tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71792478547405969642024-03-13T00:47:13.959-04:00BrambleDirtBrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-86540099971000323242016-08-11T13:18:00.000-04:002016-08-11T13:28:23.170-04:00BrambleDirt returns, for a second<div id="fb-root">
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BrambleDirt has been on indefinite hiatus. (Note: We are still NOT Ashburn. If anything, we are even more NOT Ashburn now.) But since some of you may have found your way here through Brambleton's 15th anniversary marketing, I'd like to say a few words about the recent Donald Trump rally and <a href="http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/loudoun_county_school_board_member_detained_in_handcuffs_at_trump_rally" target="_blank">the arrest of LCPS School Board member Joy Maloney</a>. She is not my representative, but I know her, and she is great. The rally was on August 2, at Briar Woods High School, which is in Brambleton but which only serves the small part of Brambleton north of Ryan Road.<br />
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Joy was in line like everyone else when a reporter from Voice of America started talking to her. The line started moving behind them. Here is the video:<br />
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<div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/voiceofamerica/videos/10153909710078074/" data-show-text="false" data-width="500">
<blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/voiceofamerica/videos/10153909710078074/" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/voiceofamerica/videos/10153909710078074/"></a><br />
Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/voiceofamerica/">Voice of America - VOA</a> on Tuesday, August 2, 2016</blockquote>
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After the reporter wraps up, the video ends. You cannot see what happened next, which presumably is that both Joy -- and the Trump supporter who also lost his place -- tried to return to their original places in the line. Joy's attorney said in an article that someone in line behind her didn't like that and flagged down an event organizer, who had LCSO deputies try to remove her.<br />
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Lots of people were quick to spread the story that Joy was trying to stop people from going in, including various Republicans holding elected office in this county. And now Brambleton's representative, Jill Turgeon, has <a href="http://www.loudountimes.com/news/article/loudoun_school_board_members_attempt_to_censure_maloney_for_arrest_at_trump" target="_blank">co-authored a resolution</a> to have Joy censured by the School
Board, which, like this entire situation, is ridiculous. The majority of the School Board voted against discussing the incident, but Jill is pressing onward, adding the motion to the board meeting's agenda on September 13.<br />
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I'm just a taxpayer with children in LCPS, so who cares what I think, but you know what I'd like to see the School Board spending their time on instead of this? How about <a href="http://www.loudountimes.com/news/article/parents_ask_loudoun_school_leaders_what_their_plan_is_to_prevent432" target="_blank">mental health policies and procedures</a>? Five LCPS students committed suicide in the 2015-16 school year, including Jay Gallagher, a student at Potomac Falls High School. Following the district's suicide prevention protocols, his friend e-mailed a school counselor in January about her concerns that he was suicidal. This should have triggered a series of escalation steps, including contacting the principal and his parents. NOTHING HAPPENED. Jay killed himself in February. (The other Potomac Falls student committed suicide in the fall of 2015.) The district's suicide prevention plan disappeared from the county website. LCPS attorneys say one thing, the superintendent says another. Families want answers. So yeah, stop worrying about picking a partisan fight over Joy's arrest, let the courts handle it, and address this ACTUAL ISSUE.<br />
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More about Jay's family's mission at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ifyoulovejay/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/ifyoulovejay/</a><br />
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P.S. Thanks to At-Large representative and Brambleton resident Beth Huck for voting against discussion of Joy's arrest.<br />
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<br />BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-51250402827785778182013-09-24T01:00:00.000-04:002013-09-24T09:09:27.645-04:00Happy 12th birthday, Brambleton! (We are Not Ashburn)I have lived in Brambleton since October 18, 2003... almost ten years ago. My husband and I had been working in Ashburn (reverse commuting from Falls Church) for several years when we decided to build our first home here. We liked the idea of living so close to work (even though neither of us were still working at WorldBomb by the time our house was finished, but that's another story). The tech component of the planned development appealed to us, as did the idea of becoming part of a new community.<br />
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We started to realize that, despite the fact that our 20148 zip code was an Ashburn zip code (if you use the USPS zip code tool, it will tell you that Ashburn is the "preferred city" for 20148, with other "acceptable cities" being Arcola, Brambleton, and Broadlands), we didn't really live in Ashburn. We had some trouble with our initial Verizon phone activation, and I was passed around through various parts of the company because the Arcola exchange was legacy GTE instead of Bell Atlantic. The phone books we received (in fact, still receive) are for Prince William County. We have NOVEC (a rural coop) for electricity instead of Dominion. And everywhere we went in Ashburn, we met people who had never heard of Brambleton, and who didn't think there was anything past Broadlands.<br />
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I loved (and still love) Brambleton; it felt special, different. In 2006, I was on "Jeopardy!" (one-day champion, oh yeah) and <a href="http://www.j-archive.com/showplayer.php?player_id=1527">said that I was from "Brambleton, Virginia"</a> -- I think I was the first person to ever do so on national TV. The next year, I started writing a column called "Brambleton Buzz" for the now-defunct Loudoun Independent. The editor thought there was enough going on out here to have something separate from the Ashburn column. And oh, was there stuff going on out here. The Brambleton Town Center was booming - shopping! restaurants! movie theater! Houses were popping up, and the schools were filling up. Brambleton even weathered the recession fairly well; there weren't a lot of foreclosures like in other areas. (BTW, I am aware that the Brambleton developer's site says that Brambleton is "in Ashburn". I know this is a marketing tactic, but I really wish they would scrub those few references off the site.)<br />
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Then, the 2010 Census came. Afterward, there was <a href="http://brambledirt.blogspot.com/2011/03/turd-by-any-other-name-would-smell-as.html">a tough redistricting battle</a> that separated almost all of Brambleton from Ashburn. That was the first political use of Ryan Road as a "natural" north-south divider. Our numbers (9,845 people as of the 2010 Census) were used to justify the existence of two western districts, even though we have more in common with our neighbors in Ashburn than with the rest of our Blue Ridge District, especially in the issues of transportation and schools. But once the redistricting was done, so was our place in Ashburn. We were excluded from the <a href="http://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=2075">2011 Ashburn Community Outreach survey</a>, even though problems like Waxpool Road, alternates to the Greenway, etc., also directly affect us. As the survey site says: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Are You in Ashburn?<br />
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The Ashburn Community includes the following areas: Alexan at Ryan’s Corner, Alexandra’s Grove, Amberleigh, Ashbriar, Ashbrook, Ashburn Farm, Ashburn Manor, Ashburn Meadows, Ashburn Village, Ashby Ponds, Ashleigh, Belmont, Belmont Glen, Belmont Greene (Belmont Forest), Belmont Ridge, Broadlands, Cameron Chase, Carisbrooke, Cedar Ridge, Courts of Ashburn, Dulles Parkway Center, The Estates of Forest Ridge, Farmwell Hunt, Flynn’s Crossing (Ryan Park Center), Forest Manor, Goose Creek Village South, Hunt at Belmont Country Club, Lansdowne, Leisure World, Loudoun Parkway Center, Loudoun Valley Estates, Morefield Station, Mooreland Estates, The Park at Belle Terra, Potomac Farms, Potomac Green, Potter Property, The Regency, The Reserve at Belle Terra, The Ridges at Ashburn, Timberbrooke, University Center, Vantage Pointe, Villages of Waxpool, and Windermere.</blockquote>
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Aw, c'mon! Loudoun Valley Estates made it in, but we didn't? (And Lansdowne, with its Leesburg 20176 zip code, is considered Ashburn. So zip codes mean zip.) Oh, don't worry, LVE. You are on the "wrong" side of Ryan Road, and your time would come to join us in "Not Ashburn". And sure enough...<br />
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The school redistrictings of fall 2012 and spring 2013 should have been a wake-up call to anyone in Brambleton who still felt like part of Ashburn. In the <a href="http://www.lcps.org/cms/lib4/VA01000195/Centricity/Domain/66/es16%20moorefield/Ashburn%20Dulles%20North%20SCHOOL%20BOARD%20PLAN%20SCHOOL%20BOARD%20ADOPTED%20map.pdf">elementary redistricting</a>, the Ryan Road divider made its appearance again, and the small portion of Brambleton residents north of it were taken out of schools within Brambleton and sent to Moorefield Station ES. This set us up for the debacle that was <a href="http://www.lcps.org/cms/lib4/VA01000195/Centricity/Domain/66/Spring%202013%20Dulles_Ashburn%20North%20Boundaries/SEC%20SCHOOLS%20SCHOOL%20BOARD%20PLAN%20ADOPTED.pdf">the middle and high school redistricting</a>. I don't want to dwell on the details because of <a href="http://www.leesburgtoday.com/news/ashburn/brambleton-parents-legal-complaint-school-board-acted-in-bad-faith/article_66d326b4-c4b5-11e2-b461-001a4bcf887a.html">the pending court case</a> (which, by the way, is <a href="http://www.loudountimes.com/news/article/judge_moves_forward_case_against_school_board898">moving forward</a>), but it was a stark visual <a href="http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/leesburgtoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/ee/3ee97aea-a633-11e2-9ced-001a4bcf887a/516ca6be47a97.image.jpg">when "Ashburn" turned out all in white shirts</a> to lobby against Brambleton - an effort that was organized behind the scenes by Broadlands and the other Ashburn HOAs. By the way, LCPS called it the "Ashburn and Dulles North area" boundary process. Guess which one we are? Not Ashburn.<br />
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And no one would dare to suggest the construction of a<a href="http://www.brambletonhoa.com/AccesstoDulles"> limited-access freight-cargo road</a> through Ashburn. Can you imagine? But it's okay to dump on Brambleton because we're "new" (hello, 12 years old!) or we're "still building" or we're "so big". Yet we cannot fully leverage our power because we've been divided and conquered even as we continue to grow. In 2011, we were the sixth-top-selling planned community in the nation, with 454 new homes sold. In 2012, we set a new record by selling 466 new homes, an average of nine homes per week. By 2020, after the next Federal census and subsequent redistricting, perhaps we will have more effective and direct representation on both the Board of Supervisors and the School Board. In the meantime, what can <b>you</b> do? Little things, like using Brambleton in your address (not Ashburn), telling people you live in Brambleton (not Ashburn), and supporting Brambleton businesses. Put your rants and raves on the <a href="http://www.brambletonian.net/">Brambletonian</a>. Get involved with and embrace your community. You could also do big things, like running for Blue Ridge District Supervisor or School Board Rep in 2015 (Brambletonians north of Ryan Road and east of Belmont Ridge can run for Dulles District offices).<br />
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We are Not Ashburn. We are Brambleton. Happy birthday to us.BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-5334213357710280712013-09-03T08:16:00.000-04:002013-09-03T08:22:12.024-04:00Back to schoolMy twins start kindergarten at Legacy ES today. Here's a little picture we took for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Loudoun4FDK">Loudoun for Full-Day Kindergarten</a>. It's too late for my kids, but hopefully in the future kindergarteners here will get a full day like almost every other school district in the Commonwealth.<br />
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Oh, and my kids are going to a school that was left overcapacity on purpose during last fall's Ashburn/Dulles North elementary redistricting. Legacy is on overflow for kindergarten. Parents who do have the resources to pay for private full-day kindergarten face the possibility of not getting a spot for first grade next fall.BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-41649445648529107072013-08-29T23:18:00.000-04:002013-08-29T23:18:19.880-04:00Demur this!Oh, yeahhhhhhhh...<br />
<a href="http://www.leesburgtoday.com/news/judge-rules-court-should-review-school-attendance-changes/article_ce09d9a8-10f1-11e3-804f-0019bb2963f4.html">http://www.leesburgtoday.com/news/judge-rules-court-should-review-school-attendance-changes/article_ce09d9a8-10f1-11e3-804f-0019bb2963f4.html</a>BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-75434545872117140122013-07-29T16:28:00.000-04:002013-07-29T16:28:17.651-04:00Overabundance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A4Ul2onedf8/UfbQMZs6LnI/AAAAAAAAADQ/HIF0ASstho4/s1600/gelato.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A4Ul2onedf8/UfbQMZs6LnI/AAAAAAAAADQ/HIF0ASstho4/s320/gelato.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-26255892753089966322013-07-26T11:28:00.002-04:002013-07-26T11:28:36.317-04:00Flashback FridayI know, I know, he's not Brambleton's Supervisor (thank you, Jesus), but in honor of Eugene Delgaudio's <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/loudouns-eugene-delgaudio-is-censured-at-long-last/2013/07/22/3b407be0-f2f6-11e2-8505-bf6f231e77b4_story.html">recent censure</a>, here is today's Flashback Friday pic, which was taken in Brambleton. I will never ever get tired of this picture and its caption. It originally appeared in one of the local papers.
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BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-1162197571011238662013-07-25T08:22:00.000-04:002013-07-25T08:22:35.159-04:00NoncomplianceLast month, one of my neighbors sent this epic letter to the HOA.
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Covenants Committee,
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<p>
Here we are, another year, another growing season, another series of noncompliance letters blanketing the entire neighborhood, like snowflakes or propaganda letters kicked out the back of a military transport while flying overhead. The HOA must spend tens of thousands of dollars on postage sending these out, I know they must go out to pretty much everybody since most of my neighbors (the ones I talk to) are all aflutter over theirs. At least nobody will feel left out. I believe it's a good thing that my HOA fees are spent this way because I wouldn't want them to be used dealing with the nonstop solicitors, noncompliant street parking, lack of crosswalks on the road by the town center, ensuring our trash is actually picked up on the appointed days, speeders on my road of the one by the park and weekend boaters clogging up all the remaining roads in the neighborhood.</p>
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<p>
Of course this isn't about my neighbors, trash, speeders, boaters, or the daily game of real-life-or-death-Frogger I play everyday trying to get to the town center, this about my rather compliant lawn.</p><br />
<p>
How do I know it's in compliance you ask? Well for one, I talk to it, and it's of a generally agreeable nature; but also I know because every 4-7 days since the start of the growing season in April I've personally mowed the lawn to a height of 4"-5" and trimmed and edged the entire property and sidewalk. In addition I also do the following:</p>
<p>- pull weeds by hand, hoe and trowel; and with a Fiskars 7870 Uproot Lawn and Garden Weeder (very handy against crab grass by the end of the summer, but does well against deep rooted dandelions)</p>
<p>- spray several types of weed killer (commercial Roundup, Spectracide and Bayer Advanced) and other herbicides (glyphosate, Ortho MAX, agricultural use Roundup, Fertilome)</p>
<p>- spread seasonally appropriate fertilizer and yard treaments (Scotts Winterizer for 2 treatments last year, then this season's Scotts Turfbuilder weed & feed for 3 treatments) with my handy 2-wheel spreader</p>
<p>- chase children, defecating and urinating dogs and adults off of my curb strip and east-facing yard, the bus stop that I can't seem to shake on my property has accounted for thousands of dollars of yard damage over the years</p>
<p>- picked up animal feces from my curb strip and east-facing yard at least every week</p>
<p>- pick up trash, underwear and used condoms left by non-compliant and very noisy street parkers</p>
<p>- planted a new tree in the east facing backyard of my property</p>
<p>- cut and had ground down a dying tree in my backyard, including the stump</p>
<p>- mulched my tree bases and front landscaping</p>
<p>- regular waterings</p>
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<p>
In fact I've performed so much yard work this year and leading up into this year, at such an insane tempo, that I've sprained my elbow, suffered heat exhaustion, pulled something in my back and even vomited in my yard. Despite these medical concerns I've managed to soldier on because, I thought to myself, "I love my yard and I won't see one of those damnable HOA letters *this* year!". I've sat proud on my front porch, sipping an iced-tea, wiping the sweat from my brow with my remaining good arm and admired what may be the best looking yard on the block this year.</p><br />
<p>
Sure it's not up to the standards of the pros, those guys with tens of thousands of dollars of high-end equipment, like the Stanley 62ZS Zero-turn Riding Mower with roll bar, a Kawasaki V-Twin turbo charged 31HP engine and a 62" cut. Or the Swisher ZT2866 Z-MAX XTR Zero-turn with a B&S EL 28HP engine, a 66" cut in an 11-Gauge cutting deck with a matte black finish...lawn mowing at 30mph and can turn on a dime. The ones who were born in a riding mower seat and cross cut their yard twice daily, then get out and tweeze the details in by hand. But like children, I'm proud of where it's at and where it's going despite having to occasionally beat it back into line.</p><br />
<p>
I'm working with a 5HP Honda Self Propelled mower, 2-stroke gas powered trimmer and an 11-amp electric edger backed up with an electric leaf blower to clean out the detail work. My kit may not look like much, but it gets the job done. All told, I've probably spent upwards of $500 on yard supplies and another few hundred on services so far this year and exhausted almost all of my inventory, changed the oil and blade on my mower and gone through 2 dozen trimmer wires (hand cut to the perfect length from the spool).</p><br />
<p>
Alas my dream was not to be and I found myself the disappointed receiver of a first, another first (I had to take time off of work to pick this one up from the post office as it was registered), and then a second notice. Shattered, I looked up into the sky and looked for meaning, tears slowly glistening off of my beard as I quietly wept.</p><br />
<p>
At first I thought this was all a clever prank by a coworker, but I asked around and couldn't get anybody to admit to it, even under intense interrogation (nothing illegal). And then I thought, "nah, this couldn't be based on an inspection because my yard looks damn awesome this year". More muddling and searching about for explanations and solace and I came up with nothing.<br />So there it was, my non-compliance notice - it seemed the work of mad people, hellbent on a lustful pursuit of raw power, starting with a Machiavellian plan centered on driving home owners crazy about the state of their lawns until they are broken, in the style of '1984', and they admit that perfectly manicured lawns are indeed ugly tangles of failed dreams, that war is peace, freedom is slavery and all that.</p><br />
<p>
After much thought, I can come to only two possible scenarios where I'd receive a notice this year:<br /><br />1) The notices just get sent out to everybody regardless of their lawn condition. I'm jaded in thinking this, but as a strategy against some of the hardest of yard offenders (I call them 'Yardies') us residents have to live with some within a block of me, it could just work. I spent enough time pulling migrating weeds inherited from nearby rabid lawns that I could entertain this as a strategy of military brilliance. A kind of noncompliance blitzkrieg sent out with the force of a thousand singing Valkyries.<br /><br />2) It's still a prank, but it's actually by the HOA. Every couple weeks, you guys sit around a list of residents who you know will get pissed off by receiving a nonsensical noncompliance letter about their yard (I've definitely had to dispute several in the past so I know I'm on record someplace). Maybe you send them to us all, maybe there's a roll of the dice, regardless, the letters are sent and the HOA office is filled with guffaws, vodka shots and statements to the effect of "this will really get his goat!".</p><br />
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Nevertheless, I'm obligated to treat all notices of noncompliance as serious, regardless of their absurdity, so after receiving the first notice I went out to Home Depot, purchased another $30 worth of yard supplies (receipt attached), mowed, edged and trimmed only 4 days after the last time I had done the same, treated the yard with the Weed B Gone and remulched my trees and garden (the first notice wasn't clear what exactly was out of compliance, and since I could find nothing in particular wrong with my yard, I performed everything covered in the letter). You'll notice that the purchase date of the supplies is 5 days after the First Inspection date, I believe it was the day we received the notice. All work was performed on the day of purchase.</p><br />
<p>
Satisfied that my yard had now been attended to, and knowing that I would be mowing, edging and trimming it yet again in a mere 4 days (the 29th) by my previously reserved schedule, and then again on June 2nd, June 8th and then again tomorrow on June 12 (actually it was scheduled for today, but I've had to waste my time dealing with this compliance dispute), I felt confident that it would pass even the harshest of inspections, since it was not possible for my yard to be in noncompliance of any of the offending articles listed, especially on the date of the second inspection (June 6th).</p><br />
<p>
Since I cannot further increase the maintenance tempo of my yard without giving up a promising and upwardly mobile career, I've also hiring a yard service at additional cost of at least $1000 through the end of the season.</p><br />
<p>
If the HOA feels that these efforts and costs are insufficient, I'd be more then happy to entertain whatever absurd yard maintenance schedule, equipment, service and costs the HOA believes would be appropriate for maintaining compliance. In that event, please let me know where to send the bill to cover that level of yard maintenance and if I should expect payment net-30 or 45 so I can schedule and budget appropriately.</p><br />
<p>
Since I'm clearly operating far above and beyond any reasonable lawn care regimen (which would be weekly mowings and trimmings with yearly mulchings), I trust that the second notice was simply a result of the first strategy above and that this matter is already closed. I look forward to the affirmative email in response so I can withdraw my attention from this matter and return to spending time tending my yard.</p><br />
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Kindest Regards,<br />[Neighbor]</p></blockquote>BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-73097034062872998472013-07-24T08:09:00.000-04:002013-07-29T16:26:54.883-04:00Berm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-10295774245545496262013-07-23T12:44:00.000-04:002013-07-23T12:44:23.692-04:00Witch huntLast week, a white man wearing a white bandanna was spotted entertaining himself with, um, himself in his car outside Harris Teeter. Someone saw and called the police. They were too bewildered/disgusted to get the license plate, but they did note the color and type of car. Let the witch hunt commence!<br />
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I'm not going to say the real color and type of car here, because I don't want to add fuel to the fire. It wasn't a silver Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna, so already it was a real freak show here in Brambleton. It was a noticeable color of a slightly unusual sedan. Let's say it was a red PT Cruiser. Oh, and with a white stripe. So, anyway, the police were called, and someone sounded the alarm on the B_Alert Facebook group...with unsurprising results:<br />
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"I will be more aware of [PT Cruisers] from now on"<br />
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"There was one of those in the Harris Teeter lot last night maybe around 7 pm or so"<br />
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"If anyone sees the [red PT Cruiser] with a white stripe again, please write down the license plate number. It might not be him, but it could be."<br />
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"[Original Poster], do you know if the car had a vertical white stripe on the right side? Back in March of this year, I took a picture of a license plate of a [PT Cruiser] in Harris Teeter because it shocked me that someone had a plate that said something sexual in Spanish. There was a man in the driver's seat. I still have the pic. I can send it to you."<br />
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"[Original Poster], do you know if any of the witnesses recall any part of the license plate? I pulled up behind a car matching this description on Loudoun County Parkway about 30 minutes ago and was able to snap a picture of his license plate. It's a little blurry because of the rain but you can still make out the numbers. I'm just a little reluctant to forward the photo because there may be more than one car in the neighborhood matching this description and I'd hate for an innocent person to be tagged for such a creepy offense. Unfortunately I was not able to get a look at the driver."<br />
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Cooler heads stepped in and suggested that any "helpful" information be submitted to the police and not forwarded around to random people. But already we have people taking pictures WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN of [red PT Cruisers]. And the stripe - the police only said it was a white stripe. Is it vertical? Horizontal? WHO CAN SAY??!!<br />
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Wanna guess what the closest car dealership to our neighborhood is? And it's a stone's throw from a CarMax too. There are more than a handful of [PT Cruisers] driving around here.<br />
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If the next perv to be spotted is driving a dark red Chrysler Town & Country, I'm in trouble. Will you be my alibi?BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-6241991539934897632013-07-22T23:01:00.000-04:002013-07-22T23:01:34.361-04:00Back in actionWhoa...what year is this? Too much has happened since the 2011 election for me to do a catch-up post. I spent a lot of time potty-training my twins and dealing with their terrible 3's and traumatic 4's and I really just lost my sanity for a while. Then, during the biggest crisis to hit Brambleton since I've lived here ( <a href="http://www.loudountimes.com/news/article/school_board_adopts_plan_12_for_ashburn_and_dulles_north_re_zoning462">article 1</a> | <a href="http://www.loudountimes.com/news/article/brambleton_residents_file_against_loudoun_county_school_board157">article 2</a> ), I was helping out on the research/strategy side and didn't really want to write about what was going on because it upset me too much. Instead, I unloaded verbally on anyone who would listen (or couldn't escape). I'm not going to write anything else specifically about it now because of the lawsuit mentioned in that second link; even though I am not one of the petitioners, I know things that probably shouldn't be shared and if I get worked up about it again who knows what I might write.<br />
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So, Brambleton is growing, and it has growing pains. This has never been a perfect place but some folks move here and seem to regret it immediately - if their rants on Facebook are to be believed. Brambleton is a magical place where children never egg houses; where teens never drag race down deserted streets; where packages never go missing from porches; where unlocked cars are never ransacked; where neighbors never show up at Harris Teeter in identical chevron maxi-dresses... right? No. Brambleton is a place with problems both real and imagined. And this summer's malaise has manifested itself in one issue: the pools.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6vKIJxFsRC4/Ue3m7_dqyFI/AAAAAAAAACw/idqqeFPns5k/s1600/poolratio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6vKIJxFsRC4/Ue3m7_dqyFI/AAAAAAAAACw/idqqeFPns5k/s1600/poolratio.jpg" /></a></div>
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Brambleton has two pools. Three if you count Summerfield, which is only open to Summerfield residents because they pay for it in their condo fees. Or four if you count Sport & Health, which you shouldn't because not all residents are members, even though Brambleton gives you one free membership per household for a year. Or six if you count the two (at last check) private residences that have inground pools. So really, two pools. One is closed a lot in the mornings because of swim team practice and meets; the other is smaller and hosts swim lessons, though it doesn't close for those. Both are managed, uh, inconsistently by the same company. I haven't been to the Community Center pool this year, but my kids did lessons at Beacon Crest so we've been there quite a bit, and in the evenings, it's not so crowded. But apparently if you go at peak times you could be turned away, or if the lifeguards don't show up to open on time, there are lines; if you do get in, the bathrooms might be dirty; there isn't enough shade; the lifeguards are lazy; etc. (These are not my complaints - I'm just summarizing.)<br />
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Pool #3 was supposed to be open this summer, and was designed with the swim team in mind (which would free up the larger and more kid-friendly Community Center pool). But it's not ready, and boy, did the villagers mount up their pitchforks. I can't even begin to relay the insanity that went on (mostly on Facebook, but it spilled over onto the <a href="http://www.brambletonian.net/">Brambletonian</a> a little bit) after people showed up at the Community Center pool on a hot Sunday morning and the pool opened one hour late. Brambleton transitioned right into Crazytown. People were fighting over the pool issues, over the multiple neighborhood Facebook groups where the fighting played out (the Brambleton Facebook ridiculousness merits its own separate post), and over the methods by which problems should be resolved here. I wondered if some residents were just going to show up at the third site with shovels and try to hand dig the pool themselves. Meanwhile, there are people with real problems in the real world.<br />
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Over the weekend, things seems to have simmered down a bit (the epic Regal Wood / Cartier block party helped!) But it still feels like there are rifts in this community (some of which were exacerbated by the elementary and high school redistricting) that are going to keep coming to light every time there is a problem related to growth. New residents should embrace what we oldtimers already know - Brambleton isn't perfect, but it's the best place to be.BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-68331108565833136742011-11-07T17:03:00.003-05:002011-11-07T17:07:27.327-05:00OCCUPY VOTING BOOTHS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-phLy7-dlogQ/TrhWf03jiQI/AAAAAAAAACU/BJk6PdMFu5A/s1600/377651_240482712673023_227257080662253_578996_1920695077_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-phLy7-dlogQ/TrhWf03jiQI/AAAAAAAAACU/BJk6PdMFu5A/s320/377651_240482712673023_227257080662253_578996_1920695077_n.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672378835440732418" border="0" /></a><br />Don't forget to vote tomorrow!BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-9373324343471353732011-11-02T22:23:00.022-04:002011-11-04T15:19:58.979-04:00BrambleDirt's Voter GuideThe election is next week, so I figured I should probably come out of the shadows and make my endorsements. Because you care! Ha ha.<br /><br />Some helpful info: <a href="http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=3887">General Election: November 8, 2011</a><br /><br />Please note that Brambleton is all kinds of split up so check your status with the <a href="https://www.voterinfo.sbe.virginia.gov/PublicSite/PublicMain.aspx">Virginia State Board of Elections</a> (I will give the information as I best understand it, but don't count on me as the final word on your precinct/district/etc.) Also, Virginia doesn't show party affiliation for all races on the ballot, so if that is important to you, figure it out before you go.<br /><br />My opinion is just that - my opinion. I do not belong to any one political party; I am extremely liberal on many issues but less liberal on others. I hold the local leadership of both parties in low esteem. They embarrass Loudoun time and time again.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Precinct 312 - Briar Woods</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">(all of Brambleton west of Belmont Ridge Rd.)<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/omagi/5881645649/">map</a></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">State Senate - 33rd District</span><br />->Mark Herring (D)<br />Patricia Phillips (R)<br /><br />I don't want to be represented by Republicans at the state level.<br /><br />(Note: One tiny chunk of Precinct 312 (near the Beacon Crest pool) is in the 13th District. See below under Precinct 118.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />House of Delegates - 10th District</span><br />->David Butler (D)<br />Randy Minchew (R)<br /><br />Ditto.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BOS - Blue Ridge District</span><br />Jim Burton (I)<br />->Janet Clarke (R)<br /><br />McGimseymandered! I think Janet Clarke will better represent our interests on the Board of Supervisors. I had a lot more written here but I checked myself before I wrecked myself.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">School Board - Blue Ridge District</span><br />Priscilla Godfrey<br />->Jill Turgeon<br /><br />Time for change! If I could vote out Hatrick, I would.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Precinct 314 - Legacy</span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">(Brambleton east of Belmont Ridge Rd., south of Ryan Rd.)<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/omagi/5882207826/">map</a></span></span><br /><br />Same as Precinct 312, except:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">House of Delegates - 87th District</span><br />->David Ramadan (R)<br />Mike Kondratick (D)<br /><br />As I mentioned, I don't go for conservatives at the state level. However, I think the BS anti-Muslim smear campaign against Ramadan would make me want to vote *for* him if I were in the 87th. I'm petty like that.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Precinct 118 - Moorefield</span><br />(Brambleton east of Belmont Ridge Rd., north of Ryan Rd.)<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/omagi/5862860945/">map</a> </span><br /><br />Consider yourself lucky, Precinct 118. You are the only Brambletonians in the Dulles District.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">State Senate - 13th District</span><br />->Shawn Mitchell (D)<br />Dick Black (R)<br /><br />Dick Black is terrible. Google him.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">House of Delegates - 32nd District</span><br />-> Tag Greason (R)<br /><br />Vote for Tag, or not, or write in someone else. We both worked at UUNET, and I helped him with some of his customers' technical problems a few times, but I don't really know him and I know he doesn't remember me.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BOS - Dulles District</span><br />Larry Roeder (D)<br />-> Matt Letourneau (R)<br /><br />See <a href="http://brambledirt.blogspot.com/2011/03/letourneau-for-dean-district.html">my previous post</a>. If elected, Matt will make finishing Loudoun County Parkway a priority. That way, he'll be able to get from one side of his district to the other without leaving it. (No, I'm not at all still bitter about redistricting.)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Countywide races:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BOS Chairman</span><br />->Scott York (R)<br />Tom Bellanca (D)<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">School Board At-Large</span><br />Jay Bose<br />->Bob Ohneiser<br />Tom Reed<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sheriff</span><br />->Mike Chapman (R)<br />Steve Simpson (I)<br />Ron Speakman (I)<br /><br />Simpson has a sports drink problem and Speakman sends nude photos (not of himself!) to campaign volunteers' phones. <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/character-issues-a-central-focus-in-loudoun-sheriffs-race/2011/10/31/gIQAVAyTdM_story.html">More from the WaPo</a>.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Commonwealth's Attorney</span><br />->Jennifer Wexton (D)<br />Jim Plowman (R)<br /><br />[I accidentally omitted this race on my first pass.] Wexton's got my vote on this one, mainly because of how Plowman handled the Ting-Yi Oei case. Loudoun Insider <a href="http://www.tooconservative.com/?p=9124">summarizes it</a> better than I can.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Other races of interest:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">BOS - Broad Run District</span><br />-> Cliff Keirce (I)<br />Andrea McGimsey (D)<br />Shawn Williams (R)<br /><br />Time to teach the Loudoun Dems a lesson. They screwed Brambleton over in the redistricting and created the "amoeba" so that McGimsey could get re-elected. McGimsey needs to go. Plus, I like Cliff.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />BOS - Sterling District</span><br />-> Al Nevarez (D)<br />Eugene Delgaudio (R)<br />Ali Shahriari (I)<br /><br />Al is a union man. That's my kind of people. But, more importantly, EUGENE MUST GO. If you live in the Sterling District, please educate yourself about <a href="http://www.publicadvocateusa.org/">his day job</a>. Google him, and see if you want him representing you as an elected official. I wouldn't.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">School Board - Broad Run District</span><br />Kevin Kuesters<br /><br />Kuesters is running unopposed. He was recently arrested for assaulting his wife. Only one of his kids attends public school (the other two go to St. Theresa). He doesn't support full-day kindergarten. Write in <a href="http://www.writeinjoy.com/home">Joy Maloney</a> instead.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">See you at the polls!</span>BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-89544367412376529882011-03-29T11:36:00.011-04:002011-11-03T11:02:14.432-04:00Letourneau for the [Dulles] DistrictDuring the 2006 election season, you couldn't turn on the TV without seeing an ad for Maryland Senate candidate Michael Steele, or a rebuttal ("Michael Steele likes puppies, but he LOVES George Bush!"). On Election Day, my friend Martha and I turned up at Briar Woods High School to vote. We knew that a politically active conservative from the Brambletonian would be handing out Republican sample ballots, and Martha decided to have some fun with him. She got a ballot from him, read over it, then looked up at him and asked him why Michael Steele wasn't on the ballot. Without rolling his eyes, he very patiently started to explain that Michael Steele was running in Maryland, not in Virginia, but we laughed and stopped him before he got too far and told him who we were. That was the first time I met <a href="http://www.matt2011.com/">Matt Letourneau</a> in person.<br /><br />Matt announced last night that he is running as the Republican candidate for supervisor in the <s>Dean</s> Dulles District. His district includes most of Loudoun Valley Estates, South Riding, Stone Ridge, the Forests, Belle Terra, and the tiny corner of "suburban" Brambleton (as opposed to us rurals across the street). Until that distant day when Loudoun County Parkway is actually finished, he will have to come all the way over to our Blue Ridge District to get from LVE to South Riding. Hope he fills his tank before he heads out!<br /><br />I am most certainly not a Republican, and Matt and I disagree on many "big-picture" political issues, but at the local level I think those are less important. He is young, but I can't imagine him behaving as immaturely as I've seen some of the current BOS behave during board meetings. He is a good guy, super-sharp, and he lives his convictions. I believe he would make a great Supervisor, and I wish we still lived in the same district.<br /><br />I urge you to support his candidacy however you can - money, time, word of mouth, or your vote in November if you live in the <s>Dean</s> Dulles District.BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-29854897712548862652011-03-24T22:07:00.026-04:002011-03-24T23:34:00.426-04:00A turd by any other name would smell as, uh, turdlyThe rally before the board meeting this evening had about 40 people or so (rough count) - small groups from several different communities (Brambleton, Broadlands, Kirkpatrick Farm, and others). Some of the supervisors tried to dodge us on the way in, but Stevens Miller was there talking to people beforehand.<br /><br />Longtime Brambleton residents Jason and Becca Cook (owners of the <a href="http://www.brambletonian.net">Brambletonian</a>) brought the awesomesauce:<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XGOJOh8fL9M/TYv52qMqVjI/AAAAAAAAABw/kkn87TFxUkA/s1600/meeting_20110324_jason.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XGOJOh8fL9M/TYv52qMqVjI/AAAAAAAAABw/kkn87TFxUkA/s320/meeting_20110324_jason.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587834480118879794" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HeIcKSlgAGE/TYv6Abimf6I/AAAAAAAAAB4/16DIUlM-Cvg/s1600/meeting_20110324_becca.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HeIcKSlgAGE/TYv6Abimf6I/AAAAAAAAAB4/16DIUlM-Cvg/s320/meeting_20110324_becca.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587834647983062946" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We filed into the boardroom a few minutes before the meeting started, and sat in the back so we could hold up our signs throughout the meeting without blocking anyone's view.<br /><br />Chairman York started off with giving the other supervisors the opportunity to reconsider the adopted plan, but of course none of the "winners" were interested. Our hopes crushed (for now), the meeting moved on to its main business - naming the districts.<br /><br />I was surprised when Lori Waters made a motion to rename the Blue Ridge District as "Brambleton Ridge." A stunt, obviously, but I appreciated her point. The motion failed, but Miller voted for it too. Then there was some back-and-forth about naming District 4 "Dean District," for Jennie Dean, a former slave from the area. That motion eventually passed after some discussion from Miller about the political motivation behind the suggestion, which had come from the Democratic candidate for the seat. Miller abstained; Waters opposed.<br /><br />Then the real comedy started. Waters made a motion to name District 5 "Ashdowne" since it's a chunk of Ashburn and a chunk of Lansdowne (my words, not hers). It passed! Nice joke, just like this entire redistricting process has been so far.<br /><br />It's not over. There is still a chance to convince one of the five who voted for this travesty to change his or her mind. Keep e-mailing them. There are two more chances for public input: April 4 at 6:30 p.m., and April 18 at 6:30 p.m. - both meetings at the board room in the County Government Center in Leesburg. But don't put your hopes on Buckley or McGimsey. I know Buckley isn't running for re-election, but she could stand to have a little less attitude as she "interacts" with citizens (take the "eye-hate" down a notch... we were just a few people with signs.) And McGimsey may need to tone down the sarcasm if she wants to win "the pink amoeba" this fall.<br /><br />Oh, and speaking of the shape of the districts... looking at the map, I realized something about our new district. It looks like a cat coming through a cat door.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wlBSlShrzVw/TYwJLM1wzlI/AAAAAAAAACA/4kYQ0fuQtb4/s1600/map_cat.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wlBSlShrzVw/TYwJLM1wzlI/AAAAAAAAACA/4kYQ0fuQtb4/s320/map_cat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587851325689876050" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />I know, it's a stretch. But once you see it, you can't unsee it. At least I couldn't. Until I rotated the map:<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y_H_nmasRW0/TYwJj27yiqI/AAAAAAAAACI/YChMH0tYVkE/s1600/map_italy.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y_H_nmasRW0/TYwJj27yiqI/AAAAAAAAACI/YChMH0tYVkE/s320/map_italy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587851749306305186" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's Italy! With a much larger thigh (must be all the HFCS - thanks, ADM). Is it a coincidence that the Brambleton Town Center is getting a second Italian restaurant?? In this version of the map, Brambleton is the bootheel. We will stomp* on our opposition. <br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">*Not in a fascist way, but in a sassy "Misguided Angels"** boots way<br />**To our new district mates - don't worry, it's not a fetish shop***<br />***They do sell boots, right? I haven't actually been inside yet</span>BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-28741900424096749802011-03-24T16:34:00.004-04:002011-03-24T16:36:50.038-04:00Photoshop fun<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.candyland.net/images/bramtree.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 411px; height: 319px;" src="http://www.candyland.net/images/bramtree.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-53776409472290335942011-03-23T23:46:00.003-04:002011-03-23T23:48:21.122-04:00Rally on Thursday 3/24From the Brambleton Community Association:<br /><br /><p style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal" align="center"><strong><span style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span></span></span></strong></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal" align="center"><strong><span style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">RALLY TO OPPOSE SPLITTING BRAMBLETON </span></span></span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal" align="center"><strong><span style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">INTO DIFFERENT COUNTY DISTRICTS</span></span></span></strong></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:11pt;">The County Board of Supervisors has adopted 5 to 4 a redistricting plan that divides Brambleton, where 9,000 residents will be placed in District 8 with Purcellville, Middleburg, Hillsboro, Bluemont and all the rural areas in between. The remaining 1,000 (current and future) residents living around the water towers will be placed in eastern District 4 with Loudoun Valley, South Riding and Stone Ridge. This redistricting plan will divide Brambleton and greatly reduce our community's representation and effectiveness in dealing with our County Government for the next 10 years.</span> </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><strong><u><span style="">RALLY</span></u></strong><span style="">: Homeowners from Brambleton and homeowners from Kirkpatrick Farms, Broadlands, South Riding, and other HOAs will rally at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 24th, outside the Loudoun County Government Center (1 Harrison Street, S.E., Leesburg) in an effort to persuade the Board of Supervisors to reconsider the redistricting plan they adopted and to substitute the HOA Plan 4 (which would keep Brambleton and other communities united.)</span></span></span></p> <p><span style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">We need as many Brambleton residents as possible to join us there. The rally should be about 1/2 hour, no speeches by any of you are expected or required - just bring yourself and any homemade signs. We will have some signs available that say People, Not Politics; For the People, By the People; Please don't split my community!!!; Similar Communities, Similar Districts; Communities First!!!</span></span></span></p> <p><span style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Let's see if we can have success as we team up with other large Loudoun HOAs. Please send an email to </span></span><a rel="nofollow"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">rick.stone@brambleton.org</span></span></a><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> if you plan on attending.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Hope to see you there. Thank you.</span></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">Tom Gurganous (Neighbor and BCA Director) and Rick Stone (Neighbor and BCA General Manager)</span></span></span></p> <p><span style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">____________________________________________________________________________________</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0pt;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><strong><u><span style="">Background to Rally</span></u></strong><span style="">: Loudoun County is currently redrawing its legislative districts due to the dramatic increase in our County's population demonstrated by the new census numbers. Thus, the County needs to be redistricted to conform to the 2010 census results in time for the 2011 County elections. Earlier, your HOA Board unanimously endorsed the proposed, bi-partisan HOA Plan for County redistricting (a plan developed and supported by the County's largest HOAs) that would have kept all of Brambleton in a single county district (like we are currently) with other suburban communities (like we are currently.) </span></span></span></p> <p><span style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;">But on Tuesday, March 15th, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors rejected the HOA Plan by a 5 to 4 vote (with Supervisor York (D, Chairman, At Large), Supervisor Stevens Miller (D, Dulles District-our current Supervisor). Supervisor Lori Waters (R), and Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R) supporting the HOA Plan.)</span></span></span></p> <p><span style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"> The plan adopted by 5 members of the Board of Supervisors splits Brambleton, where 9,000 residents will be placed in District 8 with Purcellville, Middleburg, Hillsboro, Bluemont and all the rural areas in between. The remaining 1,000 (current and future) residents living around the water towers will be placed in eastern District 4 with Loudoun Valley, South Riding and Stone Ridge. </span></span></span></p> <span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><strong><u><span style="">Opportunity</span></u></strong><strong><u><span style=""> to Correct Redistricting Plan</span></u></strong><span style="">: The Board of Supervisors will vote on Thursday, March 24th to reconsider the adopted redistricting plan. We need only one vote (or more) to switch to have the Board adopt the HOA Plan which will maintain a united Brambleton community.</span></span></span></blockquote>BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-7529515507873187732011-03-21T22:26:00.011-04:002011-03-21T22:51:47.994-04:00Our new district....doesn't look like usAfter reading on a couple of political blogs about how the gerrymandering of Loudoun went down at the last board meeting (and elsewhere?), I started wondering about the demographics of our new district. Sure, we all know it's predominantly "rural," particularly compared with our acres and acres of townhouses and tiny SFH lots, but what about the people?<br /><br />Here's how Brambleton looks as of the 2010 Census: (numbers rounded)<br /><br />58% White<br />30% Asian<br />7% Black<br />7% Hispanic<br />5% multi-racial<br /><br /><br />Here's how the new District 8 (Blue Ridge, or whatever) will look:<br /><br />80% White<br />11% Asian<br />6% Black<br />6% Hispanic<br />3% multi-racial<br /><br />(note: this is based on what I can tell is included after the amendments; I didn't include Hamilton because I'm not sure if it is in or out, but I don't think it's going to swing it much differently)<br /><br /><br />And, just for kicks, here's how our district would have looked under the HOA-4 Plan (again, these are super-rough numbers because I don't have race/ethnic numbers for the precinct splits used in this plan):<br /><br />61% White<br />28% Asian<br />6% Black<br />6% Hispanic<br />4% multi-racial<br /><br /><br />Are Asians disenfranchised under the adopted plan? Thoughts?BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-22287415807356421982011-03-17T12:32:00.002-04:002011-03-17T12:36:45.994-04:00Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.candyland.net/images/r_v_stpats2011.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 640px;" src="http://www.candyland.net/images/r_v_stpats2011.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The Irish prince and princess of Brambleton hope you have a lucky day!BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-50852928540683219092011-03-15T20:35:00.004-04:002011-03-15T20:40:56.722-04:00E-mail?From <a href="http://www.tooconservative.com/?p=8715#comments">the comments</a> over at Too Conservative:<br /><br /><blockquote>Blast email going viral in Brambleton right now discussing an effort to organize to defeat Burton. Quite the behind the scenes deal he crafted today with the Loudoun Democrats, who some are saying promised not to run an opponent against him.</blockquote><br />C'mon...who's gonna send me that e-mail?? I'm totally out of the political loop. I was sitting here all alone at my laptop, plugging Burton's election history numbers into a spreadsheet.BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-25027619080406399282011-03-15T17:01:00.005-04:002011-03-15T17:47:43.501-04:00Be careful what you wish for...So, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors just approved the Miller 5 Plan for redistricting. Good news...all of Brambleton (except the Overlook neighborhood) is together in one district. Bad news... that district is a western district which includes Middleburg, Round Hill, and Purcellville.<br /><br />More after I have some time to think about this.BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-444246506253153322011-02-09T09:21:00.002-05:002011-02-09T09:22:15.110-05:00More on redistrictingWell, it's back to the drawing board for Loudoun's redistricting. The population estimates were way off - the actual Census data shows that the county underestimated by 22,000 - and, as <a href="http://stevensrmiller.com/wordpress/?p=827">Supervisor Miller's analysis</a> shows, some areas were really off (like the Dulles District, which actually had 81,409 people, instead of 71,192 as estimated).<br /><br />He's rather helpfully pulled some data from the Census's new <a href="http://factfinder2.census.gov/main.html">American FactFinder</a>, which is an accomplishment in itself (the tool is difficult to use, and I say that as a former Federal agency webmaster who has seen my fair share of user-unfriendly government applications). Go check out <a href="http://stevensrmiller.com/wordpress/?p=827">his blog</a> for more info.BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-12770105138441252972011-02-06T17:47:00.005-05:002011-02-06T18:02:49.135-05:00Petition for no street parking on Regal WoodBrambleton residents, I'd like to call your attention to a petition started by becca and el8 (husband-and-wife superduo who run the <a href="http://www.brambletonian.net">Brambletonian</a>): <a href="http://www.change.org/petitions/no-street-parking-on-regal-wood-drive-between-olympia-and-vickery-park">No Street Parking on Regal Wood Drive between Olympia and Vickery Park</a>. If you live here, you know that Regal Wood Drive is often nearly impassable, due to a combination of poor design, people who park illegally near corners, lack of stop signs at Cartier, and the fact that some of the legal spots dangerously block people getting out of their driveways. Throw in some snow, garbage cans, and inconsiderate people who park their Canyoneros two feet from the curb, and it makes for one congested street.<br /><br />Here's <a href="http://www.brambletonian.net/forums/topic/18283-petition-for-no-street-parking-on-regal-wood/">the Brambletonian thread</a> discussing the petition, including some back-and-forth between residents of Regal Wood who support the petition, and one who opposes it.BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-80169099037269971242011-02-05T09:30:00.009-05:002011-02-05T10:45:32.276-05:00NO to "The Miller Plan"Redistricting is coming. Census results were fast-tracked to Virginia and three other states that have elections this year. Loudoun County's estimates were off, and now there's a scramble to come up with workable plans. For an overview of the issues involved, I'd recommend <a href="http://stevensrmiller.com/wordpress/?p=640">this blog entry</a> from Stevens Miller, our Dulles District Supervisor. Be sure to read the comments. I wrote that Route 659 should NOT be used as a divider. Miller responded:<br /><br /><blockquote>I don’t want to draw any lines through neighborhoods that naturally identify themselves as a community. That’s going to be tough, though, even if we split precincts. My back-up plan is to try to draw the two districts on either side of any such line so as to include two communities that not only have common interests within themselves, but will tend to have common interests with each other. If we can do that, both districts will actually gain strength on the board, because their common interests should motivate <i>two</i> supervisors to vote in support of those interests instead of just one.</blockquote><br />So, life got busy and I never got to sit down and look at the nitty-gritty details of how what I wanted would jibe with the bigger issues for the county to consider (even though I wanted to, wonk wonk). And last night, when I read Brambleton's Friday Flash, I was surprised:<br /><br /><blockquote>The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors (hereinafter LoCo BoS) have begun the process of redistricting election precincts. Supervisor Miller has proposed a plan that divides Brambleton into 3 separate election districts. This plan is in conflict with the very guidelines that the LoCo BoS adopted and is not in the best interest of the community. Once adopted, the election districts will be set for the next 10 years.<br /><br />The Brambleton Community Association Board of Directors has expressed their concerns to the LoCo BoS and requested that they revise Supervisor Miller's plan to include Brambleton within one election district. BCA Board strongly encourages Brambleton residents to become current with this ever changing issue and promptly communicate any concerns that you may have to the LoCo BoS. You can also add your name to the Petition opposing the redistricting plan on the intranet by going to RESOURCES>E-FORMS>ELECTION REDISTRICTING PETITION. <p></p></blockquote><br />Three separate districts???<br /><br />Here's <a href="http://stevensrmiller.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/miller-redistricting-plan.pdf">"The Miller Plan"</a> and here's <a href="http://stevensrmiller.com/wordpress/?p=803">what Stevens Miller has to say about it</a>.<br /><br />Under this plan, the west side of Brambleton (north and south of Ryan Road) would be in a district that includes Middleburg, Round Hill, Purcellville, all the way west to the county border. Uh, NO. What about "communities of interest"?? Their issues are NOT our issues. Meanwhile, the east side of Brambleton south of Ryan would be in a district with South Riding, Dulles Airport, and Loudoun Valley Estates; the "water tower district" north of Ryan and east of BRR would be in a non-contiguous district with some other parts of Ashburn.<br /><br />I personally find this plan to be unacceptable. For Brambleton, it is worse than any of the nine original staff plans that were floated for discussion. Following Miller's argument, if this plan were to be adopted, we'd have three supervisors championing our needs, right? I doubt it. We are going to get the shaft politically, just like we seem to be headed for a future shafting with high school boundaries. (Jury's still out on that one, but I'll let you know in 11 years when my kids are either walking to Briar Woods or getting on the bus to LVE. Meanwhile, post-Miller-Plan, what do you think will happen the next time they try to kick the west side of Brambleton out of Legacy ES? Someone will say, "They're not even in the same district!")<br /><br />So what to do if you agree? First, sign Brambleton's petition on the intranet. Second, let Stevens Miller and the BoS know how you feel. Third, have a look at <a href="http://www.loudoun.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=3414">Loudoun County's Redistricting page</a>. The Board will be discussing redistricting at its February 15 meeting and will be taking citizen input at its March 7 public hearing. If you really want to get involved, make your own plan. See the "Alternative District Scenarios/Plans" section of the county's redistricting page for details.<br /><br />Remember, whatever happens, we're stuck with it for the next 10 years.BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-75100496988061259462010-12-15T08:25:00.003-05:002010-12-15T09:44:04.709-05:00Hiatus overBrambleDirt is back. I don't know if it needs me or not, but I need it.<br /><br />So, what brought me out of semi-retirement? Some of you know that during the hiatus, I adopted newborn twins. They keep me a little busy. Sometimes, on our way out of Wegmans, as I'm grasping their hands so they don't fling wine bottles to the floor, I manage to grab some free reading material from the racks for later (<span style="font-style: italic;">Washington Parent</span>, usually). This type of material is handy for quick stolen moments, but usually only makes me feel anxious. Is it too late for my kids to master Chinese if they didn't start with prenatal classes at Jabberu? How am I going to get my children into the best preschool in Bethesda? (Note: obviously I don't even live in Maryland.) Then I come to my senses and chuck it in the recycling.<br /><br />Occasionally the magazine I grab is the glossy local quarterly <span style="font-style: italic;">I Am Modern</span>. Started three years ago, it is billed as "Health - Beauty - Lifestyle for Modern Women." Interestingly, it also bills itself as "100% Reader Generated," and anyone is welcome to submit content.<br /><br />Now, I consider myself pretty modern (I'm wearing a <a href="http://www.metafilter.com/">Metafilter</a> t-shirt right now), but not by the definition of this magazine, with its ads for aesthetic dentistry, adult orthodontics, and plastic surgery. Sometimes, the profiles of local women are interesting, but the copyediting is poor, and I honestly don't care about integrating my holiday decorations with my established decor so that (God forbid) my overall personal style isn't compromised. It's not really a magazine for me, but someone must read and enjoy it, because it's lasted this long and has advertising support. (Let us not forget Ranganathan's Third Law of Library Science: Every book its reader.)<br /><br />I picked up the Holiday 2010 issue a few weeks ago, and it was sitting on my nightstand with some other magazines. I read every night before I go to sleep, and I've been cranking through the complete Sherlock Holmes - all four novels and 50+ short stories. Once I finished those a couple of days ago, I started working through the magazines, and last night was <span style="font-style: italic;">I Am Modern</span>'s turn. I went to bed mad, and I woke up still mad.<br /><br />The article that bothers me is <a href="http://www.iammodern.com/chic-new-mom.html">Chic New Mom: Simple Tips for Always Looking Fashionable</a>. If you go read it online, you'll note that the publisher has added a disclaimer. Apparently they've gotten a lot of comments about it. She writes, "I want to remind everyone, we do not endorse any of our contributors." Publishing them isn't an endorsement? Hmm.<br /><br />I've never been a fashionable person, and I'm not a new mom anymore. I would have skipped the article, except the photo of the hipster-ish mom with accessorized baby caught my eye. She did not look like the usual target demographic for this magazine. I started reading, and came across this little gem:<br /><br /><blockquote>You gained weight because you brought a little baby angel to the world, not because you ate too much cheese. There's no shame in that at all.</blockquote><br /><br />So I guess I should be ashamed because I'm fat and I didn't give birth. Okay, whatever. But then there's this:<br /><br /><blockquote>Here are some of my basic fashion tips for new moms:<br /><br />- Don't breast feed in public. I am sorry and feel awful saying it, but, to me, it really is unacceptable. I am glad that I don't see that very often, but when I do it makes me queasy. There is absolutely nothing beautiful or stylish about breast feeding in public.</blockquote><br /><br />This is terrible advice for new moms, <span style="font-style: italic;">I Am Modern</span>. In my opinion, what makes it even worse is that this magazine is subsidized by lots of ads. Advertisers in this issue include <a href="http://www.capitalareapediatrics.com/">Capital Area Pediatrics</a> (my kids' doctor), <a href="http://www.womenphysicians.org/">Women Physicians of Northern Virginia</a> (my OB-GYN), <a href="http://www.momstouchdentistry.com/">NOVA Pediatric Dentistry</a> (my kids' dentist, who also has a paid advertorial about being an entrepreneur). I will be letting my medical professionals know that they may want to consider a better outlet for their advertising dollars.<br /><br />Oh, and <a href="http://www.brambleton.com/">Brambleton</a> is also an advertiser.BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7179247854740596964.post-26558797837148176792008-01-01T21:16:00.000-05:002008-01-01T21:18:02.285-05:002008 Calendars now available!Miss Cleo is my cat. Her <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/misscleo">2008 Wall Calendar</a> is now available!BrambleDirthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04834281042130409953noreply@blogger.com0