Oak Leaf Trail construction

So, the convenient bridge over Capitol Drive that turns the Oak Leaf Trail into a magical Bicycle Superhighway is under construction (heavy sigh with exhalation of ozone action alert air).

Yes, I can manage the detour through the Baker's Square parking lot. Yes, I still get to avoid getting run over by people racing to get Egg McMuffins at the drive-thru. But, man.

City streets are much more interesting than a bunch of trees anyway, right?

Here is the mockup of the new bridge. It looks pretty. It is supposed to be done by November. Besides, all the clear-cutting required by the project reveals this long-hidden masterpiece, below.

Construction details and updates are available here and here.

MATC Graduation

I had the opportunity to attend the MATC graduation on December 22nd. I know, it's a community college, and the mid-year graduation and all, but I was expecting some pomp and circumstance. It was at the USCellularena, so the Jumbotron was there to assist those of us in the nosebleed seats. I was too far away to get any good shots of the people I knew who were graduating, one of whom didn't come anyway.
Speaking of Jumbo, plenty of attendees took advantage of popcorn from the concession stand.

I miss Goldmann's.

My brother and I had our annual tradition: Christmas shopping and lunch at Goldmann's Department Store on Mitchell. We would buy "cherries on a wire" for mom, undershirts for me, nonironically retro-esque craft supplies, and other things that only they seemed to sell. The lunch counter was awesome. How can a place-a Milwaukee icon- close after being open for the previous 111 years? Was it because of people like me, who only shopped there once a year? Why didn't I appreciate them more? Where am I going to buy undershirts?

Dam vandalism

Apparently, someone cut the wires to the dam- coinciding with the first part of some repair work- and a portion of me is upset, but not for the reasons you might think.

I decided I don't care about dams. I care about people. Re-read some of my last posts, if you do not believe me. One of the wonderful things that has happened through being part of MRPA- and I will mention here that I resigned from my secretarial role on Tuesday- is that I have gotten to know some wonderful, dear people, whom I would never otherwise have gotten the opportunity to meet (as I posted recently, digging through garbage helps you meet your neighbors, metaphorically speaking).

What do I care about? What is important to me? What do I want to spend my time and concern on? Well, I got a new job that started on Wednesday. I didn't have to apply. I was chosen. It's a new role within my current job: a new focus, and one that I care about passionately. (No more money, but most good things start with no more money.) I started a new blog to celebrate, and maybe you will join me over there. It's a little raw. It'll get better. I've had a little practice blogging. Actually, everything I learned as part of this whole dam experience has helped me in ways that will help me help others- I hope you followed that line of reasoning.

Another point I would like to make is that my character was defamed. Mom, DO NOT click the link (my personality traits did not come out of nowhere). I will speak with people, rationalize, philosophize, discuss, what have you, but persons who choose to criticize the core of my character (and not my opinions, which are two completely separate things)- well, if you were my patient, I would still be kind to you.

Evergreen/ Glen Oaks Cemetery

Warning: This is a sad post.

Vandalism or neglect? Does it matter?

I took these photos in the spring of 2001, in what was then known as Evergreen Cemetery, right across the street from Lincoln Park. It seems to be called Glen Oaks now.

It's on the cusp of Milwaukee and Glendale.

Note how the tree has overgrown the headstone, indicating years of neglect; yet somehow beautiful, like an embrace.

I used to walk the dog there. It's kind of pretty, and full of history and green-ness and quiet, which I like. It was not well-maintained at that time, as you can see from the photos above. I can't find an online reference to the issues (which I am reassured have been resolved. (The task of locating gravesites in the "most troubled" area of the cemetery was resolved in 2000, after a 1998 lawsuit by the state- winning $600,000; headstones were replaced on many of the graves, according to Journal-Sentinel archived articles, but "cold weather may delay that work until spring.")

There also were and still are drainage issues. It seems the land must have been swamp originally, or a tributary of the Milwaukee River runs through it- there is some complex drainage system that oft malfunctions, leaving standing water- after heavy rain events, you will see ducks swimming over the graves. It is mysterious.

It apparently was originally a burial place for immigrants- something that walking the parade in my Statue of Liberty costume and tutoring new learners of English makes me think a lot about. One area contains markers in several different languages- European, Cyrillic, and Asian lettering abound. I don't know if you would consider it a "potter's field" of sorts. Now the families I see there are all African-American. It looks a lot nicer now.

Like I said, it had its problems- similar to this (though not as horrendous) currently going on in Chicago. (DO NOT CLICK THE LINK if you are a sensitive soul!! Although, it was on yesterday's Chicago Tribune front page...)

Guest post from James Brozek

Here's an open letter from James Brozek, one of our MRPA members. (I edited it for punctuation, clarity, and spelling.) It was sent to many public officials and others. He sent the photos, also.

Dear friends,

Last year the Milwaukee Riverkeeper organization stated they believe that removal of the Estabrook Dam would have the greatest positive impacts on water quality, sediment management, fish and aquatic life, terrestrial wildlife, and recreation. Here are my observations this spring of the Milwaukee River in front of my house.

As of June 6, 2009, the water level is four feet lower than its natural and historical level. I've seen a marked absence of Bluegills, Sunfish, Catfish, Bullheads, Northern, Bass, Western and Midland Painted Turtles, Common Snapping Turtle, Green Heron, Night Heron, Egrets, and Coots. But what I have seen is an abundance of hundreds of yards of mosquito-breeding puddles in front of my property. During the spring runoff, the river's currents scoured into the river gravel these wonderful, made-to-order incubators for the cute mosquito larvae wigglers. The abundance of algae covering this gravel is an exceptional food source for this Wisconsin State Insect. Can you say "West Nile Virus?" Ahhhh, did I mention the lovely aroma given off by the thin layers of ooze on the river gravel? No? Well, depending on the warmth of the day and the directness of the sun, this football field-sized area of river bottom rivals our hatched mosquitoes as the gift that keeps on giving. I've not seen anyone fishing. Where are the fishermen, now that the river is running free? Paddlers also have become an extremely rare site. I've seen a pair more drifting then paddling in the narrowed river channel. The Boys and Girls Clubs paddlers are nowhere to be found. Hikers? Nope, the river bottom is just too soggy and smelly. Long live the Lincoln Park Lagoon & Urban Wildlife Place.

Sincerely,

River Bro

Now- River Otter here again- I missed Thursday night's MRPA meeting. It sounded like it was a good one.
I'm wondering, does anyone from the MRPA ever read my blog anymore? I no longer post much about the dam or the group. It just didn't seem like a useful tool for getting out any information, as was my initial hope and inspiration for starting it. I just got lots of nasty comments from anti-dam folks, and verbal comments like "Only our enemies read it, anyway." A few nice emails came in here and there though, and informational ones like this. So, I just post (almost) whatever I feel like now. The Internet is very accommodating that way.

If any MRPA members or sympathizers still read this (or enemies, or frenemies), leave a comment. At this point, I doubt that anything could hurt my feelings any worse than they were already today, so feel free to go at it.

Happy birthday to me!!

My mom made me a chocolate bundt cake with real cream cheese frosting. I can scarcely wait!!!!1!!1!!!

I love my birthday! I love everything about it. It is "my day." (Of course I know that statistically many many people share my birthday. Two of my Facebook friends alone share the exact same day-out of only 161 people. Lots of sex happens in September, leading to June babies. This is just a fact of life.) My love for my birthday has absolutely nothing to do with receiving gifts, having people buy me drinks, or anything like that. It is just the day that I feel special, that is just...mine. I don't care if I'm a year older. Age means nothing to me. I don't usually ask off work for it, or anything; I see more people there than most anywhere else, and so more people can say to me, "Happy birthday!" If they don't, I remind them. Because hey. It just is: All day, all twenty-four hours of it. You can see I am up at 0056 thinking about it, still just as excited as when I was a little kid, when I would try to wait up until 0403 to watch myself in the mirror as I turned one year older (a failure, every year).

It's similar to, yet somehow different than, the way I feel about New Year's Eve, my other favorite holiday. Most people use that night as an excuse to revel themselves into oblivion (starting a beautiful brand new year off with a whopping hangover- which baffles me); I have my own ritual of re-reading my diaries and just being retrospective. It really takes the first week of the new year, the peaceful long-awaited post-holiday rest, to do this (how much I loathe Christmas is a whole other topic, and one that really doesn't interest you, I'm sure.)

I do love the de-stressifying post-holiday time, either snug on a futon in a warm blanket, or sitting in a quiet coffee shop, warm beverage in hand, reflecting on past fond memories and could-have-beens.

But birthdays are different for me, in the sense that the day itself is just the magic. It has no purpose except to be mine, all mine. No past, no future, no sadness about getting old, (who cares, my body is already falling apart); no Norman Rockwell expectations like Christmas has, no hookup expectations like New Year's Eve, - just sweet, honest, pure pleasure. Happy birthday to me!

Don't judge me (or others, either)

Well, it's finally bike-to-work week in Milwaukee. I'm writing this flat on my back, wishing I could go to work, wishing I could ride my bike. Between my (severely arthritic) knee acting up, and tearing/pulling a muscle in my back so badly that I can't even put on a pair of shoes or take my Mel jacket off by myself, I just wanted to use this AFGO opportunity to remind people not to judge others. That's right. Have you seen me driving six blocks lately? On a nice, sunny, perfect-for-biking day? Why yes, I would rather be on my bike. So, please remind yourself not to judge others.
This public service announcement was brought to you by the letter V.**

**(Valium and Vicodin.)

We were bored

So far, I've pretty much only talked about the good things about Milwaukee. I haven't mentioned any of the bizarre violence, the infant abandonments and deaths; that doesn't mean that I don't think about that stuff. I see it more closely than you probably realize.

One news tidbit that really caught me was the recent beating of a can collector by some teenage thugs in the central part of our city. It really bothers me for several reasons. The man, 76-year-old J.T. Downs, was just trying to make an honest living, and performing an essential service, especially since we've abandoned recycling in that part of the city. Mr. Downs was minding his own business two weeks ago, quietly picking up other people's party supplies when he was attacked by five youths who cited "boredom and peer pressure" as legitimate reasons to beat up an elderly man.

I think the larger reason this bothered me so badly was that the kid said they did it because they were bored. Did you do stuff like that when you were 13 years old, or 18 for that matter, and bored? I didn't. I read books. I had all kinds of nerdy hobbies. I spent a lot of time with my grandmother, in fact, who was much older than Mr. Downs at that time.

Suspect Leroy Bentley III also stated that he didn't want his peers to think he was "soft" - then cried when he heard that the man had lost his eye as a result of the beating, which made me feel a bit sympathetic at first- but he probably just realized that it would add to his own punishment.

One eye doesn't seem like that big of a deal- after all, Mr. Downs does still have the other one- but think about it: that means he has no peripheral vision on that side. He may miss half the cans, or spend twice the time to collect the same amount. His work will be that much more difficult.

MADtv Webster's Dictionary video

I found this video from MADtv hilarious and hope you will too. Reminds me of the time Dewey Peters called me a butterface at the bus stop in 1988! Except that he had to circumlocute (poor guy), because that word is a neologism. Good times!

Earth Day

Funny how Earth Day is April 22nd- didn't it always used to be on the 21st? As in, typical Equinoxes and Solstices? As in the 1993 song "What Are We Gonna Do" by Dramarama?
It's April 21st and everybody knows today is Earth Day,
Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday
To whoever's being born
And now I'm trying hard to think of something meaningful and worthy,
Kind of earthy to make everybody ask themselves just
What are we doing here?
And what are we doing to 'her'?
You know I end up randomly singing a lot of songs (sorry, neighbors), and this is one of 'em, any time of year. I never realized how full of existential angst the lyrics are until I cut and pasted them just now.

On a more hopeful note, what I actually meant to write for today was a quote from my mom this past Saturday, after her condo complex did a noxious weed cleanup of their pond. Now, the complex she lives in is mostly older people, most with mobility problems or health issues. "See how beautiful the area of our pond looks. We had a beautiful day and good turnout for our cleanup!!! People who I thought were going to come didn't while others who I did not expect to help did. One couple who live by the pond but are unable to help physically, put out coffee and doughnuts and offered their bathroom for us to use." She later added, "Forgot to mention that one of the men helping yesterday was 2 years post lung transplant. Did not expect to see him come down to help." She sent a photo of the cleaned-up area- so different than the invasive weed-choked area that it was last year. Awesome!

All comments disappeared

I deleted my whole blog last night, as I was just fed up with the whole thing, but this morning I felt a bit differently- and was surprisingly able to resurrect it. Unfortunately, all comments are lost in the blogosphere. I can't say that I am 100% sad about that. My apologies to anyone who feels otherwise. I may be able to find those 1's and 0's; but if not, well, that's life among the thin-skinned and impetuous.
Addendum 2058- blog magic performed. Order has been restored.