The street lights between Ashland and Paulina are out again they seem to go out quite frequently. I am interested in finding out the cause of these outages and have sent a letter to the Aldreman's office in hopes of getting the issue resolved.

A new business is coming to the Gateway. A Quiznos sandwich shop is going in across from Chinalite. I think this is exactly the type of business we need in order to get some of the commuters that come through each day to stop and spend a little money in our hood.

The new streetlights up and down Greenview between Howard and Jarvis are a welcome sight. There were several lights before but the light was often obscured by tree branches and they were so high the light was too widely dispersed. The new posts have 2 fixtures, one to illuminate the street ad one for the sidewalk. They also look quite nice. I am investigating whether or not this is a program that will move to to other streets as well. I think these types of fixtures would be great in our local parks.

Many of you may have received the gift of a new phone book over the last few days. Our building was given more than its fair share. One delivery person decided to spare those on his route the trouble of disposing of them on their own and dropped 2 tons of yellow pages in our dumpster. If anyone knows of this happening in other locations or has seen any similar activity please let me know.

My wife and I are having a bunch of people over tomorrow night and we plan on ordering pizza. We usually order from Leona's but it just isn't very good any more. I think their sauce is bland. Aside from Carmen's, (which I also think is mediocre) does anyone have any suggestions on a good place that delivers up here? I like a kind of spicy sauce if that helps with recommendations. Thanks!

Hi everyone. I was recently turned on to a free interenet phone service called Skype. It allows you to create a profile much like AIM with voice and talk to other registerd users but it's completely free. It will also dial real numbers all over the globe for those folks you want to reach out who are not registered users if you subscribe to that service. Pretty cool. Here's the link to their site: http://www.skype.com

A few thoughts on the recent smoking ban. I quit smoking about 5 years ago now and when I go out to places that allow smoking it really bothers me but I plan for it. I try to get a table by the door/window and wear clothes I don't mind smelling like an ashtray for 3 washings. if it gets too unpleasant, I go home. I have lots of friends who smoke and I would not want them to stay at home or be forced outdoors every time they wanted/needed a cigarette. Perhaps it is not always the case but smokers tend to be people with a more cavalier attitude towards life and in my opinion are often the life of any party.

The argument has been made that this will protect the bartenders and waitresses in these establishments from second hand smoke. I think that is somewhat logical but is really just an argument used to break down the opposition's argument that people can choose to go to a bar or resatauant that allows these things or choose to go to a place that chooses not to allow smoking on their own. The idea being that the employees do not have a choice. Fact is, they new they were going to be working in a smoky environment. Drinking and smoking go hand in hand. I know many people who only smoke when they drink and others who chain smoke when drinking who usually smoke very little. Anyone who does not expect a smoky environment when they apply for work at a bar must never have been in a bar in Chicago.

I also wonder how this will effect other businesses aside from bars. One in particular is the obligatory smoking lounges at funeral parlors. I know it is a little grim to think about, but can you imagine having to tell a grieving person that they need to go outside to smoke in the rain (15 feet away from the building no less) when a loved one has just passed? I would not have the nerve to do it.

Hi everyone. I know I have been a bad blogger lately but I have been spectacularly busy and lazy recently. I am writing today to ask if anyone knows what all the activity was this afternoon on Paulina. I was walking home from the grocery and noticed flashing lights several blocks south of Fargo. It seemed that it may have been the roving group of police SUVs you sometimes see around. I was particularly concernedas it was right around the time kids were getting out of school. I was carrying groceries home and could not investigate.

Also, I wanted to make an announcement that I am going to change the content of this blog somewhat. I was going to start another blog that is not so "community only" focused to share with family and friends but decided that having a blog that just covers anything I might be interested in would be easier to maintain. I will still post about community issues when I have news or an opinion.

Finally, you may have noticed the new police camera that went in on Ashland and Howard. As much as I appreciate that these cameras might provide additional security in the areas in which they are located, I wonder what effect it has on businesses and investors. Do they think it is an added security or do they think, "I am not going to move my business to an area that needs a police camera."?