ridaily - State of Mine
2009-11-18Carcieri's 15 Minutes
Yesterday, we were too busy hiding under a rock (out of embarrassment) to post a link to this -- Governor Carcieri's skewering by Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert for his views on burial rights for gay partners. But it's still good for a laugh (or cry) this a.m. The title of the piece -- "Skeletons in the Closet" -- is brilliant and so is the tag line: "How is the governor of Rhode Island supposed to rest in peace knowing that a couple of plots over two dudes are being gay dead?" Good question. Another good question -- where is Keith Olbermann in all this? Reads like perfect fodder for his "Worst Persons in the World" nightly segment. Then we could really be proud. |
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2009-11-09Saving Me From Myself
I know it's stupid, but I can't stop. At traffic lights, stop lights, even intermittently during stop-and-go traffic... I text. |
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2009-11-04New Urban Arts at the White House
I'm a "fan" of New Urban Arts -- an amazing And then yesterday afternoon, there was this: “New Urban Arts About the same a press release landed in my inbox with all the details. It seems that NUA has been chosen as one of fifteen youth arts and humanities programs to receive the super prestigious 2009 Coming Up Taller Award. Here's how the release explained the award: Coming Up Taller is a national initiative that recognizes and supports outstanding out-of-school and after-school arts and humanities programs for children, especially those with great potential, but limited outlets for creative expression. A project of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH), in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the Coming Up Taller Awards honor programs that offer exceptional learning experiences in the arts and the humanities and that have a tangible effect on the lives of young people as evidenced through improved academic scores, enhanced life skills, and positive relationships with peers and adults. So basically NUA rocks -- on a national scale. And they are accepting their award meeting with Michelle Obama. As. We. Speak. Congrats! |
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2009-11-03Money, Honey!
I had ninety-two trick-or-treaters on Saturday, so I am still recovering. They were fun and dear, and I love the old-fashionedness of having neighbors come to call, but for a person used to living alone, the pounding of feet and fists outside the door can start to become the very tiniest bit overwhelming when candy is running low and the hour is getting late! I spent Sunday in a movie-marathon haze (which included Getting Out of Rhode Island, one on a long list of Rhody-made movies I am happily Netflixing my way through) and am now back on track, ready to think about leaves and money. Leaves because they are all over the yard and I'm not sure if it is horrible to ignore them (Is there a law in Rhode Island, like with snow, that you must shovel the sidewalks clear of them?) and money because we're doing a story about it in February. Which leads me to ask you: What is your biggest money problem? Are you an uncontrollable spender, not sure how to save, being eaten alive by jealousy of rich people? Email to tell me because I am seeking volunteers who want help getting their issues under control. (Come on -- free advice from a financial planner! You can't pass this up.) And then stay tuned for the February issue. |
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2009-10-19For the Birds
For Rhode Island Monthly readers who haven't received their November issue yet (in the mail this week; on newsstand October 29), we have an intriguing story about the vanishing herons, egrets and other shorebirds of Narragansett Bay. Here's a cool multimedia preview: http://www.kathyhodge.com/web_design/birds/ |
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2009-10-13The Annual Heat Game
In New England, it's a point of pride to see how long you wait to turn on your heat. As long as the pipes aren't in danger of freezing, it's like a game of chicken to see who can last the longest. You'll hear people bragging at Thanksgiving that they haven't turned theirs on yet. (Blah blah blah. Less talking, more passing the gravy, please.) Last winter, I only made it to the middle of October. This year, I am determined to hold out till the bitter end, especially after receiving a crazy expensive oil bill last month. If you have my oil company, you were equally stunned by your last bill. Anyway, I consulted my online bible of local oil prices (http://www.energy.ri.gov/news/energyprices/oilprices.php), which is a very handy chart of what Rhode Island companies are charging per gallon, broken into a "low," "high" and "average" price. The price on my bill was almost a dollar over the listed "high," so I called the oil company to complain--and miraculously, they agreed to drop the charge by sixty cents a gallon. "We'll only do it this one time," said the rep. But it seems odd that they could so mysteriously, drastically and instantly reduce the price. Courtney tells me the first frost is on its way, so I thought I would pass this info along to those of you with oil heat so you can see how your next bill compares; if you don't like what you see, it's worth calling the oil company to see if they'll do better. And may we all make it through October without having to turn on the heat.
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2009-10-08Riding Proud
Following in the footsteps of Lisa’s postyesterday, yet another distinction has been bestowed on our little state. The East Bay Bike Path, which runs from Bristol to Providence, has been designated a Rail-Trail Hall of Fame trail. According to the Rail-Trail Conservancy guidelines, the bike path earned the title based on its scenic value, high use, trail side amenities, and historical significance among other things. The designation becomes official at a ceremony tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. at the start of the bike path in Bristol, in case you’re interested in attending. In light of all the dubious distinctions we’ve gotten in recent months, this is one we can finally be proud of. |
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2009-10-07Flying High
I was originally going to write about the whole weird Frank Williams debacle, but when I read the seventeen-plus pages of comments (always the best part of the story — some dude actually has a dinner bet going with his dad as to whether the little girl is the judge’s daughter or the judge is just a pervert. Seriously.) by projo.com readers I decided I’d rather drink gasoline than join in this fray. So onward and upward to something more positive: It seems that Providence has made the cut to be included in Travel + Leisure’s America’s Favorite Cities, 2009. The results on thirty cities were released yesterday and we were scored on all sorts of things from most attractive people (we’re number 13) to hotels, shopping, quality of life and food. Turns out we got some high marks for food and culture (number 2 for neighborhood restaurants and number 4 for theater). If you’re looking for a wild weekend, pack your bags and hit up Vegas or New Orleans; Providence tanked in this category (not necessarily a bad thing, right?), coming in at number 25. So, according to the survey, what’s our overall best feature? Turns out it’s a bit outside of Providence. In Warwick. Yup, you guessed it, our airport. T.F. Green gets a gold star for on-time arrivals (number 1), design/functionality (number 2), and security and luggage-handling (number 1). So whether they’re coming or going, visitors first and last impressions of Providence are sure to be positive (so long as they don’t glance at the front page of the Journal). |
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2009-10-06How Good Are You With Money?
They say your wallet is a good indicator of your relationship with money. Mine is a disappointing display: a green pouch crammed with bills, receipts, stamps, credit cards, a license, Badger balm (best lip stuff ever), lint and pennies--oh sweet beezus, the pennies. Everything gets stuffed in there and ignored until I need to pay for something, which sums up my financial mojo. It's so easy to auto-funnel your weekly paycheck into checking, savings and retirement accounts, which then get treated like workers on a mysteriously long lunch break--you kind of wonder what they're up to, but there's other stuff to think about (candy in the lobby!) and you think you have their number if there's an emergency. The thing is, plenty of personal financial experts will tell you that simple stuff like keeping your wallet organized and writing down what you buy really are good steps toward money mastery. It shouldn't be that hard. So why don't we do it? Our February feature will be all about spending and saving money, and I'm curious if there are any fellow guinea pigs out there who'd be willing to try out a few easy financial tips (like keeping an anonymous spending diary) and report back. Yes? Send me an email: nmaranhas@rimonthly.com |
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2009-10-01It's Apple-Picking Time!
Today’s one of the first days that the air really has that fallish bite. It’s about time. I know I’ve written about my love of fall before, but today’s weather is really getting me in that autumn state of mind. To me, there is no better way to shepherd in the start of the season than with a trip to the apple orchard. Sure, you can get local apples almost anywhere, but it’s way more fun to roam the rows of trees, hot cider in hand, carefully scanning the branches for the most perfect fruit until you’ve gotten enough to fill a few bags (or more). Apples are much more hardy than a lot of other fruit, so they’ll keep for several weeks -- plenty of time to make pies, crumbles, baked apples, tarts, etc, etc, to your heart’s content. I searched the Farm Fresh RI website for local apple orchards. They have 145 listed – both instate and throughout New England – which means everyone has one nearby. So, what are you waiting for? |
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