Exploring Cemeteries

Last weekend, after the Mid-Maryland Celtic Festival, I drove home by way of Eldersburg, mainly because it was easier to head north to Liberty Road instead of south to I-70. As I approached Eldersburg, I decided, entirely on a whim, to visit the church graveyard where my great-uncle and great-aunt are buried, coincidentally quite closeContinue reading “Exploring Cemeteries”

Photographing a Baltimore Church

I mentioned in yesterday’s post about the Women’s March in Baltimore that I stopped along the way and took pictures of churches. It’s something of a hobby of mine. Sacred architecture speaks to the better angels of our nature, a monument to the human need for community that spans decades and centuries. Most of theContinue reading “Photographing a Baltimore Church”

Scenes from the Women’s March in Baltimore

Today I attended the Women’s March sister march in Baltimore. There isn’t much of a narrative here, and I’d struggle to stitch one together. I’ll give some brief background, an account of what I did and witnessed, pictures of what I saw, and some final remarks. This is going behind a link, as there areContinue reading “Scenes from the Women’s March in Baltimore”

Looking Back Ten Years

Ten years ago today, an adventure (of sorts) began. My grandmother and I took a trip from Baltimore to Raleigh. I’ve never really spoken about that trip as I’ve found it an uncomfortable — and somewhat painful — subject. My grandmother, as some know, suffered from dementia in her final years. At the time ofContinue reading “Looking Back Ten Years”

Paul Krugman, Baltimore, and Portents of the Future

In the last week, when considering the riots and protests in Baltimore, a recurring thought came to me. “This is what we all have to look forward to. This is a sign of the future.” What prompted this thinking was an interview with libertartian economist Tyler Cowen on an NPR program a few years ago.Continue reading “Paul Krugman, Baltimore, and Portents of the Future”

On Heavy Rain and Transit Nightmares

Today I took a nap. That was not in the day’s plan. The day’s plan included going to work. Unfortunately, the weather and MTA Maryland had different ideas in mind. In the mornings, when I drive to work, I reach an intersection where I have a choice to make. Go left, and I get onContinue reading “On Heavy Rain and Transit Nightmares”

On Eulogizing a Man I Didn’t Know

Three years ago, I began taking the Baltimore mass transit system to work. There’s a subway station near my house, there’s a light rail stop two blocks from the office that I can see from my sixth floor office. Why drive the Baltimore Beltway, when I can use public transportation? Not only is it theContinue reading “On Eulogizing a Man I Didn’t Know”

On Flattening Pennies on Train Tracks

I flattened a penny on the train track. Today was grey and gloomy. The alarm, when it trilled, ripped me from a dream about Taco Bell and the fall of governments to the pattering sound of rainfall on the roof and outside the window. I thought briefly of driving to work. The rainy dampness wasContinue reading “On Flattening Pennies on Train Tracks”