The Observation Deck

Valerie Molinski wrote:Honestly, Jim, your latest rants are getting to be a little off the reservation. Who appointed you, or even the author of this article, the purveyor of cool? Or what's right? Or what's sustainable? Or real? Or fake? It is just such an odd article to post, very grumpy old man stuff. It's such an odd thing to get so riled up about. I agree with Michael Gill here....

Val,

You have always thought I was off the reservation so would that put me back on the
reservation? Are reservations cooler when you are in or out? I mean I thought it was cool,
ahhhh never mind...

I have never been appointed as purveyor of Cool. I had always thought Thomas Mulready already had appointed himself that and does a great job. Is there room for two? Would that even be cool?

As for what is sustainable, that normally answers itself over time.

sus·tain·a·ble
[suh-stey-nuh-buhl] Show IPA
adjective
1. capable of being supported or upheld, as by having its weight borne from below.
2. pertaining to a system that maintains its own viability by using techniques that allow for continual reuse: sustainable agriculture. Aquaculture is a sustainable alternative to overfishing.
3. able to be maintained or kept going, as an action or process: a sustainable negotiation between the two countries.
4. able to be confirmed or upheld: a sustainable decision.
5. able to be supported as with the basic necessities or sufficient funds: a sustainable life.
(Dictionary.com)

As for grumpy old man stuff, perhaps, I would not know. Is that cool? I mean I have to be
honest with you. When I created the first "Disco" in Cleveland, it was at gunpoint. Not
because it was cool. I mean Lakewood is 5 years behind the coasts, and so with another
two years, it becomes nearly retro, is that cool? I guess, but judging by others it is
normally a 50 year swing not 7.

Michael Gill, he is not cool, ask him. Besides, the hipsters who are the cool bikers believe
in bikes with no gears or brakes. Michael has both, so do I, riding around with no brakes I
believe is a DYING fad.

I wasn't really riled, just thought it was interesting, on the other hand Michael and
Matthew seemed riled as do you. Me, I find it amusing, it is all very amusing.

Besides we know what is cool here in Lakewood, and that is really all that matters. Dollar
Stores*, crappy cookie cutter buildings built to the sidewalk for trolleys that will never
return, and as sustainable as 5 Guys. And I can live with that, even if not cool.

Val, it is all fun, I appreciate your tireless efforts to keep me in check.

It's kind of cool.



* Dollar General might be the coolest business in town. I have been reading up on them since
they came in and they really understand community life and building.

.

West side story. That was from when "cool" meant "calm," maybe with the implication of confidence. Which is pretty cool.

Some people try to be cool. Some just do stuff.

Jim, you should ask my kids if I'm cool. I think I've got a few years left, in my daughter's mind. As far as my son is concerned, maybe a couple of weeks. But you might be right: it's possible that's already over.

ripping
jazz
bee’s knees
cat’s pajamas
gas
solid
hot damn
nuts
keen
boss
far-out
groovy
choice
righteous
gnarly
copasetic
awesome
tubular
rad
phat
fly
all that
fo' shizzle my nizzle
crunk
beast

Jim O'Bryan wrote:
Val,

You have always thought I was off the reservation so would that put me back on the
reservation? Are reservations cooler when you are in or out? I mean I thought it was cool,
ahhhh never mind...

I have never been appointed as purveyor of Cool. I had always thought Thomas Mulready already had appointed himself that and does a great job. Is there room for two? Would that even be cool?

As for what is sustainable, that normally answers itself over time.

.

I felt I needed to come back to this thread and respond further to explain MY personal issue with your posting of this article and the tone and content of your replies.

I am continually flummoxed by your overwhelming desire/ability to alienate so many people, especially many people who care about and invest in Lakewood. Posting this article is no exception. You speak in condescending ways about those who would DARE open a local brewpub, for example, and those who would frequent one and paint them as people that are lacking imagination or originality because it is the 'cool thing du jour' of many cities. You then talk about fixed gear bike riders and hipster types that are clearly no longer unique or cool because everyone is doing it. These 'types' are currently the very people that are frequenting the Root Cafe or Barroco, or are campaigning for bike likes in the city... or planting gardens at LEAF plots. You name it. Why would you malign those people who are the ones that are reinvesting in Lakewood and have such a deep regard for it because they love so many things about it.

And speaking for hipsters with no soul, or originality, or realness, I can tell you that my nieces and nephews who are in their 20s that you would classify as such are way more in touch with what's real, or sustainable, or even cool, than I ever was at that age. They can spot fake and disingenuosity (is that even a word?!) a mile away. They are very real and unique people that you seem to want to paint with such a broad brush or dismiss. But again, if one does not share your world view, they are clearly disillusioned. Got it.

But I urge you to keep 'yelling at clouds.' We need someone to do it. Again, if you really hate what is happening in this city and want something to change, yelling at clouds is not going to get you very far. One place to start would be to stop alienating people who can help you affect those changes or at the very least help you stem the tide against the wrong direction you think this city is heading.

And as far as the purveyor of cool, not sure if Mulready still has that title. I think I need to wait until pork pie hats are back 'in' to make that determination. I digress.

Now THAT is a rant. Peace.

Val,

For the record, I have always sought to empower young people, and underwrite many programs for them and with them.

I own and underwrite the Great Lakes Courier, Cuyahoga County's Bike Paper, so I do not hate bikers, I love them. I get to see first hand the various disciplines and the various attitudes. I also talk and deal first hand with “hipsters,” and often laugh with them, and sometimes at them, as they do at me.

The Lakewood Observer and I started the Lakewood Observer Gourmet Food Security Network which is now called LEAF, and then gladly turned it over to Dan Slife, age 24 at the time, and am very happy that our editor Margret Brinich (age 27) is co-president and I love the fact that Annie Stahlhaber is also running it, as Annie is a true powerhouse in Lakewood and the county for health.

Our newest publication is about health and Annie was the first person I reached out to, though we often disagree. I have also worked to help LEAF get into other communities I have papers in, though I desperately try to empower instead of lead, or worse, dictate.

I was a person Julie Hutchison came to early on in the Root for ideas and support and have always been supportive of the Root and anything they do, even when the Observer is not involved. Julie is a wonderful and gifted woman that is a leader and the future of Lakewood, and is probably the single most important business for framing what Lakewood could become.

I think we got off track somewhere with this article. “Cool” is of the moment, and in the eye of the beholder, and every generation has its own, and this generation, as you have pointed out, seems intent on trying to stay focused on things that are good for the human race. Everything I have described is either what I have done, or what the Observer has backed, is not because of cool but because it made sense to the community and/or the people convinced that their passion for the product would give it some form of sustainability. I also have a long record of working with people and groups I do not necessarily agree with, because my view of Lakewood is not a perfect view of Lakewood, it is merely my view. A community is hundreds of views that I pray are more reasoned out than just being "cool." Being "sustainable," a word often misunderstood and misused, is a great reason to support a project as that usually means it is supported by a community on the whole, long term.

Yes I get caught up in the back and forth, and have been accused of being an agent provocateur, but the point of dialogue it to get somewhere. To vet the issue or topic, and make sure the person understands. We share what each of us sees—which is why I appreciate your staying on me with this discussion.

Peace