BGE means Behemoth Giving Enema (to all Maryland residents)….

The Maryland General Assembly Passes Electric Rate Legislation

On July 1, BGE's residential electric rates will be updated to reflect the market price for electricity, and as a result, your electric bill will increase significantly. To help customers manage the rising cost of electricity, the Maryland Legislature passed a law. BGE is providing this information to help you understand how this law impacts your electric bill. The current law replaces all previous electric rate stabilization plans.

This law is not optional and all customers, per legislative directive, are participants. Whether you opted-in, opted-out or were still making up your mind, NO ACTION is required.

Watch your mail for more information.

(from BGE’s website, www.bge.com)

I actually had to read this twice to make sure I was seeing straight…and then I had to read it again. There’s no opting out of the legislation recently passed by the Maryland General Assembly. This legislation limits what would have been a 72% increase to our electric bill to a 15% increase. OK, that’s kind of better, but we will be paying a two dollar monthly fee to support this benevolence FOR THE NEXT TEN YEARS! At the end of the first eleven months, the electric rate would then go up to the original 72%, unless the customer decides on another deferral plan….which may result in additional fees. As I understand it, even if you opt for the increase to the full 72% in eleven months, YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY THE FEE OVER THE NEXT NINE YEARS. This monthly fee will also be assessed on new customers to BGE, regardless of how long they have lived at an address. So folks, we’re pretty much screwed and Constellation, BGE’s parent company, is laughing all the way to the bank.

And who do we have to thank for this additional pull on our already strained pockets? Our elected officials of course! Instead of locking BGE customers into a decade-long nickel-and-dime cycle, maybe the General Assembly should have focused on other alternatives. For example, the state of Maryland currently gives grants to families for the installation of whole-house solar energy systems, as well as solar water heaters. You also have the option of remaining connected to the grid and making any excess power available on a buy back basis to utility companies. This is money that goes directly into homeowners’ pockets. Sounds like a real step forward, right? The problem is, these grants only cover 1/10th of the cost of the installation, which can range from $7,000 to over $20,000. Kind of negates all the good of the program, right? I mean, look at the advantages: less dependence on fossil fuels, less pollution to the environment...I could go on for days. Do I have to ask how does this NOT make sense?

Another option they should have examined: a state tax credit for hybrid vehicles. Currently, the IRS gives you a tax credit if you purchase a hybrid vehicle during any given tax year. Say you purchase that trippy little Toyota Prius in June or a Ford Escape Hybrid in November. Come next April 15, you can collect up to $2,800 in tax credits from the IRS. OK, let me rephrase that. THE IRS IS GIVING YOU MONEY FOR BUYING A CAR. The drawback is you only get the tax credit for you year of purchase. Other than being the envy of all who sit in traffic with you for years to come, you get zero, zilch, nada…except that your wallet is a little bit fuller because you have fewer trips to the pump. Maryland could do one better than the IRS and elect to give residents a tax credit for each year they own the vehicle, with a maximum each year of $500. Another radical idea, maybe Maryland should also give breaks to those who indulge in the sins of public transportation. If you ride the bus, you get a credit on your mortgage or renter’s insurance up to $50 per month.

By passing this really bad legislation, the General Assembly was trying to do too much. By tacking on to the bill the double-whammy of firing the PSC and the limitations on the future Constellation/FPL merger, it was trying to repair a hot-topic problem during an election year; always a bad time to institute radical changes. Since this is an election year, I think it’s time for broader minds to prevail. We are smack-dab in the middle of an energy crisis, people, even though you don’t hear it every day on CNN.

Maybe these thoughts will guide your voting on Election Day. Make your candidates square off on the issue that really matters to you: the rising price of fuel in all its forms.

Welcome to Baltimore! Get in on Gridlock!

Note to the Baltimore Area Convention and Visitor’s Association: for conventions with over 20,000 attendees, please give area residents a little more warning!

With 50,000 to 80,000 convention attendees patronizing city businesses and restaurants, as well as tying up roads with foot and vehicle traffic, wouldn’t it make sense to let your area residents know with something more than an “Oh, by the way…”? Of course it does. I remember hearing something out of the corner of my ear on the news Sunday night that amounted to "We've got these folks from out-of-town coming in. Can you leave the light on for them?" Shouldn’t the descent of a massive group of people warrant the same coverage as severe weather or breaking news? It has already turned so many lives upside down that it could probably be held in the same category as a hurricane or hostage situation.

During the Tuesday morning commute, the usual challenges of merging and yielding the right of way were evident, but add the additional activities of cursing, riding the shoulder and hard braking made an already rough morning that much worse. Toss into the mix that Russell Street construction is still ongoing and, well…..you do the math.

I could tell from the commuter traffic this morning that people were more prepared for the delays. There was still the gridlock and backups, but you could see people being more flexible, really pulling on their yoga and meditation skills trying to stay calm, keeping at least one car length between them and the car in front of them, trying not to ride the breaks, etc. Of course there are always a few idiots who drive like the normal assholes that they are, hoping against hope that everyone in their way will just disappear. Shame on them and on BACVA: no one got the memo on this one.

I’m glad I had already planned to take Friday off….only one more day of the messy morning commute!

For a full article on the convention and its effects, see http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.baptist21jun21,0,2611148.story?coll=bal-home-headlines.

Travelogue...

I found these ticket stubs while cleaning out my office today. We've been to Egypt twice, once in November 2001 and the second in October 2003. The first time we went, everyone told us we were crazy to go to a Middle Eastern country so soon after September 11th, but we had been planning the trip for months and weren't going to cancel. We left the US on Thanksgiving Day and returned nine days later. It is the only time we've had an airport to ourselves. I think the combination of the holiday and the events in September made it more like a ghost town than an urban transportation hub. It was nice!

The entire time we were traveling in Egypt in 2001, we had no problems or difficulties with the locals. They were courteously interested and did not talk with us about September 11th at all. We visted lot of locations in Cairo, then flew to Luxor and stayed for a couple of days. Save for a few incidents where persistent merchants attempted to separate us from our money, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

The second time we went in 2003 we only stayed for two days in Cairo, then flew to Aswan to take a cruise down the Nile. I say "down the Nile" because according to the flow of the river it's true. The Nile flows from Central Africa to the Mediterranean, from south to north. If you were to sail from Luxor to Abu Simbel and the Sudan border, you would be sailing up the Nile. Anyway, the cruise was really cool even though our room was right under the bar. We were the only Americans on the boat which was a surprise.

Traveling internationally has definitely changed the way I look at my own little corner of the world. It's given me more of a sense of place and of home and family. I travel not only to get away from my life "as-is", but also to have experiences that are different from my own so far. I love seeing new things, trying new foods, meeting new people. Everyone should step outside their comfort zone at least once in their life and do something completely out of the ordinary.

What to do, what to do....

So here I am, out here alone in blogspace. How can I be alone when I'm one of hundreds of thousands? It's easy: my class is over and no one else is posting. If they are, they haven't updated their blogs in a long time. They were pretty quick to shake the dust of PBDS 601 from their feet and post their final blogs, some doing it even before the class ended. I wanted to take a little longer, to suss out some things.

To me, blogging was never about the grade, it was making a connection with people that I may not have already known. Isn't that the reason that people blog in the first place? We all have something to say, we just need a forum in which to say it.

During our final class, I bemoaned the fact that I could never figure out what to do with my blog. I didn't feel comfortable really ranting about class, work, or personal life. In my mind, I just don't have that much to complain about. I have opinions about politics, religion and the state of the union, but I don't feel a need to put them out there for public view. I also don't feel the need to turn someone's head with my opinion. I know there's people who agree and also disagree. Enough said.

But is it really enough? What if my opinion serves as the foundation of a movement, maybe of a new way of thinking? What if it changes the mind of one person? What if it opens some eyes and breaks some hearts? The power to disagree with an opinion is a valuable one. The power to listen, even larger. Maybe blogspace needs another cyberranter or pixel-peacemaker to keep the conversation going, to keep the messages spreading, to keep the energy going. The way we communicate, with all its vitriol and verve, is what makes us who we are.

Am I up to the challenge of making my blog something more? My summer will probably be spent trying to decide, since I've opted to take the summer off from school. Originally I had signed up for another class, but I think I need to get in touch with my inner equilibrium again. I'll also be starting a new job.....as a full-time writer. Have to take the time to adjust to getting paid for doing what I love. What a concept!

So feel free to continue on the ride......or not.

From my garden....

Show and Tell - Favorite Blog

My favorite blog has to be my references from "The Vulgar Tongue: Buckish Slang and Pickpocket Eloquence."

A few more treasures from the letter "C" -

Caterwauling - going out in the night in seach of intrigues, like a cat in the gutters.

Charactered - Burnt in the hand. They have palmed the character upon him; they have burned him in the hand.

Chatterbox - one whose tongue runs twelve score to the dozen, a chattering man or woman

Cheese Toaster - a sword

Chosen Pells - Highwaymen who rob in pairs, in the streets and squares of London.

Crab Shells - shoes

I think I need another dictionary to get through some of these!

Tripping the Blog Fantastic

Just looking back through my blog and enjoying some of the images and thoughts that I put into cyberspace.

I sustained a computer-related injury while finishing my iMovie on Saturday. I worked for a straight five hours on the thing, and I think my mouse was positioned too far away from me. I was supporting most of my weight on my right arm and I strained my neck and shoulder muscles badly. Don't ask me to draw a diagram of how I did this -- I don't have a clue. The whole right side of my face and neck is now extremely sore and I can't move very well. Owie.

I'm feeling quite "tapped out" this week. I've hit the wall and it's hitting me back, repeatedly, with steel knuckles.

On the good side, my garden is finally starting to bloom. My peonies are growing big and bushy and my roses have begun peeping out from their tender buds. Now that the sun is coming out again, I'll get some shots and post some pics. Hmmmm...maybe I'll add them to my iMovie!

Definition...

This was my original definition project...before I switched it to "smile" and then to "mischief." My chosen word was "vendetta."

The bell on the door rang into the dining room of the trattoria, startling the afternoon patrons out of the haze of humidity and Turkish cigarettes. Frank Sinatra played on the jukebox, singing his heart out about feeling a part of it. The maitre’d took me in, from my styled coif to my stylish stilettos and led me back to a small table near the kitchen. “Espresso, grazie,” I whispered, lighting a cigarette of my own.

“It’s too warm for espresso, sigñora,” a voice rumbled in my ear. A tower of a man squeezed himself into the chair across from me, all right angles in Italian silk. His back was to the kitchen so I couldn’t see his face, only the outlines of his Hebridean jaw and the gleam of lustrous black hair. “Might I suggest a limoncello?”

“Prego, señor,” I answered, tapping ashes into the crystal center of the red tablecloth. Muscles rippled across his jaw in what I assumed to be a smile. “So how is this business handled?”

“Vendetta?”

The room paused; even the smoke stopped swirling around the ineffective ceiling fans. He placed both hands against the table as if to back away, but I leaned on my elbows and took a long pull at my cigarette, engaging his full attention with my low-cut blouse.

“It is a very serious matter,” he sighed. “We need to make sure that you are not entering into this lightly.” He pulled an envelope from his crisp jacket pocket, laying the contents on the table. A pocket watch, a gold locket, a ruby ring. I dashed quick tears from my eyes as my crossed leg hopped slightly under the table, betraying nerves.

“You must strike the blow yourself. What was taken from you cannot be restored, but it can be corrected. An eye for an eye, as the Persians say. You understand, yes?” he murmured. Not even the napkins on the table could hear him. But I could. My heart could. Our limoncellos steamed in the hot damp of the trattoria. “The Family cannot do this for you.” He waved his hands dismissively. “In America, of course it is different. Contract killers and drive-by shootings. But here, in the Old Country, the blood debt is for you to collect.” I sat and absorbed his words, letting the tears dry on my cheeks.

“Have it your way.” The shots were more like popping noises. The patrons did not stir. My companion slumped gently to the table. “Vendetta is best served over ice, don’t you agree?” I swept my family’s property into the envelope and slipped it into my handbag, along with the silencer. I threw some lira to the table and emerged into the cleansing afternoon sunlight that only the Amalfi Coast could provide. One down, seven to go, and not a spot on my white linen suit.

It was a good day.

Cool CR-V!

I really like this ad, and it's not just because I'm a CR-V owner!

Show and Tell - Process

For my process Show and Tell, I've chosen one of many tutorials listed in a really useful magazine called iCreate: The creative magazine for Mac Users. I bought it in the Bristol Airport in England (also where it happens to be published) and it's well worth the $15.50 that I paid for it! It comes with a CD-ROM as well, with lots of free add ins such as a quickie tutorial for Dreamweaver 8 and 50 free Adobe Photoshop brushes. This is from Issue 24, which includes tutorials on OS X, iMovie, iPhoto, Garage Band and many others!

A Story of California

by Gynene Sullivan

Everything about California was warm, from his chocolate brown eyes, to his golden fur. He smelled of heat, sand, hot leather and sandalwood. He knew I was a first timer. He could tell by the way I climbed gingerly aboard his saddle. Before he stood up, I swear he turned around and winked at me, letting me know I was in good hands for my ride to the Pyramids.

There were many tourists out that day being guided by Egyptian boys along the route to the Pyramids, much more than I though would be out that day. Groups of two and three were riding to the Pyramids on camel and on horseback. We opted for the camels after we heard the "Yee-Hah!" exclamations of other Western tourists on horseback. We sat astride the camel, while the locals sat bedouin-style, with one leg hooked around the saddle horn. The locals looked infinitely more at ease, and would frequently race each other across the open expanse. When I tried to adjust, however, I almost fell off! There is an art to riding comfortably, one that takes weeks or months or years to master.

There is something lyric about seeing a camel in full rollicking gallop. Standing still, he is a gangly tangle of legs with a blocky body and a whip of a tail. At a walking pace, he is jerking along with a rocking and rolling motion that would make Elvis feel comfortable. The camel canter compresses enough force on the rider's back to send him to the chiropractor for weeks. But the gallop is a symphony of motion with the front legs kicking and the back legs pushing, again and again. The rocking motion takes on a rolling, hopping quality. When the camel finally reaches its ground-eating speed of 8-9 miles per hour, all you can do is lean forward, wrap a scarf around your face to keep the sand out of your teeth and hang on. It is a true exercise in letting go all control. Once you get used to the motion, slowing and finally stopping is very disappointing.

I was very sorry to climb down from California - he had been a good ambassador to my first camel experience. My husband, however, did not share my enchantment. He is a strict, two-feet-on-the-ground kind of guy. But he also happens to be very indulgent. I have to start working him to indulge me with camels again....this time in Morocco.

Show and Tell - Classification

From the April issue of Real Simple magazine: