April 2011

There were 32 posts published in April 2011 (this is page 1 of 4).

Weddings

There was a certain wedding early this morning in a country far, far away. While I’m happy for the couple, I remember how the couple in the last “royal wedding” turned out.

It’s fine to celebrate weddings, but one’s wedding day is just day one of a lifetime journey. In spite of the jitters some couples feel before their wedding, it will arguably be the easiest day of their marriage. When the admiring crowds have all gone home, the real work begins.

I can’t imagine how much harder marriage must be when working under the expectations of an entire country.

Peter Lovenheim

I went to a talk by author Peter Lovenheim last night. It was sponsored by the Raleigh Citizen Advisory Council, of which I’m a part. Lovenheim wrote a book about his neighborhood and asked his neighbors if he could sleep over to find out more about them. I’ve just gotten his book In The Neighborhood this week and haven’t had a chance to dig into it yet.

I’ve been meaning to write up my thoughts about his talk but I’ve been getting up at 4 AM every morning this week to conduct training for work. Conducting training takes a lot of energy itself, but when it also begins at 4 AM it is especially draining. A full write-up will have to wait until I get a little downtime!

Nancy’s in

Nancy McFarlane

Today, District A city councilor Nancy McFarlane announced her bid to be mayor of Raleigh. Her decision comes a day after Mayor Charles Meeker announced he would not be seeking a second term.

I’ve known Nancy for a while now and expected this decision. She’s smart, funny, and deeply dedicated to serving the citizens of Raleigh. I believe she will serve Raleigh well as its next mayor!

Charles Meeker to step down

Charles Meeker in 2004


A press conference this morning confirmed what many already guessed: that Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker would be stepping down at the end of this term. He stresses, though, that is isn’t planning to disappear!

Charles made some very good calls during his tenure as mayor, such as demolishing that butt-ugly old convention center in favor of the new one. This attracted business from out of down and opened up the beautiful Fayetteville Street for traffic and business, returning it to its rightful place as Raleigh’s “Main Street.” He guided the city through two droughts, a huge recession, and numerous storms. He led efforts to implement sustainability throughout the city projects, saving money in the long run. Accolades for our city piled up during his tenure.
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The crowded gas pumps


I’ve been amused at how crowded gas pumps have become recently. It seems there is now every kind of vending machine stacked next to the pumps. How did we get here?

Back in the mid 80s, the pay at the pump gas pump made its debut, giving customers the convenience of purchasing gasoline without having to wait in line in the store. While this has been great for customers who only want to refuel, it’s been horrible deal for the station owners.

Station owners make very little money from gasoline sales. Their largest profits come from selling groceries and junk food. Sell a few gallons of milk for 6 bucks each and you’re doing pretty well.
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It’s the little things

Over the past week, I’ve lifted thousands of pounds of tree limbs; climbed over a rooftop, patching holes; driven through debris-filled streets without functioning traffic signals; and stood in the street, directing traffic. None of these activities injured me the way two harmless-seeming things did.

As I searched for a place to send a blog post Sunday night, I parked the car outside of the Cameron Village library. Stretching across my front seat, I sent my two blog posts while seated in the driver’s seat. Just 45 minutes in this twisted position wound up wrenching my back. Only today did it feel normal!

The other injury took place when I opened the box containing a new extension cord. The edge of the cardboard gave the knuckle of my left middle finger a wicked paper cut! All through the cleanup, I constantly brushed against this cut, aggravating me every time.

I find it funny that out of all the dangerous stuff I’ve done over the past week, this is all I’ve had to deal with. Pretty lucky, if you ask me!

Chris Hondros

I was sad to hear that war photographer Chris Hondros died while covering the fighting in Libya. He took amazing photographs of some of the rawest human events imaginable. I admire journalists who are still willing to go where the action is and bring it back to us. Sometimes that means putting one’s life in danger. It looks like Chris’s luck simply ran out.

I was thinking earlier today that I would’ve probably liked Chris had I met him, but upon reading more about him I realized I might have actually had my chance. Chris was photo editor at the Technician around the time of my week as a Technician photographer. He obviously took his photography more seriously than I did!

Not funny

Dear Facebook friends,

Thanks for thinking of me when you posted that video of some poor soul falling off a table, smashing head-first into an ice-covered lake, or the myriad other unfortunate injuries that occur to people. Though you might think it’s “HILARIOUS!!1!!!!!!!,” I certainly do not and it only makes you look like a callous jackass. I don’t find it funny when people get hurt and you wouldn’t either if the person in question was a friend, family member, or (perhaps one day) you!

Karma is a bitch, y’all. Best not to go there. Show some compassion or one day that poor bastard in the video might be you.

KTHXBYE,
Mark

in Rant | 112 Words

Dear costumer . . .

Another phishing attempt hit the inbox, this time addressed to “costumers” and targeting Earthlink users.

From: “Earthlink.net” noreply@earthlink.net
Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2011 02:18:08 +0200
Subject: Earthlink.Net – Account Suspended

Account Locked !

Dear costumer,

Due to the number of incorrect login attempts, your earthlink account has been locked for your security. This has been done to secure your accounts and to protect your private information in case the login attempts were not done by you.

If you did not trigger this lockout, follow this link to Log on to your Earthlink Account:

Click here to unlock your account
http://stsoft.homelinux.org/oscommerce/images/webmail.earthlink.net.html
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Thank you for using Earthlink.Net!

Please do not reply to this e-mail. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered.