Fuck Yeah Maryland

Spray painters get a measure of acceptance
By Joe Burris | joseph.burris@baltsun.com
August 16, 2009

BALTIMORE — Save some swings.

They go by such names as Booda Monk, JaziRock, Curve and Refuge, and they’re known for turning drab city landscapes into colorful, artistic expressions.

On Saturday they and other urban artists gathered in Mund Park to celebrate their craft: Spray-painted works often referred to as graffiti. The art is a part of hip-hip culture that was once widely disparaged but ultimately garnered some acceptance as hip-hop music hit mainstream.

Saturday’s Urban Eyes: Fuel for the Arts event gave urban artists, some of whom have been painting such works for more than 30 years, a chance to not only display finished works but to stage live painting demonstrations and hold workshops on the craft.

Billed as a block party that also featured live performances from local music artists, the event was organized by Steady Baltimore Urban Arts League, a group that promotes the city’s urban arts culture, and the Baltimore-based United Sisters Mentoring Program.

[…]

posted on 16.08.09

You know more than 10 people who own boats, all at the same marina in Solomon’s.

You can pronounce and spell “Pocomoke,” “Mattaponi,” “Accokeek,” “Havre de Grace” and “Silopanna” (Annapolis backwards).

You pronounce “Bowie” BOO-ee Not BOW-ee. Or BAUW-ee.

Someone asks you what school you went to - you automatically name your High School.

You know where ‘lil it lee is (Little Italy).

You remember Harbor place as the horrible place with polluted water.

When the Power Plant was an actual power plant.

You know what the Dundalk/Seagirt terminal means.

You remember BWI Airport as Friendship airport.

You remember driving over the old Kent Narrows bridge that everyone fishes off of now.

After eating crabs you wash your hands with beer.

You love the Domino Sugar sign you can see across the harbor.

You know Annapolis and Hopkins are national treasures and get a kick out of hearing them named in movies or TV.

You know B&O is not body odor, but Baltimore & Ohio railroad.

1 hour is a good commute to work.

You have more than three recipes for crab cakes.

Every kitchen has Old Bay and French fries just don’t taste right without it.

There are more than two crab places in your town.

You got your first fishing rod or lacrosse stick before you were six years old.

You call all turtles “terrapins.”

You refer to your state as “Merlin.”

Your mother shops at Hecht’s.

You still call Six Flags America “Adventure World” or even “Wild World.”

You have fond memories of concerts at the Capital Center.

You remember the Civic Center, too (now the Baltimore Arena).

Peabody isn’t just a name, but a haven for artists of all types.

You know Ed Norton is from Maryland.

You know Pam Shriver is from Maryland.

You have attended at least one game at Memorial Stadium and wish you had just one brick.

Earl Weaver - enough said.

Mr. Baseball was Brookes Robinson.

You know DC isn’t the only place with a Beltway.

You still remember the Wild World commercial (Wild World’s the cure for the summertime blues!).

You can tell the difference between the smells of septic and marsh.

You not only know how to eat hard crabs, but also know how to catch them, cook them and tell the males from the females.

You don’t think that Assawoman Bay is a strange name for a body of water.

You know perfectly well why Rehoboth is called “Little San Francisco.”

M R Ducks makes perfect sense. So does C M Wags & I C Deer.

You think Salisbury is a big city.

You think of dumplings as wet slippery squares of boiled dough.

You and your boss take off of work when the fish are running, the ducks are flying in, or the deer are in rut.

You think of “Dairy Queen” as a pageant title and not a place to get ice cream.

“Formal wear” is a ball cap, a flannel shirt and Timberland boots.

You still root for the Orioles even when they suck.

You’ll never understand why tourists come to DC.

When in Florida, you can only laugh when you see signs saying “Real Maryland Blue Crab Cakes!”

You color with “Crowns”(crayons), take a “Share” (shower) with “Wooter”
(water), and think the president lives in “Warshenton.”

You say Blare Road for Bel Air Road.

You still get surprised that Marylanders sound so Southern.

You don’t consider Maryland a “southern state” - we are a Mid-Atlantic state.

You know what a Nor Easter is and can do.

You know a winter Nor Easter will dump a Blizzard on Maryland and we get a minimum of 3 days off of work and school.

You remember when I-270 was a two lane highway called 70 S, and Gaithersburg was considered the boonies.

Your entire family lives within a 200 mile radius of your town.

At least one man in your family is a waterman … or an attorney.

You plan for “The Festival” a year in advance.

During the summer, you spend more time in Ocean City than at home.

Your radio dial is stuck on 99.1 even though it is Spanish now.

You remember Jerry Turner and Al Sanders.

Vince Bagli was “the” sports announcer on TV.

Alan Prell’s shrill voice was loud and clear to us.

You remember Shaeffer swimming with the seals at the Aquarium.

When Marty Bass wore a wig.

You know where Perdue chicken comes from.

When someone says “The bridge traffic is bad,” you know which bridge.

You actually get these jokes and pass them on to other friends from Maryland!

posted on 16.08.09

O’s go for season-high 16 runs on 19 hits; Pie hits for cycle
By Spencer Fordin | MLB.com
August 14, 2009

BALTIMORE — Save some swings.

The Orioles saw their slumbering offense erupt in support of rookie Chris Tillman on Friday, taking an early deficit and turning it into an afterthought. Baltimore scored six runs in the first inning and set a season-high output, helping Tillman to his first career win in a 16-6 victory over the Angels.

The Orioles — both individually and collectively — achieved a litany of milestones in the win. Felix Pie paced the team by scoring three runs and hitting for the cycle, and Baltimore tied a franchise record and set a American League season high with nine doubles. The Orioles also tied a franchise mark with 12 extra-base hits.

Nobody was more proud of the effort than hitting coach Terry Crowley, who has seen his charges struggle through a disappointing season. Baltimore had scored just 12 runs in its past five games, and Crowley said that he was in a transparently bad mood before the game, an emotion that his players may have sensed.

[…]

posted on 15.08.09