I know what many of you are thinking... When did Shannon go to Gallup? This is actually not Gallup, I promise. But I am starting to wonder about my sick subconscious, because this is a shot of my neighborhood from I-95 in Baltimore. The block directly in the middle is my block. The odd part is, if you looked at my neighborhood from I-40 in Gallup, the shots would look pretty close to each other. So maybe I am more attached than I thought, seeking out a physically similar area without even knowing. Click here for the full album.
Last night Alan swept me out to Gecko's, a "Southwestern" food joint in Canton. I had a hard time finding said Southwestern food on the menu, but I suppose, just like in the southwest, you have to offer everything with green chili, no matter the cuisine, here you have to have crab with everything. The problem was that there was no chili to be found. I don't know what I was expecting. I knew we weren't going to have New Mexican food, but what came was quite the shock. We both ordered enchiladas, but got burritos. Don't let that red sauce smothering everything fool you, it was sweet, BBQ-y type sauce. Good, but unexpected.
Alan's "Enchilada", required a lot of hot sauce.
Alan's came with a healthy dose of mangoes, which were killer. We also had calamari for an appetizer that came with what I would describe as sweet and sour sauce. I had a couple of margaritas that were decent. I would definitely go again, now that I am prepared for what I am getting. Could someone get some chili out here ASAP?
Today was, how can I describe it?.... HOT AS BALLS. We hoped in the car at 10:45 and the temperature read 107. Remember, that is without the heat index, so really probably like 115. What is this, Phoenix? So we made a quick escape from the city to a State Park called "The Rocks". It was a completely worthwhile trip, as we found a fantastic swimming spot with a waterfall. I should have looked for some caches, but I didn't want to take my Droid along (water and all). Click here for the full album.
I took a walk this morning and snapped a couple of shot of some interesting things in the neighborhood. I mean, really the subjects of So. Baltimore are pretty endless.
A block from our apartment is this old, church? jail? sweatshop? What ever it is, it is for sale and I think it would be about the coolest house ever.
A Magic Bar & Lounge? You had me at Martinis and Beer. I cannot wait to have a lot of income to blow at this place.
When my friends Matt and Medha last visited I shared with them the awesomeness that is Accidental Dong. I think that I may have called in "Unintentional Wang", though. I know from experience that is is near impossible to actually get a picture on these sites. So, here is a sidewalk stamp that some child put on S. Hanover that, in my mind is and unintentional wang.
I know I have been bad at keeping in touch with everyone since I left. Do I know due to my outstanding interpersonal skills? No, it is because, today, in the mail, I got a manila envelope stuffed with newspapers (specifically the front pages of the Billings Gazette for the last two weeks). This is a communication technique that my parents perfected my sophomore year of college. Some would say this is a creative way to write a letter about the happenings at home, but truth be told... I have this thing call the Internet and it allows me to see all this information on demand. In any case, the sentiment is what is important and I know what this means.
I know when I am starting to shut myself in, because that is about the time I get one of these packages. Truth be told, without a job, I am hesitant to do much but apply for jobs, and that doesn't leave a whole lot to talk about. On top of which 98% of my minutes are being spent on phone interviews that happen during prime hours, so I am afraid to use my phone. I mean, can't you all just read my blogs? Oh, and while you are at it, subscribe to the RSS and follow me. It makes me feel almost as loved as a News Package. Or maybe I should get out of this apartment. I noticed that the first block party of the summer is coming up. That should be righteous.
Last night we had a great time with Landon, Brandon, Evan, and Annie at No Idea. I didn't think we would end up there all night, especially after the bartender started talking about how much he loved the Pirates (not the lovable peg-leg kind, the actual baseball team). But he did shovel free drinks down my throat all night, and, what can I say? I am easy. The end of the night came and Brandon headed South in his ZipCar, Landon, Evan and Annie North in a cab, but you guys missed all the good stuff at the end. As we crossed the street I noticed 6 squad cars parked up W.Heath, completely cutting off traffic. As I looked up, I noticed that there were a lot of cops with flashlights and drawn guns. Normally this is the kind of thing that I would stick around to check out, but I decided we could just finish the half-block walk home immediately.
I had a lot of flashbacks to advice (which anyone who knows me knows I very rarely take, listen too, or remember). 1. The guy at Marcus-Boyd Realty that said, "I just wouldn't walk around at night by myself." 2. The girl at Marcus-Boyd that said she frequently asks cops for rides home. 3. Neighbor Mark who said, "You never need to stay at a bar until closing time. Nothing good ever happens at closing time. Know when its closing time and leave at least 15 minutes before that".
Why I can't remember this last one is beyond me, because it is truly sage advice. Well, shit got crazy at closing time, but we were safe behind our apt. door by the time it got real bad. The video is awful on account of all you see is the squad lights, but I do some decent-for-unintended narration. It starts with a bunch of guys trying to fight a tall skinny dude in the middle of the street. I guess the cops from the other block took care of business or gave up because they were quick on the scene of this one. Thanks Baltimore PD! You seem very efficient and timely. I got to get to watching The Wire.
This morning was spent with some new unpacking and a healthy amount of cleaning as things got put away. It is always exciting to see what is going to come out of the random boxes I pull out of storage. Today was a good day because I pulled out my old hockey jerseys, which I need, because my cousin Tiffany is making me my officiant outfit for Jenn's wedding. It is sports-themed so I won't be in traditional attire, but I want it to be something that still looks like I didn't walk out of the locker room 5 minutes before. I am leaning toward option 1, but feel free to leave your comments on which option you think I should go with.
The whole adventure of today started pretty early. Considering that I am not sleeping, it seemed like a good idea to get started at 4:30 this morning. I am wrapping up just 7.5 hours later, so a good full day's work, but with a few oddly sad moments.
I always complained about the dust in New Mexico and a lot of it traveled with us here. As I put stuff away this morning I was cleaning up a lot of it, but then I started getting to some of the last specks and got absurdly sad about wiping it away. I guess I was still looking to hold on, even if just by keeping the dust mites as pets.
I hate to keep broaching the subject of food, but this just goes back to an earlier post about weird or not weird foods. When we visit the farm, we often go to Jubilee to pick up a bushel of steamed crabs (delicious) and I just get stuck staring at all the food that isn't available anywhere else I have lived (Jars of fresh oysters, rockfish, etc...). I once saw frog legs and thought, "Wow...I didn't realize people really eat those." This might be why:
Apparently, not me. Well, I shouldn't give too much credit, but for the first time, this morning, I successfully navigated to and from a location without any computerized assistance. In the West, I wouldn't really think of this any type of noteworthy accomplishment. This is because there are generally no more that 1 or 2 routes a person can take to get anywhere. Take for example our route to get to the Ocean this weekend (Baltimore, MD to Selbyville, DE). We traveled 111 miles on this route:
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Which required the use of 10 different roads, without a GPS, I would have been lost at least 15 times. This is compounded by the detour we hit that didn't ever tell you where to go once your were detouring. So there was some GPS-flip-a-coin decisions involved.
Now, a similar drive of about 100 miles would get a person from Gallup, NM to Pueblo Pintado, NM. The route is drastically simpler:
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Three roads total in the navigation of this route.
My victory came as I took Alan to the airport this morning. I boldly stepped into the car without even thinking about turning on the GPS. All I knew what that I wanted to get onto I-95 Southbound and that signs for some other road (maybe 195?) would pop up that would direct me right to the airport. That it did. There I went. Home I came. Then I looked up the map to add to this blog post:
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Totally went the really long way around. I'll get it figured out.
When I was a kid I can remember seeing two movies (ever) with my parents.
1. The Three Amigos
2. Some movie that involved a priest and a mountain and no shoes
The reason we went to a movie at all was because there was no air-conditioning in our house and it was too hot to bare any longer. Well it has been pretty stupid-hot here the last week or so, and even though we have central air now, it still made me reference this thermometer. The good news is... wait for it...
We are going to the beach! And not just any beach but, that's right, Little Assawoman Bay, which of course, is adjacent to Big Assawoman Bay. On principal, I may have to dip my toes in the bigger version.
In any case, I love the beach. I can't wait for my first East-coast beach experience. In fact, outside of L.A., the only other U.S. beach I have ever been to was Galveston. So I will have three points of comparison upon return. Ocean City, I think that the cards are stacked in your hand. You have a great chance of becoming my favorite beach in the U.S. (for now).
In my time here I have been taunted with the odd foods consumed in these parts, but in all honesty, I am finding out they may not be that odd. Well, let's start with the least and go to most.
Scrapple:
The name sounds daunting. What is this stuff and do I dare eat it? They had some turkey scrapple at the market the other day and it seemed like a safe way into the traditionally pork product, so I decided to try it out.
It's basically sausage pate. Pretty classy if you ask me.
Now this is similar to something else, called Puddin (not a mistake, no need for a "g" here), which I tried to order at breakfast the other day, but Alan informed me that I would not like it. Puddin is more of a meat mash of sorts. It is apparently the left-overs from a cooked pork that settles on the bottom of a pot and then gets scraped up and fried. Maybe someone will have some on their plate that I can sample.
Softshell crabs are maybe the most daring fare. A softshell crab is a crab that has molted its shell and is caught before the shell has regrown. The crabs are deep fried whole and usually served on toast. I've had it in sushi (Spider Roll) but haven't ventured into the Maryland style yet.
I am kind of falling in love with this fork art I am seeing everywhere. It started with this Hard Rock Cafe ad at the MTA stop at Camden Yards that looks something like this:
And reads: Hungy? Like the Wolf. Then I saw this one:
Which I also find appealing, as it sums up my feelings about this heatwave nonsense happening. Forecast = Today: Sunny and hot, with a high near 103. Heat index values as high as 107. Light north northwest wind. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 81. Light and variable wind. Wednesday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 100. Heat index values as high as 105. North northeast wind between 5 and 7 mph.
First of all, what is a heat index? It sounds awful. Second, Low of 81? That sounds worse.
Last night we watch fireworks from the most appropriate places possible, the Inner Harbor, and Ft. McHenry. It was about a 15 minute walk from the house and that was with Alan's niece and nephew in tow. The fireworks were pretty spectacular. Click on the photos to see the whole album in Picasa.
In case you don't know, Ft. McHenry is the home/subject of the Star Spangled Banner, which Francis Scott Key wrote as a poem while imprisoned on a British ship in the Patapsco River. During the war of 1812 (though written in 1814) he watched as the bombs landed through the night in the Chesapeake Bay, awaking to see the flag still flying above the Fort the next morning. What a lot of people don't know is that the poem goes on past the first stanza that we know as our national anthem.
O say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming!
And the rockets's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there:
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the mornings' first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation
Then conquer we must when our cause it is just
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Last night we drove into Gettysburg to see Alan's dad who is in the hospital there. It is aperfect time to be secluded in Gettysburg, because this weekend is the 147th anniversary (and with that reenactment) of the Battle of Gettysburg. That means the streets are litered with people, many of whom are in period dress. Do what makes you happy I say, but it is hard to understand how wearing a wool army uniform in 90 degree sunshine and faking mortal wounds is fun. But, to each their own. I just want to know how many of the under-18 crowd is there by parental force.
I'm going to throw it out there that Billings, MT is not exactly home to anyone particularly exciting. I would say the most famous person is probably Dave McNally, who ironically became famous for playing baseball, here in Baltimore. But, I am a little shocked at the lack (though not quality) of the famous people that have come out of Baltimore. This was spurred on by the dentist office down that street that erected this:
That's right, it's a crab...painted with the faces and names of the most famous Baltimoreans, or as it would be said here, Balmerns. We walked by on the way to the O's game the other night and Buck started to talk about some of the people on there (Edgar Allen Poe? Check. Frank Zappa? Check. John Waters? Check), but if you start to put in people like a senator, it seems you are scraping. I mean, senators? Everyone has congress members. Now, if they do something special, like Jeanette Rankin being the first woman elected to represent a state in a time when she couldn't even vote for herself, I consider that a famous person. So I did some investigating to see who has come from this place. Here are the people I consider crab-worthy (in a somewhat particular order):
Babe Ruth (Made the crab)
Edgar Allen Poe (Made the crab)
Billie Holiday (Made the crab)
Thurgood Marshall (Made the crab)
Francis Scott Key
Jim Henson
Spiro Agnew (Made the crab)
David Hasselhoff!
Frank Zappa (Made the crab)
Upton Sinclair
John Waters (Made the crab)
Barry Levinson
Tom Clancy
Jada Pinkett Smith
Mo'Nique
Montel Williams
John Astin
Mama Cass
Parker Posey
Rick Ocasek
Charles Dutton
Robin Quivers
You can make your own commentary about who may or may not have made the crab. Anyone got someone I am missing? Leave it is the comments and I will continue my research and possible vie for a crab spot if you are convincing enough.
This is pretty amazing. This row-house has been completely, and I mean, completely gutted without disturbing the homes around it. In the 70's this was a pretty common occurance as the city began plans for i-95 to be developed through the heart of where we now live (Federal Hill, Fell's Point, and Otterbein). They changed path of Interstate 95 which now runs the outside of the city to the South of us. But, because the city had purchased the land in expectation of needing the land for the Interstate, it now left them in possession of hundreds of badly-deteriorated rowhouses. After starting to tear them down, the City of Baltimore decided to keep the remaining houses intact and inaugurate the largest urban homesteading program in the history of the United States. All of the exiting original neighborhood houses were restored in the 1970s as a part of Baltimore's "dollar homes" urban homesteading program. Our friend Josh's parents live in one of the original dollar house. His grandmother told his parents they paid a dollar too much. These homes are now some of the most sought after property in the city of Baltimore.
