Free-For-All Friday 11/14/14
Decatur Metro | November 14, 2014 | 7:19 amFeel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.
Feel free to use this post to make comments and ask questions about local issues not discussed here over the past week.
brianc
brianc
Al N.
Parker Cross
YvetteinDecatur
Grey Beard
Scott
Howard
Howard
WalkBikeDrive Decatu…
Steve
DecaturDad
Other than Hosea’s Feed the Hungry event, where are there opportunities to volunteer on Thanksgiving Day?
Atlanta Mission
Needs volunteers call or check out website
404-588-4000
http://www.liftupatlanta.org/volunteer/
http://www.handsonatlanta.org/HOC__Volunteer_Opportunity_Details_Page?id=a0CA000000XMtI7MAL&wrs=HOC0008-003-d6ff9b17-3c71-41ca-aed5-9ad360174d2c
Also google volunteer thanksgiving Atlanta
Meals on Wheels Atlanta needs people to bring meals to seniors.
I have found that MOST organizations are overfull with volunteers for that day. Please consider volunteering at some other time of the year when volunteers are more needed. Atlanta Community Food Bank’s website says “With the exception of a few individual spots, volunteer shifts are full now through December. Please check available opportunities at our partner agencies.”
New to GA and our baby was born 8 weeks ago. Does GA automatically send a birth certificate or do we have to go get it? We filled out all the proper documents at the hospital, already received social security card, but don’t recall the next steps for obtaining the birth certificate. For once, Google didn’t help.
I remember having to go and get the birth certificates at the county offices on Winn Way.
I think it the hospital submits data and then the certificate comes to you BUT Georgia’s version of a vital statistics office had an almost 10 year period of complete failure of automation, funding, and staffing. Not sure if it ever got put back together adequately. So I would be assertive in looking for the document. You may end up having to go to one of its offices, sit forever in a line to put in an order, then go back later and wait to pick up the document.
Concur with Becky, and we recently went through this. You have to pick it up from County records.
Check your iBaby app. The little bundle should have connected post-womb. If not, go to Settings –> Newborn –> WiFi –> On.
I never got one automatically sent for any of my kids. I was able to get them through the mail–didn’t have to go to the records office in person.
I got one by going to the DeKalb Health Department on Winn Way, so it’s really not a burden for Decatur residents to pick one up in person.
You can order vital records through the Department of Public Heath’s Vital Records department at http://www.rover.ga.us.
Or even better – try the link that actually works – http://www.rover.georgia.gov
Agree with those who say pick up on Winn Way.
Who’s got time to sit in a government office with a newborn? Ain’t nobody got said time for said activity. Worth the extra $8 to order online. Thanks Gardener!
Now that she’s legit, how do I make sure the Sizemore Group updates their projected enrollment to include one more?
Glad that being postpartum hasn’t affected your sense of humor!
The next thing you need to get your head around is that your ability to “make sure” of almost anything is extremely limited!
Order several for an additional $5 each. You’ll need them eventually.
+1 – got extras too! worth the extra $ (keep one set in the lock box)
We were traveling internationally when our middle child was 9 weeks and since I didn’t know we had to ask for the birth certificate (in NY they mailed it to us!) we cut it too close to order online. Good times 😉
It also depends on what hospital you had your baby in. Emory Midtown is Fulton County so you would have to go to the records office across from Grady if you delivered there. Piedmont and North DeKalb would have different locations where you would pick up. I believe you can pay extra and have the certificate mailed to you.
I delivered at Emory Midtown and was still able to pick up on Winn Way.
I don’t think that’s true. I delivered at Piedmont Hospital a couple of months ago but as a resident of Dekalb, went to the office on Winn Way to pick it up after sending in a check and a request for the records via mail and never getting them.
Also worth noting that the entire process of getting them in person took about 10 minutes.
I received in the mail but was living in another county at the time check with hospital
Double-check all the data on the birth certificate. We went to get a passport for our youngest and discovered that they had misrecorded the birthdate (at the hospital). It took A LOT of paperwork to get it corrected and we were in the passport office the week before our trip with a 2-year-old for multiple hours.
Looking for a recomendations for a concrete driveway repair and relay?
Matt from Seminole Concrete was good and very reasonably priced. He removed, relayed a driveway for us, and built a stamped concrete patio. 404 597 5030
When we had ours repaired we were told that you need a permit to have it replaced, but for repair of small patches you don’t. The permit requires them to submit a survey of your property. Much more expensive.
We recently purchased a new set of luggage–does anyone have a recommendation on where we could donate our old luggage, preferable in the Decatur area? Thanks!
Goodwill?
Salvation Army on College in Avondale Estates. If it’s nice, though, you might want to consign it at Finders Keepers.
It’s not in Decatur but we recently donated a several items to newamericanpathways.org (2300 Henderson Mill Rd). Good organization supporting refugee families.
Regarding the luggage to donate, we just had a sign put on our mail box that the Hagar House is looking for luggage
Email: [email protected] or call 404-587-9822
Check with DeKalb Family and Children Services on Sam’s Street. They sometimes need luggage for foster children, who have to carry their belongings between foster homes in plastic bags.
We just received a flyer on our mailbox from Hagar House asking for donations of luggage.
http://www.decaturcooperativeministry.org/
They provide many services to women (in particular) and families in need.
Sometimes, these people need luggage to re-locate.
It’s a good cause IMHO, and we’ve given our old gym bags and luggage to them in the past.
Donate it to all the Democrats who said they would leave the country if the Republicans took over Congress.
What’s up with the stop sign at Parkwood Rd and East Lake Ave? It seems to have just appeared. There’s no paint on the road to indicate a stop and its hidden behind another sign and tree branches. Is it a legitimate stop sign?
Plans for the East Lake / 278 overhaul do include what will ultimately be a three-way stop, in conjunction with some lane reductions, at that spot but by all accounts, the placement of that one sign is your basic implementation clustersnafu. It should’ve stayed packed away somewhere until all the striping was done, and then been introduced with a black bag over it and then, ultimately, revealed with some advance warning signs placed for a couple weeks.
The whole implementation is a cluster. When leaving Decatur on East Lake, there are 2 lanes at the intersection with Park Place which straight arrows. However, as soon as you get through the intersection, there is one lane and a bike lane.
And, BTW, don’t complain to the City, the intersection is in DeKalb County and the design ultimately is the responsibility of GDOT.
It seems to me that the City should have a point-person that can contact GDOT on our behalf. I would think the City of Decatur has more weight than John (or Jane) Doe with a complaint or suggestion about the roadways.
The City has no influence. As I said, the intersection is in DeKalb County.
The City contacted GDOT as soon as they started getting calls and emails on it last Friday. The initial installation confusion was caused by the two contractors doing things independently, and the City’s call helped GDOT to address that quickly. Other than that, CoD has no say as it’s not their road.
We should respect that this section of road has been redesigned to address the concerns of the immediately affected neighborhood.
http://eastlakeneighborhood.org/update-east-lake-road-makeover-quiet-zone/
http://eastlakeneighborhood.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/East-Lake-Paden-to-Ponce-Striping.pdf
Ugh. I really am in favor of road diets and making things more bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly. But it sure seems like a three-way stop that close to the light at Paden is going to be a nightmare. Yuck. Is a traffic circle not an option there? That would slow things down and also keep traffic flowing much more smoothly. Not ideal for pedestrians, but is that a big crossing place for pedestrians? If you’re walking from Parkwood to MARTA, you can cross at the Paden Circle light.
You are correct. People do cross at Paden. And then pray the car coming around the curve on two wheels can stop in time. If people would drive the speed limit things like this would not be necessary. Unfortunately we don’t. Four lane roads are treated like interstate highways. It sucks for people who have to cross them or live on them.
And now it is a three-way stop with a temporary stop sign on the pavement between the west bound straight lane and the Parkwood right turn only lane. Restriped all the way including a sudden change westbound at the light just leaving Oakhurst. The right lane is now only straight up the hill to College, and the left lane is both left turn and straight.
I have a 4 year old iPad 2 that suddenly stopped working and cannot be restored – I get a “4013” error message which apparently means a hardware issue. Any suggestions on independent shops that can see if it can be repaired? I tried to make an appointment at the Apple store but it seems that they won’t see you if the device is out of warranty, even if you pay.
Onyx in Decatur is good with computers, not sure about iPads
http://www.trendtechsolutions.com/
There is a computer repair place on intersect of dekalk industrial and ponce adjacent to Avondale Marta station
You cannot get help from AppleCare without a warranty, but the Genius Bar can help you. I go to the Genius Bar all the time for my devices that don’t have warranties, and I make the appointment though my Apple Store app on my iPhone (you have to download that app–it’s not automatically on your phone). That app lets you bypass a lot of the questions you get when making a reservation through your computer, and those questions often dissuade you from coming into the store.
So, click on your Apple Store app, log in with your Apple ID, click on the stores icon at the bottom, select your store, click on Genius Bar, click on make reservation, choose your product, confirm your store location, choose date/time, and then you click reserve.
If they can do an easy fix right there, they usually don’t charge you. But if it’s a hardware issue, they may have to send it off for repairs off-site, and they’ll give you a quote for the costs.
Thanks, I’ll try that! I was trying to make a reservation on my laptop and I couldn’t get past the out of warranty page.
This is outside Decatur but wanted to let everybody know that
Return to Eden natural grocery store is closing!! Last day November 29, 2014, so SA
The website said
Store Closing
Return To Eden
2335 Cheshire Bridge Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30324
Tel: (404) 320-3336
STORE CLOSING:
EVERYTHING MUST GO
20% OFF!!!
We fought the good fight, but now we must say goodbye:
Return to Eden is closing its doors for good.
Last winter’s weather, changing traffic patterns, increased competition
and rising operational costs have proved too much.
Thank you Atlanta for two+ decades of support!
Remember other local independent businesses still need it.
Now that the green book donation box is gone from Glennwood, I find myself in need of one. Anyone know where there’s another one in Decatur?
just do what everyone else does and put your unwanted crap in a little free library
(I totally scored some of those awesome old “Wizards and Warriors and YOU” gamebooks from the one at College Heights, tho.)
This sounds kind of negative. I’m enamored of LFLs so I’m curious–are they just becoming dumpsters? For the two that I frequent, I do see some odd things sometimes–8 copies of a boring, outdated defense of conservative Presbyterianism was one example–but, to my amazement, even the least appealing books always seems to disappear with time. So I’ve been assuming that someone wants them. Maybe for reading, maybe for kindling? (By the way, someone is reading a TON of cheap romances and boilerplate mysteries in Decatur!)
LOL…Those were mine! I vacillated over putting those (and many others) in there, but in the end, won out over my 13 y.o. alter ego. In the end, many of my old books ended up coming back anyway as my boys insist on stopping by every day.
Also, boo to whoever loaded an entire shelf of the CH LFL with old law textbooks. We took it upon ourselves to relocate those to a more appropriate location (i.e., closer to Emory). Try to be mindful of the kind of books that might actually be of interest to people hitting a given location.
It is outside Decatur, but the AAUW Bookfair is an all volunteer, not-for-profit, scholarship fundraiser for the American Association of University Women. Their website is bookfairaauw dot org, and their Book Drop map shows: Briarcliff Bookdrop, 2111 Briarcliff Rd., NE Atlanta (at LaVista) 30329-3719, near Whole Foods at Briarcliff and LaVista Rds. Please call our bookroom at 404.261.7646 if you have questions.
If you’re a book lover and you’ve never been to one of their sales, you have missed a great event.
There’s a green donation box (Better World Books) in front of Renfroe and on the back side of North Dekalb Mall.
The DeKalb Library takes donated books and is a much better option than those “A Better World” boxes. A Better World is essentially a for profit organization that donates a small percentage of its profits (note: profits, not sales) to charity. It was really unfortunate that the Decatur Education Foundation became associated with A Better World because it really hurt the DeKalb library, which sells the books and realizes all profit from the sale. Research also the groups you donate clothing to. Some of those donation boxes are put out by questionable firms that earn lots of money selling your old clothes to people in third world countries.
I am a Glennwood family and live on the corner of Jefferson Pl and Evans Dr. I have a Little Free Library and will take whatever you have. If your books won’t fit, leave them on my front porch.
the book drop was removed to free up an additional parking space after the bus turn around was created. I like the idea of keeping books in Decatur. Better World is a fine organization, but it is a for-profit organization.
Thanks,
Are there any restaurants in or near Decatur that have potato soup on their regular menu (not just occasionally)? We always want it in the cold weather but are never successful finding it on soup of the day or regular menus. But maybe we are missing something.
I always make a big batch in the fall and freeze smaller portions to be used throughout the winter.
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/potato_leek_soup/
That one looks good, Upatoi Boy. The favorite around here comes from Mother Earth News. My Daddy cut it out 30+ years ago, and it’s the only potato soup we make. I found the recipe on-line. Here it is (scroll down to “Cheese Potato Soup Recipe,” and trust me when I tell you that the chopped onion and vinegar are essential and delicious!):
http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/winter-recipes-zmaz75ndzgoe.aspx?PageId=1#axzz3J9NnCpt0
Jason’s Deli up by Northlake Mall has a potato soup for Fall and Winter.
Potato soup is easy to make in small batches too if you can boil potatoes of any type. We use the petite reds from Publix. No need to peel. Cut up. Boil. Drain. Add some butter and flour to lightly coat. Stir it in with salt & pepper. Cover potatoes with milk and boil till it thickens up. We usually add finely cubed ham and/or bacon. Feel free to top it with a dollop of sour cream, crumbled bacon, parsley, and finely grated cheddar cheese.
Question for Maker types: any use for the plastic sleeves & connectors that come with glow sticks? I have a handful left over from building my Halloween costume. My long-departed father was a tinkerer & maker of the first order who trained us from childhood to never throw away plastic doohickies…toothpaste caps, Bic pen caps, thimbles…all made their way to the scratch-built fishing lure lab & workshop. So it’s sometimes difficult to even toss stuff into the recycling bin. Any takers?
Had the pleasure of dining at DISH DIVE, the new restaurant on College Ave near the East Lake MARTA station last night. It’s in the right half of a little cottage. It was amazing comfort food but with super complex flavors. It’s BYOB and intends on staying that way to focus on the great food that’s coming out of it’s tiny kitchen. Grab a bottle of wine and stop in for dinner-you won’t be disappointed!
I’m trying to understand what 315 Ponce will become. I can see the new apartments in the front of the building (where the lawn used to be). I think I see more in the back. I see what is becoming a parking deck. But what is becoming of the 10 story office building which looks unaltered from the outside other than vertical swaths of blue grey paint? Will that stay office/retail and the rest is residential? I’ve gone to the development’s Facebook page and still don’t understand.
Apartments and retail in the front. Apartments in the back. The office building unchanged. The parking deck is finished and in use.
Reminds me of a T-shirt: ____ in the front, ____ in the back.
Business in front, party in the back? A Tennessee Tower? 😉
Yep, that’s the plan as I have always understood it.