Our Little Baltimore

DentalFearJunkie-tasticDontLetTheDarkness

Mar 6 2008

DentalFearJunkie-tasticDontLetTheDarkness... J Gavin Heck 3/6/8 J Gavin Heck 3/6/8 So yesterday I went to the dentist, o.k. the dental clinic at BCC that had a craigslist post, for the 2nd visit. I've got benefits, albeit somewhat crappy ones, but truth be told last time I went to the dentist, with benefits (not at all like friends with benefits) I ended up paying $3000 out of pocket for an u

SNAKES SEEK THE WARMTH OF OUR BOOTS

Feb 25 2008

SNAKES SEEK THE WARMTH OF OUR BOOTS (c) Gavin Heck Monday, February 25, 2008 Everything delicately interconnected Wave hello to you from beyond wires Action and inaction meet re-action Your dumb American cousin The king cowboy takes off his belt Reveals big brass balls of lust Eggs breaking with every step Which pose in the mirror you offer me I have nothing but my life's work

Fells Point

Feb 23 2008

There is a raw smell of city sleet and rain. The chill wraps the street in a thin sheet of needles as chronic taut muscles ricket, lump fetal, struggle with every tedious move. The mind dilates, swells, floats through thick, bitter and muddy sky. Ice and grease lie stagnant in the harbor, sparks rise from burning barrels. The rats scurry like monkeys feverishly s

MHC Invites you to map Baltimore's Mount Vernon

Feb 13 2008

The Maryland Humanities Council invites you to explore Baltimore�s Mount Vernon Cultural District this spring with two programs presented in conjunction with the Baltimore Festival of Maps! Join MHC on March 15, 2008 at 12 pm when it transforms its office (108 West Centre Street, Baltimore) into a coffee house to showcase the art and storytelling of Kianga Ford as she remaps Mount Vernon throug

Load of Poetry Friday February 15 8pm

Feb 13 2008

Load of Poetry 3rd Fridays Load of Fun Gallery 120 W. North Avenue Doors open 8 pm February 15 Barbara DeCesare- Poems by Barbara DeCesare have appeared in Poetry, Alaska Quarterly Review and Gargoyle, among many others. She will be featured at the 2006 Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival in New Jersey. Barbara co-edits the journal*House Taken Over* with (amazing!) writer Victor Perry.

Sankai Juku on ice.

Feb 13 2008

Sankai Juku on ice. 02/13/08 So last night I braved the roads and drove down to the kennedy center to see Sankai Juku for me it was the 4th time in the past 12 years I've seen them, for my girlfriend the first. Fortunately, there wasn't a repeat of the tragedy that happened to them in fall of 1985 where a performer, Yoshiuki Takada died during a show* The roads conspired against us and we p

Maryland Lawyers for the Arts launches newsletter

Feb 2 2008

My wife forwards email to me that she thinks might be of interest, as I am always looking for Baltimore related things to write about. So it was not surprising that she would send along an email from the Maryland Lawyers for the Arts announcing the launch of their newsletter, MLA Arts Brief. It wasn't surprising, no, but not very exciting either. Another newsletter. Put out by lawyers

Don't smoke? Go to the bar!

Feb 2 2008

This evening marks the first smoke-free night of Maryland's new smoking ban. Much has been said, both sides of the issue have been explored, the law has been passed and time will tell. The bar and restaurant industry was against this law, of course. In fact, in these days of The Lobby Almighty it is a little amazing that such a law was passed at all. Their argument, as has been covered exh

Buyback bucks...follow-up to "Buyback nobucks"

Jan 30 2008

Buyback bucks (follow-up to "Buyback nobucks" http://www.ourlittlebaltimore.com/readarticle.php?artID=68) by J Gavin Heck So this past Saturday morning was round 2 of the attempt at selling my extra guns that were lingering around my place as a result of my "lifestyle choice" I called the number listed in the citypaper, a church in a somewhat sketchy hood, and the man who answered seem unr

MONDO DEFEKTO: The Polaroid Photography of Jim Lucio

Jan 30 2008

An art compadre, Defekto/Jim Lucio is releasing his first True Defektive publication! MONDO DEFEKTO: The Polaroid Photography of Jim Lucio Order before 2/15 and get in on the Limited Edition of 100 Signed copies which each includes an original signed and stamped Polaroid Disclaimer/moment of naked truth: I am on the cover, mostly bare except for a mexican child's halloween gorilla mask...

do-u-ku

Jan 29 2008

do-u-ku Gavin Heck 01/29/08 Empty, Full, Empty Ego has a voice, need - y Do you validate? (inspired while writing an email about parking downtown)

If its yellow group show opening

Jan 23 2008

what: If its yellow group show opening at LOF 01/25/08 8pm where: LOF galerie 120 w north ave baltimore md 21210 USA when: friday 01/25/08 8pm to late why: "If its Yellow is a group exhibition of photos, paintings, sculpture at LOAD OF FUN Galerie... The ultimate of found objects, discarded bodily fluids, allows one to see the common ground of being a human animal and rises above the

Through the Wire: Charm City, Not So Charming?

Jan 23 2008

I have lived in Maryland all but four years of my life. When relatives visited we took them to the Inner Harbor, Science Center, Aquarium, and Lexington Market. I took field trips to Fort McHenry, The Museum of Industry, and B&O Railroad Museum. From the get-go I always thought Baltimore was a Beautiful and amazing city. With the widespread popularity of the show, "The Wire" Baltimore has gaine

Glarus Chocolatier: Mmmmm Hmmmm

Jan 23 2008

Glarus is a little town, and a wee chocolate shop (o.k. 2 wee chocolate shops) in the greater baltimore region, and Glarus rings my bell everytime I happen to be down in harbor east and I take the time to go there. The town, if you believe wikipedia, bubbled up around 1200 or so and is just a little larger than the town I spent my wasted youth in (glarus ~5700, kane, pa ~5000). I've got to ad

It just got easier to sell independent books.

Jan 23 2008

Baltimore based AuthorsBookshop.com, the online bookstore that is dedicated to selling independent books, has just announced a new tool to help authors sell their books. The new program, called "BookBox" allows the authors, along with their friends and fans, to place a box on their own web sites and blogs that offers visitors the opportunity to buy the author's book. The process is very simp

"El Topo", by Alejandro Jodorowsky "DESTROY ME, NEVER DEPEND ON ANYONE" *

Jan 20 2008

"DESTROY ME, NEVER DEPEND ON ANYONE" * J Gavin Heck So I finally got around to watching "El Topo", by Alejandro Jodorowsky, it was given to me as a gift by someone who directed me in a remix of Waiting for Godot a year or 2 ago, as well as his "Holy Mountain". If you believe the hype, and I do as often as possible, then it is an "allegorical, cult western movie and underground film"** but s

BUGS After School Program hosts it's 4th annual Expo

Jan 13 2008

Forty 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders from the Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students (BUGS) after school program will showcase their talents and sell their kid-made wares during the 4th Annual BUGS Expo. The BUGS Expo allows the children to demonstrate the skills and knowledge acquired during the first half of the school year. Students staff booths to demonstrate what they have learned in the ar

"Baltimore Collective" online wiki launches

Jan 13 2008

Saturday, February 9, 2008 has been set as the official launch date for Baltimore's newest online community and info source, the Baltimore Collective. The Baltimore Collective is a community much like Wikipedia, and was in fact created with the same MediaWiki open-source software - giving it much the same look and feel as that famous font of all information. The goal of the site is to colle

Review: Falkenhans Hardware, thankfully, it no Home Depo'

Jan 5 2008

Review: Falkenhans Hardware, thankfully, it no Home Depo' I've been a regular at Falkenhan's Hardware on Chestnut Ave and 34th in Hampden since moving here in late 2004. The first time I went there, in a hurry, I thought they were closed as I approached what seemed like the front of the store I couldn't quite figure out how to get in, was in a hurry and left and went to home depo'...I spent m

NYE Bloodbath (review of T. Burton's Sweeney Todd, Demon Barber of Fleet St).

Jan 2 2008

NYE Bloodbath (review of T. Burton's Sweeney Todd, Demon Barber of Fleet St). So I was outta town (is Baltimore a town?, it definitely isn't "the city") for NYE. Picked up my son on the way north & spent the last 4 days with the Everwonnerful Rebecca & Fam. in nearly snowbound Rochester. Saw Sweeney Todd with her and 3 15-ish "yutes", including my own and since I hadn't seen the play and had

Insomnia: Loop de loop crania

Dec 20 2007

Insomnia: Loop de loop crania Gavin Heck 12/20/07 Powerstruggles in laundromats Res. in fear stories Bout white and black Kids on buses with knives Using them, go figure While the powereli' Watch all roman like We diy dowsers for cash Finding pennies end up Steampunk centurians Going into the white light On the next realty show Reality blow, poor v. po Bores the rich and Bit

Review: Piedigrotta Bakery, new digs

Dec 19 2007

Review: Piedigrotta Bakery One of my favorite little places in Baltimore just got a little bigger. Piedigrotta Bakery is still listed on their website as 319 S. Central Ave. Baltimore, MD 21202 This morning, picking up a few of their amazing tiramisu for work holiday events (which Carminantonio is credited with the invention of...I found out one sleepy morning on WJZ), I saw a sign in t

W HAMBURG ST SERENADE.

Dec 14 2007

W HAMBURG ST SERENADE* 12/14/07 gavin heck If you are the goat Who is gonna take It to the take it To the take it To the brrrridge Then I am your Worst nightmare A caucasian With no badge And a false sense Of insecurity A sham authority Protecting a World gone Full mad, from? *a slightly paranoid response to the sound of shoes coming a little too fast behind me

NEEDLEWALK 12/12/07 Gavin Heck

Dec 12 2007

NEEDLEWALK 12/12/07 Gavin Heck So I went to go buy lottery tickets on lunch today again, not sure if anyone won the 115 million last night, could have even been me, who knows? Everyone has their little or not so little addictions. Walking along Bush st to Russel st there were no scarcely-toothed hookers wanting to "cuddle" or johns interacting with them in their cars, no junkies in cars

The insomniac's big answer shuffle #317

Dec 12 2007

The insomniac's big answer shuffle #317 gavin heck 12/12/07 And we all are awake an army of the leftovers ruminating each mis-step populating this country of castaways praying that the meds kick in surrounding us with the chemical fuzz blanket of grey blue o.k. transition softly to another day and yet those before us never woke again, never found that friendly pattern of re-brea

Review: McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant

Dec 10 2007

Review: McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant Pier 5 Inner Harbor, 711 Eastern Avenue Baltimore, Maryland 21202 Restaurant: (410) 234-1300 1-888-344-6861 toll free Banquets: (410) 234-0180 http://www.mccormickandschmicks.com/ Though I'd walked by McCormick & Schmick's a few hundred times when I used to work in harbor east, I somehow never ambled in there until my foodie main squeeze

NO COUNTRY� in a zigzag pattern

Nov 19 2007

NO COUNTRY� in a zigzag pattern J Gavin Heck 11/19/2007 Been a while since I've seen a movie alone, and yesterday I remembered why. The theater was the new Landmark at President and Aliceanna streets in Harbor East in Baltimore. Landmark still had that new leather smell (and a full bar in the lobby???) and seemed kind of cavernous due to the low attendance, but hey, there was plenty of

ourLittleBaltimore gets pictures!

Nov 16 2007

Movies got sound. TeeVee got color. Now ourLittleBaltimore, everyone's favorite Baltimore-based community journalism project, gets full-blown, honest-to-goodness pictures. If you are only now finding out about ourLittleBaltimore, this probably isn't news to you... you wouldn't know it hasn't had pictures before now. But if you were one of our early readers or subscribers you know how big of

SHOCKED AND AMAZED at the Lo-Fi Social Club

Nov 14 2007

Shocked and Amazed, James Taylor's (am I the only one who feels the need to say "no, not that James Taylor?") presented his traveling troupe of sideshow performers this weekend at the upstart venue the Lo-Fi Social Club. There is a reason sideshow performance persists after so many years (say, thousands, in one form or another). I don't think there was a trick done saturday night that I

Got Ink?

Nov 14 2007

Eight-Stone Press, publisher of the Baltimore based zine "Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore!" has announced that it is collaborating with the Baltimore Tattoo Museum to profile Baltimore's ink. This will be "Smile Hon's" latest "themed issue," and will relate stories about tattoos and body art specifically related to Baltimore, or to urban american life more generally. Eight-Stone Press has

Our Little Baltimore is looking for Staff Writers

Nov 14 2007

Baltimore's brand-new online news source is openly seeking Staff Writers to contribute to it's article base on a weekly basis. "Our Little Baltimore" is an online news source posting articles written by it's readers. It welcomes writers of all experience levels to submit articles about happenings in Baltimore and the surrounding communities. Think; "The CityPaper meets Wikipedia." The sit

THE HOLE THAT GOD LEFT Gavin Heck 11/9/2007

Nov 9 2007

THE HOLE THAT GOD LEFT Gavin Heck 11/9/2007 I'm a citizen of beginnings The start? Art has replaced God Replaced the somehow hole Grown in the shadows Fruit bears long after logic Dictates in conservative rooms Whispered emptiness, hollowness Could it be the hole? That God-shaped hole� Who can fill the emptiness? That ended up super sized In every persona's heart That lef

Wide Angle Youth Media to hold fundraising benefit

Oct 30 2007

Wide Angle Youth Media is set to offer it's first fundraiser On The Set - Benefit and Silent Auction on Thursday, November 8, 2007 from. 6-9pm, hosted by Renegade Studios. Wide Angle Youth Media is a local non-profit media company that uses video and audio production to educate and empower local youth by providing "Baltimore youth with opportunties to tell their stories using video tech

Two Baltimore based zines nominated for Utne Reader Independent Press Awards

Oct 30 2007

Two Baltimore based independently published zines were nominated for the "General Excellence Zines" category of Utne Reader's 19th Annual Utne Independent Press Awards 2007. Chosen from a pool of, in Utne Reader's words, "1,300 magazines, newsletters, journals, alt weeklies, and zines," The two baltimore zines, Smile, Hon, You�re in Baltimore and Hungover Gourmet were among only

Skipreading Photo Exhibit

Oct 29 2007

Skipreadings by Michael Northrup Reception: Friday, November, 2 Blakeslee 916 N. Charles Street 6pm � 9pm Skipreading is a game the surrealists used to play that aims to activate the subconscious. In the exercise, one opens a book to a page and begins quickly choosing words at random. If you get good at it, you have a sense of when to stop and "automatically" choose words that ha

Buyback nobucks

Oct 23 2007

Buyback nobucks. by J Gavin Heck 06/07/05 (Written while living in hampden) How does someone end up with 4 extra guns that you no longer want, need, or feel safe having around when his 13 year old son comes for visitation? Probably the same way someone ends up with a pistol when he was 14, mostly as they call it nowadays a "lifestyle choice". Something about the idea of removing these 4

NEVER MIND THE CRAB CAKES - TRY THE MOCK TURTLE SOUP

Oct 22 2007

"...but Alice had got so much into the way of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things to happen, that it seemed quite dull and stupid for life to go on in the common way." - Lewis Carroll, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" Ah, little Alice. The girl who fell down the rabbit hole and found herself in...Bohager's? Alice would have taken well to Baltimore. She would have fancied th

THE GREATEST CITY IN AMERICA TO GET HARRASED WHILE KISSING

Oct 22 2007

THE GREATEST CITY IN AMERICA TO GET HARRASED WHILE KISSING Gavin Heck 09/25/07 It happened again. My girlfriend's flight was cancelled so she met me on lunch today. I joked we still had time for our seemingly obligatory "get a room" and as we parked on Bush street near the union HQ we spotted 2 empty "THE GREATEST CITY IN AMERICA" benches and chose the shadiest one, or should I sa

NeedlewalkGoldenDay gavin heck 10/12/07

Oct 22 2007

NeedlewalkGoldenDay gavin heck 10/12/07 So again I'm on my "needle walk" going from work to the nearest place that sells the lottery. The "needle walk" as I occasionally spot used needles, and other sign of hard drug activity, bent spoons, little baggies, etc. I get about 50 yards from work and I'm on the phone with my sweetie and out of my peripheral vision I see a man and a woman in a

DID YOU FORGET THAT YOU ARE A BIRD?*

Oct 22 2007

DID YOU FORGET THAT YOU ARE A BIRD?* Gavin Heck 10/22/07 Did you forget This pleasure of flight That feeling of light Moving like a cloud Round midnight Unobserved unheard No word or need To be seen Simply feathered Skylarking This hollow-boned Softly-moaned song Of an airborn life Gravity's midwife Gives you wing *missheard line from bright eye's we are nowhere. wri