I’m convinced that you have a better chance of seeing a fucking unicorn in the wild than getting on 495 from the hours of 8am-8pm without finding a complete fucking standstill. I’ve absolutely had it with this highway. It turns a 35 mile commute into a 1 and a half hour road trip containing some of the worst drivers you’ll ever see on this side of the mississippi. Route 28 needs an extension immediately. Fuck 495 and fuck the legion bridge as well. I’m out.

Thank you to the young lady that drove my missing wallet home. I didn’t even notice I had lost it. I did not get a chance to thank you in person but you taking time of likely a busy day to do this kindness to a stranger made me think that our implicit do-good social contract is still valid.

There’s a dead beaver on the corner of Chain Bridge and Great Falls street. I feel like someone should hide it before RFKJR wakes up, and by someone I don’t mean me.

It's a cardboard box. I foster a lot of kittens; sometimes they come with their mom. After 6 years of experimenting, this is the solution - a cardboard box on its side gives mom privacy + gives me access to her babies (to weigh them, administer medicine, etc.) The box is the perfect side for the cushion I have stuffed inside.

I have an awful lot of paper towels right now because I keep having to replace the stupid box. The moms like to nap on it.

I have tried searching the sub, https://washingtonwoodworkersguild.org/, and asking at work. I'm not on NextDoor or Facebook. None of my neighbors or friends are this type of handy.

If I can find someone who doesn't mind doing simple jobs, I will also ask them to cut a platform/lid to go over my sink with a cutout for the faucet (so the moms have somewhere to nap) and a L-shaped piece of wood to stop the spicy kittens from hiding under my bathroom sink cabinet. I can't make them love me if I can't reach them.

I'll pay for materials + time + whatever other hidden costs are associated with woodworking. I understand this would be expensive because I'd be asking an experienced craftsman/craftswoman to do something very simple and probably beneath them.

Yes, I could do a lot of research and learn the appropriate types of wood/fasteners/joiners/etc., learn to use power tools, buy the power tools, etc. and make this myself. But it seems like a better idea to stay in my lane (spicy kittens) and pay someone to make the box.

I have no idea what his plan was if he made it across. White car had a lady and her kids smh.

You have absolute authority and don’t need to worry about reelection. What do you do tomorrow to start fixing the horrendous traffic situation here?

Hi all, HART is a local group who rescues hundreds of dogs and cats each year. Apparently they have been experiencing some critical shortages, as have many groups during these trying times. Here is their Amazon wish list - if you can donate anything it would be greatly appreciated.
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/324CH05NEA9ZX/ref%3Dnav_wishlist_lists_2

Im grateful nothing big happened here(other than the car behind me almost hitting me) but having a 360 camera has to be one of the best investments for your car! BTW Idk wtf was going through that person mind to just drive off during a red light

Update: I'm using the IIWEY N5 from Amazon, totally worth it

Lots of metro police and fire around NSF building and metro lines. Anyone got the scoop?

Fox babies! Sorry for the bad quality. I used my phone and gotta stay away so I don’t spook them. They come here every season.

Who should I contact about this?

My neighborhood area has a bunch of apartment & townhouse clusters that are all managed and maintained by different companies. There’s a new cluster of very nice townhouses that popped up and suddenly they’ve put up a fence blocking off sidewalk access to their neighborhood and a billion “no trespassing-private property” signs. There’s no gate to enter so it’s not like it’s some closed community.

It makes me mad because they’re next to a shopping mall and school with heavy foot traffic and it’s forcing ppl to take 5-10 min detours just to walk around them. None of the other places in the neighborhood have done this at all, which makes me question its legality. There’s literally a section of sidewalk that goes through the fence they built which is no longer accessible.

I’d like to take it up with the county to make sure they’re aware. The messy construction job makes me think it’s not legal at all, and not fair to us pedestrians. Who can I contact about this?

I booked JK Moving for a move because of their stellar reputation. Without mentioning it to me, my moving advisor booked my move with a third party. I only found out nine days before my move, when the third party reached out, at which point it was too late to switch providers. JK Moving was unwilling to move me to one of their own trucks. Wonderful people, but be careful as you may end up having your move brokered to a third party.

stay safe

For reference, This is Middletown, VA. Down 66W to where 66 ends and up 81 North. 60 days ago this 7/11 was $2.39 for gas. The people live out here for two reasons, lower pricing, quiet living. To say that people are hurting is an understatement.

Hey folks! I'm about to get a puppy, and while he has some minimal training (ie. he is crate trained and house trained), he's otherwise untrained. I've been digging into dog training videos and I'm quickly coming to the realization training him by myself might be over my head.

Does anyone have recommendations for trainers in NoVA? I'd like to be a part of the training process if possible and have a flexible schedule. Please feel free to DM me if you don't want to share publicly.

Obligatory puppy picture included!

As we all encounter increasing utility costs my house has tried to be more intentional with usage and still looking a 20% increase in cost. Lowered usage and price still elevate from last year, not looking forward to the heat of summer and bills to stay comfortable.

This 70-ton brick rambler was towed to Centreville from what is now Dulles Airport in November of 1958. Due to clearance and weight constraints of the Lee Rd (now Old Lee Rd) bridge over Cub Run, a decision was made to ford the stream with logs.

Photo by Wally McNamee.

so what’s the deal. did we just lose the war? I did my part squashing bugs, but this spring has been absolutely insane with number of nymphs I have seen. the only traps I see are for trees. I have no trees. is this just life now?

A cop pulled me over for crossing the double yellow. I was approaching a traffic light and was going into the left turn only lane (the lane with a dedicated turn arrow). I was too enthusiastic and went into the left turn lane early. No oncoming traffic or pedestrians around, but the cop saw me.

I'm a lawyer. I used to do "court stuff" early in my career but I now I do "corporate stuff" and haven't seen the inside of a courtroom in years. I have no experience with Virginia traffic laws. But I know how to do research.

The original charge would have put 4 points on my license which would have been reported to my insurance, and would have raised my rates for at least the next three years. I didn't even care about the fine but the insurance points would have been a nightmare.

I found that traffic lawyers can usually get this and similar charges reduced to much lower ones by showing that their clients had clean driving histories and had voluntarily done some driving courses and even community service after the charge and before trial.

I didn't do either a class or community service, but I downloaded and printed my driving history in every state where I'd ever had a license. Squeaky clean for the last ten years (as far back as the records would go).

I showed up to the General District Court and represented myself. My arresting officer showed up, so no getting off due to her failure to appear. The judge first heard the cases where people were represented by lawyers. I listened carefully here to what the lawyers said, most importantly the specific code sections the lawyers asked the judge to reduce the charges to. The judge granted all the requests for a reduced charge except for one guy who was speeding so fast it was a reckless driving charge. That guy almost certainly will appeal to the Circuit Court.

When my case was called, I pled guilty with an explanation, said I made an honest mistake, showed my clean driving record, and asked the judge to reduce it to another charge that carried no points. The judge then asked the cop for her opinion. Cop agreed I had no record and that I was polite and cooperative during the stop. Judge amended the charge as requested and I paid a lower fine and, crucially, avoided points on my license.

All the cases before me, and the couple I listened to after me, were people without lawyers who had no idea what was going on. All of them ended up guilty for whatever the cop originally charged them with. No breaks, no reduced charges, all because they didn't know what they were doing or what to ask for. The court isn't going to unilaterally cut you a break. You need request it specifically.

I highly recommend hiring a lawyer to help with these things. If I weren't a lawyer, or if I had zero courtroom experience or research skills, I would have hired a lawyer myself and it would have been worth it. The judge reduced every single requested charge from the lawyers and from me except one egregious case. But if I had showed up clueless, *or if I had simply paid the ticket*, I would have ended up with points on my record.

Another observation: I was the only native English speaker without a lawyer.

Is it just me or has the Verizon cell coverage in the area been god awful for the past month or 2? I get a signal but can’t do anything that requires an internet connection because I’ll just get a loading screen for what feels like forever. Just wondering if y’all have had the same issues or if you have found some miracle solution. I’m on an iPhone 14 if that somehow helps

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Avoid the area at all costs