raleighing archive

Let's Take a Break, K?

Time for us to take a little break.  Unfortunately, Raleighing's progress since the changes back in January just haven't gone the way I had hoped.  Plus, other endeavors have me completely wrapped up and completely happy at the moment.  The ugliness on this site has progressed to a point that my unavailability has left me unable to counteract.

Not sure what the future holds at this point, but I simply need to at least temporarily remove this storm cloud which has been hanging over my head for the past several months... 

Thanks for your readership.  Check back every now and then to see if I give it another go.  Current Raleighing writers, feel free to post comments here if you want to redirect folks to other places to see your writings. 

Keep Raleighing,

Chris

SparkCon: FashionSPARK Event Friday Night

Over the past several weeks, Raleigh's SparkCon'ers have kicked off their '07 campaign in preparation for the September 20-23 events.  While I personally was on the fence about the effectiveness of last year's inaugural SparkCon, I am still open-minded and am looking forward to seeing how things evolve this year.  So far, one thing that worries me a bit is the distance between many of the venues.  Sure, this might be good to spread the wealth to businesses throughout downtown Raleigh, but removing the element of "walkability" seems like a bad move to me.  Plus, the utilization of Vintage 21 for many of the activities is suspect as well.  I would think a more neutrally oriented space would be a better choice.

But anyway, one thing SparkCon certainly has going for it is the recruitment of some of Raleigh's best to organize and produce the events.  One of '06's more successful "Sparks" was the fashionSPARK fashion show.  It was well-attended and full of energy.  This year, I am expecting even better things now that the beautiful Allison Beale is one of the producers.  Certainly among the most fashionable people in Raleigh, Allison is the owner of George Public Relations and is a former writer/editor for SheSheMe (back when it was based in Raleigh and was cool).  I'm also happy to say she's an occasional contributor to Raleighing!

Riviera

This Friday night, Allison and the rest of the fashionSPARK team will be hosting the premiere of the fashionSPARK 2006 DVD at Riviera.  Doors open at 9pm and the show will run from 9:15-9:30pm.  They will also have Guest DJ Keith Ward keeping the festivities hopping.  So, head out to your favorite galleries for First Friday events and then stop on by Riviera for all the fashionable fun.  Definitely need to go pick up all my Fluevogs tomorrow so I have something to wear!

Do You Know Your Flag Etiquette?

While enjoying our sunny July 4th, I was happy to see all the Stars and Stripes proudly flying from porches and overhangs on houses around town.  It's nice that even during this time of unrest and major discord, so many of you (us) are compelled to display our love and respect for our country.

But, in the midst of all these good feelings yesterday, one of my little annoying pet peeves was summoned up for its yearly showcase.  It's like my own personal groundhog.

Many of the folks around town hang their US flag not from a pole, but rather against a wall like in the picture of my house above. Now, those who hang it horizontally always seem to get it right:  the union (the blue area with the stars) is positioned in the upper left corner from the perspective of the observer.  But, for whatever reason, a large percentage of those who hang the flag vertically get it wrong.  Flag etiquette dictates that when the flag is displayed against a wall or in a window, the union should always be positioned in the upper left corner from the observer's point-of-view.  This applies to both horizontal and vertical hanging.  In the case of a window, the observer is someone viewing from the street, not inside the building or house. 

I don't know why this is a pet peeve of mine.  Maybe it started back when I was attending Boys State in Virginia.  My week there just so happened to coincide with the first ruling which legalized the burning of the American flag.  The impact of this decision on all of the American Legionnaires running the camp was intense.  Seeing the tears well in the eyes of all those older men who had served their country in the most selfless way left quite an impression on me. 

Now, before everyone jumps into a debate here, I don't equate improper display of the flag with burning it.  I also am not giving my opinion on whether things like flag burning should be protected or prohibited by law or the Constitution.  I just like the idea of flag etiquette and I use it to personally give my respect to a symbol of this great country and all those who serve it.

Ok, could someone help me off this soapbox now?