Ginny from the Blog

I have mad parallel parking skills. Seriously, I can fit in spots that seem to be just a sliver of an inch bigger than my car. Granted, I have a short VW Golf, but still. Parallel parking is my thing.

Still, when I read this story about the city of Raleigh’s new found love of writing tickets to drivers who can’t park their cars precisely 12 inches or less from the curb, it seriously annoys me. I mean, it makes sense that cars shouldn’t have their rear ends poking out onto Hargett Street. But the number of tickets written for this offense in 2009 is insane.

The News & Observer reports that:

“The number of $20 fines slapped on cars parked more than a foot from the curb has skyrocketed, from just 379 in 2008 to 4,587 in 2009.”

That translates into $91,000 in fines in 2009, up from $6,325 in 2008, the N&O reports.

OK. So you might be sitting there thinking: “What’s the big deal? Drivers need to learn how to park or get fined.”

Well, consider this.

First, the N&O reports that the 12-inch rule isn’t even listed anywhere on the city’s brochure or website about parking rules.

Next, the N&O reports that the biggest increase started after new white parking were painted on the road in August as part of the city’s preparations for parking meters.

“Motorists park in the newly marked spots thinking that they’re in compliance as long as the cars’ wheels are within the white lines,” according to the N&O.

I can see how the lines might be a little misleading to drivers (take a look at the photo above, which shows off the lines on Fayetteville Street). That said, I’ve definitely been in the car with friends who — after parallel parking downtown — ask me to open the passenger door and see if their close enough to the car.

So, what do you think? Is the city being unfair by intensely enforcing the rule? Or should people just get over it and park closer to the curb?

If you have a minute, it’s definitely worth reading the full N&O story on the issue. It outlines how Durham and Charlotte officials enforce the rule and talks a little bit about why the city has increased enforcement on this issue lately.

The devastating Haitian earthquake may be far from the Triangle, but local organizations are making it easier for Triangle residents to help after the disaster. The News & Observer has compiled a list of programs with Triangle connections, some of which are already shifting gears to help.

And, of course, the American Red Cross is accepting disaster relief donations. More on how to donate to the Red Cross here.

If you know of other local groups that are organizing to send money, supplies, etc., please post them in the comments section.

In June, Antiques Roadshow rolled into Raleigh, stopping at the Raleigh Convention Center to film three episodes of the PBS series. The second episode airs at 8 p.m. tonight on WUNC. The first episode aired last Monday and featured a woman who was holding onto her carved jade and celadon from the Chien Lung Dynasty that her grandfather had passed onto her. I’m guessing she won’t keep it for long though, as it was valued at $1.07 MILLION!!! The appraiser said it was the highest valued antique he ever appraised on the show.

You’ll have a chance to go ice skating and sledding in downtown Raleigh this winter, even if the temperatures never dip below freezing.

Raleigh Winterfest starts Friday and features an outdoor skating rink with real ice (I specify real because the cute ice rink in North Hills is plastic). It’s a cool way for the city to celebrate the opening of the plaza. And it’s also First Friday, which means if the rink is too packed, you can go look at art!

Here’s what you need to know:

The skating rink opens Friday night as part of a bigger celebration in the plaza that will feature Michelle Branch — ask the nearest teenage girl (or me) how the song “Everywhere” goes and you’ll know who she is – crafters, artisans and, of course, ice skating. Here’s the full schedule for Friday night’s events.

The Friday event (and several nights later in the month) will also feature SLED RAMPS. Basically, it’s a couple of big slides packed with fake snow. But for those of us deprived of snow (thanks to both geography and global warming) it’s the next best thing to coasting down a snow packed hill. Here’s a picture of the sledding ramp.

The skating rink will be open every day through Jan. 31. Here’s the full schedule.

It costs $6 to skate, which includes ice skate rentals. But they’re having special date nights where couples can get a discount if they eat at downtown restaurants. Details on date nights here.

If you’re looking for some ways to get in the holiday spirit in the Triangle, here are some tips. As always please add any events I forgot to list in the comments section! Happy Holidays!

Get your Gingerbread on. Seriously, you would not believe how many opportunities you have to get your hands (or just your eyes) on some gingerbread in the Triangle:

You can attend the Family Gingerbread Workshop on Dec. 12 at C’est Ci Bon cooking school in Chapel Hill. Or you can decorate gingerbread houses on Dec. 3 at the Capital City Club in Raleigh.

View the entries in the Raleigh Gingerbread House Competition now through Jan. 3 at Alta Oakridge Retirement Community.

See gingerbread houses created by the area’s top chefs and raise money for a good cause at the Triangle Family Services 7^th annual Gingerbread Gala on Dec. 17 at the Umstead Hotel.

Check out Durham’s Christmas parade at 4 p.m. Dec. 5. The eclectic event always features a random mix of floats, librarians and an appearance from Beaver Lodge Local 1504.

Ride the Holiday Express Train at Pullen Park. The city park will be decked out in holiday lights. You can ride the train to Santa’s village from Dec. 10 and 13 and tell the big guy what you want for Christmas. There will be concessions, carousel rides and more. Parking gets bad, so consider riding the shuttle.

Go see the Raleigh Ringers, the internationally acclaimed community handbell choir is based right here in the Triangle. My mom saw them perform on PBS one year, and I’ve had to hear about them ever since. Truly, it is pretty incredible what they can do with handbells. Besides bells pretty much equal Christmas music, right?

Want more holiday music? Here’s a list of all the Christmas Concerts in the area.

Give a computer to a student who needs one. If you have any computer refurbishing skills, then volunteer at the Mini Geek-A-Thon on Dec. 12 at the Kramden Institute, a Durham nonprofit that helps connect hardworking, less-advantage students with computers.

Go see the Nutcracker. I was obsessed with the ballet when I was a little girl. I would love it if my boyfriend took me to see it this year. The Carolina Ballet performs the classic holiday ballet from Dec. 5 to 6 at Memorial Hall in Chapel Hill or Dec. 19 to 28 at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. You can also see it on Dec. 12 and 13 at Carolina Theatre in Durham.

Go see Disney’s A Christmas Carol at the IMAX in Raleigh. The 3-D flick will be on the big screen at least through Dec. 17.

Just whatever you do, don’t take your kids on a horse and buggy ride around Crossroads in Cary. That’s just tacky.

Instead of spending Black Friday at the mall, why don’t you do up the big shopping day craft style? The annual Carolina Designer Craftsmen Guild show starts Friday at the N.C. State Fairgrounds and is an awesome way to inject some Carolina flavor/creativity into your holiday gifts.

OK. I’m completely biased. I make at least 1/3 of my Christmas gifts every year. And one of my favorite low-key weekend pastimes is wandering around the N.C. State Fairgrounds at the flea market. So an excuse to spend the weekend at the fairgrounds perusing fine crafts, pretty much is the epitome of all I want in holiday shopping (so long as we’re leaving the Apple store out of the discussion). I’ve never been to this event before, but I have high hopes.

So here’s the deal: The show is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Exposition Center at the fairgrounds. It features over 100 booths with everything from pottery, clay, sculpture, wearable fiber, blown glass, jewelry, metal work, wood work, furniture, photography, printmaking and mixed media, according to the show’s website.

The only catch is it costs $7 to get in, but guess what? The organizers have given me 2 free tix to give away! So how am I going to decide who gets them? (BTW, this is the first ever giveaway on GFTB). Well, I’m thinking I’ll keep it simple. If you legitimately want to go, just be the first to say so in the comments section and you get them.

ALSO … I saw a big sign outside the state fairgrounds that says the flea market is open for Black Friday!!!! It’s open Saturday and Sunday too.

OK. Don’t forget. First to say they want the tix to the Craftsmen Guild show gets ‘em. Happy Shopping!

It’s been a little over four months since the owners of the Varsity Theatre announced they were shuttering the Franklin Street staple. Residents were sad to see the landmark close, lamenting that downtown was officially without a movie theater. The Carolina Theatre closed back in 2005.

But the Varsity Theatre won reprieve. New owners announced late last month that they plan to show classic and recently released movies for $3. (Photo by @dgtlpapercuts)

So when will it open and what will be the first movie shown?

It will reopen on Nov. 27 with an airing of “The Wizard of Oz” reports the News & Observer. The day after Thanksgiving is always a big movie day, so hopefully residents will pack the theater and give it a nice welcome back showing.

Will you go?

The Town of Cary is planning to revise the strict sign ordinances that require everything in the town be beige and white. It’s the first time in 10 years that the town has looked at major changes to the sign ordinances, reports the News & Observer.

I have mixed feelings about Cary’s sign ordinances. The Punky Brewster side of me says the town needs to stop being so lame and relax the laws, let some color shine through. But the former Hilton Head Island resident in me says there’s something nice about tight controls that prevent tacky signs from proliferating.

I’m eager to hear more about the process though. The N&O reports that a 15-member task force is being created for the review. Then a consultant will review the task force’s findings and the town council will make whatever changes suit its interests (I mean constituents) and suddenly pink will be the new beige. Seriously though, who will these 15 people be? What will their backgrounds be? Will they be required to know anything about design, architecture, marketing, ordinances, etc.?

No matter what, I’m guessing the town will find a way to get rid of giant “Screwed by The Town of Cary” sign that David Bowden had painted on the side of his house to express dissatisfaction over the way the town handled a road construction issue that supposedly messed up the drainage around his house.

If there’s any doubt over whether Cary’s sign ordinances are too restrictive, take a look at this awesome list of memorable violations the N&O compiled. Here’s my favorite:

“October 1996. Nonconforming exterior. Location: Gypsy’s Shiny Diner. Why: Too shiny. Owner Gypsy Gilliam locked horns over having her old-fashioned diner clothed in chrome. Some compromises included taller landscaping and building up the brick base. There was a later skirmish about holiday lights adorning the bushes. On her grand opening in 1997, about 600 people lined up at 4:30 a.m. to be the first diners.”

Residents will have a chance to share their input about the sign ordinance during the next two months. In the meantime, tell me what you think about it. Is Cary too beige? Or does that make sense for the “Containment Area for Relocated Yankees?” BTW, I have a crush on Cary, so try to be a little nice.

I’m forcing myself to blog right now. I don’t know what happened, but about three weeks ago I lost interest in blogging. I’ve heard that this happens, but after nearly two years of blogging 5+ days a week, I had yet to experience it.

It’s not that I ran out of things to blog about. There was the Deep Fried Triangle Tweetup. The Social Media Business Forum. Raleigh Wide Open. Halloween and a helpful post I meant to write about the best area thrift stores to find a costume. My new job. So much stuff. But there was just something about logging into WordPress that I was dreading (and I HEART WordPress).

But don’t worry. I’m going to be back soon. In the meantime, check out my blogroll for a list of other cool local blogs!

You might have to take my reviews of the N.C. State Fair with a grain of salt because I’m such a fangirl. I spent three hours at the fair tonight and I only have two complaints: It was difficult to find the chocolate covered bacon and I didn’t win a goldfish.

Tonight my sole mission was to try chocolate covered bacon. I wandered past all the food vendors, and even asked a woman at the information booth and two girls at the Kiwanis booth. No luck. I tweeted that I was looking for it, and the ever-responsive @NCStateFair twitter handlers quickly responded that I needed to go to the Murphy booth in the commercial building. For those of you familiar with the fairgrounds, the commercial building is the one that houses all the vendors during the flea market.

I paid $5 for four pieces of the bacon. I tried my first bite on camera so you can see my legitimate reaction. I did the same thing with last year’s signature deep fried mac and cheese. So, here’s my initial, unedited reaction to the salty-sweet treat:

So, as you can see, I was pretty excited about the combination, but I definitely spoke to soon about wanting to eat it more than once during the fair. I ate a piece and a half and that’s all I could get through. It was really rich. But the semi-sweet chocolate is fantastic. It’s definitely worth the five bucks, especially if you have someone to share it with.

Other highlights from tonight:

* I won a pink elephant playing Whack-A-Mole. Most of the games are $3, but they actually range from 50 cents to $5. The best value game is probably the derby game where you roll the balls into colored holes (similar to skee ball) to make your horse move.

It’s a great value because you can practice while the announcer lures more players over.

*I got to hold a baby chick in the poultry tent. I could’ve held that chirping chick forever, but my hands were frozen and I felt guilty because I’m sure it was scared to death.

* I rode the world’s largest portable slide. At 200 feet long and 72 feet tall, the slide is worth the $4 ticket for novelty’s sake. The ride down the slide was surprisingly slow until the very last two humps, then you fly down the straightaway.

* I paid $1 to see the world’s largest alligator. He was definitely bigger than any alligator I saw when I lived on Hilton Head Island. But mostly it was pretty sad.

* I watched the fireworks. The explode EVERY NIGHT at 9:45 p.m. You can see them anywhere in the fairgrounds.

I plan on going to the fair a few more times. I still want to look at the winning cakes, watch the pig races, and see the goats vie for the top hay bale inside the Kelley building. And, of course, I have to sink a ping pong ball in a fish bowl so I can win that damn goldfish.