“McNulty, you’ll never guess what I just discovered,” Herc shouted.
“What is it? Did you find any leads to where Barksdale is?” McNulty said.
“No, but look at this. That clue that Barksdale left us, Blue Ave.”
“There is no street in the whole city by that name.”
“It’s not a street. Look at this, if you turn the letters into numbers on a phone, you get the number 258-3283. I looked up the number, and it is registered to one D’Angelo Barksdale, Avon’s brother.”
“Well I’ll be damned. Let’s go.”
“Not so fast, Jimmy. The mayor has decided that he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to his son, so he has given us the ten million dollar ransom money that he asked for, just in case. Barksdale wants us to leave the money in a briefcase down the street from this address.”
“So we’re going to give him the money and then catch him when tries to go home?”
“Exactly. This son of a bitch doesn’t have any chance.”
McNulty and Herc got the briefcase delivered to them by the mayor’s body guards. On their way out the door of the precinct they ran into Jessica Davis.
“Officers, I heard that they were going to give the ransom to Barksdale in exchange for the mayor’s son. You can’t do this. You can’t let him get away with this” she said. Herc put the briefcase down and walked over to her.
“Look ma’am, we’ve got this covered, you don’t have to worry.”
“Well then I want to come with you,” she told Herc.
“Absolutely not, we’ll take care of this.” Jessica stormed off, carrying her bag behind her. When the officers got to the drop point, they slid the suitcase in the garbage can and waited in hiding for Barksdale to pick it up. But nothing happened. They waited for an hour and still nothing happened.
“Attention all units, break into Barksdale’s house and find out what’s going on” McNulty said into his walkie talkie. When the police officers stormed the house they found the mayor’s son tied up in the kitchen, but they did not find anyone else. McNulty arrived at the house to talk to the mayor’s son.
“What happened to you, son? Where’s Barksdale?” McNulty said.
“Who?” he asked. “The last thing I remember I was in a club dancing with some red headed girl. She told me her name was Lauren. Then when I drove home she grabbed me from behind and tied me up, and then brought me to this house.” McNulty’s eye went wide, and he grabbed his walkie talkie.
“Herc, I need you to check the briefcase.”
“No, problem, Jimmy,” he said. He opened it up and it was empty. “Shit, Jimmy, there’s nothing in here.”
“I think we just lost, Herc,” Jimmy said. The next week a body identified as Avon Barksdale turned up on the street. He died of a drug overdose. They searched around for a girl named Jessica Davis, but turned up nothing.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Mystery, Part II
We scoured the crime scene where the mayor’s son had been kidnapped. The facts so far were this; the mayor’s son was last seen on March 21st at 1:30 AM. He had just come back from club Eclipse, and he was apparently high on some kind of drug, most likely Ecstacy. The only witness was a night guard who said he saw the mayor’s son, bound and gagged, being put into the back seat of a black SUV. That’s when the guard called the police. The only other piece of evidence on the scene was a bloody fingernail found on the grass near where the mayor’s son was seen kidnapped. We checked the DNA of the fingernail and it matched that of the mayor’s son. The blood came up with no match. The only suspect was called in by an anonymous tipper, Jessica Davis. We brought her in for questioning, but the blood did not match hers, and her alibi checked out, so we could not charge her with anything. When we questioned her, she said that she believed the culprit was one Avon Barksdale.
Avon Barksdale was a small time thief with a record of robberies and drug charges. We checked his last known address, and went to find it. Jimmy McNulty was the lead detective, and he and I went to see his last known residence, a run down apartment in the projects. The place was empty, but we checked to see if we could find some of Barksdale’s DNA to get a match for the blood on the fingernail. With some luck we found some dried blood in his dirty sink, and decided to head back to the police department. When we got back we did a test on the blood and found that it was a match with the blood on the fingernail. The mayor’s son must have struggled with Barksdale and lost a fingernail while drawing blood from him in the process. Now that we knew Barksdale was our suspect, we just had to find him.
Avon Barksdale was a small time thief with a record of robberies and drug charges. We checked his last known address, and went to find it. Jimmy McNulty was the lead detective, and he and I went to see his last known residence, a run down apartment in the projects. The place was empty, but we checked to see if we could find some of Barksdale’s DNA to get a match for the blood on the fingernail. With some luck we found some dried blood in his dirty sink, and decided to head back to the police department. When we got back we did a test on the blood and found that it was a match with the blood on the fingernail. The mayor’s son must have struggled with Barksdale and lost a fingernail while drawing blood from him in the process. Now that we knew Barksdale was our suspect, we just had to find him.
Mystery, Part I
It all started when McNulty got that phone call about that dame. She was bad news from the start, no doubt about it. I was down at the Gilded Truffle, wetting my beak, so to speak, when McNulty comes up to me and tells me what’s what. A few weeks ago he met this broad at a club downtown. She gave him enough sugar to put him into a diabetic coma, but she left without even dropping her name. He hadn’t seen or heard from her since until he got a call from a fella who said his name was Barksdale. He said that she was the one responsible for kidnaping the mayor’s son. McNulty asked him to come pay us some company and have a chat, but he just hung up. But before he did he gave us one clue, “Blue Ave.” McNulty and I put our heads together but couldn’t think of any street called Blue Avenue. It seemed to us like we had ourselves a trickster on our hands.
McNulty and I went over clues the whole week but came up with diddly squat. Suddenly there was a knock at the front door to the office, and when we opened the door it was like heaven just opened it doors to earth. McNulty stopped in his tracks and stared with his mouth wide open as the most beautiful creature I had ever seen walked into our office and sat down on a chair next to my desk. “I need to clear my name,” she said in a voice that sounded like an choir of angels singing. “Now just a minute,” I said, “A little birdie told us that you’re the one responsible for the kidnaping of the mayor’s son.” “I know who you’re talking about,” she said with a flick of her fiery red hair. “That’s Barksdale, and he’s trying to frame me for this, but he’s the one who did the kidnaping, not me.” I didn’t believe her for one second, but McNulty melted like butter in the mid-day sun. “We’ll help you,” he said, “just tell me what your name is.” She got up off the chair and moved slowly over to the door. “You can call me Jessica,” she said, then she walked out the door and disappeared again.
McNulty and I went over clues the whole week but came up with diddly squat. Suddenly there was a knock at the front door to the office, and when we opened the door it was like heaven just opened it doors to earth. McNulty stopped in his tracks and stared with his mouth wide open as the most beautiful creature I had ever seen walked into our office and sat down on a chair next to my desk. “I need to clear my name,” she said in a voice that sounded like an choir of angels singing. “Now just a minute,” I said, “A little birdie told us that you’re the one responsible for the kidnaping of the mayor’s son.” “I know who you’re talking about,” she said with a flick of her fiery red hair. “That’s Barksdale, and he’s trying to frame me for this, but he’s the one who did the kidnaping, not me.” I didn’t believe her for one second, but McNulty melted like butter in the mid-day sun. “We’ll help you,” he said, “just tell me what your name is.” She got up off the chair and moved slowly over to the door. “You can call me Jessica,” she said, then she walked out the door and disappeared again.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Travelogue Part III
The Gorge
The final stop on our journey westward was the Sasquatch Music Festival in George, Washington. The venue where the festival was taking place was called The Gorge, and it didn't take long to figure out why. The main stage of the festival was on the edge of a huge canyon, with the most beautiful scene directly behind the stage where a river ran through the canyon and no human developments or construction for as far as you could see. The festival was two days long, and we stayed in the camp grounds for three nights. There was so much music to listen to, with three stages running continuously for 10 hours for 2 days. We quickly met and friended some people who were from Portland, who thought it was incredible that we had driven all the way from New Jersey to be there. During the days we listened to a myriad of bands, and during the nights we took part in a giant camp out with thousands of other people. Then when the festival was over, and we were tired and wanting to go home, we set off again in the opposite direction back home.
The final stop on our journey westward was the Sasquatch Music Festival in George, Washington. The venue where the festival was taking place was called The Gorge, and it didn't take long to figure out why. The main stage of the festival was on the edge of a huge canyon, with the most beautiful scene directly behind the stage where a river ran through the canyon and no human developments or construction for as far as you could see. The festival was two days long, and we stayed in the camp grounds for three nights. There was so much music to listen to, with three stages running continuously for 10 hours for 2 days. We quickly met and friended some people who were from Portland, who thought it was incredible that we had driven all the way from New Jersey to be there. During the days we listened to a myriad of bands, and during the nights we took part in a giant camp out with thousands of other people. Then when the festival was over, and we were tired and wanting to go home, we set off again in the opposite direction back home.
Travelogue Part II
The Badlands
The next place that we visited which really made an impact on all of us was The Badlands, in South Dakota. If you had told me that one of my favorite places to the see in the entire country would be in South Dakota, surrounded by 500 miles or more on all sides by farmland, I would not have believed you. But when we first pulled our car up to the lookout point near the entrance, and looked out upon the hilly outcroppings and breathtaking colors at sunset, I could not even believe that what I was seeing was real. We set up camp at the marked camping area that they provided, and set out into the wilderness, weary of the signs that occasionally popped up warning of rattlesnakes. When we came back we met up with a group of college girls staying at the same campgrounds, who were on a road trip of their own, from Georgia to Montana. The next morning, after we packed up all of our things, we had to venture out one more time into the wilderness because one of my friends decided that he had to climb the hills, which upon closer inspection turned out to be enormous eroded mounds of clay and dirt. We were following one of the hiking trails, when one friend who had ventured ahead of us, shouted out loud and ran past us, towards the car. He said he heard what he thought was a rattlesnake really close by. That was when we decided to continue on with our road trip yet again.
The next place that we visited which really made an impact on all of us was The Badlands, in South Dakota. If you had told me that one of my favorite places to the see in the entire country would be in South Dakota, surrounded by 500 miles or more on all sides by farmland, I would not have believed you. But when we first pulled our car up to the lookout point near the entrance, and looked out upon the hilly outcroppings and breathtaking colors at sunset, I could not even believe that what I was seeing was real. We set up camp at the marked camping area that they provided, and set out into the wilderness, weary of the signs that occasionally popped up warning of rattlesnakes. When we came back we met up with a group of college girls staying at the same campgrounds, who were on a road trip of their own, from Georgia to Montana. The next morning, after we packed up all of our things, we had to venture out one more time into the wilderness because one of my friends decided that he had to climb the hills, which upon closer inspection turned out to be enormous eroded mounds of clay and dirt. We were following one of the hiking trails, when one friend who had ventured ahead of us, shouted out loud and ran past us, towards the car. He said he heard what he thought was a rattlesnake really close by. That was when we decided to continue on with our road trip yet again.
Travelogue
Summer 2007
After years of half-heartedly making plans to go on a serious road trip, I finally get the motivation to go to a music festival in Washington State. It involves almost 3000 miles of driving each way, and is scheduled to last for about 3 weeks. I convince three friends to go on the trip with me; after all, this is going to be a life-changing journey, right? Plans were made, and then when the summer finally came, we were off!
Chicago
The first place we visited that really made an impact on us was the Windy City. To us East-coasters, Chicago seemed like the New York City of the mid-west. It wasn't as big or as grand as New York, but it seemed a lot brighter and more cheerful. My favorite place was Millennium Park, newly built around 2000, that was just packed with some of the most amazing monuments and attractions, such as an outdoor concert space with metallic beams twisting a silver spiderweb over the open grass lawn used for seating. We tried to condense everything that we needed to do into three days, and one of those things was to sample some of the best deep dish pizza that we could find. We visited the art museum, record stores, and walked around the many neighborhoods before we had to move on with our road trip.
After years of half-heartedly making plans to go on a serious road trip, I finally get the motivation to go to a music festival in Washington State. It involves almost 3000 miles of driving each way, and is scheduled to last for about 3 weeks. I convince three friends to go on the trip with me; after all, this is going to be a life-changing journey, right? Plans were made, and then when the summer finally came, we were off!
Chicago
The first place we visited that really made an impact on us was the Windy City. To us East-coasters, Chicago seemed like the New York City of the mid-west. It wasn't as big or as grand as New York, but it seemed a lot brighter and more cheerful. My favorite place was Millennium Park, newly built around 2000, that was just packed with some of the most amazing monuments and attractions, such as an outdoor concert space with metallic beams twisting a silver spiderweb over the open grass lawn used for seating. We tried to condense everything that we needed to do into three days, and one of those things was to sample some of the best deep dish pizza that we could find. We visited the art museum, record stores, and walked around the many neighborhoods before we had to move on with our road trip.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Photoblogs Post Part 1
One photo blog I found interesting was William Darhy's PhotoBlog. These are some of the pictures I found that I liked.
About a pair of green eyes...
The use of color is the most striking thing about this picture. The model's brilliant green eyes are the first thing to capture your attention, and all of her face really captures the light. What makes this picture even better is the contrasts away from the center of her face. While her face practically glows, the darker shadows offer a contrast that further enhances the brightness of her eyes and face, and the color of her outfit matches that of her eyes. I also liked that while the model was obviously posing, it is a more natural pose.
African American with a red dress - Harlem
This picture is great because upon your first glance you can already tell a lot about where this photo was taken. The colors of the woman's dress also match with the colors of the building next to her. I also like the lighting in the picture, combined with the puddles makes it look like the sun just came out after the rain.
Boy climbing a wall - West Village
This picture is interesting because of the state of the boy climbing the wall. He looks like he has already started, but then something over to his right stopped him. The intentions and thoughts of the boy make up most of what you might think about this picture. Visually, I like the way the picture is spaced. I like that the left half is the boy at the window, and then the left half is just an empty wall with a pipe in the pavement.
About a pair of green eyes...
The use of color is the most striking thing about this picture. The model's brilliant green eyes are the first thing to capture your attention, and all of her face really captures the light. What makes this picture even better is the contrasts away from the center of her face. While her face practically glows, the darker shadows offer a contrast that further enhances the brightness of her eyes and face, and the color of her outfit matches that of her eyes. I also liked that while the model was obviously posing, it is a more natural pose.
African American with a red dress - Harlem
This picture is great because upon your first glance you can already tell a lot about where this photo was taken. The colors of the woman's dress also match with the colors of the building next to her. I also like the lighting in the picture, combined with the puddles makes it look like the sun just came out after the rain.
Boy climbing a wall - West Village
This picture is interesting because of the state of the boy climbing the wall. He looks like he has already started, but then something over to his right stopped him. The intentions and thoughts of the boy make up most of what you might think about this picture. Visually, I like the way the picture is spaced. I like that the left half is the boy at the window, and then the left half is just an empty wall with a pipe in the pavement.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
I <3 Internets (and cute things, awww)
There were not many good blogs to choose from in the "Amusing Animals" industry. Possibly because people who have nothing better to do with all their free time than take pictures of their pet (child) wearing a different pet outfit every day don't tend to be the most interesting people. Here are my top three.
This blog is the pinnacle of western civilization as far as I'm concerned. It combines pictures of cute animals with a sort of "animal Ebonics" to create content that will make you laugh and go "awwwww" at the same time. The format is simple, with user-submitted pictures comprising most of the content. The pictures all contain the same font and size lettering, but the caption on each is different. Each post contains just one picture, and then a link containing a response picture. The audience for this web site is people who think that pretending animals can talk is funny, and I hope that is everyone.
Cute overload is like I Can Has Cheezburger? without the captions. Its posts are also comprised of user submitted pictures. The difference is that cute overload doesn't mess around when it comes to cute. The design is a white background with pastel colors to highlight the fact that the blog is all about the cute. The animals are mostly babies, and almost always stare, wide-eyed, directly at the camera. The audience for this blog is people who love animals, obviously.
After those first two blogs above, the quality of animal related blogs drops off substantially. I had to choose between a blog where a woman posted pictures of her cat next to pictures of her feet in knitted socks, and a blog where one poor, pathetic looking pug was subjected to the most humiliating outfits on an almost daily basis. I chose the latter. Although Riley is made to wear thermal pajamas, t-shirts, and Halloween costumes, he always has the same adorable confused look on his face. Ok, I can see what people like about this blog, even if it makes me want to create "Free Riley" t-shirts. The audience for this blog? Somewhere between people who like cute things, and people who want children.
This blog is the pinnacle of western civilization as far as I'm concerned. It combines pictures of cute animals with a sort of "animal Ebonics" to create content that will make you laugh and go "awwwww" at the same time. The format is simple, with user-submitted pictures comprising most of the content. The pictures all contain the same font and size lettering, but the caption on each is different. Each post contains just one picture, and then a link containing a response picture. The audience for this web site is people who think that pretending animals can talk is funny, and I hope that is everyone.
Cute overload is like I Can Has Cheezburger? without the captions. Its posts are also comprised of user submitted pictures. The difference is that cute overload doesn't mess around when it comes to cute. The design is a white background with pastel colors to highlight the fact that the blog is all about the cute. The animals are mostly babies, and almost always stare, wide-eyed, directly at the camera. The audience for this blog is people who love animals, obviously.
After those first two blogs above, the quality of animal related blogs drops off substantially. I had to choose between a blog where a woman posted pictures of her cat next to pictures of her feet in knitted socks, and a blog where one poor, pathetic looking pug was subjected to the most humiliating outfits on an almost daily basis. I chose the latter. Although Riley is made to wear thermal pajamas, t-shirts, and Halloween costumes, he always has the same adorable confused look on his face. Ok, I can see what people like about this blog, even if it makes me want to create "Free Riley" t-shirts. The audience for this blog? Somewhere between people who like cute things, and people who want children.
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