Wednesday, November 28, 2012
There’s a reason no one has ever been called the Little Debbie with the Mostest
You know the defining moments in a lifetime that people remember with absolute clarity? Things like man walking on the moon, the Buggles video playing on MTV, the first time you used the word “Google” as a verb, and when you learned while emphatically making a point during a huge meeting at your first real job it is intents and purposes and not intensive purposes? Well, another of these moments happened recently with the announcement that Twinkies and Ho Hos were no longer going to be manufactured by Hostess. With that news, I immediately experienced a wave of nostalgia as these were a part of my childhood. Let me amend that: They were a part of the childhood I wished I had — one with formative years chock full of name brand snack cakes, …
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
That goes both ways. I'm talking to you, first-graders...
On a recent afternoon, my husband and I were the Mystery Readers for our daughter's first grade class. Every Friday, different parents show up to read for half an hour and the kids don't know whose parent it will be until the reader knocks on the classroom door and the teacher opens it and reveals the surprise. Note: This is even more surprising for everyone involved when you are not wearing pants. (Which, apparently, our uptight elementary school frowns upon. Another lesson learned the hard way ...) In preparing for our first turn as Mystery Readers, we spent a lot of time finding appropriate books. And by that, I mean we chose tomes that mentioned underpants and would go over big with the 6-year-old set. And boy, did they. We began …
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Leader of Fairfax County Federation of Teachers says lack of discussion before textbook program came to fruition has resulted in no buy-in, issues of access and equity.
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Thursday, November 8, 2012
To the Editor: There is a new math ‘series’ that is being implemented in Fairfax County Public Schools, currently. It is an online disaster that could have been avoided. Let’s reflect upon how this happened: Right after the FCPS School Board approved the FY 2013 budget (which was ‘tight’ due to revenue problems), the superintendent dropped a $7.7 million bill on their laps at the FY 2012 budget review, announcing that $10 million dollars was now available from the previous year. Later, it was discovered that FCPS administration had the nerve to sign the contract for the math series before the school board even approved the money for it. The fact that the new math series was to be primarily an online resource (vs. the more ‘traditional’ …
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Reader asks fellow residents to vote for Fairfax County library bond on Nov. 6 ballot.
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Thursday, November 1, 2012
To the Editor: Fairfax is a passionate community. We are passionate about our local businesses: nothing can compete with the number of local cupcakeries, or series of weekly farmers markets where we pick up our most prized possessions. We are passionate about our sports: our local high school rivalries fill stadiums weekly, and who can forget our love for the Redskins and the Nationals? And we are passionate about our education: thanks to public support, we have both one of premier public school systems and one of the premier library systems at our disposal here in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. But are we committed? We have reached a crossroads in the timeline of Fairfax where passion can only bring us so far, and we …
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
We've seen things that no one should ever have to witness
In the past few years, we have weathered (heh) Snowmageddon, a derecho, an earthquake and freak flooding in this area. And then along comes Hurricane Sandy, also known as "Frankenstorm." This name, for the record, is completely unacceptable. Not only because of the ridiculous name, but also because this is horrific news for someone like me who is terrible in crisis situations. But with all of the hype surrounding this event and because I grew up in a coastal town and have learned to respect and prepare for tropical storms, I actually did plan for the worst-case scenario. That is why, on Friday afternoon, I got my hair highlighted and bought some clothes at Goodwill to complete my husband’s buccaneer costume for a party we were attending …
Friday, October 26, 2012
As voters weigh $25 million in bonds for library renovations on Nov. 6 ballots, two residents say there is "payback to all residents when these libraries are renovated."
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Friday, October 26, 2012
To the Editor: There are a lot of choices we will make on November 6th, but there is one that will improve the quality of life for all Fairfax residents, and it is not subject to competing politicians or last minute veto. The authorization to issue $25 million of bonds to improve three public libraries and relocate one will result in changes that we can see, feel and enjoy. The John Marshall Community Library and Pohick and Tysons-Pimmitt Regional libraries will be renovated and brought up to current standards for modern libraries by upgrading building systems, computer access, and energy efficiency. In addition, quiet and group study areas will be added along with conference space. Improvements to building systems will save on energy …
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Life is a tuxedo, and I am a pair of aubergine jeans. (Or something like that...)
On the return flight from a recent work trip to Las Vegas, my friend and colleague, Terri, was seated next to Callista Gingrich, whom she chatted up and befriended during the flight. She learned Callista is not only married to a former Speaker of the House, but is herself rather accomplished: She's an author and plays the French horn in the Fairfax Symphony. My friend had the time to learn all about her new chum while lounging in comfortably oversized seats and enjoying generously poured glasses of Malbec in the first-class cabin, where she was seated because when she reserved her flight there were no more seats available in coach. Meanwhile, back in steerage, I was eating a Larabar from my purse while the flatulent fraternity boys in …
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Columbus Day has never meant so much to us, as we explored "Tysons' Last Forest" for the first time — and hoped that it wouldn't be our last chance.
Some people have to work on Columbus Day. Some get to stay home, sleep in, go to the movies, go shopping, heck, I don’t know … buy a mattress on sale? (Do mattress stores have sales on Columbus Day, as they seem to for all other American holidays?) Anyway. My husband and I decided this year it should be a day we would go explore a new world with the kids. We thought about corn maizes and pumpkin patches, or maybe just a little hike at a nice park near our house. But then I remembered an article I read the other day in The Washington Post about a coalition of citizens who were working to help save "Tysons' Last Forest." The article said that in looking at ways to alleviate traffic in Tysons, Fairfax County's comprehensive plan includes an "…
Sunday, October 7, 2012
If you have a question you would like to ask President Barack Obama or Gov. Mitt Romney, submit it in the comments section below. It could be asked during the televised Oct. 16 Town Hall Presidential Debate.
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Sunday, October 7, 2012
by Patch Staff If Wednesday’s presidential debate left you with more questions than answers, here’s your chance for the presidential candidates to address the issues that most matter to you. The next presidential debate will be a town hall meeting format at Hofstra University in Long Island on Tuesday, Oct. 16, where voters will ask President Obama and Mitt Romney about domestic and foreign policy. Patch is asking you, our readers, to participate by submitting questions for the candidates. All you have to do is post your question in the comments section below and we’ll send it to the Commission on Presidential Debates. The Commission is partnering with Patch and AOL, along with Google and Yahoo, to solicit questions from the American …
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Perhaps it was Mark Zuckerberg? There's an awful lot of Facebook posting in the demands ...
Life changes in an instant. One moment you're dressing your Yeti (still wishing this was a euphemism) in birthday finery to celebrate your daughter’s 7th birthday party, and then next moment, you're realizing how you took all the good times you had for granted and would give anything for just one more day. (Or at least the opportunity to dress the Yeti for Oktoberfest.) The morning after my daughter's birthday party, we went out to clean up the yard and realized the Yeti was not where we left it the night before. Figuring our co-owners had put Yeti back in place (and probably in an Eagles jersey, as it was a game day), we looked — not there. This is when panic began to creep in. At first, we thought he maybe ran away, possibly because we …
lisa miller
7:58 pm on Wednesday, November 14, 2012
I can see the headline now: "democrats, republicans unite in underpants...independents go commando" more ›