Season tickets and re-zoning

My season tickets to see the Tigers play came this week.  One of my favorite days of the year.  As soon as the seal on the envelope is broken, I just like to take a big whiff of the season ticket goodness.  Football season for the tigers is a mere 6 days 10 hours away, and I'm stoked. 

Also, on Monday, Jeni and I did something a little different.  We went to a public zoning hearing.  There is about 40 acres near our house zoned single family dwelling and they want to make it "planned development."  I thought initially that it would be very townhall meeting-ish and a bunch of angry townsfolk would irrationally and unintelligently oppose new development.  It wasn't quite like that.  The developer or developer representative and all those in favor get 10 mins to make their case and then the opposition gets 10 mins to make their case.  And then they ask for all those in favor to stand and be counted and then all those against to stand to be counted.  As someone who was the self proclaimed King of Sim City and invested hours in city planning across Sim City, Sim City 2000, Sim City 3000, and Sim City 4, I found the process and plans presented intriguing.  As Sim City mayor/dictator, I could rezone at will, and I wonder just how much City Counsel takes into account the thoughts of those presenting or if its all just show.  After all, there were 6 hearings on the docket that night, the most people present who disagreed with any on them was about 10.  And none of the arguments against were very good.  The same 3 things were cited in oppostion of each of the properties:  increased traffic, noise pollution, and light pollution.  My complaint (which I chickened out and didn't voice) was that the plans for the development near us looked like a 5th grader did them.  Seriously, crayon was involved.  I'm not against development in that location, I just want it done a little more formally and professionally.  As fas as the 3 standard complaints everyone brings up, first of all, there is a huge misnomer as to what a traffic study consists of.  People complained that obviously one wasn't done or they'd have noticed the deterioting bridge 1 mile away or the fact that it sometimes takes 5 mins to pull out of their subdivision or the that people drive recklessly around there.  I got news for them, none of those are in a traffic study.  Its simply a average number of cars per day and an average speed.  (Crash analysis and sight distance are the only other two things possibly considered). Road conditions and turn out time are not considered.  And should we really slow economic progress so people can get out of their subdivision quicker?  Shouldn't we consider ourselves blessed to be in an area that the economy isn't plummeting in and that new businesses do want to come? Same with noise and light pollution.  I'm sorry, but I'm all for a strengthing the economy in our area (esp during a recession) and if you don't like it, move outside the city.  Don't help the recession along by stifling growth.  Anyway, all that to say, if there is a zone hearing about a property that concerns/interests you, you should check it out.  I know in our case at least, it was good to hear the developers side of the case.  Often, the angry mob is all you hear.

Youngins at concerts

One more post about being old and then I'll stop. I don't want this to turn into "Phil T grows old".
So I went to a concert last night, one of the good things about being old is that you can sit in the back (or balcony in this instance) and take it all in and no one thinks anything of it. In fact, it's expected. Afterall, wouldn't want to break a hip in the mosh pit. And my feet don't hurt when I get home.
Why does it take so long to get the sound right in monitors at concerts? I've never figured that out, surely a band that tours constantly should have it down by now. Or better yet, don't we have a better, more technological way of doing that by now?
Anyway, I digress, the band that opened, they have really grown up. I've seen them maybe 4-5 times over the years opening for larger bands. They are from Greenville, I think the first time I saw them play, their moms had to bring them to the show. Anyway, you how on bands websites where its says who they've opened for, if their sites has one of those, I was at that show. It's been odd seeing them 'grow up' over the last couple years. I don't think they got much better though.
The main band is one of the few bands who I've followed not only their entire career, but who I've been a fan of for over a decade now. There are only a handful of bands whose style is such that I've remained a fan for that long. However, they are a few years older than me (maybe 1-2) and it's weird because the lead singer I've seen gradually go bald. They come into town about every 2 years and every time there is less and less up top and last night, the amount of facial exceeded the amount of hair on his head. Reminded me of this article about how guys view their age that my stepmom forwarded me the other day: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25847518/from/ET/
Anyway, if you like heavy rock and don't mind balding lead singers, check out Spoken. I love those guys.

Adding Character and Cavities

I'm glad that August is finally here. For one, because that means football season is almost upon us and for two, because July was a tough month for me to maintain my 'young adult' image. For months, my sister-in-law Allison has been giving me a hard time about how old I am and how I'm no longer a young adult. That I'm an old man. Well, this month I not only had my 10 year high school reunion, but also my first cavity and first gray hair. My wife says the gray hair 'adds character', but I'm not too sure about that. I'm tempted to pull it, but I'm afraid that 3 more will grow back in its place and before you know it, I'll have a gray spike. I'm sure that can disagree with her much after this month. The cavity, luckily was not painful. But apparantly, I'm going to have to start brushing my teeth now, all that bad diet and lazy hygiene finally caught up with me. If you are in the Greenville area and want a pain-free filling, Dr. Ben Daniel is your man. Didn't feel a thing, not even afterwards. As for the gray hair, well, you can't really even see it once it's covered in hair gel and spiked up with all the others. For now, I might just have to live with it. And maybe not...
"Jeni, have you seen my Sharpie?"