Raleigh’s bigwig developer (and my office landlord) Greg Hatem got hitched this weekend to Samantha Smith. A huge group of people attended. My friends who were there pointed out that the wedding was a reunion of sorts of the staff of the N.C. State student newspaper, The Technician. Greg did a lot at the Technician.
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Can’t get there from here
While I was waiting for Kelly to pick me up at the airport, I decided to explore the public transit options from Raleigh-Durham International Airport into downtown Raleigh. I’m a bus-and-bike kind of guy now, so I figured someone would’ve made it simple to get from a major transportation point like the airport to another major transportation point, Raleigh’s Moore Square Station.
Conclusion? Not worth the trouble.
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Wall of heat
Getting off the plane from Chicago yesterday was like walking into a wall of heat. I’d been spoiled by the dry, upper 70s weather I enjoyed in Milwaukee and Chicago. Nothing says “welcome to the South” like summertime heat!
The heat takes getting used to. Before I left, the 78 degrees we’ve kept the house felt quite comfortable. Then I stayed north for a week and kept my hotel AC set to 68 degrees. Now I have to get used to 78 again.
The funny thing is, I will get used to 78 again. And it will feel normal. The human body has an amazing ability to adapt. My body, too. 🙂
Vacation time + tax “rebate” = Orcas Island trip?
No sooner did we get off planes than we begin thinking of getting on them again.
We’re getting our tax … uh, “rebate” and thinking of applying it to another trip to the lovely San Juan Islands. Looking for a decent place for a week in August. Haven’t nailed anything down yet but the idea of being in the Pacific Northwest when Raleigh will be baking in 100-degree temperatures is pretty darn appealing.
Home
I got back this afternoon from my Chicago trip. Things went very smoothly, too. Brent and I took the Orange Line train to Midway and got to our gate with plenty of time to spare. Got off the plane and Kelly and the kids greeted me at the curb. It couldn’t have been any smoother.
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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
While I’m on the subject of newspapers, I’m such a media geek that I always tote home a copy of the area’s paper when I travel. I like to compare these papers to Raleigh’s.
I did the same in Milwaukee, and let me say how impressed I am with the quality of Milwaukee’s paper, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Journal Sentinel reporter Dave Umhoefer won a 2008 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting. From the story (emphasis mine):
Journal Sentinel Editor Martin Kaiser said the story reflected the newspaper’s commitment to local news, digging deep on important issues and making a difference in the community.
That’s what I’d like to see from our local paper. An unobtainable goal?
N&O continues slide into irrelevence
Once again, the Raleigh News and Observer has latched on to a story designed simply to whip its readers into a frenzy. Some poor fool in county government took trips on the public’s dime. While I don’t necessarily approve of his actions, is this really something worthy of stopping the presses?
The guy says he had approval for his trips, and he apparently did. He traveled around doing whatever a recycling program manager does. Frankly, I don’t know what a recycling program manager does but the guy claims it was all for business purposes. His boss agreed, and did so for five years. Maybe its just me, but I’m not quite ready to draw and quarter him.
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Wrapping up
My training today went well. Much better than I expected, actually. It was well-delivered and well-received. I think no one suspects it was my first time delivering the material. I got compliments on it afterward, too.
I just back from a dinner at a Rush Street Italian restaurant with the client and my coworker, Brent. It was a good wind down from the preparation I put into the training. I also enjoyed walking around Chicago. (I still haven’t been in a car!)
Tomorrow we go over any follow-up questions that might pop up and then I’m on the early flight back to Raleigh. It will be good to be home again after 6 days away!
City colors
Yesterday’s post on the Raleigh Philosophical Society blog promotes the idea of putting City of Raleigh flags everywhere. It says that in a survey of 150 city flags, Raleigh’s ranked 56th. While that may sound good, the NAVA group which conducted the (unscientific) survey pointed out that two-thirds of city flags got 5 points or below on a scale from one to ten. Raleigh earned 4.48: middle of the road.
The post reminded me of my issues with Raleigh’s city flag, namely its ugly as sin. I would have personally ranked it lower than it was. As NAVA points out in Good Flag, Bad Flag, city seals shouldn’t appear on a flag. Nor should writing. Raleigh should rid both from its flag, in my opinion.
I think the city should redesign its flag, taking these issues into consideration. A well-designed, attractive flag would help the city forge a similar identity.
Chicago
I’m in Chicago now until Wednesday conducting training. The train ride was smooth and relaxing and I managed to take the bus to the hotel. Checked in early and relaxed some more.
My goal in the next few days is to not set foot inside an automobile. So far, so good.