2 blocks

When I first moved here, the big joke in my family was every place was ten minutes away. My aunt and uncle really lived about 20 minutes outside of Cville, but my uncle would inevitably say the place we were going was 10 minutes away, and we believed him because where we had ventured from, it took about ten minutes to get everywhere. FYI- Crabtree Falls is not ten minutes away, nor is Blue Hole a ten minute walk (at least it didnt seem like it when I was 13).

Twenty years later, I find myself having the same problem as my uncle, places are "oh...two blocks" the courthouse, the fire department, First Settlement Title (that may be two blocks), the Post Office, even my uncle's house!

Everything is right around the corner in this City- that is what I mean- and usually traffic wont make you too late. So if I tell you two blocks, I may mean a ten minute walk.

Candidate Training

This weekend I spent three intense days at the Courtyard Marriot at the University learning how abnormal I am to want to run for office. Here is a photo of the class provided by Sorenson Blog.

I found the weekend exhilarating as well as exhausting. I have lots to think about now. I especially enjoyed meeting potential candidates from all over the state, Republicans and Democrats. Sadly I was told my ponytail will have to go, I think Nikki will have the answer. Also the consultants that came to teach us were from all over the spectrum- what a great concept for a candidate training program. The class without paying any attention to party distinction came to a consensus on a Code of Ethics, I will post it below.

Code of Ethics:
I believe that my campaign is a reflection of who I am and a demonstration of my personal integrity. I will treat my opponent, the public, and the media with respect. I pledge to be truthful and refrain from irrelevant personal attacks. I will conduct my campaign with civility, and I expect the same of my opponent. My campaign activities will be conducted as if the world is watching everything we do. I demand the highest level of integrity from all who represent my campaign.

Northern Exposure

Cville Weekly has the details on Northern Exposure closing- apparently it is part of an evolution to an event facility. My favorite dish was the salmon salad back in the day (I havent been there in ages), but I also loved the mashed potatoes and pizzas.

I worked there briefly while I was a fourth year so I am sad to see it go, but at least all the broccoli is now safe.

Men in Trees

Tonight being Thursday night, Men in Trees is on. I actually have grown fond of this rather silly show.

My issue with the show is that with All these men around in this tiny, picturesque town in Alaska, why then are 6 women fighting over three men???? These are not the world's best looking men, they are not without flaws, but not tragically flawed (a trait destined to attract many women)- so how can this be? For those who are fans, I am counting the mother and girlfriend competing over the boy who works at the inn where all these competing women live.

I love soaps as most who read this blog know, but when the name of the show is Men In Trees, I would think the drama could be more two sided (instead of the normal two women compete for one man's affections- see Jason, Sam and Liz on General Hospital).

Preschool to Close

Children's Montessori school, a downtown institution for the past 28 years, has decided to close after the sale of the property and subsequent loss of lease. The one room schoolhouse is a great place for 3-6 year olds and many a resident in this community has fond memories of either bringing their children to the school or being taught by the dedicated teachers.
OF course, our memories will only be for one year since that is all we had the opportunity to experience. On to the search for the second best preschool in town!

Go Colts!

Happily during this relatively gray time for (grandma) Sherry, her boy Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts pulled victory for the jaws of defeat! ALso I am glad we arent having a repeat of the 1986 Superbowl (Bears v. Patriots) even though the Bears did win (by a lot). Bears v. Colts- I look forward to the showdown.

To Run or Not To Run?

That is the question. Typically I would be talking about running in the form of exercise, but this time I am considering running for City Council. I know, "City Council? Didnt we just elect people to those positions?" You would be right. Another comment may be "didnt we just have an election?" Yes. Or "isnt the election in November, its only January, Jennifer" Correct again (3 for 3). The convention where the caucus is held to nominate candidates is either in very early June or May, so if I want to win (if I decide to run, I will want to win), then I have to start lining up support early.

I have had the immense honor of chatting up some of the area's great thinkers, leaders and citizens (if I havent gotten to you, I will soon) of this community. I have learned a lot from these discussions. Fortunately I was raised in the area so it is not all new to me. Several issues have emerged that may form the foundation of my campaign. If nothing else, the opportunity to discuss Charlottesville, politics and other issues has been great.

I am still considering my options. I have a great law practice, a young family and a satisfying civic life, so the path is not self-evident.

Certainly the blogosphere will likely be among the first to know (after the family). And if you have an opinion or know anyone else interested- let me know.

Lindt Balls

My brother came up with Lindt Balls as a great name for those generally yummy chocolate round things that are ubiquitous.
A warning though- the peanut butter is too much. The mint is good, the raspberry is ok; the hazelnut is awesome; but the peanut butter is too much (and nothing like a Reese Cup- ok I just said that to make chocolate snobs mad). Seriously it is too peanut buttery (if you are fan, you may enjoy it) blech.

When Blogs Go Away

After the recent election, many bloggers decided to close up shop. (thanks to Waldo for keeping track of this stuff).

One of my favorite non-cvilleblogger blogger has closed up shop. As everyone knows, I love Ivan Basso and believe him to be completely innocent of any operacion puerto allegations (although I know performance enhancing tools are rampant in the sport).

This particular blogger kept up with Ivan Basso, when his wife got pregnant again, I found out through this blog, when Basso won the Giro d'Italia this year, the blogger cheered right along with me. He (she) proclaimed Basso's innocence not with adament statements (see above) but by looking at the materials made public. He/she is leaving the blogging about Ivan because of the nightmare the sport has become with the preformance enhancing drugs. "For me, Cycling lost its attraction the day it became obvious that even today, eight years after the Festina affair, systematic doping is still wide-spread in the peloton. I don’t believe that doping will ever be eradicated, but I do believe in a clean sport. Cycling is not a clean sport, and while I will work (where possible) for a clean sport, I will no longer run this webpage nor support the sport in other ways, until significant reforms are implemented."

This article details another sport concern with steroids, the NFL sack leader in October (and I believe at the end of the season) Merriman tested positive for a steroid in his urine. That fella is now playing in the playoffs (Chargers) and is a remarkable defender. How clean are our sports? How clean can we expect them to be? Someone this week (Tony Gwynn) criticized the Baseball Hall of Fame voters for not voting for Mark McGwire paraphrasing "everyone was doing it, everyone knew about, coaches, players everyone" so basically McGwire should not be judged for his steroid use but for his performance (which was predicated on his drug use).

I want sports to be clean, I want the administrators of the cycling world to get it together and I want cycling to continue to be the thrilling, awe-inspiring sport it is. I hope this all happens soon so the blogger will return.

Richmond Sunshine

Waldo has done it again. Once again, he has created a great new tool Richmond Sunshine to keep Virginians educated on the workings of the General Assembly. A fascinating website with many things I havent even begun to explore, but needless to say I love the "most discussed" component of the home page.

From Waldo's website "Use it to track the every movement of the General Assembly, vote up or down on legislation, comment on bills, and generally figure out what they’re doing down there in Richmond. It’s got RSS feeds, tag clouds, whizzy graphs and crazy Javascript accoutrements."

Check Waldo's Virginia Political Blogs too- sometimes trash, sometimes great material on this aggregator or um...blogroll.

For Better or For Worse

Not a post on the state of my marriage but on the comic strip. Does anyone else think Elizabeth is going to find her boyfriend cheating on her as she flies up with her ex-boyfriend to the place she used to live early? This has been a long time coming- to pave the way for Elizabeth to be with Anthony and his daughter. Predictable, yes, but interesting nonetheless.

Chris does not like this comic because it is more like a soap opera. True, but I love my soaps too (although I have weeks worth of them to watch on Media Center- thank goodness for the internet).

The new year 2007 edition

The holidays were lovely- I even got to sleep through the New Year. I have no inclination anymore to party like it is 1999 (since it isnt and I had a great time then). Andrew and I are finally done being sick (think visit to the doctor on Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas), but my throat still hurts a little.

With some family from the North I had the opportunity to go to the Hardware Store on one of its last days- it was jumping as usual. For the most part I cooked a lot of meals, mostly comfort food- Shephards Pie (with venison), Corned Beef & Cabbage, and Chris got to use his new smoker to smoke a Turkey!! It was delicious, we are loving the new smoker (it holds a lot of meat). The great thing about the smoker is he doesnt have to add lit charcoal every thirty minutes, so he isnt chained to it the whole day.

The cookies were a big hit (we still have some, so let me know if you want any). I am still befuddled about a gift for a babysitter. We love her and she got the boys some really cute gifts so what do we get her? Money just seems like the best option to me.

First Fridays this week- be at Batteau Custom Framing (no I am not sponsoring it)- 5-10 it is right above South Street Brewery.

A sad fact, I missed the end of the Boise State game it is said to be an instant classic. I use to tell other people about these things and now I have to hear about them the next day. Oh well.

3,000+

Numbers make people seem meaningless. The higher the number the greater the chance of ignoring. In Sundayand today's Post a couple of nice articles on families/friends and soldiers. Some are injured, some are dead. The public has not been asked to sacrifice for this war. There is a true disconnect between the soldiers in the field and those not really affected by the war. How can one bridge the divide or make a sacrifice for those who give so selflessly of themselves?

Here is where I plead for better care of our injured soldiers. Families are giving up a lot to care for these soldiers, and who wouldn't? Why in the midst of battling the greatest challenges do these families and injured soldiers have to fight the government bureaucracy to get services they are entitled to?

Everything seems so trite compared to the sacrifices the soldiers (and their families) are making for our country. Forget politics, it is humbling to witness the commitment of those who serve. Let us not forget to remain humbled and grateful.