A regular summary of irregular news and notes from neighborhood blogs and email lists around the District.

That Time of the Month: In response to a message advertising Girl Scout cookies for sale in the neighborhood (sent presumably by a Scout’s parent but signed, “Thank you for your support of a Georgetown GS troop!”), a member of the Georgetown Forum email list snipes, “Aren’t Girl Scouts supposed to be selling Girl Scout cookies? Isn’t that the point of the program?” This attitude doesn’t sit well with other list members. One writes, “What is going on with the tone and mood of this [email list] these last few days? Every single message I’ve received has been a complaint or a criticism. People people, civility.” Another adds, “Agree completely—lately too many complaints and trivial topics on Forum. Really, we are so lucky to live in this charming area, surrounded by parks and playgrounds, with schools and hospitals nearby, beautiful views of our river, some of the best restaurants and shops right here, good friends and neighbors, and the continually fascinating Washington governing (?) nearby. (Now there is something we can complain about!) Have myself lived here over 52 years and would not want to be anywhere else. So stop fussing and enjoy it!!”

Two Problems, One Email: To the TakomaDC email list, which in the past has come to blows over whether Pepco’s smart meters are a good thing or not, a member writes, “Sorry I have not follow the dustup about PEPCO’s meter matters—until NOW. The current bills reads 577 percent more than the last monthly bill, at $130. That is not [possible]. If anything, there would have been less usage because of travel schedules. There are no dripping faucets and the two outside faucets are turned off from inside levers—all winter. Please advise effective course of action.” Before anyone can ask what a dripping faucet has to do with one’s electricity bill, the member writes, “Sorry, Neighbors. I combined two separate problems in the same email.”

Chevy Chase Problems: On the Chevy Chase email list, a member writes with the following issue: “We have an elderly (1988) Amana refrigerator that is keeping the proper cooling in the refrigerator and freezer, but is forming ice along the back of the freezer and is no longer making ice cubes. Before we call a repair person and pay for a house call, can anyone suggest what the problem is and whether it can be solved in house so to speak. The refrigerator was defrosted and vacuumed recently so that is not the issue.” Another member responds, “I had a similar problem with my year-old ice-maker/freezer. I had to let the whole thing sit, unplugged, until the water line thawed. For yours, I don’t know what to tell you, but you might turn off the water supply to the ice-maker, and if you can get to it, run a hair dryer on medium (not hot enough to break the pipe) directly on it for awhile. After I let it defrost, a plumber friend came and turned it back on and it’s been fine. The water line might just be clogged with build-up, but I think a plumber would have to fix that for you.”

OK NIMBYism: The New Hill East email list is rather incensed by the possibility of a Redskins training facility at Reservation 13. In response to a Washington Post piece about the plan, a member writes, “According to the graphic…Mayor [Vince] Gray and Jack Evans would like to place the training facility on the space partly freed up by the demolition of a building that took place last summer. The space nearest RFK. This space was supposed to be used for parking while they used an existing lot for demolition of another building on the site in preparation for development. It’s pretty amazing how little Gray cares about the community input and the 10 years of community work that went into the existing framework. It’s as if it never happened.” Another member writes, “I envision a domed stadium as a Super Bowl sized/FedExField huge stadium, and I think that is much larger than a training facility? So with that, we lose all of Reservation 13 (green space/park space/housing/retail, etc.)? And with that, we get buses, increased traffic, etc.? I don’t know. I am trying to keep an open mind, but I am thinking of all those monolithic stadiums that create neighborhood wastelands around them. I think it would also further separate Ward 6 from Ward 7 when all of the plans were to further incorporate our neighborhoods which I have looked forward to….Why are we expected to choose the lesser of two evils when there is a sensible, doable master plan in place?” A third poster then claims, “There is no master plan in place. There is a plan that some people put together and have been touting for the past 10 years….I disagree with everything you say about the proposed Redskins training facility. I would love to see this happen!” But a fourth rebuts, “Yes, there is a master plan. The council voted in 2002 on a plan. The ‘some people’ you keep citing includes the neighborhood and our ANC reps—the very people we tasked with coming up with a plan. Gray and Evans are the only folks in elected gov’t pushing the training facility for Reservation 13.” And though yet another member of the list asks the third to defend her enthusiasm for the training facility, she has not yet responded.