I always fee like somebody's watching me...
(Insert excuse for cop-out here)
There are a few interesting pieces in the Flier this week -- for instance, the Planning Department's recommendation on height limits, the county taking over Guilford Gardens, and the letters to the editors (none of which are from Oakland Mills, by the way). But, see above.
(Feel free to pretend you're me in the comments and make up lame excuses for why I'm not living up to my blogging standards.)
Anyway, before we get to the meat of this post, a quick announcement about my career as a rock star. The band I've played with for the last three years, Bittersweet, decided that I was a drain on their coolness and kicked me out. Actually, that's not the case -- I'm a little to busy to play as much as they want to play and I don't want to hold them back. My last show with Bittersweet will be tomorrow night at Sonoma's in Owen Brown. Although I can guarantee this won't be the last time I pretend to be a musician (stay tuned for details!), this is it for a little while.
And, with that, here's a cool picture of an owl I snapped last week. 
Owls aren't my specialty -- that'd be dirunal birds of prey -- so I can't identify this one. But I'm sure someone out there knows, right?
15 comments:
Dude, that's so cool.
On a side note, I hear they taste great in pot pie. Just watch out for the buckshot.
Great pic!!
A barred owl?
A barred owl?
Nice photo! I think Alison is right - a Barred owl
What a HOOT.
Hayduke,
Did the Columbia Flier ever indicate to you whether they were going to do endorsements in the Columbia BOD races. I know they did endorsements for last year's Columbia elections two weeks before the election to allow people to write letters in agreeing or disagreeing with the endorsements. It seems like this week's paper would have been the one to contain the endorsement if they were going to do it. I was just curious if you knew....
Dave,
Next week they are going to run endorsements for the Columbia Council races, but not the village boards. Running the endorsements a few days before the elections is a different system than had been used in years past, and I'm not sure why they elected to do it that way. Also, unlike prior years, they are not meeting with the candidates, but rather had us answer a list of questions that they'll use.
I'm not terribly happy with this system or with the coverage of the CA elections in general (and not just because I love to see my name in print). As the only paper specifically devoted to Columbia, the Flier needs to step up coverage for these elections. There were no reporters at the OM candidates forum, and this is the first contested election for that seat in six years!
Believe it or not I once ran for the Columbia Council seat in Town Center and I received the endorsement from the Flier for that race. The process then was to go and meet the editor and a few reporters. They fired questions and I answered.
The endorsements were published at least two weeks before the election. I remember running into the editor at some function before the election. I thanked her for the endorsement but she cautioned that it could be a curse. More often than not, she told me, the candidates they endorse lose. That proved to be true in my case.
I believe they endorsed Chris Merdon too!
-wb
Thanks for the photo, I wondered what type of owl it was that kept me up for 2 and a half hours a few nights ago. Four owls decided to scream at each other from trees at the four corners of my backyard from midnight to 2:30.
I replaced my backyard lights the next morning. :)
I've been hearing a lot of owl screaming lately also. Must be mating season. Terrific picture, by the way.
My neighbor just replaced his backyard lights, providing an unnatural all-night glare. Eeesh.
I'm planting fast growing trees as soon as I can! :)
Hi Ian,
I live in Oakland Mills and I am trying to find out more about you. I really the representation I’ve had from Barbara Russell, but I am trying to learn about you so that I can make an informed decision.
Would you mind writing a bit about your concerns for Oakland Mills as well what you see as its strong points. Finally, would you discuss the vehicles on the path proposal, please?
Thanks.
Kristine,
Thanks for writing and for wanting to make an informed decision. I'm working on something today that might help answer your questions. Until then, however, I have plenty for you to read!
Because I try to keep the blog focused mainly on whatever it is this blog is focused on, I didn't want to post any campaign writing on the main page. So, I posted this stuff deep in the archives and will just link to it here.
The first is my opening statement from the OM Candidates Forum. This one touches on why I decided to run and what I like about OM.
The second piece contains my answers to a series of questions asked by the Columbia Flier to inform their endorsement decision. I'm not sure if they really want me sharing this, but I am.
And my take on using golf carts on CA paths can be read here.
Finally, if you'd like to talk in person, I'll be walking around Oakland Mills all week knocking on doors and meeting with residents. If you'd like me to stop by, send me an email (hocohayduke@gmail.com) and we'll set up a time to meet.
Kristine and other undecided OM voters:
I encourage anyone who is trying to make an informed decision to vote for Ian.
I have been, and still am, very actively involved in Oakland Mills, and I really do think it is time for a change in CA representation. Sometimes new leadership is good for an organization. I think the change in representation on the village board over the last few years has really helped to reinvigorate the village.
What most impresses me about Ian is the careful, considered way that he makes decisions. He makes sure he is knowledgeable and informed, and he takes the time to get his facts correct and listen carefully to all sides of an issue before forming an opinion.
Once he has made a decision, he knows how to gather support and move it forward effectively, as he showed by leading the "Save Merriwether" movement.
Probably most important to me is that he is a consensus builder. This will be especially important as Columbia deals with all the changes that it is facing over the next few years. We will need leaders who can look calmly at the many decisions we will have to make, build consensus and work together so we as a community can move forward with whatever decisions we make.
While Barbara Russell is one of the early pioneers who has had a significant impact on Columbia, I think of Ian as one of the second-generation pioneers who will move us forward as a community. He moved here at 14, went to Columbia schools, was a Rouse Scholar at HCC for his early years of college, works for a non-profit that Jim and Patty Rouse founded, and has settled here in Oakland Mills. He is committed to Oakland Mills and to Columbia.
I heartily endorse him.
Karen Gray
Post a Comment