7.30.2006
my quads!
I just got done playing soccer and are my hams tired. Last week we played some pick-up soccer in East GR, and the competition was pretty low key. So today we tried it again. Davenport Universities' team was practicing a bit before they start their season tomorrow. Anyway, we managed to get a game together, but it was a little scary. Mostly it was just fun to watch and my strategy was basically not to screw up too bad. I made some marginal plays in between several poor plays. Hopefully we will have a little more laid back game next week (whoops, I will be on vacation!)
7.28.2006
a long week
The week is winding down, and I am grateful. In the midst of the business and early mornings, God managed to crack open enough space for me to catch a little glimpse of Her Kingdom work. I managed to run into an old friend who I hope becomes a new friend. I'm pretty confident that most of life is about meeting at the crossroads. I just love it when the crossroads are only Grand Rapids city blocks and not an Iowa mile. This was a week of city blocks: frequent meetings of important conversations.
7.26.2006
7.24.2006
chart your fall
So I'm trying to get back into running again. In the attempt to be motivated, I purchased the new apple/nike sensor for my shoes. It charts your distance, speed, etc. and then you can upload to their website and gives you a cool graph. You will notice in my graph for my inaugural run a sudden drop in performance near the end of the run. That is due to me hitting the pavement in a somewhat graceful barrel roll. Everyone is alright and now I can show a quick improvement in my performance.
7.23.2006
another nice weekend
Really relaxing and meaningful weekend. Saturday morning we went out to my sister's place for breakfast and to celebrate my sister-in-law's b-day. Jon and I played some good soccer with the boys, who are really improving pretty quickly. Nora took an x-student out for a trip to the lake in the afternoon, and I watched a fussy Levi. I bought some new shoes in the evening in the attempt to get back in shape.
Sunday morning we went to see Morgans' baby get baptized at Sherman Street CRC. It was a very special service with the promise to be a part of a child's upbringing. It is always special when people publicly encircle children with a vow to do their best and not hinder, but help, that child's development.
I just got done playing some soccer over in East GR. We were able to be part of a pick-up game with people that don't take themselves to seriously. But I'm going to be sore tomorrow.
Sunday morning we went to see Morgans' baby get baptized at Sherman Street CRC. It was a very special service with the promise to be a part of a child's upbringing. It is always special when people publicly encircle children with a vow to do their best and not hinder, but help, that child's development.
I just got done playing some soccer over in East GR. We were able to be part of a pick-up game with people that don't take themselves to seriously. But I'm going to be sore tomorrow.
7.21.2006
MOBL NOBL Press Article
Belknap Lookout group hopes to boost 'walkability'
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
By Jim Harger
The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- Residents of Belknap Lookout are in the catbird seat as they perch on the hilltop overlooking the expanding Michigan Street medical complex and the resurgent North Monroe Business District.
But getting to the jobs these projects promise is a challenge for a neighborhood that wants to promote itself as being "walkable."
To the south, Int. 196 created a chasm that is spanned by three street crossings, which are not pedestrian-friendly.
To the west, there's a steep, overgrown hill leading to North Division Avenue, accessible by four crumbling stairways built in the 1930s. Only one of them is usable.
"The whole idea of walkability is a key issue for us," said Stephen Faber, a Belknap Lookout resident and neighborhood organizer.
"Our neighborhood has a history of working down here and living up there."
That's still true to some extent. More than 12.5 percent of the neighborhood's residents walk to work, far higher than the rest of the city, where 5.5 percent walk to work, Faber said. For all of Kent County, only 3 percent of residents walk to work.
Hoping to find new ideas to improve walkability, Faber and the Neighbors of Belknap Lookout (NOBL) organized a two-day brainstorming session called MOBL NOBL. After Tuesday's workshop was canceled due to a power outage, it was rescheduled for Aug. 2 and 3.
According to NOBL leaders, this is a time of opportunity and crisis. The opportunities are obvious: new jobs and housing are springing up all around.
Hundreds of millions are being invested along the Michigan Street Hill, with construction of a new cancer center, a new children's hospital, three new medical towers, an expansion of the Van Andel Institute, a new Grand Valley State University classroom building and possibly, Michigan State University's medical school.
To the west, old factories have been converted to offices, trendy bars and restaurants. Moch International is building a 118-unit condominium project. The sprawling Boardwalk apartment complex is being converted to condominiums.
Atop the Lookout, housing prices have soared in recent years and new housing is on the drawing board. Faber is a member of a co-housing group planning to take advantage of a "Neighborhood Enterprise Zone" that offers tax breaks for new homes and housing rehabilitation projects.
Andrew Guy, a member of the workshop's steering committee, said the Michigan Department of Transportation also has presented them with opportunities to enhance walkability.
Next year, MDOT will rebuild the Michigan Street bridge over North Division Avenue and begin redesigning the three bridges that cross Int. 196.
"The money is going to be spent to rebuild them, so let's rebuild them the right way," Guy said. That means designing bridges with sidewalks and crosswalks that don't treat pedestrians as afterthoughts. So far, MDOT officials have been "very open and willing to listen," Guy said.
But for all of the opportunities, neighborhood leaders say they also need to deal with threats posed by the expansion projects.
If MDOT follows through with plans to build an off-ramp from westbound Int. 196 to northbound Division Avenue, it could block the base of the last usable staircase, Guy said.
As the Michigan Street Hill becomes home to more medical and education facilities, retailers that traditionally served the neighborhood are being squeezed out.
It's an issue that has hurt the neighborhood since 1963, when Int. 196 cut off all but three of the side streets that connected to Michigan Street.
Aside from a Rite-Aid pharmacy on Michigan Street and a couple of delis, there is no place to walk and buy groceries, Faber said. If Belknap Lookout is to become a walkable neighborhood where owning a car is unnecessary, that kind of accessible shopping needs to return.
Helen Lehman of the MOBL NOBL steering committee, said the August workshop is aimed at remedying some of those losses the neighborhood incurred after the freeway was built.
"Talking to the older neighbors, one of the things they said was, 'There wasn't a thing you could do about it.' I think this does give people a way to do something about it."
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
By Jim Harger
The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- Residents of Belknap Lookout are in the catbird seat as they perch on the hilltop overlooking the expanding Michigan Street medical complex and the resurgent North Monroe Business District.
But getting to the jobs these projects promise is a challenge for a neighborhood that wants to promote itself as being "walkable."
To the south, Int. 196 created a chasm that is spanned by three street crossings, which are not pedestrian-friendly.
To the west, there's a steep, overgrown hill leading to North Division Avenue, accessible by four crumbling stairways built in the 1930s. Only one of them is usable.
"The whole idea of walkability is a key issue for us," said Stephen Faber, a Belknap Lookout resident and neighborhood organizer.
"Our neighborhood has a history of working down here and living up there."
That's still true to some extent. More than 12.5 percent of the neighborhood's residents walk to work, far higher than the rest of the city, where 5.5 percent walk to work, Faber said. For all of Kent County, only 3 percent of residents walk to work.
Hoping to find new ideas to improve walkability, Faber and the Neighbors of Belknap Lookout (NOBL) organized a two-day brainstorming session called MOBL NOBL. After Tuesday's workshop was canceled due to a power outage, it was rescheduled for Aug. 2 and 3.
According to NOBL leaders, this is a time of opportunity and crisis. The opportunities are obvious: new jobs and housing are springing up all around.
Hundreds of millions are being invested along the Michigan Street Hill, with construction of a new cancer center, a new children's hospital, three new medical towers, an expansion of the Van Andel Institute, a new Grand Valley State University classroom building and possibly, Michigan State University's medical school.
To the west, old factories have been converted to offices, trendy bars and restaurants. Moch International is building a 118-unit condominium project. The sprawling Boardwalk apartment complex is being converted to condominiums.
Atop the Lookout, housing prices have soared in recent years and new housing is on the drawing board. Faber is a member of a co-housing group planning to take advantage of a "Neighborhood Enterprise Zone" that offers tax breaks for new homes and housing rehabilitation projects.
Andrew Guy, a member of the workshop's steering committee, said the Michigan Department of Transportation also has presented them with opportunities to enhance walkability.
Next year, MDOT will rebuild the Michigan Street bridge over North Division Avenue and begin redesigning the three bridges that cross Int. 196.
"The money is going to be spent to rebuild them, so let's rebuild them the right way," Guy said. That means designing bridges with sidewalks and crosswalks that don't treat pedestrians as afterthoughts. So far, MDOT officials have been "very open and willing to listen," Guy said.
But for all of the opportunities, neighborhood leaders say they also need to deal with threats posed by the expansion projects.
If MDOT follows through with plans to build an off-ramp from westbound Int. 196 to northbound Division Avenue, it could block the base of the last usable staircase, Guy said.
As the Michigan Street Hill becomes home to more medical and education facilities, retailers that traditionally served the neighborhood are being squeezed out.
It's an issue that has hurt the neighborhood since 1963, when Int. 196 cut off all but three of the side streets that connected to Michigan Street.
Aside from a Rite-Aid pharmacy on Michigan Street and a couple of delis, there is no place to walk and buy groceries, Faber said. If Belknap Lookout is to become a walkable neighborhood where owning a car is unnecessary, that kind of accessible shopping needs to return.
Helen Lehman of the MOBL NOBL steering committee, said the August workshop is aimed at remedying some of those losses the neighborhood incurred after the freeway was built.
"Talking to the older neighbors, one of the things they said was, 'There wasn't a thing you could do about it.' I think this does give people a way to do something about it."
7.18.2006
storms roll in
We had a major storm in West Michigan last night. Unfortunately, our 3-year old roof decided to spring a leak. So I spent much of the night worried about the damage. I went up on the roof this morning and think I spotted the leak point.
The real downer is that MOBL NOBL had to be postponed because power was out at the church and OCBA had about an inch of water in their office. We decided that the power of the charrette is in the intensity. So instead of stumbling through it, we would just move the date. I think it's a good choice. You can check out the presentation I put together for the event at www.icograndrapids.com/MOBLNOBL.htm
The real downer is that MOBL NOBL had to be postponed because power was out at the church and OCBA had about an inch of water in their office. We decided that the power of the charrette is in the intensity. So instead of stumbling through it, we would just move the date. I think it's a good choice. You can check out the presentation I put together for the event at www.icograndrapids.com/MOBLNOBL.htm
7.17.2006
service by the river
Last night we went down to the river below our house and participated in Monroe Community Church's evening outdoor worship service in Canal Street Park. It would have been something my dad would have really enjoyed. He always liked that combination of outdoors and singing. It was special to be sitting there with Levi and Nora.
7.16.2006
Day at the Beach
We spent the day at the beach with Marty, Kristin and Eli. Levi and Eli are getting to a stage where they are starting to acknowledge each other's existence on the planet. They are either going to be the best of friends or the worst of enemies. It's hard not to compare their different development to each other - the beginnings of parental pride and jealousy. It was really nice to take a day away from computers and tv and just enjoy company and nature. That was the first trip I took to the beach this year, which sort of describes my summer.
7.14.2006
Gearing up for MOBL NOBL
This coming week is our design charrette called MOBL NOBL. It is exciting to think about coming out of next week with some new designs for key features in the neighborhood. It really builds on a lot of the themes that have come up in choosing over the last 4 years: eligibility, local economy, neighborliness, health. I'm hoping we get a good showing of neighbors and key stakeholders. I was over a Spectrum Health for a meeting earlier today, and the disconnect is just huge. As I was talking with folks there just isn't any real recognition that a neighborhood exists on the other side of the freeway. People are not used to talking about their neighborhood being a place of community and connectedness.
We also had a core group meeting for choosing last night. We are getting into a lot of design details that I just don't really care too much about. I just want to get the freakin thing built at this point! I figure there are people in the group that have much better taste than me, so let them get to it. We really have made some great strides forward in the last month.
We also had a core group meeting for choosing last night. We are getting into a lot of design details that I just don't really care too much about. I just want to get the freakin thing built at this point! I figure there are people in the group that have much better taste than me, so let them get to it. We really have made some great strides forward in the last month.
7.11.2006
MY CAT IS DEAD. I AM SAD.
We thought YODA ran away on Friday night while people were over for a BBQ and we searched for the last couple days. Last night I woke up around 1am and had a feeling. I put my headlamp on and walked through the basement. I found him peacefully curled up in Bwindi's old kennel in the far back room. It looked like he was just sleeping.So, here are the highlights and low-lights of Yoda's life and why we loved him:
- We rescued him the Humane Society in 1999. We originally picked out a different cat, but they messed up and sent the wrong one to the vet. When Nora went to pick up the cat he wasn't there so she was encouraged to look at this other stray. They told us his name was Daryl. He was so ugly that he was cute. We renamed him Yoda because of his old-man chin, squished face and goopy eyes. We got Yoda as a Valentine's Day present to each other and he lived with us for 7 1/2 years.
- Around 2001, his deaf and blind 23 year-old cousin, Chin, came to live with us. Yoda would look on with disdain as Chin would get lost in the corner and cry out like a cow. We were sort of relieved when Chin died. Yoda was lucky he went out while he was still hot and the people loved him.
-When our dog Bwindi came to live with us, she and Yoda became fast friends. We would often catch Bwindi giving Yoda a once over with a couple good licks. Bwindi was clawed by a cat while she was young, but she loved Yoda. All weekend Bwindi just wasn't herself - sad and hopeless - now we know why.
- When we won our life-size Yoda replica from Blockbuster, Nora grabbed Yoda and ran him down to the store. The clerk yelled at her because she wasn't allowed to bring animals into the store. She yelled back at him that, "THIS is the real Yoda!"
- Yoda was a horrible mouse hunter and just never had the killer instinct. Bwindi would patiently work with Yoda to bring down the occasional bat and mouse that made it into the house.
Yoda was a great cat for us and fit this little Faber family well. He is now buried on Livingston Ave where he spent his best years. We will really miss you little guy.
7.10.2006
One Less Car
www.1lesscar.com
So I was looking for some sweet new swag for my Kona bicycle and started surfing around Ebay. I found some good stickers from an online store called "One Less Car". When I looked at their shipping address, it was a Muskegon zip.
Check them out if you are into urban commuting and getting by with one less car in your life. Anything to make my sweaty commute more fun!
So I was looking for some sweet new swag for my Kona bicycle and started surfing around Ebay. I found some good stickers from an online store called "One Less Car". When I looked at their shipping address, it was a Muskegon zip.
Check them out if you are into urban commuting and getting by with one less car in your life. Anything to make my sweaty commute more fun!
White Pine Trail, Soap Box, Zidane
On Saturday I took a bike ride from my house up through Riverside Park and then on to the White Pine Trail. I ended up a little park that I never new existed on Rogue River. There was a small 1 mile, dirt trail loop that ran alongside the river. The total trip was about 21 miles. Significant learning on the Trip:
- There are Go-carts 5 miles from my house
- I maxxed out at 26.5 mph on the hill coming down from my house (soap box derby speeds)
France Lost! UGH! I can't stand Italy and their defensive, boring, uninspired football. It makes me feel like all my World Cup watching was worthless. What a disappointing way to end. I love Zidane for head-butting Materazzi. Most likely the defender made a racial slur that sparked the incident. Zidane has Algerian roots and early reports are that the Italian defender called him a "terrorist", which sparked Zidane to retaliate with a precise and forceful blow with his head to the guys chest. In typical Italian fashion, Materazzi flopped to the ground and rolled in "pain".
BBC Photo
- There are Go-carts 5 miles from my house
- I maxxed out at 26.5 mph on the hill coming down from my house (soap box derby speeds)
France Lost! UGH! I can't stand Italy and their defensive, boring, uninspired football. It makes me feel like all my World Cup watching was worthless. What a disappointing way to end. I love Zidane for head-butting Materazzi. Most likely the defender made a racial slur that sparked the incident. Zidane has Algerian roots and early reports are that the Italian defender called him a "terrorist", which sparked Zidane to retaliate with a precise and forceful blow with his head to the guys chest. In typical Italian fashion, Materazzi flopped to the ground and rolled in "pain".
BBC Photo
7.09.2006
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