Crossposted to my own journal, just in case.
At right around 9 am today, my neighbour and i were taking a left from Broadway onto Willow when a pug* RAN across the street, narrowly avoiding being hit by a car or two, and took off down Willow like a bat out of hell.  Not the normal, "i'm a bad puppy" run, but, "RUN RUN RUN THEY'RE GOING TO GET ME RUN!!!!!" 

My neighbour saw a  woman in a purple tshirt running after him, but she was down Bristol, i think, and really had no way of knowing he went straight down Willow.  We saw zero evidence he was fleeing Stinky's, BTW, before someone suggests that. 

So we kept him in sight as we drove, watching him run in front of more than one car.  He seems to tire around the ped path, so i jumped out and tried to get him. Nope, he ran back up Willow and took a left on Morrison.  No way was i going to catch him, but as i got back in the car, a different woman in a purple shirt asked which way he had gone, and said she knew the dog and his family, and that he was spooked by bikes after seeing their own dog get hit last week.  (As a cyclist, this breaketh my heart, not knowing if her own dog is all right.)

So, does anybody reading this know if Pupper on the Run was returned to his family?  Did anyone see him charging around?  He was pretty normal looking for a pug - short, muscular, tan/brindle coloured without any major markings, but black skin around the face and eyes.

Just hoping for a happy ending.

(We needed to be somewhere on time, so we couldn't linger and/or chase him any longer than we did.)

*I think he was a pug, or a pug mix. I'm not as familiar with small dog breeds. 

Anyone know what's up with The Golden Jade on Broadway?
That was one of my favourite Chinese places, and when I went today to get lunch, I was met with tons of boxes outside of ketchup packets and other things and a guy yelling at me telling me they're closed.

Calling all actors!

Info about auditions for Theatre@First's Fall production of "The Rimers of Eldritch," an intriguing drama about the people of a small town by Lanford Wilson, is now available at: http://www.theatreatfirst.org

Auditions are by appointment on Monday, August 25th or Tuesday, August 26 with callbacks on August 28.

Performances will be Nov. 7-22 at the Elizabeth Peabody House, 277 Broadway near Foss Park in Somerville.

Please visit the website to see more information and make your appointment!

Hello LJers!



This very sweet 6-month-old grey and white female kitten wandered into Hub Comics on July 8. She followed our guy Lou in from the roast beef shop around the corner.

My wife, son, dog, and other two cats have had her at home (segregated from the other animals) for almost three weeks now.

Someone please claim her! :)

Hi Davis Square, Ball Square,

You're invited - First Church Somerville will have a service for the Blessing of the Animals this Sunday at 10:00 AM, in the front yard. Afterwards, we're having a vegetarian potluck.

Bring your animals, real, stuffed or photographed; a lawn chair; and a vegetarian dish to share.

Rev. Laura Ruth

Yard Sale! Tomorrow, Saturday, July 26th, 9AM - 2PM!

34 Irving Street (directly off of Broadway - or off of Holland if you're walking - five minutes from the Davis Square T-stop, near Orleans Restaurant).

- TONS of kitchenware (glasses, mugs, pans, fancy teapots, etc.)
- Christmas, Easter, and Halloween decorations!
- LOTS of clothes and shoes, all in very good condition!
- Some furniture (glass tables, stereo cabinet, high chair)
- Television!
- Printers!
- some baby toys!
- LOTS more stuff of all sorts - toys, collectibles, fun stuff!

Prices are LOW - I want this stuff to go!

The weather forecasts have gotten worse for Sunday and it now looks very likely that there will be thunderstorms. We are regretfully going to have to postpone the event for 1 week. It will be taking place on Sunday, August 3rd, from 11am to 3pm.

We are very sorry, but we are still looking forward to the event next week.

Does anybody here have any experience with Krank It Up Car Audio & Security on Mystic Ave? I just need to make my car's built-in sound system go from not working to working, so I'm sure I can get this fixed many other places, but they already said they could do it Saturday morning, which is a plus.

My partner and I have been having some issues, probably related to abuse that each of us has suffered in the past.  We've been seeing a couples therapist for a while but have become increasingly unhappy with him.   Ideally, we would like to find someone who would be amenable to giving us exercises etc that might allow us to work toward a more fulfilling sex life.  Red Line accessible would be a plus, but needing to drive to appointments is certainly not a deal breaker.

According to the print edition of yesterday's Somerville News, the owners of the 255 Elm Street building have obtained an entertainment license to reopen the former Jimmy Tingle theatre. The article is not online and does not provide much detail.

The News article says that the owners' names are Robert and Micah Goren, but the sign on the front says GORIN BUILDING.

My friend Tina lost her dog Cleo at Tufts Field late last night.

Cleo is a two-year-old pit/beagle mix. She's very small, and she has a short, butterscotch-colored coat. Tina had let her off leash before the rain and thunder started, and after a big thunderclap Cleo ran away.

Animal control has been notified, and Tina has put up signs. If any of you see a dog matching this description, please let me know her whereabouts so I can pass the information along.

Thanks!

e-mail from Tom Champion:

I’m going out a limb and predicting that, even if it isn’t still raining cats and dogs at showtime, the ground in Seven Hills Park will be too swampy for comfortable seating.

I am therefore canceling tonight’s SomerMovie fest showing of Bee Movie.

Sorry folks.

1) If anybody is driving in to the sale and have room in their vehicles, it might help to carpool. It could simplify things and cut down on traffic/ parking issues that might arise (and is better for the environment).

If you have room and was thinking about driving in, please post your general location in a comment (not exact address of course, but perhaps neighborhood or street). If someone else that is in the hood could get a ride with you that would be awesome. A person could use the LJ message thingie to send a message and then you could coordinate individually. I know some people would like to donate things but are stuck without transportation. You would be doing us all a huge favor!

2) My friend that lives in the Fenway area would like to donate things but is stuck without transportation. They have at least 1 full carload of things to donate. I'm wondering if there is anyone in that area that was planning on attending the sale that was going to drive in and could possibly transport some items? Its a long shot, but its worth a shot.

Sorry for making another post, this hopefully will be the last "logistical" one. I believe we are all set! :)

I have an old large painting that has been taken off it's stretchers and rolled up.  I'd like to get it put back on stretchers (is this what they are called? you know, the wooden bits that make a canvas into a painting) but not framed.  I have NO IDEA where to get something like this done.  Help?

N.B. I checked the art tags already.

Hello all--my Google queries have been fruitless so I'm hoping someone here has a recommendation. My condo association would like to do a reserve fund study. Has anyone here done this that could provide experience or references? 

Thanks! 

Tonight at around 9:30pm, it seems that somebody was struck by the T in the Davis Square stop. I was in the station at the time it happened and heard the train's horn blaring, but I did not actually see the incident occur with my own eyes so I can't say for sure exactly what went on. A woman behind me on the escalator saw it and advised me "not too look and scare myself", but she indicated that somebody had been hit.

This is all I know about it so I don't want to go around spreading false assumptions about the incident. It has however, really been weighing on my mind so if anybody has any further facts about what happened I would appreciate being filled in. I'm sure there are other Davis residents who are also concerned.

Thanks.

EDIT: All is well in the world! The person is OK! Thanks for filling me in!

Umm... Unless the earth descends into eternal darkness... There will be an art opening at Magpie tonight!

We have a fantastic new art show up by local artist Dave Kiersh, cartoonist extraordinaire, called "Teenage Dilemma." We have long admired Dave's dense, loopy comix and are delighted to host his work.

The Opening Party for Teenage Dilemma is:
Wednesday, July 23rd at 7pm
with snacks, music, party hats, drinks...
and we're having a special 20% sale off all wall artwork.

More about Dave Kiersh:
http://www.davekcomics.com


( Picture behind the cut )

My friend works at Express and she told me those crazy Italians stopped in and told her they'd be playing in Union Square tonight but didn't know where. Has anyone heard anything similar/does anyone have a reasonable guess of where they might be headed? We wanna check them out again....

Free dresser in Ball Square!
It's missing the horizontal piece which sits under the top two drawers, but they work just fine.  I don't want to leave it out on the street, what with all the impending rain, so email <tori-dslj@munkynet.org> and it's yours!

( a picture of the awesome dresser )

Anyone ever used those Cash for Junk Car Services? I am considering it, we have a car that needs too many repairs and we are not sure if we should donate and take it off of our taxes or simply get one of these Cash for Car services to come by and take it away.

Any opinions?

 I didn't realize until I saw this from the Herald that S&S started in Somerville.

"In its 94th year since the Rabinovitz family founded Economy Grocery Stores Co. in Somerville, the chain of 389 stores now known as Stop & Shop is refreshing its look."

Does anyone know where the original store was and/or where any of the other S&S stores were prior to the one they built at the old Somerville Lumber site?  

I find it odd they didn't have any Somerville locations for a number of years. 

A new restaurant called The Green Tomato will open at the former Boloco on Friday, August 1. (Thanks to Steve Bagley for noting this in the Somerville Journal blog.)

This will be the second location of a restaurant now located in Reading. The Reading one is open only on weekdays, but the owner e-mailed to tell me that the Somerville location will be open 7 am to 8 pm, seven days a week.

Their menu is online. They will be serving breakfast!

My mother in law has got herself in a bit of a bind. She rents a 1 bedroom apartment and is responsible for heat and hot water (both gas). Her gas bill for June and July was in excess of $300.00, which seems completely unreasonable. She notified the gas company of this and ultimately discovered that the hot water heater in the basement had been leaking.

She talked to the gas company about her normal uses of gas in those months and came up with the conservative estimate that the gas leak cost her $250. She notified her landlord that she intended to withhold this amount from her rent check as the malfunction of a hot water heater is the responsibility of the landlord. The landlord countered by offering to allow her to deduct $100. The $150 dollar difference represents about 200% of her disposable income for a month.

I told her that I would likely stand firm and withhold the full $250. The water heater itself was old (expected to fail) and not being proactive about it was negligent of the owner. The way I see it, it's only right for the landlord to foot the bill here. Am I being naive?

The ExtraTerrestrial Circus Experiment presents their show Quantanime at the VFW Dilboy Post in Davis Sq. this Friday, July 25 at 7pm. All proceeds support Somerville's OPENAIR Circus.

The ExtraTerrestrial Circus is a circus troupe from Ohio. ( One reviewer wrote... ) (for video see http://www.myspace.com/circusexperiment)

Come for an hour and a half of exhilarating fun as the traveling circus troupe thrills you with their amazing juggling, devil sticks, poi spinning, and more. Come to support the local non-profit organization that each year brings circus arts to 150 children and adults. It's a two for one opportunity for only $15 advanced tickets or $20 at the door.

The OPENAIR Circus is in its 23rd year of serving Somerville and surrounding communities. A non-profit, volunteer-run organization, The OPENAIR Circus provides an opportunity to youth that they might not have otherwise. Keeping registration costs to a minimum ($20/child, $30/family this year), the program focuses on building leadership skills, an appreciation for the arts and for community, and just straight out enjoyment of performing.

The ExtraTerrestrial Circus Experiment has come to teach many of the Circus' classes this year and has graciously agreed to put on this performance to benefit the OPENAIR Circus, taking a break from their busy east coast tour.

Contact Peter Jehlen for more information at: peter_jehlen@openaircircus.org or 617-947-1191, or visit http://www.openaircircus.org.

Please keep an eye out for a Powder Blue Specialized Rockhopper with:
*cateye headlight and schwinn rear light. 
*WTB speedshe saddle. 
*Manitou fork
*hybrid tires
*shimano derailleur
**2002-2003 model very good condition**

Lock cut.  Stolen outside of Davis Square T evening of 7/22/08.  Registered with National Bike Registry. Cash reward for information leading to the recovery of this bicycle. Thank you.

Around 7-8pm or so, there was a smash n' grab (guy punched in a window, and got a GPS for his trouble) over at Summer St and Hancock. The smasher n' grabber jumped into a car and drove away fast.

Luckily, witnesses got the guy's license plate number and called police promptly -- I hope they got the guy!

I just couldn't believe he had the audacity to do it in broad daylight with people around like that.

Make sure to take your GPS's inside with you! And remember to wipe off the telltale windshield circles as well.

Driving down the Alewife Brook Parkway the other day, I had a WTF? millisecond looking at these as I willed my car to stay in it's narrow little lane while traffic whooshed past. Needless to say, I didn't get a good look, but I don't remember them having been there at all. They're somewhere near the Mobil and that cool ivy-covered mystery building. They're set back quite a way from the road, but tall. Anybody know what they're about?

Anyone have any thoughts to share about any of the primary care docs affiliated with Cambridge Health Alliance (also includes Somerville Hospital, Somerville Adult Medicine, Somerville Primary Care, etc)? I need a new PCP, and the last time I was looking for one, I was living in Jamaica Plain. Don't really want to keep going back down to JP every time I need a prescription renewed.

I'm on Tufts insurance, not that I think it matters.

I’ve been pouring over the healthcare posts in this community, in other LJ communities and on other rating websites, looking for a new PCP. Because I’m in need of some physical therapy as well, and I like the all-under-one-roof convenience, I’m leaning toward choosing someone at Harvard Vanguard in Davis. However, Yelpers had a lot of middling-to-negative comments regarding the center. I know there are members here who are fans though. I called today and they gave me a list of PCPs taking on new patients:

Dr. Angel
Dr. Hobbs (who seems to be the leading contender from previous posts)
Dr. Liu
Dr. Matei
Dr. Slavsky

Which one would you recommend? Or, would you tell me to go to the HV center in Harvard Square (Dr. Zorn, anyone?), which seems to have a much better reputation for service (again, according to Yelpers)? Convenience/time is also very important to me, so I don’t really want to travel farther afield.

[UPDATE]: I tabulated the votes, counting negative comments as -1 and positive comments as +1, and here are the standings:

Dr. Angel : 2
Dr. Hobbs: 4
Dr. Liu: 1
Dr. Matei: -4
Dr. Slavsky: 1

Not very scientific, I know. Since, with the exception of Dr. Hobbs every other doctor barely broke even between positive and negative comments (and the fact that the center as whole has a pretty shabby reputation for customer service), I’ve decided to shun HV altogether and go with the Marino Center. Thanks for all your input!

This was posted in bostoncycling but I didn't see it posted here, so:

The city of Boston is sponsoring "Bike Fridays" this summer: group bike commutes into Boston on July 25 and August 22 (the fourth Friday of the month).  The leg I'm leading starts in Lexington and follows the Minuteman Bikeway through Davis Square and then on through Harvard Square, down Broadway and on into Boston.  There's a complimentary breakfast at City Hall, too.

If you want to meet up with us, be at the Holland St. entrance of the Davis T station at 7:45am on Friday.  We'll take a nice easy pace and end up at City Hall at 8:30am.  (I didn't pick the times, sorry about that.  It's too early for me, too, honestly.)

Edit: for complete info on this program, see http://www.cityofboston.gov/bikes/bikefridays.asp. Sorry I left that out earlier!

I have been volunteering for Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic for more than five years now. It is a fantastic organization, with really great people, and you get to spend two hours at a time reading a chunk of a textbook on some random subject that you'd never have reason to think about otherwise. Or you can join one of the specialist groups and have the chance to review and deepen your knowledge in that area. It's interesting and fun and a great opportunity to hone your basic speaking skills for acting, public speaking, etc. And, oh yeah, it is a huge help for people who need this service in order to pursue their education.

The Boston Unit has moved to 2067 Mass Ave in Cambridge--the building with Elephant Walk on the ground floor. This puts them within walking distance of Davis Square! The training is pretty easy and you can be up and reading fast. Call them at 617 577 1111 to make an appointment.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

A while back I created davis_ramblers to help people find other people to walk and/or run and/or amble with as desired. A few months ago, a member asked me to post here to remind people of its existence and encourage more use, but I forgot to actually do so. Until today.

So check out davis_ramblers if you're interested in finding local folks to wander the neighborhood with at whatever speed. I know I've been enjoying my recent walks with friends but don't have much motivation to go it alone, so come on by and join me.

The Post-Meridian Radio Players (www.pmrp.org) is an audio theater troupe that performs live shows every Halloween. Tomes of Terror features a trio of plays performed in the style of the old time radio programs of the 1930s, 40s and 50s, complete with live sound effects and musical accompaniment. For more information on last year's show, please visit our website.

One of our plays this year is an adaptation of “The Ballad of Reynardine,” Athan Chilton's short story based on an English popular folk ballad. The short story can be found here. The director is looking for a musician or musicians to provide accompaniment and assist with music direction for the play.

( The following are important factors in our consideration for this task: )

( The musical plan for our plays generally follows this format: )

PMRP is a small community theater with a limited budget, so this is an UNPAID gig. Payment for musical services is usually rendered in the form of a free ad in our program, links on our website, and space to sell CDs or distribute promotional materials at our merchandise table.

Tomes of Terror III will be performed the evenings of Oct. 29th - Nov. 1st at the Unity Church near Davis Square.

If you're interested in this opportunity, or would like more information, please contact the director, Renée Johnson, at a.renee.johnson@gmail.com.

Redbones has its second Tour de France breakfast tomorrow morning starting at 9 am. $8 gets you a buffet breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage, fruit, yogurt, juice, coffee and more, while you watch a mountain stage of the Tour on their television.

As always, Redbones offers free bicycle valet parking while you eat.

Hey folks, my boyfriend and I have been unable to find a place to buy in a timely fashion. We need to find a place to rent for a while, starting 9/1, while we look for a place to buy. We really don't want to be stuck in a lease for a whole year. Problem is, finding sublets starting at that time and lasting for a few months is difficult, and finding places that will allow tenancy at will without the tenant having been on at least one year's lease there already is very difficult. No one needs to tell me how unlikely it is that we will find this. I am getting that impression already. However, I thought I'd throw this out there, just to see if we get lucky.

We need:

* 2 bedrooms
* unfurnished if a sublet (we need room for OUR stuff)
* close to public transportation (doesn't have to be in the Davis area though)
* available on a month-to-month basis or for maybe a six month commitment
*1500 or under

I've put in my name with one rental agency (Maven) to notify me if they get any tenancy at will places available, and suspect my boyfriend has had to go the same route with Apartment Rental Experts today, more than likely. I keep scouring Craigslist, and have found a total of one apartment sublet that might actually meet our needs, almost.

Anyone know anything that could be helpful to us?

The Boston Zine Fair is coming in September!

When: September 20-21, 2008
Where: New location - Art Institute of Boston's building at 601 Newbury Street, Boston

Tables are now available for registration!
We're looking for zine makers, comics creators, distros, writers, artists, and all kinds of indy and self-publishers to make this an awesome fair. The deadline for table registration is September 1.

Registration fees:
* Full table/2 days - $17
* Full table/1 day - $10
* Half table/2 days - $8.50
* Half table/1 day - $5

Come to www.bostonzinefair.org to register or to read more about the fair. You can also find out more about zines at Harvard Square's Papercut Zine Library.

So, Artbeat was long, and hot, and humid...

Thanks to all who stopped by my booth and introduced themselves. It's always cool to be reminded that cyberspace is populated with real live, living, breathing, interesting people.

1st project right now is for me to get prepped for my impending apartment move. After that, the Davis Square Bookcase is next on the list. I'll keep you all posted about progress, and when it'll be showcased.

The entry I posted last week about issues of where to park my moped finally got some answers. Sort of. see this article in the globe.

I'm thinking of getting a friend a facial for a b-day present.  Any recommendations for a place/person in/around Davis Square that is quality, friendly, won't lecture about skin care and won't try to push unwanted products on clients?

Thanks!

I stumbled into PJ Ryan's around midnight last night and saw Joe Curtatone and a medieval celtic band from Italy.  Anyone know the back-story to this?  I overhead someone saying that the mayor had arranged for them to come to Somerville.  What a bizarre scene.