I Always Wanted to Pretend I Was an Architect

Tipped of by the Washington Post item on the show, I watched a PBS program on Benjamin Latrobe. Interesting stuff: a competition for a plan for the US Capitol got dismal submissions; the man who started the project was a political choice -- his work resulted in a roof collapse; Latrobe made improvements that were mostly lost to fire; all good neo-classicism in the US is thanks to Latrobe; he died broke. Dan, I reckon you will have to take me to the Baltimore cathedral, now that I know more about this interesting man.

Watch the show online (or in rerun, I bet).

(I wish I could take time to say more about this, but packing seems to fill my time these days.)

New House

Late February will find us in a new place! While it's not as walkable a neighborhood as where we live now, there is

- a city library at 4/10 mile
- a drugstore and some fast food at 7/10 mile
- a Ukrop's at 1.5 mile (but hills and intersection and I think a lack of sidewalk make it an unlikely walk).

My work is 4.5 miles away. Yup, that's right! Fun with the odometer on the way to work, today.

And Mapquest says the block of restaurants, bookstore, and wine shop is 7/10 mile!

Another Book I Wonder Why I Wanted to Read

I finished The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs, by Jack Gantos last night. What a strange - no, creepy story. It's gothic in an old-fashioned sense, with the curse being something repulsive that we watch the narrator rationalize. It's gripping, and the writing is strong, but I can't imagine recommeding it to any of my lib patrons. And, I wonder, again, where I read about it -- what end of the year list, what passing mention made me want to call it from another branch and read it. Should I start noting the source when I Shelfari something as "want to read"?