Tag Archives: Restoration Saint Lois

LIVE

polarity


The bosses got an award for their/our commitment to revitalizing Saint Louis at a big shin-dig for Habitat for Humanity over the weekend….

Core staff and their significant others were invited to join our employers at “the table”.. Table number 15… (It was one of those gigs where a table costs a paycheck.)

We were undeniably the “weird” table in what otherwise was a sea of suit-and-tie, west-county conservative type folk… My boss’ uncanny ability to have make fun ANYWHERE and schmooze ANYONE made sure we were entertained for the evening.

Mission statements and good intentions aside… I kept getting this empty vibe from the event… As if to suggest that it was all charitably convenient and a vehicle for nouveau-wealthy protestants to self congratulate and feel better about themselves.

Beef tenderloins were ingested…. Auctions were had… Awards were given and an inner city black couple was paraded in front of us for desert to give thanks and praise.

If I was a self-respecting African American guy – I would have been turned off… but I’m not…. so I’ll just shut the hell up and hope weighs in with some insight who has set me straight on many an issue by nudging my perspective one way or another.

Investing in neighborhoods is good…. Affording people the opportunity to “own” a home is good….

“Change” just doesn’t seem like it should be a programed event… Nor can it be brought about by $125 a plate buffets.

A fundraising block-party or fair in one of the neighborhoods where they built these houses seems like it would have been more appropriate… more meaningful.

But I have a hand-painted velvet blacklit painting of these suburban dwelling pale-faces schlepping into north St. Louis in their Lexus SUVs for a party.

Why would they? The hoods “Are” still transitional.. and yeah – in some cases dangerous.

And there’s what’s wrong.. I don’t see these polarity issues being fixed by the “Let’s Give A Poor Negro a House” program.

I can see where the Habitat folks are coming from…. Empower people to “own” a piece of the hood… and they’ll have a stake in its future….

The organization’s longevity would suggest it “does” work?

I guess the event just struck me as “insulated”.

I guess this is just this damn case of adult-onset skepticitis.

I guess that’d be better than blogging.

LIVE

sunday?


Some guy making an independent film called the office wanting permission to do a few scenes in front of our office and at the rooftop pool……………. on Sunday.

I was obviously at the wrong place at the wrong time… (Standing next to my boss’ desk when she fielded the call).

Before you could say “Shanghai” – yours truly was committed to being on-site to supervise and tend to any needs the filmmakers may have.

It wasn’t malicious…. The boss thought it’d be fun and up my alley of interest.
(One out of two assumptions right ain’t bad.)

What she didn’t realize that when a director says “Oh – we just have to do two scenes” – they really mean: “We’ll need about 6 to 8 hours”.

Film shoots are every bit as boring and tedious as architectural photography shoots I worked on with Alise in yesteryear. (except there’s more people involved)…. It’s really only interesting if you’re “working” – and then suddenly you don’t notice that you’ve spent two hours filming a hand open a glove box.

I showed up at 2PM when they were supposed to be there.
They crew of starry-eyed 20-somethings didn’t show up till 4PM… of course – their early shoot ran long.

One of the gal’s from the leasing department who had volunteered to be an extra in the second scene showed up… We excused ourselves from set and went around the corner and threw down margaritas while the crew worked.

All I missed back home was planting yucca plants all over the west hill… but Sunday’s the only day all three of us are off of work – so I’m becoming grumpily protective of the day in my old age.

Jah, Jah… I’m not bitching… it’s fine.

I’m not blogging either.

LIVE

shin-dig opening


Last night was the grand opening ceremony / party for the masonic temple turned movie theater / bowling alley and loft apartments.

Kevin, who is still in the throws of devastating emotional / psychological withdrawals from smoking opted to stay home. All we can do is hope he gets better and try to be as supportive, (from a distance), as possible.

All the city’s to-do folk were at the party… The mayor… Aldermen… Bankers…

Live music – super shi-shi over-the-top food spreads… and ooo… an open bar.

Stuck around for a couple of hours,… I made mental notes about what’s working and not working about the temporary way-finding signage we had installed just before the event…

Made sure my clients saw me… (important for the shmooze-factor) – then headed home….. Stopping by Danny’s house to pick up his iBook to work on and update while he’s out of town on vacation next week.

So I guess it was a packed night – all not blog worthy.