Tonight’s Parks and Rec meeting was a bit contentious (or so I am told – that’s the only kinds I’ve witnessed so far). There are many stakeholders passionate about their views for the park. I came to accept the Strickland Park plan as probably the best that we could get. I hope the neighbors who will frequent the park will enjoy the finished product.
On a totally unrelated note, I need to start eating supper before dashing off to these meetings. Votes like tonight’s are not easy on my stomach!
Tickets for James Taylor’s free concert Tuesday go on sale tomorrow. You can pick them up at the following locations:
Raleigh for Change HQ
130 E. Morgan Street
Raleigh, NC
Friday, Oct. 17th, Saturday Oct.18th and Monday Oct. 20th
9am-6pm
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Ex-Beatle Ringo Starr recently posted a video on his website announcing he would no longer be autographing items mailed to him. Its bizarre enough that it practically begs for a response.
This could be the “Kenneth, what’s the frequency?” of 2008. Some have already begun parodying it, like this, this, this, this, and this.
I can’t sit on the sidelines, either: I’ve got to post a parody. Look for a goofy video soon: my first YouTube appearance.
If I didn’t get my fill of excitement last night I’ve got more fun tonight. Tonight’s the night the Parks and Rec board votes on the master plan for Strickland Park.
I’m not happy with how the public process was handled here, though I think the park will be a welcome asset to the neighborhood, ultimately. There are a few changes that I would like to see – and that I will ask for – but I’m not optimistic that these will be accomplished. I think some people have made up their minds and little will change their positions.
I attended my first Raleigh CAC meeting (as opposed to the East CAC ones that I lead). I sat at the City Council table for the first time and the meeting was televised on RTN channel 11.
The meeting was dull for the most part. Up until the end, that is, which came after the meeting stopped its scheduled airing on cable. That’s when some longtime CAC chairs unloaded about the perceived lack of cooperation they have been getting from the city’s community services department. Though I was missing half of the televised presidential debate I couldn’t pull myself away from the fireworks.
Yet another unexpectedly-exciting first meeting I’ve attended!
A friend of my coworker works at a local homeless shelter. He says homelessness is up 30% now due to the economy. Urban Ministries of Durham is warning of the same increase in homeless people.
“The current economic condition of our country is pushing many people into homelessness, and Durham will be no exception,” said Greg Rowland, Urban Ministries’ vice-chair. “We are committed to increasing our capacity to provide food, clothing, shelter and recovery to everyone who walks through our door.”
It might hurt to lose pretend money in the stock market but its important to remember those for whom the economic stress is painfully tangible: our homeless.
North Carolina legend James Taylor will play a free concert in Raleigh in support of Barack Obama’s campaign. According to what the N&O’s David Menconi has heard, JT will play Moore Square at noon Tuesday, October 21st.
My office’s WiFi signal just might reach that far. Or I’ll have a long lunch that day. Or something.
Its sunny and clear with a temperature of 85 degrees. Its a perfect spring day here in North Carolina. Slightly warmer than usual, but fine. Its perfect weather for the North Carolina State Fair, which kicks off this weekend. It should get off to a nasty start, though, with temperatures plunging Friday and rain predicted. Sunday should be nice, though.
I was in a funk most of yesterday: Monday night I got some discouraging news about my new cholesterol results. Rather than improving after months of regular exercise and better eating my cholesterol has gotten slightly worse. Now I am facing medication. Is it the end of the world? Not by a long shot, but I assumed things would trend better and I’m puzzled when they did not.
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Every now and then we’ve talked about adding a dog to the family. We wanted to be sure the kids were ready for it, and that we had the home and yard that would support it. We had reached this comfort level about the time I got an email saying Lab Rescue of North Carolina was looking for foster homes for labrador retrievers. We checked out their website, found some dogs we were interested in, filled out their comprehensive application, and waited.
We got an interview call this weekend from one of the facilitators and was referred to a foster dog owner here in Raleigh. Another call Sunday night and we arranged to meet this dog. We prepped the kids beforehand, letting them know this might not be the right dog for us. They seemed to understand, though, and looked forward to the meeting.
Last evening, the dog and its foster parents came over. We watched as Rocket, a 2-year-old lab, explored the back yard and got to know us as we got to know him. The kids gleefully chased the dog around, patting him on the back and tossing sticks for him to “retrieve.” Rocket also seemed to feel at home inside, and before long was lounging on the floor and licking faces clean.
Kelly and I think Rocket might be our dog. We’re going to wait until tonight to share the news with the kids, maybe to give us more time to consider things. Getting a dog is a big commitment but one that should reward us for years to come. Judging by the looks on our kids’ faces its the right thing to do.
