Well, things got better. After Frankie screamed bloody murder till 6 am with a diaper rash we all got a luxurious 3 hours sleep. Then, a couple hours later, I backed Trish's brand new car into a parking space accidentally leaving the door open and nearly ripped it off. Fortunately it closed well enough to drive safely. Much damage. No one harmed though (physically).

We threw in the towel; it was time to give up. This trip was over. We limped home, got the kid to sleep and look forward to a better day tomorrow.

Ann Arbor, MI, hour 24 or so. If there is a less friendly place on Earth, we hope we never find it. We started our day at Starbucks because we couldn't find another more interesting place open in the University Area and Frankie needed to eat. While in Starbucks, we observed an older woman with her daughter who circulated to different tables stealing newspapers from other patrons who had left their table for a brief period. When she was called on it by one who's paper had been pilfered, she denied it and a brawl nearly ensued.

Don't get me wrong. These weren't the only cheery people in the place. The rest of them simply appeared to be fuming and angry at something. Maybe Kerry's acceptance speech or something. I don't believe we have met the gaze of a single person in a day. It is an odd place indeed.

The gang and I are on the road for a few days to Ann Arbor. So far we've seen a bit of the university and, of course, the local CVS to get diapers. The hotel has a nice pool and Frankie has a little boat of her own we're going to use tomorrow.

Tomorrow marks my 4th year at my current job. It's the longest I have ever held a single position. Tomorrow I also hear the results of my most recent interview. Stay tuned.

Forgive me. I just couldn't resist.

Lots of buzz about Boston this week because of the DNC convention. I've been catching some of the posts and pictures of the convention from the bloggers because frankly, this event isn't exactly going to create any kind of unforseen news or anything, so the bloggers give interesting updates as to what's going on in the Fleet Center. I wonder if the bloggers were informed of the proper English to use. E.g.:

Y'wanna staht?
Loud, boisterous, bluffing type challenge heard in the Nawt' End. Not intended to start a real fight, really means more like "Ya really stahtin' ta piss me off."

And, Trish and I have argued about the existence of this one since we've been dating (I grew up in Boston you know):

Spuckie
Sometimes, spukie. What some Bostonians still call a sub or hero (there's even a sub shop in Dorchester called Spukies 'n Pizza). Some people refuse to believe it's real, but it must be, because the Middlesex News wrote about it in 1993. From spucadella, a type of Italian sandwich roll you can still buy at some of the bakeries in the North End and Somerville.

David Keene reports: " 'Spuckie' is indeed a Boston word. It is not used much anymore, the older Italians used it. Growing up in Chelsea we alway bought 'spuckies' at Gallo's market. My wife bought spuckies at the Italian stores in Eastie when she was a kid. The word is not used much anymore, because there are so few of us that know what it means." Richard Karasik, meanwhile, recalls that "Santarpio's pizza parlor (in Eastie) was the center of spuckie heaven."

These and many others can be found at Boston-online.

Hey, you wicked bouhd? Approximately 35 bloggers were credentialed to cover the DNC this week in Boston. Some fun reads and opinions. Immerse yourself in the minutia.

An interesting post from Jessamyn is a link pointed to a WSJ piece entitled Meet the Bloggers.

mobile web log = moblog. A moblog is usually updated from some wireless source (phone, pda, etc.) from the road. The Columbus Underground site just launched a moblog for Columbus phone cam users to contribute to: Columbus Textamerica. Check out various spots around Columbus as viewed by people with these phone cams.

Let her eat pasta.

Frankie sat in her chair and ate much spaghetti (from the middle of the strand out) last night. It was a great meal. Didn't get pics uploaded yet. Check back tonight.
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Day 2 of 4 on the interview circuit, wish me luck.

I'm busily working on my Is My Blog Burning? entry. It's Lamb and we're all in for a tasty treat tonight.

Just stumbled on this blog about, among other things, urban design. A year ago, he posted about the I-670 Cap. This is a project about 2 miles from our house that we've viewed many times and were uninformed as to what was going on. It's a stretch of retail space that will bridge the Short North with the north side of downtown along High Street. We recently watched the Pride Parade from this spot. It's progressed quite a bit since the August '03 post but still has a lot of retail space open.
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. . . that will look good in 20 years

Happy Bastille Day all! Our 4th anniversary in Columbus.

Having survived scaling a 25' ladder (although I think it was at least 50') last night to clean out my gutters, I felt I better start enjoying life a tad more so I grabbed a couple co-workers to go to a favorite place for a small lunch of Turkish food. We first went to Cedar's Bakery but they were closed for some remodeling. A recent post on Bltn prompted me to redirect our lunchtime pursuit to a new place called Turkish Cuisine, 2653 North High (that's two Turkish places within two miles, not bad). I got a salad and lamb kebab. It was served on a bed of rice with grilled veggies and I followed it up with a strong Turkish tea. Unbelievable. Thanks for the tip bltn.

Spelunking with a sippy cup. Today, on the recommendation of our good neighbor Eric, we went off to visit Ohio Caverns. At one point, the same point Frankie decided she didn't want to be restrained any more and wanted to run free despite being part of a tour group of 20 people and walking on a slick, dark, winding path about 18 inches wide, we were over 100 feet below the surface observing stalactite and stalagmite formations. It was pretty cool. Only an hour from Columbus too.

I think the kid may need a few more months before tackling any more challenging terrain.

This morning Frankie and I took a little stroll down High (yes, to Starbucks). On our way back, Joe, owner of the awesome Flying Pizza was baking the first pies of the day and gave Frankie a few Sicilian slices to take home for lunch! Thanks Joe.

After an especially frustrating week at my chosen profession (at the peak of which, a co-worker suggested I name my next brew "Angry Analyst Ale" - thanks Larry), we're embarking on a "small" plumbing project tomorrow and maybe another stab at sourdough boule. Been feeding the starter all week and it's darn ready for: 1. sourdough pancakes tomorrow & 2. a killer sourdough boule. Results posted later.

Help us find Richie's home. We just found him.

Update: After posting a bunch of fliers, Trish went pounding on doors in the area and found the little guy's owner!! Suzi is especially happy his master was found.

The first of "Dads Without the Kids for Breakfast in a Smoky Diner" series began today. Thanks to Trish for taming the wild monkey while I sipped coffee, ate lots, relaxed and conversed with some friends.

And, tonight, Julian's parents are giving us a break so we can see Fahrenheit 9/11 at the Arena Grand, uninterrupted. A movie! In a cinema! We can't wait.

"I don't think security guards should be armed; guns should be strictly for trained police officers," said Dave Scarpetti (stunningly good-looking publisher of Davesbeer.com)*, who lives in the University District. "I'll now pay more attention when I enter stores, and if I see an armed guard, I'll leave and shop somewhere else."

A story in today's Columbus Dispatch (gotta pay to get beyond the headlines) has an interesting discussion of the increase in use of armed security guards around Columbus since 9/11. Previously in the news, was reported a Kroger security guard who discharged his firearm when someone tried to shoplift! I read this and asked the Dispatch to publish a list of the supermarkets with armed security guards and that's why they called and they asked for my contribution. Kind of fun.

*The stuff in parentheses is not really in the article.