Sometimes I go cover something only because a reader calls to remind me that it's going on. I love when people call to tell me something's worth coming out for, and you should call more often.

At Gallery East (EastChase, next to Williams-Sonoma) last night, I went out to meet a couple painters who were the focus of an exhibition: Ted Ellis and Andre Kohn. Both artists has agreed to donate a percentage of their sales to military families, and they called the night an Art Party for Peace. Kind of nice that the "peace" part was not a protest, per se, but an effort to ease the pain of war on those who are left behind while others are sent to the sandbox.
The art was excellent, I really enjoyed meeting both artists, and patrons were buying. The spread for the event was not meager, either.
Mr Ellis has this brilliant smile, tells amazing stories in his work and knows the glass is always half-full. Mr Kohn lived in Montgomery for a long spell from the early 90s and channels Degas on his canvases. I dig Degas. A lot. Anyway, look at their websites and see the kinds of things they do.

As I was leaving the office for EastChase last night, my editor told me I'd see a new traffic-directing device at the top of Exit 9. At the top of the exit, in an effort to keep people from taking the far right lane and then photographically merging three lanes to get into EastChase, a long line of short poles (I don't know what they're called) have been erected halfway to the Halcyon Forest entrance. Interestingly, after I'd taken the right and sat in the left-turn-into-EastChase lane, I watched - in my rear view mirror - cars come up the exit, barrel around the right turn and then still jump over to the EastChase turn lanes after the line of short poles. With the new geometry of this, though, their vehicles were nearly perpendicular to oncoming traffic. Some didn't have space to straighten out after getting a couple tires into the EastChase lane, so they stuck into Taylor Road and seemed to be annoyed.
What kind of hurry do you have to be in to attempt such vehicular acrobatics?

Anyway, take it even easier than usual around there for a while. There will have to be a fatality, a lawsuit against the city (et. al), the removal of the poles, the dismissal or settlement of the lawsuit and the re-designing of the intersection before the mess is cleared up.