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Looking for an unusual, creative and romantic way to spend your Valentine Friday Night?  How about Woo at the Zoo ? Friends of the National Zoo, or FONZ, are happy to sponsor this one of a kind event at the Washington National Zoo.  The evening includes a cash bar, complimentary hors d’oeurves, a rose and most importantly…a fascinating, entertaining and intriguing look at animal “love”. 

The National Zoo is one of the regions best and popular attractions. Not only is the zoo one of the best in the country, it’s FREE!  If you can’t make this over 21 romantic event, check out the other events at the FONZ.org site.

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Eight US presidents were born in the great Commonwealth of Virginia!  Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Harrison, Tyler, Taylor and Wilson… some pretty heavyweights in US history.  You could spend the upcoming President’s Day weekend sleeping in on Monday, or checking out the “Presdiential Cribs”. … possible new show for the History Channel?

Scattered across Virginia are the estates, universities, memorials, and monuments for these great leaders.  But none is more accessible from the 95 corridor than Mount Vernon, the estate, and burial ground of our #1 Commander and Chief, George Washington.

The Mount Vernon folks are making a trip to their locale even more enticing by offering reduced rates through the end of February and FREE Admission on the actual President’s Day Monday. A full slate of events are scheduled for the weekend, including a military encampment and military honors at Washington’s tomb.  Check out the discounts and events on their website MountVernon.org

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Like the little girl writing to the newspaper to confirm the existence of Santa, many Virginians have started to question the plans and uses of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  Although some could argue the economic strategies of initiating the stimulus plan, what’s done is done and the money is beginning to roll out of Washington, (more accurately out of China).

 Everyone…. red, blue, green.. is in agreement that if the money is spent, that it should produce jobs!  Please, no $2.3 milion studies on whether a child who plays video games will be a great fighter pilot!  Please, no $500 hammers.  We would like to see spending that creates jobs.

 If you can wade through the multi level confusion of charts, maps, and color coded grant packages … you may find the answers to your questions about stimulus spending here: Stimulus.Virginia.gov  The Federal Government maintains its nod to transparency with “Track the Money” Recovery.gov. 

 These sites can drill down to your local zip codes, towns and counties to see where the money is planned to, or already being spent.  My favorite feature is the estimates of how many jobs each project has created. The federal website’s backdated ”jobs created” calculator tracks at 640,329 jobs created as of 10/30/09.  Perhaps the person who tabulates this number lost his job three months ago.   Judge for yourself!

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It almost seems mythical now…. “The 95 HOV lanes will be extended south through Massaponnox”.  Like a folk tale passed along on the breezy tones of a confident story teller, those words resonated with many living south of the merge.  We were braced for the construction trucks, detour signs, further congestion and delay. But where, oh where, is our extension that was first propsed in March 2004 and approved in January 2005?

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Shockingly…. there have been delays. Shockingly, environmental studies seem to be the biggest delay.  Would someone like to check out the environments in those cars crammed onto 95 on Friday night at 7 pm?After some googling….. I have found info that points to construction to begin at the end of this year. Check out this link through VDOT that details the locations, plans, timelines and gives us all a little hope…. Rome wasn’t built in a day? Right…..???????? HOV Extension Information

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During military move season, it is becoming a more common site to see white PODS storage containers sitting in driveways.  Base housing and military neighborhoods are filling up, loading up and shipping with the newest tool to make a DITY/PPM move more efficient… PODS.   

Military members that do not want to drive those overstuffed rental trucks, dragging their motorcycle or boat behind it, can have their PODS picked up, stored and delivered.  The PODS are dropped back off into the new driveway or parking lot when they are ready to receive them into their new home.  So, if you’re not going “door to door”, your stuff can wait in the packed PODS for you to find your new home.   Perhaps one of the best benefits of the program is that the PODS can sit in the driveway while the packing is done at the individual’s pace. 

 PODS provides a stress free storage solution for servicemen and women who may be deployed overseas. PODS storage containers provide security and flexibility. Upon returning, PODS will move your moving or storage container to your new base, installation or home.

Here are some tips to ensure that your next Military move goes smoothly with PODS: 1.    Every DITY / PPM move requires visiting your Traffic Management Office (TMO) or Joint Personal Property Shipping Office (JPPSO). You estimate the weight of your household goods and they will assign you a Personal Property Entitlement, which is like a budget.

2.    Next call PODS and mention you’re in the military. PODS will send your moving container to your door on the day you want it, plus you are provided with a military discount.

3.    You load everything at your own pace and control the way it is packed.

4.    PODS obtains DITY weight tickets for you when the moving or storage container is picked up. They arrive in the mail about a week later. With PODS, you eliminate the weigh stations, paperwork, and driving - PODS takes care of it for you!

5.    PODS can store your stuff for the first month at no extra charge or move you locally or around the US, Canada or Hawaii.  PODS, a better way to move, store and renovate.PODS appreciates the commitment and sacrifices of our military service men and women as well as their families. PODS offers discounts for military serviceman and veterans.

Those envelopes marked “Important Tax Information”, alerting you that this is actually important.. rather than the 100 other envelopes you received from your bank this year,  are starting to trickle into the mailbox.  Tax time!  Time to start thinking about where and who to go to for support.  Apart from paying a tax preparer, there are several options to masterfully tackle those taxes on your own.Military members, reitirees, reservists and dependants… (isn’t that most of Northern Virginia??)On Jan. 25 the Quantico Marine Corp Base tax center will open for income tax returns for single and joint filers with no dependents or Marines who reside in the barracks.  All other active-duty and retired service members, including their dependents, and reservists on active-duty for more than 29 days can come in beginning Feb  1. The tax center is conveniently located at 3095 Roan Street, in the back of the Legal Assistance Center.  Call 703 784 3975 for an appointment.The Tax Center at Fort Belvoir will open on February 1, 2010.   They offer free, IRS-certified electronic preparation and filing of state and Federal tax returns for military members, retirees and their dependents.  The hours are 0800-1600 M-Thursday (by appointment); Fridays Walk-ins.  Call 703) 805-2856 for an appointment.

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My remedial spanish would indicate that the website GoLoco would be a “crazy” place to go if I was looking for reliable transportation to work.  Of course, jumping into a car with three strangers on a slug lot might be considered a little crazy too.   But actually, this web site source isn’t crazy at all.  GoLoco is a site to register your commute to work and be connected to ther commuters that want to share the expense with you. GoLoco, a social network for ride sharing, makes it easier for individuals to help friends, neighbors, and others nearby. Launched on Earth Day in 2007, the site is designed to help people save on gas and cut carbon emissions by helping them find rides. “Many people, particularly students and people in their 20s, find it a means by which they can reduce the cost of travel, which is a very burdensome thing,” says Robin Chase, the site’s CEO and founder.

GoLoco  matches people with others going their way and providing drivers with online tools to collect payment for the costs of providing the ride, such as gas and vehicle wear and tear, with a few mouse clicks. GoLoco collects a 10% transaction fee to fund the site.

 Other Van Pooling organizations have been around the DC area for awhile and have sound and tested systems for plugging you into a van pool in your area.  VPSInc.Com, ABS Vans.com and Vanpools.net are just three of the most popular.  Virginia has even stepped up to the plate to provide support for Van pools they may be struggling while down a member or starting their own vanpool. For more information call the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. 

In a not so surprising move, the Redskins owner Dan Snyder, fired Jim Zorn and quickly hired ex-Broncos guru Mike Shanahan.  Snyder released a statement noting that he realizes he was part of the problem…. ” I certainly accept responsibility for mistakes that I have made.” Nowhere in the statement did Big Redskin Dan outline how he would refrain from making those same micromanaging mistakes again. 

In this era of high profile falls from grace, the “apology” and “reponsibility” statement are almost as boilerplate as the warning on the top of your Hot Coffee from McDonalds.  Tiger Woods, Letterman, SC Gov Sanford…. taking many of their cues from perhaps the originial apologizer… former President Bill Clinton. 

 Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised that in this politically savy town that even our sports press releases read like a “mea culpa” on the latest indiscretion of our electorate.  So, while the Redskins move into the Shanahan era, lets enjoy the CAPS and WIZARDS for awhile. 

The Washington Capitals are having an outstanding season.  Although they were picked to advance far into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they have only suffered a few uncharacteristic losses and look ripe to meet those expectations. 

Although the Wizards have the 9th highest payroll in the NBA, they are currently playing well below expectations.   The question is whether ownership will weather this storm and see if the team gels in the next few weeks or have a fire sale to unload some of its high priced talent. 

Enjoy our winter athletics…soon enough we will HAVE to talk about the Nationals…

Soon to be innaugurated Governor McDonnell, ran on a platform of new jobs and an aggressive approach to finding new energy sources for the state.   McDonnell is already moving to follow through on his promises, citing the following as he urges the Ferderal government to loosen its policies on offshore drilling:

A 2005 study by a former president at Old Dominion University forecast that offshore natural gas production alone off of the Atlantic coast near Virginia would, over a 10-year period, likely create at least 2,578 new jobs, induce capital investment of $7.84 billion, yield $644 million in direct and indirect payroll, and result in $271 million in state and local taxes. The study also estimated that there could be up to 500 million barrels of oil in this lease area – enough to fuel all four million cars in Virginia for more than four years.

Although some critics have challenged the validity of this “study” and no one has been able to obtain a copy of the body of the report, many of the voters that pushed McDonnell through with a landslide victory are hopeful that he will come through on his campaign promises.  Jobs, tax revenue for the beleagured budget, and an alternative natural resource… what could be better ?

Virginians from Fairfax to Norfolk anxiously await the New Year, the new governor and the new policies that will either boost or befuddle the state budget, the real estate markets, the job markets and our school systems.  Lots of forecasters are predicting the end to economic downturn… others see further lows to come… What do you think?

What an eventful week in DC! 

The Blizzard of 2009 singlehandedly took out retailer’s chances of having a banner pre-Christmas weekend.  But, more than likely, restored the sanity and serenity of the holiday to Nothern Virginia as most of the population was locked down for the weekend. 

The Senate passed a bartered bloated version of the Healthcare Bill which doesn’t align with what the House ludicrously passed, and are pounding their fists in victory.  ?? Seriously? 

My kid’s elementary school choir cancelled their Winter performance because there was too many families protesting them singing “Sleigh Bells” as it implied Christmas…   Seriously??

Lots of thought provoking and challenging events that could undermine your holiday (whatever your holiday is) sprirt.  But there is another thing I encounter in Virginia… everywhere I go.  Families, spouses, parents who are missing their loved ones as they serve faithfully overseas.  The US Soldier, Sailor, Airmen or Marine that will be without their families and the comforts of home during the holidays aren’t thinking about Healthcare bills or what politcally correct song they can sing on the 24th.  They probably don’t care if it is a Holiday Tree or a Christmas Tree., they would just like to be in front of the one in their home.

Thank you Servicemen and women for your sacrifice.  Thank you for being there.