The front page of the Roanoke Times reported that the City of Roanoke will match up to $500,000 for the Mill Mountain Zoo. Before I go on, I want to first say that I'm glad to see the money headed up the mountain where it's been needed for a long time. I'm glad that somebody realized that there's an attraction in Roanoke that DOESN'T resemble the Flying Nun in glass and steel.
That said, I have the following question to ask:
WHERE THE HELL IS OUR MONEY?
For obvious reasons, I can't post this on the VMT blog, but I was nearly in an outrage this morning when I heard about this. I've been begging to put something on our blog about it, but I doubt they'll let me off my leash on this. So, here I stew.
There are lots of attractions in town that could do a lot with half a million dollars. To be sure, the Mill Mountain Zoo is absolutely one of them. Meanwhile, the Virginia Museum of Transportation hasn't heard word one from the city about its grant proposal -- the same city that owns 45% of the museum's collection, the same city whose very story is told more vividly by our museum than by any other in town, the same city that grew up around the rails whose heritage is preserved and interpreted at 303 Norfolk Avenue. How much money are we getting? How much should we get?
The building is OLD. We're the only museum in town that hasn't had a complete renovation in more than twenty years. Scratch that. We've NEVER had a complete renovation. We got the middle portion of the building after our old building was flooded in 1985. Then we got what will become the aviation gallery, then the west end, and finally the offices of the Shenandoah division, all spread out over the course of 20 years. At no time was there ever a renovation that spanned all four of those segments. Some of the electrical wiring in our building dates back to when it was first installed... IN 1918! For the love of God, the last time that wiring was checked was during the flipping influenza epidemic!
So how much should we get? We won't get enough to renovate. We know that. Will we get enough to just maintain what we have? Doubtful. Roanoke gave us $60,000 two years ago, and $52,000 last year. For perspective, our monthly operating costs are around $30,000. We could cut that figure in half with a high-quality renovation of our insulation and outer walls, as our gas bill alone during the months of December, January, and February averaged $5,000 monthly. Estimated cost on that is about a quarter-million dollars, just half of what the zoo just got. Again, I don't begrudge the zoo their tuppence; they got the shaft from the state which gave them an insulting $10,000.
We held an event in our auto gallery on the night of February 17th. 48 hours prior to the event, we started up the heaters. The temperature at that time was 47 degrees F. After 48 hours of continual operation at full blast, those heaters managed to raise the temperature to just 51 degrees F. The cost of running the heaters for 48 hours? $481. $10 an hour being just thrown away (or blown away, more accurately) because the space is a giant wind tunnel sucking warm air directly outside. The seals around the roll doors are a joke, half the windows in the upper portion of the gallery are stuck open, and there's a gaping hole at the far end of the gallery leading into a 7,000 square foot portion of unheated, unsealed open air.
Now imagine trying to cool that air in the summer.
The zoo needed money. I just hope the city remembers some other groups in the midst of its benevolence. Why do I get the feeling we're about to get screwed?
Again.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Call me Stella
I have a new pet and a new roommate. The two are not unrelated.
We'll start with the roommate. She's the girlfriend of my current roommate, and last week, she was raped in her own home. For obvious reasons, she doesn't feel safe there, and my roommate asked me if she could move in here until she can figure out what to do and where to go next. I of course said yes.
We now have a cat -- Pepper. Pepper was the 17-year old cat of my roommate's grandmother. The grandmother passed away a few weeks ago, but the cat remained. At the cat's age, a shelter would as soon put the animal down as find a home for it, so of all people, my roommate's girlfriend agreed to take it.
Now the two have moved in. I have no problem with either of my new housemates. The cat is small and doesn't seem to shed much. The girlfriend has a lot of stuff and seems intent on decorating our apartment like we're in "A Streetcar Named Desire." I can't say I'm totally opposed to that, as the apartment has sort of an institutional feel to it outside the confines of my room or that of my roommate. The living room is a white-walled box with brown carpeting and a couch that matches. We could certainly use a... whatever that thing is she's got with marbles and a candle in it. Some kind of vase. Thing. I don't know.
Meanwhile, the cat has thrown up on my roommate's bed and the first night with our new roommates is off to an interesting start.
Here's to tomorrow.
We'll start with the roommate. She's the girlfriend of my current roommate, and last week, she was raped in her own home. For obvious reasons, she doesn't feel safe there, and my roommate asked me if she could move in here until she can figure out what to do and where to go next. I of course said yes.
We now have a cat -- Pepper. Pepper was the 17-year old cat of my roommate's grandmother. The grandmother passed away a few weeks ago, but the cat remained. At the cat's age, a shelter would as soon put the animal down as find a home for it, so of all people, my roommate's girlfriend agreed to take it.
Now the two have moved in. I have no problem with either of my new housemates. The cat is small and doesn't seem to shed much. The girlfriend has a lot of stuff and seems intent on decorating our apartment like we're in "A Streetcar Named Desire." I can't say I'm totally opposed to that, as the apartment has sort of an institutional feel to it outside the confines of my room or that of my roommate. The living room is a white-walled box with brown carpeting and a couch that matches. We could certainly use a... whatever that thing is she's got with marbles and a candle in it. Some kind of vase. Thing. I don't know.
Meanwhile, the cat has thrown up on my roommate's bed and the first night with our new roommates is off to an interesting start.
Here's to tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
The Red-Headed Step-Children of Roanoke
Ordinarily, I'd post things about VMT over at that blog, but some of this is a touch too vitriolic for that quasi-professional blog. All that said, there's something I don't quite get.
The Virginia Museum of Transportation has taken a continual bombardment in the editorials, critiquing alternately our decision to try to sell 763 and/or the mere presence of our Executive Director.
That's not what I don't understand. People have beef with us over those things, and they're well within their rights to criticize whatever they like in the newspapers. I don't mind it at all, though I do wish they'd keep their opinions objective and at least try to make it seem like they're not launching personal attacks through the editorial columns.
The thing I don't get is why none of the members of our Board of Directors have written anything in our defense. I freely admit that some of our Board members are more active than others, and I sincerely think that some are more committed than others. But I know three Board members who could write powerful, credible letters on VMT's behalf, but who have strangely been silent. If I see one more letter to the editor slamming us for this or for that, I'll write one myself. I know I shouldn't, and I know that my take could never be objective, but this is getting old.
Also, I'd like to point out that if the same quantity of venom were printed about Center in the Square or Mill Mountain Zoo, this town would go nuts. Maybe people around here don't care about us. Actually, there are some facts to back that up.
Since we began tracking demographic data of our patrons (just hometowns and ages, no personal data), a whopping 70% of our patrons are from out of town. FYI, City of Roanoke: That means tourism is happening! These people from out of town stay at our hotels, shop in our stores, and eat at our restaurants. What's better? A portion of those we've asked (informally) say they traveled just to see our museum. City of Roanoke, that's free money for you. They pay no taxes here, but their money still finds its way here. If that's only worth $52,000 a year to you, then fine. But with a multi-million dollar art museum unfurling like a giant glass Scott McFarlane sketch just a few blocks away, I hope we aren't getting the shaft just because you got distracted in the most expensive "Ooh, Shiny!" thing in Roanoke's history.
The Virginia Museum of Transportation has taken a continual bombardment in the editorials, critiquing alternately our decision to try to sell 763 and/or the mere presence of our Executive Director.
That's not what I don't understand. People have beef with us over those things, and they're well within their rights to criticize whatever they like in the newspapers. I don't mind it at all, though I do wish they'd keep their opinions objective and at least try to make it seem like they're not launching personal attacks through the editorial columns.
The thing I don't get is why none of the members of our Board of Directors have written anything in our defense. I freely admit that some of our Board members are more active than others, and I sincerely think that some are more committed than others. But I know three Board members who could write powerful, credible letters on VMT's behalf, but who have strangely been silent. If I see one more letter to the editor slamming us for this or for that, I'll write one myself. I know I shouldn't, and I know that my take could never be objective, but this is getting old.
Also, I'd like to point out that if the same quantity of venom were printed about Center in the Square or Mill Mountain Zoo, this town would go nuts. Maybe people around here don't care about us. Actually, there are some facts to back that up.
Since we began tracking demographic data of our patrons (just hometowns and ages, no personal data), a whopping 70% of our patrons are from out of town. FYI, City of Roanoke: That means tourism is happening! These people from out of town stay at our hotels, shop in our stores, and eat at our restaurants. What's better? A portion of those we've asked (informally) say they traveled just to see our museum. City of Roanoke, that's free money for you. They pay no taxes here, but their money still finds its way here. If that's only worth $52,000 a year to you, then fine. But with a multi-million dollar art museum unfurling like a giant glass Scott McFarlane sketch just a few blocks away, I hope we aren't getting the shaft just because you got distracted in the most expensive "Ooh, Shiny!" thing in Roanoke's history.
Friday, March 16, 2007
I attended a blog summit yesterday, thanks to Roanoke-Found's invitation. I went partly for the museum, and partly for myself to see what I was getting into. There's a great and vibrant community of bloggers right here in Roanoke. Who knew?
Oddly, one of the highlights was meeting Gail with Career Connections. CC bought out Career Search One, a career counseling agency I used when I moved back to Roanoke about two and a half years ago. After I landed this gig, I didn't maintain my contact with them, but yesterday's chance encounter put them back on my radar screen.
Gail's co-worker (whose name I've forgotten) moved here from Northern Virginia, the very region to which I'm considering moving. Perhaps there are contacts to be made that way.
Meanwhile, the VMT blog is consuming my time, especially after yesterday's event. I just put up a new post there that I'm going to let linger for a while, fishing for some comments. Besides, it's almost the weekend and there's basketball a plenty to be had.
Oddly, one of the highlights was meeting Gail with Career Connections. CC bought out Career Search One, a career counseling agency I used when I moved back to Roanoke about two and a half years ago. After I landed this gig, I didn't maintain my contact with them, but yesterday's chance encounter put them back on my radar screen.
Gail's co-worker (whose name I've forgotten) moved here from Northern Virginia, the very region to which I'm considering moving. Perhaps there are contacts to be made that way.
Meanwhile, the VMT blog is consuming my time, especially after yesterday's event. I just put up a new post there that I'm going to let linger for a while, fishing for some comments. Besides, it's almost the weekend and there's basketball a plenty to be had.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Baroque
I'm officially broke. Because of a dumb error on my part, I'm overdrawn at the bank. I've gone through all my savings because of this error, without even realizing it until my debit card was declined ordering a pizza tonight.
On top of that, my credit card is maxed out, as it has been since Christmas. I've paid slightly more than the minimum payments, just to stay out of trouble with them, but I paid out of the aforementioned bank accounts, and now I have exactly one dollar in my savings, and I'm overdrawn by seventy dollars in checking.
Tonight rocked.
On top of that, my credit card is maxed out, as it has been since Christmas. I've paid slightly more than the minimum payments, just to stay out of trouble with them, but I paid out of the aforementioned bank accounts, and now I have exactly one dollar in my savings, and I'm overdrawn by seventy dollars in checking.
Tonight rocked.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
A post over at Roanoke-Found got me thinking a bit.
I have a ton of reasons to live right here in Roanoke, and one gigantic reason to move to Northern Virginia.
My girlfriend whom I love lives there. She's not moving; nor should she.
But that's it. I hate the traffic up there, I dislike that I have to be bi-lingual just to go grocery shopping, I can't fathom looking out at the horizon and not seeing a mountain or even a decent hill. My friends all live here; same for my family. I've got a great job I love -- one that gets me out of bed in the morning and keeps me awake at night (in a good way). It may not pay the most, but it's what I want to do.
So how do the two balance out?
When I'm with my girlfriend, I never want to leave. It is physically painful to leave her, even knowing I'll see her again in just a matter of weeks, or sometimes just days. To make things worse, her house is in some kind of communications nebula where cell phone signals get dropped like dishes at a Greek wedding. I can't even count how many of our nightly conversations have included some variation of the following:
"The phone cut out. Would you repeat that?"
It gets old. We're doing alright, but it's a strain, I won't lie.
Roanoke has a ton to offer, but you've got to be willing to dig a little bit. There are parks and movie theaters, night clubs and fine dining. The schools suck, I have to admit, but that doesn't directly affect my day-to-day living at the moment. Less than an hour away is a big ol' lake, and in the opposite direction is skiing and a damn nice resort.
I went to Roanoke College, located, ironically enough, in Salem, Virginia. During orientation, a student asked, "How far is the beach from here?" The student was from Michigan, and apparently his understanding of Virginia geography was limited to "It has a beach." He was quite appalled to find out that the beach was better than five hours away, depending on which route he took. Anyway, my point is that Roanoke doesn't have a beach, but I'm ok with that. I know where it is.
But, more to the point, is that my alma mater is right here. I can be there in fifteen minutes or less. As an alumnus, I have full access the gym (which I don't use enough) and the library (which I use too much).
All of this makes for a big case for staying here. I know the area, I grew up here. This is home.
Northern Virginia is not without its opportunities, either, by any means. There are battlefields, tons of shopping, historic monuments, the nation's capital, the Metro (one of my all-time favorite activities is riding the Metro; don't ask me why), unique dining, bountiful non-profit careers and organizations, a cultural center, and most of all, my girlfriend.
Financially, I'm not going anywhere for a while. I'm still in a lot of debt, and I'm not making enough money to get out any time soon. At the earliest, I'd be moving late next year, and that could be a stretch.
The lease on my apartment is up this October, but my roommate and I will probably renew for another year. He's my best friend from Back In The Day, and he's turned out to be very good at living with another person. Unlike previous roommates, he actually cleans and helps out with chores. Remarkable.
I'm building a network here, too. I have business contacts across the valley, and a pretty good knowledge of what I call "W.S.I." (Where Shit Is).
So, no decisions yet. And I'm sure there are other things I'm not considering, but that's what I've got.
I have a ton of reasons to live right here in Roanoke, and one gigantic reason to move to Northern Virginia.
My girlfriend whom I love lives there. She's not moving; nor should she.
But that's it. I hate the traffic up there, I dislike that I have to be bi-lingual just to go grocery shopping, I can't fathom looking out at the horizon and not seeing a mountain or even a decent hill. My friends all live here; same for my family. I've got a great job I love -- one that gets me out of bed in the morning and keeps me awake at night (in a good way). It may not pay the most, but it's what I want to do.
So how do the two balance out?
When I'm with my girlfriend, I never want to leave. It is physically painful to leave her, even knowing I'll see her again in just a matter of weeks, or sometimes just days. To make things worse, her house is in some kind of communications nebula where cell phone signals get dropped like dishes at a Greek wedding. I can't even count how many of our nightly conversations have included some variation of the following:
"The phone cut out. Would you repeat that?"
It gets old. We're doing alright, but it's a strain, I won't lie.
Roanoke has a ton to offer, but you've got to be willing to dig a little bit. There are parks and movie theaters, night clubs and fine dining. The schools suck, I have to admit, but that doesn't directly affect my day-to-day living at the moment. Less than an hour away is a big ol' lake, and in the opposite direction is skiing and a damn nice resort.
I went to Roanoke College, located, ironically enough, in Salem, Virginia. During orientation, a student asked, "How far is the beach from here?" The student was from Michigan, and apparently his understanding of Virginia geography was limited to "It has a beach." He was quite appalled to find out that the beach was better than five hours away, depending on which route he took. Anyway, my point is that Roanoke doesn't have a beach, but I'm ok with that. I know where it is.
But, more to the point, is that my alma mater is right here. I can be there in fifteen minutes or less. As an alumnus, I have full access the gym (which I don't use enough) and the library (which I use too much).
All of this makes for a big case for staying here. I know the area, I grew up here. This is home.
Northern Virginia is not without its opportunities, either, by any means. There are battlefields, tons of shopping, historic monuments, the nation's capital, the Metro (one of my all-time favorite activities is riding the Metro; don't ask me why), unique dining, bountiful non-profit careers and organizations, a cultural center, and most of all, my girlfriend.
Financially, I'm not going anywhere for a while. I'm still in a lot of debt, and I'm not making enough money to get out any time soon. At the earliest, I'd be moving late next year, and that could be a stretch.
The lease on my apartment is up this October, but my roommate and I will probably renew for another year. He's my best friend from Back In The Day, and he's turned out to be very good at living with another person. Unlike previous roommates, he actually cleans and helps out with chores. Remarkable.
I'm building a network here, too. I have business contacts across the valley, and a pretty good knowledge of what I call "W.S.I." (Where Shit Is).
So, no decisions yet. And I'm sure there are other things I'm not considering, but that's what I've got.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Other news
I met yesterday with Sharon Johnson, the band director at Patrick Henry High School. This coming year will be my third year working with her band as pit percussion instructor. I can't think of enough good things to say about her, but one thing stands out in my mind. As widely known as she is throughout the valley, I have never encountered a single soul who had one bad word to say about her. I've never seen a person cultivate such an atmosphere of respect and admiration.
If you don't know the situation at Patrick Henry, the short version is that the school is being almost completely re-built as part of a multi-million dollar renovation. This included the demolition of several buildings, including the one that used to house the band room. Now, a concert band takes up a fair amount of space, and it certainly can't fit inside a trailer like more traditional classes. So, the Patrick Henry High School Patriot Band was relocated to a former wood shop in the technical arts building just at the edge of campus. This room featured a concrete floor (creating an acoustic akin to a barn), a large roll-down door that frequently gets stuck and doesn't close all the way (creating a more natural air-conditioning than what's usually good for musical instruments), and the room had no phone or internet connectivity until January (classes started in September). Through it all, Mrs. Johnson just kept on rolling, doing everything she had to do for her band to get by.
Well, that all changed last month when the band parents, frustrated by seeing their children forced to practice and work in this kind of environment and by seeing this incredibly gentle and committed woman nearly begging for money for her program, got together and created an endowment for the band to pay for new uniforms, instruments, music, and electronic recording equipment. There are angels that live right here in Roanoke, folks.
Resultantly, mine went from being a contract position to a salaried position. In addition to being paid for my time working with the group, I'll be paid for the music I write for them, and for any trips or extra rehearsals I assist with. Now, I never once complained about what I got paid last year. Hell, I didn't even get paid at all the year before that, but I didn't mind for a second. But this is a boon for me, I won't lie.
The most money I've made professionally was as the band director for Woodrow Wilson Middle School. I took that position when the school's band director was forced to take emergency medical leave. I came in with less than two months before their spring concert, led them to that concert (quite well, if I say so myself), and then finished out the year before they were able to hire a full-time teacher with a teaching license (not a thing I have). In the time since, I've found a great job, but now I'm looking at the prospect of keeping that job and still getting paid to do another thing I love.
I'll be writing a piece for their spring concert. Mrs. Johnson is a woodwind player and will be the first to tell you that she doesn't know much about percussion other than what sounds good. Anyway, her percussion students are good players, but becoming bored with their current concert music, having already attained a high level of proficiency with it. So, I volunteered to write something for them, only to keep them occupied, but she wanted something for the concert. I'm down with that.
At the moment, I'm toying with either something original, or an idea I've had for a while to arrange the second movement of Beethoven's seventh symphony for percussion ensemble. The latter creates a fairly long piece, at least in terms of a high school spring concert, but it could be fun. Still, I think an original piece would allow for more personalization as I could write to their abilities and strengths more. We'll see. The concert isn't until after Memorial Day, so I've got some time.
If you don't know the situation at Patrick Henry, the short version is that the school is being almost completely re-built as part of a multi-million dollar renovation. This included the demolition of several buildings, including the one that used to house the band room. Now, a concert band takes up a fair amount of space, and it certainly can't fit inside a trailer like more traditional classes. So, the Patrick Henry High School Patriot Band was relocated to a former wood shop in the technical arts building just at the edge of campus. This room featured a concrete floor (creating an acoustic akin to a barn), a large roll-down door that frequently gets stuck and doesn't close all the way (creating a more natural air-conditioning than what's usually good for musical instruments), and the room had no phone or internet connectivity until January (classes started in September). Through it all, Mrs. Johnson just kept on rolling, doing everything she had to do for her band to get by.
Well, that all changed last month when the band parents, frustrated by seeing their children forced to practice and work in this kind of environment and by seeing this incredibly gentle and committed woman nearly begging for money for her program, got together and created an endowment for the band to pay for new uniforms, instruments, music, and electronic recording equipment. There are angels that live right here in Roanoke, folks.
Resultantly, mine went from being a contract position to a salaried position. In addition to being paid for my time working with the group, I'll be paid for the music I write for them, and for any trips or extra rehearsals I assist with. Now, I never once complained about what I got paid last year. Hell, I didn't even get paid at all the year before that, but I didn't mind for a second. But this is a boon for me, I won't lie.
The most money I've made professionally was as the band director for Woodrow Wilson Middle School. I took that position when the school's band director was forced to take emergency medical leave. I came in with less than two months before their spring concert, led them to that concert (quite well, if I say so myself), and then finished out the year before they were able to hire a full-time teacher with a teaching license (not a thing I have). In the time since, I've found a great job, but now I'm looking at the prospect of keeping that job and still getting paid to do another thing I love.
I'll be writing a piece for their spring concert. Mrs. Johnson is a woodwind player and will be the first to tell you that she doesn't know much about percussion other than what sounds good. Anyway, her percussion students are good players, but becoming bored with their current concert music, having already attained a high level of proficiency with it. So, I volunteered to write something for them, only to keep them occupied, but she wanted something for the concert. I'm down with that.
At the moment, I'm toying with either something original, or an idea I've had for a while to arrange the second movement of Beethoven's seventh symphony for percussion ensemble. The latter creates a fairly long piece, at least in terms of a high school spring concert, but it could be fun. Still, I think an original piece would allow for more personalization as I could write to their abilities and strengths more. We'll see. The concert isn't until after Memorial Day, so I've got some time.
Eye, Robot?
We're getting a robot! I don't mean my roommate and me, I mean the museum. There used to be a robotics company here in Roanoke. It's gone out of business, but one of the last surviving robots built and programmed here belongs to AmGen Labs in California. They used the robot for a few years for everything from security to diagnostic tests, but they're looking to get rid of it (for reasons passing understanding -- why would you get rid of a robot?). Bev (the Executive Director of the museum) found out about it somehow, and they're going to give it to us!
Here's what I know about the robot:
Here's what I know about the robot:
- It's smart enough to re-charge itself when it detects its batteries are running down;
- Its sensors are so sensitive that it had to be fine-tuned so as not to interpret the water from a flushed toilet in the pipes as a broken water line;
- It can seek and find a heat source as intense as a single lit match from 500 yards;
- Despite having no "eyes" to speak of, it can be programmed for motion detection and to call police or fire as needed.
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