NAACP: Changing Perceptions

At 100, Boston NAACP confronts city's mixed past | The Daily: BOSTON (AP) — For years, Michael Curry has hea... http://bit.ly/efc80S

Converse: Open Gym Boston-FREE

Boston Open Gym is a free basketball program for kids ages 10 - 18 of all skill levels.  Each participant in Open Gym will receive a free Boston Open Gym reversible jersey, ID Card, and have a chance to win a free pair of Converse Basketball shoes!

WHEN:
Saturday, January 15
10AM - 6PM
WHERE:
Boston University Fitness & Recreation Center
915 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
Session 1:
10AM - Noon     Ages 10 - 13
Session 2:
Noon - 2PM      Ages 13 - 15
Session 3:
2PM - 4PM       Ages 14 - 17
Session 4:
4PM - 6PM       Ages 15 - 18
* Special appearance by Converse athlete Luke Harangody of the Boston Celtics from 10AM - 11AM!!!

Snow Whip

The children of Worcester County have a snow day, and I'm stuck inside feeling bad because of a cold that knocked me on my ass faster than the black ice on the front stairs. 

Well, since I had some time to do some housekeeping chores that I'd been putting off, and in between trying to make sure that I didn't loose what I ate or drank, I decided to check my email.

Now, this is where the funny part begins.

On Monday, I wrote on the  Worcester Bloggers website about my mother, and the fact that she stays up-to-date on the news and weather by keeping a television tuned to CNN in her GED classroom.  Well, don't you know that she sends me an email and states for my birthday, she's buying me a car.

Most folks would be excited to hear that their mom or dad want to buy them a car, no matter how old you are, but I, on the other hand, thought how is she going to buy me a car, when it's she that needs to retire the 1996 Jeep Cherokee that's seen it's last days?

Here is the vehicle she wrote and told me she's buying for me. via Autoblog.

A hybrid we can get excited about, the Vancat has a whole lot of everything going on. Starting with a full-size Dodge Ram van body mounted on a Thiokol chassis, the Vancat is propelled by a 391 Ford V8 engine and power is routed to a set of German-made Hans Hall aluminum tracks.

DPW& P: Let me Notify You!

One of the issues I've had for some time is the lack of communication from the various offices in the City. 

Back in 2007, after my family and I had moved to our new home off Granite Street, I noticed a foul odor that permeated the air on an unbelievably warm day for January. (The date was Jan. 6, 2007, and the temperature set a new high of 65-degrees.)

It took a month to get to the right person, namely DPW&P Commissioner Bob Moylan, but when I was able to speak with Moylan, he said that he'd look into the issue, and he certainly did.  He formed a Compost Advisory Committee and held meetings at the DPW&P office, took the group on two site visits to educate and show the group how composting works along with its benefits, and what his staff was doing to alleviate the foul odor from returning. Hat tip.

Now, with a forecast that looks like Worcester County is in store for another major snow storm, I'm glad to see that DPW&P is notifying residents that Wednesday's trash pick-up is being postponed until Thursday, and subsequent pick-ups will be pushed back a day,

Also, the Winter Parking Ban is in effect, but for some reason, the notification refers to the winter parking ban from Friday, Jan. 7th. (Hey, nobody is perfect.)

So, the notification process has gotten better; we still have a long way to go, and Konnie Lukes still needs to admit that she was not getting her proper daily dosage of caffeine when she commented to Daily Worcesteria, when referring to Worcester blogs, that, "they aren't worth paying attention to." (It's alright Konnie, I still like refer to you as 'Da Face' on the City Council.)

Another Snow Storm?

Now, I know that I live in the 'snow belt' that is known as Worcester County, but it's comical to get a telephone call from my mother, who lives in the Virgin Islands, who tells me to get ready for a MAJOR snow storm.

You see, my mother is a retired teacher, but has taken on the task of working with folks looking to obtain their GED! (Once a teacher, always a teacher.)

Grandpa Wells' 100th Birthday

In her classroom, they keep a television tuned into CNN to keep abreast of news, stories, and, of course, the weather.(She says they keep the television muted most of the time, and when they see something interesting they turn up the volume.)

Well, it appears that the weather that hit Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee is going to make it's way North and converge with the weather from the Midwest-Iowa and Illinois- to form the perfect storm that may be similar to the December 26, 2010, blizzard.

Fruit table at Birthday party.

At the moment, the snow is supposed to start late Tuesday night.

So, there you have it. A weather report from a Virgin Islander living in Worcester as reported from a Virgin Islander who is currently enjoy partly cloudy skies and 85-degree weather in the Caribbean. (Yeah, I'm jealous.)

Beautiful Virgin Islands sunset. View from St. John.