Month: June 2009

I’ve been researching at the Municipal Archives.  These pictures are actually from the County Clerk’s office on the 7th floor.  It was suggested that I go up there and take a look around, and I suspect if they let me, I could find a lot of buried treasure here.  I couldn’t take pictures everywhere, but this what you see when the elevator doors open.  (More below.)

This is the view turning left.

I love places like this. But the best part was a storeroom in the back, that is where the buried treasure is (I’m sure it’s there). I wasn’t allowed to photograph back there, which was fine. It was the kind of place where I could spend weeks exploring if they’d let me.

Maps, and ledgers and books of minutes for meetings from the 1800’s, photographs, so much city history I was practically hyperventilating. One of the archivists there kindly xeroxed a picture I came across of Jumel Place that I wanted to send to people I recently met who have a house there.

Maybe I should write a guide to how to find what. For instance, I noticed piles of maps which among other things, showed who lived where at the time that the maps were drawn. I know historians and genealogists could really use a lot of the information buried there. And I’m sure there are plenty of people who know it’s there, but still. I wonder.

The other night I was channel surfing and came across a BBC news show and man, it was such a pleasure. News like it used to be. It was mostly reporting, little opinion, no debate. No comments from people who are completely biased and predictable and add absolutely nothing. They covered an array of subjects from all over the world. The anchors were more subdued, less “personality.” It was like news for grown-ups.

I looked around to see if there was any kind of 24 hour news channel for the BBC, but I didn’t find one. This is what I need though. I have absolutely had it with all the 24 hour news shows here.

Two hours later: I started writing that post and then got caught up in this that and the other thing!  So much to do.  I want to run back down to the Municipal Archives.  I forgot to go up to the 7th floor to see what was there.

This is Grace Church, where I sing. I took this the other night walking home from the Loser’s Lounge.

Oh Pizza Truck.  What took us so long to invent you??  Today is a good day, beginning with therapy and followed by research at the Municipal Archives.  Love research.  It’s a treasure hunt. You never know what you’re going to find.

The previous box I was using was working well, but two things made it really hard to clean.  One, it was really heavy. It was made of this industrial strength plastic which probably made it durable, but HEAVY. And two, there was this grid on the inside, and washing the litter out between the groves took more time, and since I clean out the litterbox twice a day, it had become such a production it was making me miserable.

So I bought this storage box at Bed, Bath & Beyond, took it to a hardware store where they cut a square out in the front for easy kitty access and voila!

Downside: the plastic is flimsier and I will have to replace it sooner, which is a fair trade-off. Also, I made the kitty-access-opening too big and the cats are spraying litter out a little too easily.

But I will correct that in version II. I am satisfied. I should manufacture and sell this. First thing I’d do is make it in decent colors. I can’t get over the drab, drab, drab colors most litterboxes come in.

And
who
love
each
other.

Aren’t
they
sweet?

I just
looked
up
and
it’s
8pm!

What
did
I accomplish
today??

Not
a whole
helluva
lot.

But
I got
this
pigeon
picture
up.