So the other day I see the helicopter is up circling above me, and I know I didn't do anything too bad, so I wait for my neighbors to come out and tell me what happened, and sure enough, they come out with the whole story. This dude two blocks down chased his teenage neighbors with a machete, and then when the police was called, he locked himself in his house.
And I'm thinking, Baltimore…
But then I look online and see this Yahoo article about "America's Best and Worst Cities for Families," and of course I look for Baltimore, considering people here run around with machetes and all. And here's Baltimore, sure enough:
So I'm thinking, maybe it's true. Maybe Baltimore is family friendly. After all, my neighbor took his whole family to see the police siege, which must have been a fun family-bonding activity.
But then I see what city made number 4, and I know there must be something wrong here.
Back from a short vacation, I find out there's a Honfest a couple of blocks down, which means one thing: It's going to be harder to find parking later.
I read this Sun article about inflated crime statistics. So many words, so little sense. I mean, I know what this article was about, but I don't know what the writer was trying to say. Here's his picture. What's with the full-length photo, by the way? Headshots are out nowadays?
I heard that in the two weeks I was gone, God has brought The Flood upon the city. What did I tell you about using bad language and coveting your neighbors' asses? I'm afraid to go down to the flooded basement. I might have Gremlins living there now.
A quick shout out to Kate at the Charm City Moms blog, which is a part of the Sun's website. I've been actually looking for a place to take my baby, beyond the usual suspects (Port Discovery, the Aquarium, Camden Yards). I have nothing against these places. I actually love them, for the record. But I need more. My baby needs more!
So visit the blog, and see if you can find a new family activity, or just use the site as a way to connect with other Baltimore parents.
Speaking of which, this is a part of the email I got from her on Tuesday:
The Sun is doing a tweet-up next Tuesday [which is this Tuesday], 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at the Windup Space in Station North. We'd love to see you and other bloggers there, so spread the word!
I hope to make it. And maybe I'll even get to know some of you there.
Here are the top 4 headlines from Baltimore Business Journal:
Homebuilder confidence rises
An index measuring confidence among U.S. homebuilders rose for the second straight month in May, according to the National Association of Home Builders.
Manufacturers expect more cost, job cuts
A majority of chief financial officers at manufacturing companies say they will not approve employee raises this year, according to a new survey by accounting firm Grant Thornton LLP.
SBA offers interest-free loans to struggling businesses
Help is on the way for small business owners struggling to made debt payments.
Survey: Small businesses optimistic
Small businesses worldwide remain optimistic about their long-term prospects despite the economic downturn, according to a survey conducted in April by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
This is getting a little silly. Can you be optimistic and pessimistic at the same time?
I got an email about a week ago, asking if I'd like to take a look at a movie opening this weekend in Baltimore, and of course I said Yes, because who can say No to a free DVD? And it looked like a fun movie.
So without further, here's a trailer of The Graduates, which opens in Baltimore on Friday, May 15th.
The Graduates is a coming-of-age comedy, made in Maryland, by Maryland-born brothers Ryan Gielen and Matthew Gielen. The award-winning comedy featuring ZAK WILLIAMS son of ROBIN WILLIAMS makes it's official MARYLAND PREMIERE this month. In a timely summer twist, the comedy follows four friends to Senior Week in Ocean City, Maryland as they try to have that one last hurrah.
The Graduates opens in Maryland on Friday, May 15th and runs through Thursday May 20th, at the R/C Hollywood Cinema in Arbutus, Maryland.
OFFICIAL PREMIERE SCREENING:
WHEN: Friday, May 15th at 9:00pm WHERE: R/C Hollywood Cinemas 5509 Oregon Ave, Arbutus, Maryland 21227 (right next to UMBC) TICKETS: Movie Line: (410) 242-1188/ $8 Adults/Available at the box office starting Monday, May 11th Screening times:
Friday, May 15: 7pm, 9pm
Saturday, May 16: 1pm, 7pm, 9pm
Sunday, May 17: 6pm, 8pm
Mon, May 18: 8pm
Tues, May 19: 8pm
Wed, May 20: 8pm
The Graduates was made for $95,000, and has won several awards including Best Comedy, Seattle True Indie Film Fest and Director Discovery Award, Rhode Island International Film Fest, and will screen at several venues in Ocean City, MD from May 18th through July 4th.
Writer/Director/Producer Ryan Gielen will be on hand at ALL WEEKEND SCREENINGS to introduce the film and do an interactive Q&A with each audience***
To compare it to Superbad might be too easy. It's that, but it's also a little bit Dazed and Confused. And let me go even further back, it's a little bit Fandango (am I the only one who knows about this lost movie?)
It's fun, even if it's hard to believe at times. A good-looking 18-year-old guy is still a virgin? In my neighborhood guys already have 5 kids from 7 different mothers by that time. But still, even with a little suspended disbelief, the movie stays real and true. You get the feeling that these characters are real. And their idea of Ocean City as some kind of symbolic Mecca is something everyone in Baltimore is familiar with. We don't have much here, but no matter what, we can always get our folding chairs and coolers and head off to the ocean.
Why is it so hard to find a video of this commercial?
Fox 45, listen to me! You give me information about sex offenders, weather, a lot of smiley faces, some ads, even a link to your stupid Twitter account, but you can't provide me with a link to your "I am Baltimore" ad? How am I supposed to convey my mixed feelings about this ad without the video?
If I had the video, I would have been able to say, "No. It's not always sunny in Baltimore. And people here don't really smile that often. And actually there aren't that many Indian people here. And God knows how sick I am of the Cafe Hon pink flamingo. I know I'm not alone there. It's not as evil as the androgynous statue outside the train station, but it's not too far."
But I can't write any of that because I don't have the video.
