Free-For-All Friday 10/22/10
Decatur Metro | October 22, 2010Feel free to use this post to make comments or ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
Feel free to use this post to make comments or ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
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Robert Butera
KMT
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FM Fats
Parker Cross
J_T
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smalltowngal
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J_T
Stu2
Liz
Just wanted to say that we had the chance to have the suckling pig special at the Iberian Pig this week and it was fantastic! We always have a great time there. The bartenders also do a fine, fine job on those martinis.
Glad to hear another good review – can’t wait to make it over there one weeknight to try it!
In a desperate attempt to gain any good news about the “opening soon” Decatur Diner…all the lights were off last night. Since they have always had the lights glaring while nothing has been happening, maybe the fact that they turned them off means something is actually happening and they are actually opening up “in about 3 weeks” as they have been saying for the lats 2 months.
I also see that they have cut holes in the awning over the front door.
I noticed the very same thing, but you’re maybe more of a glass is half full person that I am…. Rather than thinking this darkness might be in preparation for an imminent opening, I was more leaning towards an even longer delay.
WOO HOO! I received notice yesterday that the county accepted my appeal of their appraised value on our house, which was a full $100K over the appraisal that we got for our refinance. It took a lot of work and patience, but we prevailed!
Anyone else get good news?
Ooh! Ooh! I do! I do!
The company I work for announced kick a$$ results yesterday. Every day I think about just how fortunate I am to work for a company that has so far weathered the Great Recession. And no, it’s not an oil company.
an odd question, but does anyone know of someone in the area that teaches accordion? a private instructor, not a music school.
Check the website for the Atlanta Accordion Club – they have a few instructors listed, though none in Decatur.
http://sites.google.com/site/atlantaaccordionclub/home
The woman that cleans my house is looking for some new clients in the intown area. She is a good, responsible house cleaner and is eco- and pet-friendly. If you’re looking for a good person to clean your home, call Pat Felty at 404-822-8043 . She has been cleaning my house for over 6 years and she is wonderful.
Thank you for this referral. I have been looking for a trusted person and wasn’t sure how to proceed. I will call Pat.
Pat cleans our place as well. She’s very thorough…
Guatemala against Guyana Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Kennesaw State University Soccer Stadium. Come and support soccer in GA!
Are vuvuzelas and drums allowed at these games?
I hope so. Makes for a good atmosphere.
Can anyone recommend a good dermatologist in the area?
I can, but it depends on what you think of as “the area.” I go to Georgia Skin Specialists over in Buckhead (http://www.georgiaskinspecialists.com/). They are great. I usually see the PA there because it’s easier to get an appointment with her and she is fabulous. Her name is Carrie Howell.
Our family (3 generations) has seen Dr. Mauldin or others at Dermatology Associates of GA on Clairmont Rd. just before N. Druid Hills. It’s a busy practice, but well managed so they stay on schedule. A friend referred us to Dr. Stonecipher there, and our GP refers to them as well.
I can second this recommendation.
i third the recommendation…
and i’ll throw one in for dr. mackelfresh at emory…she is fantastic!
fourth
fifth
sixth, I was there just last fall.
I called Dermatology Associates of Georgia and was able to get an appointment next week with a P.A.. Dr. Stonecipher is a busy man (next available was the end of November), so I’ll start with the P.A. and see how it goes. I thought it was finally time to stop talking about having my spots checked; thanks to all of you I feel confident about stepping into this practice and having it done. Thanks!
I’ve only ever seen the Nurse Practitioner at that practice, but she’s great. Her name is Helen.
Dear barista at Kavarna: I am sorry that I troubled you with my order of a pastry and coffee… and particularly with asking where the knives are so I could spread my cream cheese. I’ll make a point not to inconvenience you in such a way again.
Last time I was there (over two years ago) the services was good but they were playing gawd awful techno club music incredibly loud at lunch time during the week.
Does anyone have a body shop they would recommend? Not looking for high-end perfection, but fair price and decent work for a not-so-new car.
Do the same criteria apply for the person who’s looking for a dermatologist?
Lol. Well, I don’t know what they’re looking for, but yeah, the dermatologists definitely are working with not-so-new materials on two of our three generations. Then there are two youts who have provided the opportunity for high-end results, though still at fair prices.
I have used Decatur Paint and Body twice in the past and have been very happy with their service.
They are also who my mechanic, Quantum Mechanics, recommend.
http://www.decaturpaintandbody.com/
I highly recommend Decatur Paint and Body. Great guys.
I recently used Maple Street Collision Center in Decatur. Very friendly. Good prices. (404) 378-5012
Gerber Collision on DeKalb Industrial.
Decatur Paint and Body did great work for us twice. If you are self-pay, they will give you multiple price points and options depending on how perfect you want the results to be (cosmetically).
I went to Decatur Paint and body a few times, once for a restoration job I was working on for some body work and total repainting and once for some touch up body work and paint on the daily car. Both times Mike delivered a great job at a good price with no surprises or additional cost above the estimate. This is a good recommendation
I’ve used Willett Collision on DeKalb Industrial at Scott Boulevard. they were really great and fast, too. even fixed a dented bumper for free! My insurance company, Amica, has them listed as a “preferred vendor” and referred me there.
Decatur Paint & Body
http://www.decaturpaintandbody.com/
I’ve used them before – can’t say if how cheap they are compared to other places, but are totally reliable and good.
Susan: Dr. Stonecipher at Dermatology Associates of GA on Clairmont Rd. just before N. Druid Hills. He also sees patients in one of the professional buildings at DMC certain days of the week.
Will there ever be a day where there’s some sort of everyday breakfast/brunch place in Oakhurst?
Will there ever be a bagel shop in Decatur?
I want this even more than a cinema. How could a genuine New York style bagle shop not make a killing? It’s even better than my idea of a children’s shoe shop. Sure wish I had an entrepreneurial bone in my body….
I know!
I’m not big on bagels but I’m crazy for crepes!
I love crepes too! Have you found a good savory crepe place anywhere in ATL (not as far as the shop in Vinings)? I always have to get a crepe when I go to the Bay Area to visit– would love to get some HERE!
Just saw that Goldberg’s is opening an outpost in Toco Hills Shopping Center near the Publix. Odd choice IMHO due to the Bagel Palace just across the parking lot, but man do I love me some Goldberg bagels!
when we moved here 10 years ago there was a place called margie’s pantry that was such a place…(where mezacalitos is now)…great spot…
Ooohh… that’s a blast from the past . I’d forgotten about Margie’s but now that you’ve mentioned it, I am dreaming about her awesome desserts !
Margie’s was the first place that brought me across the tracks to Oakhurst on a regular basis. Then it was Mojo , Billy Goat’s (Mezcalito’s) , Seen Gallery , U Joint , etc………..
Soon it will be the Dollar General ( just kidding, I don’t know how to do those smiley face things )
Goldbergs, the best bagels in town and now coming to Toco Hills. Can’t wait.
For the love of God, people, please pick up your dog’s poop! That goes double if your dog poops on private property!
We have recently begun allowing our 7 year old access to the computer, but he quickly gets bored. I haven’t found any websites with decent enough games and activities to keep his attention.
So I put it out to all the parents out there. Can you recommend websites and or software (paid or free, I don’t care) that will keep his interest? I don’t want to raise a computer junkie, but I want him to understand and enjoy the world a computer can open up for him.
Thanks in advance,
Token
several of the children in my family enjoy playing with their beanie babies on ty.com and doing the webkins thing. check those out!
our kids enjoy funbrain.com, coolmath-games.com, brainpopjr.com, nationalgeographic.com (for kids)…
lego also has a digital design that is fun for building their own lego set (they are huge into legos and build them by hand but sometimes doing on the computer is fun for them, too)
i’ll keep thinking on this and get back to you if i have any more…
also kids.discovery.com, pbskids.com, and howstuffworks.com
good times!
Download Tux Paint:
http://www.tuxpaint.org/
It is a free, open source, kids level painting program that works on Windows, Mac or Linux. Especially fun if you have a pen tablet but perfectly fine with just a mouse.
For math and science help try Khan Academy:
http://www.khanacademy.org/
Short videos all the way from basic arithmetic to advanced calculus.
ch
IT BEING NATIONAL CAPS-LOCK DAY, I HAVE TO GIVE MAD PROPS OUT TO “MISS. LISA’S CUT FOR KIDS”. HER NEW LOCATION IS GREAT, AND SHE’S A MAGICIAN WITH KIDS HAIRCUTS!!
I lost her business card with the new address. Where is it again?
She’s street level in the Decatur Town Center Two building. If you are facing the front of the building, she fronts the parking lot entrance to the right.
Hey. Anyone got any news on the Decatur Diner?
Does anyone have any details on the accident on Commerce near Barry St. last night? It looked like a car rolled into someones backyard. I’m a rubber necker and hoping there were no injuries.
And what would you recommend to improve safety for drivers and pedestrians on the east side Commerce chicanes?
Walk by and look at the tree stump left in the ground. They broke off a pear tree that is at least a foot in diameter. There are no skid marks. They did not attempt to brake.
Two people were in the truck, which flipped over. The tree landed on top. They were both talking when the rescue squad got there. That’s when I got out of the way. Don’t know any more.
What’s going in with the Japanese Texaco on Ponce (AKA Gan n Gulp)? It has been closed for over a week and a rope and barricades are around it.
There is another thread on this blog about that.
A neighbor says that Mr. Han couldn’t get anybody to sell him gas. I don’t know why. He fixed cars but made most of his money selling gas.
I believe the traffic calming devices which have been installed on West Ponce are quite effective, however, my tires are not finding favor with them.
Hah! I am certainly one diver exploring alternate routes.
I was too late with this last week – has anyone been to the Decatur Kaiser Permanente clinic? I’ve got to find new health insurance and was wondering about the Kaiser experience in Georgia.
My wife loves the new Kaiser clinic. She particularly likes the electronic medical records. Although you need to drive a bit further (Tucker) for things like pre-natal care. I went with her and the Tucker facility has free parking and on-site labs and pharmacy. It’s very modern.
Quick shout-out to Decatur Screen Print, located over Garlic and the new sno-ball place. Very friendly and helpful making 50 t-shirts for an event this weekend. And plenty of recycled/eco friendly options!
Clean up those dirty sidewalks on the Square!
There is an election coming up. One of the candidates I’m supporting is John Barge. He’s running for state superintendent of schools. Check out his campaign site (www.electjohnbarge.com/) and if you like what you see and are willing to put up a yard sign supporting his candidacy, please send me an email (cbtraindad@comcast.net). I’ll be happy to deliver a yard sign.
Hope everyone is enjoying the lovely fall morning. Not to bring a controversial topic into the free for all but does anyone have an idea on when the 2 CSD listening session are for the new district maps. With the vote coming up on Nov 9th, that only leaves 2 weeks left. I sincerely hope that CSD does not post the dates with very little notice in the hopes of getting little to no commentary from the public.
DM, would you please comment on your decision to shut down discussion on the “mom arrested at library” thread? It seems to me that conversation, painful as it was, directly addressed some of the issues we struggle with most as a community, issues that emerge over and over in different contexts: how we negotiate your space versus my space, your needs versus my needs, your rights versus my rights. These don’t get resolved–or even aired–in city ordinance proposals or zoning decisions. This stuff gets figured out, for better or worse, in our daily interactions at the library, at the yogurt store, in local restaurants, on the sidewalk, etc. The fact that we keep having the discussion over and over–about dogs on the pub patio, discount stores in the neighborhood, noisy children in the restaurant or the library–means we need to keep at it, IMO.
Was there something in the thread that I missed, that prompted you to shut it down?
Yes, it had started to devolve into personal attacks, which I deleted. There’s a point at which posts jump the shark, when only a handful of people are still posting and that’s when things generally get out of hand.
That’s a shame about the personal attacks. Like smalltowngal, I thought there was real potential for a more meaningful conversation.
Ooops, I fear I may be one of those “shark jumpers”. Hope not. Love me some snark, but don’t want to jump no shark.
DM: Thanks for addressing and STG thanks for asking. I too, wondered why the thread had been shut down. I was interested in continuing the discussion, especially since I had heard from folks who had different experiences than mine, and I felt like my mind and thoughts were opening up with the new influx of information. Sorry it devolved. For a while there, I had hoped for some meaningful conversation also.
Thanks for the feedback Trish. Perhaps I was a bit too hasty and shouldn’t have let a couple bad comments close the thread. I was stretched to the limit last week and didn’t have a lot of time to moderate.
I’ll reopen it if anyone still wants to comment.
The most relevant and interesting aspect of the discussion, IMO, emerges again and again in various contexts, so I wouldn’t bother re-opening the old thread at this point. In fact, it’s already surfaced again in the thread about banning plastic bags: how we negotiate the boundary between my right to do what I want and your right not to be negatively affected by what I do. There seems to be a stronger likelihood for emotional outbursts when the context involves children or dogs, but I believe it’s really all the same debate. And it’s an important one.
Good call. I’d argue that THAT conflict is at the heart of most debates.
That’s why it is so interesting and so important, I think. I plastic bags are a better place for it, though, than puppies and babies threads
Just admit it. The missus said “NO!!!” to around the clock heated debate! :0)
I wouldn’t reopen it, but there IS an interesting discussion to be had on our perceptions of how the situation was handled. I was thrown by a commenter’s reaction, so I followed up with her off blog. She shared what had influenced her interpretation, and it’s added a rich layer to to our friendship.
[ In THIS situation I'm willing to give the library staff & the police dept the benefit of the doubt that they acted as the woman's actions warranted based on my impressions of THIS library staff & THIS police dept. ]
It was interesting to hear that several moms with small kids have had encounters with a security guard at the library. Made me rethink my position.
BTW, I have two children, and am DEFINITELY not against having children in public, even if they make a little noise. God knows mine did.
I think experienced parents know that when a kid is too disruptive, he/she has got to be moved elsewhere. It’s a pain, but wait until they become teenagers.
I agree, Nellie! People are very protective of their kids (human and canine). I don’t think my comment was particularly snarky, but I would have enjoyed the opportunity to tell catmother(?) that I was sorry to hear about her experience, and compliment her on her handling of the situation with such dignity and aplomb. I certainly would have been challenged to be as gracious as she was.