BrambleDirt

OCCUPY VOTING BOOTHS

2011-11-07T17:03:00.003-05:00

Don't forget to vote tomorrow!

BrambleDirt's Voter Guide

2011-11-02T22:23:00.022-04:00

The election is next week, so I figured I should probably come out of the shadows and make my endorsements. Because you care! Ha ha.

Some helpful info: General Election: November 8, 2011

Please note that Brambleton is all kinds of split up so check your status with the Virginia State Board of Elections (I will give the information as I best understand it, but don't count on me as the final word on your precinct/district/etc.) Also, Virginia doesn't show party affiliation for all races on the ballot, so if that is important to you, figure it out before you go.

My opinion is just that - my opinion. I do not belong to any one political party; I am extremely liberal on many issues but less liberal on others. I hold the local leadership of both parties in low esteem. They embarrass Loudoun time and time again.

Precinct 312 - Briar Woods
(all of Brambleton west of Belmont Ridge Rd.)
map

State Senate - 33rd District
->Mark Herring (D)
Patricia Phillips (R)

I don't want to be represented by Republicans at the state level.

(Note: One tiny chunk of Precinct 312 (near the Beacon Crest pool) is in the 13th District. See below under Precinct 118.)

House of Delegates - 10th District
->David Butler (D)
Randy Minchew (R)

Ditto.

BOS - Blue Ridge District
Jim Burton (I)
->Janet Clarke (R)

McGimseymandered! I think Janet Clarke will better represent our interests on the Board of Supervisors. I had a lot more written here but I checked myself before I wrecked myself.

School Board - Blue Ridge District
Priscilla Godfrey
->Jill Turgeon

Time for change! If I could vote out Hatrick, I would.

Precinct 314 - Legacy
(Brambleton east of Belmont Ridge Rd., south of Ryan Rd.)
map

Same as Precinct 312, except:

House of Delegates - 87th District
->David Ramadan (R)
Mike Kondratick (D)

As I mentioned, I don't go for conservatives at the state level. However, I think the BS anti-Muslim smear campaign against Ramadan would make me want to vote *for* him if I were in the 87th. I'm petty like that.

Precinct 118 - Moorefield
(Brambleton east of Belmont Ridge Rd., north of Ryan Rd.)
map

Consider yourself lucky, Precinct 118. You are the only Brambletonians in the Dulles District.

State Senate - 13th District
->Shawn Mitchell (D)
Dick Black (R)

Dick Black is terrible. Google him.

House of Delegates - 32nd District
-> Tag Greason (R)

Vote for Tag, or not, or write in someone else. We both worked at UUNET, and I helped him with some of his customers' technical problems a few times, but I don't really know him and I know he doesn't remember me.

BOS - Dulles District
Larry Roeder (D)
-> Matt Letourneau (R)

See my previous post. If elected, Matt will make finishing Loudoun County Parkway a priority. That way, he'll be able to get from one side of his district to the other without leaving it. (No, I'm not at all still bitter about redistricting.)

Countywide races:

BOS Chairman
->Scott York (R)
Tom Bellanca (D)

School Board At-Large
Jay Bose
->Bob Ohneiser
Tom Reed

Sheriff
->Mike Chapman (R)
Steve Simpson (I)
Ron Speakman (I)

Simpson has a sports drink problem and Speakman sends nude photos (not of himself!) to campaign volunteers' phones. More from the WaPo.

Commonwealth's Attorney
->Jennifer Wexton (D)
Jim Plowman (R)

[I accidentally omitted this race on my first pass.] Wexton's got my vote on this one, mainly because of how Plowman handled the Ting-Yi Oei case. Loudoun Insider summarizes it better than I can.

Other races of interest:

BOS - Broad Run District
-> Cliff Keirce (I)
Andrea McGimsey (D)
Shawn Williams (R)

Time to teach the Loudoun Dems a lesson. They screwed Brambleton over in the redistricting and created the "amoeba" so that McGimsey could get re-elected. McGimsey needs to go. Plus, I like Cliff.

BOS - Sterling District
-> Al Nevarez (D)
Eugene Delgaudio (R)
Ali Shahriari (I)

Al is a union man. That's my kind of people. But, more importantly, EUGENE MUST GO. If you live in the Sterling District, please educate yourself about his day job. Google him, and see if you want him representing you as an elected official. I wouldn't.

School Board - Broad Run District
Kevin Kuesters

Kuesters is running unopposed. He was recently arrested for assaulting his wife. Only one of his kids attends public school (the other two go to St. Theresa). He doesn't support full-day kindergarten. Write in Joy Maloney instead.

See you at the polls!

Letourneau for the [Dulles] District

2011-03-29T11:36:00.011-04:00

During the 2006 election season, you couldn't turn on the TV without seeing an ad for Maryland Senate candidate Michael Steele, or a rebuttal ("Michael Steele likes puppies, but he LOVES George Bush!"). On Election Day, my friend Martha and I turned up at Briar Woods High School to vote. We knew that a politically active conservative from the Brambletonian would be handing out Republican sample ballots, and Martha decided to have some fun with him. She got a ballot from him, read over it, then looked up at him and asked him why Michael Steele wasn't on the ballot. Without rolling his eyes, he very patiently started to explain that Michael Steele was running in Maryland, not in Virginia, but we laughed and stopped him before he got too far and told him who we were. That was the first time I met Matt Letourneau in person.

Matt announced last night that he is running as the Republican candidate for supervisor in the ~~Dean~~ Dulles District. His district includes most of Loudoun Valley Estates, South Riding, Stone Ridge, the Forests, Belle Terra, and the tiny corner of "suburban" Brambleton (as opposed to us rurals across the street). Until that distant day when Loudoun County Parkway is actually finished, he will have to come all the way over to our Blue Ridge District to get from LVE to South Riding. Hope he fills his tank before he heads out!

I am most certainly not a Republican, and Matt and I disagree on many "big-picture" political issues, but at the local level I think those are less important. He is young, but I can't imagine him behaving as immaturely as I've seen some of the current BOS behave during board meetings. He is a good guy, super-sharp, and he lives his convictions. I believe he would make a great Supervisor, and I wish we still lived in the same district.

I urge you to support his candidacy however you can - money, time, word of mouth, or your vote in November if you live in the ~~Dean~~ Dulles District.

A turd by any other name would smell as, uh, turdly

2011-03-24T22:07:00.026-04:00

The rally before the board meeting this evening had about 40 people or so (rough count) - small groups from several different communities (Brambleton, Broadlands, Kirkpatrick Farm, and others). Some of the supervisors tried to dodge us on the way in, but Stevens Miller was there talking to people beforehand.

Longtime Brambleton residents Jason and Becca Cook (owners of the Brambletonian) brought the awesomesauce:

We filed into the boardroom a few minutes before the meeting started, and sat in the back so we could hold up our signs throughout the meeting without blocking anyone's view.

Chairman York started off with giving the other supervisors the opportunity to reconsider the adopted plan, but of course none of the "winners" were interested. Our hopes crushed (for now), the meeting moved on to its main business - naming the districts.

I was surprised when Lori Waters made a motion to rename the Blue Ridge District as "Brambleton Ridge." A stunt, obviously, but I appreciated her point. The motion failed, but Miller voted for it too. Then there was some back-and-forth about naming District 4 "Dean District," for Jennie Dean, a former slave from the area. That motion eventually passed after some discussion from Miller about the political motivation behind the suggestion, which had come from the Democratic candidate for the seat. Miller abstained; Waters opposed.

Then the real comedy started. Waters made a motion to name District 5 "Ashdowne" since it's a chunk of Ashburn and a chunk of Lansdowne (my words, not hers). It passed! Nice joke, just like this entire redistricting process has been so far.

It's not over. There is still a chance to convince one of the five who voted for this travesty to change his or her mind. Keep e-mailing them. There are two more chances for public input: April 4 at 6:30 p.m., and April 18 at 6:30 p.m. - both meetings at the board room in the County Government Center in Leesburg. But don't put your hopes on Buckley or McGimsey. I know Buckley isn't running for re-election, but she could stand to have a little less attitude as she "interacts" with citizens (take the "eye-hate" down a notch... we were just a few people with signs.) And McGimsey may need to tone down the sarcasm if she wants to win "the pink amoeba" this fall.

Oh, and speaking of the shape of the districts... looking at the map, I realized something about our new district. It looks like a cat coming through a cat door.

I know, it's a stretch. But once you see it, you can't unsee it. At least I couldn't. Until I rotated the map:

It's Italy! With a much larger thigh (must be all the HFCS - thanks, ADM). Is it a coincidence that the Brambleton Town Center is getting a second Italian restaurant?? In this version of the map, Brambleton is the bootheel. We will stomp* on our opposition.

*Not in a fascist way, but in a sassy "Misguided Angels"** boots way
**To our new district mates - don't worry, it's not a fetish shop***
***They do sell boots, right? I haven't actually been inside yet

Photoshop fun

2011-03-24T16:34:00.004-04:00

Rally on Thursday 3/24

2011-03-23T23:46:00.003-04:00

From the Brambleton Community Association:

RALLY TO OPPOSE SPLITTING BRAMBLETON

INTO DIFFERENT COUNTY DISTRICTS

The County Board of Supervisors has adopted 5 to 4 a redistricting plan that divides Brambleton, where 9,000 residents will be placed in District 8 with Purcellville, Middleburg, Hillsboro, Bluemont and all the rural areas in between. The remaining 1,000 (current and future) residents living around the water towers will be placed in eastern District 4 with Loudoun Valley, South Riding and Stone Ridge. This redistricting plan will divide Brambleton and greatly reduce our community's representation and effectiveness in dealing with our County Government for the next 10 years.

RALLY: Homeowners from Brambleton and homeowners from Kirkpatrick Farms, Broadlands, South Riding, and other HOAs will rally at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 24th, outside the Loudoun County Government Center (1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg) in an effort to persuade the Board of Supervisors to reconsider the redistricting plan they adopted and to substitute the HOA Plan 4 (which would keep Brambleton and other communities united.)

We need as many Brambleton residents as possible to join us there. The rally should be about 1/2 hour, no speeches by any of you are expected or required - just bring yourself and any homemade signs. We will have some signs available that say People, Not Politics; For the People, By the People; Please don't split my community!!!; Similar Communities, Similar Districts; Communities First!!!

Let's see if we can have success as we team up with other large Loudoun HOAs. Please send an email to rick.stone@brambleton.org if you plan on attending.

Hope to see you there. Thank you.

Tom Gurganous (Neighbor and BCA Director) and Rick Stone (Neighbor and BCA General Manager)

____________________________________________________________________________________

Background to Rally: Loudoun County is currently redrawing its legislative districts due to the dramatic increase in our County's population demonstrated by the new census numbers. Thus, the County needs to be redistricted to conform to the 2010 census results in time for the 2011 County elections. Earlier, your HOA Board unanimously endorsed the proposed, bi-partisan HOA Plan for County redistricting (a plan developed and supported by the County's largest HOAs) that would have kept all of Brambleton in a single county district (like we are currently) with other suburban communities (like we are currently.)

But on Tuesday, March 15th, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors rejected the HOA Plan by a 5 to 4 vote (with Supervisor York (D, Chairman, At Large), Supervisor Stevens Miller (D, Dulles District-our current Supervisor). Supervisor Lori Waters (R), and Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R) supporting the HOA Plan.)

The plan adopted by 5 members of the Board of Supervisors splits Brambleton, where 9,000 residents will be placed in District 8 with Purcellville, Middleburg, Hillsboro, Bluemont and all the rural areas in between. The remaining 1,000 (current and future) residents living around the water towers will be placed in eastern District 4 with Loudoun Valley, South Riding and Stone Ridge.
Opportunity to Correct Redistricting Plan: The Board of Supervisors will vote on Thursday, March 24th to reconsider the adopted redistricting plan. We need only one vote (or more) to switch to have the Board adopt the HOA Plan which will maintain a united Brambleton community.

Our new district....doesn't look like us

2011-03-21T22:26:00.011-04:00

After reading on a couple of political blogs about how the gerrymandering of Loudoun went down at the last board meeting (and elsewhere?), I started wondering about the demographics of our new district. Sure, we all know it's predominantly "rural," particularly compared with our acres and acres of townhouses and tiny SFH lots, but what about the people?

Here's how Brambleton looks as of the 2010 Census: (numbers rounded)

58% White
30% Asian
7% Black
7% Hispanic
5% multi-racial

Here's how the new District 8 (Blue Ridge, or whatever) will look:

80% White
11% Asian
6% Black
6% Hispanic
3% multi-racial

(note: this is based on what I can tell is included after the amendments; I didn't include Hamilton because I'm not sure if it is in or out, but I don't think it's going to swing it much differently)

And, just for kicks, here's how our district would have looked under the HOA-4 Plan (again, these are super-rough numbers because I don't have race/ethnic numbers for the precinct splits used in this plan):

61% White
28% Asian
6% Black
6% Hispanic
4% multi-racial

Are Asians disenfranchised under the adopted plan? Thoughts?

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

2011-03-17T12:32:00.002-04:00

The Irish prince and princess of Brambleton hope you have a lucky day!

E-mail?

2011-03-15T20:35:00.004-04:00

From the comments over at Too Conservative:

Blast email going viral in Brambleton right now discussing an effort to organize to defeat Burton. Quite the behind the scenes deal he crafted today with the Loudoun Democrats, who some are saying promised not to run an opponent against him.

C'mon...who's gonna send me that e-mail?? I'm totally out of the political loop. I was sitting here all alone at my laptop, plugging Burton's election history numbers into a spreadsheet.

Be careful what you wish for...

2011-03-15T17:01:00.005-04:00

So, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors just approved the Miller 5 Plan for redistricting. Good news...all of Brambleton (except the Overlook neighborhood) is together in one district. Bad news... that district is a western district which includes Middleburg, Round Hill, and Purcellville.

More after I have some time to think about this.

More on redistricting

2011-02-09T09:21:00.002-05:00

Well, it's back to the drawing board for Loudoun's redistricting. The population estimates were way off - the actual Census data shows that the county underestimated by 22,000 - and, as Supervisor Miller's analysis shows, some areas were really off (like the Dulles District, which actually had 81,409 people, instead of 71,192 as estimated).

He's rather helpfully pulled some data from the Census's new American FactFinder, which is an accomplishment in itself (the tool is difficult to use, and I say that as a former Federal agency webmaster who has seen my fair share of user-unfriendly government applications). Go check out his blog for more info.

Petition for no street parking on Regal Wood

2011-02-06T17:47:00.005-05:00

Brambleton residents, I'd like to call your attention to a petition started by becca and el8 (husband-and-wife superduo who run the Brambletonian): No Street Parking on Regal Wood Drive between Olympia and Vickery Park. If you live here, you know that Regal Wood Drive is often nearly impassable, due to a combination of poor design, people who park illegally near corners, lack of stop signs at Cartier, and the fact that some of the legal spots dangerously block people getting out of their driveways. Throw in some snow, garbage cans, and inconsiderate people who park their Canyoneros two feet from the curb, and it makes for one congested street.

Here's the Brambletonian thread discussing the petition, including some back-and-forth between residents of Regal Wood who support the petition, and one who opposes it.

NO to "The Miller Plan"

2011-02-05T09:30:00.009-05:00

Redistricting is coming. Census results were fast-tracked to Virginia and three other states that have elections this year. Loudoun County's estimates were off, and now there's a scramble to come up with workable plans. For an overview of the issues involved, I'd recommend this blog entry from Stevens Miller, our Dulles District Supervisor. Be sure to read the comments. I wrote that Route 659 should NOT be used as a divider. Miller responded:

I don’t want to draw any lines through neighborhoods that naturally identify themselves as a community. That’s going to be tough, though, even if we split precincts. My back-up plan is to try to draw the two districts on either side of any such line so as to include two communities that not only have common interests within themselves, but will tend to have common interests with each other. If we can do that, both districts will actually gain strength on the board, because their common interests should motivate two supervisors to vote in support of those interests instead of just one.

So, life got busy and I never got to sit down and look at the nitty-gritty details of how what I wanted would jibe with the bigger issues for the county to consider (even though I wanted to, wonk wonk). And last night, when I read Brambleton's Friday Flash, I was surprised:

The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors (hereinafter LoCo BoS) have begun the process of redistricting election precincts. Supervisor Miller has proposed a plan that divides Brambleton into 3 separate election districts. This plan is in conflict with the very guidelines that the LoCo BoS adopted and is not in the best interest of the community. Once adopted, the election districts will be set for the next 10 years.

The Brambleton Community Association Board of Directors has expressed their concerns to the LoCo BoS and requested that they revise Supervisor Miller's plan to include Brambleton within one election district. BCA Board strongly encourages Brambleton residents to become current with this ever changing issue and promptly communicate any concerns that you may have to the LoCo BoS. You can also add your name to the Petition opposing the redistricting plan on the intranet by going to RESOURCES>E-FORMS>ELECTION REDISTRICTING PETITION.

Three separate districts???

Here's "The Miller Plan" and here's what Stevens Miller has to say about it.

Under this plan, the west side of Brambleton (north and south of Ryan Road) would be in a district that includes Middleburg, Round Hill, Purcellville, all the way west to the county border. Uh, NO. What about "communities of interest"?? Their issues are NOT our issues. Meanwhile, the east side of Brambleton south of Ryan would be in a district with South Riding, Dulles Airport, and Loudoun Valley Estates; the "water tower district" north of Ryan and east of BRR would be in a non-contiguous district with some other parts of Ashburn.

I personally find this plan to be unacceptable. For Brambleton, it is worse than any of the nine original staff plans that were floated for discussion. Following Miller's argument, if this plan were to be adopted, we'd have three supervisors championing our needs, right? I doubt it. We are going to get the shaft politically, just like we seem to be headed for a future shafting with high school boundaries. (Jury's still out on that one, but I'll let you know in 11 years when my kids are either walking to Briar Woods or getting on the bus to LVE. Meanwhile, post-Miller-Plan, what do you think will happen the next time they try to kick the west side of Brambleton out of Legacy ES? Someone will say, "They're not even in the same district!")

So what to do if you agree? First, sign Brambleton's petition on the intranet. Second, let Stevens Miller and the BoS know how you feel. Third, have a look at Loudoun County's Redistricting page. The Board will be discussing redistricting at its February 15 meeting and will be taking citizen input at its March 7 public hearing. If you really want to get involved, make your own plan. See the "Alternative District Scenarios/Plans" section of the county's redistricting page for details.

Remember, whatever happens, we're stuck with it for the next 10 years.

Hiatus over

2010-12-15T08:25:00.003-05:00

BrambleDirt is back. I don't know if it needs me or not, but I need it.

So, what brought me out of semi-retirement? Some of you know that during the hiatus, I adopted newborn twins. They keep me a little busy. Sometimes, on our way out of Wegmans, as I'm grasping their hands so they don't fling wine bottles to the floor, I manage to grab some free reading material from the racks for later (Washington Parent, usually). This type of material is handy for quick stolen moments, but usually only makes me feel anxious. Is it too late for my kids to master Chinese if they didn't start with prenatal classes at Jabberu? How am I going to get my children into the best preschool in Bethesda? (Note: obviously I don't even live in Maryland.) Then I come to my senses and chuck it in the recycling.

Occasionally the magazine I grab is the glossy local quarterly I Am Modern. Started three years ago, it is billed as "Health - Beauty - Lifestyle for Modern Women." Interestingly, it also bills itself as "100% Reader Generated," and anyone is welcome to submit content.

Now, I consider myself pretty modern (I'm wearing a Metafilter t-shirt right now), but not by the definition of this magazine, with its ads for aesthetic dentistry, adult orthodontics, and plastic surgery. Sometimes, the profiles of local women are interesting, but the copyediting is poor, and I honestly don't care about integrating my holiday decorations with my established decor so that (God forbid) my overall personal style isn't compromised. It's not really a magazine for me, but someone must read and enjoy it, because it's lasted this long and has advertising support. (Let us not forget Ranganathan's Third Law of Library Science: Every book its reader.)

I picked up the Holiday 2010 issue a few weeks ago, and it was sitting on my nightstand with some other magazines. I read every night before I go to sleep, and I've been cranking through the complete Sherlock Holmes - all four novels and 50+ short stories. Once I finished those a couple of days ago, I started working through the magazines, and last night was I Am Modern's turn. I went to bed mad, and I woke up still mad.

The article that bothers me is Chic New Mom: Simple Tips for Always Looking Fashionable. If you go read it online, you'll note that the publisher has added a disclaimer. Apparently they've gotten a lot of comments about it. She writes, "I want to remind everyone, we do not endorse any of our contributors." Publishing them isn't an endorsement? Hmm.

I've never been a fashionable person, and I'm not a new mom anymore. I would have skipped the article, except the photo of the hipster-ish mom with accessorized baby caught my eye. She did not look like the usual target demographic for this magazine. I started reading, and came across this little gem:

You gained weight because you brought a little baby angel to the world, not because you ate too much cheese. There's no shame in that at all.

So I guess I should be ashamed because I'm fat and I didn't give birth. Okay, whatever. But then there's this:

Here are some of my basic fashion tips for new moms:

- Don't breast feed in public. I am sorry and feel awful saying it, but, to me, it really is unacceptable. I am glad that I don't see that very often, but when I do it makes me queasy. There is absolutely nothing beautiful or stylish about breast feeding in public.

This is terrible advice for new moms, I Am Modern. In my opinion, what makes it even worse is that this magazine is subsidized by lots of ads. Advertisers in this issue include Capital Area Pediatrics (my kids' doctor), Women Physicians of Northern Virginia (my OB-GYN), NOVA Pediatric Dentistry (my kids' dentist, who also has a paid advertorial about being an entrepreneur). I will be letting my medical professionals know that they may want to consider a better outlet for their advertising dollars.

Oh, and Brambleton is also an advertiser.

2008 Calendars now available!

2008-01-01T21:16:00.000-05:00

Miss Cleo is my cat. Her 2008 Wall Calendar is now available!

Same old lang syne

2007-12-31T10:31:00.000-05:00

(R.I.P., Dan Fogelberg)

BrambleDirt is still on a holiday hiatus... houseguests come and go, we travel and return, rinse, repeat. I briefly considered doing a year-end "2007 in Brambleton" recap, but honestly, I just can't wrap my head around it right now. Just have a safe and happy New Year's Eve, and BrambleDirt will return in 2008 with more neighborhood news than you can shake a stick at.

Also wanted to mention that the first shop (aside from the Fox Cinemas) has opened up at the southern end of BTC Phase II. The Next Step is owned by Chris Montague, a member of the family that owns the Montague & Son comfort shoe empire. The Next Step carries Birkenstock, Dansko, Mephisto, Keen, Crocs, and other brands. Chris seems really excited about being in Brambleton, so I hope a lot of you check out his store! I will definitely be getting some Birks repaired there soon.

Jackhammers!

2007-12-12T09:51:00.001-05:00

7:00 a.m. this morning... the jackhammers started up! I should have known that the fluorescent red "X"s on the sidewalk meant that the noise was soon to follow. I understand that broken pavement needs to be fixed, but a little advance notice would have been nice.

What's up

2007-12-11T11:52:00.000-05:00

Hey, Brambleton peeps... sorry I haven't been posting much, but BrambleDirt has been busy. There's so much to do to get ready for Christmas - we'll be staying home for the first time EVER, and convinced both sets of parents to come to us. Two judging mothers = extra extra cleaning!

I missed the Brambleton Winter Wonderland last Sunday (I have Hoya season tickets - and way to suck, Jacksonville), but I'm sure it was a blast like it always is. I know I've said it before, but our Activities Committee (and the BCA staff) have really stepped up their game this year.

So... there's some news on the BTC. Annalee's is not the only upcoming addition to the Phase I - new on the site plan are Asian Spice Cafe (next to Scotto's) and Aridi Salon and Spa (in the large space closest to the Teet). I'm not sure what the latter will do to the Hair Cuttery and La Belle Nail Spa - it's weird that they're all right there together. Anyhoo, they're not on the site plan yet, but the Brambleton December newsletter confirms that Broadlands Family Practice and Dr. Zachary Casagrande (orthodontics) will be opening offices in Phase II. I've known about Broadlands Family Practice for a while (Dr. Rodriguez is my doctor, and he spilled the beans a few months ago), and I am so psyched that I will be able to walk to the doctor's office. Also, the newsletter says that Dr. Casagrande is a Brambleton resident, which is extra cool.

This is kinda late, but I've gotta put in a plug for the Go Bananas Holiday Toy Drive. Buy a toy or book for $15 or more to donate, and you will get 30% off the purchase price. Donations go to Loudoun Social Services for local needy families, and the deadline is this Thursday, December 13th, at 7:30 p.m. You will also get a certificate for 20% off your total purchase (expires January 31, 2008). This is a great chance to give something and get a little in return, thanks to Go Bananas. Be sure to stop in.

The school boundary process is almost done (until we have to do this again in a few years, which I'm sure we will) - the School Board's boundary plan kept Brambleton north of Creighton Rd. at Legacy ES, and the meeting to adopt the boundaries is tonight at 6:30 p.m.

One last thing... be kind to others. I've seen and heard of some outrageous behavior lately in shopping center parking lots, at the post office, at church, and in the Legacy ES pick-up lane. Take a breath and relax.

Holiday vandalism already starting

2007-12-06T09:49:00.000-05:00

One of Brambleton's holiday displays was stolen from the waterfall area near the Visitors Center - wires neatly cut, ice skating couple gone.

What is wrong with people?

Last year, as some of you know, there was a rash of vandalism throughout the neighborhood. Lights cut, houses and cars egged, and most devastating to me - our Frosty the Snowman inflatable was slashed TWICE. After the first day, I stitched him up, but the same bunch of kids came back in broad daylight the next day to cut him again. Fortunately some of them were caught later in the evening while egging a house.

It is a shame that Brambletonians have to worry about having their holiday decorations stolen or destroyed. Are kids really that bored (and unsupervised)? How could they ever think this is acceptable behavior?

They'd better not visit me again this year. Baby Jesus will be watching from the outdoor Nativity. Our security camera will be watching too.

Neighborhood Watch

2007-11-29T09:40:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder: Neighborhood Watch meeting is tonight at 7:00 pm in the Legacy ES cafeteria.

Karaoke night at Nick's

2007-11-29T09:31:00.001-05:00

Former Brambleton resident Shay M. is back in town this week, and a group of us celebrated by meeting her for drinks at Nick's last night. BrambleDirt and husband could only stay until time to leave for our band rehearsal, but promised to come back afterward if the party was still going.

We called around 10 p.m., and were thrilled to hear that not only were some of them still at Nick's, but karaoke had started up. Shay, Becca C., and Kim W. were singing together as a group, taking turns with a guy named Butch (who did an awesome Springsteen). I joined right in with the girls as Jason C. and Mr. BrambleDirt watched with glee and/or terror and/or embarrassment. We entertained the few patrons left at Nick's with classics like "The Warrior", "Alcohol" (Brad Paisley, not Barenaked Ladies), "I Love This Bar", and many more. I sang a few solos, and husband sang with me on a duet from "Rent". There is a rumor of video evidence, but I haven't seen it yet.

Much thanks to Steve the karaoke master (I think his name was Steve, right? Geez, I wasn't even drinking.) If only Nick's would replace the Friday DJ with karaoke... there'd be a lot more participation and much more fun on Fridays.

Annalee's

2007-11-28T12:17:00.001-05:00

More details have surfaced on the Brambleton Intranet's Merchant Village about Annalee's, the new shop in the BTC:

ANNALEE’S at the Brambleton Town Center will be the premier place in the Washington DC metropolitan area to specialize in women’s formal dresses. Our dresses will be simple and elegant to flashy and outlandish, and everywhere in between in absolute upscale fashion.

ANNALEE’S will be the headquarters for all your special occasion dresses. If we don’t have the dress, we will be able to get it by special ordering it just for you. We register your dress so shop early for the best selection for your prom! We look forward to opening soon! We are now hiring both part time and full time position to begin in February 2008.

School board meeting tonight

2007-11-26T12:01:00.000-05:00

Another Living in LoCo post from me:

Bridging the Great (Schools) Divide

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T08:03:00.000-05:00

Well, pardon me!

BrambleDirt is on hiatus this week as we've journeyed south to Georgia for Thanksgiving. Hope everyone is having a great holiday! I'll be back soon...

Out-of-towners on the town

2007-11-17T09:07:00.000-05:00

BrambleDirt has some out-of-town family guests this weekend, and we decided to hit the Friday night scene at the BTC. First, we had dinner at My Thai Place, which was delicious as always. I've never seen it so crowded - which is a good thing. It means that even on a cold, windy night, they can attract business (California Tortilla and Subway were empty). You cannot beat the #24 with chicken, people! And the Thai iced tea was mmm mmm good.

Next, we decided to check out Nick's (which you may remember from the incident back in October). I haven't been there in a while - actually, since the last time these particular guests were in town, which was months ago. Part of the reason for our avoidance of Nick's was a certain craptastic bartender, who didn't seem to be getting any better at doing his job in the time since Nick's first opened. Many of you know exactly who I'm talking about.

Well, good news - he wasn't anywhere in sight last night. (I don't know if this is a permanent situation or not.) We were seated in the bar area, and our server Andrea was AWESOME - drinks were prompt, drinks were correct, and the bill was prompt and correct. She was even proactive with BrambleDirt's Diet Coke refills (BrambleDirt is almost always the designated driver), bringing replacement glasses of delicious soda goodness before I even realized that I was near the bottom of my current glass. For that she is to be highly commended. (Also, Mr. BrambleDirt recognized one of the other bartenders as being from the Broadlands Pub - so I guess they've brought in a slate of new talent.)

Unfortunately, the other reason for avoiding Nick's was still in evidence - the DJ. Last night, the usual guy had another gig, so there was a sub. He didn't get there until 10:30 p.m. (DJ usually starts around 9-9:30), but once he did, the jukebox-and-TV-sports vibe died when the bad house mixes started up. It's just not the right crowd for that. Although we did get a sweet cougar sighting - two women in full-length furs slunk into the bar area, but didn't stay long. Maybe it was because my sister-in-law growled and did a fake paw in their faces as they walked past.