100% Walkable

I've never owned a car* so it's been important for me to have good public transportation and walkable options where ever I've lived. After years of living in Brooklyn, I've managed to connect many neighborhood on foot. Walk Score is a site that scores an address for walkability. I thought the contrast between where I live now and where I grew up to be fascinating: 100 to 28.

One of the great stories of my adolescence was how in 7th or 8th grade (Mount Olive Lutheran parochial school) I was sent home by my teacher/principal for wearing shorts on a hot day. I ended up walking the whole way home (West Des Moines to South side, 10 miles) over the course of the day.




*I have made prodigious use of parental vehicles though.

Via Swissmiss

Where Have I Been? I've Been Flickring

Though I haven't been writing, I have been snapping. I even upgraded to Pro at Flickr, adding new photosets to navigate easier.

My Trip to Pittsburgh: Ed's Studio

I spent the past week in Pittsburgh, seeing Joe's hometown. Among the highlights was seeing his dad's studio, which is at an industrial park on the Allegheny. Having seen a couple shows at Garth Clark, and a few pieces at Joe & Gretchen's, I knew what his work was like.

Still, it was interesting to see where he worked (quite an impressive set up of throwing wheels, kilns, a wood shop, a dark room), samples of older pieces, some new pieces, and in many ways, an idea of what it was like for Joe growing up. Ed set up the studio with his last graduate student in the mid 80's.

One of the more amusing stories was that when Ed was setting up the studio, he had a hard time getting the black pigment (one of his signatures) in commercial quantities. The manufacturer didn't want to bother with such a small order, so he finagled a deal for 25 pounds of pigment, thinking it would last a couple years. It turns out that it'll be a life time supply.

The Thing About Birthdays

Generally few of us are around for the births, but we love the birthdays. Today is auspicious for three:

1. Jason
2. Michelle
3. Shameless... okay not it's not really Steve's birthday, but it's the anneversary of his first post on his award winning blog, The Shameless Antagonist, "Keeping The World Safe For Democracy Since 2003!

Thanks y'all for enriching my days.

p.s. and earlier this week we welcomed to the this mortal coil one MacGregor Alic Crensen, "Mac" and his happy folks Amanda and Ethan!

Waiting for Buffalo and Other Musical Notes

I got a pleasant suprise last Wednesday. My good friend, and NYC welcome party (back in '98), Bennett called to say that Pyramid was going on tour and would come to NY for two shows. Thursday night they're playing at Arlene's Grocery and Saturday they'll be at Scenic. I plan to be at both. Waiting for Buffalo is one my favorite songs from the album The First American (also available on iTunes!) By the way, I really like their splash screen, it has an effect of blowing a frosted glass clear.

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Last Saturday, my friend Peter celebrated his 50th in style. He threw at party at Sin-é and had his favorite band Antibalas play. It was great political Malian music with requisit shout outs Fela.

Peter actually spent his birthday getting arrested at the White House on Monday, along with Cindy Sheehan. The coup de gras was when women activists in Turkey referenced the arrests when she went to talk about the treatment of women in Iraq. Way to give Karen Hughes hell Peter! His son Rob did the excellent card.

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Lastly Ratzlow and Jean have launched a music blog, This is Cool, Check it Out. Jean was the one that got me turned on to them as a way of discovering new music last January. So far I really like Au Revoir Simone and Bettye LaVette (which looks to be a gem comperable to Solomon Burke's Don't Give Up On Me).

What's in a name, or an area code? 917press explained

My faithful friend, inspiration and reader Steve gave me a generous shout out, but inquires to the origin of this blog's name.

917 is an overlay area code assigned to New York City. Back in the day, all of New York City was 212. NYC always had a high concentration of phones, so when dialing, by definition on a rotary, 212 was the quickest area code to dial, as compared to 800. As numbers kept accumulating, the outer boroughs (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and ShaoLin) were exiled to 718 (a much longer dial, no?). Since Manhattan has so many letters, I now often refer to it as the 212. Then, as mobile phones emerged, they were given the area code 917. There is now 212, 718, 646, 347, and 917 in the Five.

As some of you know, I resisted the mobile lifestyle until 2003 when I moved to the Heights (Brooklyn that is)and gave up having a landline. In fact I used a rotary phone, and really felt the pain of 718. Nonetheless, when, in 1999, I moved up to the Heights (in this case Washington) my landline number had a 917 exchange, which always led to assumptions that this was my mobile number. No no, no no no... though I lived in Manhattan, I was denied the 212. This kind of slight would happen again in a few months when Manhattan, north of 135th Street, blacked out in July. Above 125 gets no love, and yes, I've gone through two blackouts in New York.

So anyway, I started feeling a bit disconnected from Manhattan, though present all over, well at least throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan. So later that summer, I embraced my nomadic area code when I made a chapbook of poetry published by 917press. Thus is the tale.

More on the history of area codes. And here's the mess we have now ever since they abandoned area codes having either a one or zero in the middle.

Cool Like a Space Ship

Whitney and I did some home improvement this weekend. The toilet's flush lever broke and needed replacement, so we walked over to our neighborhood Lowe's near Smith and Ninth Street. Of course there were other things to consider while we were there.... paint, a new toilet seat, dream tubs, and a ceiling fan.

We settled on this bargain $88 48" Cobra Elite Ceiling Fan with lighting fixture (bulbs not included). Upon installation we were very happy with the cool air flow, though less so with the lighting. The bulbs are halogen and fairly sharp focused. So while we are free to focus where we want, the effect is more of a "close encounters" variety.

Nonetheless, we're stoked on the ceilin fan, so we're thinking of moving the cobra to the bedroom, where accent lighting is more functional, and getting aonther fixture for the main room.

Summer Schedule for Irregular Blogging

I know my posting stuff about stuff has been slow of late and will be slow for the rest of July. But here's my dance card:

• Monday July 11-- I get to see my Aunt Barb, in town for the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians Conference
• Thursday July 14-- I fly to Minnesota
• Friday July 15-- I get to see Grandma Tostenson
• Saturday July 16-- Judy's (not a) Suprise Birthday Bash for all "'45-ers"
• Tuesday July 19-- Head up to Duluth en route to the BWCA
• Wednesday July 20-- Get in the water
• Monday July 25-- Wish Whitney a telepathic happy birthday
  
• Tuesday July 26-- Get out of the water
• Wednesday July 27-- Fly to New York
• Thursday July 28-- Go to work, resume blogging
• Monday August 1-- Greenwall Foundation Proposal Deadline, resume Warrior Abs, celebrate my birthday (shameless plug, I know)
  

As told by Norman Teigen: King Tut

There are stories my folks carry around that I don't think of until my folks lay one out. This is one from my dad. Hopefully this will encourage them to keep 'em coming.

Jason, I am sending you this story from the National Geographic
magazine re King Tut. Whenever I hear of King Tut I think of you.
You've probably heard this before, but about the time that you were
born [1976-79, sdt], there was a traveling exhibition in the U.S. regarding King Tut.

When you were born Judy and I wondered how the baby would be named.
Your loving cousin Sam suggested that you be named King Tut. King Tut
Tostenson.

That Sam. What a guy.

Best wishes to Holly and my guy Cole.

Cheers,

Uncle Norm