Say What, Now?

Anyone who’s read this blog is aware of the fact that I usually use this space to complain about something.  Well, here I go again.

I have to take issue with our friendly neighborhood Giant supermarket.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a big improvement over Lee’s Market.  However, Giant seems to be unfamiliar with what I call the Universal Good Neighbor Policy, or UGNP.

It’s bad enough that the Giant we ended up with would have been better suited for the ‘burbs (entrance could have been up to the street, parking behind, etc.–but that’s a whole ‘nother post).  It certainly doesn’t encourage walkability to have to dodge traffic.  It does appear to be built for the folks stopping in from Maryland and Virginia–they make out like a bunch of fat rats, since DC doesn’t have a tax on food.

It’s also bad enough that within a few months of opening they removed the Mediterranean bar, citing neighborhood demographics (what, we don’t want to eat healthy?).  I thought it was quite presumptive of them to assume that everyone is willing to feed their families the same thing.

I can even usually put up with the over-familiarity of some (not all, only a select few, who shall remain nameless) of the cashiers.

It’s the liberties they take with my wallet that I take issue with.

In fact, the food is so overpriced in comparison with Trader Joe’s (yes, I checked) and other local places that I do the majority of my food shopping on the other side of town.  I really want to support the neighborhood store, but it’s not being very neighborly.  Sometimes I think they just took the TIF and no longer feel obligated to provide good service.  I like good service.  I’m willing to pay for it.  I pay a pretty good chunk of income tax, and I’d like to feel that at least some of the service is aimed at me.

This evening, for instance, I went to get two items; not a lot, but I went to Giant instead of stopping at CVS or some other place on my way home from work.  I purchased a re-usable bag–not just any old bag, but a bag commemorating 50 years of “It’s Academic” which is something Giant can really be proud of.  The cashier, who was a surly young man whom I won’t name (but that doesn’t mean I’ll forget his name, either) rang up my purchase, but didn’t include the 5-cent bag credit.  When I asked him about it, he told me that I wouldn’t get it.  Apparently, their policy (reinforced by one of the manager, but disputed by another) is that you don’t get a rebate unless you bring a bag in.  Mind you, it wasn’t like I purchased the bag and then asked for a disposable bag to put it in; no I used the bag.  In fact, he just started putting my groceries in the bag without asking me (it could have been a gift, but whatever).  When I told him that other stores give you the rebate for using the reusable bag, his reply was, “Well, you came here, didn’t you?”

That’s what I mean.  It’s like Giant is saying, “This is the only store you have.  Get used to it.”

Well, Giant had better get used to it.  This neighborhood is changing.

We need to demand better service from those who set up shop in our neighborhoods and hold our wallets hostage.  As long as we allow businesses to treat us with a lack of respect, they’ll gladly continue to do so.

As for me, I’ll continue to drag my cart over to TJs until things get better.

Recently, a well-meaning friend of mine berated me for not planning to do a full-blown, traditional Thanksgiving meal at my house for me and my nine-year-old daughter. She felt that by not partaking in this annual American ritual, was somehow contributing to my child’s inevitable social ineptitude. (When my grandmother hosted Thanksgiving at her house, what ensued was fights over who could and couldn’t cook and veiled insults on parenting skills, followed by all of the male family members adjourning to the living room to watch football, whether they liked it or not, and then tired parents and cranky kids driving home well past bedtime. This practice eventually fell by the wayside.)

Having been successful in previously raising a very socially well-adjusted, graceful, courteous daughter who has participated in a range of cultural activities, I decided that keeping my tradition of taking advantage of what the Smithsonian has to offer on the fourth Thursday in November would stay. I prefer to use all 365 days each year to consider what I’m thankful for.

Here are just a few things for which I’m thankful:

I’m thankful to live in a society which allows me freedom. When thanksgiving rolls around each year, we all get that mental image of Norman Rockwell’s famous painting of the family seated around the dinner table, with Grandma bringing a huge, beautifully prepared turkey to be carved up and served. This, however, was only one of four depictions that Rockwell painted. He covered three others: freedom of worship, freedom of speech, and freedom from fear.

I’m thankful to be able to turn on the tap and get clean drinking water.

I’m thankful to be able to send my children to public school without having to deny them the chance because they’re girls.

I’m thankful to have been raised by parents who remembered what hard times really were, and loved me so much they taught me how to survive if hard times came back.

I’m thankful to be able to be able to read and write, and to be permitted to do so if and when I choose.

I’m thankful to have a roof over my head and clothes on my back. I’m especially thankful that I’ve been able to provide them myself.

I’m thankful to be employed. In this time when so many are losing their jobs, I’m thankful to still have one, especially one that allows me to continue to enhance my skills so that, if need be, I can be flexible and use my skills to continue to earn money if I lose my current job.

I’m thankful to have a family that has taught me that, in order to know where I’m going, I need to know where I came from.

I’m thankful to be able to pay for my child’s school lunch. When my nine-year-old daughter misguidedly told me that she thought I was being punished for having a job by being charged for school lunch, I explained to her that it is a privilege to be able to afford this luxury; many don’t have it so well.

I’m thankful to have been able to return to college. Mom and Dad, I promised I would, and so I have. I’m thankful to have been able to fulfill a promise both to you and myself, no matter how late in life.

I’m thankful to have been able to see so many leaps and bounds in technology. In my lifetime so far, we’ve gone from black-and-white television and rotary dial phones to LCD HDTV, iPads/Pods/Phones. Kids have gone from sending Morse code on the living room blinds like an Aldis lamp (remember that?) to texting.

I’m thankful for the Internet. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what an Aldis lamp is, it’s on Wikipedia.

I’m thankful to have the opportunity to meet new people every day. Metro may not be at the top of its game, but you meet people from all over the world during a 40-minute trip.

I’m thankful for the freedom not to do something if I choose.

I’m thankful to be from, and live in, the nation’s capital. Whether you call yourself and native Washingtonian, and Washington native, or a District native, you know that you have a unique place in the world. There are so few of us that can lay claim to this, so capitalize on those bragging rights.

Above all, I thank God for making all of this possible. Which God? Thanks to Him (MY CHOICE), I have the freedom to choose.

So, whatever you plan to do tomorrow, take each day to be thankful for what we’ve been given in life no matter how small or insignificant it might seem to you. Help others, especially children and young folks see that thanksgiving means the giving of thanks—no more, no less; no matter how, or when, or to whom.

Folks who’ve been following this blog may remember the fight I’ve been having with the city’s Department of Transportation to get them to remove a dead American Elm from the treebox in front of my house.  Well, an opportunity arose a couple of weeks ago and, because I jumped, I was successful. 

After a few minutes of District officials patting themselves on the back about bike lanes, snow removal, and pothole eradication, I pounced. 

You see, Gabe Klein, the apparent “golden boy” of the District government, hosted an online chat on March 19; I found out about it about 15 minutes prior to the chat.  I thought, “Oh, boy!  Now’s my chance!”  I typed my question out and had it ready to “cut’n'paste” into the question box: 

“Hello Mr. Klein.  I don’t know if you recall our email conversations from last year, but I’m the lady on Congress Place with the American Elm (yes, it’s a street tree) that has bark and branches falling off because the roots, having absolutely nowhere else to go because the tree is root-bound, have lifted the sidewalk and grown into the sewer line.  I was just wondering if there’s any hope of the tree ever being removed during my lifetime.  For the last couple of years, my options have been 1) paying $500 to have the sewer snaked out all the way to the street (because the roots are wrapping around the water meter as well), or 2) flush poison down the drain on a monthly basis to kill the roots that enter hairline cracks (I don’t want to do this; the environment contains enough poison already).  Let me know.  Thanks.” 

I’m sure my attack blindsided them.  It took them a few moments to “formulate their answer” as you can see from the screenshot below: 

Live DDOT Chat, March 19, 2010

My colleagues, who have been following the battle, expressed their doubt that anything would happen.  However, when I got home that evening, this was on the tree:  

Progress!

My colleagues were still not convinced that anything would come of it.  My neighbors were equally weary.  However, here’s what we saw upon arriving home on Tuesday: 

Frankie "dances on the grave" of the dead tree!

 So, here’s the process for getting things done in the District:

1. Internet access is essential.  Calling and email is pointless; you just get ignored.  Imagine how much more efficient the city would be if we all had free wifi?
2. It’s important to follow current affairs.  If you know the person you’re trying to contact is under a microscope, it’s a golden opportunity.
3. Read local blogs.  It was thanks to the City Paper’s “Loose Lips” column that I found out about the live chat.
4. Be ready to pounce!  Typing my question in advance and then using the “cut ‘n’ paste” method was the quickest way possible to get a question in.  The city’s live chats are closely monitored, and they usually avoid the tough questions (or use excuses like “the questions are taking too long to load”, as in the case of the DPW chat on Thursday).  To DDOT’s credit, they were willing to answer my question online, and relatively quickly took action.

This day started out less than great for me. First, when I went to drop my 8-year-old off at Malcolm X Elementary School for the Saturday Scholars program, the doors were locked tight; I must have missed the notice. With no place to park my daughter, I wasn’t able to attend my class at Trinity (Trinity has a strict “no children on campus” policy). Later, when I tried to pick up the book I’d placed a hold on several weeks ago at the Parklands-Turner Library, it was discovered that the book had not only never arrived, it was missing. OK, 0 for 3.

However, there was a bright spot. My daughter and I headed over to Big Chair Coffee and Grill, which we’d been wanting to do since they opened. Upon entering, we were greeted warmly by Mr. Mekonnen, who served us up some delicious beverages. I had a large Café American, and my daughter had a hot chocolate with whipped cream and caramel.

We also each had an omelette with bacon and sausage, cooked just right and served with hash browns and toast. The place is done up beautifully, with warm colors and a pleasant atmosphere. The television was tuned to CNN (I like that; the other day, when I took my daughter to her dentist, I had to sit through “Maury” and “The Tyra Banks Show”. I needed something a little more cerebral.). Friendly service, great food and a pleasant atmosphere–what more can one ask? The best part is I didn’t have to cross the river to get it! (And, unlike at IHOP, I didn’t have to climb over a wall of ice.)

I will be back very soon, because that turkey burger and those boneless chicken wings are still calling my name.

Bus Stop, SE Corner, 18th and I Streets, NW (Note to Metrobus passengers: you must be able to levitate above the ice in order to board the bus.)

NE Corner, 18th and H Streets, NW (The Paralyzed Veterans of America building is located in the middle of this block. The only wheelchair access is the entrance to the parking garage in the middle of the block.)

Today, I made my first foray in ten days into the downtown/Golden Triangle section of the city.  Here are some of the offenders I passed during my walk from Farragut West Metro to my job. Now I almost understand why most city workers drive to work instead of using Metro, and it has very little to do with the Metro system. These are not individual homeowners who, for whatever reason or another, may not have properly cleared their sidewalks. These are multi-million-dollar business that can afford to get at least ONE guy with a shovel. I mean, come on!

Bus Stop, 18th Street at Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (in front of the World Bank)

Bus Stop, 18th Street at F Street, NW (across the street from GSA) (Weren't you guys supposed to clear the area around the hydrant as well?)

Intersection, 18th and I Streets, NW

Intersection, 18th and I Streets, NW (NW Corner) This is the building where the Greater Washington Board of Trade is located. Note the pedestrians trying to help one another over the "snow hump" in front of a Metrobus.