Village Green/Town²

  What was happening on this day in 2022, you ask? Well, as in most days, I was curious. Or, rather, I wish there were a Columbia Curiosity Bureau. It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? It’s very likely that the Columbia Archives really is our Columbia Curiosity Bureau. I tend to think of it as the very respectable repository of significant documentation of the Great Columbia Experiment. And yet the archives probably contain a fair amount of the unusual, humorous, and surprising.   - - In Defense of Curiousity , Village Green/Town², 9/30/22 I recently reached out to the good folks at the Columbia Archives because I had a question that was burning a whole in my brain. I wanted to know who designed something. The Gateway.  No, not the entire location.This. THE Gateway.* Sculpture and signage for Columbia Gateway: a corporate community I’ve been thinking quite a bit about this area on account of the ongoing plans to transform Gateway. This image/icon/landmark? has that ...

Things I rarely think about before breakfast: dive bars. In truth? Probably hardly ever. But a question on the Columbia Reddit got me thinking. Best dives What’s the best places to meet friends, meet up with pals and get some beverages that don’t break the bank? An assortment of suggestions followed. One of them was for Pub Dog.  Pub Dog has inexpensive beer and pizza, and if you sit outside on a nice day you might meet dogs. They host trivia too I think. Someone responded that Pub Dog was not A Dive. They explained: Dives are a distinct entity. They’re like places that have a certain vibe as well as maybe no food. I can’t think of any place like that in Columbia.  This was where it became more interesting to me. There were two concepts at work here.  1. OP is looking for a place to meet up with friends that is not expensive. 2. OP is looking for A Dive, which is a specific genre of bar/pub/watering hole. I’m beginning to think this may be a generational thing. My view o...

This morning, under the heading of Early Childhood Education: Howard County kids lose access to Dolly Parton’s free books program , Maya Lora , Baltimore Banner The loss of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program will mean less books for Howard County kids. Photo credit: Ulysses Muñoz /The Banner I learned a lot about how Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library works by reading this article. I should have known that there was more to it than free books magically appearing because Ms. Parton is able to use her professional income and visibility to make it happen. The Imagination Library, which has brought 287 million books into the hands of children for over thirty years, is the result of many collaborative partnerships across the country. Here in Howard County, the Bright Minds Foundation has been the local partner which has administered the program.  The numbers are smaller, but just as meaningful, in Howard County, where Bright Minds has given over 97,000 books to nearly 4,300 kid...

  Meanwhile, here’s another episode of Eavesdropping On Bluesky.* @sketchesbyboze: Learning in school is not enough. You must continue to teach yourself throughout your life. Study history, read myths, memorize poems, get acquainted with the greatest philosophers & writers. In an age when tech is cooking many brains, we need an army of autodidacts. @shvetathakrar: I would add, make sure you draw on a global set of all these things, to help break you out of a limited worldview. @sketchesbyboze: This is so important.  Remember that Baltimore Beat piece on urban beekeeping I recommended yesterday? Nikkia Rowe, founding CEO of the John Newman Honeybee Company, reveals a similar mindset in describing what motivates her. “I feel like with bees, I can spend the entirety of the rest of my life with them and still not know everything about them. Every day I learn something new,” she says. Rowe founded the South Baltimore venture after an almost thirty year career in education. She...

  We continue to be obsessed with the impending arrival of new restaurants in this town. We don’t sit around watching the grass grow in Howard County. No, indeed. We sit around anxiously discussing when the next restaurant is going to open. It’s rather like all those “when’s the baby due?” conversations, only moreso. During a recent such conversation in the Howard County Eats group on Facebook I suddenly envisioned an (as yet imaginary) tracking device. Consider this: one of those old school newsroom set ups with multiple clocks running, but for all of the in-progress restaurants.  Photo from basic Google search.  At the moment those in-progress restaurants would be: Boro Kabob on Frederick Road, Taco Bell on Route 40, Mezeh at Long Gate, and a Korean barbecue place in Dorsey’s Search. The entire conversation was kicked off with the news that Dumont Cafe & Creamery would coming soon to the Weis Plaza shopping center in Waverly Woods. As a well-known local foodie remar...

Maybe it was the rapture. Maybe Jesus came and took the ones who were His own: t he disappeared, the falsely imprisoned, the abused, and those with no place to lay their heads.  Just think - - wouldn’t He take those whose bodies are struggling, suffering, weakened by poverty and ill-treatment? And wouldn’t He gather into His arms those whose brains are enchained by agony and distress? If it was The Rapture would it be so surprising that  Jesus took all of those that we have deemed  invisible? We would never notice.  I think maybe we walk around with salvation right there in our pockets  like a lottery ticket we bought and never checked.  It can only be the winning ticket if we take it out and look at it.  (No guarantee, of course.) But we don’t want to risk it. Who are we if we do not at least take it out  and see the truth of what has been unseen? There is no rapture for us if we do not really see.  If there is eternal damnation in hellfi...

  “Football is for everyone!” These words begin an announcement from County Executive Calvin Ball yesterday about a new girls’ Flag Football initiative in the Howard County Schools. The program will receive financial support from the Baltimore Ravens and Under Armour. An investment in girls’ sports is worth celebrating, especially right now. Image from County Executive Ball’s social media In case people wonder if I ever disagree with our esteemed County Executive, well… No, I don’t think football is for everyone. American tackle football is dangerous and violent and continues to chew up and spit out athletes whose futures are marred by permanent injuries both to body and brain. The world of professional football is steeped in systemic racism where the abilities and dedication of Black players are exploited to create financial benefit for the entire network of white people who hold power.  High school football is certainly not for marching bands who are often told they may no...

  I’ve been hanging on to the following words (in screenshot form) since 2019. This post is from a group on Facebook called The Best Businesses of Howard County.  It’s still relevant, so - - here goes: I'd like to make a suggestion. When asking for recommendations, instead of saying "doesn't cost an arm and leg," "doesn't cost a fortune," or even "reasonably priced," state your budget or max price. People have different expectations of reasonable. For example, you might ask for venue suggestions. I want to suggest an amazing place that is $300 but your budget is $100. Then I could cater my suggestions to your budget or save you the trouble of calling a place that doesn't work with your budget.* What is reasonably priced? Do we know? We know how much money we have and how much we are willing to spend. Maybe you feel uncomfortable sharing that kind of information publicly. But everyone wants to get a good deal, right?  Well…everyone with the ...

  I’m having a rather “bah, humbug!” morning over here today. I’ll try not to take it out on you.  It all started when I went looking for some information on a new store which has come to the Mall in Columbia. It’s called The Inspiration Company. (Or maybe it’s “The Inspiration Co”.)     Images from The Mall in Columbia social media   Now open! @theinspiration_co has arrived at The Mall in Columbia, bringing uplifting jewelry and positive vibes to your shopping experience.  Come explore their inspiring collection today! My first thoughts: well, we can all use some inspiration right about now, but - -  I’m dubious that it can be purchased at a suburban shopping mall.  Places I have found inspiration: at the library, in nature, in human connection, in music and art, and sometimes in church. Places I have never found inspiration: temples of commerce and purveyors of mass-produced goods. Still, I wanted to find some shred of the positive in this story...

  Facebook Events has changed how they present information and it looks like it will give you more choices. However, the difference in layout has temporarily broken my brain.  This got me thinking about the different local event calendars around town and their varying ease of use. I tend to lean most heavily on the Facebook one and the supplement with the calendar on  Visit Howard County.  My only quibble with VHC is that they list a whole slew of things that happen on multiple dates first before events happening only today. Yes, they allow you to search for a specific date but you will still be wading through events that happen every day in September, or every Saturday from August to November, for example.  You may want to see those. I realize that’s a silly quibble on my part. VHC also lists events that aren’t actually in Howard County but are nearby. That’s gracious of them. Since I limit myself to things within HoCo I’m always puzzled to see those on a HoC...

  Do you listen to any podcasts? Here are some that I’ve been listening to lately: Circle Round Kelly Corrigan Wonders Higher Ground IMO Arts Educators Save the World Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me Smologies TILF I’ve found that, the more I am distressed by current events, the more important it is for me to find other ways to offset the ongoing crisis mode in my brain. Podcasts have been a godsend in that regard. There’s just one thing: the adverts. I have gotten really hung up on the commercials in these things. When you watch commercial television there may be ads you don’t like. And thank goodness there’s at least a mute button for aggressively loud sales pitches or annoying jingles. But I’ve never had a sense that the people in the show I was watching were responsible for what ads I was seeing or the relative quality of the products being pitched.  Yes, I know that the revenue from commercials makes the creation of the shows possible. But in my mind they were separate from eachot...

I keep a running list of things that might make a good blog post. Unfortunately, once I put something on the list, I tend to lose all interest in writing about it.  This is an ongoing mystery to me. Anyway, here is the current list: Cycling without Age People on the Go Maryland The Gathering, a new monthly salon at the library Patapsco Literary Festival Former Ellicott City preschool reopens in Sykesville  China Day October 4 CEI Harvest Gala October 16 SEEDS Cradlerock partners with Queen Takes Book Other mysteries include the appearance of multiple fire trucks and more than one ambulance at Elite Spice in Jessup yesterday morning. This would not be such a big deal were it not for a pending lawsuit against the company and reports of EPA violations. Of course, this could be completely unrelated. I am not an investigative reporter. This is beyond my level of expertise. A mystery which seems likely to be benign: the sighting in Owen Brown of - - a large rolling…horse? sporting a...

Rainy day. Nice Weather for ducks . If you’re a teacher the words “indoor recess” may make you shudder with thoughts of anticipated chaos.  I have tried in past blogs to get people excited about thinking of the best places to go in Howard County when it rains. This effort was not successful. Either all of you hate rain or you can’t think of even one good local place to go when it’s wet outside.  I will not attempt this again. Besides, today is Wednesday: you’re very likely going to work, and most kids are at school. There’s no time in the schedule for fun rainy day activities, anyway. Whether you hate rainy days or love them, the fact is that we’re behind on rain this year. And, gosh darn it, we need rain. I went looking for a list of reasons why rain is important to us and it didn’t go exactly as planned. I searched “why rain benefits communities” and the vast majority were “the benefits of rain gardens in the community.” One outlined the benefits of storing rainwater. It wa...

Once upon a time I saw a cartoon that showed a kid at someone’s door promoting the school fundraiser. The gist of it was, no one wanted to buy the product du jour. But when the kid offered to take away stuff the homeowner was trying to get rid of - - for a fee, of course - - it suddenly became the best fundraiser ever. I wish I had saved that cartoon. It was meant to be humorous but I still think it’s a brilliant concept. I hate throwing things away knowing they’ll just go in a landfill. I find great satisfaction matchmaking my no longer needed items in my Buy Nothing Group. But there’s a sort of let down or sense of failure when nobody wants Your Thing. Case in point: two well-loved plastic cutting boards.  I can’t convince anyone to give them a new life with some kind of creative reuse and if I throw them away they will sit in a landfill forever. So they are sitting in my house instead. My house: the secondary landfill.  Bah, humbug. The topic is on my mind this morning beca...

My morning schedule is off due to what might be labeled “moderate oversleeping.” I’m usually up between four and five and, believe it or not, it takes all of that preparation time for my brain to be ready to form words I’m comfortable putting out into the world. I don’t usually do this, but I’m just going to rant a bit. You have been warned. “One Size Fits All!” Have you ever seen this claim for a product? Has it ever, ever been true? I am frustrated this morning with the practice of blaming everything on one particular cause or claiming that your one solution will solve all problems. The proponents of this approach are zealous.  My opinion: this does not help.  We cannot have one balanced discussion about classroom overcrowding (or many other local topics) without someone uttering the word “developer” and derailing it. It’s no longer a discussion. It’s the equivalent of what happens when someone yells “Fire!” in a crowded theater. Then we have those who are sure that the onl...

Some years back, during that window of time when I really, really cared about being involved in Columbia Association happenings and goings on, I found myself singing the same song over and over again on my blog and in meetings of the CA Board of Directors. Why are we making decisions when young people and families with young children aren’t in the room? Why don’t we make it easy for them to be in the room? It looks like the powers that be don’t want them to be in the room.  I was pretty passionate about it.  My reasoning was that, if we want Columbia to live on into the future, we need to be including people of younger generations every step of the way. And not just including them, but empowering them. The exhilaration felt by participating in the creation of Columbia ought to be shared by newer generations as they participate in having significant roles in its continuation.  This was not exactly a welcome message. I decided that I was done fighting those battles with th...

  At six-fifteen am the temperature is 56 degrees, it’s foggy and the humidity is 100 per cent: ugh. Projections are for sun, though, and pollen will be middling.  What? Don’t you check the weather before you make plans? There are plenty of things to do around town and you know where to look for them by now, I guess. And you know I’m always going to put in a plug for the Farmers’ Markets: Clarksville Commons and  Old Ellicott City. I’m personally intrigued by this event: Your new favorite outdoor art hangout! SCRIBBLE! A DRAWING HANGOUT FOR MARYLAND CREATIVES PRESENTS: SCRIBBLIN IN THE PARK SEPTEMBER 13 11-1 PM CENTENNIAL PARK Your favorite outdoor art hangout! Pack your supplies, projects, something comfy to sit on, and enjoy an afternoon of sketching, painting, and creating in good company. Please watch posted video on our Facebook and Instagram pages for walking guide to find our spot! ALL ART STYLES, SKILL LEVELS, & MEDIUMS WELCOME! CENTENNIAL LAKE BOAT RAMP LO...

  The road to hell is paved with good intentions. It’s an old saying. We don’t exactly know how old . Considering how vividly we are experiencing the road to hell these days, without any good intentions whatsoever, it can be hard to believe that good intentions could go amiss. Case in point: in pondering the murder of conservative media personality Charlie Kirk this week I found myself mulling over something which has been upsetting me for a long time: laughing at/celebrating the suffering of others. In light of that, I posted the following on social media: You always lose something when you laugh at the suffering of others. It isn’t simply demoralizing to people you don’t like. You damage yourself. You chip away at the most precious part of what makes you human. My words received positive feedback. I felt I had done the best I could with the feelings I had. Then I came across a post on Bluesky, unrelated to mine, that gave me pause. Whiteness only demands civility and grace in res...