(me: secular humanist)
Heidi's Journal
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07/06/2008 23:30 #44884
Belief-o-matic!Category: belief
Since (e:drew), (e:jim) & (e:janelle) are pondering such things as the particulars of Christian belief, I thought I'd throw out the Belief-o-matic!
(me: secular humanist)
(me: secular humanist)
07/03/2008 22:11 #44850
Transportation/housing affordabilityCategory: community
I like to geek about walkability, communities, poverty, transportation and such... Andrew Leonard's column/blog on Salon.com is a very good read. He passed along a site that allows you to check out the impact of gasoline prices on household budgets, with 2000 & 2008 color GIS maps, transportation and housing costs as percentage of household income...take some time & play with it. Use the advanced option, and the gas cost impacts link.
I'm familiar with the DC-Balto metro area, and lightly familiar with Buffalo, so I compared those - Buffalo is a -lot- smaller... My current location: Data not available.
You can zoom in to street/neighborhood level. You'll see that cost of transportation is much lower within the city, and very low in certain areas - ones that are highly walkable (Elmwood) and/or highly convenient to public transportation.
Walkability by neighborhood in Seattle
is a very good read. He passed along a site that allows you to check out the impact of gasoline prices on household budgets, with 2000 & 2008 color GIS maps, transportation and housing costs as percentage of household income...take some time & play with it. Use the advanced option, and the gas cost impacts link.I'm familiar with the DC-Balto metro area, and lightly familiar with Buffalo, so I compared those - Buffalo is a -lot- smaller... My current location: Data not available.
You can zoom in to street/neighborhood level. You'll see that cost of transportation is much lower within the city, and very low in certain areas - ones that are highly walkable (Elmwood) and/or highly convenient to public transportation.
Walkability by neighborhood in Seattle
paul - 07/04/08 01:55
I am glad I can walk to work.
I am glad I can walk to work.
06/27/2008 00:32 #44797
apartment!Category: moving
I found an apartment today! I totally didn't expect to find one so easily, but all the research I was able to do with the kind, gracious and thoughtful assistance of (e:peeps) really paid off. 8/15 I'll take possession of a very sunny third-floor one-bedroom apartment on Allen Street! I think it's the kind of apartment I can live (perch?) in for three years.
I also got to meet (e:drew)! *waves* Thanks so much for the warm welcome!
Now that I know where I"m moving, I feel like I can finally start packing and processing all my STUFF. I have a lot of stuff and most of it will be living in storage.
I also got to meet (e:drew)! *waves* Thanks so much for the warm welcome!
Now that I know where I"m moving, I feel like I can finally start packing and processing all my STUFF. I have a lot of stuff and most of it will be living in storage.
heidi - 06/27/08 12:07
(e:tinypliny) - Good essay! I do hope to get rid of a lot of stuff, but i have a LOT of books, like the author does... so books & bookshelves are a huge part of what I'm going to be storing! I have everything indexed at librarything.com so I'll be able to box things, number the boxes and -know- what's in each one. *geek!*
(e:metalpeter) - Good food & beverages are one of the things I miss most about city life compared to where I am now... Having a Falafel Bar within spitting distance is like a dream come true. I realize it can be raucous at night with all the bars along there, but I'm a very sound sleeper and I have earplugs...
Thanks all!
(e:tinypliny) - Good essay! I do hope to get rid of a lot of stuff, but i have a LOT of books, like the author does... so books & bookshelves are a huge part of what I'm going to be storing! I have everything indexed at librarything.com so I'll be able to box things, number the boxes and -know- what's in each one. *geek!*
(e:metalpeter) - Good food & beverages are one of the things I miss most about city life compared to where I am now... Having a Falafel Bar within spitting distance is like a dream come true. I realize it can be raucous at night with all the bars along there, but I'm a very sound sleeper and I have earplugs...
Thanks all!
metalpeter - 06/27/08 10:23
not that I have ever lived on that street but as you saw there are places to eat and drink near by and you are close to downtown, if you get hungry late at night or thirsty you are set. I wish you luck and hope you like the new hood.
not that I have ever lived on that street but as you saw there are places to eat and drink near by and you are close to downtown, if you get hungry late at night or thirsty you are set. I wish you luck and hope you like the new hood.
mrmike - 06/27/08 09:57
Congrats on the new digs
Congrats on the new digs
tinypliny - 06/27/08 00:46
Oh and you could take this golden opportunity to throw away everything but the barest minimum :)
:::link:::
Oh and you could take this golden opportunity to throw away everything but the barest minimum :)
:::link:::
tinypliny - 06/27/08 00:44
Sounds nice. :) Congratulations!
Just out of curiousity, how much do you pay each month and are utilities included? It this east of Elmwood or West?
Sounds nice. :) Congratulations!
Just out of curiousity, how much do you pay each month and are utilities included? It this east of Elmwood or West?
06/24/2008 18:40 #44772
transitions & changeI have a few minutes while waiting for computer scans to complete...
So much is going on. I'm selling my precious house. I'm ending a 2.5 year relationship. I'm easing out of people's lives, helping them figure out what to do when I'm not here to help fix their computers or untangle their QuickBooks messes, not to mention the roles of confidant, adviser, friend, emotional and logistical supporter.
I'm trying to commit to memory the details of -here-. (In the next few weeks, you'll all get some photographic treats, but I'm awaiting house closing to get a camera.)The mountain at my back, the river that speaks so softly of cleansing and renewal despite its pollution, the infinite collection of sunsets, full moons and rainbows. Not that I'm leaving for good - ha ha I tried that. This is my heart's home and this is where I'll always be based, but knowing that I'm leaving for three years makes each day, each starry night more of a gem to be treasured. And the connections to people. Yeah, there's email, there's the telephone, but its those casual, constant connections that make the relationships so real.
And it's not just easing out of here, it's also looking toward Buffalo and the new life I'll be building there. Where to live? How to find folks to connect with? ((e:strip) is an awesome starting point!!!) How to deal with 8am classes when I've never been successful at getting to work at 9? Food... diversity... sheer numbers of people... figuring out what my path is going to look like...
Nisha and her friend Bill at the office.
So much is going on. I'm selling my precious house. I'm ending a 2.5 year relationship. I'm easing out of people's lives, helping them figure out what to do when I'm not here to help fix their computers or untangle their QuickBooks messes, not to mention the roles of confidant, adviser, friend, emotional and logistical supporter.
I'm trying to commit to memory the details of -here-. (In the next few weeks, you'll all get some photographic treats, but I'm awaiting house closing to get a camera.)The mountain at my back, the river that speaks so softly of cleansing and renewal despite its pollution, the infinite collection of sunsets, full moons and rainbows. Not that I'm leaving for good - ha ha I tried that. This is my heart's home and this is where I'll always be based, but knowing that I'm leaving for three years makes each day, each starry night more of a gem to be treasured. And the connections to people. Yeah, there's email, there's the telephone, but its those casual, constant connections that make the relationships so real.
And it's not just easing out of here, it's also looking toward Buffalo and the new life I'll be building there. Where to live? How to find folks to connect with? ((e:strip) is an awesome starting point!!!) How to deal with 8am classes when I've never been successful at getting to work at 9? Food... diversity... sheer numbers of people... figuring out what my path is going to look like...
Nisha and her friend Bill at the office.
tinypliny - 06/25/08 20:51
Yeah, Moving is such a pain!! Hope yours goes smoothly and well!!
WELCOME TO BUFFALO! :)
Yeah, Moving is such a pain!! Hope yours goes smoothly and well!!
WELCOME TO BUFFALO! :)
fellyconnelly - 06/25/08 07:17
good luck for sure!
good luck for sure!
johnallen - 06/25/08 01:22
I sih you the best of luck. I hope you find that Buffalo is an awesome place full of an infinite number of things to do and places to go.
Moving is never fun, or are any changes for that matter. Matter of fact, they're usually scarey. I wish you the best.
I sih you the best of luck. I hope you find that Buffalo is an awesome place full of an infinite number of things to do and places to go.
Moving is never fun, or are any changes for that matter. Matter of fact, they're usually scarey. I wish you the best.
06/24/2008 16:19 #44769
Subway?Category: moving
So I just talked to a property management person and when I said I wanted to take public transportation to UB North, he said, "My guess is that you'll take it once or twice but you'll be so grossed out that you'll never take it again." Thoughts?
zobar - 06/25/08 08:17
The public transportation in Buffalo is no more or less gross than MTA or NJ Transit, but it is significantly less convenient. It is ok for regularly-scheduled or well-planned trips, but routes are sparse in the suburbs and schedules are infrequent off-peak and on weekends. UB North, eg, is served by one NFTA route: 44 Lockport :::link:::
- Z
The public transportation in Buffalo is no more or less gross than MTA or NJ Transit, but it is significantly less convenient. It is ok for regularly-scheduled or well-planned trips, but routes are sparse in the suburbs and schedules are infrequent off-peak and on weekends. UB North, eg, is served by one NFTA route: 44 Lockport :::link:::
- Z
leetee - 06/24/08 18:55
yeah, i'm with ya, Tiny...
to further that, i say that there does seem to be a snob factor and elitist attitude towards public transportation. not just here, but in a lot of places. other than giant cities like new york, chicago, paris, london... hell, even toronto.
gross? just hit toronto subways after a game with all the drunk jock guys pissing onto the tracks. or how about some seedy areas of london, where the blokes don't even bother to get off the train to piss. on a hot summer day, with at least 12 hours to go before maintence gets round to cleaning. now THAT'S gross!
yeah, i'm with ya, Tiny...
to further that, i say that there does seem to be a snob factor and elitist attitude towards public transportation. not just here, but in a lot of places. other than giant cities like new york, chicago, paris, london... hell, even toronto.
gross? just hit toronto subways after a game with all the drunk jock guys pissing onto the tracks. or how about some seedy areas of london, where the blokes don't even bother to get off the train to piss. on a hot summer day, with at least 12 hours to go before maintence gets round to cleaning. now THAT'S gross!
heidi - 06/24/08 17:02
OMG I'm dying, Tiny! You're too funny...
I'm totally with ya on the attitude! I'm most familiar with the super-clean, tourist-friendly DC metro & metrobusses but how bad could Buffalo NFTA be??
OMG I'm dying, Tiny! You're too funny...
I'm totally with ya on the attitude! I'm most familiar with the super-clean, tourist-friendly DC metro & metrobusses but how bad could Buffalo NFTA be??
tinypliny - 06/24/08 16:52
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!! COME ON!! (THIS IS IN CAPS, because I am frankly OUTRAGED!)
The tube is great. I am quoting myself verbatim from some other blog I posted on recently (because I am lazy and I should really not be stalking (e:strip) at this time, but I am. :P):
Going with a flawed preconception that Buffalo's public transport is bad is the underlying reason why cars have become a "necessity". Have you ever lived in a place where there is no metro? (Hint: Neighbouring Rochester, for instance?) Compared to such a place, Buffalo's public transport is a dream! There is a train every 12 minutes or less. If you are not too much of a snob to share sitting spaces with some of the less-privileged, travelling in the metro is one of the most convenient things to do. I know people have told me in the past that it is unsafe. But after a year of living here, I have no evidence to substantiate this ominous sounding warning. I am close to attributing all this paranoia of attacks to a lack of common sense. Any public transport, even in the world's safest cities becomes unsafe, if you dress up to the nines, attract a lot of attention to yourself by being peculiarly a model representative of the wealthy or the privileged. You are in *public transport*. Behave and act like public, not the elite. It does NOT require a lot of effort, just some sense of surroundings. That being said, I use the metro quite regularly and I have seen a lot of suited-booted people in there. It's not the warzone it is made out to be. Not even close. Again, my definition of a warzone comes from a somewhat crazy city where I lived for 2 straight years. Plus, the buses here actually connect to all the most important places and in fact, most places of interest. If you live out in the boondocks suburbs and then complain about the lack of buses and public transport, then, you have the definition of public transport quite wrong. The "public" does not usually live in far off inaccessible suburbs.
YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!! COME ON!! (THIS IS IN CAPS, because I am frankly OUTRAGED!)
The tube is great. I am quoting myself verbatim from some other blog I posted on recently (because I am lazy and I should really not be stalking (e:strip) at this time, but I am. :P):
Going with a flawed preconception that Buffalo's public transport is bad is the underlying reason why cars have become a "necessity". Have you ever lived in a place where there is no metro? (Hint: Neighbouring Rochester, for instance?) Compared to such a place, Buffalo's public transport is a dream! There is a train every 12 minutes or less. If you are not too much of a snob to share sitting spaces with some of the less-privileged, travelling in the metro is one of the most convenient things to do. I know people have told me in the past that it is unsafe. But after a year of living here, I have no evidence to substantiate this ominous sounding warning. I am close to attributing all this paranoia of attacks to a lack of common sense. Any public transport, even in the world's safest cities becomes unsafe, if you dress up to the nines, attract a lot of attention to yourself by being peculiarly a model representative of the wealthy or the privileged. You are in *public transport*. Behave and act like public, not the elite. It does NOT require a lot of effort, just some sense of surroundings. That being said, I use the metro quite regularly and I have seen a lot of suited-booted people in there. It's not the warzone it is made out to be. Not even close. Again, my definition of a warzone comes from a somewhat crazy city where I lived for 2 straight years. Plus, the buses here actually connect to all the most important places and in fact, most places of interest. If you live out in the boondocks suburbs and then complain about the lack of buses and public transport, then, you have the definition of public transport quite wrong. The "public" does not usually live in far off inaccessible suburbs.
jbeatty - 06/24/08 16:51
If you end up near allen street there is a UB stampede bus that runs free from allen medical station to UB south for students and I think employees. :::link::: There is a bus from south to north campus. Although it isn't the quickest or most convenient way to travel there, it is free.
If you end up near allen street there is a UB stampede bus that runs free from allen medical station to UB south for students and I think employees. :::link::: There is a bus from south to north campus. Although it isn't the quickest or most convenient way to travel there, it is free.
jenks - 06/24/08 16:40
i haven't used public transportation (aside from cabs) ONCE since I moved here. I have the feeling the guy is right.
i haven't used public transportation (aside from cabs) ONCE since I moved here. I have the feeling the guy is right.
1. Orthodox Judaism (100%)
2. Islam (91%)
3. Sikhism (86%)
4. Bahá'à Faith (81%)
5. Reform Judaism (80%)
6. Jainism (67%)
7. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (64%)
8. Hinduism (64%)
9. ------'s Witness
10. Liberal Quakers (60%)
11. Eastern Orthodox (54%)
12. Orthodox Quaker (54%)
13. Roman Catholic (54%)
14. Unitarian Universalism (52%)
15. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (51%)
16. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (50%)
17. Seventh Day Adventist (50%)
18. Mahayana Buddhism (48%)
19. Neo-Pagan (45%)
20. Theravada Buddhism (40%)
21. Secular Humanism (29%)
22. New Age (28%)
my top 5:
1. New Thought
2. Neo-Pagan
3. Reform Judaism
4. Mahayana Buddhism
5. New Age
This was so much fun! Hahaha... my original "religion" ranks at a lowly 12 and I have no idea what the hell 1-5 mean. Most of the ones from 6-14 are some of the central Indian faiths.
1. Liberal Quakers (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
3. Neo-Pagan (88%)
4. Secular Humanism (82%)
5. Reform Judaism (76%)
6. Mahayana Buddhism (76%)
7. New Age (74%)
8. Sikhism (74%)
9. Jainism (72%)
10. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (72%)
11. Theravada Buddhism (71%)
12. Hinduism (69%)
13. Taoism (67%)
14. Bahá'à Faith (66%)
15. Nontheist (55%)
16. Orthodox Quaker (51%)
17. New Thought (48%)
18. Scientology (48%)
19. Orthodox Judaism (47%)
20. Islam (42%)
21. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (34%)
22. Seventh Day Adventist (30%)
23. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (26%)
24. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (20%)
25. Eastern Orthodox (17%)
26. Roman Catholic (17%)
27. Jehovah's Witness (13%)
1. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (100%)
2. Liberal Quakers (93%)
3. Unitarian Universalism (93%)
4. Reform Judaism (81%)
5. Hinduism (79%)
6. Mahayana Buddhism (79%)
7. Sikhism (78%)
8. Theravada Buddhism (78%)
9. Orthodox Quaker (75%)
10. Neo-Pagan (75%)
The comment below was me, not Janelle.
Last for me was Christian Science. Barely ahead of it was nontheist.
I always thought that I was more Buddhist than Bahai, but apparently I was wrong.
1. Secular Humanist
2. Non-theist
3. Mahayana Buddhism
Very last was Catholicism! Nice.
Me: Orthodox Quaker.
This thing is seriously skewed towards Quakers/ Quakers can believe a lot of different things and still be Quakers.
:::link:::
"Liberal Protestant" came second for me.
I self Identify as a "Progessive Evangelical," but that's not on the list.