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The race to the wire

Originally uploaded by boboroshi.

Admit it: you didn't even know the Kentucky Derby was today, did you? Neither did H2otown until she picked up her mother, a singularly well-informed individual, for their monthly planning-of-world-domination board meeting.

(After awhile you accept the fact that your mother really DOES know everything.)

This put H2otown in mind of the only thing she'd ever read on the subject of the Derby -- Hunter S. Thompson's The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved, which begins with Thompson putting on an unsuspecting taxicab driver with a tall tale about the Black Panther's (nonexistent) plans to stage a riot at the Derby.

“Oh yeah?” He eyed my ragged leather bag with new interest. “Is that what you got there–cameras? Who you work for?”

“Playboy,” I said.

He laughed. “Well, goddam! What are you gonna take pictures of–nekkid horses? Haw! I guess you’ll be workin’ pretty hard when they run the Kentucky Oaks. That’s a race just for fillies.” He was laughing wildly. “Hell yes! And they’ll all be nekkid too!”

I shook my head and said nothing; just stared at him for a moment, trying to look grim. “There’s going to be trouble,” I said. “My assignment is to take pictures of the riot.”

“What riot?”

I hesitated, twirling the ice in my drink. “At the track. On Derby Day. The Black Panthers.” I stared at him again. “Don’t you read the newspapers?”

The grin on his face had collapsed. “What the hell are you talkin’ about?”

“Well…maybe I shouldn’t be telling you…” I shrugged. “But hell, everybody else seems to know. The cops and the National Guard have been getting ready for six weeks. They have 20,000 troops on alert at Fort Knox. They’ve warned us–all the press and photographers–to wear helmets and special vests like flak jackets. We were told to expect shooting…”

You can read the whole thing here.

Saab 9-5 Aero Originally uploaded by pedrosimoes7. A story on GM's decision to sell or shut down certain car lines caught H2otown's eye. One of the car brands said to be on the block is Saab. This makes us wonder -- what will happen to local car dealerships such as Charles River Saab on Arsenal Street if, well, there aren't any more Saabs being produced? CR Saab is part of a dealer network that also includes a number of Volvo dealerships.

shopping carts

Originally uploaded by lisa.williams.

...And now this!

H2otown saw these two carts on Bigelow St. alongside the Watertown Savings Bank. The thing that really made the scene was the abandoned microwave in the left hand cart.

Some of you reading this filed your taxes long, long ago -- now, this blog post isn't for you (unless you have some helpful information to share -- in which case, by all means, comment below!).

Still with me? Okay then!

1. It's pretty easy to file an extension, and it gives you an extra six months to file. The best and least confusing source of information on how to file an extension is (surprise!) the IRS's website. How to File for An Automatic Six Month Extension.
2. If you think your taxes aren't too complicated, but you haven't gotten around to them yet, you may qualify for free e-file services online. It's a good deal, and you can use this wizard which asks you a few simple questions to figure out whether you qualify. If you do, you might be able to knock off your tax return in plenty of time to catch the Bruins beat Montreal on NESN at 8...and never even go to a post office!

Now then, another deep breath and take the poll:

H2otown is considering going to see Juan Enriquez speak at the free Ford Hall Forum lecture series this Thursday. Enriquez is the managing director of a venture capital fund that invests in biosciences companies, many in the Boston area.

He thinks Boston has the potential to survive the downturn and thrive, because he believes brainpower is going to be the determining factor in regional success.

Watertown sure does have a lot of biosciences companies -- NERI, Enanta, Panacos, Oxigene, Tetraphase, EnVivo, Selecta...there are more, mostly small, many on Grove St. or in East Watertown on Arsenal St. Enriquez must be a good speaker, because he was invited to speak at TED, a super-swank invite-only conference well-known for the quality of its speakers. Below is a clip of Enriquez's talk at TED.

Opening for a Web Marketing Manager.  A few internships there, too.  HBS Press is in the Arsenal. 

clothesline

Originally uploaded by joeannenah.

H2otown attempted to call Town Hall this morning. This involved using a device called "a phone," a technology that H2otown considers rather vile. (She would be totally happy in a text-mode universe). To add insult to injury, the automated press one for this press two for that disconnected her before she could leave a message.

So enough with all that, time to ask The Universe!

If H2otown wants to put up a clothesline in her yard, does she need a building permit? She would like to be able to hang clothes from a second-story window over her backyard, and thus would require one pole in the yard of substantial height.

Are there any regulations that preclude clotheslines in Watertown? They're banned in Ontario. It sounds silly, but H2otown can't keep a hen to lay eggs in her yard, either, who knew?

H2otown's particularly excited to run the clothesline over her tiny kitchen garden and let the water from the sheets help hydrate the basil.

Pls advise? Thx.

New York's Traditional Easter Elephant

Originally uploaded by pheezy.

Did you know that NYC has a traditional Easter Elephant? As Ed McMahon used to say on the Tonight Show, "I. Did. Not. Know. That!"

Happy Easter to all who are celebrating. And my apologies to those who celebrate Passover -- I didn't send out a Pesach message this year!

And if you're not celebrating any particular holiday at all, Happy Sunday. It's a nice one :)

Target

Originally uploaded by lisa.williams.

Sure, it's still not finished inside, and H2otown finds herself squelching some annoyance at the constant changes in where things are in the store...but? Seriously?

What did we do before Target?

Chew on little strips of leather?

H2otown can't remember. We must have blocked it out. Too terrible to contemplate.

(Go ahead, get yer mall/consumer culture hate on in the comments section, H2otown is a very tolerant sort and she understands that sometimes ya just gotta rant. What else is a blog for?)

Former Boston Globe columnist Eileen McNamara unloads with both barrels at the management of the New York Times in an op-ed published by the Boston Herald (!):

From the moment The Times Co. purchased The Globe in 1993 it has treated New England’s largest newspaper like a cheap whore. It pimped her out for profit during the booming 1990s and then pillaged her when times got tough. It closed her foreign bureaus and cheapened her coverage of everything from the fine arts to the hard sciences.