7/16/05

And now..

in my wifes hot little hands: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

review will follow eventually.

In my hot little hands: The box that Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was shipped in, there are benifits to working at the store selling them.

What a mob scene, but thankfully - we were home at 12:09. Book->UScan->Car->home. 8 mins total.

would have been a minute faster if I did not go run and get a box.. but must have box. MUST HAVE BOX

maybe its just me.

Oh, and for the parent of the young girl who I overheard saying "Yeah, that's me - drunken whore of the party." Good luck.

7/15/05

News from The Roanoke Times -Building's facade will be relocated and reassembled

News from The Roanoke Times -Building's facade will be relocated and reassembled

Did you ever hit a point where you just dont know if you have the strength to comprehend the stupidity anymore?

You know, one of those really frustrating days. Well Mr. Stout & Co. are quickly turning into that proverbial wall I keep bashing my head into.

A great big wall o' stupid.

From the article: Motley assured board members that the art museum would work with them to flesh out the remaining details. He also reminded them that reworking the proposal would further delay the art museum, which is scheduled to break ground in September.

"I think we need some tolerance with the details of the project so we can move forward," Motley said. The architects must still seek a building permit from the city to demolish the remaining parts of the brick building.


Apparently Motley is another architect working with Stout. And a whiner. Reworking the proposal would further delay... Sheesh!! Maybe if you had done it right in the first place, instead of bringing one of your failed designs from somewhere else and giving it to us.

Yes, you heard me. At this point Im having a very hard time believing that our AMWV design is original for Roanoke. I have a feeling it was made for someplace else, who was not impressed and went with another designer.

"We need tolerance with the details..." WHAT? You ask for tolerance? THESE ARE THE RULES SIR, AND YOU WILL PLAY BY THEM.

Go ahead Stout & Co. Keep it up with your attitudes, you'll get far.

Oh - and I'm going to keep saying it till someone gets it..

STOUT SAID $46 MILLION. NOT A CONSTRUCTION QUOTE, JUST A NUMBER HE CAME UP WITH. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Im am half tempted to file suit agsint the Architectural Review Board for Breach of Public Trust, mainly for being so dense as to actually bicker about the details not being done properly when they rebuild-move-whatever Lonesome Dove.

Heres a secret for ya.. If ya dont move it, it dont have to be rebuilt.

Again, from the article: As part of the approval, the architects pledged to replicate the building's original material in exact size, color and texture, saying that restoration with the original bricks would be too costly.
So they are going to spend good money to get worn bricks that look exactly like the bricks they are removing.

What a crew of winners we have here.

"They also promised to have the structural plans and details of the building documented before demolition for archival purposes, as requested by the board."

No, not requested by the board.. THE LAW! Yes, I know - Im the nut who actually reads these arcane things - but yes, it is the law. Not a request, a compliance. This is why I dont go to the ARB meetings, I would be arguing just as much with the Board as I would with Mr. Stout.

:::::Using old photographs of downtown Roanoke, the architects created a design that meets the character of the period in which the building was constructed. Motley described their overall approach to the design as using "standard materials, period coloring and simple shapes" to replicate the building that was once there.

Oh - are they going to use Lego blocks, or Lincon Logs? Esplain to me why we need a design that meets the charicter of the period in which the building was constructed? I thought we were rebuilding an existing structure? Mommy, Im scared... these men talk like tax-attorneys.

One last thing - then I'll be done with todays visit with the Stupid Family:

A word to the AMWV staff and backers - Your architect is out of ideas. "Stout also discussed plans for the first-floor storefront, offering suggestions about what could fill the glass span. Among some of his ideas were a display case for event posters or a series of renderings showing how the facade was moved and reassembled."

Apparently Mr. Stout has been to Tanglewood Mall lately, where across from Steinmart is an empty storefront, which is used at various times of year as display windows for posters, right now is the Cave Spring recreation field idea.

If this goes on much longer, Im going to start sending "Get Well Cards" to the various boards and committies that have to deal with this crew.

Well, now my day is ruined...

7/14/05

So I heard this on SLS

Apparently the AMWV has gotten some form of approval (Im not sure which - zoning, architectural, POS.) to build. The city is going to unleash $4 million in bonds for sale to add to the pot of an alleged $30 million they have raised through private donations. Cost of building: ( a dubious number which Mr. Stout pulled out of something) $46 million.

And they are going to break ground and ruin a perfectly good parking lot.

This will not end well, I can see it now.

T- 7 days and counting

Its about time I get back to the BST thread, and what better time to do it than with 1 week to go till D-day.

If memory serves me....

nearly 3 years ago, right about now I was probably in the final stages of my decent. Im pretty sure the BST (big stupid tumor) had probably taken a strong hold of me by now. Im not sure exactly what I was doing at this point, but I do remember that my head did nothing but throb and ache. All I wanted to do was sleep. I was probably not eating much at all, drinking copious amounts of coffee.

I had given up on taking any kind of asprin for the pain. I was not thinking clearly at any point. There was no point in the day when I could honestly say I was feeling nothing. There was always something.

I was looking forward to the next week, because on my birthday - my girlfriend (now wife) and I were finally going to Atlantic City. Taking the bus down from Franklin Square, NY. 3-4 hours depending on traffic one way.

Then you get about 7 hours or so to play and eat till your hearts content and wallet is empty. We were both looking forward to it, I had been to AC a few times as a kid - too young to play in the casinos. Now I am not big on gambling. The only way I like to gamble is on the horses, I like to see where my moneys going. This way I can yell at it when I lose.

Putting coins in a machine, watching the dials spin, and waiting for them to stop amuses me, but does not fascinate me.

But I thought this trip would be a nice, different birthday. And boy was it ever - but you are going to have to wait for next week for that one.

Right now, all I can really say is - you better strap yourselves in - this is going to get ugly.

(ps - still working on the firefox issue. might have to change templates totally. I have no idea)

If you understand Firefox and you know it, give a shout!

Seriously, I was informed today that this very blog looks all sorts of bizzare in FireFox, so I finally downloaded it and why, YES. It DOES look all sorts of funny.

I dont get why though. If anyone can give me a clue as to why, I'd be much obliged.

7/13/05

News from The Roanoke Times -An ounce of prevention of county adult stores

So Im reading this story, all about Roanoke Co. limiting the areas in which a non-existant adult shop can open.

I get down to the bottom, and lo and behold - what the hell???

Google Ads!

The Roanoke Times is now running Google Ads on EACH STORY!!!

There were none on the main page however. The Editorial page has them, though the classifieds do not.

Then there is this: http://roanoke.buzznet.com/

Roanoke Times PhotoBlog? No, user edited Roanoke Times photoblog.

With Google Ads.

So what, the 50 cents daily, $1.50 sunday, ad sales, classified ads, and other sources of revenue just wont cut it anymore?Google Ads? On a newspaper?

The mind wobbles.

Otherwise - a pretty much dull newsday at the times. With this exception: "Art Museum will 'cost' Non-Profits."

Im pretty sure I said this a few months ago, but I never re-read what Ive written. So I might be wrong. I know I thought it though. That counts for something

.The foundation has not even been laid, and allready the bedrock is starting to crumble. Poor Art Museum & Solar Reflector.

7/12/05

If you will all open to the center of todays copy of the Times...

"NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGS"

Umm.. what the...

Well looks like the Vision 2020 plan is back in effect, in some form. Damn this thing is huge. Rezone the entire city!

Oh wait, that means rezone downtown too doesn't it.

lets see.. hmm big ass map.. wow - what colors.

Division 2: Special Purpose Districts: D - Downtown District. no density restrictions.

Allright - thats cool enough, Gives alot of options.. what else we have here..

(lord, theres enough fodder here to keep me going till September.)

Here's what I was looking for: The H-1 Historic Downtown Overlay District. "...encourages the architectural compatibility of new construction within the district,..."

Gosh, I cant think of anything that might not be architecturally compatable. Nope, not a thing. Certainly nothing made of stainless steel. (go ahead, try and get a non-existing building grandfathered into the old rules - try it.)

So thats article 3, next interesting section from a purely style-based view is Article 6, development standards.

I urge you to read this, you might not understand the map (lord knows I need to study this more) but the general ideas are spelled out plainly.

THIS is what Roanoke is about. This gives hope to those of us worried that Roanoke would be over-run by sprawl and badly-maintained buildings. But this is a comprehensive plan to make the city a City. When the angle of lighting and the ratio of ground cover to bare ground is up for consideration, they are taking the details that make a city great into account.

AMWV site


AMWV site
Originally uploaded by Forgotten-Roanoke.com.

Here we see the 'alleged' future site of the AMWV. The white sided building on the left is The Lonesome Dove.

Click on the photo to see the embedded notes on the different places in this photo.

Art Museum plan faces new test. (Or: Mr. Stout doesn't do details.)

I thought I was reading an archive story today.

Then again, I did just wake up.

Aside from addressing the concerns of John Reburn, theres not much new in this article. Its a rehash of the moving of the Lonesome Dove facade around the corner for no apparent reason.

Until... Well, when you start to read the bottom fifth of the article. Beginning with Mr. Reburn being described as "pro-museum" and "pro-going forward with the project."

He has concerns, as all the utilities are run through the main connection at The Lonesome Dove. He's asking the questions any business-owner would ask. Is it going to affect his business, will he have to vacate temporarily, whats the timeline for construction.

Then this...: In response to Reburn's concerns, Stout said that those kinds of details are "not an issue right now."

G-d Damn. Excuse me Mr. Stout? A legitimate businessmans concerns are "not an issue right now."

In his defense: "We are trying to get a plan together and when we get a plan together, we will deal with the consequences of it," Stout said.

Oh Mr. Stout, that was not wise. So here it begins ladies and gents - the AMWV beings to fall apart at the badly welded, badly designed seams. I do have to say I am sorry to those who so vigiorously supported it.
But now maybe they can see what I have seen all along: Mr. Stout is a egocentric hack, who cares not for Roanoke, certainly not for the people of Roanoke.
Considering how few businesses are still on that stretch of Salem Ave, both sides of the block - I don't think Mr. Stout should be quite so glib when dealing with their concerns.

Less than 60 days now to the groundbreaking, last time I was downtown I saw some sort of construction crew in that parking lot. I have no idea what they were doing, but it made me ill.

60 days to develop a plan that will keep Roanoke and its businesses happy. And Mr. Stout doesn't care for the details.

Yeah, this is going swimmingly.

7/11/05

Todays editorial over on the Wiki

WikiRoanoke
I just posted a long piece in reference to todays Roanoke Times editorial on the London Bombings over on the Wiki. I will be posting here later today as my schedule has gone wacky for a day.

7/10/05

things you don't ever want to hear when talking about a hurricane

"AFTER DEEPENING AT A RATE THAT BORDERED ON INSANE DURING THE
AFTERNOON...DENNIS HAS CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN AT A MORE NORMAL
RATE THIS EVENING. " (em added -ed)


Oh lordy, If I was living in Pensacola, Id need a change of shorts about now.