Chris Hardie's Blog

This is another customer service observation, though hopefully not one that isn't already completely obvious. I recently had some new carpet installed in an apartment that I rent out (which, by the way, is available again at the beginning of August, if you're interested), and it was the first time I'd ever hired anyone [...]

You may know about the ongoing conversation about safe bike riding in Uptown Richmond (the business district). At the end of last year, there was a nice improvement when signs that appeared to prohibit biking on that stretch of Main Street came down. I had an interesting related exchange today while walking on [...]

It was a day where I've worn so many different costumes and had such a wide range of experiences, I know I'll never have another like it, and it just feels good to be alive.
Early Morning: black pants with dark blue dress shirt. Activities included helping track down someone selling stolen dogs and cats [...]

Hopefully this is a change for the better. Let me know what you think.
The image at the top is a stylized version of a photo of me. I'm standing in a fast-moving river, creating a disturbance and sloshing around me, as I look up at a beautiful sky in a moment of peace.

These numbers came into my inbox today:

Number of US citizens (non-military) killed by terrorists in 2005: 56
Amount spent by US government on War on Terror in 2005: $136 billion
Number of people worldwide who died of hunger in 2005: 8,000,000
Amount spent by US government on aid to world's poor in 2005: $4.9 billion

(Sources: US Dept. of [...]

I've been reflecting recently on the different ways that my weblog sucks. And by "sucks," I mean "doesn't live up to the standards of what a popular, regularly-read weblog looks like." Popularity isn't necessarily my primary goal or even a goal at all, but it is nice to be recognized for the time [...]

I have a lot of memories of visiting zoos as a younger person. There was the time my Boy Scout troop had an overnight stay at the Cincinnati Zoo, where we had behind-the-scenes tours of the habitats and infrastructure that made up the place; I was amazed at the intricate facades created for zoo [...]