University Circle Update

Some of you have asked why I stopped posting Euclid Avenue updates. One suggested I was captured by the RTA Police and silenced.

No bus jail can hold me! ;-)

Basically, I have seen 1 or 2 or maybe even 4 on a good day, workers on the important stretch between Chester and Mayfield.

But not much progress. On this beautiful sunny day today, there was 1 guy puttering around this morning. Meanwhile the few lanes were all blocked and an emergency vehicle had to do some crazy maneuvering to get to the hospital.

The other day we spent over 20 minutes going from Chester to Mayfield on Euclid and if an ambulance, police or fire vehicle had needed to get through, they couldn't have. No way.

It's just poor planning and slow progress and someone should be held accountable for this.

I was planning on attending One World Day at the Cultural Gardens on Sunday before the Browns beat the Rave-Hens, but with the construction and now East Blvd torn up too, I may blow it off.

I didn't attend the Midtown Anniversary last night where they offered free preview rides on the RTA Silver Line but I am sure there was plenty of self-congratulations and mutual back-patting going on.

I still have that fear that some emergency vehicle is going to be delayed enough on that 1 mile stretch of Euclid to cause unnecessary suffering or worse. It's inevitable the way the streets are clogged.

Ahoy Matey!

It's that time of year again. It's Annual Talk like a Pirate Day.

The creators of the day have added a new celebration for tomorrow: Walk like a Pirate Day

Before we make anyone walk the plank, there was some roadwork activity on Euclid Ave yesterday. I didn't see anyone there this morning (sigh) but at least they've dusted off some of the equipment.

Is it that the crew is spread so thin or poor planning or what? If no activity on this beautiful sunny day, maybe a keel haul would be in order for the project planners after all

University Circle Update

This morning was a perfect example of the mess on Euclid between Chester and Mayfield.

Besides the usual ugly, torn up streets that students and pedestrians must traverse.

Since they are down to 4 narrow lanes (2 each way), if something goes wrong, it's a major problem. This morning a delivery truck was blocking one of the lanes going West - so 1 lane was open westbound.

Then the sirens started and 2 fire trucks and a rescue squad started coming up Chester. The westbound lane had nowhere to go and the 2 eastbound lanes were packed so everyone had to do some fancy and dangerous maneuvering.

The whole time, I spotted 1 worker sitting in a vehicle.

I hope nobody is injured or killed while waiting for an ambulance or other emergency support while the road sits torn up and practically untouched.

And for what? As Feagler (I think it was him) pointed out, Do you really think the Severance Hall crowd is going to suddenly abandon their cars and decide to hop a bus down to East 4th? The same people who ride the bus now will ride the bus then.

Most people will not abandon their cars because there is a shiny new bus line going up Euclid.

Now if we hadn't sold (for a song) our street cars to Toronto, that would have been a cool, workable option. Don't get me started on that fiasco.

Life in Cleveland is Cyclical

That's the first line in an article called Cleveland Chooses Revival in LastMile Magazine.

It was a surprise to get the mail this morning and see the cover of the July/August 2007 issue. It features former Tech Czar Mike DeAloia standing in front of the Free Stamp holding an award.

Of course, DeAloia has moved on from the Tech Czar post.

The article won't bring anything new to Clevelanders but it gives an insightful look into the process of our municipal broadband initiative. The best part is a callout box that explains "Just what the heck is Michale DeAloia standing in front of on the cover of this issue of Last Mile."

The Free Stamp itself (love, hate, love, etc.) is a good example of the cyclical life in Cleveland.

*******

Euclid Ave Update. 2 workers (1 was sweeping) were spotted between Chester and Mayfield this AM.

Free printer ink - today only

Walgreen's has a special today

Details here.


And I am happy to say that there was significant activity (maybe a dozen guys) working (well, mostly observing) on Euclid Ave. between Chester and Mayfield this morning.

ALL CAPS is like shouting - Duh!

I just finished a very disappointing book.

Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home

With e-mail being such a killer app, I thought a NY Times editor and an e-i-c of Hyperion Books might offer some useful tips.

Instead they share such nuggets as explaining the CC and BCC fields and warning not to use all caps. How lame.

Read the review here.

Euclid Ave Update: There was some activity this AM as 4 or 5 workers again stood around a hole in the street and peered in. No shovels lifted or repairs attempted but their studious gaze was the most activity witnessed in many months.

Ups and Downs

Up: Fun pre-game activities at the Brown's Opener.

Down: Do I have to tell you? The game was an embarassment.

Up: Huge flag that covered the entire field was unveiled before the game.

Down: Uh, did I mention the game?

Up: Great halftime tribute to newly inducted Hall of Famer Gene Hickerson. See pics here.

Down: #66 should have been inducted many years ago and maybe he would have been able to appreciate it more.

Up: Fun people with me at the game (Gary Baney and Heidi Hooper from Boundless Flight and Lev Gonick from Case)



Down: Did I mention the game?

Up:The Tribe came through on National TV agaisnt the Angels

Down: OK, no more mention of the game.

Up: There were about 4 guys looking at a huge hole on Euclid this morning about halfway between Mayfield and Chester. WooHoo!

Down: Summer sand volleyball is over

Up: Indoor volleyball starts tonight

And no more talking about the game.

It's on the tip of my tongue

I admire people with a rich vocabulary. Especially those who use it effortlessly as opposed to those who try to impress.

I've always said that an old high school chum (who later went to law school at the University of Chicago and is now with a DC firm) had the best vocabulary I ever came across. He lived off 146th in Cleveland and read every book in their relatively small library branch when he was growing up. He started at the top of one shelf, borrowed as many as they would allow, read them and repeated the process.

Last night I heard Dr. Luis Proenza, President of the University of Akron, speak at a Neosa event at Lockkeepers. I expected him to have a well-prepared presentation. But what impressed me most was his excellent word choice in the extemporaneous Q&A session.

What a great example for his students and the community.

***
Euclid Ave. update - my excitement yesterday may have been premature. There was zero, zip, nada activity again today. Drat.

Could it be?

I think I saw a guy in an earth-moving truck on Euclid near Mayfield today.

He wasn't digging or working with the truck but just having someone in the area is a major accomplishment after the last many months of zero activity.

Hopefully I'll have something good to report soon

What got you here...

As I was finishing up this book - What Got You Here Won't Get You There
How Successful People Become Even More Successful - I realized how many of the 20 bad habits and practices covered in the book were on display in the ongoing Euclid Avenue repairs.

I thought the book would be fluff - and some of it is - but it has some good ideas and you will see yourself and people you know in some of the examples.

Read my full review.

Today is the day after Labor Day and students are back in school and workers are back at work. Except, once again, there is no activity on Euclid Ave. construction between Mayfield and Chester (and as far as the eye can see in both directions). But the street remains torn up and lanes are closed.

Maybe I should buy them a copy of this book.

On a clear day...

On a clear day, maybe you can see forever but again I could not see any activity on the roads.

I made a point of looking far east from Mayfield and Euclid and again as far West as I could down Euclid before turning down Chester and not a sole was in site doing roadwork.

Perfect weather again and one of the city's most popular spots is all chewed up for the big Labor Day weekend without even an indication of progress being made.

Thanks for the many responses from other frustrated Clevelanders.

Cleveland +

It was particularly frustrating being trapped on torn up Euclid Ave. yesterday afternoon. It took about 20 minutes to go less than 1 mile between Chester and Mayfield on Euclid.

As usual there was no sign of any workers - just the torn up streets and closed lanes. So all the University Hospital emergency vehicles and the CASE traffic and the buses and regular commuters sat and steamed.

But the good news (sarcasm intended) is that we were able to glance up and look at the brand spanking new Cleveland+ banner hanging from a building.

I'm sure others were as proud and inspired as I was.

This morning? Not a worker in sight - as usual.

Could it be?

I was cautiously optimistic when I turned onto Euclid this morning. I spied a truck parked in the construction area.

As I got closer I saw that it was parked – probably doing some work at Case or UH.

No activity on the road except for lots of students traversing the torn up avenue. What a shame. Another beautiful day.

University Circle Construction - continued

Not a worker in site Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. Beautiful weather.

It just doesn't make sense that the streets were torn up months ago and there has been very little work done. If they couldn't schedule workers to repair the road they shouldn't have torn it up months in advance.

University Circle Countdown - Continued

Thursday afternoon (8/23) was a nice sunny day, and not a soul was working or in site.

Friday 8/24/07 I took different routes but Saturday the 25th there was nobody there.

Monday 8/27 - beautiful weather again and not a worker to be seen from Mayfield to Chester.

When I travel to my Thursday night volleyball games in Mentor or Sunday afternoon vball at the beach at Headlands, I always see people working on Route 2. Even late at night they have bright lights and work on the road. I don't know why such an important part of the city of Cleveland remains untouched.

University Circle Countdown

As someone who regularly travels on Euclid (twice daily through University Circle and frequently from 4th Street up through Playhouse Square and beyond), I have almost become immune to the deplorable conditions while construction is supposedly going on.

I say "supposedly" because it is rare that I witness any activity.

I was so bummed when the world's spotlight was on us for the Cavs-Spurs series and our major avenue looked like a war zone.

If I have someone in the car while I am commuting from Mayfield to Chester on Euclid every day we always comment about the lack of progress. There is usually not a worker to be seen. Occasionally there will be a pickup truck with someone on the phone inside the vehicle but not much more.

So today I am starting a public posting. I don't expect it to shame anyone into activity but it will make me feel better (grin)

Thursday 8/23/07 9:15 AM. There were Zero, 0, nada, nil, zilch workers on the stretch between Mayfield and Chester on Euclid. No activity at all.

Hogan the TV Star

My black lab Hogan, who blogs here, is going to be on the Golden Opportunities TV show Sunday August 12th at 11:30 AM on Channel 3.

He will be with my sister Debbie who will be discussing, with host Armond Budish, how pets can be a great addition to a seniors life.

Made To Stick

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die is a marketing book for the Internet age.

The book itself is an onomatopoeic marketing test case with its Cleveland Browns-orange cover with a piece of duct tape seemingly stuck to it. The cover was meant to grab your eye and be remembered - made to stick.

The author brothers admit that they got the idea of stickiness from the 2000 Malcolm Gladwell book called The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. The Tipping Point looked at what forces caused something to grow from small groups to huge populations. What we would now call, going viral.

Read my complete review.

Listen Up

I have been a longtime fan of audio books and now podcasts. Anything that lets me get the information without having to dedicate my eyeballs and single task is great for an A type like moi.

I just finished a great bio of Ulysses S Grant on audio and posted it (along with other book reviews) on the Great Lakes Geek site.



Now I am listening to Made to Stick.

What are you reading/listening to?

Cleveland Women networking

The experts from our Great Lakes Chic section hosted a networking event last Monday night at a trendy spot on the Superior Viaduct.

The next one will be open to all my blog readers(that means you).

In the meantime, check out some pics from the event.