Free-For-All Friday 3/16/12
Decatur Metro | March 16, 2012Feel free to use this post to make comments and 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 and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.
Comments close on Monday.
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Mornin’ Decatur!
Good morning!
My Decatur Friday Checklist:
Drop off books at the library, pickup book on hold.
Fillup car at Pure gas station.
Snoball from the New Orleans Snoball Cafe
Haircut @ Axiom, Dennis is awesome!!!!!!
Then it’s a tough call between the two hardware stores…
Gotta go with Intown Ace Hardware. Best folks around.
Ditto!
Sounds like a great day!
You may want to pick up some Peet’s coffee at Publix. Its on sale!
So I have a dilemma and I’m polling DMers to see what is the norm in Decatur. This week, my 15 year old truck lost a hub cap. Should I go buy another one or take the other 3 off, too? Input, please.
Remove the other three. Make art by painting birds on them and/or affixing macaroni to them.
Extra points for glitter and popsicle sticks!
Fifteen years is pretty old for a truck. Before making any changes, you’d better make sure that there aren’t any historic preservation procedures you need to follow
With that caveat in mind, I believe that the general rule is:
North of the tracks, replace the hubcap or, even better, buy a new truck so as not to drag your neighbors’ property values down if the truck is visible from the street.
South of the tracks, no replacement necessary. Removal of the remaining hubcaps is generally acceptable but you would be best advised to properly recycle* them. Bonus points given for using them in “art”.
* It would also be acceptable, if not encouraged, to leave them on Nelliebelle’s lawn. Her kids will find a proper use for them.
Hey, what is this northside stereotype stuff?! We are not all status-conscious up here. My family has a 16 year old and 8 year old vehicle and I’m not even sure if the collective number of hubcaps adds up to 8. If you live on the northside, you can make the hubcap into a wreath for the annual Clairemont Marketplace wreath auction, make it into art to sell at Homegrown Artists, or look for a mate at one of the many auto shops just north around Suburban Plaza or just east on Ponce towards YDFM.
Wait, you don’t drive a Subaru? I thought that was required for Decatur.
Now that I’m a northsider myself, I figure I’ve got carte blanche to make fun of it. Same reasoning why I can make Polish, Irish and Catholic jokes. It doesn’t help that every time I do, it ruffles someone’s feathers enough that they respond, reinforcing my point! But just to avoid a Friday kerfuffle, I will not even mention the Garden Lane Ghetto…
Garden Lane Ghetto: Now that is funny! Nothing like a little NE Scott Bvd. insider humor.
Agree that you are allowed to make fun of your own ethnic group, family, religion, neighborhood, etc. but no one else is. Problem is that people forget on an anonymous blog which group you belong to. To invoke the make-fun-of-your-own-group permit to stereotype, you should probably identify your geocode!
That’s a good point. From now on J_T you’re only allowed to make fun of people with two black dogs.
Well, that would be one way to effectively ban me from commenting here!
I completely disagree! You can’t truly make fun of yourself unless you can laugh when others do it as well. The Seinfeld episode where Jerry was chastised for making Dentist jokes because he wasn’t a dentist is the best popular culture example of the absurdity of the whole thing. In my mind it takes the truly humorless to apply segregation rules to jokes. Now the question would be, am I actually allowed to laugh at a northsider-on-northsider joke if I don’t live there or would a chuckle be offensive.
If it’s a Garden Lane joke, yes. Ridley Circle, not so much. Unless your geocode is divisible by 17.
Just to be safe, I’ll leave my muzzle on.
The joke has to be funny. Then you can laugh.
Sounds like you are an anti-dentite…
We are VERY sensitive to keeping up appearances here. I have been known to park our 25 yo truck that never even came with hubcabs (those would have been an upgrade) right out front on W Ponce next to the lovely bike lane for several days at a time. The neighbors are so glad we are here. Love riding around town on the old vinyl seats, no ac and a 4 speed. Okay, maybe not in July. The funniest thing is that my kids all want the truck to be their car when they get their drivers licenses.
I live on the north side and my truck is a 1982 AND IT ANT GOT NO HUB CUPS
Take off only one of the other three children, and send it to find the lost one. Meanwhile provide loving encouragement to the two that remain, and get counseling if four or more symptoms of depression appear.
Leave it off. Gives it character.
I’m a Northsider and I routinely drive around with one hubcap missing. Sometimes I even lose two on the same side…. Yes, I have depth perception issues, it’s always the passenger side. While that’s fine for awhile, I usually end up wanting to impress somebody, so I head to Walmart (oops!) and buy 4 hub caps for $20.00. I figure as long as each side of the car matches, I’m good!
Since no one can see both sides of your truck at the same time, take off the other hub cap on the affected side. When you’re coming, it’ll took like you have hubcaps. When you’re going it’ll look like you don’t.
Anyone know of a good source to find a nanny? Word of mouth hasn’t worked so well so far and I’m running out of time. I’m open to someone who comes to my place or someplace I could drop my kid off (Decatur Area). If anyone has any ideas where I should look, please let me know. Thanks!
Hi! We have had great luck with care.com!! We have found two great nannies there! Good luck?!
You should join the Decatur Mama Yahoo listserv. There are frequently emails about available nannies.
How do you find Decatur Mama Yahoo listserv? I’m also in search for childcare as the Decatur (downtown) has little to no options as all the waiting lists are long..and yes I sadly paid to be on them. Thanks1
Same here. I can’t seem to find the listserv either.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/decaturmama/
We had good luck posting baby sitting jobs on Emory’s job server:
http://www.career.emory.edu/recruiters/postajob.html
We also used sittercity.com, but the volume of responses was overwhelming and the quality of candidates extremely UNDERwhelming.
We have had great luck with sittercity.com
I agree there are lots of responses but our last 2 sitters have both been found from there.
Our first one was in Pharmacy school, graduated and got a real job. Our current one is a Sr at GT and graduates soon. I fear her real job is coming soon, too!
Yesterday afternoon, my son was followed home by a baby squirrel. It has all of its fur, so we’re aging it to be around 6 weeks old. We’ve researched on the internet and are feeding it pedialyte via dropper. Also have it set up in a pet carrier with blankets and electric heat. He seems quite happy and sleeps A LOT. I’ve left a message with AWARE in hopes they will take it. Anyone know of other organizations that may take/rehab wildlife?
For Pet’s Sake on North Druid Hills 404-248-8977. I took a squirrel there several years ago and they were very helpful.
Thanks Lisa! I called, and they are happy to take him. Turns out they have three baby squirrels already. Although my son will be sad to see him go, my husband will be thrilled! Thanks again for the recommendation.
Happy to help! I hope everything went smoothly for everyone.
Everybody be careful on Amateur Night Saturday.
I’ll drink to that.
And I’ll punch you in the nose.
I will start a drunken brawl with the first person who unfairly stereotypes the Irish ; -P
I’ll wait until after 5:30PM so you’ll be to drunk to know the difference.
A little old leprechaun keeps appearing in the top of the left column only to disappear in a swirl of leaves.
Where? I need to catch him. I’m after his lucky charms.
Anyone have recommendations for a landscape designer that can come up with a plan to give my front yard some much needed curb appeal? I do not need fancy 3D renderings and computer generated diagrams; just a good hand drawn plan and someone to implement it.
Phoenix Landscape Design can do both of those things quite well.
contact:
I am a Landscape Architect and I have a team of installers that can do the work at a reasonbale fee if you elect to do so. Please contact me if interested at 404-909-2736 Rick
Pope-Ozio. They will do it by hand and are wonderful. They will refer you to installers. They also have an add on the right hand side of DM.
Tim Wolfe at Tim Wolfe Design. Here is his website: http://www.timwolfedesign.com/index.html. He’s also a Decaturite if that is important to you.
Just a shout out that Oakhurst Community Garden has been hosting free gardening classes and there is one this Saturday.
Next up in the Living Green Series. Anne Marie Anderson gives a FREE
talk on Sustainable Landscaping, Saturday, March 17, 10:30am-12pm.
Create a low maintenance, environmentally responsible landscape with
Anne-Marie Anderson, The Celtic Gardener. Learn basic design principles
to enhance curb appeal and maximize your outdoor real estate. Lower
fuel bills, eliminate toxic chemicals, manage water run-off and use
yard waste to reduce weeding and make your plants grow better!
Location: Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore Street Decatur, Georgia 30030
my vet told me that her car was broken into this week in decatur. she made a deposit at the bank (bank of america) in decatur, then made a quick run into the decatur library. while inside, her car window was broken and briefcase stolen with petty cash and business checks. she was in library for only a few minutes and hers was the only break in. detectives think she was followed from the bank. they told her, “be glad you did not drive to your home if you were being followed.”
please be careful out there, even in downtown decatur in broad daylight.
so scary…along with the attempted abduction in the mary lin area this past week….unfortunately the nice weather brings the thugs out in full force…
and the suspicious driver on sycamore dr yesterday afternoon…
Suspicious driver?
this from decaturmama group this morning:
Suspicious Driver Approaching Children in Sycamore Dr. Area
Please be on the alert for a green honda station wagon driven by a white male in his late 40’s. This afternoon on the Dekalb end of Sycamore Dr. (coming from Church St.), this man caught the attention of a neighbor walking toward Church St. because he slowed to a stop as he neared a young girl. The child didn’t indicate a problem, so after the man drove past the child, the neighbor resumed walking until he heard the child’s mother calling after him, asking if he’d noted the car’s tag. The mother told the neighbor that the man had pulled into their driveway and atttempted to call the young girl over from her front yard. The mother spotted it and went outside, and the man quickly backed out and headed down the street toward Decatur. The neighbor called 911, and a Dekalb officer responded, took the information, and said that they would patrol the area.
The mother said that this man has been spotted driving slowly through the area in the same vehicle over the last two weeks, and that this also occurred with another child (thwarted).
Tonight was the first time that the Decatur Heights Neighborhood Watch has received this information. It’s so key that all neighbors act to get out the word to everyone when something like this happens. If there’s any other information that anyone can share, it’d be very appreciated.
I got this too. Anybody know if it’s true?
I got the info from the walking neighbor after receiving the call from a senior neighbor– sharing that to highlight the importance of keeping us folks who aren’t on the parents’ listservs in the loop too. (This young man is wonderful about checking in regularly with our senior folks who aren’t online.)
Deputy Chief Lee shared it with all officers this morning, and I’ve already spotted a police car in the neighborhood today. Our fine Decatur Police officers are the best!
If anyone has info:
Decatur Police Dept (404)373-6551
-and-
where was her parked when the break-in occurred? at the library?
That’s unfortunate.
But let it be a lesson for all – Never, never, never, never, never leave a briefcase or laptop bag visible in your car when you stop – not even for a couple minutes.
If you think you’re going to stop somewhere, put it into your trunk or storage space before you reach your destination. The only thing more inviting to a crook than a laptop bag on the front seat, is watching someone put it in the trunk (confirming that it’s valuable.)
I do not know where at the library she was parked, guessing upper deck. She said she had covered her briefcase with her jacket and locked the car, Only in library for under 10 minutes. Her briefcase was not in site.
Conversation with police led her to believe she was watched inside the bank and followed by someone else from the parking lot. She told me because I matched her profile, middle age white woman running errands alone during day.
It sounded somewhat organized, so just be alert to someone watching you at a bank, though I am not sure how you could tell. Decatur’s finest are on this, so hopefully they will be able to piece the surveillance from bank videos.
Clearance St. Patrick’s Day tees for $5 at Decatur Screenprint today. 340 W. Ponce de Leon Ave.
Please please please tell me they don’t say “Kiss Me, I’m Irish”.
Sizes? Colors? Funny sayings?
Colors: Green
Sizes: Wee
Funny Saying: Go Green or Go Home!
Anyone know what the result was from the possible change in school hours discussion at the board meeting, if any?
I’d like to know too. I’m confused because it was not listed as an action item on the Board agenda. However, it was mentioned in the letter to the Board as something to review. Maybe it was just an FYI to the Board?
I”m just going to hang it all out there, ready?
Seems there’s a pretty serious lice infestation amongst Decatur pre school and school-aged kids in Decatur. Right now for sure, but truly it’s been ongoing all year long. Gotta break the cycle – acknowledge it, let schools and camps know and treat, c’mon people!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I really don’t know what you’re going to do about it. It’s a real head scratcher.
Not to make this one of those cranky old man “when I was a kid” stories but… When I was a kid, lice outbreaks didn’t tend to get very far because the schools were straight up totalitarian on the issue. If you had so much as a nit on your head, you left immediately and didn’t come back until there was zero evidence left.
For whatever reason (maybe because a hardline approach might dent their precious self-esteem), schools these days seem to say, “Your child has lice. Please take care of that.”
I’m not really saying which, all things considered, is the better approach in the Big Picture. Just that that’s what seems to be the driver of the seemingly incessant lice outbreaks at CSD.
which schools cause I’ve not seen or heard of it @ Winnona and College Heights.
There have been cases at Winnona earlier in the year, not sure about now
I know the DIY ethic is deeply engrained but I must really sing the praises of the Lice Ladies.
http://www.liceladiesatlanta.com/
They can come to your house. Their thoroughness helps nip (or may I say nit) the whole thing in the bud quickly.
Of course when “mom” gets lice too, the treatment is challenging (combing and nit picking your own head). I have found having some help makes the process much easier.
I heard that we are seeing so many outbreaks of lice (and bedbugs, for that matter) is because DDT was banned 50 years ago. The half life for DDT is 50 years, so now all of the creepy crawlies that it used to kill are back.
Don’t know if that is true. But I remember reading it somewhere.
The good news is that head lice do not carry diseases like body lice can.
The bad news is that lice are so ubiquitous these days that schools would not make AYP on the attendance measure if they insisted on a no nit policy. There’s also no evidence that a no nit policy works and it’s been studied up the whazoo because lice drive everyone crazy; there’s no magic answer. The nits are the empty casing of previous lice and can last way after the scalp and hair are sterile. It’s eggs and live lice that are a problem. Lice are an equal opportunity infestation and are in private schools, public schools, daycares, sports teams, after care, everywhere that we have children, and plenty of adult heads too given that adults have contact with licey kids. Often kids and adults have no idea that they have a mild infestation.
Unfortunately, treatment is not easy because eggs can survive what the live lice do not and the less and non-toxic treatments require multiple applications and fastidious combing out of the still live eggs using an effective (metal not plastic) “nit” comb. The most effective one-time treatments like malathion are pretty darn toxic and can cause burns on sensitive skins and pose the risk of the lice developing resistance. If everyone started overtreating, lice in the U.S. might develop resistance to all biomedical treatments and we’d really be up a creek. Natural treatments can work if one puts an incredible amount of energy into using them carefully, repeating them, and combing every single darn hair on the head with an effective metal “nit” comb. After 3 bouts of lice in our home over the years, I’ve developed my own personal mumbo jumbo approach of biomedical and natural approaches. And when talking to my children, my peripheral vision and subconscious lice detector is always examining the shafts of their hair for evidence that lice have recently been there.
The person who develops a one-time, easy to use, non-toxic treatment that truly eliminates both lice and eggs both could become very wealthy. Until then, lice are a fact of family life. Now, Decatur could try a whole community lice treatment! Every single Decatur resident who is a child or has contact with children could treat themself on a designated day; then we could hold huge fun, egg combing events for the next 10 days to 2 weeks with plenty of food, wine, and beer, followed by another community treatment day. It could be another festival! But then lice would creep back in as kids shared helmets at Medlock baseball or funny hats at summer camps outside of Decatur or sleepovers with OD children (children leaving outside of Decatur)………
For our family, I blame sleepovers, comb/brush sharing, and hat sharing for transmission. Lice do not jump from one head to another. And when kids are getting lice in 3rd-5th grade, I don’t think they are rubbing heads a lot. I try to make sure that my kids have their own sports helmets and never borrow one. When they go on sleepovers, I send them with their own pillow, brush, and sleeping bag and reinforce the no hat- or brush-sharing admonition.
My beef with lice is how exhausting it is to get rid of them. Has anyone tried one of those lice treatment companies where the staff come to your home, treat everyone, and do the hair combing?
Round ‘em all up and shave their heads. Problem solved.
Tried that! Lice are fine with fuzz!
Whoops…better move to the straight razor and get ‘em smooth as Kojak.
The dream of the 1890s is alive…
It’s really easy. Not.
Step 1: Kill the lice – soak hair with olive oil or mayonnaise for eight hours (you can wear a shower cap and sleep with it on). The toxic chemical treatments aren’t that effective and are really noxious.
Step 2: Get rid of the nits – rinse hair with white vinegar (this makes them easier to slide off the hair) and go through hair with a nit comb bit by bit. This is best done outdoors with natural light. Rigorously check hair daily for a week.
Step 3: Wash everything – wash bedding and dry in high heat for a long time. Wash clothes, then (ideally) put them in a plastic bag for a week.
Step 4: Vacuum furniture
Step 5: Teach kids not to share hoodies, scarves, hats, earmuffs, etc.
Three kids worth of experience. The last infestation got every single one of us, except the dog. (Lice don’t like dogs.)
There are also professional nitpickers in the Atlanta area.
Finally a good answer. Have dogs, not kids.
And don’t forget the car upholstery.
And wash the covers of child car seats and booster seats. Each time we have a lice episode and do the wash, vacuum, boil, replace, comb, obsess about everything X # family members in house, repeat again in 2 weeks, repeat cycle again if any new eggs or bugs are found despite everything, I consider whether torching the house and rebuilding from scratch wouldn’t be easier. But I get stuck on the torching our heads part…
…aaaand now I can’t stop scratching my scalp. Seriously, though, I’m echoing the question from another poster: where is this infestation going on? My kid is at College Heights and I’ve heard nothing about it (not that that’s a bad thing, I guess.)
You may not like this answer but lice is probably in every single school, even the high school since many DHS students have little siblings. You only hear about it when there’s a huge cluster of active lice (defined by school nurse or teacher see moving bugs on head), or a cluster of upset parents, or a cluster of upset teachers/staff. Then there may be “head checks” and notes sent home to parents. Often there’s informal communication between parents and then you’ll suddenly see a cluster of girls with new haircuts or hair in braids.
My kids had lice for the first time this year, so I know it’s been at 3 schools. Apparently it takes a while for your scalp to itch when bit, so by the time you suspect lice they’ve been around a while.
There is a non- insecticidal prescription treatment, but it’s very expensive if you have to treat people with long hair and/or multiple family members. It also has to be done twice, like the over the counter treatments.
Not sure if anyone is still reading, but my kid is also at College Heights and we got a letter shortly after the start of the school year that a case had been observed in my child’s class and advising us to be on the lookout. So, they have been at College Heights, just maybe not in your kid’s class.
Also want to echo a bit of what At Home in Decatur said so well, many lice are now resistant to the treatments used against them when we were kids, so they are harder to eliminate. It’s not that there’s something different about the kids or how they are interacting.
http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20100726/head-lice-grow-resistant-treatments
Megabus is offering 3 round-trips/day express bus service between Atlanta (Civic Center MARTA station) and Athens (Athens Transit station, in downtown Athens). I made a round-trip earlier this week for a grand total of $2.50. I’m sure the price will go up when their rider-load increases. You need to go to megabus.com to make your reservations and pay. Their buses are modern, with bathroom and wifi, all very professional. No interim stops, just a straight trip from ATL to ATH, and return. Just thought you might want to try out this new service.
Wine tasting…with a real French winemaker. Tomorrow (Saturday, 3/17) from 1-3 p.m., there is a free French wine tasting at The Little Wine Shop in Avondale Estates. The winemaker,Thomas
Bonnefon of Chateau Le Noble in Bordeaux, is a friend of a friend and a really nice guy. He’ll talk about the chateau’s wines and the winemaking process. Chateau Le Noble is entering its wines in the Atlanta market for the first time.
Anyone else running the Georgia Marathon this weekend? The route comes right through Decatur on Sunday so come out and cheer!
And beware of road blocks. We’re running along College, Ponce, Clairemont, and N. Decatur.
What time?
About 8 to 11
Moderated. really? For asking adults not to bring their children where they are not welcome?
Yeah, please explain to me how such a comment is justified and not just trollish behavior looking to infuriate others?
Seriously not trying to be trollish. Just nicely asking adults not to bring children into restaurants with liquor. Not fair to the restaurant patrons or the kids!
As a FFAF gift to DM and the DM community, I will stay way the hell away from this particular topic. Have a good one guys! Anyone want to meet at Twains for a beer later?
only if I can bring my kids!
I could only dream this would ever happen
Um, have you by any chance noticed that Decatur is very much a family oriented community? We welcome everyone, including children, to participate in our events and frequent our eating establishments.
If you want an adult dining experience, there is always midtown.
btw – if you don’t like children around, why do you live here? If anything, the population of children is increasing in this town.
What if the restaurant is catering to kids? Universally asking kids to stay out of restaurants assumes there’s only one way to celebrate a holiday and that everyone else should rearrange their lives to accommodate that. Is that right?
Why yes. I don’t want your screaming child around while I am getting my drunk on.
On St. Patricks Day same as New Years Eve, please do not bring your children to establishments where alcohol is served. It is not fair to the patrons or the children. How can people think I don’t like or have children of my own? I do and I patronize the establishments where they are welcome. And my children are very welll behaved and know they will be taken outside if they misbehave.
As a parent I have zero qualms when my child sees adults partake in alcohol. So, knock yourself out.
Plus, why would an adult who’s acting reasonably responsible and not making an ass of themselves even mind?
Also, go out a little later. Most of the family biz is cleared out by 7:30 or 8. There’s still plenty of time to get your drank on after that.
I have no problem with you not liking having kids around on St. Patty’s Day. My issue is that you’re stating it as if it’s your right to ask a specific segment of the population to avoid a location that is open to the public, regardless of their behavior, etc.
If you don’t want kids around, why not just have a private party?
Here’s a modest proposal —everyone try the new Irish pub, Swifts Tavern, that exclusively serves children. ; -P
What flavor are the children?
New Wild Screamin’ Rug Rat Habanero Ranch flavor, or else, they just taste like chicken ; -)
Nothing goes with soylent green like green beer!
Where any alcohol is served? Even a restaurant? This request is not reasonable.
I grew up in Savannah where St. Patrick’s Day is a family affair. I went to the Marlay last year for St. Pat’s and there were plenty of kids and I didn’t have one and I still had a great time. This year I do have a kid and I plan to take her with me to the Marlay for a quick St. Pat’s beer. I don’t think its that big a deal. What’s the issue?
How abou this Becky? Please keep all drunks away from establishments which allow kids.
Yes, can someone please point me to the QUIET Irish pub please?
Why does it have to be so darn loud in bars?!?!?
It ain’t called whoopin’ it up for nothing
So, Becky, according to you we shouldn’t bring our kids to places today that serve alcohol? I guess you better let Steinbeck’s and the Marlay know to cancel their planned kid activities for today! This year Steinbeck’s (which the last time I checked serves alcohol) has this posted on their web site: Fun for Kids Bouncy Tent, Face Painting, make & take crafts for the kids from Noon – 4:00pm (Proceeds for kid’s activities benefits Decatur Education Foundation) and last year the Marlay (also a place that serves alcohol) had face painting for KIDS. Hmmm, it’s almost like they expect adults who have kids might bring them out today.
I would hate to see the post about a restaurant with liquor catering to kids. we’d have tricycle accidents everywhere!
My point is I was at the Marley last year on St. Patrick’s Day and there were kids running all over the place unsupervised and out of control. I would love to hear if servers are delighted to be dodging kids all night long. If you insist on taking them with you please show some consideration to others and teach them proper inside manners. Is that really too much to expect from anyone? I was very careful to raise my children to respect others. It really comes down to good manners after all.
I don’t care what day of the year it is, or who is partaking of what. If you bring your children into a public establishment, please take responsibility for ensuring they behave in a reasonable fashion. That includes not behaving in ways that impinge on other patrons’ enjoyment.
I’ve known 4-year olds with better table manners and overall deportment than plenty of adults typically display.
I’ve seen horrors at the Marlay. Kids, 5 or 6 years old, playing with the cutlery, scraping knives on the patio wall. Climbing the wall and falling off it. Parents having a great time knocking back pints and paying zero attention to the pack while servers holding trays of food and drink have to dodge the urchins.
Why don’t people bring a bag of toys and books? We always had an Etch-a-Sketch or a Magna Doodle with us when we took the rug rat to a restaurant. And as soon as he started any kind of a ruckus, one of us was out the door with him.
It ain’t the kids. It’s the parents.
I’ve seen 40 year olds doing far worse at the brickstore
Are you kidding me?
My children have the same rights you have to eat anywhere in Decatur unless it is a 18 and over establishment like Vortex in Little 5 or a bar (21 and over)!
Way to totally miss the point.
If you would quit moving your point, it might not get missed so often. Your point started out saying to, “not bring children into restaurants with liquor.” Then you walked it back to, “On St. Patricks Day same as New Years Eve, please do not bring your children to establishments where alcohol is served.” All the time saying it’s not fair to the adults. You’ve now walked it back even further and it has become a bit more reasonable of a request at asking parents to “teach them proper inside manners.” which in the end applies to most of the adults at the Marley on St. Patricks day too!
You brought back a great memory Becky. On the morning I made my First Holy Communion, after church Dad took Mom and little sis and me to breakfast at Wolfie’s, then we walked over to Nick’s Bar on the Intercoastal waterway. Mom and Dad enjoyed their Bloody Marys, sis and I played matches with the barflies. For money. My sister was far better at the game than I was, and soon there were side bets going on. Nick, the owner and bartender (although throughout his life I referred to him as Mr. S—-) backed my sister to the hilt. Years later I danced with him at my wedding. Nice guy, gone now. Anyway, what’s wrong with kids in bars? As long as they are well dressed and can gamble without whining, it’s OK with me.
hells to the yeahs. best anecdote on here in quite some time, parker.
Thanks, Chadly. It was fun to remember. (A different time, I guess.) Glad you enjoyed the story.
Wait a minute, so you are Carson McCullers’ daughter?!?
Heavens, no. It was more like Damon Runyon in my memory.
At the risk of over feeding the troll, I’d rather deal with unruly kids than drunk adults.
Drunk adults who bring their kids should be sterilized.
We drove by the Marlay and Steinbecks last nite and we couldn’t believe the number of strollers, wagons and other kiddie transport vehicles. There were lots of pint sized humans hanging out with the adults enjoying their pints. I think the adults need to learn some moderation and self-control by leaving the kids at home with babysitters or older siblings or they need to just suck it up and stay home themselves rather than indulge in their need to be out partying with the kids in tow. Leave the kids at home and don’t bring them to the adult places. “NO” is the best word some of these parents could learn to say to their kids and to themselves.
Hmmm…better watch it, SNH– you start making sense, and the thin-skinned parents on this board are gonna rise up in righteous indignation, label you a troll, & tell you just what a narrow-minded/nasty/child-hating MEANIE you are for suggesting that there are appropriate times & places children should be taken out, or worse yet, times when they should be left home. The NERVE!
For the record, that’s not me! Too many of us around here lately, I need a new name.
I had that problem once. Solved it good with an underscore.
Closings:
ALL of College from East Lake MARTA to commerce
ALL of E Ponce from Commerce to Clairemont
First block of Clairemont between Ponce and Commerce
What?!?!?
When?!?!
For how long?!?
sunday morning during marathon. not sure what the estimated time to hit/get through Decatur is. Anyone know?
Thanks!
The marathon starts at 7:00 a.m. Mile 12 is at Agnes Scott and Mile 13 is on East Ponce near the Square. The fast runners will be in Decatur around 8:20 a.m. The middle of the pack will be there around 8:45 a.m. Slower runners will run through around 9:10 a.m. I am guessing that traffic will open up again around 9:30 a.m. or 9:45 a.m. But that is a guess.
The bus will come through to collect the stragglers sometime around 11AM.
The bus won’t come through until close to 10:30 or 11.
Heard right from Dr. Edwards mouth this week that Oakhurst Elem will have 6 kindergarten classes next year…wow! Seems like we won’t be waiting much longer for Westchester.
At the Dekalb Medical Breast Health Center (or whatever they call it) and at the reception desk is a HUGE sign in both English and Espanol telling me some of the medical professionals aren’t hired by DeKalb Medical and therefore the hospital takes no responsibility for anything they do.
Does anybody there even THINK about what message this sends to patients, not to mention the huge vote of confidence for any medical professionals working there.
What it says to me is this: Hello, you are entrusting your medical care to folks that we have such little faith in that we post these HUGE signs all over the place just to try to dissuade you from suing us if they make a mistake. What an unprofessional way to greet patients.
I’m sure their lawyer(s) told them to do it and it has to do with liability insurance.
Exactly right.
Which, frankly, has little to no effect when it comes to lawsuits against negligent physicians & the hospitals where they have privileges. You can disclaim the actions of an independent contractor all you like, but if it can be shown that you knew they were crap & you still allowed them privileges to provide services through your institution, you’re gonna share liability when the isht hits the fan. I used to represent hospitals when I was in private practice, and was counsel for our clients’ medical executive committees on several occasions (such hearings are akin to internal medical malpractice suits, and can end with the doc getting his/her privileges revoked, or put on probation & remedial action, or no action taken at all). Hospitals almost always get named in med-mal lawsuits, and sometimes are eventually dismissed (especially when they can show that they took action to get bad physicians’ privileges revoked); more often than not, however, they’re in it till the bitter end, even if no liability eventually is found. In suits where the plaintiff is alleging negligence not only from the doctor, but from the care of the staff (nurses, techs, etc. who are actually employees of the hospital, and therefore a direct conduit for liability), that sign means bupkus.
The professionals working in those clinics (including emergency rooms) are held responsible to their employers, usually a contracted medical services group. The hospital is just telling patients that if they have a problem, they need to go to the medical services organization that hires and manages these medical professionals for complaints, questions, and concerns, instead of the hospital per se (in this case the Dekalb health center that you mention). It’s very common, actually. The contracted medical services group thus carries its own liability insurance to cover its own employees.
That’s not how it appears to me, the patient. It’s a public sign, the first thing that you see. Am I the only one who thinks this is incredibly bad PR? The last thing a patient wants to think about when they walk into a medical clinic is the potential for a medical professional to make a mistake, and for the hospital to say, walking in, we don’t take responsibility for their mistakes, well. I think it’s incredibly bad PR.
Yes, it’s bad PR and it just doesn’t give you that warm and fuzzy you’re hoping for when visiting your healthcare professionals. I can completely understand your disappointment with seeing that kind of a notification…it just feels sad.
I agree, and it makes me wonder a) whether ALL the medical pros at this hospital are actually independent contractors, and b) even so, why they felt the need to place such a sign so predominantly in the public areas. Are they getting sued that often???
Things that make you go hmmmmm…
If you ask the clinic/ER staff who their employer is (i.e., who is liable for their actions), they will tell you. The liability insurance is held by THEIR employer, not the hospital or clinic in which they work. What difference does it make who pays for the liability insurance as long as there is liability coverage for the clinic employees? There is no more potential for a contract group professional to make a mistake than there would be for any employee of the hospital/clinic/ER. I have a family member who works in an ER, and her professional group has its own liability insurance coverage, separate from the hospital in which the group works. I don’t see any problem with that.
Certainly nothing wrong with that, as a way of staffing. I think Diane’s point (and correct me if I’m wrong, Diane) is that it’s just a terrible way of going about informing patients from a *communications* standpoint. The typical patient is not a lawyer. They’re quite often people who are anxious and feeling vulnerable and are deserving of a little sensitivity and common sense.
Staff how you need to. Protect yourself legally. But when producing signage clearly speaking to patients, hire someone skilled in writing for people who aren’t lawyers. It’s not an either/or. Both necessities — the need to protect yourself legally and the need to not unnerve people unnecessarily — can be addressed by people who know what they’re doing.
Right on.
Fair enough.
Yep! What were they thinking, and how fast can they take your advice to have an expert make them a new sign?!?
Maybe it’s from seeing too many of those “fake doctor busted!” stories on the news, but if I walked in and saw a big ol’ disclaimer sign, it’d sure have me nervous something sketchy was going on!
Maybe you should feel safer–sketchy establishments generally don’t post disclaimer signs. Well, that is a conjecture, really. I don’t have much personal experience with sketchy establishments other than my own.
Well, since it’s a sign to protect Dekalb Medical, I’m guessing that the Breast folks had no say about putting it up if they wanted to set up shop there (other than “Well, this might have folks thinking we’re sketchy! Mind if we get someone who knows what the hell they’re doing to word it for us?”)
If you havn’t been in some sketchy establishments before, you’ve truly missed out! Dive joints RULE!!! :0)
Exactly, Scott. Further, the sign was posted nearest folks who ARE DeKalb Medical employees. I mean, that hospital is a sponsor of Decatur Metro, so clearly they’re working to generate a good image in the community. That sign is the equivalent of shooting themselves in the foot!
Oops! Can’t risk losing the hip joint folks! Maybe we’d better switch to talking about dive joints or InvincibleSummer’s sketchy establishment!
I have an international student intern (upper class undergrad) arriving in Atlanta next week, and she’s having trouble finding a place to live. She needs to rent a furnished, wheelchair accessible space with access to Marta (she’ll be working at gatech). She’ll be here for 6 months, but even a shorter term rental could help at this point. If anyone has any leads, maybe DM can pass along my contact info. Thanks!
I have an international student intern (upper class undergrad) arriving in Atlanta next week, and she’s having trouble finding a place to live. She needs to rent a furnished, wheelchair accessible space with access to Marta (she’ll be working at gatech). She’ll be here for 6 months, but even a shorter term rental could help at this point. If anyone has any leads, maybe DM can pass along my contact info. Thanks!
Its safe to say that these latest incidents [car break in around Griffin Circle, library, attempted abductions] are a strange spate of recent events outside the norm? As I’ve mentioned, I’m new to the area and just stunned at all the updates lately, I’m assuming this is not usual. . . just hoping for a longtimer to confirm that’s the case!
HI Aisha, I feel like I want to ask you exactly what it is you’re looking for. As much as I like where I live, I’m a realist. We do not live in a bubble and bad stuff happens from time to time. I’ve lived all over this country, and that’s the case no matter where you are. I’m guessing you have a threshold, and if you can try to define that, then the group around here will have a better idea of how close we come to the bar you’re setting for yourself. I know how happy I am, and believe there are a lot of folks who are or would be just as happy here…but it’s not for everyone.
I’ve loved living here these past five months and plan to settle down roots here, bad stuff happens everywhere for sure, just noticed more incidents lately reported on listservs etc than the entire time I’ve lived here so was wondering if this is an unusual spate of incidences. I’ve been the victim of a home-invasion so maybe that’s a bit of background. . . I know that crime is a reality of life anywhere and it happens everywhere, just had noticed more conversations about it lately than months past so I wanted to ask.
Yeah, I hear you and part of the problem are the listservs, blogs, etc. A bit less so than newspapers, but these online forums still are more often a place where people talk about problems and issues rather than candy and sunshine so do take them with a grain of salt. Too many exceptional stories at one time will start to feel like the rule. Find the house that’s right for you and settle in. I very much doubt you’ll regret it.
IMHO, there’s no uptick in problems or evidence that City of Decatur is getting singled out. It’s mostly that our community list servs and blogs have become such a tight network of communication that all of us hear everything all the time. In an earlier time, only the crimes that were important enough to make the AJC, radio, or TV stations would be known widely.
Thanks At Home In Decatur, I think that makes a lot of sense. I lived in Duluth and the network out there wasn’t quite so strong [or I wasn't connected to it] so I would see police cars and things that were clearly issues but only heard through word-of-mouth. I’m thinking its not an uptick really but more that the longer I live here the more connected I’m getting to the listservs and message boards that broadcast this information. Thanks
Our Decatur Police Dept is the very best around! Not only do they respond to every call within 5 minutes (usually under!), but they’re very big on partnering with the neighborhoods. Having a meeting? Call them, and they’ll participate! Have a question? Call or email, and they’ll respond! Want to see little kids and grown ups alike light up? It happens when our finest join us for city and neighborhood events!
(I won’t embarass Keith Lee by sharing his kindness on behalf of a neighbor where he stepped out far beyond the scope of his job description, but besides being an outstanding Deputy Police Chief, he truly has a one of a kind heart.)
there is also a bit of an echo-chamber effect sometimes, when the same incident gets mentioned over and over, multiple times on the same board as well as on multiple boards.
Sorry or the duplicate postings. Was having trouble posting from my phone.
Think of us amateurs as just practicing to reach your level of accomplishment.
Thanks At Home In Decatur, I think that makes a lot of sense. I lived in Duluth and the network wasn’t quite so strong so I would see police cars and things that were clearly issues but only heard through word-of-mouth. I’m thinking its not an uptick really but more that the longer I live here the more connected I’m getting to the listservs and message boards that broadcast this information. Thanks
This year I’m finally planning to deal with the water drainage issue on my property. Every time it rains hard, I have a lake in my back yard from the water runoff from the neighbor to the east and a river running through my crawlspace from the neighbor to the north. And a lot of the water then runs into the basement of my long-suffering neighbor to the south. Retaining wall non-existent on one side and 90-yr-old wall falling apart on the other. Talked to a contractor today and he said I really need to get a good landscape architect or more likely an engineer to draw up plans and help me get approval from the City to redirect all this water and possibly will have to remove trees to get the wall fixed. Might be cheaper to build an ark, but I really want my yard back.
Any recommendations for a local engineer?
have you talked to someone about french drains? we don’t have them (but probably need them) but i’ve heard good things about them. it might be worth investigating…
Thanks, Annie. French drains are definitely in the mix of suggestions I’ve heard from everyone. The contractor I spoke with was really great about letting me know that he wouldn’t think of touching it without an engineer or good landscape architect creating a plan. I really appreciated that he didn’t try to talk me into doing something half-baked that might cause more problems later.
Dear Decatur Families,
My name is Lydia Simms and I am a senior at Decatur High School. All seniors are required to do a senior project, and for mine, I am organizing a 5k and Fun Run for the community. All proceeds from the race will go to the March of Dimes Foundation.
This will be a fun family event and I would like to invite all members of the community to participate on March 17, 2012.
The races will be held at the Agnes Scott College track. All participants will receive beads to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. T-shirts will be awarded to the top five finishers in each race.
Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. at the track, and the 5K begins at 8:30. The Fun Run start time is 9:30 a.m. Parking is available at the Agnes Scott garage on McDonough.
We are asking for a $15 donation to run the 5K. For the Fun Run it’s a suggested donation of $10, or a family discount of 2 for $15. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at .
I would greatly appreciate any and all participation. My number one goal is to raise money for premature babies and to allow families to have a good time.
Thank you!
Lydia Simms
Trial getting national coverage within 50 yards of BSP, and no comments here? You all are disciplined!
Classic love triangle.
“Love” seems like too classy a description for whatever was going on. Sad, sad, sick people and too bad for spouses and relatives who were innocent victims of it. So sad for the children.
I’ve never been accused of that before. The trial is too horrible, too sad. What could I possibly contribute to any conversation?
Can someone please recommend a lawn care company that doesn’t use pesticides or harsh chemicals? We’re new to the neighborhood and have a front lawn in need of some TLC. Thanks!
any inexpensive gutter cleaning companies out there?
My electric power is off in Medlock area. Who else is affected ?
Canine oral treatment for fleas & ticks — suggestions please, and thank you!!
Our vet (at the awesome Village Vets) has our dog on Sentinel, which is not only for fleas & ticks, but for heartworm prevention as well (very important as we ease into mosquito season). Works very well, and our pup hasn’t had any side effects in the 13+ months he’s been on it.
Suggestions for an orthopedist to check out my knee, following today’s GA Half Marathon?
no rec’s but congrats on your 1/2! very warm for the race today…
This thread might be too old now to get a response, but have any Facebook users out there been flooded with ads for metro Atlanta Wal-mart recently?
Every time I open Facebook I see a St. Patrick’s-Day-themed ad for the Ashford-Dunwoody Wal-mart, the Morrow Wal-mart, the Decatur Wal-mart, etc. Because I’m cranky, I’ve actually clicked through to request that they they be blocked, but they still keep showing up.
I guess somebody thought a Facebook campaign made sense in metro Atlanta?
FB isn’t free to operate. You pay for its service with the ads running down the side and the games people play. I ignore the ads like I ignore the ads on tv.
Thank you, but I understand how advertising works on Facebook quite well. I’m wondering about Wal-Mart buying up Facebook ads in the Atlanta market … and I guess whether it’s related to the efforts to keep Wal-Mart out of Suburban Plaza and in other locations. For me, just about every ad on FB is for an Atlanta Wal-Mart right now. It may be that it’s particular to my demographic as a 30something woman — the husband told me he’s not getting the same ads.
I have seen zero WalMart ads on FB.