Category: 2010 Posts

I’m slowly adding the blog posts from 2010-2017, until I can find an easier way. Otherwise people can just go to inshaw.com/weblog/2010 or inshaw.com/weblog/2011 and so on for the files to the old blog.

Warning about Lockboxes

Lockboxes are those things you see outside of houses for sale, it is a lock and a box in one. Well this weekend someone broke the lockbox that was on the fence of a neighbor of mine. The neighbor is having work done and the place is a construction zone and there aren’t any major appliances in there. But someone posing as the ‘drywall guy’ was poking around, then later the lockbox was missing, the house unlocked. The lockbox was found later in a treebox, sans keys. From the looks of the lockbox it appears the guy took a vise grip and squeezed it popping the lock. The thief ran off with a couple of saws and other tools.

This page contains a single entry by Mari published on July 12, 2010 8:45 AM.

Another Fundraiser for Martin

Hopefully we will be nearing the end of this. But the legal bills for CCCA Prez Martin Moulton to defend himself against the accusations of the former SMD ANC Leroy Thorpe, who is suing him for a kajillion dollars because Martin was demanding an accountable government. Attached is a PDF about the July 15th fundraiser. June15Fundraiser.pdf

They claim this land in the name of Spain (Winners of the World Cup)

No not really.
Protest sign 2 ONE DC a local wayward child of Manna DC is staging a protest summer camp at the corner of 7th and R/Rhode Island, NW. I will admit I really haven’t paid much attention to what has been going on with that parcel. I am gathering some deal fell through and that primo spot is back in play. Yay! Can you tell I’m not too keen on a mirror for that other example of a human right in action, Lincoln-Westmoreland which sits across the street.

Trust, a fragile thing

The only reason why I’m mentioning this article from today’s Washington Post, “The Court of Vanished Dreams,” is because the court in question is in the TC. According to the article a homeless fellow had a good idea, create a basketball league, involve area teens to keep them out of trouble. Problem was James Russell, the homeless fellow who started it, bailed on the teens and the other homeless men who were to be coaches and timekeepers, taking $1,000 with him. Being charitable, one could say Russell couldn’t battle his own demons which part of him meant well but another part didn’t and that part won. Not being charitable, Russell was a con man who not only took away people’s money but heavily damaged their trust in others. Trust is a very fragile thing and when it is damaged it hardens the hearts of the victims and makes it that more difficult for the next person who might not want money, but good will, time, mercy, patience, and or faith.
According to the article, the league used the basketball court at 1st and Florida on the Shaw side of Florida, opposite the Big Bear. I’ve seen groups playing there but never really thought any of it was organized. Next time, I’ll take another look and be a bit more observant.
There is a bit of a bright light to this story of a bum that let his colleagues and the kids down, another homeless fellow, Wade Simmons, who was coaching for the league took over. Though the whole thing is less than kosher, meaning if it were run by some responsible non-profit a number of the participants might be excluded. But it is good in that it allows the usual recipients of charity to be charitable and it is better to give than receive.

This page contains a single entry by Mari published on July 8, 2010 8:13 AM.

Beau Thai

Don’t get that excited yet. Walking by it still looks like they’ve got a few more weeks of painting and shifting stuff around before she (the owner) opens up and starts making this neighborhood what I hoped it might become when I bought the stack of bricks and wood 9 years ago.
I got an email from Mr. Renew Shaw about what’s up and I’ll just sum it up. The opening should be soon, like maybe in about a week and she (Aschara) will be gradually building it up from carry out (phase I) to sit down real live restaurant (phase II). There is stuff to get through with BZA (Board of Zoning Adjustment), which is why she’ll have to start as a fast food carry out place.
Mr. Renew Shaw had an opportunity to taste Aschara’s food and says the menu has fresh and healthy Thai fare.

Theater Stuff

I am looking forward to Banished Production’s Fringe Festival piece “Handbook for hosts” which is described as where film noir meets radio drama. Go to their website at http://banishedproductions.org/productions.html to see what it is all about. I’ve enjoyed their past productions of a “Tactile Dinner” and wonder what they have in store. The tickets are about $15 which is a good price for live theater. You can get tickets here. I’ve been told they’ll be doing this out of the Studio Theater on 14th which is a good Shaw spot for pre-theater noshing and grabbing chocolate.

I also got another theater email, and since I don’t really do announcements anymore (that’s what BACA is for), but now looking at it now the information had expired. Oh well.

This page contains a single entry by Mari published on July 7, 2010 8:24 AM.

Looks Like We’ll Have a Library This Summer

The following announcement came across some of the listservs about the Waltha Daniels/ Shaw Library.

Dear Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Library Patron,

The new Watha T. Daniel/Shaw library located at 1630 7th St. N.W.,
across from the Shaw Metro station is scheduled to open on Monday, Aug.
2. The Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Interim Library, located at 945 Rhode Island
Ave., N.W. will close Tuesday, July 13 at 5:30 pm in order to move to
the new library.

The new three-story library is approximately 22,000 square feet and will
feature separate reading areas for adults, teens and children; a
children’s program room; space for 80,000 books, DVDs, CDs and other
library materials; 32 public access computers with free Wi-Fi Internet
access; comfortable seating for 200 customers; large program room for up
to 100 people; two 12-person conference rooms; and a vending area.

The nearest libraries are Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Library, 901 G
St, N.W. and Northwest One, 155 L St, N.W. Library users can return or
renew books at any DC Public Library.

Archie

Well, yay! I’ll admit I haven’t ventured over to the trailers when the library building was getting worked on because my lazy self thought an extra block and a half was too far to go for horrid flashbacks of the classroom trailers I had to endure in high school.
Now I wonder how strong that wi-fi signal is going to be as I imagine internet junkies hanging around the outside with their Starbucks cups. I’m glad to see that there will a section for children, which hopefully will include children’s books, something woefully lacking in the old building. Though I avoided children’s anything in library school, I do realize the great importance of reading to small children. I hope the library will have the classics Cat in the Hat, and Goodnight Moon.
While I have your attention I’m going to propose calling the new building the Shaw library because people keep thinking ‘Waltha’ was a woman and it’s too Barry-era to me. Shaw, is the neighborhood name.

This page contains a single entry by Mari published on July 2, 2010 10:28 AM.

Lazy Gardener harvest

This year, for the front yard, all I did was move some pots around, and plant some tomato plants that had outgrown their seedling pots. What’s in the ground is pretty much the result of what I’ve done years before. I amended and took care of the soil, so the arugula grows like crazy. Which means I got to keep cutting it back and giving it away. Lucky me I have a few neighbors who love the peppery lettuce. I can take it in small doses and really wish something that I liked a bit better would grow as quickly and easily instead. I’ve probably gotten a dozen bags of arugula.
I’ve gotten a few tomatoes this month. The evil squirrels so far haven’t feigned any interest in my tomatoes. Not like last year when it was a battle between me and them. There are still a few more months to go though.
Because I had some work done on my front walkway, I moved my productive lavender plant, which is now a dying lavender plant. I would pick the flowers when they were just about ready, dry them in the window sill and store them for future use. I collected enough to throw a few tablespoons here and there into some dishes. I hope the plant comes back as I am really enjoying lavender-vanilla ice cream.
Mint is still going strong. It is a perennial so I don’t have to fuss with it, as is the sage and the thyme. Some of the Swiss Chard from last year didn’t seem to bolt like the rest of the chard and are happily crowding out the arugula. 
Pondering asking to do some gardening in someone else’s yard I realize how lazy I can be now, because of hard work I put into my yard, back when I had the energy. Untended yards have hard, clayish soil. It takes a while and a fair investment in compost, dirt, mulch and serious weed pulling to get it so that arugula comes back without much help, or thought.
The backyard, since it is all container gardening does require some effort on my part. This year I tried my hand at potatoes and ate my reward. Three small fingerling-ish potatoes. This after digging my naked arm into a pot and embedding dirt deep into my nails. They were tasty. However there were too few of them. I would have turned the whole pot over looking for them but, I had some bean plants on top and didn’t want to lose them.

Ray o Sunshine on Gray

Longtime resident and grumpy old guy Ray comes up with some interesting observations and statements that are pure gold and must be shared:
I had several long evening walks this week east and north from me on
Ninth
and it would appear that on on some blocks, particularly where homes are
less renovated, Gray signs prevail. There are very few, if any, Fenty
signs. I suspect Gray will be our next mayor due to apathy from the
self-absorbed, unregistered, new busy young moderns who’ve moved here
but think DC politics are immaterial to or just too beneath them.

Gray will usher back in the good old days of Barry Third World politics
where constituent services will be tightly controlled and allocated by
having to petition the big man at neighborhood meetings to have your
trash
cleaned up, the police patrol your block, have a water leak or a pothole
repaired, and an error in your tax bill remedied. Don’t expect any
services
unless you can prove your bona fides — at least third generation Black
DC
resident. Expect the return of long, long lines in the DMV with surly
inspectors and clerks. Construction will stop as developers will again
flee
when the pols demand kickbacks and jobs for the indolent and insolent.
Expect real “gentrification” taxs for more worthless “programs” for PG
county bourgeiois friends of the mayor that make “Peaceaholics” look
like an
effective crime-fighting operation. Expect the police to spend more
time writing tickets (church people exempted) instead of catching
criminals. Neighborhood rule by preacher will return. Teachers will no
longer be compelled to teach and students freed from having to learn.
Go
Gray and bring back the good old days of DC politics.