MayDay

For some people, becoming "gainfully employed" takes five or more years working in their respective industry. I would have KILLED to be making a "measly" $26K right out of college, I don't think I hit that until my 3rd or 4th year out. I'm still undoing damage from the early years of having to put car repairs, etc. on a credit card. I cackle when I hear recent college grads who think it's tough to manage on $40K a year. That said, I've been putting 10% into my 401K for a while and I'm building up a modest savings for a "rainy day" fun. 3231, can you work with your employer to set up your direct deposit to do that? I'd think they could deposit your paycheck in more than one account.

Everyone's gotta be born somewhere, right?

Oh, I've been to Marks Landing plenty of times and will likely go plenty more - just not this time around.

So I decided to get out of dodge and visit my folks. Took some photos in and around Salem, Lisbon and East Liverpool - the weather wasn't the best but what can you do? Quick shots of Salem's South Lincoln Avenue historic district (on the National Register, I believe): The house for sale is the one you see in the 1st pic: http://www.stamprealty.com/buy/details.asp?ListingID=1497665&ListingType=Residential Some flora at Guilford Lake, near Lisbon: Time to grab lunch in Lisbon, bustling metropolis that it is: See that gazebo? I've seen people have weddings there - they park their tractors on the street and everyone wears their finest/cleanest overalls. No. I'm. Not. Joking. :-o That's not to say Lisbon doesn't have any redeeming qualities - charming historic downtown and residential stock, and the Steel Trolley Diner: Chocolate + coconut flavored milkshake... droooooool... Across the street from the diner: Gooooo diner! The Old Stone Tavern, home of Lisbon's historical society: Columbiana County courthouse: The Lepper Library: Onward to East Liverpool - they have a nice antique mall - and a residential midrise! Does that say "shopping" district? :roll: And that's West Virginia on the other side of the bridge: Okay, the downtown has some nice historic buildings but I have to take issue with that "shopping" thing: This charming little coffee shop is in a nice spot - the ground floor of the former Ogilvies department store: Some details: Back through Lisbon again: And back to Guilford Lake: Howdy from Guilford Lake: Sunset at Guilford Lake: And back through Salem: Hmm, kinda like Crocker Park without the Gap! And back where I started:

A lot of my "budgeting" is through locking in good rates: 1. Signed on at my gym in 1997 via a friend who worked there at the time. She gave me the lowest possible rate - $24 a month. 2. Consolidated two student loans at a fixed rate of 3.5%. 3. My cellphone is five years old, and I'm still on AT&T's "legacy" plan - no texting, but my monthly rate is $29.99 ($35ish after taxes/fees). If I get a new phone, I'll lose that cheap rate. I've also started brewing my own coffee at work - I used to go out twice a day (nothing foo-foo, just large coffee @ $2 a cup). I'll be saving over $1,000 a year by doing this.

Decided to take some photos at lunchtime today: The "construction cranes" referenced - signs that the buildings are coming down soon: This guy will likely be doing the demolition: Got a little artsy on this one:

Folks, can I just say how incredibly therapeutic it is to go to Jillians, have two or three Black and Golds (Dortmunder + Guinness) and then play House of the Dead II with your best friend of 33 years? :banger: :banger: :banger: :drunk: :drunk: :drunk: :shoot: :shoot: :shoot:

"I can't speak for the HBIC, but I don't think his man is down with that!" I am blessed and very happily and exclusively partnered with a ridiculously hot guy who has the perfect personality to complement mine... and he put a Tiffany ring on my hand. Once you're spoiled like I am, there's really nothing else and no one else you need. :-) However, if ajknee can do roof repairs, that might be a different story.

Thank you everyone - David, I'll do my best but I make NO guarantees! ;-)

"CDM, how does one ignore moderators?" Someone tried that with me - I went into their profile and fixed it :evil:

"So you think the grass will be greener at another bank?" Wouldn't take much. I had the "pleasure" of laying out a lot of brochures for them and just skimming the "fine print" was enough to convince me that I'd never want to bank with them. Then again, once they get so big, all banks are basically the same.

"And I'm about to hit the ignore button! HA!" And I can hit the "Delete User Account" button - so all y'all have a nice cup of STFU! :-D Oh, btw peabody, there's a reason you're having problems:

^You never know - Michael and Liz Symon are active participants on the cleveland.com Food & Wine forum, and this site gets PLENTY of lurkers.

"I don't want to take advantage of the forum by advertising my place too much!" Valerie, I think you have a good grasp on the difference between mentioning your place (or happy hour specials which I absolutely love to hear about) vs. gratuitous mentioning-your-place-in-every-single-post-whether-relevant-or-not. It's the same guidelines we give to the realtors on the forum - as long as you're upfront about who you are (or what business you represent), and aren't spamming the boards, it's all good :-)

"What? You people can't engage in deep philosophical conversations?? I think this stuff is fascinating." Um, you post a thread about the demise of civilization the day before my birthday? Nice. REAL nice. Guess I should cancel my spa appointment! That said, if it ever gets to Mad Max-dom, dibs on being the Queen of Bartertown:

I think it sounds potentially good, but I have to say that whenever we organize happy hours/meets, etc., it's usually a priority to spread the wealth. Maybe have a roving downtown event like that where Wonder Bar hosts one month, another place hosts another month - granted that would involve some coordinating. :-|

Welcome to the forum and welcome to Cleveland! Just so you know - the Pointe at Gateway and East 4th Street apartments are technically in the Gateway neighborhood, not the Warehouse District. Gateway is basically the area east of Public Square and south of Euclid near the stadiums (Gateway is about a 5-10 minute walk from the Warehouse District).

Thank you Valerie, we may just have to have a forum happy hour meet sometime! I "wonder" where we could have it? ;-)

They're one of the largest development/property management groups in the world: http://www.hines.com/about/

The Trolleys ARE part of RTA. Do you mean the Rapid, or the regular buslines?

I asked the pope for advice about buying a Cleveland Indians hat. Big d@mn difference. And trust me - aside from the hat incident, she gets it. That's why I'm so traumatized.

I have to say, having Hines involved with Jacobs takes the likelihood of a new tower on Public Square up a serious notch in my book.

Alright, semi-Cleveland Indians related but more of a fashion commentary. Put simply, I have a hard time wearing baseball hats - most are difficult to fit. Don't ask. I had a hat from Banana Republic, simple, black, pre-bent brim. Fit like a glove... err, hat. Loved it. Loved it enough I'd leave the house wearing it if I was in a rush to go get groceries (I never leave the house disheveled or unshowered, but if I was in a pinch, I could do it with that hat). Lost it. Can't find it. Tried to find replacement. Not happening. Banana Republic hates people who can't just throw on any old hat. Thought "hey, I watch the Indians games every now and then, I know who some of the players are - well, except I call that Astrud guy "pearls" because of his necklace". Ahem, I digress... anyway, I thought "why not just buy a Cleveland Indians baseball hat?". Then it occurred to me - straight guys have some weird cultural issues about such things. I mean, I wanted a black cap, without a Wahoo logo (I'm not burning anything in effigy, buuut I think it's not the most appropriate mascot). I know, digressing. But I thought "surely they make caps in all colors" - au contraire, they usually stick with the team colors. I know, more digression. So I asked a straight guy (the pope) for some recommendations - gotta say he did a really good job until he got sick of my questions and suggested I buy a pink hat *scowl*. When I suggested a certain cap, he said "ehhh, kinda reeks of douchebaggery". In the gay world, one would say "sad and tragic" but I'm hip to some hetero jive and I'm well aware that douchebaggery is to be avoided at all costs. So I looked around a little more and found something that was tasteful for my standards and free of douchebaggery, and purchased it at the Team Shop at Progressive Field (bite me, get over it, Jacobs did.) Imagine this hat: But with this logo instead of Wahoo: Tasteful, shows team spirit, etc. Right? Well that's not what this post is about. What happened the first time I wore it is what I'm getting at. So my partner and I decide to stop at Constantino's on the way home from the gym. They're out of Burning River so I try the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA (not bad, btw - sorry, digressing). What happened next made me realize I didn't just buy a hat, I bought some sort of Rosetta Stone-like conversation piece. Picture it: Me: (walk up to register) Cute salesgal: (Looking directly at the logo on my hat) "Hey, is there a game tonight?" Me: (thinking feverishly and remembering yes, there were people wearing Indians gear walking by my gym) "Yes!" Cute salesgal: "Oh are you going, or you gonna watch it at home?" Me: "Ahh, just going home." Cute salesgal: "What time does it start?" Me: (again thinking feverishly, remembering all those Indians-garbed people were there around 6:45) "I think 7ish?" Cute salesgal: "Well I love the Yankees, but I gotta root for the Tribe" Me: "Uhh, yeah! That was great when the Tribe beat the Yankees last year." (thank GOD I knew that) Cute salesgal: "Oh yeah, that was awesome! Go to any games yet this year?" Me: (desperately scrambling for words that'll be believable) "Not yet, but when it gets warmer I think". Cute salesgal: "That'll be $18.94 (I also bought my partner's Dortmunder). Have a good night". Me: "You too!" I should clarify - this gal has seen me and my partner before; I'm pretty sure she "gets it" that I'm not on the free agent roster (wink wink), but the FIRST time I put the thing on my head, I get BOMBARDED as though I'm some ESPN commentator or president of the fan club!?! WTF kinda cult are you people in?!? I'm seriously afraid to ever wear the hat out in public - what if someone wants to talk "stats"?!? Ack!!! Is there a support group for this?!? Did I do something wrong?!? Am I... (gasp) believable as a hetero sports fan?!?!?!? :-o

^How "green" of them - oh, and having it online could potentially save a sh!tload in postage/printing costs but what do I know?

I live not too far from Metro Lofts but across the highway in Tremont proper. Metro Lofts are technically in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood. The area around Metro Lofts has historically been on the dicey side. Last year someone was gunned down on Althen Avenue - possibly during a drug deal, and he died on the steps of Mega Church which is about four blocks north of Metro Lofts. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/10/_update_the_man_who.html. A few years earlier, a well-publicized double homicide happened at Tony's Deli, not far from there: http://www.loumuenz.com/2004/12/15/tremont-murder-memorial/ Mind you, a lot of violent crimes happen between people that know each other or are gang/drug-related but when something like that happens basically across the street, I get a little sketchy :? That said, and I should emphasize that the CPD has recently initiated some pretty harsh crackdowns on drug-related and violent crime so perhaps the area has benefitted from that. I prefer being able to walk to different spots, but if having to hop in your car to get to nightlife, restaurants doesn't bother you, Metro Lofts could very well work for you.