Whose site is this ...

Columbus.downbeat.com?
Clean, everyone's posts in one place, no ads, nice.

Because, if I didn't have my camera, you wouldn't believe it.

The funny thing is, I've seen the Sasquatch quite a few times. It even waited until I got my camera. It's usually spotted on Arcadia in the afternoon. I was going to call 645-4545, but all he was doing was yelling at the poor dog. I didn't think that was enough for the police to come out.

Don't taunt happy fun ball

I pass by this machine daily. It's one of those blood pressure/heartbeat/weight thingies. This is the warning message that precedes the blood pressure determination. My blood pressure's fine. I just sit here because it makes me smile.

Consumer Behavior: An Experiment

The Dave's Beer household has always operated on a fairly sophisticated economic plan:

spending < income

Sometimes a little tricky, but we've been fortunate - and frugal. A million years in school will do that.

We've also never, ever paid a nickel in finance charges on a credit card. However, it still is pretty easy to use one of these nifty cards so frequently it gets warm from the friction of swiping. So, for a couple months, aside from gas purchases (since carrying that much cash might put us in danger), we're tossing the credit aside and using cash. Means we have to plan for the grocery store, and, just about everything. Stuff isn't cheap.

Even though I lusted for and agreed to buy a Briggs and Stratton this year, shelling out $120 for a refurbished one at Como Mower has given me pause about my fantasy mower. We've been doing this a couple weeks now and it's interesting. Even though we anticipated not changing spending habits, our habits have changed. Why buy that extra $3 box of savory crackers when you can make something healthier and better when you get home? We may not stick with it permanently; it's a bit inconvenient. But, when the economy seems on the verge of a depression, it's not hurting us to think a bit more about purchases.

Still sick. Sideline work?

Frankie's still sick and I'm home with her today, running out of things to do. She's kind of quiet today, so no biggie. Yesterday, I painted her nails. We ran out of shades of pink and red and had to use her fingerpaints to provide added detail.

If you want an exclusive nail design, just get in touch.

Lunch Preparation 101 - I failed

We do not for a second take for granted that Frankie is lucky enough to have good to excellent lunches every day at school. I've sat in on several and they're often simple but balanced and good. Today, she went on a field trip to the Museum of Art. They were supposed to bring a picnic lunch for the outing.

I prepared a sandwich on homemade sunflower-seeded honey wheat bread with a lovely imported ham and provolone. For sides, she had a portion of sugar snap peas, the best black raspberries I could find, some carrots, a crisp Gala apple, a linen napkin and some pretzels to share. I even threw a sprig of rosemary in her Curious George lunch box to make it smell nice when she opened it. Damn proud of myself I was.

I would've been more successful if I put ketchup on a hotdog bun and wrapped it in foil.

Paige had the winning lunch of the day. It had something chocolate in it.

Columbus Needs a Streetcar to Remove Shit Piled Up On High Street

I must be the only person in Columbus vehemently opposed to the streetcar project. It's 100 million dollars.

I think I could revitalize the corridor for about a few thousand bucks.

I was out early Sunday morning on my way to Spinelli's Deli to get a bunch of Columbus' absolutely best bagels for a Sunday get together. I drove up and down High Street in the University District. It looked like SHIT. Trash everywhere. We recently moved from the area, so I was even more sensitive to it now than I ever was.

I know the connection may be odd, but when I observed the surrounding neighborhoods of IU, UM and Purdue, the neighborhoods are beautiful. Speckled with Craftsman homes, clean, nice shops, quaint, not too many franchises. Comfy. OSU's surrounding neighborhood is dingy with trash and shit everywhere. Landlords must receive bonuses for moving to Florida while their properties decay.

Instead of taking care of the area holding the greatest density population in central Ohio, the current administration wants to replace the old Honda with a big friggin' expensive (hybrid) Hummer. And, waste a shitload of money doing it.

A shiny, clean campus, I argue, would provide a major boost to Columbus. People would want to live closer to campus, the surrounding neighborhoods would be stimulated, more would use the bus system that seems to be working just fine. Why the obsession with this streetcar thing? Hearing about it in the news is more painful than a Mariah Carey ballad.

• Dispatch Updates sorted by date. Many opposed.
• Editorial Thomas Sawyer's editorial (former Akron mayor, Dispatch 12-Apr-08.

She's not four and a half and three quarters forever anymore.

She's 5.
I can't believe we all survived.
She has a pretty grueling schedule for the next few days; parties, dentist, circus, etc. If you call to wish her a happy birthday, call tonight between 7-7:30 (to try to keep her schedule) and don't worry if you call sometime during the weekend. Sunday evening she may not be home.

Today, I spent the morning with her doing science experiments with her and her friends and teachers (whatever they're paid, it's not enough) at school (we made slime). All had a blast. Pics and movies will be distributed later.

Amazing

This past weekend, Suze went to camp with one of our dedicated dog walkers and we took a break to Coco Key Water Resort. It was kind of interesting to go only 40 minutes away to vacation. Fun actually. The fun of a new setting and none of the exhaustion of long travel.

The indoor waterpark is pretty intimidating at first but much like Vegas for the 12 and under crowd. Got to get out early and claim your lounge chairs or cabana. Once your turf is established, the fun begins. On Saturday we went to the water park from 9 until 5, no breaks. Frankie had a friend join her and we even met some neighbors for a dinner there on Saturday night. A bit pricey, but I think we'd go back sometime. Here's a very brief clip of a quick pan of a chunk of the water park.

Coco Key Water Resort from dave_scarpetti on Vimeo.