Book crazy

I often read 2 or 3 books at the same time. I have to have a book in my car, in case I have an appointment. At home, I need a downstairs book & an upstairs book. Upstairs books are usually non-library books as they take me a long time.

When I bring books into public places, people ask me what I'm reading. That response takes a minute. I try to gauge whether they're asking to feign interest or genuinely interested. And that takes a moment.

And then I explain what I'm reading & feel like I have to justify what I'm reading.

I'm addicted to medieval & Renaissance historical fiction & if it's a mystery, it's like the book is canonized. World War I mysteries are a favorite too. I have a History degree, I come by it honestly. But I still feel like I need a disclaimer...

Hello, my name is Kirsty & I have a problem with getting too many books from the library. Can you blame me? My library did win a prestigious award this year.

Unfortunately, my 12 step plan still involves me going to the library. I volunteer there...not as often as I'd like.

But when I volunteer, I generally find additional books to adopt...I mean, borrow.

The Merry Month of May

Where has it gone? I have 2 days left of this month...

The end of May & the beginning of June are my least favorite times scheduling wise. School concerts, recitals, making sure all the forms are filled out for camp, etc. Lil has NINE baby teeth that need to come out before orthodontia can proceed. She's going to miss the last day of school because I scheduled surgery after early voting & before the regular primary. She just had her annual physical today - approximately TWO months after her birthday. At this rate, she'll be 19 when she gets her 18 year physical.

And now add to that working as Field Director for my friend Tom Coale's Campaign for the Maryland House of Delegates. I am loving it. My whole family is! OK, they might not be LOVING it, but they're having fun. I'm so glad to have them join me putting in signs, going to events & learning about the Howard County & Maryland political landscape. I went to a lovely HocoBlog party at Alexandra's at Turf Valley last night & enjoyed meeting new friends & catching up with old ones.

Life is full, I think the mortgage is paid & there is food in the fridge...Maybe we'll have time to eat it at some point!

Echoes

Do you ever wonder whether someone was listening?

Tonight I received an email that said YES. That I had made an impact.

My parents & my husband worry about my "speaking" - that it is too loud or alienating or blah-blah.

But I have a voice. Am I supposed to say the light is fine when it's burning? Or the water's fine when it's scalding?

Or can I have an opinion? It's very perplexing.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/catherine-rampell-the-self-assurance-imbalance-in-the-workplace/2014/05/19/cb16802e-df91-11e3-8dcc-d6b7fede081a_story.html

The Mommy trails

Tonight, I was confronted by one of "those" moms.

I didn't like it.

I am not planning on attending both of my daughter's performances. I am a horrible mom. Evidently this is not allowed. (After 8 years, I did not know that.)

I will attend one of my daughter's performances. For one thing, the theatre is small, so I assume that there are tons of people wanting to see their offspring. If I buy tickets to multiple performances, then that takes away from others.

And I have another annoying truth...So...I'm conflicted.

Whatcha doin' today?

As usual, this weekend is full of activities...political campaign events, Mother's Day reduxes, etc.  Forget about those! Preakness is over so that's not an option for today either...

Come visit me at the Inner Arbor Trust booth at Wine in the Woods. We'll be handing out water and showing people the Inner Arbor plan for Symphony Woods.

Lil is now a veteran water hander outer, having previously worked on the Clyde's 10K earlier this year.

My dear hubby somehow came up with the convenient excuse of a "partner" meeting in Dallas that begins tomorrow, but required him to leave our house around 6:30 AM today. Sketchy, huh?

Well, I guess I can forgive him, as he walked around Ellicott City yesterday in support of our friend Tom Coale to work on upcoming mailers for the campaign. Actually, we all had a great time & it was a lovely day to be out in historic Ellicott City, supporting local businesses like the Wine Bin and Johnny's on Main. The Wine Bin has an epic selection of Belgian beers, so Luke picked up a Chimay. Johnny's has AMAZING pizza. My steak & cheese was pretty good too.

Today looks a little chilly, but no rain is forecasted. I'm looking forward to seeing friends at WITW & trying out a couple new Maryland wineries after volunteering. Also, the food choices look great too! And Damon Foreman will be playing this afternoon.

Get out there Howard County! Enjoy the great outdoors with us!

#hocopolitics

Symphony Woods Shenanigans or Finding Columbia's "Black Helicopter" Crowd

Today, I received a note from Town Center with a letter advocating against the inclusion of monies in the County Executive's budget for the Inner Arbor Trust. Needless to say, as readers of this blog well know, I was a *bit* upset. So, I figured I'd write a letter to said County Executive & my County Council member.

I'm having difficulty posting the Board letter on here, but my spray painting comment is aimed at the following sentence in their request: "Our Board also questions the awarding of taxpayer dollars to an organization...which has tried to restrict use of Symphony Woods to a group of Columbians who gathered to understand the various plans for the Woods..." This "group" acted like teenagers in their reckless disregard of private property. And understanding the various plans? No, saying why the Inner Arbor is horrible & telling lies about everyone involved.

Dear Ms. Sigaty & Mr. Ulman,

Please note all opinions expressed are my own.

As you may know, the Columbia Village elections were hardly representative of the electorate. I did vote & my candidate lost for the Columbia Board.

I live in Warfield Triangle & Symphony Woods is my neighborhood. I moved here in 2003, hoping for progress & a walkable downtown where I could raise my family. When I saw Cy Paumier’s initial plans for the SW area, my reaction was “Really? It’s hardly an improvement on what’s there now.” When I saw that his plans had been scrapped for the Inner Arbor plan, I was excited! Finally, there was a vision that was outside the box.

Prior to the vote, I attended a rally that purported to demonstrate the two versions of plans for Symphony Woods. The sponsors, Cy Paumier & Alan Klein, had spray painted grass and stapled signs to trees throughout the park. I believe they did not obtain the necessary liability insurance & if someone had tripped on a tree root, Columbia Assocation/Inner Arbor Trust would have been liable.

Beyond all of this, though, was the lies & misrepresentations they made about the Inner Arbor plan. They indicated their express desire for the Inner Arbor plan to fail. Some of the elements have never been done before.

But isn’t Columbia about innovation? Their arguments against the Inner Arbor demonstrate fear of change. I’ve only lived for 17 years. If you look at the pictures of the people who attended the rally, they are not raising families anymore.

While Columbia’s villages may be governed by a small electorate determined to hold on to the 1970 vision of Columbia, please realize that my fellow elementary school parents do not feel this way. We see Symphony Woods as a wasted space only used for Wine in the Woods for 3 days/year.

Giving Columbia a bustling town center is crucial to the health of Howard County. Please keep your budgeted allocation for this worthy, exciting opportunity for our city & county. I believe I can count on your continued support on this project as you have both been advocates for it.

Thank you for your time.

Regards,

Kirsten Coombs

Town Center