So, it’s Friday. We finally have a bit of a cool(er) front in store for the weekend. Should be GORGEOUS if this morning is any indication of what’s to come.

Craziness in all forms will be descending on downtown this weekend.

First up–we have OTAKON at the Baltimore Convention Center.  Essentially, from what I gather, Otakon is a huge anime festival. And it’s not for poor people either. $75 just to walk through the doors! Craziness.  I mean, Brain and I have gone to some geekfests–but we tend to gravitate to the ones that are *cheap* and/or *free*. However, the bestest part of having Otakon in town? Seeing the freaks out walking around in their costumes. I think it’s almost as cool as being at Comic-con…sorta.

The Brain and I will not be going to Otakon.  We have this thing against Plushies. Ick. They freak us the hell out (It involves an experience we had at another con we attended once, and a guy with a blue tail).

On Saturday, there’s an International Friendly Soccer Match at M&T Bank Stadium. The game will feature Manchester City and Inter Milan in what will surely be a fun day. Of course, last summer, the International match sold over 70k tickets.  So far, this year, it’s not even half that amount. Either way, once I park my car tonight after work, I am not moving it again until I leave for work on Monday.

I’m torn, though, on what this means.  Baltimore is making a valiant bid to play host to the World Cup in like 2018.  Attendance at international friendlys is a good indicator of whether we, as a city, have the interest and support to play host to an event of this caliber.  I would love for Baltimore to get the fame and notoriety of hosting this on a world stage (especially since it’s so far in the future that the Brain and I will probably no longer BE living in Baltimore by the time it rolls around).  I wish I could say the same about the Baltimore Gran Prix.

Have a good weekend, b1tches!

No? Me either. I think they’re all gone for the summer.  Besides, it’s not like they actually did anything anyways besides NOT interpret residential parking signs, NOT write tickets to parking violaters, etc.

Oh wait–they DO write tickets–but to residents.  I was ticketed twice within a week of each other back in January/February. 

Know why I was ticketed? Because I couldn’t find a parking spot and I parked in a meter spot.  I didn’t know the meter spots had to b e paid for until 6pm. So when I parked at 5:30, I didn’t know that at 5:35, I was going to be ticketed for a parking meter violation. 

Do you know what makes me angry? The only reason I parked in a meter spot was because I spent 35 minutes circling the neighborhood looking for a legal parking spot of any kind, and was unable to locate one. So I took a meter spot. If parking had been enforced (0r if we had zero-hour parking in Ridgelys like they do in Otterbien) this might not have happened.

Know what really irritates me more? The fact that I have to pay $46 to the city of Baltimore for two tickets when repeat offenders who have over $1800 in outstanding tickets are allowed to sign up for ‘payment plans’, continue to violate residential parking, continue to accrue tickets, and are NEVER PENALIZED for it.

Yeah, Baltimore City parking enforcers–Climb out of your little city issued Chevy Cobalts. Waddle your fat asses down the streets that you need to be enforcing parking on, and actually take the time to write the tickets.

Also, it might be helpful if you actually are educated as to what the current year parking pass looks like.  If a car is displaying a pass that is ANY OTHER COLOR THAN MAGENTA it’s not valid. Simple as that.

Don’t know what color magenta is? Google it. And do your damn jobs.

I was speaking to a neighbor the other morning, and it came to light that crime in the neighborhood has been crazy in the past few months. Robberies (at supossed gun-point), house break-ins, car break-ins, car jackings…and I’m sure the list continues.

And yet–noone is informing us, the residents, of crimes that occur only doors away from our own. Personally, I think that we should all be told when there has been a major crime, such as a robbery. I’d like to know that. I’d especially like to know this information if I were considering moving to Ridgely’s as a new resident. This would be important to me.

The Baltimore Guide was a great delivery tool for this, as it would post the police blotters for the previous week–which, if you took the time to read, would let you know when and where crimes were occuring.  Sadly, the B’more Guide has not made an appearance in our neighborhood in quite some time.

The Brain and I also made the decision to cancel the subscription to the Balt Sun because it was being repeatedly stolen from our doorstep–and we aren’t paying for someone else to be reading our news.  Needless to say, we are out of the news crime loop.

The Ridgely’s Record rarely reports any crimes–besides, it’s a one piece of white copy paper monthly rag–printed in size 12 or larger Times New Roman–with alot of formatting and a few advertisements to fill the empty spaces. The only purpose of the Record is to announce the monthly neighborhood association meeting (drunk-fest 1) and the monthly bar night (drunk-fest 2). Ironically enough, the paper usually isn’t delivered until the week after the meeting have already occured. Great job there, guys.

There is a crime update that you can subscribe to online via SpotCrime–and you will get daily updates. It’s a start, I guess.

What I think that we, the residents, would really like to see is a weekly crime bulletin outlining the crimes that occur and impact the neighborhood, our neighbors, our selves.

C’mon Ridgelys Delight Neighborhood Association. I know that if you can find people to volunteer to serve on all the assorted other committees that serve no purpose, then you can surely find a few dedicated individuals who will commit the time to keeping us informed of crime in our backyard.

If you do, you might actually gain an iota of respect from yours truely.

Hey Ridgely’s Record–are you reading this? Don’t forget to put it in the next issue!

All around the city, there was rejoicing. Last night on the news (WJZ-13, holla!) it was announced that bulk-trash removal would resume on August 2.

This is great and joyous news. Let’s go get some Rita’s and celebrate!

No, Rita’s does NOT pay me to continuously plug their awesomness.  However, if you are a representative of Rita’s, and would like to pay me, either in money or ice, I’m listening. Hit me up–I’m sure I can work out a deal. Maybe a large cotton candy ice every time I mention Rita’s?

Rita’s, Rita’s, Rita’s, Rita’s, Rita’s….I can go on, and on, and on. Seriously…let’s talk!

Snowballs!

So, there’s a phenomenon in Baltimore that comes slinking out of the dredges of winter and plants itself on random corners and parking lots….the snowball shack.  In other parts of the world, they are usually deemed ‘hawian ice’, but I digress.

Today, I had my first snowball.  Not. Impressed.

For the unitiated, a snowball is essentially this: a snowcone in a cup. And apparently, people in B’more like them with marshmallow cream on top. Say wha’? Im’ adventerous with my food choices, but I’m even wary of putting marshmallow creme on anything other than a spoon to go directly into my mouth.

So, some coworkers decided to hit up a local snowball stand today for an icy treat. Not a bad idea, since it’s HOT AS FECKING HELL outside.  The sun is beating down, the humidity is like at 208%, and walking is like swimming through soup. Blech.

So, now I have been initiated, I guess. I had a snowball. It was plain banana. It was hard and crunchy and chunky ice with way too much syrup. It served a purpose of being cold. Would I get one again? Meh–the jury is still out on that one. If I were stranded in a desert with no hope of rescue and this was the only option–sure–but that would never happen. I don’t involuntarily seek out places that mimic Death Valley on the regs.

Sorry, snowball–but my heart belongs to another. (Well, first it belongs to the Brain.  He knows that I love him with all 99.99999% of my heart– so that extra little dab goes to things like pasta, Rita’s cotton candy ice, tomato biscuits with Helmanns mayo, and other assorted things I love, but not in a weird sexy way).

Stay cool, Baltimore. This week is shaping up to be a hot one.

My most favoritist show is back and starting a new season.

PSYCH rules!

10pm, on USA.

Holla!

blah.

Cut it out and make your own!

So, I get my latest and greatest Ridgely’s Record (online since the paper form may or may not show up during the actual month printed), and it’s chock-full of great information.

Who do I think I am? Especially when, it seems, one of my favorite topics of discussion are the trash and rats (usually simultaneously since one breeds the other).

For example, we have a rat problem.  Really?!? I hadn’t noticed. It’s not like I haven’t espoused about the rats on this very website previously AT ALL. You can read about my lack of rat postings Here or Here. Oh, I’ve also never posted anything about the garbage being a problem either, so you wouldn’t find that posted here.

And the discontinuation of the bulk trash pickup? Again, that’s not something I’ve ever written about. I mean, you could click HERE, and it wouldn’t take you to a post about bulk trash pickup.

Now, it seems the latest battle (besides the forming of a committee to fight the rat population) is dog poop. Yes, I do contend that it can be a problem–and yes, an indordinate amount of dog poop is being left on the streets.  But if used correctly, the neighborhood rats will contend with the dog poop. It’s almost a case of the childrens song, The Old Lady That Swallowed A Fly.  You know the one I’m talking about–she swallowed a fly, then she ate the spider to eat the fly, then the bird to eat the spider, and then a cat to eat the bird, etc. Now that I think about it–if we use the resources already at hand, we can become an economically sustainable community! Like Biodome–but uglier and smellier!

However, I so appreciate waking up in the morning, opening my door to get the morning paper, and finding a lovely plastic bag wrapped bundle of poopy joy on my steps. I see that someone has taken the suggestions by the Record to heart by choosing to not use someone elses trash can to place your poop in. However, if it comes down to a choice between someones open garbage can on the street, or the front steps of someones house (who doesn’t even HAVE A dog), please go with the garbage can. I think I smell a new subcommitte being formed as we speak—the ‘poop patrol’ will surely be instituted at the next drunken bar fest..I mean, meeting of the Ridgely’s Delight Neighborhood Association.

No, really. If I chose to spend any amount of time outside this week, I probably would. Again, I reiterate the beauty of air conditioning.

Baltimore weather forecast: 100 + degrees every single day this week. No joke.

Stay cool, stay hydrated, stay away from me.

courtesy Tasha Treadwell, Baltimore Sun

So, I’m coming to realize that patriotic holidays mean alot more to Baltimoreans than they do to non-natives. Why, you may ask? Well, it has something to do with Francis Scott Key, and this little known song he wrote called….The Star Spangled Banner.

Yep, THAT GUY wrote THAT SONG, right down here in the Inner Harbor. I know, right? Crazy! I mean, sure, we all learn the historical significance of the song when we’re kids, of the bombs bursting in air, of Frank Key being held prisoner on a boat, and all that crazy sh!t.  I just never realized, until I moved here, that this was THE place!

Sure, Baltimoreans butcher the Star Spangled Banner by yelling, ‘O’ on the “Oh, say does that Star Bangled Banner yet wave” line, because, you know, the Orioles are called the O’s.  I thought it was actually just something that was done at baseball games–but boy, was I wrong! I’ve witnessed this done at hockey games, football games, lacrosse matches, and I’m sure it’s been done at more somber occasions, as well.

So, as we embark on the July 4th holiday, and the masses descend on downtown Baltimore and the Inner Harbor to partake of the ‘bombs bursting in air‘ (ie: fireworks on Sunday), just remember the significance of the song. And if you actually hear gunfire, take cover–it’s still Baltimore, after all.