karina jean

last night I read about a case before the supreme court involving eminent domain.

Normally eminent domain is what gives governments the ability to take private property and use it for the public gooduse, like building a road or a reservoir or even to expand a road a few feet on either side. [CORRECTION — It’s for public USE, as per the constitution. Thanks to SayUncle for pointing that out! When people usually think of eminent domain they expect it to be for something good, or at least, communal. Like a firehouse.] Sometimes the property owner gets paid, I’m not sure if that’s national or a state law.

Lately, however, governments have been trying to take private land and give it to big shady developers in order to achieve higher tax revenues! They arguing it’s for the best public ECONOMIC good.

Now, let’s not think too hard about
1. the fact that this is a neighborhood destroying strategy or
2. that developers are rarely the best thing for a neighborhood or even
3. that developers and big box chains don’t honestly put THAT much money into an area.

No. Because all of these flaws are not as terrible to me as the fact that municipalities are bending over backwards to attract developers and their perceived future tax revenues and this is a very shady and illegal seizure of land that allows them to offer developers the best deal in order to edge neighboring communities out of the competition! it’s shameful and short-sighted, and I’m so worried that the supreme court won’t throw this out.

This is happening all over the country — the case before the Supreme Court is a CT case, but it’s going on in Utah (Walmart), for example. People argue that they have to prevent neighborhoods from becoming blighted, but I do think there are better ways than knocking them down!

there’s a good round-up of other cases and opinions at SayUncle.

and you can keep track of the case here also.

This is great news: according to federal law, they are rolling out free annual credit reports for everyone!

Of course, me and most-of-mine are currently in zone 4 and won’t be eligible until September 1, 2005. But when we can get them… that will be fantastic! also fantastic? residents of NJ get free reports! This move is looking better and better.

This is a couple of v. busy weekends for me!

Last weekend Michelle and I (and Johanna) drove to NYC. There were as many good reasons as there were people in the car: a CD release party, a “Valentine’s Day” dinner, and a non-Valentine’s day party (Johanna’s brother celebrates the best holiday [thanksgiving] on the worst holiday [valentine’s day]). So the three of us set out at 6:30ish and after a fortuitous oil check and an even more fortuitous refilling of oil, we got to NYC around 12:30. Not bad. It was a long drive, but then, isn’t it always?

The weekend was fantastico, I had a nice time on Sat. with the Mister helping a friend move, and then taking a nap, and then having dinner (asparagus risotto! yum!). And then a nice and late night time at the CD release party and with good friends and partners in crime (i.e., Gabulo! the Tree of Birns!) and we when I say a late night time I mean SO LATE and SO FUN but too many gin and tonics, resulting in 1. missed train and 1. slightly uncomfortable drive home the next day. Even though we stopped at Cracker Barrel.

This weekend I am going to start tomorrow: I have an interview in Northern NJ tomorrow afternoon, so I leave bright and early in the morning. And I want to have dinner with my girlfriends that evening, and see The Gates on Friday. And then there is a costume party on Friday Night at the Mister’s, and then on Saturday I’ll be leaving early to drive up to the Catskills for the Old Skool East Coast Glitter Retreat Part 2! It’s going to be fantastically wonderful. I’m bringing my sock, a lace scarf, and my unfinished skirt. I’m driving home on Monday and will go straight to a book club meeting. Excellent.

I was on the bus this morning standing next to two young men talking about binge drinking.

I didn’t really catch on for a while, but you know, I’m still new yorker enough to eavesdrop shamelessly, and once I heard the one with big hair and a small face say “yeah, when I get there I’ll just do five shots straight and then join the party. with a beer number 1 chaser, and then a beer number 2 chaser, and then a beer number 3 chaser, and then a beer number 4 chaser.” I had no idea that people planned binge drinking so carefully! True, I used to go to parties with tequila (carefully decanted into a rubbermaid drink container), lime, a salt shaker, and 2 shot glasses (it all fit so nicely in Gabulo’s purse), but that was less of a planned binge than a “I don’t like beer, and also for some reason people think it’s incredibly shocking and fun but in a totally respectful way that I do tequila shots” kind of thing. “I showed up and had five shots of jaegermeister. Is that 70 or 80 proof? anyway…”

So I’m standing there in the bus aisle, hanging on to a strap, and I thought “these whippersnappers!” and THEN I thought “heck, I am an old lady!” and then I thought “that’s fine. at least I don’t have to worry about adolescent alcoholism anymore. I’m so glad I’m not 19.”

And then I missed my bus stop because I was too busy eavesdropping and the bus driver didn’t open the back door. He said the back door only opens downtown. I should think not! Or maybe those are his personal bus rules.

Whippersnappers!

I am still on campus while I wrap things up with the ol’ thesis, and also, while I take advantage of fast non-dialup internets to find a job. This morning I was walking down to my building and saw a man come running out of a door and dash down the path. He was a tall and skinny man, I guess lanky is the best way to put it, and he looked as if he were late to a meeting, loping across the green square with his zippered folder under his arm. The thick fog in the background this morning makes everything seem much closer than it really is, and I was happy to see the running man.