Feels like winter/Xmas in Baltimore – Finally.

After I wore sandals and no jacket to IKEA Tuesday, I was tucked into a puffy vest and scarf last night, walking in the dark with a travel mug of very good coffee and holiday tunes on my little mp3 player.   It’s seldom that I walk anywhere alone anymore.  And, while I miss Charlotte when I do, it’s something I also savor.  The last time was nearly a month ago, when I sped my way on a 3 mile stroll to retrieve a lost Elmo doll.

This morning, Charlotte is helping Mommy fold laundry, which means picking things from the basket, plopping them onto Mommy’s lap and laughing.

Daddy takes a second — a distant second — when Mommy’s home from work and largely on weekends.  She follows Mommy everywhere and wants story after story.  Last night, she told Mommy which three stories she wanted: “Beeah, Henwy and Pond.”  (Long story.)  I don’t mind being second to Mommy.  She did, you know, carry her around for nine months and all that.  She’s never more excited than when Mommy’s home from work.  I can even get her into a mood that would require three cups of coffee from me if I tell her, when she gets up from her nap, that, “Mommy’s home soon!”

Today, we are taking Charlotte to Midtown for some holiday fun.  We both used to work there, and it’s weird not to spend time there anymore, the coffee capital of this fair city.

Been walking so much the bus looks fast to me.

I’ve blogged a lot about walking.  I know.  It’s something that I don’t do enough (because I am lazy and impatient) but something I enjoy endlessly.

Wednesday, I was at a community meeting at St. Paul Street and North Avenue in Central Baltimore.  It was supposed to last until 7:30 or 8:00, but it was over at 7:04 for pizza and chatting.  I’d already done my “networking” before the meeting started, so I bolted to catch my 7:53 bus at the train station.  On my way from my chair to the door, I thought, “Why should I bullshit in my office until my bus?  I can just walk!”  So when I left the building, I made a left and headed for home.

Sure, folks will chide you for walking through “that area” at “that time of night.”  Dude, 7:00pm dark is not the same as 2:00am dark — and I don’t walk around anywhere at that time (except once in Carbondale when we walked from the train station to home in the dead middle of the night after a trip to Memphis, with a tiny flashlight –  but that’s another story).  I didn’t see anyone sketchy and in fact was the sketchy person to lady who halted her exit from her car until after I passed her around 24th Street.  And for two young ladies carrying their groceries home above 25th Street.

Instead of driving or sitting on an empty bus or pedaling uphill, I got to peak into the big, old, stately houses on St. Paul Street (think 3-story rowhomes with big basements), at folks’ bookshelves and holiday decorations.  I greeted a dozen dog-walkers.  I caught the exam-time buzz as I cut through JHU to University Parkway.  I scared a guy on the section of University Parkway there the streetlights are out and where it is completely pitch black.  And, at the top of the hill, I saw the warm glow of the LED star lights in our windows, on the corner of the building, where warmth, my wife and a pasta dinner awaited.  In all, I walked 3 miles in 45 minutes.  Not that far, but fast, and I was tired.  That distance is small for a hike, but pretty long in a smallish city like Baltimore.

It was an exceptional night.  I read before bed and slept like a baby.

We planned some similar fun walking for Saturday, which is itself worthy of a post.

Walking tours out the wahzoo.

My  VISTA position largely involves Central Baltimore and hooking up higher ed folks with the area, to be better neighbors and to help one and all, etc.  The problem is, no one knows what the hell Central Baltimore is, and even more people are plain afraid of it.  When I mentioned that we’re ending tomorrow’s walking tour at the delicious Station North Arts Cafe’, someone told me, “[pause].  That’s not a real good neighborhood.”  Indeed, I wouldn’t walk around there at two in the morning, but I wouldn’t walk around anywhere in Baltimore or any city at two in the morning.  You really can’t blame someone who being like, “What’s Central Baltimore?” when they don’t know about the area.  No one’s a jerk for not knowing something.  But when people who don’t know anything start passing off judgments like they were just there last night, well, that’s a problem.

My co-worker and I led a walking tour in December and will lead another tomorrow and another Sunday in Central Baltimore.  If you see a dude with a megaphone (I shit you not), that’s me.

This week has been very insane, and both blogs suffer.  Apologies.  Next week will be much more sane and will allow for more posting.

Sumbitch stole my bike seat.

And seat post!  There I was last night at around 5:30, heading to a community meeting in Barclay.  I went to get my bike outside UB, and the seatpost and seat were gone!  I thought I must have forgotten to lock it, but the tiny little cable was cut. I use a U-lock, with a thick cable on my front wheel and a tiny cable they make for seats and other small stuff to lock my seat, since both are quick-release.  I never thought anyone would steal it.  Nor that the wanker would leave the light and computer on the handlebars which were worth far more money.  Stupid crackhead.

So I spent my evening fetching the vintage monster I sorta found and couldn’t find the owner for, discovering how much work getting it ridable will entail and ordering a new seat/post and a clamp that bolts closed(!).  It wasn’t that expensive, and I’ve been meaning to get rid of my heavy suspension seatpost and overly-cushy seat for a while.  But, you know, I wanted to still be riding until my replacements were in.  Now my poor bike is in my office, seatless and sad.

And I’m taking the bus this week.

Charles North Vision Plan.


Mayor Dixon will announce the plan at a press conference today, a 30-year plan for revitalizing Central Baltimore, with community input and participation during the planning and the process.  You can read more about it on today’s Baltimore Sun.

Also, on Thursday, November 13th, there will be an open house at Metro Gallery on Charles Street at 4:30pm. Local photographers, bloggers and interested folks are invited to come check out more details about the plan and enjoy food from some Station North vendors.  Stay tuned for more info, or leave a comment, and I can send you something to post on your blog/website.  I was in a committee meeting about the event last Friday, and the details of the plan are very exciting.

Sixth floor coffee nut.


Either my caffeine addiction is more alarming than I thought, or a lot of the people who I work with have a different definition of “too much coffee” than I do — and I like the people I work with a great deal. “I heard you guys on the sixth floor are coffee nuts?” “He wants to meet the people who drink coffee in the afternoon.”

In the afternoon? All day! LOL

Oh, well. If you’re going to have a reputation for something, it could be worse. Much worse.

I blame the tons of good coffee places within a five minute walk of my office, even more within ten minutes. But on the same note: Baltimore has a lot of good coffee shops around mid-town/Central Baltimore. Oh, dang. Poor me.