Inducing Emotions

Induced Emotion, Re: PANIC

A woman from my hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, was arrested for "inducing panic" at a local drugstore.

  

It seems that she became frustrated waiting for a clerk to ring her out.  So she screamed that the store was being robbed.  Her screams quickly brought a clerk to the checkout.  However, after the store crew realized her ruse, they called the law.  They had the impatient woman arrested for "inducing panic."

This story has made me wonder about all of the other possible crimes of inducing emotion.  Can I have my mother arrested for inducing guilt? Should my robo-calling elected official be arrested for inducing anger?   Should Max at Pasta Plus be arrested for providing such a great meal that he induces  gluttony and then lethargy?  And what about other small town bloggers, who are so much better chroniclers of local stories that they induce my envy?  

I say, "away with them all."  Anyone who causes such strong involuntary emotions should have to do at least a few days in the Laurel city jail, or some community service to help them kick their inducing habit.  

I will be waiting on my porch for Laurel's lawmen to book me for inducing boredom.  You may be called to testify.

Where to Buy the Best Sandwich in Laurel?

A good sandwich is hard to find.  A great sandwich is the world's best comfort food.  It cures what ails you.  A sandwich can take you back to your youth.  Or remind you of sharing a special sandwich on your first date.  Your circumstances may be different but all of us have strong food memories.

This brings us to today's Laurel Connection's poll.

Where do you buy your absolute favorite sandwich in Laurel?

Here are the sandwich shootout guidelines:

1. Tell us where to buy it - Unless you want a bunch of hungry people camped outside your grandmother's house demanding a grilled cheese with tomato and bacon...your favorite sandwich must be available from a commercial food establishment near Laurel.
2. Tell us how to buy it - Be specific.  Tell us about your sandwich in loving detail.  Help us to really taste it.  Write it like you would see it on the menu or as described in a food column. Help us to order it and fix it just like you eat it.  For example, "A steak sub on a lightly toasted Italian hoagie roll with grilled onions and two slices of smokey provolone cheese, gobs of real mayo, lots of dill pickles, shredded crisp romaine and  a generous helping of hot pepper relish."
3. The source of your sandwich should be in general vicinity of Laurel.  We can be a bit flexible, but make sure it's within 10 miles or so.  Nobody wants to drive too far for comfort food.
4. Last but not least, tell us why the sandwich is so special you?  When did you have it the first time?  First date?  First time driving the family car alone after you got your driver's license? After a big game or a big promotion?  A sandwich you ate late at night after the birth of your first child?

That's it. You can share your favorite sandwich in the comments section below or simply click here.  Or send it to me via email (g dot rick dot wilson at gmail dot com).  And I'll add it to the Laurel Sandwich Shootout Menu for you.

Thanks for sharing,   rick

Short Takes

1. I hear that cheeky lizards taste pretty good.   The one in the photo has made his last annoying commercial.   Red or white wine with reptiles?

2. An interesting story about Columbia's Symphony Woods.  Not everything is what it seems.

3. Don't tell Joan Fitzgerald but I'm writing my first post with my brand new Apple Macbook.  

Main Street 2008

I've got a secret that I know I share with many of my neighbors in Oldtown. Please don't tell the Laurel Board of Trade organizers because they work so hard to put on a good festival. But I like it when it rains on the morning of the Main Street festival.

Over the 27 years I've attended the Main Street Festival I've learned that a soaking morning rain knocks down the crowds just enough. The festival is better when the crowds thin out. You can walk down the street and see the booths. You run into more of your neighbors and can have a chat without getting pushed downstream with the unceasing flow.

This morning's festival started in a heavy rain. The organizers, police, public works team, and the ever faithful Laurel Police Auxiliary were already working at o'dark thirty in a cold downpour.

I wish I had taken a photo of Auxiliary Police Officer Wayne Dzwonchyk this moning about 8am. He looked like a mud soaked dough boy in the trenches of France in WWI. The rain was running off of his hat and down his face as he sleepily flagged away yet another vendor's box truck.

The parade was soggy but everyone still had a good time. I especially liked the lawn mower racing team. All of our local elected folks made it out for the Parade. The ever dutiful 21st delegation from Annapolis braved the rain along with our County Councilman, the County Sheriff, our Mayor and all of the Laurel City Council members and marched down the street. Kudos too to the LHS marching band and the West Laurel Ragtaggers, they were all wet but still sounded great.

The skies cleared by 11 and the crowds were good but not unbearable. She-who-must-be-obeyed forced me to walk back up to Main Street at 3pm to eat a sausage sandwich and have a lemonade. Chalk up another Main Street Festival and Happy Mother's Day to all.

A few more quick pictures: http://flickr.com/photos/laurelnow/sets/72157604988638451/

We Should Call It Herbie!

The city just bought two new "green" vehicles.

Remember the Disney Love Bug movies? I think we should call one of the new cars Herbie and the other "Tennessee Steinmetz."

Don't you just feel like grabbing one of these vehicles by the roof and going, vroom, vroom?

See the Mayor's blog for the rest of the story.

For a ride down memory lane, watch Herbie.

The Tunu Made Me Do It

Have you ever had one of these magical evenings at a new restaurant?

It's a chilly, rainy evening. You're weary of the familiar neighborhood spots. So you decide to try a totally new place that's still close to home. When you arrive you're treated like a favorite regular, shown to a warm table and then served one of the best meals of your life. After finishing off the last of the wine, you sit back totally satisfied and wonder why it took you so long to try this place.

Last night Joanne and I had this kind of magical experience at the Trapeze restaurant in Fulton, Maryland. Although we've been talking about the Trapeze since it opened, we had not yet made the 5 mile trek out rt 216 to the Maple Lawn area. We also had the chance to catch up with a old Laurel friend. But first to the food.

We started with jumbo shrimp, served unusually in a bread cup and drizzled with a lightly spiced, garlic butter sauce. Joanne's main event was the fried monkfish with a balsamic reduction. I had the pepper crusted Ahi Tuna, seared perfectly to medium rare. The sushi grade tuna was paired exquisitely with a delicate wasabi sauce that did not overpower the tuna. A fruity Pinot Grigio was the perfect accompaniment to the shrimp, our fish and our mood.

We also had the chance to catch up with Mark Steckbeck, Trapeze's Director of Operations. Mark, originally from Laurel, is an old friend who we had not seen in years. Mark has been a leader in the fine dining industry for a long time and is associated with the Trapeze and its sister restaurants, Nottinghams in Columbia and the Bluestone in Timonium. We enjoyed reconnecting with Mark and learning about the Trapeze.

Tired of the same old, same old? Looking for reasonably priced but fine food in a casual setting not far from home? Please do yourself a favor and try the Trapeze. Please say hello to Mark, and be prepared for a warm, filling and memorable evening out.

N.B. Be sure to check out the Trapeze website. They have a clever video called "Fish Tales."

Urban Turkey Attack & Radar Moms

Astute readers may have noticed that the Laurel Connections Blog has been on hiatus since August. Astute readers with good taste have been quietly applauding.

While we had hoped to remain in hiding at an undisclosed location until after the upcoming special "bleed us dry" session of the Maryland General Assembly. More on the tax, tax, slot, slot, fizz, fizz session later, two news stories today simply begged for a Connections post.

Red Dawn with a Gobble

The Boston Globe reported today that flocks of wild turkeys are terrorizing Brookline, Mass.

"The turkey eyed Jean-Felix. Jean-Felix eyed the turkey. It gobbled. She gasped. Then the turkey proceeded to follow the Dorchester woman over the Green Line train tracks, across the street, through traffic, and all the way down the block, pecking at her backside as she went."

Wild turkey's are not strangers to Laurel. (No, not the 80 proof kind.) The Laurel Leader reported last April on an incident that city officials then considered a fluke ... but now we know it was a clever poultry reconnaissance mission. Before we are gobbled and pecked into submission we must prepare.

I recommend that our police officers and firefighters be issued shotguns. Billy Miles' freezers at the Meat Market should be readied as cold storage. (Thanksgiving is only 4 weeks away!) And because I'm sure that all our officials will want to help, we should issue turkey calls to all city, county and state elected representatives. N.B. Citizens are advised to avoid locations where shotgun toting fire fighters and turkey calling elected officials are known to congregate.

Smile, You Are on My Radar Sucker - Revenge of the Moms

Speeding was my most common complaint as city council member. Neighbors want the police to strictly enforce the 25 mph speed limit. Small police agencies can't be everywhere. A story reported in USA Today described a win-win solution to the problem.

Police departments across the country are loaning residents radar guns and turning them into neighborhood speed watchers. The volunteers radar gunslingers can't ticket the drivers but their reports can result in warning letters.

Laurel has used the "Drive 25" signs for quite awhile. Traffic calming experiments are now underway on a couple of streets. But talk to most mothers in Oldtown and you will get an earful about speeding on Fourth, Fifth and Montgomery Streets.

I say let's arm them with the technology they need. Give them a radar gun, a digital camera and a lawn chair and we'll have the speeding problem cleaned up before the ice melts at the corner lemonade stand . "Do you feel lucky, speeder?"

Laurel At The Movies - UPDATE

Thanks for all the kind comments on the recent audio podcast. It isn't me, Bob Bain is just a great interview. Click to listen to the BOB BAIN MOVIE PODCAST.

Kubrick's 2001 is a hot topic on the comments page.

We've also had a number of interesting stories as a result of our movie survey. See LAUREL AT THE MOVIES SURVEY

Here are the first stories posted:

1. Going on my first date with a young lady and having the entire theater to ourselves... It was a Harrison Ford/Tom Clancy movie and it was at the old Laurel Lakes movie theater which I'm pretty sure now resides next to the washers and dryers at the Lowes... Fav Movie: Hudson Hawk
2. Going to see Narnia on Christmas. We pre-ordered our tickets a few days before and went at the last minute to see the movie and got great seats. We also like that theatre because boston market is next door. We buy tickets then go eat. Movies are more fun when the kids are well fed!!
3. Least favorite is MUVICO. Parking is horrendous and frequently kids are not behaved. This is important to remember as we deploy our new Laurel Mall to ensure it is safe, enjoyable and customer friendly.
4. When I was 18 and my younger sister was 12 or 13, she wanted to go see "The Exorcist", which had just came out. I had misgivings, but agreed to take her. She spent virtually the whole movie at the top of the aisle, peeking through the doors into the amphitheater to watch. She refused to return to her seat because she was too scared, but did not want to leave, either.
5. The balcony at the Laurel Theater when it was on Main Street. Favorite Movie Experience - Laurel High School Girls seeing Elvis Blue Hawaii Favorite Movie - Longest Day
6. Watching "It's a mad,mad,mad, mad world" at Route 202 drive-in. African Queen.
7. The first movie I saw in living color, especially the musicals. Favorite movie: Roman Holiday

Please let me know if you have an idea for an interview with you or your Laurel organization. Email me g dot rick dot wilson at gmail dot com. Please replace the dot and at with . @.

Thanks for reading (and listening) to the Laurel Connections Blog.

Laurel At The Movies

Joanne made me take her to a chick flick last weekend. Stosh was away skiing in Vermont and we were trying to see if we could learn to handle the looming claustrophobia of our empty nest. We saw Judi Dench in "Notes on a Scandal." ...Don't ask.

My tastes run to car chases, buxom Bond girls, palomino horses, spaceships and/or gun play. Dialogue beyond grunting and cussing is not really needed for me to enjoy a movie. Movies that combine all of these elements are usually my personal choices for an Oscar.

I've lived in beautiful downtown Laurel since May of 1980. I remember the Drive-In on Rt 1, the short-lived Hoyt's Theatres at Laurel Lakes and the Laurel Movie Theatre at Rt197 and Contee Rd.

Joanne's first-ever drive-in movie was when she went with me to see Spielberg's E.T on one of our early dates. She insisted that we take my little Honda 360T motorcycle. She said it made her feel safer. I felt pretty stupid with the speaker hanging from my helmet chinstrap.

Twenty-Seven years and many dates later, Joanne felt bad about the Judi Dench chick flick (don't ask). So she agreed to see the 40th anniversary showing of "2001: A Space Odyssey." Kubrick's 3 hour masterpiece was playing at the AFI Silver Theatre in downtown Silver Spring. The reverently restored, art deco, AFI Silver is one of our favorite theatres.

I was curious about Laurel's movie theatres so I called my neighbor Bob Bain. Bob grew up in Laurel and we've often discussed Laurel history. He was full of information. He explained that St. Nicholas' Church used to meet at the Laurel Cinema . I think the statute of limitations has run out on his hiding in the back after Mass and sneaking into the following matinee for free.

Here is an audio podcast of Bob's memories of Laurel's Theaters.

BOB BAIN MOVIE PODCAST
When the streaming page opens,youmay need to click the play button twice. Please let me know if you have trouble with hearing the podcast in the comments section. I'm still learning how to stream audio.

In honor of Sunday night's Academy Awards and because I'm excited to welcome a super-duper movie theatre to the reborn Laurel Mall, I've also created a a new Laurel Connections Survey. Please let us know where you enjoy a movie and popcorn by taking the:

LAUREL AT THE MOVIES SURVEY

Thanks for visiting the blog. - rick

Designer Barbie Dolls

The Just-Up-The-Pike blog has a hilarious story about the "designer" Barbie Dolls that Mattel is selling. The new dolls have a regional flavor. So Just-Up-The-Pike offers his take on Montgomery County themed Barbie Dolls.

Of course this is all in jest ...but I just couldn't stop thinking about the West Laurel Barbie, the OldTown Laurel Barbie, the Savage Barbie, the Developer Barbie, the Fire Department Barbie, the Rescue Squad Barbie and the Beltsville Barbie.

The Laurel Connections comments section is now open for business for your Designer Barbie Doll ideas.