Stairway Etiquette

Courtesy of Mike Morucci, local blogger and very conscientiously funny guy.

Be responsible for your own hula hoop

I attended the 2nd annual Hula-hoop-a-thon in Baltimore this weekend; it’s a fund-raiser for Fluid Movement. ‘Twas great fun.

As the contestants congregated, Miss Trixie Little, host of the event and one of the judge’s explained, “You’re responsible for making sure your hoop stays safe and that you don’t collide with anyone else. Sorry. But rules are rules.”

I like her philosophy

Wrong number and …

I got a recommendation from a friend for a service I wanted to hire. When I called the phone number, the outgoing message was just an automated recording stating the phone number and asking me to leave a message. So I did.

About an hour later, I got a voice message from a young woman, explaining that I had called the wrong number.

Wow! How simple an act of consideration. And how much I appreciated her taking a minute or two of her time to make sure I got accurate feedback on my call, so that I could take action to get I wanted, rather than waiting forever for a return call that never landed in the right voicemail box to begin with. Thanks! ~Jessie

A Nice Buzz

I attended the Columbia Foundation’s Spring Party last night, and it was just delightful. Well organized. Brimming with good energy. And lots of joyful interactions and laughter.

One thing that impressed me greatly was this: At the 25th annual party, and at the last event at which Executive Director Barbara Lawson will be at the helm, there weren’t any speeches or goodbye gifts for Barbara, or long, drawn-out announcements. The organizers let the party and the interactions be the statement of appreciation to Barbara and all the staff, board members and volunteers who support the foundation.

Surprises at the Planning Board Hearing

I attended a Howard County Planning Board hearing on legislation re limiting building heights. If you haven’t heard much about it, trust me, it’s been a fairly contentious issue. I went to the hearing having no idea of what to expect and was really surprised.

The Planning Board members did such a great job of being civil and polite, the business community members were professional, genuine and concerned without getting emotional and frenzied.

Frankly, my dear

I have a blog called Hometown Columbia. I recently wrote a post that got the ire of a person who pontificated, in the comments section, about what she saw as my grave errors in a particular matter.

Several community members spoke up and offered their perspectives on my supposedly ever-so-grave errors. And they did so with humor, intelligence and kindness toward The Anonymous Pontificator.

Friends til the End

I am finding that the hardest time to be civil is when I feel personally affronted, criticized or rejected.

Jessie and I work together, a lot. Besides a close friendship where we share all the details of our lives, we are now seriously building a business together.

I was just reading a blog about entrepreneurs where the blogger pointed out many mistakes business owners make, one of the being hiring friends and family to work with you.

I realize our civility practice will help Jessie and I over the rough spots

A Sincere Apology Works Wonders

My cel phone rang the other day. It was an “866″ number — most likely a telemarketer, so I ignored it, figuring they’d leave a message if the call was important. Four more times that day, the same number showed up on my caller ID. By the fifth call, I knew the beast needed to be stopped, so I answered.

Typical scenario: a recorded message, blah-blah, stay on the line for a representative … so I stayed on the line. I was ready for a fight.

A Boy Becomes a Man

Cherie and I were at the library. Nothing unusual there. A young man, Francisco D. we later learned, had gotten up from one of the computer stations minutes earlier. When he walked by the same station later, the off-duty police officer hired to help maintain civility at the library (in the after-school hours), asked him to throw away a soda can the officer thought Francisco had left at the station. Francisco said the can wasn’t his and was clearly annoyed that he was being asked to do this.

Good Dog!

Cherie and I went to Historic Ellicott City today to walk around a bit and get a vibe on the place.

When we entered What’s In Store (which, if you haven’t been to yet, is faaaabulous), we saw the proprietor’s two dogs: Max and Hercules. I’m not a big dog fan, as a general rule, simply because I’m not a fan of how many people are neglectful in training their dogs to be socialized for all occasions.

Chester’s dogs were the kind of dogs I met in Düsseldorf and the kind I rarely meet in America: they were mannered, polite, engaging without being demanding, aware and respectful … to attribute to them all the anthropomorphism possible at the moment. These traits reflect on their owner, I believe, and the understanding he has that if he wants dogs he can take most everywhere, he has to have worked with his dogs to create this capacity in them.

I fell in love with Max today, so much that I went home thinking about having a dog someday. Thank you to Chester, Max and Hercules, for reminding me how wonderful and civil dogs are when their owners take the time to train them well. ~Jessie