Free-For-All Friday 9/10/10
Decatur Metro | September 10, 2010Use this post to ask questions and make comments about local topics not discussed here in the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
- rss
Use this post to ask questions and make comments about local topics not discussed here in the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
Michael Rothenberg for judge! He’s the only candidate (so far) who has posted campaign signs all over public land and roadways!
I was wondering about that. I think it’s a code violation… I have wondered why the staffers for a candidate for JUDICIAL office don’t check out, oh I don’t know, the LAW on these things.
It is a violation of both City and County law.
Any reviews for the new Axiom Salon location? I think it’s been open for a couple of weeks now.
I’ve had my mullet trimmed at the other Axiom location on Piedmont. They do an awesome job. The new one has the same owner so I can only assume it’s just as worthy.
Oh, my god, you have a mullet. I am so stalking you.
Wonders why McGowan’s Pub advertises that it is located “in Atlanta’s Historic Oakhurst Village”?
I thought that was annoying. I don’t think the Decatur “brand” has any trouble standing on its own (to the extent that was the concern).
That is strange, not to mention inaccurate and potentially a snub. Enough to keep me from going there, maybe.
WOW.
From the Decatur High School website:
The annual Bulldog SpiritFest is Friday, September 10th. Come out and support our football team, as they battle against the Riverwood Raiders, and help us to cheer on our other fall sports teams. There will be food, music, cheering and Spike will be on hand to make sure that everyone has a great time. Come and join our end zone dance contest for a chance to be on the big screen at the game. There is lots of fun, contests, cheering and music. Excitement is on order so wear your bulldog colors and come early. SpiritFest kicks off at 5:30 just outside the stadium entrance. Our Spiritwear sales and Booster Club membership will be on hand to add to the excitement.
Anyone have any recommendations for a primary care physician in Decatur?
Can I jump on this thread? I’m seeking recommendations for a primary care physician, preferably one who takes same day or next day appointments so you can see a doctor when you’re, you know, sick. Also seeking recs for a gentle dentist and a pediatrician. Thanks.
I highly recommend Kenneth Gilbert (affectionately referred to as “The Kentist” in our household) if you need a dentist.
For physician I recommend Dr. Mizzell. Nice man. Great doc. His super assistant can usually squeeze you in when you’re really sick.
2801 North Decatur Road, Decatur, GA 30033-5949 (404) 296-3111
Dynamic father/son dentist duo: http://www.osheadentistry.com/
Love the friendly pediatrics at http://www.dekalbpeds.com/
(duplicating my other reply, which I didn’t attach to the correct post…)
Dr. Chad Costley, MD
See his website at http://www.poncepreventive.com/
He is a young doctor who is looking to have a very old-fashioned (as in, actually seeing patients long enough to listen to and get to know them!) practice. He will take patients who don’t have insurance. He was recommended by a local independent pharmacist and I’ve been very pleased.
…. Yes! Here’s another vote for Dr. Costley.
And a third for Dr. C. What doctor personally calls with routine blood test results anymore? I hope he’s practicing out of that location when I’m old and decrepit.
Dentist: Also try Dr. Kevin Magid on Church Street. Decatur Family Dentistry.
Dr. Magid *may not* be taking new patients. At least, he’s not taking new patients for certain procedures. But he is great if you can get in to see him.
There was a long discussion on recommendations (or not) for area dentists on a previous FFAF at http://www.decaturmetro.com/2010/05/07/free-for-all-friday-5710/. After research based on that discussion, I chose Dr. Marvin Winter, right in downtown Decatur, and was very pleased with him, his staff, and all aspects of his service (just don’t expect an immediate appointment for a first visit).
Dr. Jitendra P. Singh, MD is mine, he’s great IMO.
He’s my spousal unit’s, too– he speaks of Dr. Singh in glowing terms (which, for my maleperson, is unusual).
plus one on Dr. Singh.
Dr. Timothy Watts right here in Oakhurst is fantastic! We’ve been with him for 12 yrs. He really takes the time to listen to you. Dr. Ben Jernigan is a really great dentist. He is in the Wachovia drive thru building. He has the nickname “Gentle Ben” because he is so good! I’ve reccommended him to so many people and they all just love him.
Someone keeps dumping a bag of trash on E College near the Agnes Scott plant blg. It’s becoming a weekly thing. I’m beginning to think it’s not just “falling out” of trucks driving by. Fellow commuters/runners, if you see anyone tossing a big garbage bag on the sidewalk, will you please get their tag & call the Decatur police? I’m tired of dodging it on my runs. If they are going to cheat, they could at least put it in the Agnes Scott dumpster like the other cheaters do.
Dr. Chad Costley
See his website at http://www.poncepreventive.com/
He is a young doctor who is looking to have a very old-fashioned (as in, actually seeing patients long enough to listen to and get to know them!) practice. He will take patients who don’t have insurance. He was recommended by a local independent pharmacist and I’ve been very pleased.
Sorry, that was supposed to be a reply to Walrus above…
well, I know it’s so wrong, but the name is killing me — did you say chad costley? boy, he must really deal with the jokes in health care … it’s kinda like my old m.d. “dr. payne.” gotta get over that name thing …
I’m fine with the Costley part. I just don’t trust Chads.
I’m going to burn an AJC Reach this weekend unless it endangers our troops.
I want to compile a list of all the bulletin boards in Decatur where you can post a flyer. I know of a few; does anyone else know of others?
Java Monkey
Kavarna
Steinbecks
Oakhurst bulletin board on the traffic island
Oakhurst Cleaners
Corley Commons, the open space at the end of Hibernia/Landsdowne
Telephone poles!
Wherever you see a Michael Rothenberg for Judge sign?
Need a rec on a good landscaper who likes to work with native plants and uses stone. (not to be too specific!!)
http://www.oakviewlandscapeconstruction.com
thanks– a bit out of our league, but their work is beautiful!
Try it anyway. You’d be surprised.
Wanted to give a shout out to the City for the great improvements to the Adair Dog Park– nice metal benches to replace broken down wood, and most importantly, a water fountain. We saw them for the first time earlier this week and were impressed. Also a thank you to those park-goers who had kept up a water supply prior to the fountain!
I’m glad that the Adair Park dogs got a water fountain. However, for years I’ve been asking the city why the playground at the park has no water fountain. Shouldn’t they have installed a water fountain near the playground, frequented by human children? I’m not understanding why dogs get higher priority than children. Did the dog owners just ask about a water fountain more persistently?
I think it’s because the precious kids in Decatur are only allowed to drink reverse osmosis filtered water.
Yes.
Speaking of dog parks, did anyone submit a video for the dog park makeover contest? The winner is from Johns Creek. You can watch his video here: http://dreamdogpark.wagworld.com/ViewWinner.aspx
I made a video for the Oakhurst dog park which took hours to complete. I went to upload it for the contest and didn’t realize that the deadline was 12 noon and not 12 midnight. So in the end, I wasn’t able to submit it as a result. I called and everything but they still wouldn’t let me submit it because I had missed the deadline.
Bummer!
I continue to lose my sympathy for bicyclists. Yesterday afternoon I observed a car turning right from Clairmont onto Wilton. Had his signal on and was going very slowly. A bicyclist came along on the right of the car, probably hit the car slightly as he stopped, went around the car and turned and gesticulated at the driver angrily. I almost wished the bicyclist had been hurt so I could offer myself as a witness to the driver.
Another example of Stupid Bike Tricks. I’m waiting for a good case to come to court in which the cyclist was at fault for not obeying traffic signs/signals but filed a lawsuit again a driver who was. I almost had one a year or so ago at Oakdale and N Decatur where a cyclist ran the stop sign southbound on Oakdale and nearly got hit by me turning left from northbound Oakdale.
Definitely the cyclist’s fault. You’re never supposed to pass on the right (particularly when the car has right-hand turn signal on, and has for quite some time). What an idiot.
I don’t like the few that give us all a bad name.
As a longtime cyclist, I have to agree that this is a stupid, dangeroud and illegal thing for that cyclist to do. However, I’ve seen car drivers do plenty of dangerous and stupid things. I don’t assume all drivers are dangerous. But I do think that too many cyclists completely ignore good and safe cycling practices. I was riding along on the bike path when a cyclist zipped past me on my left, and I shouted to him that he should have told me he was passing me. He responded rudely, and I said something rude to him, he told me to get my fat @$$ off the road.
And then he pulled into a nearby business and I followed him. I calmed down enough to apologize, and he apologized back, but complained that I was weaving. (Guess which one of us was wearing a helmet?)
Well, if I’m weaving, that’s even MORE reason to tell me you’re passing me, because if you don’t, I’m liable to weave right in front of you and cause you to crash. I don’t think I was weaving, though. I think this was a classic case of “I ain’t gonna apologize” syndrome. I don’t understand why some people cannot admit that they make a mistake. A simple apology goes a long way.
Bottom line–Please don’t assume that all cyclists are a-holes, even though some are.
And passing a car on the right is a really dangerous thing for a cyclist to do.
Cops DO sometimes pull over cyclists, although usually for the wrong reason. They sometimes tell us to ride on the sidewalk, which is actually illegal in Georgia.
When I was in high school in NYC I delivered food on one of those balloon tired heavy green bikes all over the upper east side. I was pretty careful, although I don’t think there was such a thing as a helmet way back then. I had so many close calls I’m happy to be alive. My favorite was somebody opening up a taxi door without looking. Bam.
We cyclists call that the “DOOR ZONE.” In cycling safety classes we warn pedalers that they could get smacked by somebody opening a car door. Lot of cyclists assume that they’re safest by riding as FAR TO THE RIGHT AS POSSIBLE, when this could be dangerous. That’s why some cyclists will ride a couple of feet into the road, to avoid being squashed by someone exiting a car.
Helmets are far cheaper than brain surgery.
I shall now summarize this endless argument!
When I’m on a bike, I hate cars and pedestrians.
When I’m walking, I hate cars and bikes.
When I’m driving, I hate bikes and pedestrians.
Heh! Exactly.
“I hate…”
Hate? Hate is something that people on the Far Right do. Are your crossing over?
Nope. I was just doing a little mocking all parties in this ongoing transportation dispute, where everyone seems to believe that there IS a problem, but they aren’t it.
ha. hate comes from all sides.
Actually I think hate IS the side.
“Cops DO sometimes pull over cyclists”
That is a fact. I have seen it happen in Decatur.
But it’s much more fun when a cop on a bike pulls over a car. I’ve only seen that in Athens, though.
A little food for thought on the bikes v. cars v. pedestrians issue from a New York City perspective:
http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2010/09/03/a-unified-theory-of-new-york-biking/
From the column:
“Bikes can and should behave much more like cars than pedestrians. They should ride on the road, not the sidewalk. They should stop at lights, and pedestrians should be able to trust them to do so. They should use lights at night. And — of course, duh — they should ride in the right direction on one-way streets. None of this is a question of being polite; it’s the law. But in stark contrast to motorists, nearly all of whom follow nearly all the rules, most cyclists seem to treat the rules of the road as strictly optional. They’re still in the human-powered mindset of pedestrians, who feel pretty much completely unconstrained by rules.
The result is decidedly suboptimal for all concerned, but mostly for the bicyclists themselves. New York needs to make a collective quantum leap, from treating bicyclists like pedestrians to treating bicyclists like motorists. And unless and until it does, bike relations will continue to be marked by hostility and mistrust.”
Just FYI Inca Kids (http://www.IncaKids.org) will be exhibiting Peruvian artisan toys and ceramics @ Decatur Library after Wednesday (Hispanich Heritage Month)
Thanks to Writer Chad, my fellow Decaturites pitched in and voted for us in the CB2 contest. We are 174th out of 2,300!
If you haven’t checked it out it’s worth a visit just to see our animated taxidermied fox.
http://naugleworks.com/client/theSelby/
Contest ends Wednesday. Vote!
Thanks Decatur!
Woo0ot!!!
What is the deal with the Diner????? Anyone … Bueller? Bueller?
Anyone got the skinney?
I don’t know, but the signage is killing me. I thought the faux marble tiles were bad. They don’t have anything on the neon signs and the new blue, all cap letters on the roof. Then there are all the vinyl signs hanging in the window, and the outside wall signage painting on the building. Alright already, we know you’re a DINER! I won’t be frequenting that place…visually too brutal for me.
Why is at least City of Decatur Pre-K out for a week this week? Who thought this Fall Break idea was a good idea? This is a real pain for child care. How do we get these week long holidays canceled?
KARASS!!!!
Hey, I’m enjoying this week. I’ve got a husband who can take off of work while I go to a work conference. But not everyone does. Something like 3/4 of the teachers were for this new schedule, 3/4 of parents were against it, and the Admin was for it, so here we are with this calendar. The Calendar Committee recommended that we evaluate how the calendar goes this year before committing to it in the future. But the Board has already voted for it for the next two years and we haven’t even tried it yet.
That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.
Please send your thoughts about the calendar to our board members!
At some point this week, as I’m drinking a beer on the beach at off-season rates, I’ll be casting my vote for “good idea.” (Yes, I realize my circumstances are unique to me; I also realize that’s true for everyone.)
To All My Muslim Friends:
Eid Mubarak! Blessings for peace & prosperity in the year to come.
Spreading gossip here- I heard from someone who heard from someone the German Bakery off Lawrenceville will be reopening in a couple of weeks. Their pastries were absolutely divine, and I was major bummed when they closed. If you haven’t had one of their apple turnovers, you really have missed out on something amazing. Yay! (I do hope it’s true)
They also did wonderful king cakes. I agree, that was a terrific bakery.
Keep us posted, please.
I can third- and fourth-hand confirm that yes, indeed, such rumor exists. No idea if there’s any truth to it, but I also heard from someone who heard from someone, which someones may or may not have heard from the same someones as Rebeccab’s someones, that the German Bakery would be reopening. I, too, hope there’s truth to it. Maybe we can take bets on whether it reopens and whether it reopens before Decatur Diner debuts?
Please take the time to remember the victims and heroes of September 11, 2001.
The DHS Close Up club will have a service project today at the Glen Creek Nature Preserve, as a fund raiser for the Washington, D.C. trip but also to help students understand that “Service Above Self” is what motivated many of the heroes of 9/11. God Bless America and Our Troops.
I still remember nursing a newborn and watching the story unfold on TV slowly and unbelievably, one hit and then another, one tower down and then another. Between being postpartum, home alone, and having lived in Manhattan for 4 years once, the horror and helplessness of the experience was overwhelming. I still don’t quite believe it.
A few things haunt me still:
- The fact that an announcement came on in one of the towers telling people to ignore the alarm and go back to their work stations
- If we can rescue stranded mountaineers on the sides of cliffs, why couldn’t helicopters rescue people on the tops of the towers? I’m sure there’s a good reason and I just don’t know it.
- There was some intelligence chatter warning of this but it wasn’t warning enough.
The positive was the stories of NY firefighters and policemen. They have always struck me as unique–making the world’s ultimate metropolis secure is beyond imagination. They lived up to my impression.
As usual, Ms. Kuebler and the Westchester staff handled the situation beautifully. They protected the children from the information so parente could decide how to explain at home, sending home information that helped and supported us in doing so.
Amen, Mr. B.
Karass, I too have vivid memories of where I was on 9/11. I was in private practice then, and I had to meet a client at the Fulton County courthouse for his divorce hearing. I’d heard what was happening before I left my office, but he’d gotten there pretty early, and didn’t know what had happened. When I got there, I told him what had happened, but nothing was cancelled at that point, so we started to wait, and about two minutes after I’d arrived, someone (don’t know who) walked up and told all of us that a second plane had hit the other WTC tower. Still, nothing got cancelled, and we were about third on Judge Goger’s calendar, so we just kept waiting in the hall outside his courtroom. The chaos that had started to spill out around all the government buildings downtown earlier blew through the Courthouse, too, and an announcement came thru the building that it was to be evacuated immediately. We got up to leave, but there were lots of people trying to get out, so it wasn’t quick. A few minutes later, another announcement stated that the building wasn’t being evacuated, and everyone started to go back in. I remember noticing that Judge Goger apparently hadn’t interrupted whatever was going on in his courtroom, and it was still going on when we came back up. It was around then that the third plane hit the Pentagon (but we didn’t know that till later), and the announcement came back over the PA system that again, we were to evacuate immediately. This time, bailiffs were coming around to make sure everyone left. It took about ten minutes for us to get all the way down to the lobby facing Mitchell Street, and when we did, there were already lots of uniformed State Patrol, National Guard, and Fulton County Sherriff’s officers deployed around, plus some other guys who weren’t in uniform but who had some pretty fierce-looking weaponry in a “ready” position (never did find out who they were, but they looked like they meant business). They all had extremely stern countenances, as if to say, “Keep it moving, or we’ll move it along for you!” I remember it was remarkably quiet, considering there were so many of us. We all kind of filed out of the courthouse and into the streets, and the authorities had cordoned off square blocks around the Courthouse, the Federal Building, City Hall, and other buildings, so we couldn’t walk directly across the street to get to our parking lot, we had to go around the block and back down. We stopped at this City worker’s truck because he had his radio on, which was announcing the crash into the Pentagon, and it was then I realized that what had happened would mean war for certain. My client and I parted ways when we got to our cars, and I decided to go home instead of back to the office (my trial partner had called & said the managing partners had told everyone to just go home anyway, so I planned to work from home). It took me three hours to get home from downtown that day, and I’ll never forget listening to the events unfold on various radio stations (I just kept flipping through, for some reason). When I got to 99X, Jimmy Baron was weeping with outrage on the air, and I suddenly remembered that two of my cousins worked in the Pentagon (one for the Army, the other for the DIA). The minute I got home, I started calling family to see if anyone had heard from them. They have pretty classified jobs, so it was difficult to find anything out. When they finally got in touch through the family grapevine about ten hours later, I was so relieved I cried for a solid hour. I hadn’t really cried all day, even though I was feeling shock and grief, but when I heard my cousins were alive, it just felt as if a dam broke, and I just let loose. And that’s how I remember 9/11. Sorry to go on for so long.
Thanks Kara’s and Caballero.
I was giving a quiz at DHS first block (around 9:00) when I went next door to the Latin class to borrow something (important at the time). Dr. Kendrick asked me, “Can you believe what’s going on?” I was completely clueless. He told me that planes had flown into the Twin Towers and one had already come down. He had a live feed on the T.V. I was stunned. Unbelievable. As I returned to my room, I wondered what to say to the students. Since most of the students had finished the quiz, I said, “You can finish tomorrow. Something terrible has happened in New York. We need to watch this. ” I didn’t think about if a child had relatives in NYC. I was still numb. The students and I watched in silence. When the second tower came down, I told the students, “We may have just seen thousands of people die. Can we have a moment of silent prayer? Now, here it is 9 years later, and I am still trying to make sense of it all.
How teachers made it through the rest of the day, I’ll never know. My guess is the superintendent and principals were working behind the scenes to notify all students who had relatives in NY. I remember going home and finding my wife crying. I think we both cried. The feeling of disbelief continued throughout the rest of the day. We watched in silence the nightly news.
Today at 9:00, at the Glenn Creek Service service project, I tried to make sense of what happened nine years ago. Most of the students were in kindergarten or first grade when it took place. How do you help students connect what happened nine years ago with what they are doing; cleaning up a nature preserve? I told them that the heroes of 9/11 understood one of the basic principals of the American experience; that is, Love Thy Neighbor. Working at a 9/11 service project, participating in a 9/11 ceremony at school, having a discussion with parents while watching the news tonight, listening to a religious message at a church or synagogue, all these things help young people, and adults too, make sense of this terrible event.
Thanks.
Anyone know what is going on downtown right now? I keep hearing music and people speaking on a sound system… sounds foreign.
Anyone?
What’s the deal with no many frozen oghurt places? Yoghurt Tap was my choice (vs. the p lace in Virginia Highlands) but now we have Mogli something by Emory, Menchies @ N. Druid Hills and I heard there is a Mango something soon to be opened by Willy’s on N. Decatur/Clairmont.
My second grader was ready for a break and a change of pace. My preKer doesn’t need a break right now but she is enjoying the extra family time. I love that we have this time off school when the Atl weather is just perfect. My vote is definitely for this calendar.
Just found out that Jin-Jin is closed! Did not know that happened.