Cynthia Polansky's Blog (9)

At last, my list of really odd street names has another item! For almost a year now, Lovely Johnson Lane in Annapolis, Maryland has been the sole occupant of this photo-list, despite pleas for submissions of oddly named street signs and their locations. Maybe this will break the stalemate. I give you: "A AND EAGLE blvd" When I picture a boulevard, I see a very broad road with a wide island divider, usually with pretty landscaping and/or decorative. A and Eagle Boulevard is a short street in the… Continue

As soon as I read the pet article's title, How Not to Lose Your Pet in Our Difficult Economy, my blood began to boil. Tips to prevent people strapped for cash from surrendering their pets to shelters, rescue organizations, or simply abandoning them? It is unthinkable to me that such an option exists.Okay, so I was already a little hot under the collar, so to speak, about a Baltimore "pit bull" who had been doused with gasoline, been forced to swallow gasoline, and ignited (for the outcome of tha… Continue

There is nothing wrong with your [monitor]. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission [of this very disturbing image]...You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to... The Outer Limits of Crossing Polansky..… Continue

While visiting recently in my mother's kitchen, my brother mentioned that he hadn't received my monthly newsletter in a while."Could it be the spam filter?" I asked him "Maybe you need to whitelist the email addy."I caught a glimpse of my mother's bewildered face. "You have no idea what I just said, do you?" She definitely had the I don't know what you're talking about but I'll be supportive and pretend it's fascinating look. Trooper that she is, she shook her head and cheerfully said, "No, but… Continue

I was a student at George Washington University when I first heard Washington, DC described as "where local news is national news." Catchy, and true. I've lived most of my life in and around Washington and, not surprisingly, I've been privy to many historical events, good and bad. Even out here in Annapolis -- 22 miles and a lifestyle away from the District -- we aren't immune. Years ago, when the DC Sniper targeted Benjamin Tasker Middle School in nearby Bowie, that was too close for comfort. A… Continue

Those of you who read the Wasington Post Sunday magazine are familiar with columnist Gene Weingarten, whose perspective on everyday occurrences is laugh-out-loud funny. My favorite is from a few years ago, before phishing had gone mainstream. The Post had installed a state-of-the-art spam filter guaranteed to weed out links to porn sites or any emails with "questionable" language. Unfortunately for the human resources department, it also blocked solicited resumes from highly qualified job applic… Continue

April 21, 2009 is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, a memorial holiday brought to the forefront of contemporary American life with Steven Spielberg's 1994 film, Schindler's List. It certainly made me more cognizant of the profound implications of this day of observance. I didn't realize, though, that Yom HaShoah was not an outgrowth of a menschy film director's cause; it was established by Israel in 1951, seven years before my birth and less than a decade after the end of World War II. I… Continue

A few years ago I took a hiking trip through the Swiss and Austrian Alps. Breathtaking, as you can imagine. Dotted all over the slopes were lazy cows, relaxing in the sun and no doubt thinking to themselves, "Oy, tourist season..." Which got me to thinking. Did those cows ever get bored? Where's the mental stimulation? When I posed the question to our guide, he just laughed and asked if I had been one of those kids who always comes up with impossible questions. Turns out I was one of those kid… Continue

Among my list of burning, albeit random, life questions is, why the fly? What possible use is this creature in the grand scheme of things? This is a creature who seeks out manure, garbage, and decay for his crib. No wonder he's always rubbing his little legs together. Yes, he's food for spiders and other predators( including zappers, sticky paper, and pesticides, thank goodness), but I daresay the latter would find something else to put on the menu if flies were 86'd. So now there's a medical u… Continue