Month: July 2008

Blogging Just Do It

I really enjoyed sitting on the Roosevelt Institution’s Expo panel on blogging. I was concerned because the other panelists were from nationally focused liberal group/organized blogs, and I’m so not. The crowd was good and they had good questions.
Something that was touched upon in the Q&A, regarding breaking into blogging. I was in disagreement with the other bloggers, and maybe that disagreement may be rooted in our different purposes for blogging and audiences. What I heard in their answers was a need for organizations/ organized blogs like CampusProgress.org and FireDogLake.com to bring up young bloggers, and supporting minority, gay/lesbian, and feminist voices because blogging takes time and money. Annually, this blog costs me between $75 to $135 a year, and that’s only because I host it on my own site (not blogspot, which is free) and I have my own domain. So I don’t see the barrier to breaking into blogging as a big deal, so I quote Nike and say “Just Do It”.

Blogging is easy/Writing is hard
Getting a Blogger or LiveJournal or other freebie blog account, grabbing time on your own or a library’s computer to bang out a few thoughts is the easy part. What to bang out is the hard part, and for the time being I have inspiration and a pinch of talent. This wonderful neighborhood with all its ups and downs inspires me to write.
Writing is a talent. I’m not writing this to toot my horn, as I consider myself a mediocre writer, but I’ve seen some pretty bad writing (such as academic/ technical journals) to not take readable writing for granted.

Serve a need/ Scratch a niche
Besides being somewhat readable, I’ve got an audience. ‘Cause an audience would explain why my server rates went up. However my stats tell me half of you are looking for a Thai X-ing menu. [note- Taw needs to send me an updated menu, his prices went up]. So my niche, the unserved need I fill is for people looking for good Thai with a personal touch on Florida Ave. And then there is that other thing about writing about east of 9th St Shaw and other neighborhood observances. There’s still room in the niche and I’m sure there are other DC neighborhoods with little/no coverage from the MSM in need of good storytellers.

…and lastly

On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dumpy black chick
“We need to give voice to [fill in the blank],” tends to raise an eyebrow with me, since I am aware of there being at least a couple of good blogs written by at least 2 of the supposedly voice-less groups mentioned. Maybe I have a different interpretation of “a voice”. So if anyone cares to gently explain it to me, I’d be happy to hear what is meant.
I am an African-American woman and I think I have a voice. It’s just that I’m vocalizing another aspect of my being and that is of bitchy, broke, homeowner in the hood. There are several other bloggers who lend more ink/ pixels to chronicling
life as a black woman in a way, better than I could ever try. Several enough that the conservative black woman in Washington, DC POV is also out there in the blogosphere.
Though I use “I” a lot in my posts, I don’t really talk about myself in a descriptive way. You may also notice I don’t put up pictures of myself (there are several reasons for that, including my discomfort with taking pictures with people in them). So understandably in the early years of InShaw, people thought I was a gay white guy. Nope. That may of had something to do with the demographics of noticeable Shaw newbies /new comers and blogging in the early 2000s.
Nope. I’m just a black chick with a blog, a house, and wacky neighborhood.

Chance of a sub-station in TC small

I keep forgetting (along with a bunch of other things) to mention a bit of information taken from the last BACA meeting. Though we really, really, really want a substation being so very far away from the main 5D station, it doesn’t look likely. It was explained by Groomes, MPD that substations have to be manned and having officers inside manning stations means fewer officers outside patrolling streets. And something about other communities out their are clamoring for their own substations as well. We can keep fighting for one but it won’t be an easy fight.
I do like the idea that Councilwoman Schwartz mentioned, of getting DC government offices out of expensive downtown rental space and into DC owned surplus buildings…. surplus buildings like the schools. Well after a substation, a government office (something on the bureaucratic lines, not anything providing services) would be something around my second or third choice.

In search of a Happy Hour


Guess what? There is a dress code at Corduroy. I suspected as much when I called up Jimbo and suggested we head over and check out the happy hour. Jimbo was quite casual, sporting shorts, sandals and a tee. Jim had quite a bit of news, which you can read over at his blog, and so we talked about that on our way over to 9th Street.
Heading down 9th we stopped by the Long View Gallery. The cool painting in the window, of the flag wrapped like a bag (see pictured), just hung today, already sold. There is another blog posting about the opening for the artist Richard Currier, by Shaw Rez. The opening is this Friday, but I’ve already now seen it. I like the style and Drew mentioned that some of (or one of) Currier’s is in a museum somewhere. Oh, and there were two happy pooches in the gallery. Almost everytime I’ve been to Long View there is a canine in the house.
Anyway, we gave our reviews and said our goodbyes and continued on to Corduroy. And then we discovered the dress code. Shorts were a no-no. I didn’t even consider Jim’s shorts, I thought the sport sandals would be the deal breaker. The maitre’d asked if Jim lived close enough to change, but we decided to just come back another day. And I do hope to come back another day an try out their happy hour. That day, someone will be wearing pants, and maybe close toed shoes.
As I mentioned earlier, I suspected there was a dress code so I had a plan B. Vegetate also has a happy hour, so we turned northward on 9th. Mini-veggie burgers are good. So are the accompanying fries.

Capital Market: Mexican Fruit/ Deli Spanish Market


Mexfrt3
Originally uploaded by In Shaw

Mexican Fruit
1309 5th Street NE
Washington, DC
202-431-1644
Mon-Sat 6AM-5PM
Cash Only

Description: The fruit stand tends to be hit or miss in finding something suitable, but they have some of the cheapest produce and are always worth a visit when you’re in the market area. On visits where it is a sure hit, items are only slightly bruised or just has one spoiled item and you walk away with bags of fruits and veggies for less than $5. Misses are days when it seems that 1/2 of everything is doomed for the compost.

What is carried wildly varies and depends on when you show up. Usually there is garlic, tomatoes, onions, some sort of citrus, and potatoes. What’s not usually there is the surprise that makes it worth the visit, such as miniature pineapples, strawberries, just ripe avocados, celery, asparagus, bananas, plantains, melons, mushrooms, corn, blueberries, blackberries, apples, and the like. This stop is best for the creative cook who doesn’t need pretty fruits and veggies, and who can tolerate to chop off the bruises.

Extra: Present your bags to Marta or Marta’s sister (they are the young women with short aprons) who will look in the bag and come to a price. You can try to haggle or work out a deal to get more for your buck.

Links
Capital City Market: The Series
Capital City Market Blog

Reporters get better template

Washington Post Staff Writer Paul Schwartzman has written articles about transitional neighborhoods before and my complaint was that it worked on a flawed template. The old template was old-timers black and good, newcomers white upper class and bad. I’m seeing improvement in Post articles, such as the one Mr. Schwartzman has in today’s paper, “Reality Checkpoint.“
I particularly liked the beginning quote (print version) from resident Lisa Oksala “The murders and the checkpoint aren’t the definition of my daily experience. It’s a neighborhood, and we have issues. But it’s a community, and we’re sticking.” And there are other comments from residents, and a variety at that, who illustrate a more hopeful and positive view in light of a dark view outsiders may have upon reading about the police checkpoints in the area. The villain in this story is crime and violence, which oppresses both the poor and middle class. The best quote is from day care owner Dorethea Richardson, “I know what a bad neighborhood is, and this is not it.”
There is only one thing I take issue with in the article are the words attributed to Peter Tatian of the Urabn Institute. Though not a quote, it is written that he

said that rising home prices across the city and low interest rates pushed a wave of middle and upper-income buyers into Trinidad and diversified a neighborhood that has long been almost entirely black.

Black is not a synonym for poor and that sentence gives me that impression. It would have been better if it read … a neighborhood that has long been almost entirely lower income (or poor or some other adjective) and black.

Addition
There is a mention & pix of ANC rep/Frozen Tropic’s blogger for the area.

BACA meeting TONIGHT

I actually got a flier. I have heard tales of BACA meeting fliers being distributed but rarely has one made it to my door and my hands. This morning was one of those rare moments, I guess I need to show up.
According to the flier Carol Schwartz will be showing. Oh yeah, there are elections coming up besides the big prez thing. Schwartz is the lone Republican on the City Council and there is some fellow challenging her for her At-Large seat in the Republican primary. Also from the Council scheduled to appear is another At-Large, Kwame Brown, who lo and behold, also up for re-election. What either one of them will speak about is unknown.
Meeting starts at 7PM at Mt. Sinai Baptist in the basement. Ends at 9PM, I plan on departing earlier than that.

And ye shall know them by their trail of trash

That is a picture of some sort of spent firework on my kitchen roof. But all in all it was a tolerable 4th weekend. None of the pre-teens or teenagers managed to blow off any of their fingers or put out an eye, though making very good attempts to do so for the past few days. Someone did call the police (not I), a cruiser came by and the police said something to the kids that made them stop for all of 5 minutes.
There was the annual display of fireworks on the corner and it seems that it wasn’t as big as last year. Walking around, other corners like 3rd and R, and spaces (yard of JF Cook) were used for DIY displays as firework junk lays strewn all over on the street.
For my own block I am thankful we have 3 gentlemen who voluntarily clean up. There is alley cleaning man, who has been cleaning the alley behind me for as long as I can remember. He occasionally puts up tersely written signs about dumping and throwing “your” trash around. He got up most of the debris left by the neighbors across the way who were setting off fireworks in the alley. Bry, when he isn’t out of town supervising Christian missions in malaria infested countries, cleans our street, sometimes the block over. One time I spotted him cleaning the other side of New Jersey Avenue and I yelled at him. His competitor and sub (when Bry is out of town) is J. who also cleans our street, going down the sidewalk with broom and trash can. So most of the firework debris on our street has been taken care of, except the stuff the kids were blowing up yesterday evening.

Sittin around the house

My family was never really big on holidays. Mostly we’d treat it like an extra weekend day, which is what I’m doing today. My big plan is to once again attempt to clean the first floor and make sure no one sets anything off in my front yard.
I love my little bit of 600-800 sq. feet of American dirt so much that I will fiercely protect it with a water hose. Though it looks like it won’t be much of an issue this year. There is the possibility of non-firework friendly weather and the low level of pre-4th firework noise.

We claim this street lamp in the name of Truxton


tcircle
Originally uploaded by In Shaw

Somewhere, I don’t know where, are some banners proclaiming that you have arrived in the happy land of Truxtonia. TruxtonCircle.Org Scott sent me this along with another design and both feature stuff that was torn down years ago, the fountain and the original Dunbar High School. All the best, a Bates Street style house isn’t that eye catching , nice and roomy but not street sign ready. However Armstrong would make for a nice pix. And the current Dunbar ain’t pretty at all.
But, yea, we have signs for little part of Shaw. Yes, I do consider Truxton part of the Shaw family of neighborhoods.

New Blog

My next door neighbor B. has a blog. It’s still new so he’s feeling his way around. Jimbo and I have been helping him grasp the concept and purpose of blogging, so when you visit be nice.
The main, and eventual purpose of Bohemian Yankee in the Capital: Salty dog author talks history, sports, queer imagery and urban development is to promote two books that he has coming out, one on GLBT Hollywood and the other on stadium development in the District of Columbia. Of the two I’m more interested in the stadium book, Capital Sporting Grounds as it tells of some of the wheeling and dealing of getting the RFK built, and the location of various other sporting venues in the city.