How to stop writing a blog
Step #1: Stop writing posts
Step #2 (Optional) Write a long, dramatic, self-important narrative regarding your ambivalence about stopping the blog
Step #3: Link to your new blog
Step #4: Leave a nice picture for the enjoyment of people who land on your dead blog
Nice Picture
Chesapeake Pudding
I just wanted to let you know that Chesapeake pudding exists, and you can make it yourself. Here’s a recipe. Enjoy.
Um, wow!
Here’s to Ladies Who (Make) Lunch!
Yes they designed and furnished the interior themselves. They do their own marketing, menu planning, and cooking. These two Annnapolis entrepreneurs bring DIY to a whole nother level.In the slideshow below, you’ll see a crustless quiche–perfect for the gluten intolerant. Special diets do well at b.b. Bistro.
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Help Wanted–Check It Out
American Apparel held an employment open call earlier this week, but if you missed it you still may be in luck. The manager needs to make a decision, and there may still be time to add your name to group of people under consideration. Act fast!
Company: American Apparel
Location: The Annapolis Mall, located at 2002 Annapolis Mall, Unit 1335, Annapolis
Primary business focus: American Apparel is a clothing manufacturer and retailer. There are not many places to buy merchandise made in the USA nowadays, but one company bucking the import trend is American Apparel. This store’s sweatshop-free products include accessories and men’s and women’s clothing, including tees, pants, dresses and items made from organic cotton. The company’s signature look is simple, solid color knit pieces.
Open positions: Cashiers and keyholders. Both day and evening shifts are available.
Training: Provided.
How to apply: Print your résumé and list of references and bring them in or call (410) 266-6661 for more information. Email tayloro@americanapparel.net to learn more about job openings and other open calls.
Desired employees:
- bright, hard-working people
- intelligent, friendly and dedicated people
- those who are passionate about American Apparel
According to American Apparel’s Sean Seaton, “Anyone is welcome to come in for an interview with the manager.” He says that employee perks include 50% off merchandise, health benefits for full timers, and a clothing allowance after working there for a while. “It’s a good opportunity for people who show initiative to move up. I love working for the company.”
To see the full description of the open call for employment, click here. http://www.americanapparel.net/contact/retailjobs/
You know that USPS credo “neither snow, nor rain, nor heat…nor a nation challenged will stay us from the swift completion of our appointed rounds”? Yeah, about that…
You may have heard that the USPS is contemplating shortening its work week.
But did you know it may close 40 or so post offices in Maryland, too? The guillotine list includes Betterton, Tylerton, Massey and some place called Ladiesburg.
The plan is to turn post offices into vacant store fronts and to relocate postal business, or “village post offices,” to gas stations and grocery stores. And sorry towns with no gas station or grocer, but you’re going to have to figure out something on your own.
There’s no word on the next postage cost increase yet, but you can bet stamps are going up, too.
Lergik
Bath Salts, the Most Dangerous Drug on Earth, to Be Outlawed in Maryland
When I first read about people snorting “bath salts” and then acting as though they were on super-PCP, my first selfish response was, “Oh, no. Now Epsom salts will be outlawed, and they’ll be no post-workout soaks for me.”
But I need not have worried. So called “bath salts,” which actually contain not salt but a mixture of plutonium, battery acid, and methyldioxybraindamage (or some such things), are sold over the counter. Their soon-to-be illegal status will not block the sale of Epsom salt.
Judy van der Velden
New Wine Bar Opens Today in Annapolis
There are lots of new dining choices in Annapolis! The Market House just opened with several food vendors. Metropolitan recently reopened its doors. Now Red Red Wine is making a splash.
The downtown scene is about to get hipper with today’s opening of Red Red Wine at 189B Main Street, the former site of American Craftworks Collection.
I spoke to the owner back in January, as the renovations to the restaurant’s site were just getting started. He said he hoped for a May 1 opening, but he knew that the actual date was beyond his control and depended on the city government, contractors, and other factors.
Red Red Wine owner and wine buyer, Brian Bolter is the news anchor for Washington, DC’s WTTG-TV. “My background is as a storyteller,” he said. “I’ll tell about the labeling, the many regions, the family who runs the winery, the things that will help people connect with what’s in the bottle. We’re the filter, tasting the wines for you. You can’t go out and taste a thousand wines to figure out what’s good.”
When asked about a target age group for the establishment, Bolter balked. “Age isn’t the issue—focus and interest is. Millenials, second to baby boomers, are the second largest group of wine drinkers today. Twenty to 30 year olds are open to exploring, and the baby boomers tend to know their wines.” And everyone is “focused on value. Both the Internet and the economy have made consumers more savvy.” “The locals, tourists, legislature, when they’re in session, and employees who work around here are important to us,” he said to describe his target consumer.
“Annapolis does two things very well: white-tablecloth fine dining and pub food,” Bolter observed. “It’s hard to find a great salad and artisanal cheeses and chocolates. Healthy gourmet is very different” than the standard fare available in the area. He wants Red Red Wine to offer an alternative “middle ground: California cuisine, healthy gourmet food. We’re not going to have a deep fryer.” His wife Lisa is “in charge of the menu and the back of the house.”
“We’re a restaurant, a wine café. We want a coffee-house feel; there will be an espresso machine. We think we’re going to be the most technologically advanced on Main Street. We’ll have free wifi and extra outlets. People can come here for coffee late in the morning, get a little work done in the afternoon.”
Upon entering the “funky and unique” space, patrons will be greeted by an entry lounge with soft seating. Antiques, including candelabras and chandeliers have been selected, and there are plans for a wine cellar room with a private seating area with shelves of reserve wines lining the walls. The long narrow space is slated to seat 59 people, and there is a retail component as well, where people pick up a bottle. Wines will be organized by flavor—bold, bright, dry, earthy, and so on—not by region or type of grape.
Décor will feature a “Eighteenth-Century / Victorian / New Orleans / recording studio / rock star vibe,” Bolter described. Walls will be dramatically painted by uplighting installed in the hardwood floors. Softer accents include oriental rugs, and plush fabric seating.
Red Red Wine is slated to employee between 10 and 15 people. The hours are currently set from 11 a.m. to midnight, but “We’re looking at a 2:00 a.m. license,” Bolter said, “and board members are trying to accommodate establishments like us.”
Which Bookstore Has Fabulous, Elaborate, Creative, Popular Events for Readers?
In this post I yet again cheaply recycle something I’ve published elsewhere.
The Annapolis bookstore hosted a Harry Potter event, and some adults signed up for it. And not just “some” but a lot! That’s because Harry Potter has been around for ten years now, and many kids who grew up reading the series are adults now. My, we are getting old.
Here’s a story about it.
Wild Boar Panini
I know what you’re thinking: “Where can I get some Wild Boar Panini?”
Well, let me tell you.
You can get it here: http://www.vin909.com/, 909 BAY RIDGE AVENUE, ANNAPOLIS, MD 21403
They sent me their new menu, so I’m sharing it with you.
Vin909 SAMPLE Menu
More to come…
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Meet the New Store, Same as the Old Store
CHESTERTOWN–I went to a store Saturday. I didn’t know what it was called because it had no sign on its front, and there was nobody available inside to ask because the employees were all occupied. It was at the location formerly occupied by Super Fresh.
The meat had Super Fresh labels, with the SF logo blacked out with marker. I was convinced the store was trying to keep its identity a secret. It was working!
The layout, merchandise, and price stickers on the shelves were the same as the old Super Fresh. The employees shirts had changed to maroon–that was new, as was the Best Yet generic brand stuff on the shelves.
I visited the Chestertown Spy to find out the store’s name–it’s Green and Fresh. Or Fresh and Green. One of those. I also learned that it was grand opening day, though you would never know that. There were no balloons or anything like that, just a lot of cars in the parking lot.
This new chain of grocers is opening up all over, they say. Supposedly there’s some many-month evolution that will happen, bringing organic food and the like.
Urieville Lake
The snake below was so fast–I apparently startled it from a distance–that I barely had time to get my camera ready, hence the blur. Within seconds it found refuge beneath an island of algae-sludge that rendered it invisible.
Estimated length: 4 feet.
Cyber
Yesterday I attended a cyber security event in Anne Arundel County, or as people in the biz say, a “cyber” event. Online safety seems to have an infinite ability magnetize interest because the more we come to rely on all things online, the more vulnerable we become when some 13-year-old hacker gets bored.
Representative John P. Sarbanes speaks at yesterday's cyber event at AACC
Given our proximity to DC, it makes sense that a lot of government online defense work would be based in Maryland, which has young people looking for work and career changers interested in cyber careers.
More on this story here.
COMMUTERS TO PLACES OUTSIDE OF CHESTERTOWN: A UFO IS COMING TO THE REGION
And by UFO I mean “unfamiliar” or “unusual” flying object.
It will be low flying. You’ll be able to identify this particular object. It’ll be a plane. And it will make repeat runs over our area.
NASA will do something completely unrelated to the moon or Mars.
According to my friend at patch.com…
it will just be one of two NASA research planes making their scheduled flights through the region as part of an effort to study urban air quality.
The planes will be making passes at the relatively low altitude of 1,000 feet, according to a NASA release.
Officials said the test is also intended to help scientists improve their ability to measure ground-level air pollution from space.
According to a release, about 14 flights are planned. They are scheduled to take place between June 27 and July 31, depending on the weather.
Flight times can range from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
6 a.m.? Really?
Now show us the longest acronym ever, please.
The study is called DISCOVER-AQ, which stands for “Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality,” according to the release.
The low-altitude flights should be easily seen in the area near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, according to the release. The route also will travel along the Interstate 95/Baltimore-Washington Parkway corridor from the Washington Beltway to Baltimore and to the Delaware state line.
Who knew NASA even had planes or did things relating to this planet?
NASA officials said the plane that will be making the low-flying passes is the P-3B aircraft, a 117-foot, four-engine turboprop.
It will be carrying nine scientific instruments that will sample the air the plane flies through. It will fly spirals over several stations on the ground that will act as measurement points.
Wow, turboprop spirals. It will be just like a state fair.
Queenstown Outlet Mall: Liz Claiborne Replaced by Talbots
QUEEN ANNE’S COUNTY In Liz Claiborne’s old location, a new Talbots opened on Thursday, either last Thursday or the Thursday before that. My informants couldn’t get their info straight, but the point is that a new store opened and it isn’t a Gucci or Escada type of retailer.
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Memorial Day Weekend: A trip over the bridge to go to the Crownsville Veterans’ Cemetery, where some Annapolis Boy Scouts performed service work
"It gives the kids something to live by, to understand. It’s gratifying to be able to pay back for what the veterans have done for our country.'"
Eleven Boy Scouts from Troop 91 arose early Saturday morning, put on their uniforms and headed out for some special volunteer work.
They began arriving at Crownsville Veterans Cemetery well before the 8 a.m. Memorial Day weekend opening ceremony, which included the raising of the flag, presentations by guest speakers and the playing of “Taps.”
Troop 91 was there to complete a service project that consisted of placing flags on graves. They were joined by hundreds of others, including veterans, friends and families of the fallen, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, and other Boy Scout Troops.
About 500 people placed flags on 23,000 graves…
The full story is here.
Do not read this if you think that you are an above-average driver and your mailing address ends in “MD”
Do you live in Maryland?
Then good news!
Your state is not the worst at driving…it’s just ranked 49th, according to a brand new study featured in the Baltimore Sun.
Wait until Massachusetts hears about this!
Oddly, Mass. ranked above Maryland in terms of “driver IQ” and came in 47th.
Certainly Massachusetts will protest this results of this study.
Mmm, sushi
David Li of Sakura Café
I recently conducted an interview with a sushi chef in Annapolis.
First, I asked him how to make good sushi at home. He basically replied that you can’t make good sushi because you’re not a pro, so don’t bother. But he said it more diplomatically than that.
Second, he said that if you want really old school true Japanese sushi, you need to go to a big city because that’s where the Japanese sushi chefs are. He’s Chinese, and he seemed to think that Chinese and Korean sushi chefs are a little less authentically Japanese and more Americanized in their sushi making. He also pointed out that a Chinese person won’t eat at a typical American-Chinese restaurant because the food is inauthentic.
He also had a great sense of humor and names rolls after customers on occasion. You can find the entire interview here.
Tea Party this Weekend
Yes, it’s that time of year again, when millions of people descend on the humble little hamlet of Chestertown. Whether you’re a visitor or an inmate, obey the speed limit. For every three tourists that arrive this holiday weekend, one additional law enforcement person comes to town. I suspect 213 will be lit up with flashing blue lights tonight (how pretty!) and billions of dollars’ worth of speeding tickets will be written. So lay off the road-raging tail gating, okay? The thousands of cyclists visiting from Baltimore will appreciate it, too.
Girls on the Run 5K Race Attended by 450 Students from Multiple Elementary Schools
The start of the race.
In this post I cheaply recycle an article that I wrote yesterday. The story is about a fabulous program for young girls that culminates in a 5K run on the other side of the Bay. I don’t believe anybody on the Eastern Shore participates in it, but correct me in the comments if I’m wrong.
Yesterday morning I left at 6:45 and headed to Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, only to find that on the other side of the Bay Bridge, all three westbound lanes were closed before the exit for AACC. I would later learn that a drunk driver allegedly careened east down the center westbound lane of 50 at around 4:00 a.m. The area was sealed off for hours because the crash was so heinous.
But I didn’t know all that and simply took a different route to AACC to watch a foot race that I would photograph and write up.
Here’s an excerpt from my article:
Two runners celebrate their completion of the 5K.
In a country where children’s required amount of physical education dwindles but poor nutrition and sedentary living increases, young people face more obstacles in their development into healthy adults. Add to the mix girls’ social and emotional pressures, including unhealthy body issues and low self-esteem, and the path to adulthood becomes trickier to navigate.
Enter Girls on the Run of the Greater Chesapeake, a chapter of the national Girls on the Run nonprofit organization, which hosted its largest 5K to date. Almost a thousand girls, boys, parents, coaches and supporters turned out to run, walk or cheer at the race that took place at Anne Arundel Community College early in the morning on Saturday, May 21.
The race was the culmination of a 10-week training program in which 450 girls participated. During their semiweekly training meetings, Benfield Elementary Coach Kim Chappell said, “We talked, maybe about avoiding gossip, then we jogged or walked.”
“The most important thing about a 5K is to stay motivated or you’ll start walking and feel more tired,” observed 9-year-old Nina Encarnacion of Belvedere Elementary in Arnold. “It’s hard to start running once you’ve taken a break to walk.”
She should know. She successfully completed a 5K race that left her spent but fulfilled. “I feel tired, but I’m really proud of myself,” Nina said.
In a country where children’s required amount of physical education dwindles but poor nutrition and sedentary living increases, young people face more obstacles in their development into healthy adults. Add to the mix girls’ social and emotional pressures, including unhealthy body issues and low self-esteem, and the path to adulthood becomes trickier to navigate.
Enter Girls on the Run of the Greater Chesapeake, a chapter of the national Girls on the Run nonprofit organization, which hosted its largest 5K to date. Almost a thousand girls, boys, parents, coaches and supporters turned out to run, walk or cheer at the race that took place at Anne Arundel Community College early in the morning on Saturday, May 21.
The race was the culmination of a 10-week training program in which 450 girls participated. During their semiweekly training meetings, Benfield Elementary Coach Kim Chappell said, “We talked, maybe about avoiding gossip, then we jogged or walked.”
“It’s about being the best woman possible and building life skills. By the end of the program, the girls are more accepting of other girls; they’re different,” continued Chappell. “We started the Girls on the Run Program there two years ago. It’s a great organization. It’s not a club—it teaches girls to think outside the box. Molly Barker’s curriculum is great.”
Molly Barker founded Girls on the Run, which launched in 1996, to “educate and prepare girls for a life-time of self-respect and healthy living … with life-changing self-esteem lessons that enhance social, physical and mental health in 8- to 12-year-old girls.”
Several of the coaches at Saturday’s event had high praise for Barker and her organization, but Barker humbly brushed off the credit and recognized the coaches as the ones breathing life into Girls on the Run.
“The coaches are the lifeblood of all of this. If not for the coaches, then I’d just be the author of a book sitting on the shelf and none of this would be happening,” said Barker. “And remember, these coaches are all volunteers.”
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Full story here.
