Open threads get unpinned from the the first position when they reach 100 comments (or thereabouts). Also, I have set wordpress to reset at 50 comments so a thread doesn’t get too unwieldy.
The stock market has been fun today. I took some time to buy a few more winners and to shed some more of a loser. September is often the cruelest month and I don’t just mean in 2008. Historically, September usually stinks. Perhaps it is because all the fat cats come back in from the Hamptons and decide to clean house. Or maybe the end of the govt’s fiscal year is in sight. At any rate, not many of us have found our fortunes in September.
Does anyone have anything wise and profound to say about the market(s)?
Dedicated to all those southern writers:
Faulkner is one of my favorites, but don’t even TRY to understand “The Sound and the Fury” on audiobook. You have to read it on paper to be able to flip back and forth to sort through time, place and character.
Thanks for that warning. I have never tried to read it. I just stuck to looking at him in riding gear.
Off to spend some money in the city. Shrimp and tequila time.
MH: I know you weren’t abusing me and I do admit to a somewhat parochial, protective view of my city…:)
“The Sound and the Fury” just requires that you let go and get into it. If you can read Joyce, you can read Faulkner.
Re Lawrence: he’s another great one – named a cat after one of his characters.
Which character, Censored? [evil grin]
Gudrun
I would have guessed Constance.
Hee hee – back to naughty ladies with “Lady Chatterley’s Lovers”. Never read the whole book – just a few juicy parts when I was a teenager.
@Censored bybvbl When I first tried to listen to it, I didn’t realize that tense, time, character and setting would change even mid-sentence, so I had to give up and read the paper version. It’s a tough read, but such an incredible experience when you realize what is going on.
Emma, you’re right – it’s best to read it. Sometimes you’re a few sentences into something before you realize which character said what or when it was said.
I almost did an art project on Benjy running along the fence yelling “Caddie”. Then I realized that it would zip right over most viewers’ heads.
Pat Conroy?
Fannie Flagg?
And Paul Hemphill – you knew him if you lived in Atlanta in the 1960’s and loved
great newspaper columns – one a day for a decade. Still think he also wrote
Piney Woods Pete pieces for the Atlanta Journal. “Bombingham”.
Good writers grow like kutzu in the South.
A friend of mine was in a writing class with James Dickey and tried to get him to rewrite a part of “Deliverance”. Luckily, he stuck to his guns.
Pat Conroy is another favorite of mine. My mother has his latest book which I will mooch as soon as she finishes it.
Andy, and you all do a good job of protecting your city, as you should. 🙂
@Andy,
We county folks living on the outskirts also think of ourselves as being from Manassas, especially those of us with a Manassas address.
Speaking of the South, Gone with the Wind is on at the moment. It is still a fabulous epic tale of the South. Street Car Named Desire is on at 2 am TCM-Turner Classic Movies.
On a similar note, GWTW’s Bonnie Blue Butler, 4 year old daughter of Rhett and Scarlett died at age 74. Her name was Cammie King Conlon.
Scarlett got the attention, but it was Melanie Wilkes who had the influence. As in:
“If Melanie Wilkes says that shop on Battle street is alright, then it’s alright.”:)
Lord Almighty, Melanie Wilkes would have been horrified by the Battle Street proposal, absolutely horrified, I tell you. Melanie would have picked up her Bible and walked right down the main street of Atlanta, straight to the Provost Marshal’s office to demand the return of decency and morality to the Confederacy!!!
Don’t look now but mega desperate Senate Majority Hypocrite Harry Reid has just added the ‘Dream Act’ amendment to the appropriations bill. This is the kind of stuff that is pissing off voters, this could backfire on him big time:
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/09/14/surprise-harry-reid-to-add-dream-act-amendment-to-defense-appropriations-bill/
Sweet Melanie Wilkes was the only one in Atlanta who would speak to brothel owner Belle Watling on the street — and the only who would accept Belle’s money for The Cause.
Wrong Melanie Wilkes, Wolverine. Melanie Wilkes of GWTW was the only ‘decent’ woman in Atlanta who was decent to Belle Watkins.
M-H, having a Manassas mailing address doesn’t mean an individual
is a citizen of the City of Manassas. (despite what some wannabes
on this blog think). Have read how folks far outside Great Falls, Va.
and Potomac, Md. fave fought to keep that mailing address/zipcode
for prestige. Same thing here.
The American Bus Association has named the Sesquincentennial the top US event for 2011. In addition it has named PWC and Manassas as the number one tour destination in 2011.
This kind of publicity is exactly why the county did NOT need to fork over $250K to a new non-profit with no solid plan of what the money would be used for.
http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2010/sep/14/civil-war-sesquicentennial-named-top-us-event-ar-505935/
@Big Dog
Puleez, Big Dog! We know that having a Manassas address doesn’t make you a CoM. Who said they wish they were a city resident? I sure don’t recall Moon, RedDawn or myself saying that. I’m glad to live in a jurisdiction that’s NOT constantly get sued and wasting tax dollars on defending itself.
I was conceived and born in the City of Manassas. Don’t I get birth right citizenship? 😉
@Lafayette
Maybe – maybe not – we will see. There is no question that the ABA’s determination is historic in its own right. In the past the ABA has simply listed its top 100 destinations. And lets also be clear, the ABA did not make this historic determination on the basis of a few local craft shows and living histories on the Museum or Court House grounds. Its gonna take some real effort to get City and County staff to work through their empires and petty jealousies to make this work and some very good folks within and outside of the system are trying to do just that – and that may be historic in its own right to the benefit of us all. The ABA estimate of over 750 busess generating $12,000 in spend in the community per bus is not something to take lightly around here. Its a once in a generation opportunity to push the restart button and to re-focus our historical assets into the recurring economic engines they should be. My hope is that we are now embarking on a long-term community economic development strategy.
Big Dog, for someone who defends the City at every turn, it probably isn’t a good idea to make it as obvious as you do that those of us over the actual boundaries aren’t part of the club. I never claimed to be a citizen. I lived in ‘the magic circle’ back when Manassas was a town.
It is the sense of community that makes our area what it is, not who pays taxees to a locality. For that matter, if I might make a point, the City sure is willing to cash in on the sesquicentennial events next year. Last time I looked, the Battlefield wasn’t within the City limits.
If I am that unwelcome, I can always get a new hair stylist, find a new place for shrimp and tequila, hit a different coffee house, and go to Dale City to the farmers market on Sundays.
PWC Taxpayer #25
Agree 100%. I think the City and County staffs will work together –
many key folks at City Hall (Larry Hughes – City Manager for example)
are former county employees. Elected leadership? They all act a
little shifty sometimes, but trust they will focus on our area’s common
good with this opportunity.
One more thing, I had the Manassas address before Manassas even was a city. I have the crappy zip code, however, just in case I get too far above my raisings.
Having a City of Manassas address is considered a prestigious?!?! EL O EL!!!!!!
M-H, boundaries don’t mean everything, but they mean something.
During recent council public comments, numerous residents claimed they
were Manassas residents and would not vote for council members
that displeased them, but their addresses were in PWC. Did they
not know or just wanted to “shake their fist” with more force?
FYI — Council members know every cul-de-sac in the City and read
copies of the sign-up-sheets. Everyone is allowed to speak,
but they should be honest about the jurisdiction where they live
— clue, it is the one where you vote and pay taxes.
Also note,
– Greg L. (PWC resident) didn’t start “Help Save Westgate”.
– Fernandez (PWC resident) didn’t put up nasty signs at
9500 Dale Blvd. or march and or pester folks in County Center
near the McCoart building.
– Annabel and Eric (PWC?) didn’t name their film for a PWC location
even though that is where the great majority was filmed.
– John Wayne Bobbit (PWC resident and sliced in PWC)
came to Manassas City to be reattached.
PWC is a fine place and Manassas is deeply connected to it, but
the City of Manassas and Prince William County are separate
jurisdictions under the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Close, yes — the same, no. To note that isn’t an attack – it is a fact.
Do speakers at the Council meetings have to state their names and addresses? Maybe the county speakers who aren’t going to vote for them need to be called out if they say that. The county howlings people who attended the more recent council meetings didn’t speak because they weren’t city residents. I figure things that are tax issues…paid for with taxes, aren’t my business. Now, opening up Lake Manassas, that is a regional thing.
-Don’t blame me for Greg L. I promise you, I am not to blame. 🙄 Actually, he doesn’t live in Westgate either.
-I have never supported Fernandez and have spoken out openly.
-Annabel and Eric: actually you all could capture some benefit from that Liberty title. Advertize. Have movie parties. I am negotiating a place for a movie party right now. I hope my location in the City works out and I hope YOU will attend. The TVs were a little small.
(does anyone have a suggestion as to where?)
John Bobbitt-groan At least the Johnny Does Everyone film doesn’t say Manassas on it.
While the county and the city are different jurisdictions, most people don’t breath a sign of relief when they drive over the border. We share services, common community, jail, library, roads, resources and events. The more we stoke the sense of community, the stronger ours will be. Life doesn’t end when you get to the end of Plantation Lane.
I guess Red Dawn isn’t one of the wannabes? She sure doesn’t sound like it.
Big Dog, I’m one of those PWC residents with a Manassas mailing address. When out-of-town friends ask where I live or I have to fill out a form which asks for “city” and “state”, “Manassas” is going to be the answer. Manassas could benefit from the boost in income and educational levels that come from my zip code – though not from my particular subdivision. Manassas is the nearest shopping area so it gets more of my business than PWC. However, that could change based on politics. I take my money and support where it matches my political leanings and personal philosophy. Right-wing causes that become part of the City’s political agenda will guarantee that my money will go to PWC, Fairfax, or Alexandria. (I can be really nit-picky about those personal boycotts. After a shopping cart dented my car at the Wellington Giant, I refused to shop at Giant for a year and a half – until I felt they’d lost the equivalent in sales tax as my deductible on my car insurance.)
Great news about The American Bus Association naming Manassas as the number one tour destination in 2011.
I remember how folks in High Point, NC would rent out their houses for the one-week length of Furniture Market and make loads of money. Just wish I had a house that was in shape to welcome guests. I’d be glad to go to the mountains and write for a week, while they have some historical fun here.
To the list of those outside the Holy City who haul in controversy for
us to try and deal with should be added:
The owner’s of KK Tempatations who live in Centreville.
The owner of the abortion clinic who apparently lives in Maryland.
Plus alert Annabel and Eric that the annual Manassas Latino Festival will
be held at the Harris Pavilion in Old Town Manassas on Sunday Sept 19th
from 1pm to 6pm. Food, music and dances, children’s activities — it is
always a great event. Trust they will be as eager to show something
positive in Manassas as they were to show a trumped up negative.
Por favor.
Also, on Monday night the Manassas Council presented a Proclamation
Designating September 15 through October 15, 2010 as Hispanic
Heritage Month in the City of Manassas.
(A day earlier, Sat. Sept 18th, at the Pavilion will be the Old World Festival
also featuring great food, music and crafts. Our Greek Orthodox Church
in Manassas plays a major role in the event. AND, the same day, there
is a major antique car show in Manassas near the Manassas Museum.)
M-H, Except for road signs, it would often be difficult to know if
one was in Virginia, North Carolina or Maryland, but they are separate
states and doubt if any of the three would care to surrender their
independence to any other state or commonwealth.
Big Dog, that’s right – Manassas has a lot of good events going for it. Don’t blow it by chasing every controversy that the wing-nuts demand be addressed. The abortion clinic, the massage parlor, panties, immigration, etc. don’t need to be the focus of local government. Street maintenance, schools, occasional festivals to draw more money into the area, recreational facilities, etc. are things that average people benefit from. They are generally politically neutral. Though some people don’t want to contribute a damn dime to anything other than their own bank accounts and expect roads and schools to materialize from the air, most people know that there are valid issues that local government needs to address.
Was the clinic sold? If not, the owners live in the county. Don’t Elizabeth and Harmen still own it? The clinic is hardly something new. I believe they opened in 1989. It is a legal business offering legal service. Why even have a knee jerk reaction to it? Tell those whiners to take it up with the freaking Supreme Court. Seriously, that needs to be your answer to those people. The clinic is legal and offers legal services. If you don’t like it, don’t go there.
Same could be said of KK Temptations. Now, if they come and start throwing beer bottles all over the place and have customers harassing people walking down the street, then that’s another story. That clinic and KK temp are just as legal as Okras, City Tavern, Carmellos, or Captain D’s.
Otherwise, just build a moat around the holy city and don’t let anyone in. Maybe the sesquicentennial tourists can just stay in the county and not drop any of their money there either.
Lafayette says she is on her way…she is working now but the fur is going to fly when she lands.
Well, I just have to ask….how many of those good city people who oppose KK Temptations were out there being entertained by the can-can dancers who were lifting their skirts, showing their undies and garters and slinging thighs and legs hither, thither and yon all at the Harris Pavilion? It was all for a good cause and in my opinion, still in the bounds of good taste. This is 2010, after all.
The event was to raise money for Casa, one of the most popular charities in the City and the County. The proceeds from this function raise money to train volunteer court advocates for hundred of abused and neglected children yearly. From everyone I talked to, it was a phenomenal evening, full of fun, good times and friendship. There should be more functions of this nature in Old Town, not less.
But…does this demonstrate, to a degree, some hypocrisy on the part of family-friendly Old Town? The same type undergarments were dancing their way through Old Town but somehow, when in the window of a shop, become nasty. I am not sure I get it.
My comments in no way are meant to criticize the can-can dancers. More power to their youth and energy. Is it fair to entertain the city movers and shakers with a flash of undie and yet hold the fate of 2 business women in the hands of some of these same people?
@PWC Taxpayer
I knew when I found myself agreeing with you earlier that this link would not be the same. However, I will say I agree with maybe, maybe not about the PR for the event. Time will indeed tell. I still say with NO solid plan for what the taxpayer money the money could not be given to what ever the name of the new non-profit is named.
I’m all for economic/community development too. I just don’t think we agree on how we go about that. I could be wrong. We need more partnerships to make these sorts of this be the big deal some have such high hopes for. I hope they don’t get their duster dirty when they fall off their high horse.
The county needs a full service hotel to be a true viable contender for the rooms and service in this market. Just think of the money and jobs a full service hotel could bring to my native PWC.
For a PWCTaxpayer, you sure remind of CoM. He loves to take swipes at Moon, very similar to yours.
On the a side note.I for one would like to see the county partner with the CoM and GMU to have the public fishing on Lake Manassas once again.
Lafayette, when PWC can snag a conference center like Westfields Marriott, I’ll know we’ve arrived at the ball. Until then we’re still just a hick step-sister looking at a pumpkin. The City isn’t any better – imagine a tourist’s surprise after he/she books the local motel.
Censored, I managed the reservations, front desk and housekeeping departments in the 90’s for a major hotel chain. They were so glad they had me on hand to give accurate directions and local sites that weren’t the well known of in the county. I hated that they were spending their money in Fairfax County on rooms, food, etc. Now, if we’d gotten Disney we would have not one, but several full service hotels. Geesh. This is a huge market that has been sorely overlooked during the boom of the past decade.
Looking at that pumpkin but not even being allowed to get in.
Hold on to your hats, folks, I am going to say something nice about Corey.
Sit. Don’t stand.
Corey has the personality and charisma to go out and talk someone into putting a fancy hotel in this area. He needs to do that. He needs to leave immigration alone and work on putting PWC on the map. Instead of being buddies with the developers who are going to put in houses that clog the infrastructure, he needs to court those who can really make a significant mark on PWC.
Bask in the afterglow. This one is probably brief also.
I can hear the review now of the Downtowner. We spent our hard earned money on a room and never got to sleep for the bar crowd, and the comings and goings of the ladies of the nights and drug dealers. Nice, real nice.
@Censored bybvbl
Big Dawg,
Do do realize that the city sits smack dab in the middle of PWC don’t you? I hope your fellow citizens and the City Council don’t share your utter disdain for the county.
We can most certainly keep our money within our borders. I do actually. Capt D’s is about the only exception. I as a county citizen donated over 80 hours of my time to city neighborhood improvement circles, cooked dinner for 100+ volunteers and organized the volunteers from the week of hope through city neighborhood services. And all of this was done in conjunction with none other than the city’s very own Mrs. Cindy Brookshire.
Then there’s the newest store in old town fiasco. The bottom line is the city got caught with their pants down on the new store. I really am surprised this happened. Especially when one council member has been at the helm for two decades.
Hey, what about my birth right citizenship to the CoM? Even though it was the Town of the Manassas when my parents lived there and I was born there.
14th amendment covers you, Lafayette.
And not to belabor a point, but I see the Manassas Wine and ARt Festival will be Sept. 18. It sounds like a wonderful idea, especially with the improvements on Battle Street.
I have to ask though, is wine tasting something that will be child friendly? Are they allowed to taste also? Will they get carded? How will this work?
I am the first person to say that children don’t have to participate in everything grown ups can do. I think we need to remember that all of Old Town Manassas is not family friendly, starting with wine tasting. An adult boutique is not for children either. Let’s treat all merchants and activities fairly and using the same standards. As we don’t allow the children to taste the wine, we don’t let them into the boutique either. That covers it.
Melanie buttered up Belle and took her money because Melanie knew that Belle was one of the few people left in town with any money at all. Doesn’t mean that Melanie approved of Belle’s professional occupation. It was desperation time for The Cause.