Bright Star Vision has been helping the village of Dalive in Ghana. They have built water filters, a library, and a kindergarten. Additionally, they have donated books, clothing, and medical supplies.

I’m not so interested in the red velvet cakes. They are not red or velvet, and more precisely, they are not chocolate.

The best cupcake that I can remember was actually placed in one of those ice cream cones that come in boxes at the supermarket. A cone cake? I believe it was handed to me at a Fourth of July picnic in Vernon when I was  somewhere between three and seven. If I ate it today, I’d probably be a little disappointed, but as a child, it was the absolute best thing ever.

My cupcake fixation is odd given that I do not enjoy most full-sized cakes. At weddings and birthday parties, I usually try to disappear when the cake comes out. People can be very pushy about cake! The frosting is usually too sweet for me, especially when the cake is bought from a grocery store. Come to think of it, the only supermarket cake I have ever enjoyed came from Whole Foods; at least I knew where my money went on that particular Whole Foods purchase. Cupcakes are different somehow. There’s the not having someone’s hands all over it as she cuts and doles out slices. It’s self-contained and does not require a plate and fork. Nobody tries to make it soggy by putting ice cream on it or next to it. They’re dainty and fancy. Not that I would recommend this, but they can double as projectiles more easily than sliced cake can. Remember that the next time you’re at a fancy schmancy function that needs some livening up.

Primarily, my cupcake dealers have been multiple Starbucks and the Blue Back Square Barnes & Noble. The Starbucks cupcakes are regular sized, moist, delicious, and fall apart too easily. The Barnes & Noble cafe cupcakes come from The Cheesecake Factory, a restaurant that I have never actually eaten at, and frankly, their desserts are the only part of their menu I find appealing. Their cupcakes are the size of a Rottweiler’s head. The amount of frosting doubles their height. They could be split down the middle and reasonably shared with another person. These are a little like the Guinness of cupcakes: there’s no point in trying to eat dinner after one.

I’ve been harboring cupcake guilt, as my purchases have been made exclusively outside of Hartford and from corporations. So, I felt a sense of relief when I saw that La Paloma had a few cupcakes in the display case where I usually see doughnuts and muffins. There was exactly one chocolate cupcake and it had my name on it. Initially, I thought it was a bit of a runt. Still, I had to bury my sorrows and stresses in something, and chocolate is more socially acceptable than valium. Probably less expensive too.

It was dressed up nicely, with a swirling skyward bit of frosting and delicate curls of chocolate on top of that. I took a bite. If ever I need to explain the difference between quality and quantity to someone, I would use this particular example to illustrate how so much flavor can be concentrated into such a small package. When I inquired about the origins of the cupcake, I was told that they were baked in Hartford. In fact, the cupcake’s creator was sitting in the shop. She and I discussed other possible flavors that might be experimented with, like coconut, key lime, espresso, and raspberry. I did not know this, but First & Last Bakery also has cupcakes. Since this is deep in the South End, almost into Wethersfield, I am not often in the area, thus, I have been to the bakery only once or twice ever. Does anyone know of other places in city limits to obtain cupcakes?

Before riding my bicycle to the Wadsworth Atheneum, I began by having an impromptu conversation with my neighbor and was then joined by another resident on the block. There was a fire in a nearby house early Thursday morning, so we were all updating each other and feeling grateful that nobody was injured.

Upon arriving at the museum, I had my choice of parking spots: an entirely empty bike rack that meant my walk from parking spot-to-front door was under thirty seconds. After stashing my helmet and jacket inside one of the museum’s lockers, I grazed from the snack table and listened to the dj. When he was there a few months ago, I did not care much for his musical choices, but he had selections from an entirely different genre this time. Friends and friends-of-friends trickled in; among them included Jude, who writes about the MATRIX exhibit far better than I could. When I first began visiting the museum in the 1990s, the MATRIX was among my favorite sections of the Wadsworth.

I was pleasantly surprised by a Hartford City Ballet performance. It would have been even better had the performance happened on a raised stage where everyone in the audience could have a view of the dancers’ feet (sort of crucial part of the art). I have only recently begun seeing advertisements for the ballet, and am considering seeing a full performance by them next weekend. They are headquartered on Park Street.

When I decided to move on for dinner, it was not a moment too soon because the dj decided to play Lady Gaga. Yoko Ono or Bjork would have fit the cutting edge/light theme better.

We had a quick ride over to bin228 on Pearl Street. Again, a lamp post directly in front of the dining area ensured that we were mere steps from parking-to-front-door. We were seated at a cozy corner table. We had the tomato, mozzarella, basil bruschetta, the oven roasted vegetables and goat cheese panini, port, and berry budino. All facets of that meal come highly recommended, but the dessert was what left us both a little stunned. It had berries, biscotti, marsala, and mascarpone. If you are looking to impress someone on Valentine’s Day, set her up with the berry budino. If she does not like this, take that as a sign it was not meant to be. I know the photo is less than flattering, but neither of us had the patience or willpower to take a number of photographs of the dessert when we really just wanted to eat it.

This demands the question of why.

Was the story incorrect or inaccurate? If so, providing corrections would have been more helpful and professional than simply removing the information from the newspaper’s online presence, as if pretending like it never happened would resolve the situation. I understand the practice of removing older publications, but when something is still fresh news, it seems more logical to update the information. Having just checked, I do not see any reference to the article in the Corrections section of the site.

Certain stories on the newspaper’s site allow comments and others do not. Sometimes, an article begins one way and is later changed. Do articles disappear for the same reason — pressure?

If anyone at the Courant has an answer regarding why entire stories disappear from their site, I would love to hear from them.

I decided to have my food adventure at a place that actually was not taking part in Taste of Hartford. I’ve walked past Tamarind Grill  dozens of times since it opened on Pratt Street. I ordered the Mango Tofu, an entree priced at $10. Mango is sweet, right?  It was labeled as mild; mild is not the same as bland. The dish was spiced enough to give it flavor, but not so much that the taste was dulled by a burning mouth. The mango did not overwhelm everything else with sweetness. The tofu chunks were generous and prepared well. The portion was twice as much as I could eat in one sitting, so I felt like I got my money’s worth out of this dish. I am not overly familiar with Thai or Malaysian cuisine, so I do not really have anything to compare it to. They are open every day for lunch and dinner.

While listening, I heard a caller ask what she had to do to begin riding as a form of commuting. On one hand, you go sister! While none of the six guests were women, at least one managed to sneak through the gender barricade via phone lines. On the other hand, while listening, I had my own answer to this. Well, see, you find a bike and stand it up. Then, you place one foot on a pedal, get up onto the saddle, and begin pedaling.

To ride a bicycle, all one needs is a bicycle.

That’s not to say that one may not want other pieces of equipment, or that said equipment is a bad idea. I have made the point before and I will make it again: wanting and needing are two different things. As a society, we too frequently conflate the two. One does not need a car in Hartford. She might want one. She may find it is more convenient or less expensive than taking the bus if she has children to schlep, but she does not need one. Just like I do not need any more shoes or books.

A helmet is not needed to ride a bicycle. It has not play in how the pedals turn or how the brakes operate. I am not wholly convinced that some mass produced wedge of foam and plastic is sufficient to protect my skull, but I wear one about 99% of the time anyway. I think of helmets like seatbelts — it should be up to the adult whether or not she uses them; this action should not be mandated by the law.

Does one need rain gear? Again, no. It does nothing to keep the bicycle on the road. I do not own any, though I do understand why some riders might prefer to deck themselves out in it. Because my commutes are relatively short, I’ll take a drenching over being wrapped in plastic. If my ride were twenty miles in each direction, then I might feel differently.

Here are some pictures of shoes I have worn while riding my bicycle.

My feet are not very tough, so I need some kind of footwear, which is basically the extent to which a special cycling shoe is necessary to me. Sandals work as well as sneakers as well as heels.

I could go on and on, but the point has been made. Thinking about the actual bicycle seems like a better use of time. Is it visible enough for the comfort of the rider? Do you want to obey all laws, and if so, have you equipped the bike with reflectors, lights, and functioning brakes?

Biking has less to do with the “right” equipment and more to do with the rider’s mindset.

Before looking at some comments left on WNPR’s page for this show, I want to briefly revisit the Bicycle Friendly Community Symposium from a few weeks ago. While I absolutely agree that Connecticut deserves its place toward the bottom of the BFC list, I do not believe that means that one can not ride here. Biking in CT, and enjoying doing so, does not depend on having a BFC-attitude. Arguments often made about bicycles are not equally or consistently made toward automobiles. There are plenty of roadways that are dangerous for cars, but people still use their cars to travel on these roads. An example of this is coming. Here are a few comments left by show listeners:

I’d love to ride my bike to and from work 40 miles each way, and am still considering doing it, except it’s dangerous:

• Many CT motorists think the road belongs to them.  Many motorists are ignorant of the law requiring them to share the road, or understand the law and just don’t care.  Losing a couple of seconds during their commute because of a cyclist in the way is intolerable.
• People have been attacked by thugs while cycling Hartford streets, or through the parks.
• The only established bike trails that get cyclists off the streets do not take cyclists to areas where there are jobs.  (Farmington Valley Greenway is awesome, but it takes me to farmland, not Hartford).
• CT weather is only conducive to commuting by bicycle for about 7 months out of the year (except for the die-hard extremists).

I do not disagree with this person’s assessment of how too many motorists are intolerant of anything that slows their drives. We see this all of the time; however, this alone should not hinder a person from getting on a bicycle. For as many drivers who make obnoxious and illegal choices, there are as many who are respectful of others on the road. If more people ride, then I think the mindset of drivers will change. Bicyclists will not be thought of as this anomaly.

The remark about bike trails is both true and false. It’s a generalization. Do people all work in the same place? No. But the trails do remove cyclists from the streets, which increases comfort level for many, but is not convenient for commuting. Are bike trails intended for commuters? I do not believe they are. Use the nice trails for lollygagging, but do not rely on them for commuting. They are not HOV lanes for cyclists.

People have been attacked in Hartford and elsewhere while riding bikes. People have also been paralyzed and killed while riding in automobiles. People have been mauled by dogs, killed during natural disasters, and lost their lives for a whole slew of unexpected reasons. It’s cool to try to minimize risk, but at the same time, one has to question the degree to which an activity is risky. I read about one person in the past few years who was harassed, while in a park on a bicycle, in Hartford. I know someone else who, at least five years ago, was mugged for his bike. That’s not enough to scare me off my bike or out of parks. When this type of crime reaches the frequency of fatal car crashes, I will reconsider. Making choices because of fear seems sad to me.

The weather, I would argue, is not conducive to cycling for about two weeks out of the entire year. Others could handle it 365 days. If the roads are covered in slush or ice, then I do not feel at ease; other cyclists are able to deal with this. Getting into a car, rather than biking, because the weather is a little chilly is weak. One can put on several layers of clothing, wear gloves/mittens, etc. and be fine except for those very few days when the temperature is too dangerous for people to even be outside. If anything below 30 degrees feels too cold to handle, riding or not, one might want to question his choice of region in which he lives. Someone who is not a “die-hard extremist” could bike every month except December and February. That’s at least ten months.

I would like to get to something in the beginning of that person’s comment: he commutes 40 miles to work. To me, that’s the problem. Work closer to home or live closer to work. Or, live in a place where public transportation is an option. I know someone who commutes from West Hartford to New Haven, but he is able to catch the train from Hartford. That’s not such a horrible option.

But this requires taking a look at our society’s collective mindset, the thought that one should do anything she can to keep a job. I love my jobs. I work each day of the week and on the weekend. With my recent move, my longest commute is four miles. This is possible because I am selective about the type of work that I do and because I want to be a part of the community in which I work/do my work within my community.

Anyway, the show was about urban biking, and not about suburban or rural-to-urban biking.

Does Connecticut have a bike culture?  Not at all.  I have lived in other places where biking is actually embraced and very popular (Munich), and sadly there is no comparison. Can it?  Yes, of course, but there are many complications.  Most of our roads are too narrow and there are many stretches without any shoulder.  There are no dedicated bike lanes. Motorists aren’t used to sharing the road with bikers.

Is there a new one rising up right now?  There are many people who would love for this to happen, me included.  With the awful economy, and the broad and growing desire to go-green, the conditions are definitely improving.

Could you get rid of (or rely drastically less on) your car?  Not really, there is just no safe way to get anywhere from where I live… not even the grocery (busy 2 lane roads, no sidewalks, no bike lanes…).  God I would really love to leave my car in the garage now and then.

I agree that a lot of our infrastructure can feel like obstacles. But the way to get motorists used to sharing the road is not by removing ourselves from it! Legally, cyclists have the ride to be on the road, no matter how narrow it is.

I also agree that things are improving. We are getting more designated bike lanes, sharrows, etc.

Could one drastically reduce use of his car? Yes. Use the busy two lane road. Get friends out there with you.

This keeps returning to the question of priorities. I wonder what it is that people do when deciding where to live. Do they simply look at the quality of school systems and leave it at that?

I love riding my bike…but not in Hartford. I’m a senior at Trinity College and ride my bike around campus, but wouldn’t dare head off campus. The roads are in horrible condition, not to mention that the drivers here are INSANE! I’m afraid of driving my car in this area, let alone riding my bike. Many drivers pass people one the sidewalk, run red lights, and pay no attention to other drivers. I feel like if I rode my bike in my area (Frog Hollow), I’d be dead within a few miles. And I feel comfortable riding in my hometown of Philly and in Manhattan. Any tips for dealing with drivers who just don’t pay attention to traffic laws, let alone to sharing the road with cyclists?

First off, Trinity is in Hartford. I don’t want it to sound like I’m picking on her; I hear college students on various campuses speak as if their college is not actually a part of the city/town that it is located in.

Many of the roads are in horrible condition. Because of our weather, we get potholes. These are not always fixed in a reasonable time frame. I am not sure, though, if this person is concerned with pot holes or something else. “Horrible” is kind of vague.

As for the assertion that drivers pass on the sidewalk, that’s something I have never seen. I do not doubt it, but like the bicyclists getting mugged, I do not know how frequently this occurs. What I regularly see are distracted drivers who run red lights. That’s a danger to all on the road — pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike. I assume that this student travels off campus on occasion, perhaps to visit parents. To do so, she must use some form of transportation. That there are so many distracted drivers has not wholly discouraged her from ever leaving campus; even if she takes the train home, she must get to the station somehow, whether it is on foot, by personal car, bike, bus, or cab.

Now, this one I replied to on the site, but I will reiterate some things here that I did not get into because of the space. Having spent considerable time in Frog Hollow before moving here, I have also biked in the area, including at night. The congested area of Capitol and Flower can be frustrating, as can Capitol and Broad, but beyond that, the area is fine. If I want, I can easily reroute myself to dodge those intersections. That’s the beauty of being on a bicycle — maneuvering is easier.

Some drivers do make me nervous. I signal when turning, I ring my bell/honk my horn, and I am not afraid to use my voice. I have done this a number of times to alert drivers. Women are not typically taught to be loud, so it might go against what feels natural. After awhile, yelling “hey” when not sure if a driver sees you will become natural. There’s no sense in being polite if by doing so you end up crashed into.

Anyway, “Ghostship Matt”  left a solid response to the negative comments:

There have already been lots of articles published about going by bike, so all the excuses written here, the bad roads, the weather, the drivers, all the complaining and bellyaching, needs to stop. If you want to ride your bike, you can do it.

At risk of sounding too Horatio Alger, I think that if people really want something, they can usually find a way to make it happen. I’m not talking about becoming a millionaire or famous, but on a regular, personal level, if a person wants to make a change, it’s possible — eating healthier, quitting smoking, continuing one’s education, practicing yoga, and yes, riding a bicycle.

So, why and how did I choose to live here? When I began looking for a home I was primarily interested in the Frog Hollow, Parkville, and Blue Hills neighborhoods, in that order. The only negative that I saw in Blue Hills is that it’s not as centrally located to the places I typically visit. Still, there were two houses that I really liked up there. When I took a walk through one, the owner was home. She had lived in the house for decades and was telling me all about the neighborhood, who lived there, and whose grandkids still come to visit. She took a lot of pride in her home, as everything was in great condition, including her lovely yard. The house felt a little small for the price range, but I think that of all the home browsing experiences I had, this was the most meaningful. We live in a time when moving every few years is the norm; yet, that is not the life I want for myself. I was not approaching my large purchase as that of a “starter home” that I would sell when it becomes too small for me. I was looking for a place where I would be spending a few decades, where I might become that old lady in Blue Hills who knows the story of all her neighbors.

I only saw a few houses in Parkville. Most on the market in this area were multi-family homes or beyond my budget. As nice as having income from tenants sounds, that’s more responsibility than I want. There was a property I liked in Parkville. It even had a garage with an electric door opener. I was not crazy about the street it was on, though.

I’m grateful for having a patient and intelligent real estate professional to work with throughout this process. There were some atypical elements about the transaction that I do not need to get into, but the process was made much easier because Amy was in constant communication with me during every stage of the sale.

My home is in Frog Hollow, which was my first choice neighborhood. When making tough decisions, I tend toward making pro/con lists. I never needed to make one.

Frog Hollow is also referred to as Frog Holla, and by even fewer, Frog Challah. Frog Hollow, besides having a cool name, is a mere hop from downtown. This means that I can walk to work wearing heels! For longer trips or on especially cold days, I can easily get to the Park Street bus, which runs frequently, as well as to the Capitol Avenue bus, which runs not-so-frequently. On bicycle, I can literally coast to my favorite coffee shop, though friends have correctly pointed out that I would have to pedal uphill to return home.

My first evening in my home, I was actually greeted by three different sets of neighbors. This has not happened in a single place where I have lived before.

While my yard is but a sliver, I have lots of open space, two swimming pools, sports fields, a stage, playgrounds, and a carousel: I am about two walking minutes from Pope Park and five minutes from Bushnell Park. These parks have hosted carnivals, jazz and blues concerts, and fireworks.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Three Kings Day Parade, Hartford Marathon, Discover Hartford Bicycling and Walking Tour, and other major events take place within a block or two of my home. I can easily walk, bike, or take a bus downtown for work, for routine activities like visiting the library or City Hall, or to enjoy a Wolfpack game at the Civic Center. I won’t have to worry about driving or paying to park my car somewhere.

I can easily ride over to the farmers’ market at Billings Forge which runs year round. All along Park Street there are bakeries and food markets. A major supermarket is within a five minute walk from home. I also have a handful of friends in my neighborhood and fully intend to show up on their doorsteps at dinner time. Maybe they won’t read this.

If I want to hear live music, I can go to La Paloma Sabanera, The Studio at Billings Forge, Red Rock Tavern, or into El Mercado for some mariachi. Just walking down Park Street I can hear old school hip hop, rap, and salsa cranking from stereos in the local shops.

Park Street is a lively place to take a walk anytime, including on the weekend. Besides the markets and restaurants, there are hair salons, clothing stores, and even a hardware store. I can get kitschy President Obama artwork, football jerseys, and international flags, particularly the Puerto Rican flag, as a window decal. I can even find furniture.

The Billings Forge thing (see Jude’s thoughts on this) has a lot going on. There is a sewing, knitting, and crocheting class for beginners, which I am going to try to take when I get more settled in. There’s a book-binding class I may try eventually too. Years ago I took one in East Hartford and enjoyed it a lot because I was able to walk away with several finished projects. There are a few yoga classes, including one that meets early enough for me to attend before work. I can’t seem to find the information right now, but I know I read that neighborhood residents can get a discount card for classes there.

Since I’m in the middle of moving in, blog posting will be light in the next few weeks as I settle in. In the meantime, check out the blogs listed in the blogroll on the right-hand side of the page.

Admission is free, but they welcome donations, including the non-monetary kind: men’s winter coats and clothing, blankets, men’s toiletries, and food.

Places I’ve been to on the list: Agave, bin 228, Carbone’s, City Steam, Feng, The Half Door, La Fonda, O’Porto, Tisane, USS Chowder Pot, and Wood-n-Tap. Of those, I think the one that offers the best bargain for restaurant week (as far as vegetarian fare is concerned) is Carbone’s.

Of the participating restaurants that I have not been to, the ones I’d most like to try: J Restaurant Bar and Vivo.

For the kids, there were hands-on art projects, like postcard creation. Maybe my timing was perfect, but while I was there, I was not forced to endure the screaming or crying of any kids (or their parents). The children seemed amused by the museum and the activities.

After checking out the Digging Deeper exhibit for the billionth time, I wandered off to explore the rest of the museum. I noticed that the mummy was moved. Not only was he removed, but his exhibit left some small holes in the floor. I was disappointed, mostly because it’s a tradition of mine to visit him and marvel at how the henna dye in his hair lasted thousands of years, but if I go to the salon and dye my hair, it disappears in weeks.

A somewhat hidden corner of the museum came alive with the addition of some interactive pieces. Besides looking at cabinets of bricks and other found objects, one can flip through books on the topic. Some paper and pencils were set out so that visitors could draw. This room is on the third floor next to the temporary under construction hall.

I like the quote (pictured left) on the wall in this room: “Never in the history of the world has a culture been so based on stuff.” So true! When I walk or bike, I notice so many things discarded in the gutter. This morning, in the parking lot of a big box home improvement store, I saw an infant’s sandal on the pavement. I imagine that in other societies, if a baby kicks off her shoe, the parents take the time to search for it.

As I moved through the museum I checked out the Rembrandt exhibit that has received a lot of attention. Honestly, I don’t dig Rembrandt, so this didn’t do much for me. Something I could get jazzed about were the paintings of Hartford, looking in all four directions. There were also a few depicting the Colt factory.

For me, the best surprise of the day was the contemporary American art section. I’d seen most of the pieces before, but the arrangement of them worked really well this time. An example of this is the sunbather sculpture placed near the giant painting of nipples. There may have been a woman attached to the nipples; I was distracted and can’t remember. This arrangement lured me down a dark hallway where I was met with a WARNING sign. I don’t ever recall seeing warning signs at WAMA, except for the strobe exhibit. Truthfully, the warning strikes me as silly, given the number of nudes throughout the museum. Does it really matter that the woman featured on the looped DVD is hot and doing a go-go style striptease? Maybe the amount of The L Word I’ve been watching lately has skewed my sense of what might be categorized as risqué. Other items on display nearby are of the Pop Art variety.

The next First Thursday (Feb 4)  event at WAMA will feature the relaunch of the MATRIX program. I hope they can keep this positive momentum going.