Park Bench and Bridge, Toledo

[Taken 6 June 2011 | ISO 160]

On the banks of the Maumee River, on the Owens-Illinois Corning campus, in downtown Toledo.

Sprinkler

[Taken 4 June 2011 | ISO 160]

A child runs through a sprinkler during the Toledo Old West End Festival, 4 June 2011.

The little girl in the shot was totally unplanned, but ended up in the perfect spot in the composition. I'd waited for the sprinkler to hit the right angle, and just as I pressed the shutter, there she went. That's serendipity right there.

This was my first run with the Spartus Full-Vue since August 2009. I had a much easier time loading and shooting with the camera this time around, and got much better results (which I will continue to post here and on Flickr in the near future).

There seems to be a minor light leak, and the in-focus "sweet spot" is relatively small and a bit off-center... but those are characteristics I find endearing, for the most part. Stay tuned to see the rest of my second test roll!

Promenade Park, Toledo

[Taken 24 Feb 2011 | ISO 400 | 50mm | Kodak 110 film]

The Anthony Wayne Bridge

[Taken 24 Feb 2011 | ISO 400 | 50mm | Kodak 110 film]

A.K.A. The "High-Level Bridge," downtown Toledo. Another shot from my Pentax Auto 110.

While researching this camera online, I've learned something important: since the manufacture of 110 film cartridges was never standardized, film manufacturers could choose whether or not to remove a notch on the cartridge that some cameras (including this one) used to identify film speed. Since the camera misreads the 400 speed that I use, and exposes it like 100 speed, all my photos are slightly overexposed.

When I test my wide-angle lens, I plan to manually remove the notch on the film cartridge and see if that makes a difference in the exposure.

Snowstorm Aftermath

[Taken 25 February 2011]

Last month, we got the last major snowstorm of the season (hopefully). I took a personal day off of work — our neighborhood looked nearly unpassable, and the online traffic cameras showed that the main roads weren't much better.

Aaron managed to power his way down our street so he could get to work that same evening. These are the ruts he left. (The main roads were clear and well-treated by then.)

Ironically enough, a small city plow came through our neighborhood barely 15 minutes after he left, and very thoroughly cleared and salted our street.

Grass and Sky

[Taken 21 October 2010 | iPhone 4]

Seen during my lunch walk on the Owens-Corning campus. No color correction necessary; it was just that beautiful.

Ground Level

[Apple iPhone 3G | processed with TiltShiftGen]

One chocolate chai and one sugar-free toffee latte, enjoyed at the Ground Level Coffeehouse in Toledo.

Why I'm Not Voting For Your Playground

Last year, tragedy struck my neighborhood: a local boy was found hanged in the park across the street from our house. He had been playing with a climbing rope, and speculation exists whether a bully was involved. Even though I didn't know this child or his family, I do grieve with them for their son's loss.

Last weekend, Aaron and I came home to find a flyer on our door, asking us to vote on the Pepsi Refresh website for a memorial playground in the open field across the street, which has been zoned as a city park for decades. Maybe it's selfish, but our first reaction was, "Hell, no."

Let me explain why...

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eCycling

A couple weeks ago, Aaron found this ad while browsing through the local paper:

It's true: I tend to hoard old electronics. Like my old Power Mac 6500, and the Frankenstein PC that was my first foray into replacing major parts (like the motherboard and processor), and that old bondi blue iMac I picked up at the Goodwill a few years back in a fit of nostalgia.

So, after some sorting of cables and cleaning-off of hard drives, Aaron and I loaded up our trunk full of obsolete electronics and headed out to The Andersons for some eCycling.

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Thrift Saturday

Weekends in Toledo can be a little, shall we say... repetitive. Luckily, since our chosen distraction of late is thrifting and hitting garage sales, at least the results of our haul will change from weekend to weekend.

At our first stop, the Savers just off of Secor, I picked up a pinstriped miniskirt for $5.99. Not sure why I've been wanting to rock the miniskirts lately, especially since I feel so uncomfortable when I try to wear them in public ("OMG, my butt is right there!"), but I keep buying them, anyway. At the register, we had a conversation with the cashier about my Pixies shirt and how the cashier loved listening to Pandora. Unexpected, but cool.

While we were in the neighborhood, we hit the Allied Record Exchange, but didn't really find anything. Since I still have stacks of $1 CDs at home from previous trips, I didn't scour the budget CDs like I usually do, though. No video games or guides jumped out at Aaron, either, unfortunately. I managed to remember enough Japanese to read the spine of Shenmue for Aaron, which was fun. (Him: "There's an import Dreamcast game down there! Wonder what it is..." Me (bending down and pausing): "Sh... eh... n... Shenmue!" Him: "Oh, yeah, that was here last time.")

We also ran past the fairly-recently-updated Goodwill on Sylvania, but also had no luck. Usually we find something there — a book, or a vintage video game, or a camera — but not this time.

It wasn't exactly thrift, but we checked out the new Health Foods by Claudia at Secor and Sylvania, too. Picked up some whole wheat, fat-free fig cookies and a couple boxes of No-Pudge Fudge Brownie Mix. I love that brownie mix (just add fat-free yogurt!), and Claudia's has been the only place we can find it locally. Aaron especially misses the beer and wine section they had at their old store — we got a bottle of mead on sale there once, and it was surprisingly good.

Today's weather was sticky and humid and overcast, so there weren't very many garage sales going on. (We also got a slightly late start for garage saling.) So, the only one we managed to hit was a basement sale:

The only potential item of interest was a telescope for $15, but one leg of its tripod was broken ("A little super glue and it's good as new!") and it was missing the bolt to mount it to the tripod. If not for that, I might have picked it up, as it also had software to connect to your laptop and take digital photos.

After dinner, we made one final stop past the Savers on Reynolds and Heatherdowns. We did end up buying a pullover sweater and a summer dress for me, a t-shirt for Aaron (advertising the Testicle Festival in a small town in central Ohio), and an Agfa Isoflash Rapid camera that apparently takes film cartridges that are no longer manufactured.

What we didn't end up buying were these VHS tapes of Ikkyu-san, an anime by the Toei Animation Studios from the '70s. These particular tapes were of the Chinese variety, but the anime was apparently quite popular across Asia.

What we also didn't end up buying were these super-stylish jackets:

Ironically enough, at the register, the cashier complimented me on my Pixies shirt, and we established that she knows the cashier at the other Savers who also liked my Pixies shirt. We also established that she knows a distant cousin of Aaron's who happens to have the same given name as his brother, which consistently causes confusion around town ("Are you so-and-so's brother? I went to school with him! Oh, your brother graduated in the '90s? Maybe not...").

So, all in all, a fun thrift day, if not a particularly bountiful one.

Icewalkers

[Taken 18 Feb 2010 | Apple iPhone 3G | post-processing in Photoshop CS2]

I watched these men walk out onto the frozen Maumee River as I was taking my lunchtime walk. I got out my phone 1.) to take a picture, and 2.) just in case I needed to call 9-1-1 if one of them fell through.

Snowmageddon 2010

It doesn't compare to Washington D.C. and surrounding areas, but this is what downtown Toledo looked like after a full day of snow.

My employer let us all go home 45 minutes early today, "in the interest of personal safety," and I think that anyone who has the option is going to be working from home tomorrow. Not me, though; I don't have a work laptop. In the (highly unlikely) event that the plow comes down my street tonight, I'll make the slog in to work tomorrow morning. If not, I'll take the hit with a personal day, or just hope that my employer decides to call a snow day.

Lucas County is at a Level 2 Snow Emergency right now: "Only people with a real and important need to be out on the roads and streets should do so." Not sure if that will a.) hold until morning, and/or b.) convince my employer that we should all stay home.

Koreana: Delicious Food, Friendly Service

Koreana serves up delicious Korean food with genuine hospitality, time and again. That's why my husband and I are repeat customers, dining at Koreana an average of two to three times a month.

The owner is friendly and gracious, and will gladly give suggestions on what to order — which is helpful when trying Korean food for the first time. For first-time diners, he frequently suggests that each member of the party order something different and share with the others.

There's something on the menu for just about everyone. For those with a low tolerance for spicy heat, bulgogi (marinated beef), chap chae (thin noodles with beef), or jajang myun (noodles and pork with black bean paste) may be a great introduction. Tang-su-yuk is essentially the Korean version of sweet and sour pork, but with more of a distinctly tangy sourness than the sickly sweetness of American-Chinese sweet and sour.

For the slightly more adventurous, there's dolsot bibim bap (beef, vegetables and egg with rice in a stone bowl) — or, for those with a penchant for sinus-clearing spice, the kimchee chigae (fermented cabbage soup), o-jing-a bokeum (spicy stir-fried squid), or any of a number of savory and spicy soups involving various meats and vegetables.

Each meal is served with several side dishes, some of which look unfamiliar to the average American diner. Try them all at least once; my favorites are the fish cakes and the black beans. A word to the wise, though: the red ones (kimchee) are indeed spicy.

Plenty of the soups and other entrees are appropriate for those who, like myself, are watching their girlish figure. Bad news for the vegetarians, though: the vegetarian selections are basically nonexistent.

The only other minor complaints I have about Koreana, as a frequent patron, are the sometimes-odd musical selections (from easy listening to classical) and the slowness of receiving the final bill. Those are minuscule issues, though, compared to the consistently delicious meals we've enjoyed there, especially over the past year. The owner's handcrafted woodwork continues to beautify the restaurant, adding charm to what was once a small, plain restaurant next to a strip bar. His wife's cooking is always extraordinary. And we will keep coming back for more.

(The Toledo City Paper is currently running a coupon for a free appetizer at Koreana! Try the shrimp shumai.)

Enjoying Toledo: Korea Na or Koreana (1/24/2010)
Toledo Blade: Restaurant review: Korea Na **** (7/9/2009)

SimToledo

Before I got my current job, there were only two reasons I ever had for going to downtown Toledo: to shop at the St. Vincent De Paul thrift store, or to go to the Greyhound bus station. For the past two years, though, I've been driving into downtown every weekday, and I'm honestly embarrassed at the state of my city.

Especially since my trip to Chicago this past Labor Day, I've been trying to think of ways to improve the things I perceive as problems with downtown. I'm not a civil engineer, a politician, or any sort of logistics guru, but I do play a mean game of SimTower. So, now I'm thinking of downtown revitalization in terms of a Sim / Sid Meier game.

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July 2008: Politicking in Promenade Park

From the recesses of the inbox:

from: Diana Schnuth
to: Aaron R. Schnuth
date: Tue, Jul 15, 2008 at 1:13 PM
subject: during today's walk

I’ll probably end up blogging about this later…

I was walking up by Promenade Park when a college kid with a clipboard approached me. I decided to actually let him do his spiel, since he was polite about it. He said that he was collecting signatures to put an issue on the ballot: the government is apparently taxing cash advance companies out of existence, and “we” feel that the issue should be put to the voters, instead of letting the government decide. Since I think cash advance places are a Very Bad Idea, and only make bad finances worse, I politely told him I’d pass, but thanks for approaching me. I love being nice when I reject someone, because they get really confused. This kid was no exception - it took him until I nodded my goodbyes and taken two steps away before he managed a Have A Nice Day. Heh.

Then, past the other side of Promenade Park, there was a college chick with a cooler on a wheeled luggage caddy. She asked if I’d like some free bottled water, and I said yes, and steeled myself for whatever proselytization I’d just agreed to. She just handed me a water and a flyer and bid me good day. The flyer? Was for Cash AdvantEdge, located inside Rent-A-Center on Starr Ave. The bottled water had a custom label, too (which, incidentally, said nothing about the number of fluid ounces in the bottle).

When I took another turn around the park about 20 minutes later, there were a bunch of young people huddled under a tree, comparing notes and packing backpacks. I’m guessing they all came out with their various methods of spreading the word, and spent the lunch hour ensnaring the downtown workers (who, interestingly enough, probably don’t need cash advances).

I just thought that was amusingly transparent, and probably not very effective overall.

Incidentally, that issue was on the ballot for the November election, and I voted against the cash advance places, in favor of more restrictive lending.

Farewell, Saigon Bistro

Over a month ago now, Aaron and I were planning to take Aaron's brother out to lunch at the Saigon Bistro, the only Vietnamese restaurant in Toledo. When we arrived, we were angered and confused that the "Closed" sign was up. Upon closer inspection, they were VERY closed: the decorations had been removed from the foyer, and pots and pans were strewn about the dining area. Only then did we catch the significance of the truck and trailer that were parked in front.

The Saigon Bistro was closed. For good.

While we were contemplating where we were really going to eat lunch, I posted this unusually profane tweet:

Last weekend, Aaron and I drove past the restaurant again, just to make sure they hadn't been doing some major remodeling, or moved to another location. Alas, all the signage had been removed from the building, and a Restaurant For Lease sign was posted where the Closed sign used to be.

Writing a review is pointless now. Suffice to say that the Saigon Bistro had been one of our favorite restaurants, and became our go-to when we weren't sure what was for lunch. I sincerely miss my bún and chrysanthemum tea. Aaron was partial to the phở, which was also quite delicious.

I guess that when we want Vietnamese food now, we'll have to make a pilgrimage to Ann Arbor or Cleveland or some other more culinarily savvy city.

We miss you, Saigon Bistro.

Cruising Portside

When I announced my intention to go on my normal lunch walk today, my supervisor looked at me like I was crazy.

"In this weather?"

Granted, the snow was coming down steadily, and the temperature was hovering around 12°F. But I was going to be hardcore — exercise is probably the best way to break through my two-month weight-loss plateau, after all, and there's no time like the present. No excuses.

Then she suggested I check out the tunnels beneath COSI, across the street. I'd only been down there once or twice, and always with other co-workers. I admitted that maybe today would be a good day to check it out on my own.

After not five minutes of walking outside, I made up my mind, and headed into the KeyBank building...

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Fujiyama Restaurant, Toledo OH

Fujiyama Restaurant is about two miles from our house; even if it weren't so conveniently located for us, though, I think we'd probably frequent this Japanese establishment more than the others in town.

Being the creatures of habit we are, Aaron and I tend to find something that works for us and stick with it. That said, although we stick with makizushi these days, we've tried several of the entrees at Fujiyama in the past, and haven't been disappointed with any of them. The shrimp tempura is huge, and could easily be shared by two people. The nabeyaki udon is also very large and very delicious.

Ordering from the sushi menu wasn't always up our alley, either; we used to prefer to pick the pre-selected sushi dinners, so we wouldn't have to choose from so much delicious sushi that we weren't really familiar with. The U.S. Collection was one of my favorites (Alaskan, Boston, California, and Philadelphia Maki). The sushi entrees also come with miso soup and salad (with the standard ginger dressing), so they're a great deal for a lot of food.

Lately, though, we order our sushi a la carte, from the sushi menu. We always start with a shiitake mushroom roll (one of the best in town) and usually a Philadelphia roll (possibly THE best in town). Beyond that, there are a wide variety of rolls to choose from, ranging from inexpensive vegetarian rolls all the way up to the Love Hotel (delicious, but expensive - see photo, left).

Most of the rolls at Fujiyama are inside-out rolls, with the rice on the outside and the veggies and protein on the inside. This leaves the outside available for the sesame seeds that we so enjoy, and that make Fujiyama's rolls just a little different from the others. Also worth noting is the size of the less expensive rolls; they all seem fairly large, unlike some other places in town that skimp on their cheaper vegetarian rolls.

(Top to bottom: shiitake mushroom, veggie futo, and Philly rolls)

Between the two of us, we generally order five rolls — four reasonably priced and one more expensive — plus an appetizer and tea. This usually runs us around $40, which seems to be on the less expensive side of sushi in Toledo.

Of the half-dozen sushi establishments we've visited in Toledo, Fujiyama remains our favorite. Their rolls are decently sized and reasonably priced, the presentation and plating is classy and unique, the service is always pleasant and prompt, and their location is ideal for us (and for University of Toledo students).

Fujiyama is highly recommended by Diana! If you're ever in Toledo, and you like Japanese food, definitely give it a try.

An Open Letter to the Toledo Division of Streets, Bridges & Harbor

Dear Commissioner Welch:

I live on a residential street — on a dead-end street, in fact, in the last house on the street. Understandably, ours is not one of the first streets to be cleared of snow. In fact, the main streets are often cleared by the city days or weeks before our neighborhood streets are finally clear (generally due to a natural melt-off, rather than any city intervention). When our neighborhood does get plowed and salted, very rarely do any of the trucks clear our end of the street.

While I do understand that supplies and manpower are limited, especially in this time of economic hardship, and I also understand that Phase IV roadways have the lowest priority, I cannot help but feel slighted. After all, my husband and I do pay city taxes, just like residents of the more trafficked streets; part of the service we expect in return is that of safe access to our home.

Thanks to the ice storm we experienced approximately 36 hours ago, our neighborhood streets are several inches thick in solid ice. I will be pleasantly surprised if city trucks come through and clear our streets before Mother Nature does the job herself, as temperatures are expected to rise well above freezing in the days ahead.

While I don't truthfully expect any change in the response time of the city anytime soon, I at least wanted to make my displeasure known. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Diana M. Schnuth

Time For A New Favorite Indian Restaurant.

Aaron and I tried Indian food for the first time at a little buffet in (or near) Pittsfield, Massachusetts, during our honeymoon. It took us a few years to discover that there are, in fact, Indian restaurants in Toledo, and we've been frequenting one in particular for probably a year now.

The Indian Jewel has a daily lunch buffet, featuring both meat and vegetarian dishes which are prominently labeled with their Indian names (and, sometimes, the English translations). The buffet comes with delicious naan (bread), and the service is perfectly acceptable for a buffet. The dinner portions are generous and reasonably priced, and are served in stylish copper serving vessels.

My Aikido dojo tends to frequent the other Indian restaurant in town, the Tandoor. I was honestly underwhelmed with their buffet selection, and only ate there once or twice with the dojo. As for our regular Indian fix, the Indian Jewel had given us no reason to go elsewhere — until recently, that is.

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