin and tonic was perfect. The food? Well, it was tasty. But it reminded me of the food at Royal Taj: it was too sweet. When I told my teenaged daughter this later, she said that a friend had dismissed Mint as "Indian food for white people." We are, as my in-laws would say, spoilt for choi...

This weekend my daughter shared a video with me that was made by the Muslim Student Association at her school. I want to share it here to give it a wider audience. I reached out to the student group and have received their consent. "And I Am a Muslim" It's thoughtful, well-constructed, and there are parts which are difficult to watch. We are living in difficult times. These students aren't afraid to address that and look for solutions. I am so grateful that my daughter goes to school with people like this. I am so glad that young people are taking the initiative to encourage dialogue on uncomfortable issues. When you have a moment, watch the video and share your feedback here: https://www.facebook.com/VillageGreenTownSquared/?ref=bookmarks

Seen in the Howard County Times this week: Howard hires Ross Hannon as head varsity football coach I believe they also covered the story when the previous coach stepped down. Hmm. I don't remember any story when, say, River Hill High School hired Katie Geiger as their new Vocal/Choral director. And what about when Nick Marini came on board at Oakland Mills High School in Band? Hmm. Think for a moment. Do you ever see celebrations in high schools when a musician commits to pursuing their interests in college? "Three cheers for Suzanne B. who has signed to play flute for Indiana!" Hmm. Sports programs benefit many of our students and it's great to pay attention to them and celebrate them. But so do music and arts programs. Are we only going to care about hiring and firing and college signing if we can rack up wins and losses? Is that all that matters where our children are concerned? March is Music in Our Schools Month. HCPSM, the parent advocacy grou...

I had to go way, way back in my posts to find the first mention of Bridge Columbia. Here it is, in 2012: "Looking for Mr. GoodRouse" I first learned about the concept of Bridge Columbia while serving on the Oakland Mills Village Board. Since then, I have written about it many times. I even tried my hand at a photoessay of sorts, here: "View from the Bridge" As I read the press release about the work that will be done to upgrade the Route 29 Pedestrian footbridge there was something important missing. Where did this idea of improving the Bridge come from? Did the County Executive just wake up one morning and seize upon the notion that this was the right thing to do? Well, no. The reason we even have a project and a press release is because of Columbia folks who brainstormed an idea to make the Bridge safer and more user-friendly. And they gathered together more interested and like-minded people and they kept brainstorming. They reached out to bridge desi...

i know I promised to write about the Bridge but something else grabbed my attention this morning. This tweet: #ColumbiaMD is full of cops, snitches, minivans, landlords, lawn waterers, tiny dogs, and christians. Y'all are fucking dead. Woah When you go searching the ColumbiaMD hashtag on Twitter you don't usually find such blunt language. What follows is a recent sampling from this account. As Columbia approaches its 50th Birthday these biting observations are uncomfortable truths that need to to be faced and addressed. If we are celebrating, has everyone truly been invited to the party? I'm inviting your feedback:  https://www.facebook.com/VillageGreenTownSquared/?ref=bookmarks

I'm short on time this morning, so I am recommending this press release for your reading pleasure: Executive Kittleman Announces Improvements to Route 29 Pedestrian Bridge in Columbia I am going to have more to say on this but, at the moment, bronchitis is slowing up the creative process. I'm going to give you a little hint, though: the most important people aren't in this article. We'll talk about them tomorrow.

A Day Without A Woman. A day of protest. A day of solidarity. What would it look like if all those women the country depends on just didn't show up? No more quietly bearing the unbearable, swallowing the anger of injustice. The power of women--who we are and what we do--is formidable. Anyone, anywhere, can join by making March 8th A Day Without a Woman, in one or all of the following ways: Women take the day off, from paid and unpaid labor Avoid shopping for one day (with exceptions for small, women- and minority-owned businesses). Wear RED in solidarity with A Day Without A Woman But a combined show of strength is more problematic. While it's a risk for anyone to take a day, to call in, to lose wages or risk discipline, for women there's something more. More insidious. More deeply engrained. Women are trained to be the carers, the nurturers. To us falls the emotional labor without which the home, school, and workplace cannot function. So much of that labor is exp...

The invitations are out. You are invited to the kickoff of Columbia's 50th Birthday celebration. It's at the Mall. On March 19th, beginning at 11am, the community is invited to gather and enjoy the opening ceremony followed by a dayof free entertainment and fun activities. The opening ceremony will take place  "in the Outdoor Plaza in front of Maggiano’s and Seasons 52 restaurants." Boom. This space. In May of 2013, blogger Dennis Lane wrote about the rise and fall of the L.L. Bean store at the Mall in this very location. It would be coming down and replaced by a plaza.  This plaza , which I believe was dubbed a "lifestyle plaza" by the PR people at the Mall.  Dennis Lane was particularly adept at writing about local things that helped us know what had happened in the past while doling out tantalizing glimpses of what was coming in the future. But he was also extremely good at living in the present and sharing the joy of that, too: a walk in nature...

Sanctuary. Now, more than ever, the choice to be a sanctuary county is an important one. CB-9 is not a bill looking for a problem. The problem has been heading towards us like a freight train and one need only read the news to see why we should take a stand to address it. CB-9 is not political grandstanding by those who proposed it. This bill is a response to a need, to real human beings who live in Howard County who many want to vilify or dismiss. It falls to Councilman Jon Weinstein to change his vote in order to override the County Executive's veto. It seems unlikely that he will. As Americans we must have more than an unthinking acceptance of what some call "routine law enforcement." The laws are there because We, the People, have endorsed them. Looking at the spirit of the law and not just the letter of the law involves deeper thinking. It challenges us. And this particular issue requires us to see not just with our brains but with our hearts as well. Without...

Felt Board activities can be fun for young children. So my eye was drawn in by one posted on the HGTV Facebook page. Take a look . No dirt, no mess. Just hours and hours of fun! It's a felt board garden, complete with soil, blue sky, flowers, and vegetables. Right now when the weather is teasing us with Spring but it is still too cold to plant, a pretend-play garden looks rather appealing. And for adults who have nostalgic feelings about playing with felt boards (or do you call them flannel boards?) the thought of playing "garden" is amplified through our own lens of childhood  memories. Just one thing though. "No dirt, no mess." We have far too much of that these days. We're all about keeping clean and using sanitizing wipes and single use disposable items that help keep life germ-free. And it's good to get clean, I don't dispute that. It's good to step up to the sink with warm water and make bubbles with the soap. But first-- Get dirt...

There's Rapid Roy that Stock Car Boy, Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, Big Jim Walker, and other tough characters of song and story. But who the heck is Road Kill Bill? And why is the Governor saying such awful things about him? Since I write mostly about local issues, I've naturally been wondering if this fellow is local to Howard County. Could this be Road Kill Bill? Or this ? And why on earth do we see nothing from this poor fellow speaking in his own defense? Stand up for yourself, man! Yes, it did take me a bit more than a little moment to realize that Road Kill Bill is not a person, but a quick and dirty way to get the Governor's talking point to stick in the public consciousness.  It's not at all helpful to him to call the bill by its actual name, which is the Maryland Open Transportation Investment Decision Act of 2016. Calling it by its proper name would be the right thing to do, but that might legitimize it. So let's give it a scary, nasty name. Does "Rai...

I'm headed the NAIS conference in Baltimore today. Truth be told, I can't remember the last time that I was in Charm City. I just don't find a need to be there. I lived in Baltimore City, in Bolton Hill, from 1985-1991 My older daughter and I moved to Rodgers Forge, right over the line in Baltimore County, and lived there until 1999. My life has changed so completely since then that I don't often think much about the old days and my old neighborhoods. Things that I remember fondly: The Bolton Hill Festival each Fall. Artscape (but not the intense July heat) Being able to walk to the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Walking in the neighborhood to the grocery, pharmacy, video store, and preschool Collecting pockets full of horse chestnuts on Bolton Street Memories from the Rodgers Forge years: Walking to the Tot Lot Splurging on a little picnic food at Eddie's Market The free Towson at Night concerts in the Summer The Towson Farmers Market Picking out stacks ...

Last night I was scrolling through Twitter looking for local news. This caught my eye. The tweet refers to this quote in the news report: "We don't necessarily think the prescription medications are staying on the streets of Howard County. We think that perhaps they're being stolen here and taken into the city to be sold," Llewellyn said. Now I am (obviously) not a police officer nor do I have any details of this case beyond those listed in the article. But I was intrigued by the suggestion of the tweet that perhaps, just maybe, people in Howard County were using opioids, too. Maybe that's why they were stolen? Is that possible? We're only just beginning to make headway on this issue in Howard County. And plenty of people just don't want to talk about it. Drug abuse can't happen here. Addiction? In beautiful Howard County? How can it be? Those who struggle with addiction, and their families members and friends, live with a ...