Of course

[dancerjodi]

WORK:
I got one thing crossed off my list (some spreadsheets to cut around $150,000 worth of checks to docs) and then I received the next month's disbursement in the mail. Yuck. I need to figure out how to manage time in the best way so that I can just get this accounting stuff out of the way as fast as possible to allow time to play with numbers in other ways. I have another PHO Management Meeting this Friday that I need to plan/prep for.

SCHOOL:
I spent my lunch hour working on my internship paper. My estimate is that in the end it will be around 15 pages long or so. My outline was approved by my adviser and I had written 2 papers for other courses on EMR before. Yesterday I copied all of the relevant text from those papers into a new Word document and organized things according to my outline for this current paper. I'm going to finish cleaning it all up this week, add the *new* information over the next couple of weeks and aim to get the thing done and passed in by the end of November. That will leave me the first couple of weeks in December to focus on the final paper for my Policy class, and then I'll be DONE DONE DONE! A month from next Sunday and I'll be at my last class.

HOME:
I'm debating going to this meeting tonight: http://www.dailynewstribune.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=44114 . I do have to say that I'm happy to have a Mayor that's being really serious about issues in the city and really seems to be kicking butt (not to mention the first female Mayor in Waltham's history). Down with high-priced, characterless, cookie cutter condos http://www.diabolis.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=200&pos=30 !

Comments

[jhimm.livejournal.com]

weird.
in providence,
the stuff that looks like that
is actually subsidized housing
for the Deserving Poor.

Nope,

[dancer.livejournal.com]

"in providence, the stuff that looks like that is actually subsidized housing for the Deserving Poor."

Most of the subsidized housing in Waltham is made up of old brick complexes that were Post WW2 military housing. They are in desparate need of repair.

These babies and others like them are on whole blocks that were made up of 2 and 4 family houses that were rentals for middle-lower income people. This pic showes the back of 3 of them . . . these houses have been long torn down and there is another block of condos going in: http://www.diabolis.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=200&pos=5 .

They were sold, torn down, and the condos went in. They got away with it by offering a small # up for auction at a lower price to city employees (that, and the owner is from a powerful, and wealthy family in the city). A 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit starts at $350k (something that the former renters would never be able to afford never mind fit their families into). Not to mention they kill the whole feel of the neighborhood which was primarily old Victorians and Colonials (some singles, some multi units).

Needless to say a lot of city residents aren't happy about it for various reasons. I just can't imagine why someone would want to pay that $ for that ugly POS to live in Waltham (perhaps Boston I could understand, but Waltham?) - and that's saying something! ;)

Re: Nope,

[jhimm.livejournal.com]

cause in boston it would cost you twice as much.
possibly even more than that.
they're putting in condos
into a lot of the abandoned factories and mills
on the west side of the interstate in providence.
they look awful,
they're in a terrible neighborhood,
and they're selling for half a million dollars.

the subsidized housing
is in a prodominantly historic neighborhood as well,
which is a bit distressing.

Re: Nope,

[dancer.livejournal.com]

"cause in boston it would cost you twice as much.
possibly even more than that."

Oh yes, of this I'm fully aware :) Historically groups of people have moved out of Boston and into places like Waltham because there were a) jobs there and b) lower housing costs. Its weird to see the condo/yuppie shift happening in a place that's historically been very working class though. I understand it *logically*, but knowing the history of the area (and having lived there when it was truly a ghetto) and seeing it now will always be mindboggling to me.

"the subsidized housing
is in a prodominantly historic neighborhood as well,
which is a bit distressing."

There's a lot of issues with it that bother me. First, the general problem of housing being too expensive. Second, the fact that the city doesnt' have enough affordable housing as it is and what's there is going away. Third, I'm not sure how all of these peoples/cars/whatever are going to fit into the city. Some of the develpments include 300+ units and are in neighborhoods that are already packed with people (I'm thinking in North Waltham near a lot of the 128 office parks and most of the highway junctions). Lastly, it just looks like ass in the neighborhood. That picture I first linked to seems like something to me out of a sci-fi movie about some weird future "utopian" society.

I'm very curious to see if the market (and city) is able to sustain this kind of development and these kinds of price hikes . . . it will be interesting to watch (while I cling to my own property for dear life) :)

[mizdarkgirl.livejournal.com]

When you talk about Waltham, you speak us a "feel" to living in a neighborhood. I really think you should go the meeting if you can squeeze into your schedule. I would hate for Waltham to change into a place you no longer know or recognize.