2/3/06

The Pod has launched

Here is is, the podcast you've all been waiting for...

Odeo (for those who prefer to download it or whatever)

Listen now if you like: The Pod #7

If yall come lookin for commentary

Ya'll come to the wrong place. I know theres an article in the paper about the art museum today, and I think it speaks for itself - so I will say nothing about it.

Besides, Im too busy still being mean and kicking puppies. I fell short of my daily goal for violence yesterday, and I do not want this to occur again - we must keep the city's good name and standing.

I was thinking about fisticuffs too. But have settled on tying bags to the feet of cats.

There is quite a bit on tap this weekend. New page Sunday night/Monday AM - podcast today (a tad more serious this time), and all the usual acoutrements.

See you in a bit.

2/2/06

Odeo: Forgotten Roanoke minicast

http://media.odeo.com/9/3/5/minicast1.mp3

its sloppy, its silly - but hey, its only 6 minutes..

tomorrow a more professional podcast..

Still disgusted by that article...

So I guess what we learn is, Roanoke sucks. Were mean little violent freaks who kick puppies.

asshat

Suddenly.. I wish I was Puerto Rican

Only a Puerto Rican could have the righteous anger to properly respond to such high-browed asshattery as this.

What, you ask could have me so livid this early in the morning? From today's Roanoke Times:

Van Patten said the valley's rape rate suggests that the area is
unsafe for women and children
, and he said the assault rate indicates
"people's willingness to wail on one another."


"The people in the Roanoke Valley are mean," the criminologist said.
"People are willing to resort to physical altercations to resolve their
differences
."

Did someone get beat up for lunch money when they were young? What serious educated adult uses the word "mean"? I might have more on this, if I can get my inner voice to stop cursing in spanish.

To those of you who had your cars towed...

I am terribly sorry.

For those of you with no idea what Im talking about: read this.

Although what I cannot figure out is how many people had to attend the concert and Oklahoma in order to overflow the parking lot?

Must have been one well attended night at the Civic Center.

2/1/06

What kind of world did I grow up in? Not the one I left....

Check out these pathetic headlines, and yet people still continue to move there. Go right ahead and suffer fools. You wont catch me living among the walking dead anymore..

Sorry - these storys just get to me.. It's like reading a shopping list, and every item is "stupid".

A word about the Governor

"A better way..."

All I kept hearing about last night was "A better way..." during the Democratic Response to the SotU.

And I kept thinking to myself, "If your looking to buy a Ford, there's a better way..."

He was confident, I will give him that much - but confident of what Im not sure. There was little substance in his reply, and he continuously touted Democrats and Republicans working together here in Virginia to accomplish things. Thankfully, mercifully, he must have told his speechwriters to forget Victory Stadium or the non-cooperation between County and City. True - those are bipartisan issues, but should not those who are identified with a party take a stand on such things, and have the partys backing - be able to gain support across both parties?

Then again, thats not much of "a better way" either.

He came across as confident, slightly arrogant, and the first time he mentioned "a better way" I will swear on my grave that I heard a NY accent. However what I found most interesting, during some points during the speech - he seemed truly suprised. He was reading from cue cards, which is no big deal - but it seemed like he had not read the text beforehand.

All in all, he looked like a son of James Carville should. He was well groomed for TV, prepared for his time in the spotlight. My only problem was with the eyebrow. God put that eyebrow down allready, stop looking so creepy.

/more posts coming later

1/31/06

Democracy narrowly averted, we should all be thankful.

Article here.

Thank god the State Senate has sided with the will of the Press, and kept the voice of the people out of the political realm.

And for Roanoke County, of all people, to kill the bill and sit back laughing at the City's inability to find a solution to Victory Stadium... no class what so ever.

Representative government? I think we need a refresher on what that actually is.

Or just do away with this nonsense all together, and vote for me.. your humble (future) overlord.

This is a school?

As I said, I went to a smallish old high school in NY.

Classrooms as you would expect them, painted in surplus paint, with desks and chairs in a row. Only in the "artsy" classes were there different seating options.

I personally still have a hard time accepting (and not just here, anywhere) these modern Learnatoriums. Both city and county schools designs are foreign to me. I mean, we packed about 1,000 kids into that building (not happily but we did) and there was learning. But these schools here, with the funky designs resembling malls more than schools, modern and innovative features like wifi cafeterias and such.. it strikes me as less than conducive to learning.

And now County Schools are running a pilot program testing the idea of "no more finals" for certain classes? Are we expecting the students to have a "curriculum vitae" from kindergarden now?

Getting rid of finals. Insane... welcome to the end of any semblance of education as we all grew up with it. I fear what our grandchildren will be not doing in school.

1/30/06

Tomorrow

Tomorrow I go deep inside a landmark of Roanoke, get inside its walls and examine it carefully from the non-public standpoint. Perhaps I will be posting about it one day, but either way - it promises to be a powerful moment for me, the site, and Roanoke.


Mondays..

I've got a busy day today, so posting will be light. I will direct your attention to a page I found on the Roanoke Street Railway, with plenty of photos and such.

Street Railways of Roanoke, Virginia

I'll be back later tonight..

1/29/06

public service announcement

 Posted by Picasa

Skilled Hands will not fail you

Todays Times has an article on something I've been saying for a long long time now. When I graduated high school back in 93, I was one of a handful that graduated who was actuely interested in blue collar work. Sure I wanted to go to college (although after my years in high school I should have known better) and get some form of degree - but working a desk job never totally appealed to me. I was always an attention whore. I love shmoozing the public.

So while I entered the collegiate world, I was not totally happy there. I had my interests, but a degree program never allowed me the flexibility I wanted to learn as I saw fit. See the problem? I had a great attitude about learning.

Working in a kitchen and a deli did wonders for me. I showed me opportunities I never considered, and taught me about the publics desires. Giving me an inkling on how to market myself and the products I was dealing with.

I consider those early years my education. It's where I cut my teeth on getting sweaty and dirty, and the payoff of a hard days labor. And Im not just talking a paycheck either. Im talking about the satisfaction of knowing I did my best, and made people happy.

And thats something that those in the white collar world, all my classmates who went into computing and law and all that will never know. I spent time in the white collar world - and I can honestly say working 9-5 is a wonderful thing. But it's hollow.

Now it's been said that behind the skin of every good cook is a rockstar waiting to break free. And there is good reason for that. Be you a bricklayer, tin-knocker, baker, or landscaper - you create. And create endlessly. Each day you are a step closer to your goal. For a cook - that goal is satified clients who tell friends. For a mason, its finishing the wall to specs. For a landscaper, its 4 seasons of beauty.

And aside from the obvious near-instant gratification you can get in a blue collar job, theres the intangible things as well. My personal view is it's a legacy. If you, as a cook, can expand business - and bring new ideas and foods to the table - have them accepted, and sell well - you've just created a legacy. How many of us can say we remember certain dishes when we were kids - and how they changed the way we eat?

Have you ever walked by a wall, caught some plaster medallion out of the corner of your eye, stood back - and marveled at the overall design of the structure?

Part of what Forgotten-Roanoke is all about is a big thank-you to those who built this town. It's an appreciation for the craftsman, the artisans, the folks who bled, sweat, and bled some more to get this town done. It's looking at what they created, and why. And each brick laid in this town has meaning, has a story.

Plus, heres the real deal about blue collar work. Sure its tough, and sure it keeps you running - but all the really high tech developments are coming home, and they are going to need people to install them. Make them work properly. Run the wires behind walls and all that. as more high-tech comes home, the more we need qualified people to install it. Even the materials themselves are changing - look at the C2C program.

Ask yourselves this: Do you want to be held hostage by a plumber? You will be, if your kids do not understand the value of having a trade. The fewer plumbers, carpinters, bricklayers we have- the more they can charge. You want your kid to make money? Forget being a doctor - too restrictive. The malpractice insurance alone could crush any profit. A lawyer? Well, there is an arguement to be made for that - but thats all it is. Arguing. Computers and all the rest - well, half my class went into the computer field - and last I heard, half of that half had to go back to school to learn a entirely new trade. The market is flooded with computer programmers and such.

Parents, tell your kids - Blue Collar ain't so bad. It provides a good life, a stable life. And theres a sense of personal satisfaction you will not get anywhere else. Besides - your kid could be the next Lee Iacocca. There are no limits to what you can do with your hands and your brain.