Free-For-All Friday 10/29/10
Decatur Metro | October 29, 2010Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discuss here over the past week.
Comments close Monday.
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This week’s Free-For-All Friday is brought to you by: Kick in the Fit, offering a free month of boot camp (morning or evening) to one Decatur Metro reader. www.kickinthefit.com
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Latest from Decaturish
Hi, fellow DM readers! Oakhurst Presbyterian Church is hosting a big multi-family yard sale this Saturday, 8:00 am – 2 pm. Proceeds benefit the Azzie Preston Compassion Fund, which helps people in need. The church is at 118 Second Ave (at the corner of 2nd Ave and East Lake Dr), right across from the dog park.
That should say “part of the proceeds.” (It would be great if we had an editing feature.)
Great Lakers, are you going all out for Halloween again this year? Is there a gathering spot for trick or treaters or just a random stampede for candy?
Hi everyone — We’re just moving to Winnona Park this weekend and are looking for recommendations if you have them. Does anyone have someone to install a flat screen TV above a fireplace, a plumber to install a gas line for a gas dryer and a car mechanic? Any and all tips most appreciated! Thank you.
Plumber rec: Precision Plumbing. Gas line installed to patio for gas grill. Great service. Quote was 75% lower than Superior Plumbing.
Plumber: M Carey & Daughters…
Quantum Mechanics are great guys who give wonderful and honest service. The owner one night saw me slowly driving through Decatur with a flat tire. He turned around and had me pull over for him to change the tire! I highly recommend them. http://www.qmauto.com/home.html
The guys at Quantum are great plus their location is a real plus for Winnona Park residents. It’s very easy to walk to and from their shop over on Talley St.
Car Mechanic? Summit Automotive 404-373-7070 absolutely the best
2nd that vote on Summit.
I third the vote for Summit! Wonderful place.
Isn’t the electronics recycling this weekend?
Yep, 9 to 1 at the High School parking lot on Howard.
Will they take broken items? I have a large LCD flatscreen HD TV that suffered the infamous Wii death at the hands of my 8 year old.
Yes, $10 fee for tv (correct change.)
If you can not make it to one of the area electronics recycling events Dekalb County residents have a permanent drop off site for Electronics at the Seminole Road Landfill 4203 Clevemont Rd., Ellenwood, GA 30294 Telephone: (404) 244-4842 Hours: M-F 8AM-5PM; Saturday 8AM-4PM
Items accepted include: Computer equipment, Stereos, copiers, telephones, vcrs, printers, scanners, typewriters, cables, fax machines, keyboards, radios, cameras, cell phones, speakers,
microwave ovens, laptops, circuit boards, electrical panels, projectors, networking equipment
Televisions, Vacuum cleaners, refrigerators, washer, dryers, freezers, De-humidifiers or humidifiers and gas-powered equipment are NOT accepted. Call (404) 371-2654 for more information.
From the patting-ourselves-on-the-back department:
Just wanted to say that I’ve been really impressed with the lack of political name calling on here lately. With a big election only 4 days away I have seen few ‘repug’ or ‘libtard’ references, and that is refreshing. While we will certainly disagree about policy at both the local and national levels, it’s nice to see that we can usually debate without resorting to stereotypes. May it continue through the next week and beyond!
MILQUETOAST FEEL-GOOD CHEERLEADER
Rent is too d@mn high!
I’m too busy stealing yard signs
I am too busy hunting down The Walrus and his great dane infested Element to bother.
I am one of the guality ones and I am sorry for saying that. Really.
guality= guilty of remark + quality person for apologizing!
We bought a house in Village Walk, right down the street from Felinnis before the train trestle. Big Houses, tiny yards. Does anyone remember what was on this property before they built the subdivision? I’ve been in Decatur since ’94 but can’t seem to picture it.
Thanks!
As far as I remember it was just a wooded lot. I think originally the Waldorf School tried to buy it for a classroom building but they couldn’t get the financing. Not sure about this, but I think I’m correct.
I agree with Maggie. I don’t think there was anything there.
Village Walk, off Commerce Drive between CSX and MARTA, was built on about 4 acres of undeveloped property which had been the rear yards of homes that fronted on Sycamore Street. MARTA acquired the properties for the construction of the East Line, and some of it was used for staging during the construction. In the early 1990s MARTA sold the property to Henry Schwab, who proposed everything from office buildings to apartments.The Friends School of Atlanta considered locating there. Both MARTA’s takings on Sycamore Street in the 1970s and the sale of this parcel in the 1990s led to lawsuits by residents.
i heard it was a cherokee burial ground
I thought there was an airstrip there? or was that further down?
The airstrip was somewhere father north in the neighborhood of Sycamore Drive.
At what time do people usually take their kids Trick or Treating? This is our first year taking our kid out.
We usually start getting kiddies around 5:30-ish.
Sometimes even 5ish for the real little ones whose bedtime is 7 PM after bath and story! But all bets are off this year because: 1) It’s going to get dark late because we are still in Daylight Savings Time; and 2) CSD kids are off on Monday.
How does everyone do for trick or treaters? last year my wife was bummed as we only had about a dozen
Really, really, really varies by street, neighborhood, and ages of kids. Our block varies widely as little kids arrive then grow up, then a new wave arrives. But some areas like the Great Lakes have lots of short blocks that seem to always attract teams of kids. Cul de sacs and short blocks with kids seems to do particularly well because they make logistical sense for trick or treating. Houses on a hill do less well. If you are next to Scrooges with their lights off, you do less well. Conversely, if you are next to one of those pizzeria Halloween displays, you’ll do better. Kids are herd animals on Halloween–they go where they see other kids going, even though that doesn’t always make sense. A house that’s stuck with lots of candy still at 8:30 PM is bound to be a good source!
The MAK area of Oakhurst near Agnes Scott is absolutely bonkers. Gets started around 6:00, and stays heavy until around 8:30.
All of Oakhurst is insane.
Avery in Winnona is way insaner, then even you.
I am truly sorry for you. Truly.
I had to call you crazy, but I finally got a reply. Yes.
I am pleased to know how much I really mean to you.
Music swells. Fade to black.
what’s your favorite halloween candy? (i may personally have to come and punch anyone who says “circus peanuts”, although technically they aren’t halloween candy…but still…)
Because I am pregnant, for some reason candy corn has taken on the palate teasing tickles of the finest 3 star Michelin restaurant dessert.
I was potty trained on candy corn – still can’t eat them without having to use the potty. My favorite has to be Dots…or Mike and Ikes.
peeps
I read that there are chocolate marshmallow cat peeps this year – very exciting!
skittles. Only because I won’t eat them, and the kids will.
Twizzlers and candy corn. The latter no longer comes in treat bags so is hard to give out now. Sigh.
publix and target had candy corn in prepacked small treat bags!!
Oooooh. Which Publix?
Kroger on Dekalb Industrial has candy corn in small pre-packaged bags too!
Well, I just blew it by shopping at CVS and Emory Commons Publix for candy. Another candy run is in order!
When I was growing up, my mother (with our not-so-helpful help) made popcorn balls every year and gave them to trick-or-treaters. No way I’ll get to it this year, but here’s a hypothetical question for you parents: would you allow your child to accept a saran-wrapped homemade treat if it had the giver’s name and address on it?
If it said “Smalltowngal, Decatur Metro” on it: Yes! Actually, my main objection would be that the popcorn balls I remember, made with Karo Syrup or caramel, would pull loose teeth and braces off.
My mom’s recipe uses Karo syrup, but they don’t turn out gummy. They are a mess to eat with braces, though, I remember that! (But popcorn is, anyway. I had braces as a child and again in my 30s. What a nuisance.)
Even 25 years ago I wasn’t allowed to accept them except from my direct neighbors who gave them to us separately from trick or treating. I never knew anyone that liked them anyways and ours all got thrown in the trash. The only allowed candy is prewrapped from a factory and always checked over by an adult for any tampering first. Of course this really depends on how many houses you go to where you don’t know the occupants.
I was just reading an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that made the point that there has never been a confirmed case of a child being harmed by Halloween candy given to them by a stranger. The only recorded instance of a Halloween-candy-related death was a case in which the child’s own father poisoned a pixie stick in order to collect insurance money (he was convicted of murder).
Gosh darn it. Judd sent that to me yesterday and I was going to post it tomorrow.
Sorry to steal your thunder, DM! Post away!
What about all those stories of needles in candy bars and apples? Well, I guess the prepackaged candy companies profited from all those fears of evil neighbors with poison treats.
I guess urban legends were harder to debunk before the interwebs came along.
Actually the article only says that there are no confirmed cases of a child being poisoned by a stranger. The author glosses over the fact that the crazy dad mentioned also gave the poisoned Pixies to a few random kids, but none of them had eaten the stuff. The sharp objects scenario isn’t actually a myth, although it’s certainly been way over-hyped by the media: http://www.snopes.com/horrors/mayhem/needles.asp .
Still, I do strongly agree with the author’s general sentiments about the contemporary sterilization of childhood.
Hubbie says Perdue is going to make a declaration that Halloween is Saturday, not Sunday, because Sunday is for…. But I haven’t heard it yet. And I don’t think it will affect what happens in Decatur, not even in among the token Republicans.
Sunday all the way for us tokens! See you out on the street.
Oh, and my favorite? Kit Kat. My kids always save the Kit Kats for me. I sure do love them (the kids).
Karass- You totally just sent me into a time warp. I don’t think I have heard that saying in over 20 years. When I was little, my grandmother used to tell us “no television on the lord’s day.” Like it wasn’t punishment enough to wake up early, put on a dress, and put HOT CURLERS in the ends of our hair. Good times…
Amen, sister.
Thanks everyone for the great recs on plumbers and car mechanics — I really appreciate it. And I’ll stock up on candy!
Steve, Scott, anyone?
Know where I can find variance applications up for review online?
I don’t think they are. I recall that, during the Infill Committee work that recommended revisions to some of our ordinances, they had access to them but I don’t know where they got ‘em.
You’d likely need to make a request at city hall, unless you want to go through ZBA minutes one by one.
I met a lady at the bank today who lets kids grab a handful of pennies. She says she can’t bring herself to give out candy.
So are we getting some more mulch? I am talking about the place between the library and the community garden.
Gigi
The mother lode of that mulch is in the parking lot of the county driver’s services place on Memorial Drive across from the DeKalb County Jail.
Good Job to the Decatur Active Teens who put on the Haunted House at Ebster. Thanks for doing that. I don’t imagine too many teens read this blog, so if you know anyone who helped out, please pass along a word of thanks.