Blue Ridge Road District Study

I came across this again yesterday.  The City of Raleigh has been working on a study for the Blue Ridge Road corridor which includes NC State's Carter Findley and BioMed Campus, the PNC Arena, the North Carolina Art Museum, the NC State Fairgrounds, and various private businesses and a few residential areas.  They have drafted their final plan and will unveil it to council in the coming weeks.

One of the things I am most excited about is the planned changes NCDOT wants to do to the intersection of Blue Ridge Road and Hillsborough Street.  I drive through that intersection at least 8 times a week and its a pain in the butt.  Here is what they want to do:

How cool is that?  They want to lower the road under the existing Hillsborough Street and railroad tracks.  Too bad it probably won't be complete until 2020 or so, but I still think it is great.  I think the whole plan is great actually.  The area does need more hotels, restaurants, attractions, and residential development.  It will definitely be more of a destination in the next 20 years.  

Summer School Sucks

Summer school sucks.  But, I have only taken one summer school class and it was research methods, so take my observation as you will.  We really did try to cram a 10 week class in a 5 week time period and it did not work out so well.

The "unhelpful high school teacher" meme below summarizes the final exam last night.

GOP makes North Carolina better - Update x 2

When I first read about this last week, it gave me quite a chuckle.  It must be nice to outlaw things we do not like or want to believe.

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To be fair (who does this anymore in politics?), they are doing this so the beach communities can continue to progress as usual, without have to start preparing (zoning laws and building codes) and paying for something that may or may not happen a 80 years from now.  There are different studies by different scientists who forecast different measurements.  It's just extremely funny we created a bill to ignore science.  If you have beach front property in North Carolina, you should definitely sell it sometime this century though, or be prepared to spend a lot of money toward beachification efforts.

Thanks to the GOP for making North Carolina more interesting and news worthy.  From education in Wake County, to making the poor not poor enough, to making civil unions unconstitutional, and now outlawing science, thanks!


6-7-12 Update:
Apparently the wording has changed in the new draft, but it still would exclude data considering the acceleration from climate change. Read more here. The WRAL article also contains information about where this push is coming from and who is behind it.


6-21-12 Update:
According to the N&O, the bill has been re-written: article It will be presented next week, so it will be interesting to see how they changed the wording.

Longest questionnaire e-mail forward thing ever, ca. 2002

Since this is better than doing schoolwork and the internet does not know enough about me. Email chain questionnaire from 2002, minus a few stupid questions and answers I would rather not put out there for the world. 30 minutes of my life I will never get back. Great, great, grand kid, now you know me a little better <3


Name: James Draper
Nicknames: JD
AGE: 28
Birthplace: Raleigh, NC  
Current Location: Raleigh, NC
Siblings: Sister
School: Appalachian State University and NC State University
Grade: ummm, 18th?  
GPA: 3.75
Occupation: Business Manager  
Car:  Chevy
Pets: The nutty squirrels outside
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
LAST CD YOU BOUGHT: ummmm, its been like 5 years since I have purchased a real CD
LAST MOVIE YOU SAW IN THE THEATER: The Avengers
LAST MOVIE YOU RENTED: watched something on Netflix
FAVORITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL: Political Science
DO YOU ACTUALLY LIKE MATH?:  A little
Fav. Car: Aston Martin 
Dream House: Plenty of space  
Fav Movie: Schindler's List
Fav. Food: Seafood  
Fav. Sport: basketball
Fav. Hang-Out: I'm not 15 anymore....
Fav. Words or Phrases: wow  
Do You Have A Sweetie?: yes 
Do You Have Any Crushes?:  ^^^
Have You Ever Kissed: thankfully
Who's The Last Person U Talked To:  Ellen
Who was the last person you saw:   Ellen
What're You Wearing:  polo shirt, jeans, sperry's
What Is Your Pet-Peeve?: ignorance  
What's Your Favorite Body Part On The Opposite Sex: PG-13
In 4 Words, Describe Yourself: whitty, intelligent, loving, super-awesome
FAVORITE ACTRESS: Natalie Portman 
FAVORITE ACTOR: RDJ is the man 
FAVORITE TV SHOW: LOST
FAVORITE SONG:  <3 Taylor Swift
FAVORITE STORE: Best Buy?
DO YOU DO ANY DRUGS?   Negative
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE ON YOUR BUDDY LIST? omg, my buddy list. AIM no longer exists  :p  I have a lot of Facebook friends?
ARE YOU ON ANY SPORTS TEAM?  Nope
HOW LONG ARE YOU IN THE SHOWER? 10 minutes.  <3 showers 
FAV. FOOD: pizza
WORST FEAR: losing people 
FAVORITE COLOR:  blue
BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD?  Love and discovery
WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?  helplessness & misery
BILL CLINTON: good times 
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT:  yeppers
ABORTION: curcumstancial
RAP:  fine
MARILYN MANSON: was he relevant back then or something? 
GUY BANDS:  OMG, BSB 4 LIFE
SPICE GIRLS: fun
TITANIC:  Its in 3D now....
JERRY SPRINGER:  Is the show still on? Quick google search.... yes, since 1991
GOD:  Love
DO YOU HAVE A JOB? thankfully
WHAT COLLEGE DO YOU GO TO OR WANT TO GO TO? This is my second one
DO YOU BELIEVE IN HEAVEN AND HELL?: yes
DO YOU BELIEVE IN ANGELS?  yes
DO YOU BELIEVE IN ALIENS? yes
DO YOU BELIEVE IN YOURSELF? for sure
DO YOU WANT TO GET MARRIED? yes
WHAT DO YOU DO THAT MAKES YOUR FRIENDS MAD? act like an ass
DO U HAVE STUFFED ANIMALS? of course
DO YOU HAVE ANY BAD HABITS? probably
PEPSI OR COKE? Sprite
LETTERMAN OR LENO: either
MTV or VH1: MTV
SPICE GIRLS OR ALL SAINTS? Who?
BEVERLY HILLS 90210 OR DAWSONS CREEK:  such a tough decision....
7TH HEAVEN OR PARTY OF FIVE: ^^^^
CHOCOLATES OR FLOWERS: Flowers
VANILLA OR CHOCOLATE: Vanilla
BLACK OR WHITE: White
SILVER OR GOLD: Silver
IF YOU COULD BE ANYWHERE RIGHT NOW, WHERE WOULD YOU BE? tropical island, taking a nap 
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING AT THIS VERY MOMENT? <---- stupid question
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE SONG "PRETTY FLY FOR A WHITE GUY"?  <3 offspring 
ARE YOU A VEGETARIAN?  no
FAVORITE KINDS OF CLOTHES: comfortable ones 
THE LAST TV SHOW YOU WATCHED: Chopped!
HAVE YOU EVER....
BEEN ON A PLANE:  yes
WENT SWIMMING IN THE OCEAN: yes
GONE SKINNY DIPPING: ish
CRIED IN PUBLIC:  yes
LET A FRIEND CRY ON YOUR SHOULDER: yes 
FELL ASLEEP IN THE SHOWER/BATH: no
FELL ASLEEP WHILE EATING: no
GONE TO CHURCH: yes
READ THE BIBLE: yes
CLIMBED A TREE:  yes
WATCHED DAWSON'S CREEK: yes
GONE SKIING:  nope
GONE SNOWBOARDING: yes 
FELL ASLEEP DURING A SCARY MOVIE: nope 
BEEN TO CAMP: yes
PLAYED SOCCER: yes
BEEN TO A MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL GAME? Boston Red Sox
SAW A PRO BASKETBALL GAME: in Charlotte, maybe?
SAT IN A RESTAURANT WITHOUT OUT ORDERING ANYTHING: yes
EATEN SUSHI: yes
EATEN FISH:  yes
WANTED TO DIE:  no
MET A CELEBRITY: maybe?
DRIVEN A CAR: yes
DIDN'T WASH YOUR HAIR FOR A WEEK: no
BROKEN SOMETHING VALUABLE:  yes
BOUGHT ICE CREAM FROM AN ICE CREAM TRUCK:  yes
USED YOUR PARENTS CREDIT CARD: yes
BEEN SCARED TO GET A SHOT: probably
GOTTEN A CAVITY: yes  :(
SHOPPED AT ABERCROMBIE & FITCH:  yes
SHOPPED AT OLD NAVY:  yes
THOUGHT YOU WERE IN LOVE: knew  
HAD AN ONLINE RELATIONSHIP:   nope
WATCHED MTV AT 4 IN THE MORNING:  probably
HAVE YOU EVER TIPPED OVER A PORTA POTTY: no comment....
MADE PRANK PHONE CALLS?  ^^^^
CAUGHT A FISH: yes
SNUCK OUT OF YOUR HOUSE: nope 
BEEN HURT BY A GUY/GIRL YOU LOVED: yes 
GONE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY: yes
WET THE BED: probably
SEEN A SURVEY THIS LONG: for the love of all things holy


What are you listening to right now?  nothing
What was the last thing you ate? or drank? water and chicken and cookies and bow-tie pasta 
If you were a crayon, what color would you be? hue of blue
Where do you plan to go on your honeymoon? warm, tropical, secluded, oceanie
What is the weather like right now? warm and sunny
Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? my sweet mother
What's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex? the whole package (or whatever tends to stand out)
How are you today?  glad its friday
Your favorite drink? Water
Your favorite alcoholic drink? Red Oak  
How do you eat an Oreo? I don't
Favorite sport to watch on TV?  Basketball and Football
What's the next CD you're going to get?  Never again
Do you wear contacts? yes
Favorite month?  January
Favorite day of the year? Christmas 
Are you too shy to ask someone out? it depends 
Do you like scary or happy movies better?  happy
Summer or Winter?  both
Hugs or Kisses? kisses
Relationship or one-night stands?  both?  :p
Weird facts about you? This is stupid

I forgot how to blog

Yes, I no longer know or remember how to blog.  I am so used to shrinking my ideas and thoughts down to 140 characters or short posts on facebook.  What do people blog about now-a-days anyway?  My friend's already know 85% of what I do because of facebook and twitter.  Am I supposed to give them more details?

I began blogging on Livejournal, way back when, before twitter and facebook existed.  Back when MySpace was the bomb and everyone communicated through AIM.  Thanks to the ever knowing internet, that journal is still live and public.  I have to be careful if I ever run for office one day and be weary of what my grandchildren might ask me.

It looks like I used LJ from 2003-2007 and posted almost 800 times, mostly about my life, school, the news, and anything I found interesting.  After that, I spent a little time on wordpress from 2008-2010, so it has been a while since I have actually had to think more than five seconds when I post something out to the world.

We'll see how this goes.  :)

First Post

First post  :)   Just playing!  Never used blogger before.  To learn more about me: www.about.me/jamesdraper