Free-For-All Friday 7/22/11
Decatur Metro | July 22, 2011Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.
Comments close Monday.
Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.
Comments close Monday.
Latest from Decaturish
Daydreamer
Daydreamer
Cubalibre
J_T
csheffie
FM Fats
phototrekker
MBAERO
Michael
FM Fats
Marla (of the tiara …
Marla (of the tiara …
Zed
GreenTea
J_T
My first act this Friday: Blocking the tweets of a local Irish pub. I love these guys, but enough with hash-tagging Decatur for 100 requests to vote for them in CL’s “Best of” list.
OK. All better.
YES! Please, local Irish pub on the square, cut it out. Hash-tagging, you are doing it WRONG!
Damn, we got bars tweeting now? That blue building next to the courthouse was bad enough. Decatur’s really going to the birds!
I’m sure this has been asked in another FFAF post, so please forgive me, but can anyone recommend a pediatric dentist for a very scared 4 year old? Thanks in advance…
We go to Dr Wesley Powell by Northlake Mall. He and his staff are wonderful!
You know it’s a great dentist when your 5 yr old says “Yay!” when you announce they have an appointment.
+1
Ditto. (Plus he is gorgeous!)
My 3 kids also go to Dr Powell. My kids must like it there b/c my 6 year old just asked me the other day if it was time for their next appointment.
Also chiming in for Dr. Powell. I took my almost 4-year-old there after she injured her two top front teeth and it was also the first time she’d been to the dentist in her life. Given that it used to be a chore to get her to sit in a chair and get a haircut, I was pretty apprehensive. But, he and the dental assistant were both great. They cleaned her teeth, examined them and took x-rays. The office is very kid-oriented and friendly.
An additional plus, even though they do not list Blue Cross as one of their insurance plans, they did file our claim for us and it was covered.
+1 for Dr Powell here! Very kid-friendly and relaxed and his staff is wonderful. We’ve been going to him for about 6 years…
Dr. Schaeffer at Blue Creek Dental is terrific. In the strip mall with the Fed Ex at N. Decatur and Clairemont.
Dr. Ray Davis on McConnell (at Clairmont just before N Druid Hills) is a fabulous pediatric dentist!
My 5 yr old now LOVES going to the dentist, and every time we’re there we run into a kid we know. Even our pediatrician’s kids go to him!
Enthusiastically seconded.
Two thumbs up for Dr. Davis. Great guy, conveniently located office and very pleasant office staff.
Dr. Catherine Enright at I-75 and Powers Ferry is also awesome but further away and sometimes her practice is full.
Dr. Jonathan Eaton on LaVista (near Frazier). My dentist (Dr. Marvin Winters) recommended him to us, and we couldn’t be happier!
Very enthusiastic +1!! Dr. Eaton and his staff are wonderful.
Me mind on fire, me soul on fire
Feeling hot hot hot
Party people all around me
Feeling hot hot hot
—————————————————
Yes I’m jumping like a jumping jack
Dancing screaming itching squealing fevered
Feeling hot hot hot!!!
—————————————————
It’s like a heatwave burning in my heart
I can’t keep from crying
Tearing me apart
—————————————————
Hot child in the city
Hot child in the city
Runnin’ wild and lookin’ pretty
Hot child in the city
—————————————————
Hot, hot, hotter than hell
You know she’s gonna leave you well done
Hot, hot, hotter than hell
Burn you like the midday sun
+100 degrees
End of the spring and here she comes back
Hi hi hi hi there,
Them summer days, those summer days.
That’s when I had most of my fun, back
High high high high there,
Them summer days, those summer days
Hot fun in the summer time
Hot fun in the summer time
Hot fun in the summer time
Hot fun in the summer time
Good one!
Again, a lot better than yodelling background music in my head! Thanks for the real words. I’ve been singing wrong all these years.
I still have ‘goatherd” spinning in my brain. I hate earworms!
I didn’t any more, but now I do again, thanks a lot! I’m going to review the 1971 album list again as an antidote.
Sorry about that, y’all. Totally my fault.
I was tempted just to post the word goatherd to see what happened. : )
did you guys go to sing-a-long sound of music too?!
Has anyone fixed the problems yet?
According to wikipedia, Michael Stipe was born in Decatur,GA. Does anyone know if this is city of Decatur or have any further info?
I do not know if that is true, but have heard he has many connections to Decatur. He has appeared to me in public (like introducing Bill Clinton at a Decatur campaign rally) or at the Attic, and just street sightings. So I look forward to hearing more.
Out of curiosity, I did a little research a while back in the old city directories at the library. At the time of Michael Stipe’s birth – 1/4/60 – there were a couple of Stipes living around Decatur. The closest one was on Woodbridge Drive off Medlock Road just a few blocks northeast of where Melton’s App & Tap is now. That’s not far outside the city limits, and it has a Decatur mailing address. But I’ve never been able to find his father’s name (not that I looked all that hard), so I couldn’t confirm it was the right one. The house is an older, white bungalow — but so are almost all of the houses in that neighborhood.
The other Stipe near Decatur was in Druid Hills on Artwood, which is just south of Fernbank Elementary. A third Stipe was listed as living on post at Fort McPherson near East Point. I’ve read that his dad was military, and he didn’t stay in Decatur for long. I believe he went to high school near St. Louis.
Flipping back and forth for several years, I saw that there had been Stipes living in and around Decatur for a number of years. I believe one of his sisters still lives in Atlanta.
I really want to compost but I’m afraid of attracting rats. What are your backyard composting solutions? I will have a lot of food scraps and not as much yard waste, especially in the winter.
There are various designs for building varmint-proof compost bins. Not being so handy, I bought one at Lowe’s a few years ago. It’s plastic segments about 3′ square and each one maybe 8″ tall. You stack them, increasing the height as your compost quantity grows. It has a tight-fitting lid that is hinged, so it’s pretty easy to toss stuff in and to remove the lid entirely and stir it up and water it (which you really should do frequently). I have not had any problems with rats or possums getting into it (and believe me, they are all over the place around here).
Even though many composters are vermit proof–they are ventilated and therefore can attract rats–our neighbor put theirs just on the other side of our fence and we have battling them ever since.
Absolutely no cooked food, especially meat – yuck anyway. I turn mine over frequently, too, burying new food scraps into the composting material. In many years I had some little rats once, but I think for controlling rats it’s more important to clean up dog poo in the yard. I’ve had a possum in the yard, but never in the compost that I know of. Last year when my CSA box was more than I could store inside the refrigerator, I left it on the porch (in the fall), and the possum loved the apples.
We purchased a roll of 3-feet-wide hardware cloth from the home supply store. It’s sort of like chicken wire, but with a tighter, more square weave. Cut a length of it using wire-cutters. Form it into a circular or rectangular cylinder about four feet in diameter. Sew the two ends together using the wire that held the roll together in the package. Excavate the earth a little around the footprint of where the composter will sit, so that you can sink it down into the earth a bit, then cover the base with soil. Use another short length of the hardware cloth as a lid. Dig into the soil when you make a deposit, and then cover the deposit with soil. It won’t smell or attract anything but worms. Add worms from elsewhere if you can.
Our neighbor’s outdoor cats take care of any varmints that may be attracted to our compost pile!
I’ve read keeping it wet and planting mint and lavender around it can help. Supposedly mice don’t like mint — who knew??
Thank you all!
What’s the experience with AT&T U-verse?
Incredibly pushy sales people for starters. You even hint that you’re interested and they’ll come to your door once a week and even go so far as to set up an install appointment with the promise you won’t be out any money if you just “try it out for a while”. I finally had to tell the guys I was going to call the cops the next time they knocked on my door.
Additionally, their service typically falls short of what they promise. You will likely not get the blazing fast ultra-slick internet and TV they advertise. (google this)
Their customer service is also pretty much worthless. (google this, too)
Comcast sucks, but at least it works most of the time and is reasonably speedy.
My experience is the complete opposite. Great customer service, fast Internet speeds, high reliability, good picture quality, excellent user interface…I highly recommend it. I don’t miss Comcast at all.
My favorite thing is the whole house DVR. All TV’s can view anything recorded on the DVR. You don’t have to have a specific DVR for each TV.
I’ve had Uverse since December 2008. To say that my customer service experiences exceed those from my days with Comcast would be the understatement of the Century. I have 12 mbps internet and it’s plenty fast. Could upgrade to 20 easily.
HDTV options suit me plenty.
Agreed. And I can’t imagine recording a program “on” one tv and not being able to watch it on another. Customer service by phone has always been helpful and when technicians have come to the house they have gone the extra mile (such as giving me high quality hdmi cables for free) to get whatever issue I’m had resolved.
those pushy door to door people are actually a 3rd party outfit hired by AT&T, not actual AT&T employees, they are paid only on commission so that explains the pushiness tho.
With all the complaints, you imagine AT&T would have done something about them by now tho.
For internet, it’s terrific. We’ve got the 6mbps service and it goes lickety-split, and it’s been down for maybe 6 hours total over the last two years. The wireless router is robust and gives us a strong signal throughout the house, into the driveway and on the patio, too? TV is good, too, though the free on-demand choices are more limited than Comcast’s. Lots of HD channels, but there’s an additional charge for the HD receiver, which Comcast doesn’t charge. It’s got a nice iPhone app, too, so you can program the DVR remotely.
Is the variation in perception of service perhaps related to location and reception of some sort? Like Clear is supposed to vary?
Am mildly interested in changing from Comcast but well aware that our technophobic family should not leap too quickly from something that’s ok, if not great, to something we cannot handle.
Oh, I have a long sad story about that.
here’s the short version….
After 2 months, 24 site visits, 3 house rewire jobs 4 DVR replacements and replacement of 2 thousand feet of cable along the street. ATT engineers finally admitted that they could not provide a usable signal to my home even though I was well within the distance to the RAD.
I ended up getting Comcast back and they had it working in 3 hours.
Then ATT tried to bill me over $500 dollars for the “free trial” that never worked.
It was very frustrating.
one of the best things about uverse is that you aren’t in a contract so at the end of your promo period you can always re-negotiate the price.
I agreed to pay for the phone service and internet (which sorta worked) but then they refunded that amount and then credited my account some more. A few weeks later I recieved a check for about $200.00 dollars. I couldn’t even call them or log into my account to ask why because my account had been cancelled.
Nice people, but that organization is totally fubar.
Garderners: What wood is best for a raised bed? The interwebs say pressure-treated is best for our weather and termite protection. New chemicals have also made it safer to use. Cedar is another recommended option. Any advice is appreciated.
cypress or cedar, cypress is my preference. norcross supply is best source around here. I wouldn’t use pressure treated for anything you are going to eat regardless of what they say about the new improved chemicals. DDT was once considered safe.
I can attest to the durability and termite-proofness of cyprus. In FL, I lived in an 85 year old craftsman bungalow that had cyprus siding AND cyprus roof shingles. When it was inspected for termites prior to sale, the inspector found no termites NOR any evidence of any prior activity —which is unbelievable for a wood structure in FL. He said that cyprus was too hard for termites to chew, so they go elsewhere…probably next door. LOL.
Creating a trench with a gravel bed under your boards will help keep the wood from sitting in damp earth and last longer.
FREE FAMILY CONCERT at the Decatur library on Saturday, July 23, 2pm!
In The Nick of Time’s brand new CD, “Making Silly Faces,” is here!
http://www.dekalblibrary.org/component/option,com_events/Itemid,133/agid,10609/day,23/month,07/task,view_detail/year,2011/
Founded in 2001, In The Nick of Time has made a name in the world of “Kindie Music” by drawing from many musical styles to create catchy music that kids, teachers, and parents all enjoy.
This is one of my best friend’s brother. He’s in town from Miami and it is sure to be a really fun show! http://www.inthenickoftimemusic.com
Somewhat similar to Trish’s question, does anyone know of a good male doctor for adolescents (would that still be a “pediatrician”?) who practices in this general area? I think my 15 year-old son might be more comfortable with a guy at this point. First thought was Victor Polizos in Little 5 Points, but he’s not accepting new patients these days.
Adolescent medicine physicians are a subset of pediatricians. Places like universities sometimes have pediatricians entirely devoted to adolescent medicine but that’s rarer in most community pediatric practices. There’s some male pediatricians at Children’s Medical Group; I’m partial to Dr. Calk if he still has openings.
Ditto Children’s Medical and Dr. Calk, we have been going for 15+ years. They have a number of male physicians there, I also like Dr. Hutson.
We love Children’s Medical Group! Dr Hutson has been our ped for 13 years, but we’ve seen almost every doctor there at some time or another, and we’ve loved them all. Dr Colton has a tween son and coaches baseball at Medlock.
Dr. Ed Gotlieb on Memorial in Stone Mountain is an adolescent specialist. My three boys made it to 21 with Ed!
We have a 16 and 19 year old and went to Dr. Costley on Ponce after reading several good reviews and they both really liked him (my husband and I did too).
We need a new fence and some landscaping, which might require a retaining wall and bringing in a backhoe to tame the wilder parts of our yard. Anyone have recommendations for a good, inexpensive landscaper who can do larger projects like this?
Boak Landscaping does this type of work in Decatur. Owner-Pat Boak 770-889-3777
DecaturWISE energy rebate program
http://www.decaturga.com/index.aspx?page=595
I just completed the process with Renewal System Solutions. Joe Thomas and John Pridmore were excellent! Pre-tests, work, Post-tests yielded a 25.7% projected reduced energy costs without replacing any major systems. Mostly duct work, sealing and insulation of so many places in my 1927 house.
In addition to the $1000 rebate from Decatur, I will get $1650 from Georgia Power and possible tax credits plus the long term savings in utility bills and comfort in my home. I picked up about 58% of the total cost for the project.
As Nike says – Just Do It.
If one (actually, two) were to attempt to go to No. 246 for dinner tonight around 8, would there be any chance of actually getting in?
We went last night for the first time around 8 and waited 15 minutes for a table for 2. Not too long, but it certainly wasn’t a Friday night! Super delicious & crazy loud…
You nailed it with “crazy loud.” Waaaay beyond an excited buzz of conversation. It was like ear-bleeding territory. Delicious, but we had to rely on hand signals to communicate.
Remember when FFAF was just an experiment? Now it’s a part of my Friday morning ritual. How long had this been a feature on DM?
First one was August 8, 2009. Geez, time flies. Here’s my cautious, distrustful, first intro to a FFAF post…
“OK, I’m willing to try anything once. Use this open forum to make statements or ask questions about local topics that haven’t been brought up in other posts. All the same commenting rules apply. Depending on how successful and headache-free it is, it could become a weekly feature!”
In my own defense, moderating was a bit more stressful back then. The DM “culture” wasn’t totally established, so I was doing a lot of policing myself. Now you guys self-moderate like champs. I can tell that many regulars get the same weird feeling when a comment falls outside the expected courtesies. It’s win-win.
Like most everything on DM, FFAF was an idea that bubbled up through comments and email requests. Originally folks proposed that there be a daily open forum post, but I felt like a better compromise for both commenters and the site was weekly. As for which day to put it, Friday was generally the lowest traffic day so I figured a regular Friday feature could only help. Now Friday’s are often one of the highest days of the week! Definitely our most successful “experiment”.
I missed two days of DM this week. When I finally checked in, it took me a couple of hours to catch up on the posts and replies. I don’t know how I got along without DM!!!!
+1. I must admit now, I’m shocked when I discover Decatur friends who DON’T read Decatur Metro. So not cool.
With a new dog (sorta puppy), I’m looking for obedience classes. He is 15 pounds, so a small dog class would be excellent. Any recommendations? I was looking at Jaboula, Has anyone had a good experience with them?
Stu, we just started using Frogs to Dogs. http://www.frogstodogs.com .
They have a number of classes with “lifetime access”- once you’re signed up, you can go as long as you want. I really, really like them– completely positive, reward-based methods and their staff is excellent with my two unruly monsters.
LOVE Frogs to Dogs!!
We used Jabula for our rescue a few years ago and loved it. Would definitely recommend them.
Jabula was perfect for my pup who now at age 1 1/2 is 18 pounds. Jill was our instructor in a regular (not small) group class. She gave great instructions, detailed advice for our questions, and explained why she believes in her techniques each step of the way. My class was last fall and all is still good. In fact we adopted a 2nd small pup and I trained her fairly well using the same methods w/o the class. My plan is to enroll both in the Tricks course to keep their brains active – one of Jabula’s core beliefs.
Anybody need a job? Worthmore Jewelers is hiring. Sounds like a fun place to work. Here’s the link: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=95vefcdab&v=001kRQllaBUV0fvAuZO-EgynKLwf2egZLyfFO_13DxayCgVI26hFxjSNKtK6bxLMbF6PS1ZXZ4Nn1pNwop9zEQiFS41ptJVhFmngATmaCJzz-4%3D
Just FYI, looks like the ad is for their non-Decatur (Amsterdam Ave in Midtown) location…
It’s time to replace our roof. Anyone have any reccommendations for roofers?
Keith Roberts at Roberts Roofing, Inc., (404)-378-9791. Great guy, very professional. Lives in Kirkwood.
Deluxe Roofing replaced my leaking roof about 5 years ago.. and replaced it again 3 years ago after a tree fell on my house. Great work both times.
770-925-7788
http://www.deluxeroofing.com/
Hey Sharron-
Do you mind me asking what was the total cost of your bill from renewal and exactly what they did? I am on a tight budget, but would consider doing a few upgades if I can afford it. It sounds like a great program and I have spoken with Joe Thomas at Renewal who has been very helpful. I have a 1925 3/2 bungalow. u
Thanks DM for getting me in touch with Ann behind the scenes. The math is pretty easy to do since I gave my rebate total and % I’m paying but the scope of work takes more time to discuss so we’ll do that directly. Love where I live!
[repost of comment that scaffold in wrong place]
Cracked windshield from a small rock. Nothing major, but need to get it fixed before it spiders out anymore. Have seen a couple of glass repair places on tv but don’t know anyone who has actually used any of them. Any recommendations?
Have you called your insurance company? You might be able to get the windshield replaced pretty reasonably through them.
When that happened to me a few years ago, my insurance company recommended a windshield repair company that came to the house and did the replacement in my driveway. Good job, and couldn’t have been easier for me. (I work at home, I imagine they’d come to your workplace or wherever.)
Mine was replaced in the parking lot where I worked.
Call Guardian Auto Glass 770-442-8642. They will give you a quote right over the phone and will come to your location. I am in the repair industry and have used them for years on many different vehicles and have always been very happy with their work and price.
Thanks for all the suggestions guys!
Called Guardian and they were only $45, but then checked with the insurance co. and it was included as part of the comprehensive coverage for free! Had not even planned on contacting on them because it was so minor, but now glad I did. Very much appreciate the suggestions to do so!
I understand that someone broke into a car this week in the Friends School parking lot on Columbia while the driver was dropping her child off at Circus Camp. Laptop computer and more were taken. Be careful out there, friends.
My apologies if this issue has already been discussed in an earlier post but I seek guidance…
This is about LINKS – the CSD’s program for “gifted” students in K-5.
I have two children. The eldest does very well in school- a straight A student – not in LINKS. Youngest has been invited to be in LINKS – rising 2nd grader. I want the youngest to have access to whatever academic enrichment might exist and I certainly don’t want to close off avenues to the extent that a form of academic tracking occurs or might occur at CSD.
I worry, however, that enrolling my youngest in LINKS would put an artificial wedge between my kids – who have a very loving relationship.
I also worry that publicly labeling kids as “gifted” might do more harm than good, i.e. an arbitraty sense of entitlement for the one labeled and all that that implies.
My oldest’s experience when confronted with the divisions that LINKS caused among her friends was not good – she questioned herself – her confidence ebbed dramatically… I don’t want to go through that again with my second child…
I wish that enrichment at CSD was more nuanced I guess.
Any advice? Is this not really that big of a deal?
Big deal? Yes and no. Links goes away when they get to high school and that’s when things really count. One can never be placed in Links but do great in high school and on SATs and no one will care that the obviously talented and high-performing student was not considered “gifted” in first grade. Conversely, the gifted moniker in elementary school does the student no good if they do poorly in high school and on the SATs.
On the other hand, Links gives some nice enrichment, just as any of the special services do, whether they be for “giftedness” or a learning disability or a medical disability. So I would not turn it down. I also wouldn’t worry about children feeling “entitled”. By middle school, the kids know the score about Links, what it is and what it isn’t, much better than the parents, and even some of teachers. Sometimes they ask NOT to be in a Links class because a few of the Links classes have the worst behaving kids–smart but unmotivated. The entitlement and undisciplined behavior of some these kids has to do with their own biology (some are ADHD as well as gifted) and/or home parenting, not the effect of being in a Links class.
The hardest part may be explaining Links to the daughter who is not in it. You just have to explain the truth, that giftedness is not really a “gift” but just a certain brain makeup, with advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage is that gifted kids get bored out of their minds without the right instruction, which can lead to lack of motivation and/or misbehavior, so schools have to give them tailored instruction. A student not in Links, who learns to work hard and get just as good grades and SAT scores as Links kids, make actually be developing more flexibility, work skills, and coping strategies that will serve them well in their college and professional life. Once kids leave CSD, they won’t be able to get by on their MAP scores alone.
I think it’s just a matter of time before the new neuroscience of learning changes the way students are classified in terms of gifted vs. not, learning disabled vs. not, underperforming vs. not. The crude way we test and classify right now has lots of fallacies and error. But the law and funding determine the process for now.
I’ll take a stab, assuming you are asking how to handle the parenting situation and not whether #2 should participate. I would say that it is not that big of a deal. We had just about the same situation/combination and it really was never an issue. My non-links, older high achiever never seemed concerned about peers who were doing it, at least that I picked up on.
I’m not really sure what advice to give other than to be as matter-of-fact about it as possible when it comes up. Perhaps acknowledge it publicly to #2 then move on (if it hasn’t come up yet) and then shower some praise in more of a one-on-one setting? Maybe?
Don’t mean to sound like a parenting pedagogue, but this is somewhat one of those life’s lessons. Plus you don’t want to limit #2’s opportunities at the expense of #1’s feelings – right? There is also a way of explaining it that relates to how the kid thinks, as I understand it. Talk to the links counselor – ours did a great job of explaining this, which might help in talking to your oldest.
Also – I don’t recall this specific topic coming up anytime recently. People mostly ask for recommendations about dentists, it seems.
Agree with Chewey that you should talk to a counselor about what it is and isn’t. Find out how the kids are screened for it and then what they actually will do for enrichment.
We had a kid in Links and as I understood it, identification of kids for the program was based on being highly creative learners. We were a little frustrated at times when the focus of the enrichment seemed to be more on high achieving, esp in an area our child struggled in, rather than creative learning.
Okay, I am probably opening a can of worms here, but I was one of those gifted kids.
I had a really hard time in elemenatry school. I was already reading and comprehending what I was reading by three, for example. I was miserable and bored in elementary school, and it got to the point where the school was telling my mom by fourth grade I was learning disabled. She didn’t buy that, so she put me in a tiny private school in fifth grade.They tested my IQ and did other pyschological testing; I actually literally tested off the charts. They offered me individualized learning- for example, I was put in the algebra class with ninth graders and one of the teachers structured a literature course for me. It made a huge difference. My problem was – and is- not that my brain processes too slowly but that it processes too fast. School and other tasks came too easily for me, and I was failing by boredom. I was also a little bit weird :). I needed acceptance of that learning difference, and I got it. I later flourished in a rigorous honors program in a huge and highly ranked high school and earned two BAs and two graduate degrees.
I think being incredibly “smart” is just as much a disability as having a lower IQ.Our education system is designed to teach to the middle and doesn’t take into account learning differences and talents you can’t test. Kids like your youngest and kids who test below the norm do have very different interests, inspirations and styles that kids who fit somewhere in that middle.
I say all this because you do your youngest an incredible disservice by placing emphasis on your other child’s feelings in this matter. Would you stop the oldest from exploring her artistic or athletic talent if the youngest couldn’t draw a line or kick a ball? Having an advantage academically is simply another talent that may or may not amount to something in the future, just like soccer and painting. Were I in your position, I wouldn’t make a deal out of it at all. Enroll your child,and if the oldest is upset about it, simply explain that sister needed this special program but she has her own special talents. The only way it is a big deal is if you make it a big deal.
“The only way it is a big deal is if you make it a big deal.”
Very well said, Nell. That’s the philosophy I take with many aspects of my childrens’ experiences. Kids respond to their parents’ reactions, and not making it a big deal helps them understand how to take things in stride.
I also like your comment about how being very smart can also be a sort of “disability” in a world that caters to the middle. My brother, one of the smartest people I have ever known, suffers from deficiencies (poor decision-making, difficult personality) that minimize his ability to really take advantage of his intelligence.
Well said Nellie. With three kids, I have varying degrees of everything. It’s like they all came from different planets. I don’t know how they could possibly have the same genetic makeup. Where one is strong, the another has a weakness and vice versa. They all know that they have different talents and challenges…. but in the end it’s all good, and they all have the tools they need to succeed.. they are just different tools.
Giftedness… as defined by public schools.. is just another one of many possible strengths. In and of itself, it is definitely not a ticket to success, and your gifted child probably has weak points where his/her sibling has strengths. Just make sure to point that out and not make a big deal about it.
My oldest was in Links in K-5 and in “bridges” at the middle school. My second did not make links and she struggles as to why she is not Links, becuase her brother was and a lot of her friends are in links. Someone else said this already – but my advice is don’t make a big deal out of it. Focus on the child’s strengths. My youngest is good at sports so we focus on that at home. She is also in a girl scout troup that I use as her “links” expereince. The troup works on badges through out the year, but my daughter works on extra individual ones at home too. I found this helps fill the extra recognition she needs.
Auto detailing. Any recommendations?
Although located in Marietta near the Air Force base, AJ Erisman does phenomenal detailing. Well worth the drive. His number is 404-759-7634. I saw him detail an old BMW that had been sitting in a field, exposed to the weather for years. It came back from his shop looking brand new. Highly recommended.
Any chance you work in Midtown? There are guys in the 1080 Peachtree parking deck (building with Oceanaire) that do an amazing job. I used to work in the building and loved getting my car back from them. A regular wash was $20 – but my car looked amazing when I got it back. I think the detail was $100 – but SO worth it. I wish I had the guys number – but again, if you are near the 1080 building, walk in and ask the guy at the main desk – I am sure he could get you in touch with the detail guys.
I go to California Gold at L’ville HWY and DeKalb Industrial. Most because I like the guy who owns the place.
Any recommendations for someone with experience in older/historic homes to construct built-in bookcases in a home office? Lots of books; need floor to ceiling on at least one full wall.
Please contact my wonderful friend Jim Rose at 678-608-8878. He has been working with the same devoted clients for years. He is happy to provide references. He is also an immensely interesting and intelligent guy.
Thanks Briana.
Wearing my DM t-shirt at a waterfall in NC–ran into another DMer! Large waterfall. Small world.
So much for anonymity!
There are DM t-shirts? How did I not know about this? And how do I get an XL???
Anonymity be damned, I’d even wear my name on it. In fact, even if people would like to hide their actual identities, there should be shirt options identifying one as a Pro-DG/Anti-Lynch Mob justice/Pro-Dogs peeing on lawns DMers, maybe a No kids in restaurants (except mine)/Free Westchester/Hates Decatur Diner option as well. The possibilities are endless!
I’d get one with DTR on it! I could wear it on days that I’m not wearing my “I’d rather be waterboarding” T-shirt.
ha ha!
It should have a Hello My Name is ___________ on the back and we could fill them in with Sharpies.
You can purchase them here JunderscoreT: http://decaturmetro.wazala.com/
Hahahahahaha…. it was meeeeeee!!!! That was soooo weird to be in the middle of the wilderness with no wifi or cell phone for a week and along comes Decatur Metro!
Wow. Not only two DMers, but two frequent commenters. Hilarious!
I can’t believe this hasn’t been mentioned (and apologies if it was and I missed it) but Trackside grand reopening is TODAY! If you stop by tonight, I’ll be the guy with a Yuengling and a Jager holding down one of the dart boards. Find me and mention DM and I’ll buy your first drink!
My question for the week: Is it me or is it DM. Finally upgraded to an android and loving that I can finally read DM on my phone. However, I can only seem to view the comments in strict chronological order. There’s no cascading and I can’t respond to specific comments or see what comments others are responding to. Is there any way to fix this or is it just a limitation of accessing the site this way?
Nevermind. Just found the “Mobile Theme” on and off option! Still pretty much a pain to comment by phone though. There’s a significant lag when typing that I haven’t noticed on other sites.
Yes, that’s also a frustration for me. The mobile theme is great in terms of load speed and look, but you do lose the cascading and ability to respond directly to a comment.
Last week, I mentioned that my iPad2 has trouble with the mobile theme on/off setting. Poor DM has tried to fix it but, alas, it’s still an issue. I think if we all chip in a couple dollars, he can buy himself one and figure out the problem.
I think if DM was smart he’d wait to fix the bugs until we did just that!
Voice lessons in the Decatur city limits for a 12-year old? Thanks in advance.
I study at The Emory University Department of music with Dr. Brian Bonin . In my younger days, I studied with a well known teacher who is the namesake for the Summer Opera workshop at Georgia State. In my opinion Dr. Bonin’s ability to work with voice students is far superior to any insturction I had at the conservatory level. He is particularly good with young singers because of his sensitivity to bolstering their self confidence. Try him, you won’t regret it. Have DM give me your contact info and I’ll let you know his contact information.
Even after buying a $75 router and living within a 1/2 mile of square can’t get wireless service most days!
Thinking about going Mac. Among my hesitations are: the learning curve (right click, close on left), price and — of most concern, using quickbooks on a Mac. Reviews of QB on Mac aren’t favorable. Anyone have experience using that boot camp / windows version of QB on a Mac?
I’ve been using PC at work and Mac at home for about a year now because my in-home IT help desk (a/k/a Mr. 404) is all about the Mac. Love/hate relationship with it. Love that Mr. can help me through almost any issue when he could not help with the old PC, but hate that I still don’t have the hang of it. Maybe if I used it more I would by now, but if you do switch I hope you have someone to lean on a bit during the learning curve. Don’t do QB on it, sorry can’t speak to that. Good luck!
I switched about 7 years ago and haven’t looked back. I found the Mac to be very intuitive, and didn’t have any problems adapting. Here’s a video from the Apple website explaining a few switching from PC basics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoNjTSoPfPE
If you buy directly from Apple (store or online) you can sign up for a year of training for $99. It’s called one-to-one, and gives you an hour a week of personal training. I haven’t done it, but people I know have, and said it was really good (when they went; although most of them didn’t do a good job of attending regularly after the first few weeks).
You’re right on Mac being more expensive, although they also hold value better than PC, and (touch wood) seem a lot more reliable. There are a few discounts (students, teachers, government employees, etc.), so it could be worth checking if you qualify for anything. Also, on the Apple.com site you can buy factory refurbished products with a full warranty) at respectable saving. Depending how current you want to be, it can be worth looking at a refurbished last generation model to save some money (current generation will become last generation in 9-10 months anyway).
I’ve never used Quickbooks, and I’ve also never opted to boot my Mac up in Windows mode, so I can’t comment on those. I do know there is a Quickbooks for Mac product though.
If you read this far… Best of luck whatever you decide!
ps. ignore my Quickbooks for Mac comment, as I guess you already knew about that product (but said the reviews were not good).
When I switched I felt that the Mac was pretty intuitively designed, so the learning curve was surprisingly negligible. One thing to know is that the sleek new-ish Apple mice (or mouses?) are actually designed to function as a two button mouse: if you click on the right side of the mouse it recognizes it as a right-click. I don’t think that was the default setting when I got mine in ’07, but it might be today.
RIS (rest in soul), Amy.
If she lived in ATL-metro, she would have lived and performed in Decatur.
I noticed activity at Amaryn this afternoon. Couldn’t tell if they were moving new fixtures in or taking old fixtures out. Is it for sure that this spot will re open with new ownership ?
I liked this restaurant when it opened but the quality went steadily downhill once it became Amaryn . I am excited about the prospect of a new Thai restaurant . I’m hoping for better food than Amaryn offered.
Check here:
http://decatur.patch.com/articles/thai-restaurant-under-new-management#photo-7073767
Or perhaps a DM post from June…
http://www.decaturmetro.com/2011/06/20/green-ginger-decatur-taking-place-of-amaryn-thai-bowl/
Thanks. I saw those posts. I’d heard neighborhood talk that the name was changing but it would be basically the same people running the place. I guess we’ll know for sure when it re opens.