Save Arlington's Goats

This was just too funny to pass up writing about ...

From the Sun Gazette ...

What's an environmentally conscious and easy way to cut grass? For Arlington residents Bryant Nichols and Matt Haggerty, the answer was a pair of goats they bought on Craigslist.

You can even view the goats and rally in their suport with their very own goat cam.

This is hilarious! Please comment.

What's Your Fitness Road Block?

With the whole FitArlington initiative going on, I thought this was a relevant discussion:

What's Your Road Block to being healthier and more fit? Forbes magazine just published the "Top 10 Reasons You're a Coach Potato". Do any of these fit us? For me, it's the time issue. What about you? What's your road block and how do we overcome it?

1. You're Intimidated


2. You're All Out Of Self-Control


3. You're In Pain


4. Nobody Else Is Doing It


5. It Costs Too Much


6. It's Not As Easy As It Was In High School


7. You Don't Like Exercise


8. You Just Don't Have The Time


9. It's The Environment, Stupid


10. It Isn't Safe

Share your frustrations and how you've overcome them in the comments below.

D.C's Best Bike Shop

Yes, DC's best bike shop is right here in Arlington - Phoenix Bikes - plus the program supports a great cause.

The one-year-old Arlington nonprofit hawks used cycles (a rarity in the D.C. area), offers discount repairs (though they might take longer than the typical bike shop) and teaches middle- and high-schoolers basic mechanic skills to get them psyched for owning wheels of their own — which they can eventually do through the Earn-a-Bike program.

I recently bought a bike there and I can fully attest to their servie and quality.

Read the full Express article here, and check out Phoenix Bike shop for yourself.

Arlington Restaurant Reviews

Caught a couple of restaurant reviews in various publications this week. Here are the highlights

Ping by Charlie Chang's (Shirlington) - super cool atmosphere, OK food (Full Review)

Tivoli Gourmet (Rosslyn) - sounds pretty good, but review doesn't say much (Full Review)

Sangam (Ballstson) - wins Taste of Arlington for 3rd straight year

Rolling Thunder in Arlington

Think 100,000 plus motocyles all together and you've got Rolling Thunder.

If you've never checked out Rolling Thunder, a massive scene of motorcyles on Memorial Day, you absolutely must check it out this Memorial Day weekend.

Find the full schedule of events at http://www.rollingthunder1.com/

Don't Throw Stones at Green Houses

Houses with green features like solar panels, green roofs, and recyled materials are super cool.

Here's your chance to check out a few in Arlington.

Arlington Green Living Home and Garden Tour.

Sunday, June 1, 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The 6th annual tour will be expanded this year to include green homes with solar elements, green roofs, recycled materials, and energy efficient technologies. The tour will also include beautiful yards and gardens full of native plants, rain gardens, rain barrels and cisterns, permeable pavement, wildlife habitat, and other environmentally friendly features. This tour is organized by Arlington County and Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment. Suggested donation is $5, payable at the first site you visit. The tour brochure with the descriptions and addresses of the tour locations is available at http://www.arlingtonenvironment.org/ or by calling 703-228-6406.

OK, the garden stuff doesn't sound that interesting to me, but I think the other stuff will be super cool.

Cool Spot Gets Cooler: Eleventh Going Smoke-Free

UPDATE 5/20/08: This great new Arlington website listing smoke-free establisments just went live.

In light of the Virginia General Assembly's ongoing refusal to do anything to protect Virginia consumers from the health risks of secondhand smoke, last year I emailed eight Arlington bars to see if they'd be willing to go smoke-free voluntarily. Got this semi-cryptic response from Eleventh in Clarendon:

The basement is smoke free and chances are the main floor will go that route soon.

Then today, stumbled upon this on their website:

Eleventh is going NON-SMOKING, effective June 1!! Look for our ashtrays to appear on Ebay!

Eleventh will become one of the few nightspots in Arlington to go completely smoke-free. Sure, there are plenty of restaurants that are completely smoke-free, but anywhere that you'd go for just a drink? Tallula's EatBar, Four Courts, Summers, and Crystal City Sports Pub all have separate smoke-free bars, but that's about it.

Ooh, almost forgot the new Busboys & Poets in Shirlington! OK, so Busboys & Poets and soon-to-be Eleventh. Any other entirely-smoke-free nightspots in Arlington I'm missing?

Bike Sharing - Would you do it?

DC and Arlington are set to open bike sharing programs this summer and fall - the first of their kind in the U.S.

I think it's kind of cool, and I for one will definitely use it. Sometimes grabbing a bike is so much more convenient (and fun!) than hoping on the Metro.

What do you think? Would you use a bike sharing service?

Not familiar with the concept? Check out this article in the Express.

Soggy Spring

Anyone else as sick of this rain as I am? We're supposed to get a brief break Tuesday and Wednesday before the rain returns Thursday. And how about the cold? Our high today is forecast to be 48 degrees. Our average low for May 12 is 49.

Got a mysterious email from ArlingtonAlert.com titled "Food Warning in Effect." During the few seconds it took for the email to open, I thought, "Why is the food only a threat short term? Will the food be OK after the warning is lifted?"

Oh, typos. You never fail to amuse me.

If you haven't signed up for Arlington Alert yet, it's definitely worth it. Once I was in Boston and was alerted to the fact that my flight home would be delayed by snow in DC by an Arlington Alert text message. Didn't clear the runways any faster, but at least let me know I didn't need to break my neck getting to the airport.

True Cost of Food - Dinner and Discussion

With all the food cost issues in the news today, this seems especially interesting (and of course, it's at one of my favorite places)

Title: True Cost of Food - Dinner and Discussion

Date/Time: May 15 (Thurs.) 6:30 p.m.

Location: Busboys and Poets Book Discussion & Dinner4251 S. Campbell Ave, Arlington VA703-379-9756
Located in the Village at Shirlington, garage parking is free.

The menu features over a dozen vegan dishes including vegan calzones and soy cheese pizza. After dinner, the manager will discuss the latest in his collection of books about food and organic gardening which you can browse and purchase.

Please RSVP to Diana Artemis at: artemdi@yahoo.com

Walking Through Seedy Arlington History

What Arlington neighborhood can claim the following history?

"Evidence of its sometimes seedy underbelly includes a roadhouse and reputed brothel at what is now the Dominion Hills Recreation Association clubhouse, a shopping center where the leader of the American Nazi Party was gunned down while doing his laundry, and the house where Shirley Maclaine and Warren Beatty grew up."

If you said Dominion Hills, then you are correct.

And on Sunday, June 1, 3:00 PM, join County Board Chair Walter Tejada and others to check it out yourself with this free guided tour "walk about".

The approximately two-mile Walkabout will begin and end at Mace Park,
on the east side of Patrick Henry Drive, between 10th Road North and
the Four Mile Run trail (just south of the bridge over I-66). Walkers
should meet at the playground.

For more information, visit http://www.walkarlington.com/go/event.cfm?id=812

Monkeying Around

I probably wouldn't plug this on the description alone, but I've been to these events before, and they are actually pretty cool. Here's the 411:

CAFÉ SCIENTIFIQUE ARLINGTON

WHAT: Biological interaction of African Apes, Monkeys, and Plants in Rainforest

WHEN: May 6, 6:30-8:00 PM

WHERE: The Front Page Restaurant, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, located near Ballston Metro on the ground floor of the NSF building. Parking is available under the NSF Building or at Ballston Common Mall.

WHO: Dr. Joanna Lambert, Program Director, Physical Anthropology
National Science Foundation

HOW: 6:30-8:00 Short presentation, followed by Q&A (Come early to purchase a drink or a meal if you so desire.)No science background required!Free and open to the public

ABOUT THE TOPIC: The monkeys and apes of the Old World are our closest living relatives and also play ecological roles that are critical for forest maintenance and health. Scientists are only now beginning to appreciate the significance of primates as members of ecological communities; tragically, this understanding cannot keep pace with the rate of their decline. The monkey and ape species of Africa, in particular, are undergoing precipitous declines as a consequence of the voracious commercial bushmeat trade. In this discussion, you will learn just how important monkeys and apes are to the plants upon which they rely, and the implications of their decline and loss upon the humans that live in and around these same forests.

Want to Run a Marathon?

Have you ever wanted to run a marathon, but it just seemed too overwhelming?

Here's a cool chance to get a free entry to the Marine Corp Marathon and some helping training for it.

FitArlington is looking for Arlingtonians who want to run (or walk) the Marine Corps Marathon or 10K this coming October 26. Not only will FitArlington get you the race numbers, they will also arrange a training program to help you succeed. Based on your personal goals (whether you’ve never run a race before, are looking for a personal best, want to overcome a disability, or just want to tackle a challenge), FitArlington will hook you up (for free) with an Arlington training group to help you achieve your goals and give you a free number for either race.
All ages, abilities and interests are welcome to apply!

In return for FitArlington helping you achieve your goals, FitArlington asks to share your progress with the community…reality training! Share share your dreams and success with the community so we can have fit-role models….at every age and ability of the spectrum.

FitArlington will select 10 Arlingtonians to help train and run the marathon and 10K. Apply by June 1. You just need to give your name, contact information, goals and in 200 words (or less) why you want us to pick for this program.

Sound pretty cool?

Apply here!