
Chipotle bucks the struggling restaurant trend, by predicting the future. What’s so tricky about that?!
A year ago, the prevailing wisdom among urban analysts was that restaurants would serve as the lodestar for any further downtown revitalization. I shared this sentiment, particularly in recognizing the recent, fashionable emergence of the food hall–a smattering of diverse small-kitchen eateries under one roof. The reality seemed, then as now, that most other retail—certainly

Cannabis amnesty: a green box at the airport has nothing to do depositing cash.
Though not a frequent flyer under normal conditions, I have, as of the date of this article, been a passenger on exactly eleven flights, including layovers, since much of the nation underwent varying degrees of lockdowns in response to the pandemic. I suspect this places my flight activity above average in terms of overall frequency,

Dubious digital pricing: revisiting a malfunctioning sign at a Baltimore gas station.
I can’t help myself: with the newly designed blog, I have an array of options available that previously didn’t exist, and this includes media. In the previous article, I posted my first video clip. And now, I offer a revival of an article from a couple years ago—a sign for a gas station in Baltimore,

The Supreme Court Building as a public forum: three recent vignettes place political fractiousness on full display. (MONTAGE)
For the last three years I have lived within a twenty minute walk of the Supreme Court of the United States. I can’t say it’s quite as banal as a city trash can, but it’s hardly something special at this point, when one lives this close. I’ve walked, run, or biked (and sometimes driven) past

Ravenous rodents resume rummaging amidst the rudimentary and rigorous lockdowns.
It’s hardly surprising that I might begin a brief blog article with a trash can. Lord knows I’ve featured items even more banal as the central subject. But trash cans in the era of COVID take on an added weight, even when they tend to remain unusually empty. (And COVID is a subject that at

We might expect dissembling wire tapping in the nation’s capital. But what about dangling wire tripping?
Early in the summer, on an evening run in a little-used park along the west bank of the Anacostia River loosely referred to as the Navy Yard Channel, I encountered a hazard that would be bad enough during the daytime. In the darkness of night, in a meagerly lit area, it was even worse. Can’t

Roadside grave markers in New Mexico: bike or cross, they suggest a story. Which is sometimes better than telling one.
Six years ago, the idea of ghost bikes began to haunt my imagination (pun fully intended). These homegrown commemorations intrigued me so much that they served as the feature within my first of many articles for Huffington Post. While that news outlet no longer appears to have the financial solvency to support independent bloggers, the

Hand sanitation after a half-year of COVID: any safety measures worth holding on to?
As the revamp of my webpage reaches its completion, I must consign myself to brief little “spurts” of writing while the domain transfer process rolls out and we iron out any remaining kinks. It has long been a goal of mine to publish more frequent, brief articles (much like my Halloween one) but it is

American Dirt: Version 3.0 unveiled at last.
Time to begin a new chapter on this blog! I know that references to “ Version X “ are a bit old-hat in 2020–even Microsoft has stopped using that moniker, and who really thinks of Microsoft as a standard bearer these days? But this long-overdue update to the blog should improve its function and appearance,

Winged, feathered drone surveillance: if all birds are corrupted, why not insects as well?
To celebrate the spooky season just a little bit on the late side, I’ll abstain from references to zombies, werewolves, or blood-thirsty vampires. That’s the stuff of Hollywood. I’ll hold off from massive jack-o’-lanterns, witches crashing into buildings, enormous spiders, or the arched backs of black cats. Those seem to be the status quo for
Recent Comments

Chipotle bucks the struggling restaurant trend, by predicting the future. What’s so tricky about that?!
A year ago, the prevailing wisdom among urban analysts was that restaurants would serve as the lodestar for any further downtown revitalization. I shared this sentiment, particularly in recognizing the recent, fashionable emergence

Cannabis amnesty: a green box at the airport has nothing to do depositing cash.
Though not a frequent flyer under normal conditions, I have, as of the date of this article, been a passenger on exactly eleven flights, including layovers, since much of the nation underwent varying

Dubious digital pricing: revisiting a malfunctioning sign at a Baltimore gas station.
I can’t help myself: with the newly designed blog, I have an array of options available that previously didn’t exist, and this includes media. In the previous article, I posted my first video

The Supreme Court Building as a public forum: three recent vignettes place political fractiousness on full display. (MONTAGE)
For the last three years I have lived within a twenty minute walk of the Supreme Court of the United States. I can’t say it’s quite as banal as a city trash can,

Ravenous rodents resume rummaging amidst the rudimentary and rigorous lockdowns.
It’s hardly surprising that I might begin a brief blog article with a trash can. Lord knows I’ve featured items even more banal as the central subject. But trash cans in the era

We might expect dissembling wire tapping in the nation’s capital. But what about dangling wire tripping?
Early in the summer, on an evening run in a little-used park along the west bank of the Anacostia River loosely referred to as the Navy Yard Channel, I encountered a hazard that

Roadside grave markers in New Mexico: bike or cross, they suggest a story. Which is sometimes better than telling one.
Six years ago, the idea of ghost bikes began to haunt my imagination (pun fully intended). These homegrown commemorations intrigued me so much that they served as the feature within my first of

Hand sanitation after a half-year of COVID: any safety measures worth holding on to?
As the revamp of my webpage reaches its completion, I must consign myself to brief little “spurts” of writing while the domain transfer process rolls out and we iron out any remaining kinks.

American Dirt: Version 3.0 unveiled at last.
Time to begin a new chapter on this blog! I know that references to “ Version X “ are a bit old-hat in 2020–even Microsoft has stopped using that moniker, and who really

Winged, feathered drone surveillance: if all birds are corrupted, why not insects as well?
To celebrate the spooky season just a little bit on the late side, I’ll abstain from references to zombies, werewolves, or blood-thirsty vampires. That’s the stuff of Hollywood. I’ll hold off from massive
Recent Comments
Recent Comments
- visitkilgore on When distinctive trumps ugly: the oil derricks of the World’s Richest Acre in Kilgore, Texas.: “Thank you for posting this!! ❤️” Feb 22, 19:04
- Dianaleigh on Corvids or COVIDs? A brief meditation on a misinterpretation.: “Love your lighthearted approach to the passing “scenery.” Fun to read.” Feb 21, 13:50
- Jessica A. on Corvids or COVIDs? A brief meditation on a misinterpretation.: “I expect my royalty check to arrive in the mail any time now.” Feb 20, 10:36
- Chris B on McConnellsburg, PA: population barely above the triple digits, and parking meters on the main street.: “It looks to me as if Amazon tries to be near the junction of long-run N-S and E-W interstates. They’re…” Feb 19, 11:11
- AmericanDirt on McConnellsburg, PA: population barely above the triple digits, and parking meters on the main street.: “Alas, probably truer than we care to admit. While I know you’re being somewhat ironical, perhaps you know better than…” Feb 18, 17:15
Recent Comments