census'd

From Friday's Chronicle-Telegram:

Cleveland and its Cuyahoga County suburbs have been losing population at a pace only exceeded by Detroit’s Wayne County and the Gulf Coast region devastated by hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Cuyahoga County's population was estimated at 1,314,241 in July 2006, down from 1,330,428 in July 2005 — a loss of 16,187 residents.

Although the 2006 population estimates for cities haven't yet been released, the Lorain County communities along Cuyahoga's border — Avon, North Ridgeville and Sheffield — were among the fastest-growing in the region last year, Census Bureau figures show.

More than 4,000 residents moved to North Ridgeville over the last five years.

Between July 2004 and July 2005, North Ridgeville's population jumped by 926 residents, while Avon's grew by 874 residents in the same period.

The city of Elyria lost only 67 residents between July 2004 and July 2005, while the city of Lorain lost 38 residents in the same period.

Full article here.

Not too surprising, although I'm a little surprised Elyria only lost 67. Fifty-five percent of Elyria residents work outside the city, including me. What, exactly, is keeping us here? Gas isn't that cheap. But then, tell that to all the folks living in Amherst and commuting to Cuyahoga County. After my car situations (both of them) this past week, I'd welcome some decent public transit. Too bad our traffic situation isn't congested enough, nor our population dense enough, to warrant the cost and massive infrastructure requirements for such projects.

my first 'issue' with the civic

As Randal from Clerks once said, "Buncha savages in this town."

My car, innocently parked on the street, was the victim of a hit 'n' run. Some of you might recall that this happened once before, but this incident has a few distinct differences:

• It's the Civic, not my old T-bird
  
• It happened at 7:50 p.m., not the middle of the night
  
• Rather than a hit by a supposed drunk driver, this person first pulled into our driveway, then backed out and hit my car parked on the street
  
• There were two witnesses

Unfortunately, they drove off before said witnesses could read the license plate; all we know is that it was a red sedan that already had some damage on the front. I called the police right away to file a report and went online to file a claim with my insurance. An insurance representative is supposed to call me tomorrow morning, then I'm going to see about the best way to get this repaired. I might be able to get a loaner through my dealer if I have them do it, so I may go that route just because it will be easier to drop off and pick up my car that way; we'll see.













What's kinda funny is, I started pulling my car into the driveway every night after the last time my car was hit, but this happened during daylight hours, so it was still on the street. Since we have three cars in this household and I'm the first to leave in the morning, I generally park on the street until I know mom and dad are in for the night. So much for that plan.


Edited 3/23/07 to add: I ended up using Progressive's repair service since it seemed like a good deal and the work will be guaranteed for life. I'm only responsible for my deductible, which turns out to be about 1/3 of the repair cost. They have to replace the front bumper cover, driver side headlight, front fender, and windshield washer fluid motor and tank. It should be ready by Thursday. So I get to drive mom's car until then, which will be going into the shop the very next day, because the temperature gauge is on the fritz whenever the radio or headlights are on.

However, the karma balances out. Something exciting may be happening soon; inquire off-blog if you'd like to know what. :)

perpetual kid

I was originally going to post this over at my new bran.bryanbird.com blog, but decided it was significant enough to put here.

I've been a bit wistful lately for books I enjoyed during my childhood, and hopped on over to Amazon to see if any of them were still in print. The Very Hungry Caterpillar? Yes, complete with holes in the pages. Re-reading it made me smile. I loved this book so much when I was five that my mom redrew it on cardstock so I could have my own copy. Now I kinda wonder what happened to that edition.

I looked at a few Dr. Seuss books, and stumbled upon the Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook and Dr. Seuss Pops Up! The former is a collection of recipes with a Seuss theme, while the latter is a pop-up book with excerpts from seven of his books. The cookbook is a bit gimmicky, but there are some good ones in there. The pop-up book is fun, although I'd prefer to have one entire book done in pop-up rather than just excerpts.

Speaking of pop-up books, I used to have one for The Little Engine That Could. This edition is no longer in print, and I'm hesitant to buy a used copy sight unseen. It was very cool though.

And let's not forget Barney Beagle and the Cat. This was the only Barney Beagle book I had (originally my brother's), but there is a whole series of them, all out of print. Rereading this one made me smile too.

So in the vein of releasing one's inner child, I present perpetualkid.com. These things likely won't whisk you back to your childhood, but they're altogether fun and slightly useful. Here are some of my favorites:

Temperature-Controlled Faucet Light - I've seen this before, but it only had a blue light. This model glows red or blue depending on whether you're using hot or cold water. I may actually buy this eventually.

Holy Toast Bread Stamp - Want to strike it rich on eBay? Manufacture your own Virgin Mary toast! It's sacrelicious!

Bacon Bandages - As the silica packet said to the little boy, DO NOT EAT. Or if you're a bit hungrier, go for the Bacon and Eggs Bandages.

Remind yourself how to create an adverb with Schoolhouse Rock Magnets!

Attending a tropical party in the middle of February? Bring your own Hula Grass Slip Coaster to identify your drink.

Be professional and funky at the same time with a Crayola Ballpoint Pen.

Need a gift for Tom & Kristy's wedding? How about a Chicago Manhole Cover Rug? Also available for other cities.

Why eat candy from a dish when you can trap it inside a claw game and be infuriated every time you want something?

For the person who truly wants to get nothing done at work, stack a set of Acrobots on your desk, and you'll be distracted for hours on end.

Cold office? Co-workers telling you to dress warmer even though it's your hands that are freezing and you need them to type so you can't just wear gloves? Try these fingerless heated USB-powered gloves. Just plug them into your computer's USB port, fold back the finger covers, and type away.

Cool and slightly practical for a rec room, Drink-o-matic Soda Machine.

And lastly, Grow Your Own Sensitive Plant, quite possibly the most awesome plant ever created. Its leaves fold up when you touch it, then slowly reopen. How cool is that? I may get one of those too.

And thus is why being an adult is better than being a child: you can drive a car, you can vote, and you can buy cool stuff like this with the money you earn instead of begging for things from your parents at Christmastime.

meow

This morning's CAT Scan went off without a hitch.

For once.

As you may recall, the chemo shrank my veins incredibly, so even a simple blood draw can be difficult now. The CAT Scan is even worse, because they can't use the hand veins (where mine are prominent), yet the typical veins up near the elbow are miniscule. The last few times, the technician has had to call someone from the nursing unit (and once, surgery) to come find a good vein.

I thought we had found the "magic" vein that would be an easy win, but alas, no luck this time. However, the other technician got one in the left arm, up where I'd had them long ago. Just two sticks and we were in business. Probably the quickest CAT Scan I've had since I finished chemo. Hurrah!

So now I've finished my Tuscan Chicken sandwich at Panera and I'm off to work. I'll have the results tomorrow.

Of the scan, not the sandwich.

Edited 3/20/07 to add: Posting from the Cleveland Clinic here. Got the results; everything is good. Life continues. Hurrah!

bran.bryanbird.com launched!

As mentioned previously, I was trying to come up with an idea for this bran.bryanbird.com subdomain I created. I'm calling it "Bran Bird™ brand Breakfast Bran," but that doesn't really clue you in as to what its purpose is. I'm still not sure what its purpose is; it just seemed like an idea that needed to be put to use.

Starting today, it's going to be a repository of links. I'll post a new one each morning (hence breakfast), and some may be useful while others may just be random (hence... bran?).

Enjoy.

countdown to CP

Less than two months until Cedar Point opens its gates for the 2007 season!

I've switched the blog to its spring/summer template in honor of this week's warm weather.

Maveriiiiiiiiick
Maveriiiiiiiiick
Maveriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick!
MAVERICK!

Maver-- doh!

lots of camels

Don't let it be forgot
That once there was a spot
For four short weekends in North Ridgeville
Known... as... Ca...me...lot.

It seems like just yesterday we were holding auditions at Olde Towne Hall Theatre and --

No wait; no it doesn't. That was ages ago.

But here we are, 11 performances come and gone, and Camelot is but a memory. As I said previously, I didn't feel as stressed or pressed for time during this production, and I think now I know why: As music director, I had a more vested interest in Camelot than any other show I've done. I felt more dedicated and active. I was setting my own schedule, my own pace, and knew what I wanted; I wasn't just sitting at the piano being instructed what to do when. I'm told I was down-to-business during music rehearsals, which I guess is a good thing. People were surprised to see my, uh, real self at the cast parties. Who knew?

I learned much throughout this whole process, and will surely music direct again, in time. Particularly if someone is doing Anything Goes or A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Until then, I'd like to be on stage again, and really pay attention to how other music directors handle things. How do they run a rehearsal? How do they work on diction and breath support? How do they solve a problem like Maria? Er, wait. Sorry.

In any case, I'm planning to audition for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Elyria Summer Theatre, as are many former Camelot cast members (who were, as it turns out, in Joseph at said Towne Hall last year). I'll certainly aim for the stars -- I'd love to be Joseph -- but I'll take any role. It's a fun show. And only two hours long to boot.

In other news, I have my next CAT scan a week from today. I'll give my usual blog update afterward, in-between bites of Tuscan Chicken panini at Panera. This summer I'll be coming up on two years free from Hodgkin's. I feel fine, as usual, and don't expect any surprises.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to knock on this wooden desk for no reason at all.

quote of the day 5

Here lies Jason - he had a hell of a portfolio.

This one requires a bit of context. I was instant messaging (IM) with my friend Jason, who came across a job ad for a news page designer at The Columbus Dispatch, which he's qualified for. The pertinent part is this:

This is a nighttime, deadline position, generally from 4 to midnight. You can expect to work weekends about a third of the year. And, yes, there are some holidays involved, too. The upshot is that you'll be working in a good atmosphere with quality people, in a city that's thriving.

As we then discussed on IM:
J: Hours 4 to midnight, work most holidays and weekends.
J: The upside: quality people and a good atmosphere.
J: Curse you people and your atmosphere!
J: How about a paycheck and good benefits???

Me: Look, just because they have a circulation of 230,000,
Me: Doesn't mean they can afford to pay people a decent wage.
Me: Besides, think of your portfolio!

J: My tombstone will read "Here lies Jason - he had a hell of a portfolio."

Yeah, the ad doesn't specify the pay range, so no offense to the Dispatch there; pay is just sort of a recurring theme with Jason and me, since we're both coming up on the fifth anniversary of living with our respective parental units post-college. I still like the quote regardless.

when in doubt, assume miscommunication

When in doubt, assume miscommunication is the third of the three laws in Bird's Razor. I bring it up again today because of this article in the Chronicle-Telegram. The short version is that a Lorain city employee was looking to hire a secretary, and called another city secretary who was interested in the position to let her know the details of the job. Here's the pertinent part:

Then he said he told her she would be one of only two secretaries and that the job can be overwhelming.

"I told her, 'If you don't like high-stress jobs, this isn't the place for you, but if you do, then you'll do fine,' " he said.

But Safety-Service Director Mike Kobylka, who has scheduled a disciplinary hearing for today regarding the conversation, said Desvari "intimidated (Garcia) to ensure she would not take a position within your department."

Of course, the article is really only giving one side of the story. Nonetheless, until I hear more about it, I'll give the guy the benefit of the doubt. It truly amazes me how people will blatantly and wildly misinterpret conversations.

A few weeks ago at work, one of our dealers called inquiring about the pricing and availability of a product we distribute. We acquired these products during a very hectic time and have not had time to properly shelve and catalog them, although we know where everything is and can get to them fairly easily if an order is placed.

The woman who called also wanted to check the instrumentation for this piece, because the description said it was for full orchestra, yet it was listed in the string orchestra category. So our editor said he would get a set and actually look at it, but that he'd have to call her back since he'd need to look for the archive copy in a box. He found the piece, called her back, and said it was indeed for full orchestra.

Later that day, we received a very irate e-mail from the widow of the composer of this piece, who said a dealer had contacted her and said all of her late husband's music was "sitting in the bottom of a box" and that we "weren't sure when we could send it out." And, she sent this e-mail to the president of our company, who had no idea what she was talking about.

Nor did anyone else, because that's not what happened, nor what was said. How this dealer jumped from "hold on, I'll have to look for the archived copy" to "it's in the bottom of a box and we don't know when it will be available" is beyond me. Especially since our editor told her he was holding a copy in his hand and we could send it out that very same day, and the woman faxed her order naught but hours later. And who is this person who's calling up the widow of the composer to tell her all this anyway?

Reminds me of the fender bender I got into when I was 16. At one point in the story, I told the magistrate I "had never driven down that street before, so I wasn't quite sure which driveway I was looking for." The judge chewed this up and spit it back out at me as "You didn't maintain awareness of your surroundings." Uh... what?

And those are just but a few examples. Miscommunications are rampant in job interviews, where interviewers are often reluctant to ask further questions after an applicant's response, and just take everything at face value based on their immediate interpretation. Maybe that's why I see many of the same graphic design jobs being posted over and over again every few months.

relay for life: scrapbook & stamp fundraiser

I'm going to be more active with my church's Relay For Life team this year, now that I'm a survivor and back into the swing of things. I agreed to make flyers for our fundraisers. Here's the first one, for a scrapbooking/stamping party:



If you live in the area and would like to post some signs, 1) it would be greatly appreciated, and 2) here's a PDF version of the flyer that will look better than that web image above.

I think a chicken/ribs barbecue is in the works for later this year as well. I'll keep you all posted.

miscellaneous zen

First, try playing this music. (Don't worry; they weren't actually meant to be playable.)

Now, check out these weird auto accidents.

Then, take a gander at these maps that distort the size of countries based on different criteria, such as wealth in 1500 vs. 2005, war deaths, happiness, and others.

And lastly, if you only visit one castle this year, make it this one. Kinda reminds me of my SimCity 2000 days when I'd construct a huge hill covered in waterfalls and place the mayor's house (with corresponding statue) atop the mountain. Usually I'd give myself a windmill too, so I'd still have electricity even if the common plebes below didn't.

best rube goldberg device ever

Don't let it be said that anyone has too much time on their hands. If all humanity did was pay bills and go out drinking, we wouldn't have gems like this.

I think my favorite parts were the flipping hammer and the slinky. Reminds me of that old Sesame Street rolling ball thing.