THE NEW SITE IS UP!!! GO TO www.iliveonclaystreet.com

thats right...its not completely done but, it is very very functional...go to www.iliveonclaystreet.com

Keepin it live!!!!

Website Update and Needs

Hello again from Clay Street, the Harlem of Annapolis.

I would like to bring you all up to speed on the website, what its going to be, how it will help the community, etc.

First and foremost, there is going to be a history section. This is the part that I most need your help with. I am a relative new resident of Clay Street, I have been here for just under a year now. What the site needs is the authenticity stamp from the long time residents, or long ago residents, or current or recent residents. What I am looking for is the history told through the eyes of those who know the stories. So, with that being said, here's what I can do to help the process. I have got a few friends that have video cameras and editing equipment. They can film people telling their stories and we can put them up on the site! Further, if people are camera shy not to worry because those people can write their stories and we can put them in the history section as well.

Also, there is going to be a photo gallery, here is where we will have pictures from the past and present of Clay Street. We've got to capture the essence of the spirit of the neighborhood. I have spoken with some people over at the Stanton Center and they have quite a few pictures but, I know there are a lot more. If you have a photo album, or you know someone who does and you have pictures, tell them about the project! We are looking for anything and everything Clay Street!

We are going to have the weather on the site, so you can check to see whether or not you will need a coat before you go outside. Also, there is going to be news feeds from the Capital piped into the site so you can check out what's going on in this great city of ours. Last but, not least we are going to have links to other sites that represent Annapolis in their own way.

Of course, as I have mentioned in the past there is going to be a forum as well. This will allow everyone to discuss ideas, make announcements, and keep updated as to what's going down.

Lets keep the ideas flowing, let me know what else we could add to the site to make it more compelling and helpful for the greater Clay Street commnunity.

I will be learning how to navigate the site on Friday. My hope is to work out the kinks this weekend and to have everything live by the middle of next week.

Thank you again for all the support, this is a team effort no question.

The Stickers are here!

They have arrived...the first batch will begin to find themselves quietly moving around town, preping for the arrival of the new website. They may even show up in your mailbox. If you want a sticker, just comment below and we can hook it up. I'm looking to round up some "Clay Street Teamers" to help me sneak these into the eyelines of greater Annapolis. Holla if ya hear me.

In other news, I wanted to keep that posting about the YankeePrincess up there a few days to give the people a look at the fast increasing number of Yankee fans that are moving back here. Soon, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez will be rumored searching for a spot in the neighborhood, of course on opposite ends of the block. Remember Clay Street is no stranger to athlete celebrities in its confines, Earl "the Pearl" Monroe and Walt "Clyde" Frazier used to kick it back here.

Clay Street is by far the coolest neighborhood in all of Annapolis.

The NY Yankees and Clay Street

Taken from today's Capital...

Daughter of baseball magnate pens her tale from Clay Street

Local author's father is Gabe Paul, Yankees' former president
By NICOLE YOUNG, Staff Writer

Published September 04, 2007

Jennie Paul's father always told her not to look at the hole in the doughnut, but rather look at the whole doughnut - the same sentiment he shared with the 1977 world champion New York Yankees.
It is with those big-picture eyes that Ms. Paul, 56, views her Clay Street neighborhood where she's writing "Yankee Princess," a book about her relationship with her father, Gabe Paul, the president of the Yankees who worked under owner George Steinbrenner.
Two and a half years ago, when she moved into her row home in the 200 block of Clay Street, she heard gunshots fired the very first night.

Tucked away just around the corner from Annapolis's historic and tourist-driven downtown is Clay Street - home of two public housing communities. It's known for open-air drug markets and other often-violent crimes, including a recent murder and numerous shootings.

Since she moved in, Ms. Paul has found that some pizza delivery places won't even deliver to her street. But the most shocking revelation came when the parents of some of her daughter's friends wouldn't let them come over to visit.

"I have no fear on this street," Ms. Paul said. "If you let your fears get the better of you, you'll never live. Either you have guts or you don't; it's in your nature."

She said she lived with fear the majority of her life, wondering if her father would ever say the three words she longed to hear: "I love you." She spent so much time dwelling on it that it consumed her life and taught her many important lessons.

It also has formed the basis of her book.

"Fathers and daughters have the most unique relationship," she said. "Everything relates back."

She's been working on different versions of her manuscript for the past six years, but as ESPN began airing the "Bronx is Burning" miniseries about the 1977 Yankees' run to victory in the World Series, Ms. Paul said she "bawled" her eyes out with each episode, sitting alone and watching a part of her life play out on the small screen.

It doesn't do her father any justice, she said.

"The more I watched it, the more I realized the real story had to be told," she said. "We never knew we were a famous family. He was just our dad."

Ms. Paul said she was about to give up on the book when she realized that sports fans still care about games that played out 30 years ago, and how the game has changed over time.

"Thirty years ago, players still signed autographs," she said. "Kids from Clay Street could still sneak into a baseball field and people with no money could go to a game."

It's evident from her modest home that sports are still a huge part of her life. There are photos of her son in hockey gear, the television is tuned to ESPN and there's a copy of Newsday Inside Sports on the coffee table.

Her extensive Yankees sports memorabilia, including her father's World Series ring, are all tucked safely away in a variety of locations far from her current house, most at the family home in Florida.

Ms. Paul, a hired chef for corporate jets, spent about 15 years in the Davidsonville area, then moved away after a divorce. She returned to Annapolis 21/2 years ago with her two children, Matthew, 19, and McKenzie, 17, and fell in love with Clay Street. She said she enjoys the proximity to downtown and the rest of the East Coast, in addition to the quaintness of the homes and the waterfront being just across the street.

Like Timm Kostenko, another recent transplant to the neighborhood who writes the "I Live On Clay Street" blog, she heard from friends and even police that she didn't want to live there, especially with children.

And Ms. Paul questions that prejudice and snap judgment she receives when people find out she's living on Clay Street.

"They may not say anything, but I know what they are thinking when they hear my address," she said. "But that's another fight for another day. You have to pick your battles."

The people on Clay Street know who she is and are willing to lend a helping hand if needed, but she said enough people speak negatively about the area to scare those who don't know the whole story.

Ms. Paul bought her home and intends to keep her roots planted deep.

"I haven't stopped hearing that this is a dangerous place," she said. "Maybe one day it will stop, but I don't know. If you go around with a jaded view - 'everything is bad' - you'll never see the good."

She hopes to finish the book within the next six months and spent the Labor Day weekend in New York to meet with her agents. She recently signed a book deal with Literary Group International out of New York, the same company that published best-sellers "Flags of Our Fathers" and "October Sky."

But writing the memoir has been a long road. She has already rewritten the manuscript to create a more sentimental tone.

She hopes the book will also become a movie, and she's telling agents that she'd like Goldie Hawn to play the title role. But she got a surprise when she mentioned Ms. Hawn's name.

"They laughed at me," she said, laughing herself as she recalled the moment. "They told me she might be able to play the Yankee grandma. So maybe then we can get Kate Hudson instead," she said, referring to Ms. Hawn's actress daughter.

Ms. Paul's sense of humor and upbeat attitude carry over to her thoughts about Clay Street.

She jokingly turns one of her father's famous "Paul-isms" into a statement about the community.

"People shouldn't look at the hole in Clay Street - unless it's a bullet hole," she said with a smile. "But they should look at the whole Clay Street."

Fiends do the funniest things part 2

So tonight I pull up to the spot after hitting the food store for the weeks groceries when I see this kid staring at the sky. He's dressed like he is the missing link from Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. He is obviously taking an attempt at style because he is rocking a chain that looks like he stole it off of a bicycle. He had on a dirty sweatshirt that said "Capricorn" ("your style is played like Zodiac signs on sweat shirts" Gza, Liquid Swords), a pair of busted glasses, and a newport dangling from his lip.

Before I go any further, you must be thinking its a non stop fiend fest back here and it is really not. There just happened to be two funny incidents that have occured in the last few days.

Back to the story. If you have ever seen the movie "New Jack City" Chris Rock plays a character named Pooky. This kid tonight looked like Pooky, he even had a busted high top fade. Well, not a high top fade but, rather a head full of hair that hadn't been cut in a minute.

So, I ask Pooky, "you aight man?" He doesnt respond at all, just keeps staring blankly. Then all of the sudden he does this very awkward body slide then dip. Then he takes his lighter and starts searching around in the parking lot for something. So, myself and my neighbor who has come outside now, both just look on in wonder. The fiend turns to us and says "you seen my cigarette?" Of course me being the smart ass that I am ask him "you don't mean the one on your lip right?" At that Pooky says "OOPS" and brings the lighter to his face and realizes that the object of his desire is no further then the end of his lip.


I cannot make this stuff up.

Flawless Music Festival, Sept 15 at Truxton

A very good friend of mine from the Hip Hop community in Maryland, specifically here in Annapolis, Marcus aka Awnpoynt, is putting on his annual Flawless Music Festival on September 15 at Truxton Park.

For the past 4 years Marcus and his crew have been very active within both the high schools in the area as well as the neighborhoods around Annapolis working through music to give kids another way to express themselves. Specifically Marcus is dedicating his time to the Boys And Girls Club of Annapolis off Spa Road. He is putting together a music program at the club to further his mission. The event coming up will be donating all the proceeds to help kick things off for his music program.

Tickets must be purchased prior to the event either through Ticketmaster or from Marcus himself. He asked that I don't give out his phone number because he is having a hard time responding to the outpouring of ticket requests, instead he asked that I provide you all his email address to reach him there. This will give him and or someone from his staff a more streamlined method to get back to you. The email to use for ticket purchase is mdecimal@gmail.com .

The event is from 12 noon till 6pm and is for all ages. It will feature live musical performances culminating with legendary headliner Chuck Brown, live artwork, food, drinks, and good times outdoors.

We need to support this man and this movement. I have already vouched to purchase 2 tickets.

Fiends do the Funniest Things

Clay Street has a funny side, not that people being addicted to drugs and spiraling out of control in life is funny, but sometimes people do a little too much and they do some very funny things. Last night was just such a case.

Around 1030pm, I was laying in bed with the laptop checking up on the world when I started to hear a loud yelling, moaning, howling, combination. It didn't sound distressful, instead it sounded almost like when a dog is whining to come back into the house. However, it is the humane thing to do to explore and be sure no help was needed. The last thing you want is a situation that there is someone in need and everyone ignores their pleas and they suffer outside your doorstep.

So, I slid over to the window and took a look. At first, I didn't see anything. Then all of the sudden this large blondish, brownish haired "Pat" came prancing into view. If you have ever watched Saturday Night Live they have a skit in which there is a person who, named Pat, you can't quite tell if they are male or female. So, there was a Clay Street version of "Pat" popping up and down waving his or her arms in the air, flapping them around, dancing wildly, stumbling a few times, and attempting to sing. That whining dog noise was actually Pat taking a very passionate shot at Rihanna's "Umbrella". At least that's what I think I was hearing, "MMYYYY AAAAAUUUUMMMBBBBRELLLAA", howled Pat. He or she slid inbetween cars, up and down the sidewalk, all along moving very awkwardly until Annapolis finest showed up to escort Pat off of his or her stage.

Just another night on Clay Street.