Incentive Idea

Maybe it’s presumptuous of me to write about certain topics or ideas. I’ve actually gone back and forth several times about what I would or wouldn’t like to post on here. I also don’t want to be one more hack using his little space on the Internet to rant. So, I will say that I post this with humility. I’m certain there are things I don’t know, things I don’t understand and barriers that I would have never thought of. However, it is my little piece of the Internet and as the boyfriend is fond of saying “I do what I want.”

Ok, so let’s start with the premise that we’d like to not only attract young people to Lexington, but we’d also like to retain the people that we have. I think we realize that the acquisition and retention of young, talented, industrious and creative folks are the foundation we must build to improve our city. I might go even further to say that we’d like to concentrate those people into our Downtown/Campus area. I think creating an environment where these like-minded young professionals (I’m going WAY out of my way to not say Creative Class *gag*) can live, work, play, spend and feed off of each other is not only a catalyst for growth, but also a magnet for getting them here.

I think it’s also safe to say that we are pretty well failing at appealing to those people now. Additionally, as I’ve mentioned here before, our Downtown is overpriced. And contrary to what might have been said at our debate this past week, there really isn’t much going on Downtown to entice someone to head down there, let alone form a community.

Here’s the thing though, we have some of the foundation. New housing that appeals to young people, check, thriving arts community, check, ability to get in on the ground floor of something special, check. So, then how can we maximize what we already have to catapult us into something better?

My thought: let’s invest in the young professionals we already have scattered throughout the city. Let’s say that we take $1 million. (Admittedly, that’s a lot of money, but it’s a small investment into really making our city better and making it the “World-Class City” that we all pay a lot of lip service to). But, let’s take that $1 million and provide an incentive to any first time homebuyer who buys a home within a certain area. For hypothesis sake, let’s say Euclid to Newtown to Third to Midland. Maybe we provide those first time homebuyers with $10,000 towards the purchase of a new place. (I’d also say with a contingency that you remain in the property for 3 years to encourage people to really put down roots). That’s 100 new young professionals (at least most likely) that you get into Downtown.

Now, what’s the benefit of that? You start building the community that will attract other young professionals. From there, you start attracting retail to service this new neighborhood, which then springs restaurants, nightlife and of course more business and with those businesses come jobs. It also starts the process of making living Downtown more attractive. It would also be an incentive to make someone think twice before leaving Lexington for greener pastures or even just the suburbs.

I know this isn’t a solve everything solution. However, I think we have to start building a foundation for economic growth and find ways to make our city appealing. We’ve seen that we can’t rely on businesses to do it. We’re left with a gaping hole in Downtown and shops that no one goes into when we do that. At the same time, can you blame businesses for not investing in Downtown? There’s no customer base. So, let’s establish a customer base for them and then reap the rewards. Those being, revitalized Downtown, a draw to the kinds of people we want in our city, jobs and I’d imagine increased tax revenue on both the housing that we’ve sold and the eventual businesses that open to serve these new Downtown residents.

I know there are plenty of fine-point details to this little idea that I’ve glossed over. I didn’t want to write a 10 page report to post on a blog. However, I do think that floating an idea out there can at least generate some discussion. I’ll also restate that I don’t pretend to know or understand everything. But, what harm can it do? I’m just blogging and besides, I do what I want.

Reduced Today

One thing I’ve learned while on my blogging adventure is that if the words aren’t coming out easily, then I probably don’t need to try to force it.

When I sit down with an idea of a post, it usually gets typed, posted and tweeted within about 30 minutes. It’s those posts that take more effort that end up not being so good. There are few of those on here and those are usually the ones that are more rambling than informative or entertaining. So, I’ve learned that if I have to work too hard at it, it probably isn’t going to end up well.

I sat down yesterday to try to write a post about my thoughts after our Mayoral Debate. I had a whole page typed up. I hadn’t even gotten down a fraction of what I’d like to say, questions I’d like to ask or mentioned the things that I just didn’t understand. It then occurred to me that I was working pretty hard to get all of that out and it didn’t make for all that interesting reading. (reference post on brevity as well)

So, instead, I sat down today with another thought. How about I just say that I’m a complete newcomer to Lexington politics and so I’m still trying to figure people out? I’ve learned that this is a town where your history matters and so it’s taking me some time to figure out everyone’s backstory. I’ve now met just about each of the candidates, but I still don’t think I’m even close to as informed as I should be.

I know several people who do know the history and know candidates and they have a clear choice. I’d also say that even independent of them, I’m leaning the same way. However, I just feel like I’m never going to know enough. I’m never going to get all of the questions that I’d like to have answered and I’m probably never going to have the subtext filled in.

And so expect a couple of other posts here from time to time about the local election. I’ve been a political junkie for years, but I’m really just turning my attention to local politics. The bottom line is that I really care about Lexington. For whatever reason, I’ve developed an attachment to this place and really give a damn about where it’s headed and how it gets there. So bear with me while I figure it out and hopefully I won’t get too rambling.

Vision Quest

"Why is it such work to stay conscious and so easy to get stuck and not the other way around?" --These R the Thoughts, Alanis Morissette

I was supposed to start a vision board.

I’ll be honest, I don’t know that I ever completely understood what that means. It was explained to me at the corner of DiscoKroger and Euclid (yes, in my world, that’s an intersection) one night after leaving book club. I think that between the cold air and the walk home it never really sank in. However, it was supposed to be one way that I could begin figuring out what it is that I “Want To Do.” That was also the original concept for this blog. I was going to chronicle my attempts at finding out what that is, what my strengths are and start towards a path for a happier, more fulfilled me. I’ve gotten a bit off track.

It’s just that every time I start to write about that subject, it turns into a whine. I don’t tolerate whining well and I certainly don’t want to be one more e-sympathy suck. God knows we have enough of that.

I just feel like I’ve got lots of energy and ideas, but they are going 1000 different directions. I was hoping that the blog would help me focus a little, maybe help me get a better perspective on what’s going on in my head. Sometimes, it seems like the blog is just one more way to divert me.

I had close to 6 hours in the car yesterday. I used that time to a) sing along very loudly with the radio and b) think a little. I don’t know that I got any further along. What I do know is that I’m not using my abilities (whatever they are) to their fullest, I absolutely loathe my current revenue stream (cuz let’s be honest, that’s all it is) and this stagnation thing sure as hell isn’t helping.

I just don’t know what else to do. Maybe I should google “vision board”.

PolyValentines

I feel like it’s Valentine’s Day and that means I really should post something. I’m not one for sap or sentimentality and I don’t think that the few I know who read this are either, so something about the boyfriend wouldn’t quite be in order. I’ve sort of went back and forth about what, if anything, I’d end up writing here. What I’ve decided I should write is my confession that I’m a polygamist.

Ok, not really. However, I spent my Valentine’s Day with not one Valentine, but about 15 or 20 and that’s really the way I’d prefer it. I ate their delicious food and they drank my hurricanes. We drank and chatted and ate and ate and polished off 2 bottles of Southern Comfort before 2 this afternoon.

And while I probably should have considered doing something “romantic” on Valentine’s Day, it’s much more of a special occasion to get to gather with a group of friends who don’t see each other every day. We also don’t get to eat like that every day. We had soup, meatballs, lasagna, Spanish tortillas and Rachel’s Red Velvet cupcakes (made with love, no less) just to name a few of our dishes. To me, that is far more eventful and since my many Valentines are so wonderful, it was way more meaningful than any forced display of affection.

Now, before I get the “bad boyfriend” badge assigned to me, I should also say that we did our Valentine’s dinner on Friday. We also spent the rest of today cuddled up on the couch indulging in the Olympics, which meant a lot to both of us. I’m just not one for spreading out rose petals just because the calendar tells me it’s the assigned day.

Incidentally, earlier today we were talking about how you can get a pass on being a little creepy/polygamous if you are attractive and so here’s to hoping I get a pass, cuz like Rachel, I made my hurricanes with love.

Best Bitch

In middle school, the first class of the day was always Band. For me, it made getting up and going to school worth it. I had moved to a new school in 6th grade and never quite fit in. I didn’t have a lot of great friends and being poor, gay (yeah, I did even kind of know then) and in band didn’t help matters. I would wake up dreading the teasing and general harassment that the day was about to bring. But those first 45 minutes of the day where I could just sit with my saxophone and be good at something, create and not have to worry about any of the bullies was the thing that got me up and going.

The first day of 8th grade was a day of mixed emotion. I was dreading another year of dealing with the misery of middle school, but since another guy had moved up to high school, I was going to be 1st chair saxophone. I was also a little apprehensive. I was told that we were getting a new saxophone player. She had moved to Corbin from Mississippi. I was nervous (and yes, this is SO petty) that she was going to unseat me from my 1st chair position. I was also quite comfortable the way things were going and wasn’t really happy about this new girl infringing on the one happy part of day.

However, this girl from Mississippi ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to me. That first morning literally went like this: the new girl sits down beside me and says, “Hi, I’m Monica, let’s be friends”. And I kid you not, we’ve been inseparable ever since. I was the best bitch in her wedding (read: we couldn’t think of a better name for maid of honor if that happened to be a dude). She was the person to console me on the day I came out to my mom.

I tell this story, because I really believe it was that moment that ended up being a turning point for me. Monica was the first person to accept me for me, no matter what. She is the first person that probably ever got to know me and did so without judgement. Her friendship has always been there for me no matter what is happening in my life no matter how weird, depressed, outrageous or bitchy I become. It’s been through my friendship with her that I’ve been able to find a constant place to be comfortable with myself and ultimately discover who I am.

In learning that someone will accept me, I’ve been able to forge the tons of other spectacular friendships that I have. I’ve learned that I can be myself and someone will not only be OK with that, but there are others that will understand it.

I spent the day today with Monica and some other fantastic friends. We are planning another even larger gathering tomorrow. I should also say that these are not just casual acquaintances. These are friends that I see at least once a week (for trash TV night), but usually several times more. These are people who have seen me through a lot of difficult times and vice versa.

And so I sat down to write this tonight being very thankful for these friends and because it occurred to me that I’ve came a long way since that first day in 8th grade and I should probably give some credit where credit is due.

A Few Words on Brevity

The boyfriend has something that I do not: the gift of brevity.

There is probably a good reason that I have a blog and he doesn’t. He’s great at being succinct and getting exactly the right words out and concisely making his point. His blog would be a few sentences. Mine is…well, you see.

The boyfriend bought a new car. It’s a HUGE step up for him in the car department and he’s reasonably excited about it. He can break that excitement down into about 6 words and then he’s done. It’s his first car payment and he’s apprehensive. He can muster up “I’m getting pretty good and signing away my future income,” but that’s it.

This is not at all how I would approach this. I’m verbose. I’m loud. I’m hyperbolic to a fault sometimes and if you’ve read the blog, I’m also kind of a car geek. As such, I’m excited for him. I’ve been telling anyone who will sit still long enough that he’s getting a new car. I’m telling them what an upgrade it is from what he had. I’m also trying my best to assuage his fears and help him get through the process with minimal jitters.

We met some friends last night and the new car was something everyone was asking about. The boyfriend being him and me being me, I wanted to gush while he was content to say a few words. I wanted to tell everyone how proud I was of the boyfriend (for all of his 21 years) in his fierce bitch negotiation with the salesman and how much he needed to get a new vehicle and how this was just the perfect deal at the perfect time.

However, last night I got a message from a Sr. Gay offering me sage advice: “let the boyfriend tell the Car Story”. And he’s right. It’s the boyfriend’s story to tell. It’s his experience and not mine. I’m a supporting actor. If he wants to use two sentences to describe it, then that’s what he has to say. I’m there to offer car knowledge and a hug when he starts to stress out. That’s it.

By the same token, I’m left with all kinds of thoughts about an Event we went to last night. They range from supportive to irritated. I had sat down to blog about all of that this morning. I’d even written a good page worth when I realized that I probably don’t know enough to talk intelligently about it. I’d be jumping into a discourse that was probably way out of my league. Also, some eloquent words had already been written about it. Incidentally, by the same Sr. Gay who offered the advice last night. He even did in within the span of a few short paragraphs.

And so now I’m looking at the almost page that I’ve written again, when all I was trying to say is that I probably need to learn the value of brevity. Especially, if it’s someone else’s story to tell.