Good morning, RVA! It's 73 °F, and looks like we’re in for cooler temperatures and a decent chance for rain scattered throughout the day. Keep an eye on the sky!
Water cooler
Michael Paul Williams weighs in on the possibility of bringing a homeless shelter (and space for needed services!) to the south side of the river. Please do not stare directly at this quote without protective eyeware, because, daaaanng: “‘I too, wish [the proposed homeless shelter] could remain a church,” one reader commented on the blog entry. ‘A lot of people were saved there.’ Apparently, saving souls is fine as a religious enterprise, but saving the homeless from freezing temperatures — and perhaps landing them in permanent housing — is an endeavor best carried out in another neighborhood far away. Not in my backyard!” Tangentially, I think this continual distinction between Richmond and RVA is unhelpful. There have always been NIMBYs—lots of them racially motivated—who have worked hard to destroy and segregate our community. We see the impact of their decades-old work today in Fulton, Jackson Ward, Manchester, and everywhere else. But, now, there are lots of folks whose vision for “RVA” includes the desegregation of schools and neighborhoods, the humanizing of public and affordable housing, and the rebuilding of a regional public transportation system stunted by racism. Of course that doesn’t describe everybody we toss in the “RVA” bucket, but, in my life, there are more YIMBYs than NIMBYs.
If you’d like a perfect example of how not to behave in life followed by a perfect example of how not to react when you face consequences for your behavior, read this story about the firing of Classic Rock 96.5’s Brady DeAngelo in the RTD. You can see his original post in this Twitter thread and how he then responded to criticism from the official 96.5 Facebook account. HOT TAKE: If you roll up to the bar and a woman instantly turns her chair away, having sex with you is probably the last thing on her mind and maybe you should just mind your own business? Wait, wait, wait, here’s a better HOT TAKE for most of life’s situations: Maybe you should just mind your own business?
Ned Oliver at the Virginia Mercury has more details on the deal struck between GRTC and VCU. Of note, VCU originally wanted to also increase the frequency of the #5 bus (the Whitcomb to Carytown route) to 10-minutes, which GRTC said would cost $1.1 million. Now, wouldn’t that be something!
Tina Eshleman at Richmond Magazine has a writeup of the City Builders program—a program I help out with. I’ll tell you what, y’all, young people are smart, incredible, and inspiring.
Today is a first Friday, which means there is a First Fridays Art Walk. I am, of course, partial to Art180’s bus-related exhibit at 114 W. Marshall Street, but there are many, many more exhibits and things to see down in the Arts District tonight.
Hmmmm keep your eye on Virginia Center Commons, and read this piece by J. Elias O’Neal over on Richmond BizSense. There’s a lot of property changing hands, and it sounds like some folks are considering new life for the old mall.
Important and significant logistical note! I am going on vacation for, basically, forever (two weeks). This is a long time to go without Good Morning, RVA—for you and me both—so, instead, I plan on doing a GMRVA Lite each morning. Expect less commentary, more bullet points, and for it to show up a little later in your inbox. I will be on vacation after all, and I’m not trying to get up before the sun every morning!
Sports!
- What in the world! Squirrels crushed New Hampshire, 20-8, to close out the series. They’ll take on Portland tonight at 7:00 PM and wrap that series up on Sunday.
- Kickers host Bethlehem Steel FC on Saturday at 7:00 PM, and tickets are available online.
- Nats beat the Reds, 10-4, and continue the series tonight at 7:05 PM and through the weekend.
This morning's patron longread
On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs: A Work Rant
From Patron Sam comes this piece that made me go 🤔. I love thinking about what everyone would do if they had the freedom to spend time only on what sparked joy—I’m like the Marie Kondo of work.
For instance: in our society, there seems a general rule that, the more obviously one's work benefits other people, the less one is likely to be paid for it. Again, an objective measure is hard to find, but one easy way to get a sense is to ask: what would happen were this entire class of people to simply disappear? Say what you like about nurses, garbage collectors, or mechanics, it's obvious that were they to vanish in a puff of smoke, the results would be immediate and catastrophic. A world without teachers or dock-workers would soon be in trouble, and even one without science fiction writers or ska musicians would clearly be a lesser place. It's not entirely clear how humanity would suffer were all private equity CEOs, lobbyists, PR researchers, actuaries, telemarketers, bailiffs or legal consultants to similarly vanish. (Many suspect it might markedly improve.) Yet apart from a handful of well-touted exceptions (doctors), the rule holds surprisingly well.
If you’d like your longread to show up here, go chip in a couple bucks on the ol’ Patreon.