http://www.brickweekly.com/ Brick Weekly News en-us sitehelp@gatewayva.com Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:04:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/inbox/mail_it_watermelon_head/ 2008/08/21 First off, I love the magazine. I really do. I pick it up every week. Your classified ads are WAY better than those in Style weekly. But, no pics of the watermelon festival? 100,000 people showed up – way more than that art thingy at the museum last Thursday… I saw that guy who always wears the funny little hat, Korey. He was there. I’ve enclosed some pics. Feel free to publish them on your Web site or next week. Maybe you could hire me as a photographer. I’m looking for a job. Also, I didn’t see the astrology page this week. This is a bad move and I’ll tell you why. Forget the ultra-Christians who hate it unless they pull their purse strings and won’t run their ads. (you gotta do what you gotta do). But if it pisses those people off, that’s one of the best reasons to run Freewill astrology, or Amy Alkon or whoever. The REAL reason you need to run an astrology section every week is because it’s the one thing that people want to read about most - themselves! We are narcissistic. We need advice, spelling tips, whatever. We want to read that one little blip every week that is just for us, about us. If it costs too much, just make one up. It’s not like you need a degree in astrology to write a column. So, love the Brick, get it every week. Check out my pics. Thanks! –Byteme P.S. kick ball is for retards. Sorry, but it’s true. Hey Byteme, First off – Thanks! Second off – The Watermelon Festival was indeed a good time, however, we figured everyone else would be covering it and decided to focus on something else. Thanks for sharing the pics. I love this one: Third off – I can’t say that many ultra-Christian advertisers are beating down our door to give us their money, and a syndicated astrology column would hardly be their biggest gripe with us. Freewill was pulled because we ran out of space. It IS nice to know that someone aside from Clay’s dog misses it. We’ll keep that in mind. P.S. Has the backlash against “Tropic Thunder” taught you nothing? You can’t say “retards” any more.  –Tod C Parkhill Wed, 16 Jul 2008 1:04:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/inbox/mail_it_july_17/ 2008/07/16 Hey guys, I was featured in Brick, a while back, along with my band, the Matt Koon Foundation. We were quite honored to have such a great write up from your writer. You guys are awesome at covering local music. Thanks!! Posted by Matt Koon on brickweekly.com Hey Matt, It’s our pleasure! I played for years in bands in Richmond that got no press and am always glad to help the local guys. So, to all you Richmond bands putting stuff together in your basement, recording on your 8-track and playing at the local dives: drop me a line, send me a link to your MySpace page, mail me a CD and we’ll do what we can to get people to come out and hear you.  Tod C. Parkhill 300 East Franklin Street Richmond, Va 23219 //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[25]='"';l[26]=' 109';l[27]=' 111';l[28]=' 99';l[29]=' 46';l[30]=' 121';l[31]=' 108';l[32]=' 107';l[33]=' 101';l[34]=' 101';l[35]=' 119';l[36]=' 107';l[37]=' 99';l[38]=' 105';l[39]=' 114';l[40]=' 98';l[41]=' 64';l[42]=' 108';l[43]=' 105';l[44]=' 97';l[45]=' 109';l[46]=':';l[47]='o';l[48]='t';l[49]='l';l[50]='i';l[51]='a';l[52]='m';l[53]='"';l[54]='=';l[55]='f';l[56]='e';l[57]='r';l[58]='h';l[59]='a ';l[60]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"); else document.write(unescape(l[i])); } //]]> Thu, 10 Jul 2008 8:59:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/inbox/what_does_it_all_mean/ 2008/07/10 Editor Brick (Reloaded), It’s none of my business, and you probably won’t give me the real answer anyway, but What is a Reloaded Brick?  How do you reload a brick? And what would be the good of it if you could Reload a Brick? James Seay Hey!  One step at a time there, Jimmy.  Before you start trying to figure out a Reloaded Brick you might want to ask what in the heck Brick means in the first place.  I’ve been confused about this name since I got here.  My Mom was an English teacher so the first place I go is the dictionary.  I offer up the following courtesy of Merriam Webster:  Main Entry: 1: brick Pronunciation: brik Function: noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English bryke, from Middle Dutch bricke Date: 15th century 1. plural bricks or brick : a handy-sized unit of building or paving material typically being rectangular and about 2. 1?4 × 33?4 × 8 inches (57 × 95 × 203 millimeters) and of moist clay hardened by heat 2: a good-hearted person 3: a rectangular compressed mass (as of ice cream) 4: a semisoft cheese with numerous small holes, smooth texture, and often mild flavor 5: gaffe, blunder — used especially in the phrase drop a brick 6: a badly missed shot in basketball I think we all recognize number one.  Number two came as a surprise to me.  Running through this list I think we resemble all 6 choices. Take your pick Jimbo. Then Reload it. Jim Clark //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[27]='"';l[28]=' 109';l[29]=' 111';l[30]=' 99';l[31]=' 46';l[32]=' 121';l[33]=' 108';l[34]=' 107';l[35]=' 101';l[36]=' 101';l[37]=' 119';l[38]=' 107';l[39]=' 99';l[40]=' 105';l[41]=' 114';l[42]=' 98';l[43]=' 64';l[44]=' 107';l[45]=' 114';l[46]=' 97';l[47]=' 108';l[48]=' 99';l[49]=' 106';l[50]=':';l[51]='o';l[52]='t';l[53]='l';l[54]='i';l[55]='a';l[56]='m';l[57]='"';l[58]='=';l[59]='f';l[60]='e';l[61]='r';l[62]='h';l[63]='a ';l[64]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"); else document.write(unescape(l[i])); } //]]> Thu, 26 Jun 2008 1:42:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/inbox/carytown_conundrum/ 2008/06/26 Dear City Officials, I own a business in Carytown. I constantly promote the shopping district in my work with the Retail Merchants Association and the Carytown Merchants Association, as well as in my media production company. One of the resounding objections raised by shoppers and potential customers alike is the lack of parking. Now, in addition to the limited parking in the city’s premiere shopping district, the city has decided to aggressively enforce the “2 Hour Parking” policy by marking tires and ticketing shoppers. I’m sure that city officials read the news and have noticed the distinct LACK of retail traffic in general with the current economic state of the nation. We have vacancies in the district, with several businesses closing their doors in the past month alone. Why would the city choose THIS summer to enforce this parking restriction? Moreover, why is the shopping district subject to this policy to begin with? Shoppers can’t possibly park, shop, and grab a sandwich without exceeding this limit, much less browse stores and truly enjoy the ambiance of the shopping area. Why do we constantly strive to promote the city’s benefits if the city rewards shoppers by ticketing them, therefore driving them out to Henrico to shop in Short Pump? Please suspend ticketing in Carytown for the sake of merchants and the shoppers that we’re working so hard to attract. It will be in our collective best interest. Thank you for your time. –Scott Hey Scott, I hear you, and I hope the city does, too. I also just found out about Paul Goldman’s cockamamie plan to block buses, cars and bikes from Carytown and turn it into a walking mall. What a cluster-fuck that would be! –Tod C. Parkhill Thu, 29 May 2008 10:04:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/inbox/reloaded/ 2008/05/29 Dear Readers, Brick continues to grow and improve. More content, more advertising, more attitude. Our latest improvement is on the Web at http://www.brickreloaded.com. We’ve always had a Web site but not like this one! You will find the regular Brick stuff and MUCH more. On the Web you will find all our features, photo galleries, events, music, food, art, and comics. Have an opinion about something you saw in Brick? We want to know! Post your comments on anything you see. Coming soon will be an open forum where you can start a topic of any kind. Do you twitter? Follow Brickreloaded and we might just follow you too! Don’t know what twitter is? Check it out at http://www.brickreloaded.com and join the masses. Thanks for reading and thanks for all the support and feedback! –Jim Clark //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[27]='"';l[28]=' 109';l[29]=' 111';l[30]=' 99';l[31]=' 46';l[32]=' 121';l[33]=' 108';l[34]=' 107';l[35]=' 101';l[36]=' 101';l[37]=' 119';l[38]=' 107';l[39]=' 99';l[40]=' 105';l[41]=' 114';l[42]=' 98';l[43]=' 64';l[44]=' 107';l[45]=' 114';l[46]=' 97';l[47]=' 108';l[48]=' 99';l[49]=' 106';l[50]=':';l[51]='o';l[52]='t';l[53]='l';l[54]='i';l[55]='a';l[56]='m';l[57]='"';l[58]='=';l[59]='f';l[60]='e';l[61]='r';l[62]='h';l[63]='a ';l[64]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"); else document.write(unescape(l[i])); } //]]> Thu, 22 May 2008 9:42:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/inbox/mail_it_no_tag_backs/ 2008/05/22 To the editors of Brick: Well, it turns out that the park people just paint over the graffiti with gunship grey paint and all is well. The park people have something to do and the taggers have a blank canvas to work with. It’s a win-win situation. –Anonymous Thu, 22 May 2008 9:41:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/inbox/mail_it_tagged_youre_it/ 2008/05/22 To the editors of Brick: Below is a letter I am sending to the Mayor, the Governor, the city police Style Weekly and the RTD, but I thought I’d send it to you first. I just want to raise awareness and maybe get somebody locked up or preferably, CANED! It has to do with graffiti on Belle Island. I love Belle Island and ride my bike and run the trails down there or just hang out on the rocks and look at girls. But I F-ing hate graffiti and it is all over the place! Some of it could be eliminated by closing the park at 7 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. Limiting access by building a fence between the railroads and the foot bridges would be another way to keep undesirable elements out of the park. I would also ban all alcoholic beverages and glass containers in the park. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a beer or two on the river, but I am willing to give up a couple of cold beers to help keep the place clean. If you eliminate alcohol and glass of any kind, you will greatly decrease the amount of trash and bad behavior down there.  There are buildings down there that really should be demolished. They serve no historical value and they are a substrate for graffiti. It is one of the things that I truly hate about Richmond. (Though, I actually kinda like the Greatful Dead Steal Your Face logo which has had several manifestations in the same place over the past many years. I consider that art, but that’s just my opinion.) Thanks for your time. I’m not giving my name because I don’t want any gangstas coming after me.  –Anonymous Tue, 20 May 2008 2:00:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/inbox/mail_it_we_have_a_winner/ 2008/05/20 Thanks to everyone who solved the riddle in the 5/1 issue. The riddle was: “What the raven said to the camel.” You provided the punchline. We got some good responses. We got some bad responses. We got some unprintable responses. And, we got a winner. Kelly Foss of Richmond sent in the following: “I had to stop by on my flight over to see if those humps were real! Congratulations!” Congratulations indeed, Kelly. Your quick wit and riddle solving prowess, have won you whatever it is I have handy sitting around on my desk, which in this case is a copy of Jen Sorensen’s new Slowpoke book and a couple of Brick cups. I’ll get those in the mail as soon as I can find an envelope. That was a lot of fun. I’ll cook up another riddle soon. Keep checking back! –Tod C. Parkhill //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[25]='"';l[26]=' 109';l[27]=' 111';l[28]=' 99';l[29]=' 46';l[30]=' 121';l[31]=' 108';l[32]=' 107';l[33]=' 101';l[34]=' 101';l[35]=' 119';l[36]=' 107';l[37]=' 99';l[38]=' 105';l[39]=' 114';l[40]=' 98';l[41]=' 64';l[42]=' 108';l[43]=' 105';l[44]=' 97';l[45]=' 109';l[46]=':';l[47]='o';l[48]='t';l[49]='l';l[50]='i';l[51]='a';l[52]='m';l[53]='"';l[54]='=';l[55]='f';l[56]='e';l[57]='r';l[58]='h';l[59]='a ';l[60]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"); else document.write(unescape(l[i])); } //]]> Wed, 07 May 2008 1:23:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/inbox/see_yourself_in_brick/ 2008/05/07 We’re continuing to push things around the pages of Brick. What do you think? Do you miss Free Will Astrology? Do you miss the Ted Rall comic? Do you like Wondermark and How to be Happy? Do you use the newly expanded classifieds? Do you ever want to answer our Answer its? Experience our Experience its? Do our Do its? Let us know! You can get involved! If you feel strongly about a story or about Brick in general, come to the website (brickweekly.com) and leave a comment. Do you think we missed something or need to cover an upcomming event? Let us know! Did we spell your name wrong? Whoops! Sorry! Let us know! Send us a question you’d like answered for Answer it. Our team will take it to the streets. If you are doing something cool or know of a fun local happening that you think Team Brick should experience, drop us a line about that, too. If you’re an artist, send us some samples of your work and let us know where people can see it. If you’re in a band, let us know when and where you’re playing, so we can come out and listen. If you’re just a really interesting person or run a cool business, we want to help you get the word out. Tell us about an upcoming event and we’ll make sure our photographers are there. All you have to do is send us an email! //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[25]='"';l[26]=' 109';l[27]=' 111';l[28]=' 99';l[29]=' 46';l[30]=' 121';l[31]=' 108';l[32]=' 107';l[33]=' 101';l[34]=' 101';l[35]=' 119';l[36]=' 107';l[37]=' 99';l[38]=' 105';l[39]=' 114';l[40]=' 98';l[41]=' 64';l[42]=' 108';l[43]=' 105';l[44]=' 97';l[45]=' 109';l[46]=':';l[47]='o';l[48]='t';l[49]='l';l[50]='i';l[51]='a';l[52]='m';l[53]='"';l[54]='=';l[55]='f';l[56]='e';l[57]='r';l[58]='h';l[59]='a ';l[60]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"); else document.write(unescape(l[i])); } //]]> Thu, 01 May 2008 8:59:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/inbox/building_a_mystery/ 2008/05/01 I know you all are really disappointed to have missed out on last Saturday’s Ravenchase adventure so I’ve prepared a puzzle to give your sad little lives some meaning. Each line in the poem below points to words in this issue of Brick. All those words together form a riddle, the answer to which you will make up and send to me. I will send a small surprise to the person with the funniest answer. Got it? Good! Get to it! The fourteenth word the fat man says within the Mark of Wonder. The first word in the red sub-head under “Welcome to the Jungle.” Find the bird on May the 6th at Symone’s Pajama Party. Find the word that precedes the quote of an Andy who was arty. (pg. 14) Get the last two words in topmost line that follow “BRICK BRICK” on this page. Then find the animal on May the 3rd where skeletal mermaids take the stage. Send me a funny answer to the question that’s unveiled and I’ll print your answers here and send you something in the mail. You’ve got a week to come up with something clever and funny. Enjoy!  Fri, 25 Apr 2008 9:37:01 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/inbox/team_brick_wants_to_hear_about_it/ 2008/04/25 Do you have something you want to get off your chest?  Here’s the place to do it!  Team Brick wants to hear what YOU have to say.  It doesn’t matter what it is or what it is about. Do you have something you would like to see Brick cover in its publication?  What do you think of Brick’s new Web design?  We want to hear it all!  Come on people...we know YOU have SOMETHING to say! Leave your thoughts right here or shoot us an e-mail at //';l[1]='a';l[2]='/';l[3]='';l[25]='"';l[26]=' 109';l[27]=' 111';l[28]=' 99';l[29]=' 46';l[30]=' 121';l[31]=' 108';l[32]=' 107';l[33]=' 101';l[34]=' 101';l[35]=' 119';l[36]=' 107';l[37]=' 99';l[38]=' 105';l[39]=' 114';l[40]=' 98';l[41]=' 64';l[42]=' 108';l[43]=' 105';l[44]=' 97';l[45]=' 109';l[46]=':';l[47]='o';l[48]='t';l[49]='l';l[50]='i';l[51]='a';l[52]='m';l[53]='"';l[54]='=';l[55]='f';l[56]='e';l[57]='r';l[58]='h';l[59]='a ';l[60]='= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') document.write("&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"); else document.write(unescape(l[i])); } //]]> .  Fri, 25 Apr 2008 9:33:00 EST http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/inbox/ruining_the_ending/ 2008/04/25 I haven’t seen The Ruins, but why would you not mention that it’s based on a Scott Smith novel? Maybe some people would be interested in that information. And what kind of film reviewer thinks Jonathan Tucker and Jena Malone are unrecognizable actors? I’m sure no one in your readers’ 18-30 year-old age bracket has seen Donnie Darko or the Texas Chainsaw remake, never mind any of their other work. Oh, and maybe the film totally ignores or changes this, but the people living near the temple don’t routinely feed American college students to the plant. They tried to keep them away from it and once they went there, they have to keep them from leaving so it doesn’t spread throughout the jungle. The movie probably does suck—perhaps even a lot—but if your film reviewer can’t find a way to tell the reader that without making lame jokes and stretching the truth or just plain making things up then why not have someone else do it because the lame jokes aren’t making me laugh.  –Andy Barton Dear Andy, I was too busy doing my impression of a Swiss army knife last week when I handled Do It, Watch It and Media Mix to read the novel, but I’m aware of it. With my workload, my outside reading list is restricted to British men’s magazines, videogame manuals and matchbook covers. Does a bad movie suck less because it’s based on a novel? And would anyone mob Tucker and Malone on a crowded street or a dirt road? I think not. Thanks for reading the lame jokes.  –Korey Hughes