Calling out HoCo Blogs

Recently I decided to stop blogging at this site because I suck at knowing anything about Columbia, MD.

So, I decided to start a new site called "The Nothing Blog", at which I've been blogging daily.  I've submitted it on more than one occasion to "HoCo Blogs", but it has yet to show up there.  I'm at a loss for what to do.  I think I have a pretty good idea for a blog and I'm somewhat excited about it, even thinking about postings many days in advance.

I guess every time I post on my new site that I'll just have to post a link on "I'm not dead yet!" just to get it on HoCo blogs.

New Blog Site

I've done it, I've created a new blog site called "The Nothing Blog" to replace this blog that I never posted to because I was too lazy or didn't have anything important to say about Columbia, MD.

So, when you get a chance please check out my new site.

What is going on here?

Eck!!!  Sorry all for not posting more regularly, damn life gets in the way too often.  Hopefully, I can be more attentive with this blog by trying to blog on a more regular basis.  Now, onto the real business at hand.

What is going on in this world?  I can't seem to figure it out.  I mean I understand that the economy is in the tank, the world is collapsing around us, and the republicans are already calling for President Obama's head.  What I don't get is what the heck is happening in my community?  Just over a couple of weeks ago only two houses in my neighborhood were for sale.  Now all of a sudden, we have six houses on the market in my neighborhood.  What is taking place here?  I can't put my finger on it.

I would have guessed that anyone in the Bush administration or party would have skipped town by now and I really don't think these families are in dire straights on their home mortgages.  I also suppose that maybe they think time is on their side and they might as well get their houses on the market and let them sit for a while in the hopes of selling sometime in the next year or two.  I give them mad props for trying to sell their homes during our current recession, but I haven't seen this many homes on the market in my neighborhood since the peak of the housing market about five years ago.

The other thing that I don't understand is that surprisingly there are people looking for homes in my neighborhood.  Almost every weekend we get more than our fair share of onlookers driving around to see the houses that are for sale.  Unfortunately, they are just looking, as none of the houses have moved off the market yet.

I just don't get it, I'm totally perplexed.

Middle Ground

I guess I need to get back to posting, I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things.

So, I was thinking today that Columbia and HoCo in general, definitely has it wrong when it comes to housing.  I realize that Columbia/Ellicott City are prime places to live in the United States, but seriously (even in our recession) housing prices are still ridiculous.

What I've found however is that there really isn't any middle ground for housing in HoCo.  You basically have three options for housing.  You can pay huge bucks to live in a relatively new house, you can overpay for a decent house that is a few more years older, or you can overpay for a fixer upper shack that is really old.  In any case you are screwed when it comes to finding anything that is affordable.

I guess the best thing one could do is live in an apartment and save up for a future down payment on a house.  Unfortunately, we all know how people are at saving, so it looks like we've created a viscous cycle here in HoCo.  It kills me to see people that are house poor, but it's even worse to see people living in an apartment and driving a BMW or a Benz (obviously not saving money for the right things).

No one really knows what the future holds for the housing market in HoCo, but one can only hope that prices will level out.  I'm not saying we need huge cuts to home values, but a more realistic approach to home values would certainly help.

Ideally, to achieve a middle ground, home developers need to avoid building McMansions and houses with wasted space (i.e. two story foyers).  Next, home buyers need to understand that bigger doesn't always mean better.  No one needs a formal dining room, no one needs huge closets in ever room, and no one needs that jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom.  Homes should be energy efficient, built for connivance and not for excess, and finally homes should be realistic.  Maybe this is too much to ask.

Shame on us

I live in the Hopewell section of Owen Brown and over the course of the last year I've noticed an increase in the amount of graffiti on public property.  Even the "Owen Brown Observer" had a blurb about it in the latest issue.  I only scanned the blurb and didn't save my copy of this publication.  I do know that it stated that if we see graffiti we should report it and it would be taken care of,  unfortunately I didn't write down the number to call.

Visiting the Owen Brown community association website proved to be fruitless as this site is a few months behind.  So, now I'm stuck with no number to call to report the graffiti, which can now be seen on utility boxes, community fences, and even the Lake Elkhorn pavilion.

Now I understand, shame on me for not writing the number down.  How about though, shame on everyone else in the community that has failed to call about the graffiti eyesore, shame on the Columbia Association trucks that drive around all the time for not doing anything about the problem, and finally shame on Owen Brown for not keeping their website up-to-date (by the looks of it they are at least 3 months behind).

It will be interesting to see how long it takes to remove the graffiti.  I know I'm not being a part of the solution.

Photo of the week

Soaring
Originally uploaded by babyruthinmd

The photo of the week for this week is a little late, the holidays really buggered things up.

This week's photo of the week is called "Soaring" and comes from flickr user babyruthinmd.  "Soaring" was taken at Lake Elkhorn in Columbia.  The beautiful colors of the kite stand out perfectly against the harsh sun.

Keep up the great work babyruthinmd.

Are the holidays over with yet?

Just as I was thinking that the holidays had come to an end, I was reminded by all the horrible drivers that this was just not true.

Now I know that driving during the holiday time can be stressful and that more people are driving on the local roads, but this is part of the reason why I stay off of the roads during this time of year.  I've learned to stay away from all shopping centers and the mall in the weeks leading up to Christmas.  Unfortunately, I didn't realize that the horrible driving would continue well past Christmas.

My three beefs:

1.  I understand the joy and triumph felt when changing lanes at a stop light to get into the shortest lane, but I don't understand the idea behind doing this with only one car at the stop light.  Today, I saw someone pull up to a light that had only one car at it and they obviously didn't like being behind the lone car so they changed over to an empty lane.  What is gained from this and how much further ahead does one get when they do this?

2.  Yesterday driving from Snowden River Parkway to Rte 29 on Brokenland Parkway, I saw a women change lanes at least five times.  This distance can't be more than a couple of miles and she was changing lanes like it was going out of style.  She wasn't speeding and she wasn't really getting ahead of any cars, she was just changing lanes for the hell of it.  I don't understand people sometimes.

3.  Finally, my biggest beef of them all.  It is apparent that people can't read while they drive.  This is evident when you are pulling into the Columbia Mall.  Most people when pulling into the mall don't even see the sign that says "Incoming Traffic Has The Right Of Way" and they stop like there is a stop sign.  Now, I guess I can understand it if you are new the area or you haven't been to the Columbia Mall before, but what I don't understand is that most malls are setup like this.  Wouldn't you think that people would eventually get this concept and not stop as they are entering the mall.

There, I'm done, no more holiday traffic venting (well, until next year maybe).  Hope everyone had a good holiday season.  I'm back to posting full-time now so I better get busy and prepare some ideas for the upcoming year.

Peace out holiday traffic!!!

I think I had something to do with this - It's Back!!!!

Most of you have already heard the news that Embrace Hostility In Howard County is back from the dead.  After my post the other day begging and pleading for this humor filled blog to come back, fellow blogger Ryan Ballengee, posted on EHHC and Columbia Now that he is back in business.  Now, I'd like to say that I had a hand in this, but if I had to guess Ryan was already considering bringing this wonderful blog back from the dead.

Since Ryan claims to only do a few postings a month to EHHC, I would like to extend the offer to help collaborate with Ryan and be a contributing author to EHHC.  Hopefully, Ryan will think this is a great idea and I can offer my insight into the uncivilized nature of HoCo.

Bring out your dead!

Well, not really, but at least consider bringing back a dead blog.

When I started this blog, I didn't really think that others were blogging about Columbia or suburban life for that matter.  Boy was I wrong, within a couple of days I found a treasure trove of useful Columbia blogs.  I even stumbled upon the Embrace Hostility In Howard County blog.  I was excited and dejected when I found this blog, only because I was planning on blogging about the silly Choose Civility bumper magnets found in Howard County.  Then I found that the blog was closing shop and changing to Columbia Now.

I would like to plead and beg for the writer of the Embrace Hostility In Howard County blog to start it back up again.  We need some power, some force to fight all the "Choose Civility" individuals out there.  Bringing back this blog would really be the Civil thing to do.

If you choose not to bring it back, that's fine too.  I plan on incorporating some means to fight the power of Civility in future blog post.

Peace out Civility!!!

Photo of the week

walk
Originally uploaded by rich.steinbach

This week's photo of the week comes from flickr user rich.steinbach.

This is a wonderful night shot at Lake Kittamaqundi by the Columbia Mall.

Rich is a photographer and musician out of the Columbia/Baltimore area. He is for hire to do promo and live shots for bands. Please contact Rich at 410.446.0742 should you want to hire him.

Thanks again for your wonderful contribution Rich.

Oh the places you will go!

Savage Mills 11-7-2008 4-13-25
Originally uploaded by Almost Sooted

Back when we still had nice weather, I had a chance to visit Savage, Maryland. Now, I know it's not Columbia, but it's really close and it's in HoCo.

Savage Mills offers a variety of things to do. First off, they have the antique shops, if you are into that thing. Then you can get some good food and a beer or two at Rams Head Restaurant & Tavern. Rams Head typically has some form of entertainment on the weekends and is a small enough setting to find a table.

Finally, what many people may not know about Savage, is the wonderful river that runs by the Mills. Along the river is a walking trail and couple of picnic tables for those looking for a picnic lunch. You can also walk on the large rocks that run along Little Patuxent River. Surprisingly, these rocks form small waterfalls in the river which make for great photography subjects and you don't have to travel all the way to Great Falls, Maryland.

When you get a chance checkout Savage Mill, Maryland.

Lonely Winter Months

Lake Elkhorn - Lonely
Originally uploaded by Almost Sooted

Well, it's Sunday again and I'm not really in the mood to blog. Today I present you with a photo that I took with my new lens on Monday of this past week (finally, a nice weather day). I hope you enjoy.

Blogs will be sporadic over the next few weeks because of the holidays. If I have time I'll be sure to post something.

Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year!!!

You heard it here last

Wegmans has been the talk of the HoCo blogger world for quite some time now.  Some of the bloggers are for the new Wegmans in Columbia and some are against it.  Whichever side you align yourself with, you can always turn to wordbones over at Tales Of Two Cities for the latest news on all things Wegmans.

Now I'm all for new stores coming into the area and I'm not picky as to whether or not its a "Mom & Pop" store or a "Big Box" store.  But if we are going to get a Wegmans in the area, we might as well do it right and allow them to sell alcohol (wine and beer).

Over the Thanksgiving holiday I was visiting family in Virginia and we happened to stop at a new Wegmans.  The sushi at the food court was standard fair and the shopping was okay, but the wine selection was top shelf.  I'm not a wine nut, but it was like a kid in a candy store.  The Wegmans' employee working in the department said that they had over 1,300 wines to choose from.  Hurray, a selection of wine, wine, and more wine.  They had a good beer selection as well.  No longer would you have to travel to Corridor (which isn't even in HoCo) to find this large a selection of wine.

We were able to get the Lords of Maryland to usher in slot machines into the state.  Why can't we get them to allow alcohol sales at grocery stores?  Anyone else with me?

Photo of the Week

Lake Elkhorn
Originally uploaded by SCA Photography

This week's photo comes from Flickr user SCA Photography, in real life he goes by the name Scott Athen. Scott's work was selected because of the wonderful composition created by the S-Curve of the sidewalk at Lake Elkhorn. I've probably walked this stretch of sidewalk a hundred times and I never thought to look at it like this. The low shooting angle and the S-Curve running from right to left moves the viewers eyes through the photo.

Keep up the good work Scott. I look forward to seeing your future works of art.

Let's get creative!!

Hurraaayyy!  It's Thursday, it must be Shameless Plug Day once again.  Okay, okay, I won't make every Thursday Shameless Plug Day, but it must happen today.

I've been quite impressed with the traffic that is occurring on this blog.  I have a core group of friends that visit the site and I have some complete strangers that are visiting, as well as commenting.  A pat on the back, it's cool to know that people want to read what I have to say. 

Unfortunately, I can't say the same about my Flickr group Suburban Life in Columbia.  A few people are contributing to the group (my campaign to prove artistic people can live in the 'burbs), but overall membership is low.  I guess I haven't really figured out how to get more people to check out the group, to join the group, and to ultimately post photos to the group.  To those of you that are posting to the group, keep it up, you are doing a wonderful job.

So, Columbians (you know who you are), I'm urging you, I'm imploring you to get out and be creative!  For those of you that don't live in Columbia, you should also get out and do something creative.  I know, you are saying, "I'm not be interested in photography", but that doesn't mean that you can't be creative.  So, get out there, do something creative and if it is not a photo, at least take the time to comment to this post and let me know what you did that was creative.  You can do it, I have faith.

A helping hand:

• Use your cell phone camera to take photos of your surroundings
• Make a snowman (should you have snow in your area)
• Make cacti people for your Manger Scene (just for you Mrs. IbStarC, is this sacrilegious?)
• Bake some Christmas cookies

You heard it here last

Clarksville (not really Columbia, but close enough) has been a hotbed of activity lately.  During the week a shooting was reported at a daycare facility in Clarksville (blogged by Columbia Talk).

Of course the local news stations headlined it by blowing it way out of proportion saying that shots were fired at a daycare facility in Clarksville, MD and then they promptly broke to commercial.  When they came back from commercial they reported the story and it obviously didn't sound as bad.  What I can't get over is why would anyone be hunting in Clarksville?  I figured this would take place only in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, or Western Maryland.  While it's true that Clarksville is not as densely populated as Columbia, I'm still surprised to find that people hunt out there.  I guess to each his own.

Hopefully Clarksville can calm down for a while and stay out of the news for longer than a week at a time.

It's finally here, it's photo of the week day!!!

The first ever photo of the week (on this blog and in my Columbia Flickr Group) comes from Flickr user Odonata457.  In this photo he has captured a wonderful winter scene highlighting the first snowfall in Columbia, MD for 2008.  Not only is the winter scene beautiful, but the warm orange colors left over from the fall are still noticeable in the photo.  

Great work Odonata457.  I look forward to seeing your future works. 

Light covering of snow and blue sky

Originally uploaded by Odonata457

Visiting Wilde Lake on the coldest day ever

A redeeming quality of Columbia is that it has a number of large lakes with surrounding parks for recreation.  Information about these lakes can be found on the Wikipedia page

for Columbia.

So, on probably the coldest day in December, I decided to visit Wilde Lake for the very first time. I wasn't there very long, but I found that it is surrounded by homes and apartments (possibly townhouses).  From the few minutes that I was there it looks as though it would be a nice place to hangout during warmer weather.  Maybe I'll make a second visit there when I won't have a chance to get frostbite.

Anyway, I took a few pictures while I was there, mostly of the dam (which is rather unique) and the little red roofed building by the dam.  Too bad the sun was too bright in the sky and was shining right in my face for the photos of the dam.  Hope you enjoy!!

What? When did this happen?

Spontaneously, almost overnight Columbia and Howard County has proven me wrong on the burbs being trendy, hip locations.

When I thought about this blog concept it didn't occur to me that other Columbia residents were blogging about the place we call home.  Then, to my surprise I found not one, but many blogs dedicated to Columbia/Howard County.  Not only did I find other blogs, but I found that the gods of suburbia have taken it upon themselves to make Columbia/Howard County a cool, trendy, and hip place to reside.  No longer can it be referred as Howard County, from this day forward it will take on the name HoCo, like the trendy hip locations in Baltimore that seem to sprout up on a daily basis.

Now, where was I when this took place, how come I wasn't called?  Oh, yeah, I know, I guess I'm not hip and trendy.  Oh well, go figure, I decide to write about boring suburban life and within hours my idea is shot to hell by the now trendy HoCo.

Take a look at all the HoCo/Columbia blogs out there at:

HoCoBlogs

My personnel favorites are:

Tales of Two Cities

HowChow

Strobist

Ugh, I hate being the last to know about anything!!!!

NIMBY and the Neighbors

It's no surprise to find that most people in Columbia are big fans of the idea "Not In My Backyard" (NIMBY).  Most often you will find Columbians complaining about urbanization and new businesses coming into the area.  You will hear them say things like "new businesses will create too much congestion on already overly congested roadways".  Unfortunately, the idea of NIMBY has now gone to the dogs.

It's now not enough for dog owners to keep their pets on leashes at all times and to pick up after their dogs when they do their business.  Columbians have taken it one step further and are requesting that no dogs shall defecate in their backyards.

Don't get me wrong, I too don't like finding doggy doo in my yard, especially when I'm mowing the lawn.  However, is it more unsightly to find real doggy doo in your yard or seeing a mockup of a dog defecating everyday?  You have to admit the sign gets the point across, but at what cost?  Also, where is it that you purchase signs like this?  In this case, has NIMBY gone too far?