Question of the Week

In this week’s CityBeat, I wrote the Living Out Loud column, “Big and Gas Guzzling” where I explain how I don’t own a car and how there are several advantages to not owning one.

I also talk about how automobiles pollute our air and I give my views on this automaker bailout stuff – but that won’t be part of the question.

Here’s the question: If we were told by our local government here in Cincinnati that you weren’t allowed to drive your car into downtown for one week and that you had to take public transportation, namely the bus, could you do it?

(Photo found on Google)

Having Fun with Bed Bugs in Cincinnati

Cincinnati has become known as the bed bug capital of the world. Cincinnati City Council, wanting to take advantage of this, is sponsoring a new board game promoting these cute little insects here in the Queen City.

A new television commercial has even been prepared. Here, take a look.

This exciting board game will be available in fine stores everywhere here in Cincinnati beginning next month.

(Photo of cute Cincinnati bed bug from cuteable.com)

Will the Swine Flu Come to Porkopolis?

With Cincinnati being nicknamed Porkopolis, it seems likely that this Swine Flu, sooner or later, will arrive here. Of course, Cincinnati is always last in catching up with the rest of the world and in this case, that’s a good thing.

Still, we need to know the symptoms and how to protect ourselves from this. The Huffington Post can give you an education.

Now, I must go wash my hands. Again.

(Photo from www.boston.com)

A Girl Walks Into a Bar

As a writer, I tend to notice the actions of other people – observe what they do. The following really isn’t a story, maybe just a bit of a character study.

A girl walks into a bar in downtown Cincinnati. I’m not going to say which one, because it’s not important to the “study.”

She’s thin, has dark, long hair and is white. She’s wearing sunglasses. I notice her red gym shoes. She orders a vodka and cranberry.

The bar isn’t crowded and I’m sitting fairly close to her. She starts talking to me and the bartender.

She says she’s from Dayton but lived for three years in New York. She’s in Cincinnati, because her boyfriend is in jail here. Her car has broken down.

She only has enough money for one drink. She’s almost broke. She says she doesn’t know her way around the city.

Feeling sorry for her, the bartender buys her another drink. The girl steps outside to smoke a cigarette. After waiting a few minutes, I decide to go out and smoke one myself.

The girl isn’t outside. I turn to my left and watch her come out a mini-market with a pack of cigarettes. I guess she wasn’t all that broke.

From a distance, I watch her smoke on the corner. People pass her by and she pays them no mind, except when black men pass her. She stops every one of them, no exceptions.

Again, from a distance, I watch her talk to them and I’m guessing she’s giving them her sob story. None of the men offer any “help.” They walk away from her.

I go back into the bar, taking a barstool future away from her. The bar’s a little busier now.

A few minutes later, the girl comes back in, gets her glass of vodka and cranberry and sits next to a black man who’s having a beer. I start to listen in on the conversation.

The girl who’s from Dayton is now from Columbus. Her boyfriend is now her brother who’s in jail. She had to sell her car to help find a lawyer to get him out.

No, not a real story here – just an observation.

Here’s a white chick that likes black men. Nothing wrong with that at all, but beware guys. This girl is a liar.

(Photo from www.flickr.com)

That Was the Week that Was – In Blogs

On this Sunday morning, are there questions on your mind? Perhaps looking at some of the blog entries from last week will answer a few of them.

Are you wondering what caused the recession? Maybe Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Dish can help you out.

Are you thinking about going to a car dealership and buying an exciting new Pontiac? Perhaps you should read The Cincinnati Nation first.

Perhaps you’re wondering how many Americans approve of the Republican Party. If you are, let Wonkette provide you with an answer.

Is it necessary for Oprah to defend her hair? I don’t know, but The Huffington Post does.

Do you like midgets? Find out if you do from Aileen McGrath at The Daily Beat.

Has good old Dick Cheney ever lied about using torture? Find out the real truth from Taylor Marsh.

And finally, is tomorrow Monday? Hey, you shouldn’t need a blog post to tell you that.

(Graphic from www.lifehack.org)

I Swear, Honest to God – We Used to Have Some Fun in Cincinnati

Let’s go down memory lane, shall we – back to the 70’s and 80’s when Cincinnati wasn’t so uptight. If you weren’t around then, just consider this an education on the good old days.

Anybody out there remember Bob Shreve? He hosted a late night show on channel 12 called the “Past Prime Playhouse.” There were always rumors that Bob was bombed while doing this live show but none of us really cared. He was funny.

Anybody remember Morganna? She was an exotic dancer here – I think over in Newport – and was also known as baseball’s kissing bandit.

Find out more about this when Bob meets Morganna in the video down below.

Funny how Bob makes the comment that it’s strange nobody would notice Morganna entering Riverfront Stadium. She is a bit hard to miss don’t you think?

It’s all history now. Bob died some years back but I understand Morganna is still alive.

Don’t try this again, Morganna. Cincinnati is so uptight now, you would probably be sent to prison for kissing a Cincinnati Red.

(Photo of Morganna found on Google)

What’s a Twitter?

I have to admit, I knew nothing about Twitter. It took Maureen Dowd’s column in The New York Times yesterday to give me a bit of an education.

Maureen makes it pretty clear she’ll never have a Twitter account and at this point, I totally agree with her – but I’m also a person who stated loudly that I would never have and never use a cell phone. Look at me now. What would I do without it?

I’m even texting. Look what I’ve become.

(Graphic from Typepad)

Question of the Week

I’m no big fan of fast food places, but they are sort of lacking here in downtown Cincinnati.

We have Skyline Chili (of course), an Arby’s, and a Wendy’s but not much of anything else on the cheap – like a McDonald’s or a Burger King.

Question: Do you want to see more fast food restaurants downtown or do you like it just the way it is?

(Graphic from Google)

Could Bats be the Solution to the Cincinnati Bed Bug Problem?

I promise I won’t be writing about bed bugs all week, but I came across this video a couple days ago. Apparently, Cincinnati also has a bat problem. Take a look at the video down below.

Why not turn this problem into a solution for another problem?

Don’t bats eat insects? Why not invite the bats into our living rooms and bedrooms? They can eat all those nasty bed bugs. Problem solved!

But wait, that would create another problem – bats and bat shit all over our living quarters.

It was just a thought. Never mind.

(Photo of Cincinnati bat found at scienceblgs.com)

Writing about Cincinnati Bed Bugs Has Made This Blog World Famous

Well, no, that’s really a lie. We’ll not world famous for anything, but doing posts on bed bugs does generate additional traffic here.

For example – want to know the most visited post here over the weekend? Click here to take a look.

Yeah, just a silly post about Cincinnati bed bugs vacationing in New York. I guess folks do a “Google search” for bed bugs and this thing pops up? I’m not going to take the time to figure it out.

But anyway, I want to thank all the bed bugs in Cincinnati for helping to generate more traffic here. I would invite you bugs over for a drink, but you’re probably guests that wouldn’t want to leave.

(Photo of cute Cincinnati Bed Bug found at www.tapirback.com)