we STILL don't have our tax bills yet in west hartford

of course taxes were due july 1st. when i called the town last week they confirmed they were NOT mailed yet and there would be an extension. i forgot if she said until august 1st or the END of august. that's neither here nor there, we're all going to be paying taxes OUT our ASSES

black and blue square was supposed to STOP that from happening. of course not only hasn't it stopped it, so far (and it's not even opened yet), it's MUCH MUCH MUCH WORSE.

it's a horror show driving ANYWHERE near the center. i'll only stop now to run into sit-n-knit. and then only in a yarn emergency.

farmington avenue is a mess, trout brook is a mess and please don't even get me started on main street AND park road (especially by the highway exit).

speaking of black and blue here is an article listing more of the stores and whatever else that's going in there

Retail space is filling up at Blue Back Square

Heavy construction continues at Blue Back Square in West Hartford Center, in anticipation of a November 2007 opening. An update was released this week from the developers, reflecting a significant step forward in the number of retail tenants signing rental leases. The retail spac, as expected, is filling up.

When completed, Blue Back Square will have a total of 600,000 square feet of space that will include condominiums, apartments, medical offices, a Healthtrax fitness center, professional offices (non-medical), a movie theater, restaurants, and the retail stores. Ed Pilkington, executive director of the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce, sees Blue Back Square solidifying West Hartford Center's regional attraction. "On behalf of the Chamber, I am very excited about the diversity of retail options," said Pilkington. "These tenants are great additions to Blue Back Square and they will contribute to West Hartford remaining the premier shopping destination in the region."Retail tenants include a 1,988-square-foot Lucy Activewear, a 4,163-square-foot National Jean Company, a 3,100-square-foot Homeward Bound, and a 1,201-square- foot JD's Cosmetic Essentials. Robert Wienner is a partner in Blue Back Square/JDA Development. "I am thrilled with the amount of response that we have had to leasing retail space at Blue Back Square as we move toward grand opening this fall," Wienner said in a prepared statement. "We are currently over 85 percent leased and have continued progress and interest from many different retailers, restaurants and service oriented merchants."....

NOTE: i had not heard of most of these stores before so i looked them up. lucy activewear looks like a medium priced clothing store for 'hip YOUNG teenaged typed babes'. national jean company sells different brands of jeans to 'hip YOUNG teenaged typed babes'. homeward bound is a connecticut based store focusing on the greening of the earth (i'm guessing they are higher end. how else could they afford the black & blue rent??? any way seems they sell furniture and the like). jd cosmetics sells a few (very few from what i could tell) higher end cosmetics for the 'hip YOUNG teenaged typed babes' to look AS BEAUTIFUL AS THEY CAN. janie and jack sell baby clothes (i'm sure nothing i'd ever put a kid into. oh shoot, i take that back, i WOULD put a kid into that beret!). there are other stores named in the article and a movie theater and a restaurant that serves big hunks o' dead cow.

beret picture: janie & jack

more plan b at one way fare news

UPDATE (click link to the right for pictures) - july 13 2007 : opening july 13 2007

during the late afternoon on the fourth of july - i ran into shawn and jen and al. where were they all morning and afternoon? WORKING ON PLAN B AT ONE WAY FARE! dedication i must say

at any rate, shawn assures me it will be open NEXT weekend (no, not THIS weekend). it will be exactly a year from the opening of plan b in west hartford.

how fortuitous!

i can't wait to go see it. they really have been working so damn hard on it.

(p.s. shawn, thanks for the stoli elite!)

look out for this GIANT tag sale

to assist with aids patient housing

the tag sale is on park road in west hartford on july 13th and 14th. just a stone's throw away.

stop on by, i'm sure you'll find at least a LITTLE something to your liking



Jumbo Tag Sale To Help Home For AIDS Patients

By JOANN KLIMKIEWICZ
Hartford Courant

Black-tie benefits, with their posh guest lists and steep ticket prices, do a nice job of pulling in charitable donations. This Loretta Dyson knew.
'But they're a little bit pricey for plain folks like me,' says Dyson. 'I thought, `How about something that would appeal to just about anybody and everybody?'' She thought about it and thought some more. And then it came to her.
A good bargain. Who doesn't love a good bargain? And so was born the Tabor House Tag Sale, a massive annual event Dyson helped launch 13 years ago to raise funds for local men and women living with HIV/AIDS. From the first tag sale's $2,000 profit to last year's record $10,000, every dollar and dime has gone straight to Tabor House, one of the state's first AIDS residences. Proceeds from this year's event, scheduled July 13 and 14 at the convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph at 27 Park Road in West Hartford, will also benefit AIDS Project Hartford.....

this tracking sounds like a GOOD idea to me

as long as it's not abused, i think it's a grand idea. the MORE we can do for our veterans the better!
Tracking Wounded Veterans
State Seeks Notification When Troops Come Home So It Can Offer Services

By JESSE HAMILTON | Courant Staff Writer

NORWICH - Connecticut political leaders have taken the lead in trying to establish a simple paperwork procedure that may help save wounded war veterans from bureaucratic limbo.

Right now, when a member of the military who has been wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan is discharged from active duty and returns to his or her home state, the state is not told by the Department of Defense.

Though those veterans may be eligible for state services, the state has no way of knowing they are back.
So U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, said Tuesday that he will introduce a stand-alone bill next week that would direct the Department of Defense to tell states the names and contact information of all servicemen and women discharged from the military, to help them get the services they're entitled to.
...........

it's about darn time!!!

i think this is a MOST welcome idea!!!

State to offer online vehicle registrations

WETHERSFIELD, Conn. -- The state will try out a new program allowing some vehicle owners to renew their registrations online, Gov. M. Jodi Rell said Tuesday.Registrations are currently renewed through mail or by visiting a Department of Motor Vehicles branch office.
"This is a long-overdue but fantastic start for making DMV transactions accessible online to those who want this convenience rather than going to a DMV office or using the mail," Rell said. "Other kinds of the upgrades in technology now occurring in the agency will help DMV bring online more services to benefit residents."............

how cool is this? in a land far far away

D. Finnin/AMNH, June 27, 2007
This 17-foot-long dragon with a wingspan of over 19 feet guards the entrance to Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids, a new special exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History.

well, NOT so far. about two hours away.





i am going to see this. it's right up my alley. i have plenty of time too. it goes on through january





A Fabled Journey





By KIRA GOLDENBERG Courant Staff Writer





I was standing on tiptoes, stretching over an extra-tall ticket counter to see my receipt printing at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, when a security guard sidled up next to me. I signed my receipt, lowered my heels and turned to smile at him."Oh - you were on tiptoe," he said. "I was about to remark on how tall you are, but you're actually short."I'm 5 feet 8.


For my "daycation," I grabbed a friend and made for New York to see the museum's "Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids" exhibit. New York is full of pricier adventures, but the city can captivate when you're simply walking around, people-watching - and flirting with bored security guards........





...........The exhibit is a fascinating combination of fancy and scholarship. Divided into land, sea and sky, each section features display cases devoted to various mythic creatures from all over the world, with panels that recount a version of each creature's legend. The tales are underscored with historical artifacts like sculptures, bones and 16th-century biology texts, all illustrating the persistence of the folkloric imagination throughout history and across continents......

da liebs

ready willing and don't for a second doubt, VERY capable of starting ANOTHER war

i don't like the government of iran. they are evil and even more unjust than our own government. there are terrorists in iran. i have no idea how many or if the government is bankrolling and training them. my point is i don't think DA LIEBS HAS THAT INFORMATION EITHER.

before starting YET ANOTHER WAR where our men and women are being harmed maimed and killed, WHY DON'T WE GATHER ALL OF THE FACTS. why don't we determine what is true and what isn't true.

we invaded iraq based on lies. are we going to continue to invade more countries without having the full story?

Lieberman: Iran has declared war on the US

Josh Catone
Following a statement issued by the American Forces Press Service accusing Iran's Quds Force of "training, funding and arming the Iraqi groups," as well as Hezbollah operatives in Iraq, Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) released a statement saying that Iran has declared war on America."Although no one desires a conflict with Iran, the fact is that the Iranian government by its actions has declared war on us," Lieberman wrote, while urging the United States to keep "open the possibility of using military force against the terrorist infrastructure inside Iran.".........

Lieberman: Iran Has Declared War

By DAVID LIGHTMAN Washington Bureau Chief, The Hartford Courant

............Lieberman said he hoped the latest news about Iran would help quash calls in Congress to withdraw U. S. troops.Withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq at this time, he added, "will give Iranians exactly what they want most" -- an "epic victory" for forces of terrorism."Iran's purpose in sponsoring these attacks against our soldiers is clear," he said. "The Iranian government wants to push the United States out of Iraq................

a shout out (a BIG one) to my friend lk

tyshawn and lk

mikey relaxin'

chris and lk

alli tyshawn katie and of course lil' gizmo

she just got back from a few days in new orleans. what was she doing you ask? sure, she went out and had fun during the evenings. during the day she was BUILDING HOUSES FOR HABITAT! that's so very wicked cool

alli katie and lk

i'm STILL angry the citizens of the great state of connecticut

voted this man, who is CLEARLY not quite right, back into office. makes me think my fellow citizens are NOT QUITE RIGHT either

(and by the way, i am NOT against surveillance of ANY kind as long as it is done WITHIN THE LAWS)

Lieberman calls for wider use of surveillance cameras

By Klaus Marre July 01, 2007

Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), the chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, said Sunday he wants to “more widely” use surveillance cameras across the country.“The Brits have got something smart going in England, and it was part of why I believe they were able to so quickly apprehend suspects in the terrorist acts over the weekend, and that is they have cameras all over London and other of their major cities,” Lieberman said.“I think it’s just common sense to do that here much more widely,” he added. “And of course, we can do it without compromising anybody’s real privacy.”Lieberman lamented the “petty, partisan fighting” in Congress and called on his colleagues to join together to upgrade the nation’s electronic surveillance capabilities............