ThayerAvenue.com

I have no idea why “signs” has been a predominant theme recently, but here we are again. Someone has been canvassing the neighborhoods – a large swath between Sligo Ave and Takoma Ave, including Chicago and Philadelphia – and pulling up signs, leaning them against fences, bending them over, taking them, etc. Then the kicker: the bozo leaves a note, supposedly from the MoCo Department of Permitting, about whatever rules and regulations the person is breaking. (If anyone has a copy of this little memo, I’d love to see it.)

Further investigation reveals that this is not the work of the County but of some unnamed Sign Vigilante. Some of the actual regulations (which contradict some of the vigilante’s rules) include:

• You do NOT need a permit to put political signs in your yard.
• You can LEAVE THEM UP UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER – the 30 day rule does NOT apply to political signs.
• The signs must be set back 5 feet from the property line.
• The total area of all signs must not exceed 10 square feet. Depending on the size of the signs, it is equal to 2-3 standard political signs.
• No sign can be over 5′ tall.
• Signs cannot be illuminated.

If you want more information, contact Susan Scalademley, Dept of Permitting 240 777-6255.

Makes me want to put up a big lit billboard in my front yard dedicated to some cause. Perhaps an homage to His Noodly Appendage. And if you really want to find out who’s doing this, you can follow this guy’s lead from back in 2004 during the general election.

Perhaps we should say “the week” (with a much larger radius than just Thayer Avenue), but anything more than 24 hours and everything goes down the shitter anyway. I managed to snag some freezer space from a neighbor for expensive meat-stuff, but at least I have the opportunity to thoroughly clean and wipe down the inside of the refrigerators. Luckily, I had just taken these off the grill before the rain started, which made the immediate impact of the power outage a little less painful.

Ironically, Pepco’s site went down, too, but it’s back online with these sad statistics (as of 12:30pm on Tuesday):

We heard the term “multi-day event” on Sunday night, but the ramifications of that are really starting to hit home. The cool air through the open windows this morning was nice, but if those birds sit right outside again at 5:00 tomorrow morning, I will reach through the screen and crack their tiny skulls.

Skateboarding Is Not A Crime
I was walking through the plaza last night and snapped a photo of one of these new notices – of which there are many.

My daughter has become greatly enamored of skateboards now, which I’d gladly promote. But as she was running at full-tilt across the ice rink concrete slab, there were very nearly several collisions with many of the other stir-crazy kids out there. Add skaters into the mix, and I can appreciate the issues. That notice to the right of the metal sign tells you to go into The Box for more detail, which Silver Spring, Singular has documented here.

Stay cool out there. Hope the lights come back soon.

The date is set and the sickness is starting to spread. Saturday, October 23, 2010 is the official date for the 3rd Annual Silver Spring Zombie Walk. We’ve confirmed the date with AFI Silver Theatre and are working on securing a movie now. More updates on that when it’s finalized. Stay tuned to the official site and the Facebook page for details, as well as the Twitter feed for random kitsch and up-to-the-minute details.

Also, if you need some ideas for your zombie getup and be chronologically relevant, feel free to peruse the list of people who have died this year. (Remember: tragedy+time=comedy)

Now for those of you who want to know about the communist product of tampering with forbidden science, we present some propaganda:

Chompy has been fully inflated for the return of his (formerly) annual DTSS oversight. As I recall, rumor had it that Chompy’s previous reign over Silver Spring was overthrown because of budget cuts. I think Chompy should now become a leading economic indicator, and I hope this means we’ve coming out the other side of the recession.

Let’s not forget that all this “Chomp & Circumstance” is to officially welcome Shark Week on Discovery Channel, beginning Sunday, August 1.

And congrats to Silver Spring, Singular for a mention of his Chompy post in Lori’s AM Buzz in today’s WashingtonPost.com.

Who says the animated GIF is dead?

It’s official – Silver Spring’s newest touchstone is open. It’s a great facility with lots of space. Which is a good thing, because lots of people showed up. Including those annoying library bridge people handing out hardhats. I got a look when one was offered to me and I declined, saying I was decidedly anti-bridge.

It seemed pretty crowded when you were down there, but the aerial view gives a good idea of just how many people can pack into The Plaza.

For additional photos, see the token post from Silver Spring, Singular.

Or as some will call it, Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza.

While the name rivals the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in absurdity (and length), the building is looking mighty impressive. Before we go any further, I, for one, will *not* be using this name, except in this post and occasionally in mockery for one reason or another. I will now (affectionately) refer to it as “The Box” with the area in front of it being “The Plaza” (or “The Area Formerly Known as The Turf”). I feel this is only a natural progression from The Promenade to the west. I recommend you adopt this vernacular as well. Unless you’re one of the “historical” people, in which case “The Box Formerly Known as The Armory” is also acceptable.

Don’t get me wrong: I really like the building. And today, you can get inside and see it for yourself. It’ll be an afternoon of music, dance, and other entertainment, followed by an official opening ceremony. Schedule is thus:

• 2:00 to 2:30: GapBuster’s NAACP-SO Gold Medal Winners: Singer Melissa Blue (Blake High School) and Guitarist Delano Broad Water (Bethesda Chevy Chase High School
• 2:30 to 3:00: Truth
• 3:00 to 3:30: Truu Soul
• 3:30 to 4:00: Jonny Grave
• 4:00 to 4:30: Hey Day Players & Mighty Shock
• 4:30 to 5:00: Los Charlys Nativos
• 5:00 to 5:30: Contradiction Dance
• 5:30 to 6:00: The Memphis Gold Band featuring Charlie Sayles
• 6:00 to 6:30: Washington Revels

At 6:30 pm, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett will preside over a inaugural ceremony ribbon cutting, after which the public will be invited to enter The Box and see the new space. The Downtown Silver Spring site has even posted a handy virtual walkthrough, complete with goofy stand-in people.

I’m surprised some boneheaded group hasn’t lobbied for a pedestrian bridge from the parking garage at Fenton and Ellsworth.

Hope to see you there!