…cause this is just how we roll here in BMore. Just give us a pair of tennis shoes and it’s all good. Baltimore…”Get in on it.”
Ah despite myself I just gotta love this city sometimes.
PS – No I did not take the pic. But the “incident” did occur across the street from one of our (work) buildings in Mt. Vernon.
Sticker chicken. Seen in Mt Vernon in Baltimore, MD.
So it is part two of the snow disaster here in Baltimore. We have another 8 to 12(?) inches being dumped on us right now. Not to mention the white out blizzard conditions. Wheeeeee!
Here are a couple of videos for anyone who is not getting to experience the storm first hand.
One of them stars Cat, who is not at all amused by the blizzard. Notice the back gate almost buried. In the other one notice the snow mountain in the front yard. We have run out of places to put the stuff.
I am still like a kid when it comes to snow. It never really gets old for me. I measure out my years in terms of the “Blizzard of ’79…96…03…” So I am over the top excited about the blizzard of 2010 that is going on outside my doors right now at this very moment.
I will forever be amused, and yes I must admit a tad bit annoyed, by the mind-losing freakout that occurs here in Baltimore whenever there is a forecast for a bit of the white stuff. This time, however, I will give you all a break.
You go right ahead and freak out over the Snowpocalypse of 2010. I believe we have now shot right on past the 24 inches mark so it’s almost called for this time around. I however am going to suit up and head out again to take more pics, shovel, and glory in the beautiful snow.
Here are a few pics from this morning. Click on the photos for bigger versions. Awesome isn’t it? 
Aw heck yeah…let it snow!!
The residents of Baltimore have a curious habit. Perhaps it is not confined to our residents. But I have never heard those from elsewhere mention it before. So in my mind it remains a curiosity confined to our fair locale. Please do share with me in the comments it this is a common habit in your city as well. Maybe I will write a book one day on the sociological implications.
The practice which I speak of is what I refer to as The Baltimore Shout. People utilizing the Baltimore Shout have entire conversations over great distances as if they were standing next to each other having a conversation. They may be a full city block apart. But the ensuing conversation takes place ignoring this distance as if it doesn’t exist.
For example a woman will spot her friend Wanda a block down the street and she begins, shouting at the top of her lungs:
“Hey Wanda hon! How have you been!? How are Bill and the kids?”
Wanda then responds with her own shouts,
“Cassie, girl, it’s been AGES. I am great and so are the kids. Little Ricky made the football team! That’s my boy. I guess you haven’t heard. I kicked Bill to the curb that cheating jackass crossed me for the very last time.”
Shouting back, still a full block away,
“Good for you Wanda. He was a no-good-son-of-a-bitch anyway. You deserve better! That is great news about Little Ricky. My Leslie just made honor-roll. Were going up to the outlets this weekend to do some shopping to celebrate. Hey Wanda, you want to come? You should come with us!”
The shouted conversation will continue like this as if Wanda and Cassie are standing together having a private chat. 
Except, of course, they are not. In addition these interactions can take place anytime day or not. Just because it is midnight certainly is no reason to not talk to your friend a block away. That would be rude.
The young men’s conversations often consist of grunts and growls that only they seem to understand. Usually starting with the shouted “Yo!”
Yeah, that’s my Baltimore.
Okay I may have gotten some of you under semi-false pretenses. Because while technically there may be cakes and potato chips in the photos you can’t see either of them.
The building in the background is the location of Charm City Cakes (you know The Ace of Cakes..Duff…and all that) and they guy in the foreground is the UTZ potato chip delivery guy dropping off the mother-load-of-chips (trust me I have watched him delivery before..what you say there is about 1/5 of the chips he is actually delivering) to The Dizz a wonderful little local bar and restaurant that never fails to serve up great bar grub at awesome prices (and the owner is a sweet lady who is always on hand to cook and chat with her customers).
So while you don’t SEE any actual cakes or chips you know there has got to be lots of cakes behind that wall over there and inside those chip tins are lots of chips. So it was only semi-false pretenses. I will appease you with a second bonus photo of The Dizz.
(click on photos for bigger version)
This post, much like this picture, has no real purpose. I just happen to like the picture for some reason and knowing it might never see the light of day..err a glowing computer screen…I am posting it here. Since this is my blog I can do those kinds of things. Ah the power…muuhahaha.
(Click image for larger version.)
This week in Baltimore there is just a slight hint of fall in the air. A little nip in the mornings and evenings that reminds us that summer is about to come to an end.
Being an autumn baby I love this time of year. The cooler weather and the golden light are right up my alley. Of course fall is just the gateway to the long often monotonous winter months. For my money they only thing that makes winter worth it is what I call “interesting weather.” Interesting weather can be anything from dense fog, to snow, to ice.
To get you all in the mood for the cold months (or to remind you to REALLY enjoy this last unofficial weekend of summer) I thought I’d share some icicle pictures from several years ago. It was January 2004 and we had just had a pretty hefty snowstorm. As the snow melted, but the evening temperatures kept dropping back down, we got some really awesome and evil looking stalactite like ice spikes.
[Click on images for larger versions.]
I’m in love with a movie theater. It’s true. My first real memory of The Charles was long before it became the multi-screen theater it is today.
One summer day in the early 80′s my brother, one of my best friends Brendan, and I walked down from Charles Village and bought tickets to see The Exorcist. It all felt like a huge adventure. I remember there being lots of laughter and silliness on the way. I don’t know how old I was, but none of us was old enough to be seeing an R rated movie that much I know. I was in middle school perhaps, 7th grade possibly. But being a voracious reader I had picked up a copy of the book at the second hand store and devoured it. I was now determined to see the movie.
Back then The Charles was a revival house theater bringing back older films to the big screen. I remember the seats in the big theater being a plush red velvet material and they had the springy seats that closed up when someone wasn’t sitting in them. I recall almost leaping out of mine when at a particularly scary moment in the film Brendan reached over and squeezed my knee, whispering “Boo!.” I was enthralled with the theater, the movie, and the entire experience.
The Charles has always remained my favorite place to see a movie over the years. I enjoy watching a film in any of the newer stadium seating screening rooms, but am secretly thrilled when the movie I am going to see turns out to be in the big old theater. I of course appreciate the beauty of the recently auctioned off Senator and I think back nostalgically and fondly on the long gone Boulevard on Greenmount (saw many a Disney flick and RoboCop there) and The Playhouse on 25th (I remember sneaking in to see a James Bond movie there). All fine theaters. But no other movie theater has ever been able to hold a candle for me to The Charles. Whenever I walk through the doors I just feel home.
I am so relieved that the 1999 transformation of The Charles into a multi-screen breathed new life into the awesome theater. In fact I think it deserves a good chunk of the credit for turning the seen-better-days surrounding neighborhood into the happening hot spot it is now becoming. Theater patrons need places to eat and have drinks and the surrounding businesses are starting to flourish.
The building is still beautiful, the staff is still just the right mix of smart arty and friendly, and the mix of film choices rivaled is by none. You can catch a revival, scope out a new indy, or catch one of mainstreams best all in the same place. Plus you can make a night of it without even leaving the block. Grab a glass of the best sangria in Baltimore and some happy tummy nibbles at the attached Tapas Teatro . Or pop across the street to the unbeatable Club Charles for a couple of drinks and atmosphere that oozes out of the walls. On your way to your movie you can even stop and grab a delicious made-hot-while-you-watch-and-wait crepe to take with you from Sofi’s Crepes. Venture up to the next block and there are places to grab coffee or listen to live music.
Yes indeed, it’s true. I am in love with The Charles.
[Click on photos for larger versions.]
