It's picture time

[spatch]

Reebok had these silly ads around South Station during the Boston Marathon weekend. This ad is still up on Summer Street near the Fort Point bridge intersection. The gist of the ad campaign was that it was okay to not run like a banshee and then pass out from heat exhaustion while you cramp up and die. And that apparently Reebok shoes are good for not cramping up and dying in. And that when you're cramping up and dying, you begin your sentences with 'and' and end them with a preposition.

The slogan picked to help us remember not to cramp up and die is "Run Easy" which, in and of itself, is an okay slogan. But this is the Age of Local Branding, so the Reebok ads in Boston had to pertain to Boston, and apparently that also includes adding the city name to the end of their spiffy slogan. Thing is, "Run Easy Boston" isn't really a proper sentence. Thankfully here some kind grammatician has actually affixed a little comma sticker to the sign and made a decent sentence out of it.

I have no idea where the heck they got a comma sticker from, though. Or from the heck where they got a comma sticker. Something about prepositions, etc.



This is actually a picture of cookware in Target showing what dandy foodstuffs you can make with their dee-luxe cookware sets. Thing is, we think for some of the pictures, they just threw whatever they had into the picture for MAKE LOOK FOOD.

This, for example, appears to be an omelet with what look like garden peas -- still in the pod, mind you -- and red peppers. With two blades of grass on top, apparently. Just my morning usual, really.



Oh, and there was also a RANDOM CARNIVAL IN MEDFORD this weekend and we happened across the tail end of it tonight. There's some rides and some dark ride/funhouse bally art, too, including, well, a disturbing fire hydrant. See? Oh boy.

Here's the entire set and how.

Comments

[ron_newman]

Belmont has a carnival from this Wednesday through Sunday, next to the high school. Here's a coupon for a $15 unlimited-ride wristband (normally $18)

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Does Somerville ever have a carnival? I never hear of any...

[spatch]

They put the kibosh on the carnival in the Assembly Square parking lot a few years back because, and this was one of the reasons cited, the Assy Square lot is vaguely accessible by the Orange Line and the Orange Line brings in all Those Unwanted Types.

Yeah, and I'm sure the Christmas Tree Shops now brings in only the highest clientele.

[ron_newman]

Here's some discussion of this subject at The Somerville News website. The article is from two years ago, but someone recently re-started the discussion thread.

[spatch]

"You attract so many people," Roche said. "The location is on the Orange Line, so you're not just getting people from Somerville.
You're getting different people of different backgrounds."

There we go. Fuckin brilliant quote right there.

I never read the discussions at The Somerville News site because they make my teeth hurt.

[ron_newman]

Yeah, don't you love the assumption that people don't know how to transfer between subway lines, or ride buses?

[spatch]

What really gets me is the inference that people from Somerville aren't from "different backgrounds."

Take a walk up Broadway some fine day from Sullivan Square, up and over Winter Hill, down through Ball Square to Powderhouse, over into Davis, and then maybe around to Union if you'd like and you don't mind the walkin.

I wonder how many different "backgrounds" you'll encounter when you do that.

I only hope that the next time Mr./Ms. Roche (I forget the gender) wants to speak euphemistically and not just outright say "we don't want those gangs in our carnival", a better choice of words can be found.

[ron_newman]

It's Bill Roche, the alderman from Ward 1, which is East Somerville and Assembly Square. Very likely the most diverse section of Somerville, followed closely behind by Union Square.

Why not the fields?

[ariwriter.livejournal.com]

Dilboy Field would be the most ideal location, followed closely by Trum Field and Conway Park...or the state-owned parks.

Re: Why not the fields?

[ron_newman]

My guess it that it would ruin the grass, whose primary purpose is to provide a playing field for football and soccer.

Re: Why not the fields?

[spatch]

Yup. Lot carnivals are hell on grass. Ride installations and breakdowns, booths, infrastructure (electrical/water hookups, etc) and all that foot traffic just ruin a field.

My hometown holds a fair on the Town Common every May. There's concessions and rides brought in by Fanelli, I think, and the entire place is a mudpit for about a month afterwards, especially on years when it rains during the fair weekend (which seemed to be EVERY year.) Even on sunny years, the Common is left completely bald.