Ginny from the Blog

I haven’t had a chance to weed through my e-mail for a couple of days. I’m always amazed by the press releases the station gets. So, rather than just pitching them in the trash, I thought I’d share some of the randomness with you. Maybe you’ll learn something, maybe you’ll smile, maybe you’ll never read my blog again. Let’s give it a go:

* “Indianapolis has been named the most s*xually satisified city (pardon the censoring but don’t want to get spammed) by “Men’s Health” magazine. The May issue, hitting newsstands April 22, looks at condom sales (provided by A.C. Nielsen), birth rates from the U.S. Census Bureau and sales of s-e-x toys.” That’s according to Chris Spagnuolo of the PR firm TrylonSMR.

*(This is one of the better written items we’ve received): “Even in the liberal, democrat university town bubble of the Triangle (Chapel Hill, Raleigh, Durahm) area of North Caorlina, it is possible to fall into despair and/or get very stressed considering the events happening in the world these days. War, elections, drought, crime, even just the winter blues can get everyone down and forgetful of the beauty there is in that very same world. There is a place, not too far out in the country, but just enough, where Triangle residents and visitors can go to find this beauty and, if for just a weekend, experience and draw from it. This place is called Shakori Hills, and every Spring and Fall they hold there the Grassroots Festival of Music and Dance.

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Here’s something I never thought I’d be passionate about when I was a kid: Zoning and Development ordinances. But then I started covering city and county government for local newspapers. It was then that I saw and understood the value of density, setbacks, mixed-use, etc.

When I worked for the Island Packet on Hilton Head Island, SC, my favorite government meeting to cover was the Planning Commission. The decisions that were made in those meetings had a direct impact on residents’ constitutional right to own property.

So imagine how excited I was this morning when I found out that Raleigh city officials are trying to teach children about urban planning. The city’s planning officials are hosting “Kids City Planning Day — Raleigh 2030″ on May 3 at Marbles Kids Museum, 201 E. Hargett St.

During the event, children will get to apply for a building permit, learn about geographic information systems, design and create buildings to populate their cityh and find out more about historic preservation, community planning and geography.

Hmmm. Maybe if I had such an opportunity at a young age I would be a city planner instead of a community content manager.

What did you want to be when you were a kid?

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It’s always cute when kids ask politicians questions. Nine-year-old Kameryn Garel-McCullough was called on by Sen. Barack Obama during Thursday’s town hall meeting at the N.C. State Fairgrounds. He asked Sen. Obama what steps he needs to take to be president someday. Here’s what the youngster said:

And here’s what the youth had to say afterward:

See photos from the event here.

I headed over to Barack Obama’s local campaign headquarters in downtown Raleigh this morning to find out how long people would wait in line to get tickets to see him at Thursday’s town hall meeting.

I love coffee, and I love the library. So it’s awesome that I can have both when I hang out at the Cameron Village Library in Raleigh. The recently renovated branch of the Wake County library system is somewhat similar to a bookstore. There’s lots of seating, plenty of computers and a coffee bar.

Anyway, this week is National Library Week. So if you’re not a regular library visitor, consider heading over to your local branch this week to sign up for a card and check out some books. Library cards are usually free for local residents (since you’re already paying for the library through your property taxes).

Durham County residents can locate a branch and find out about upcoming events here.

Wake County residents can do the same here.

Chapel Hill residents should click here. Carrboro residents should click here.

Everyone else should search here.

I’m probably preaching to the choir by promoting the library on my blog. But maybe it’s been a while since some of you have visited, so you’ll now feel motivated to return.

And if it has been a while since you’ve been to your local library, you may not realize there’s a lot more to check out than just books. Many branches offer DVDs, CDs, classes and access to awesome databases including practice certification tests for various careers and even Chilton auto repair manuals.

When was the last time you went to your local library? What did you check out?

This is what it would look like …

My Thursday in San Francisco.

Butterflies follow me everywhere.     The flight seemed to take forever.

An amazing view from the roof of my hotel.

Crabs at Fisherman’s Wharf.         Cable car time.

This is Foiled, a band from Orange County trying to earn gas money. Gas is over $4 here.

See more scenes from my trip.

I’m taking my first-ever trip to California Thursday. I’m going to San Francisco, a city I’ve dreamed of visiting since I was a teenager.Specifically, my goal in high school was to move to San Francisco, become a reporter for the National Enquirer, covering celebrity gossip. If you don’t believe me, here’s an excerpt from an essay I had to write in 1997 for English class (yes, I’m a pack rat and keep pretty much everything, especially when it comes to my writings).

So far my list includes all the staple tourist spots: Chinatown, the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, Lombard Street and the Haight. Beyond that, I’m completely open to ideas.

So if my blog posts and tweets this week focus on San Francisco instead of life in the Triangle, now you’ll know why.

Meanwhile, I’m open for suggestions of places I should visit. Particularly restaurant and bar suggestions (just remember I’m traveling on a budget). So suggest away.