Davis Square

Free stuff: piles of food magazines + a few random things

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:04:10 GMT

Corner of Wallace and Park Ave, right in Davis Square

Bon Appetit magazines 2002 - 2008
Some enormous vases
Probably some other stuff

Curbside, please to enjoy.

Custom printed posters

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:34:04 GMT

I remember someone at a party mentioning in passing that there was a bookstore in Cambridge that also did high-quality custom printed posters. Googling isn't yielding any results. Does this ring a bell for anyone?

If not, can anyone recommend a place in Somerville or Cambridge that will take a PNG or PDF and make it into a poster for you?

Best idea ever?

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 20:16:47 GMT

So, I'm walking up Holland away from Davis, and in that baseball park there there are a bunch of kids who appear to be handing out old fashioned orange life jackets. I'm curious, so I ask.

It turns out that they are part of "Operation Best Idea Ever" which it seems is to ride down the Charles in dingies.

Now, That sounds like fun, and it doesn't sound dangerous or anything, but "Best Idea Ever"? really? I mean, it's not a BAD idea per se, but I can think of many better ideas.

Also, it doesn't appear to have a web page. How can it be the best idea ever without a web page?

Compost browns

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:11:01 GMT

I've come to learn my compost heap could benefit from more "browns," like dead leaves, dry grass, chipped wood or hay. (But not coffee grounds, which are considered "green.") I seem to be a little short of those right now. Does anybody have a small supply of browns in their yard they could contribute? I'm happy to come by with a rake and a bucket.

whose tree is it, anyways?

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:25:16 GMT

So there's a street tree (ie, a tree lining the street in one of those breaks in the sidewalk) a block or two away from me. It is just LOADED with sour cherries that are ready.

Is this tree technically Somerville property, or is it somehow owned by a resident? It's in front of a large apartment building remotely managed by a company, not house or 3-flat building.

Would I be legally ok to head over there with a bowl and a mission?

EDIT: It seems that the tree, while nudging up the sidewalk and almost entirely *over* the sidewalk, is still technically on private property. I ate two while trying to figure out who to ask (it is so covered in fruit that some branches bend down to my shoulder height; I'm 5'5"; I think a professional cherry picker could work on this all weekend and there would still be fruit). They *are* a sour cherry, but they aren't sour per se, and they're so ripe they will likely be over ripe by monday. If the owner approves getting them picked, I will post more info here, later.

Porter Square Blockbuster Video closing

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:49:06 GMT

I stopped in Porter Square Galleria yesterday and Blockbuster Video is closing their shop (lease is up).

Cantabrigia says that their last day is August 23: http://ow.ly/gcen

Entire inventory on sale. Most everything is at least 25% off, still a sizable amount of media and trinkets available.

Anyone have further information? What kind of shop would work there in its place? A clothing store would do well there, with the Gap and Burlington Coat Factory gone...

The Fourth at Havurat Shalom

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:30:12 GMT

And other upcoming events:

1. Shabbat (Saturday morning services and open lunch)
2. Member-Hosted Meal July 10
3. Chapel St Shelter donations
4. Social networking

SHABBAT:

- In honor of the Independence Day holiday, there will be no Friday
evening services on July 3.

- Saturday morning, July 4, davening will be led by Miriam B. with
leyning by Dvora J.

- There will be an open potluck, dairy/vegetarian lunch at the Hav
this Shabbat following services.

HOSTED MEAL:

Please register for the member hosted meal on July 10 if you are
coming and have not yet done so. Host family to be announced.

Join us for services and then come to a member home for either a fully
hosted meal or a 'supplemented pot luck' (please come along even if
you do not have time to prepare a dish). RSVP's are requested at least
a week in advance.

RSVP to registrar@thehav.org.

HOMELESS SHELTER DONATIONS:

There is now a box in the front hall for donations to the Chapel St
homeless shelter. Please bring a non-perishable, non-dairy food item
to donate; Nina and Margalit have generously volunteered to bring the
items to the shelter.

SOCIAL NETWORKING:

Please feel free to join the Havurat Shalom group on Facebook or on
LinkedIn! There are many other Jewish networking opportunities on
both sites.

----- Jewish calendar notes -------

Candlelighting this Friday: 8:07PM (next week it starts getting earlier again!)

This week's parsha: Chukat-Balak

Tzom Tammuz (fast of Tammuz) is July 9.

Havurat Shalom is an inclusive, GLBT-friendly, egalitarian, non-denominational Jewish community in Somerville, MA on College Ave near Davis Square.

You can find more information about Havurat Shalom events at http://www.thehav.org, including a full calendar of upcoming events and classes.

A graphic demonstration

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 04:00:05 GMT

Just to give folks a little heads-up as to what's in store for Somerville if this city-wide resident-only parking continues to go forward.

Tonight I went to visit an old friend over in Cambridge who was having a small impromptu get-together at her place. She lives off of Garden Street kinda near Harvard Sq. Her entire neighborhood is resident parking only. The nearest metered/public spots are back near Harvard Square about 3/10ths of a mile away.

She's new there so she doesn't have her guest permits yet. But even if she did, 4 of us had cars, so 2 of us would have been out of luck in terms of being able to get guest permits. So... I went back near Harvard Sq and did the loop for almost 20 minutes, but no parking spaces were to be had. My aggravation level was getting higher and higher and finally I decided the hell with it and called her to say that I would park in the lot for her building and just say a quick hello. Ultimately, it was decided to risk the wrath of the building manager and to leave my car parked there for a couple of hours and it was ok- my car wasn't towed.

But still... that was sheer dumb luck. And it gave a glimpse of what our guests can expect once these new regs are put into place. And if you want more than 2 guests with cars, you are totally out of luck unless you take time out of your day and go get more guest passes. If you're working a normal shift, when are you supposed to do this? And right now, there are no parking meters on my end of Highland Ave. Will that all be "resident only" parking? Will my overflow guests who don't have either of the two Golden Ticket guest parking passes have to park in Union Square and walk over? Gee, that will be fun in the winter, especially if the ladies care to dress up a bit in dresses and heels. Did you read that these guest passes are only valid on your street and the nearest cross street too?

The Mayor says this is all necessary because the system is FUBARed and gosh darn it, we just have all these people from "other places" coming here to Somerville to suck up all the free parking and let's scare the residents with stories about how ZOMG THE T IS COMING IN 8 MORE YEARS bringing even more hordes of filthy outsiders here to :: sniffle sniffle :: steal all the parking spaces from good old-fashioned hard-working Somerville residents. This is called generating a phony crisis that was used to justify this back-door screwing of neighborhoods like mine where there is no parking problem. It's free, no permit needed, and always plentiful In almost 7 years at this address, only 3 times has it taken me more than a single pass to find a parking spot and only once have I had to park more than 100 yards from my apartment. But there's a crisis, dontchya know?

Oh, right.... it's also about revenue, but on that, the Mayor's only being partially truthful. Not only will the citizens have to pay for resident and guest parking permits, but you can be 100% sure that meter maids will be prowling the neighborhoods at all hours looking to write tickets and who knows, they may even make parking without a permit a towable offense, and we know who benefits from that.

Yeah, I realize this is just whining and beating a horse that ain't only dead, but has already been turned into the glue for the parking ticket envelopes that come August will be gracing the windshields of our visitors from dark lands beyond Somerville.

Thanks for indulging me.

What is the cost of the fireworks to the city?

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:38:03 GMT

How can one estimate the total cost to the city? Is it possible to get numbers from past years? In the past, I remember hearing that NSTAR and other companies were sponsoring them. But they were not paying for the extra cost of firefighters and cops working overtime, for example. If they cost nothing, I'm all for it. But if they are funded with taxpayer dollars, then I'm more ambivalent, given all the recent budget cuts.

Edit: Information on fireworks cost from other cities: www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/03/independence.day.fireworks.canceled/index.html

INDEPENDENCE DAY FIREWORKS POSTPONED TO THURSDAY, 7/ 9; NAVY BAND, USO SHOW MOVED TO HIGH SCHOOL

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:38:36 GMT

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has announced that the City of Somerville will postpone its Independence Day Fireworks celebration until Thursday, July 9th. The musical program scheduled for tonight, a special Navy Week salute featuring the U.S. Navy Band Northeast's Wind Ensemble and the USO Metropolitan New York Performers, will go ahead as scheduled but will be relocated to Somerville High School Auditorium, 81 Highland Avenue, at 6 p.m.. The program is free, but attendees should plan on arriving early, as parking and seating will both be limited. Somerville’s Independence Day celebration usually attracts crowds of ten thousand or more.

The July 9th fireworks display will take place at Trum Field on Broadway at Cedar Street (between Magoun and Ball Squares). The rescheduled fireworks will be preceded at 6 p.m. by a musical program featuring local bands and the Somerville Sunsetters. The fireworks will begin approximately half an hour after sunset between 9:00 and 9:30 p.m.

Regarding the Woodstock Event @ The Armory on 8/15...

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:25:18 GMT

A Facebook page directed to network the School of Rock Woodstock’s 40th Anniversary has been created.

If you have a FB presence, simply search for School of Rock Celebrates Woodstock’s 40th Anniversary
and become a fan.

Thanks in advance, and we hope to see many of you at the Armory in Somerville on August 15th :)

Anderson Mar
General Manager
The Paul Green School of Rock
http://www.schoolofrock.com/boston

Fireworks Re-scheduled for 7/9

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:17:01 GMT

http://www.somervillema.gov/alert.cfm?alert_id=213

Independence Day Fireworks POSTPONED; Entertainment to be Held at SHS Tonight

Navy Band, USO perform tonight at SHS; fireworks rescheduled for July 9th

THE INDPEDENCE DAY FIREWORKS HAVE BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL THURSDAY, JULY 9th DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATEHER. THE U.S. NAVY BAND NORTHEAST AND THE USO METROPOLITAN NEW YORK PERFORMERS WILL PERFORM TONIGHT AT THE SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM, 81 HIGHLAND AVE., BEGINNING AT 6:00 P.M. THE FIREWORKS AND ADDITIONAL ENTERTAINMENT, INCLUDING THE SOMERVILLE SUNSETTERS, WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR NEXT THURSDAY.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL 311.

Theatre@First is seeking tech crew for the summer One-Acts Festival

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:59:34 GMT

Theatre@First's Festival@First 6: Tables Turned is seeking run crew and a light board operator.

This year, we present an interesting opportunity for our run crew. In addition to moving set pieces off and on between plays, you'll also get to do some performing! No prior acting experience is necessary!

One of our plays is a pantomime about a person looking for their 15 minutes of fame. Feeling slighted that she only gets one ten-minute play to star in, she make appearances on stage during each scene change to try and eke out a few more minutes.

The stage hands will not only have to move furniture and prop items, but will also be active parts in getting this character off stage.

As a stage hand, you would be required on the following dates:
July 13th at 7pm to rehearse
July 14th at 7pm for a full show run
July 19th at 2pm for cue-to-cue
July 20th at 6:30pm for dress rehearsal
July 21st at 6:30pm for dress rehearsal
Performances: July 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 30th, 31st, August 1st

Call time for all performances is 7pm, except for the matinee on the 26th, when call time is 2pm. Stagehands must be able to attend all performances.

We are also looking for a light board operator. No prior experience necessary--it's a very simple system to learn. The light board operator must attend the cue-to-cue, both dress rehearsals, and all performances--call times are the same as for stagehands.

If you, or anyone you know, might be interested, please contact me at shelley dot macaskill at gmail dot com.

-Shelley,
Festival@First Stage Manager

Edit: Sorry, I forgot to mention that these are volunteer positions. Theatre@First is a non-profit organization and does not have the funding for paid tech crew (or actors, or directors...)

yep, that's a gun to our heads.

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:04:28 GMT

Tis the season, I suppose.

We're having some issues with our landlord, and I was trying to find an answer amid the already numerous posts in davis_square about this, but I'm twisting myself into knots.

Our lease is up September 1. Our landlord claims it takes two months to show and rent out our apartment, and would like to start doing so immediately (as in, tonight). Our lease is the standard lease, and it says we need to give 30 days notice if we intend to move.

"Lease Renewal and/or Vacating Notice:
Upon the expiration of said Lease term, either party hereto may notify the other of their intent to renew. Unless the Lessee gives the Lessor a 30 day written vacating notice, it is assumed that this Lease shall become a month to month Lease. Failure by the Lessee to provide the Lessor with a 30 day written notice will result in the Lessee being assessed 30 days rent in lieu of notice, and may be deducted from the Lessee's deposit if payment is not made upon notification. During the final 30 days of Lease term, Lessor may enter and show premises to any prospective Lesses at any reasonable hour of the day after making an effort to give advance notice."

As of right now, we're 62 days away from the end of the lease. The lease states we have to give notice by 30 days. Right now he's saying he needs to start showing the apartment, and we are "more than welcome to stay for next year if you sign before someone else takes it.", i.e., if someone else sees it and likes it tomorrow, they'll sign the lease and that's just tough for us, because we couldn't make up our minds (earlier than expected). Can he do this?

EDIT: HOLY MACKEREL. Thanks, y'all! I appreciate all your input. I think the final verdict was that yes, he could enter the apartment to show it, but we still had the right of first refusal, which he was implying he wasn't giving us.

BUT. My boyfriend and I discussed it and we decided to stay, so the entire point is moot. Thanks for all your advice, and I hope this post might one day be of help to someone else tiptoing through the land mine of housing contracts. Blecch.

Vendor Registration Form for 8/15/09 Somerville event

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:28:56 GMT

Hello, everyone (and yes, I'm cross-posting, so as not to leave anyone out who may have previously expressed interest).

As aforementioned 1-2 weeks ago, The Paul Green School of Rock (http://www.schoolofrock.com/boston) is doing a 40th anniversary re-creation of Woodstock event at the Center for Arts @ The Armory in Somerville on Saturday, August 15th from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm.

The event is all-ages and 100% open to the public. We are looking for vendors/craftspeople/artisans/anyone-who-wants-to-sell stuff to be a presence at this event.

Many of you have expressed interest in taking part, so I have uploaded a Vendor Registration Form to streamline things, and I uploaded it to the web for ease of printout:

http://docs.google.com/View?id=d7vbtnq_16ddgq9cd9

If you are unable to access it, let me know, and I will send you a document attachment immediately.

Thanks!

********

Ms. Anderson Lynne Mar
Owner/CEO, Dark Sky Productions
General Manager, School of Rock (http://www.schoolofrock.com/boston)
Email: OTHNIEL77@yahoo.com
http://www.myspace.com/Othniel77
http://www.myspace.com/skysogreycomp

Another photo of the fake Spare Change guy

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:54:38 GMT

I took a photo of the fake Spare Change guy at Kendall last night. (For those of you who haven't heard about this before, here's the Boston.com article about it.) I noticed that the photo anomie666 posted here in March isn't available anymore, so I figured I'd post mine.

Needless to say, he wasn't happy I took his photo. He came up and yelled at me, calling me a "skinhead" and saying, "You couldn't even sell yourself, because you're bald!". For the record, while my hair is very short, I am neither bald nor a skinhead, in any sense of the word. ;-) I was a little worried he was going to try to take my phone, but he didn't make any moves to touch me or my stuff.

Please pass this photo along to anyone you know who rides the Red line in Cambridge/Somerville. What do folks think: Is it worth it to email it to the local newspapers or the MBTA? It seems like the Spare Change people are well informed about who he is, so I don't think they really need a photo.

Musicians! Join the Never After Orchestra

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:30:22 GMT

Theatre@First is excited to be performing at The Somerville Theatre for the first time! The show is Never After, an original musical comedy screenplay by local author, Colleen Campbell. We'll be presenting it in concert on September 26-27 and are currently recruiting musicians to join the fun. As you can see from the list below, we need a wide range of talent!

Never After Instrumentation:
* Violin
* Viola
* Cello
* Flute
* Oboe
* Clarinet
* Bass Clarinet
* Bassoon
* Alto Sax
* Tenor Sax
* Bari Sax
* Trumpet
* French Horn
* Trombone
* Tuba
* Piano/Synth
* Acoustic Guitar
* Electric Bass
* Harp
* Drum Set
* Timpani

Here's the schedule:
* One or two rehearsals with just the musicians: TBD
* One rehearsal with the full cast: Monday, 9/21, 7:00PM
* Dress Rehearsal: Wednesday, 9/23, 7:00PM
* Performances: Saturday, 9/26, 8:00PM and Sunday, 9/27, 3:00PM.

For more information about the show and to listen to selections from the score, please visit our website <http://www.theatreatfirst.org>

If you're interested in being part of the orchestra, please email our Music Director, Thom Whittemore <music@theatreatfirst.org> and let him know what you play and your general availability during August and September. If you have any questions, he'll be happy to answer them.

Please pass this along to anyone you think might be interested. And if you know vocalists who love to sing showtunes, please point them at the website for audition information.

Thanks!

Upcoming Noise

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:37:38 GMT

Just so people know, there will be fireworks. :)

Also, the Blue Angels are scheduled to fly over Boston this afternoon.

Notes from Powder House School meeting today

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:41:22 GMT

As I posted back here, there was a meeting about the future of the Powder House School today at the TAB building. Despite the short notice and early evening time, it was well attended (maybe 45 people?). ron_newman was also there, as were Aldermen Trane, Gewirtz and Connolly, and for most of the meeting Mayor Curtatone. We also learned that the 5:30 time was chosen because they'd though the city budget hearings would still be underway tonight, but because the budget was finalized late last night the officials were able to stay at the meeting and in fact the meeting was able to go an extra half hour or so.

The bulk of the presentation was by a consultant from Concord Square Planning & Development, Inc., which the city has hired to review & report on the options for redevelopment on the site, including revenue & cost impact projections.

The school was built in 1973, stopped being used in 2004. Because it's been out of use for 5 years, its code violations are no longer grandfathered in, so any new use would need to bring the building up to code, requiring extensive renovation. There are approx. 100,000 usable square feet in the building, and the footprint of the building (including its inner courtyard which is entirely enclosed) is about 58% of the lot. The other part is the paved ball court and the ill-repaired former parking lot that used to be where schoolkids had recess. The parcel in question is just those parts, still owned by the city.

The city sold the other side of the property (the part that faces out to Holland St.) to Tufts in 1987 and it became the Tufts Administration Building (TAB). The sale price was around $2 million from Tufts. That building was extensively renovated by Tufts. The city leases back a portion at a below-market rent, including parking spaces in the parking lot part of the TAB property. Some residents view this deal as short-sighted, because over the years since the sale the cumulative cost of leasing back space in the building has likely outstripped the financial benefit of the original sale. The consultant thinks the TAB sale was a good deal overall. Had the city taken out a bond to renovate the building itself it would also have had to service that debt and directly handle building operating costs.

The current PHSl building is 40 feet high ("3 1/2 stories"). Any new use would be recommended not to exceed or significantly exceed that height. They'd achieve 3 1/2 stories by having 3 stories facing the street and 4 stories in the back of any new building. Any new use would also be designed to face onto the neighborhood better (the current street-facing wall is pretty urelievedly brutalist).

The consultants reviewed three main options:
* Renovate and re-use for city offices and/or community space
* Sell to a private developer to renovate the existing building for an office
* Sell to a private developer to be demolished for new construction, either office or residential.

They didn't look into options like a hotel, though a hotel might be feasible for the location, because the city's focus is putting a hotel closer to Davis. A resident raised that since this parcel is closer to Tufts and not far from Davis it might actually be better for a hotel than Davis proper. Both of the sell to a developer options include the option to seek out some community use to be set aside as part of the deal with the developer.

Both a prior study and additional work by the Concord Square consultants looked at renovating the building for city use. The Powder House school is a large portion of what the consultant called a surplus of city-owned office space. A resident disputes this because the city also leases space from the TAB and from the Boys & Girls Club. The consultant says we'd save $132,000 by not leasing space from TAB, but didn't have figures for the B&G Club.

The current updated estimate for the cost of renovating the existing building to allow it to be used for anything is $15,600,000. Then there is the additional cost of an architect, etc., plus parking structure which would be needed for offices etc., which would raise the cost to $22,774,000. Ron and others raise questions over the need for a 4-story parking garage to accommodate 200 cars, given the building's proximity to Davis and several bus lines.

According to the consultant, given the $22+ million cost to renovate, if the city took out bonds to do a renovation it would annually cost the city $1.5 million, even after what we'd save by not leasing the TAB. When questioned about the B&G Club savings he revises the estimate to 1-1.5 million. The annual operating costs (included in that larger figure) would be $400,000. It's unclear for how long the city would be doing debt service to the bonds, which is the bulk of that annual cost.

In terms of a sale to private developers, they estimate the city could make more money off a sale intended for office use than for residential. In the residential portion of the presentation, they make the claim that market rate rent for a 1-bed in the area, new, is $1900. SInce I live in a (not new, but renovated and nice) 2.5 bed near the school that's less, I and others question this figure. A local property owner questions why her 1/10 of an acre lot is valued - just the land - at $300,000 when the consultants seem to be valuing the PHS land parcel itself as much less. The consultants project a maximum sale price of the 2 acre parcel at around $2 million.

If the city were to allow a 5-story building, the sale price to a developer could be higher and the property tax base would be higher, but the neighborhood impact would be greater.

A deal with a developer may be possible to include community space in the plans, but it would likely cost the city. The consultants recommend allowing developers mixed use, and setting incentives for community space.

The attendees - including the aldermen - were pretty vocal. It was clear nearly everyone in the neighborhood wants to see some part of of the property remain community space but are not sure how best to manage it. Mayor Curtatone says he wants any community center the city builds to be more central and so does not want this parcel to be a community center. Alderman Gewirtz wants to know what about hybrid uses, such as a sale to a developer with a chunk of the property kept aside for the city to use for community space. Alderman Trane wants a community center on this parcel, period.

Several of us want to know why, if the parcel is going to be rezoned, it can't be sold to build houses instead of being sold to build a mega apartment building that would require a parking garage and provide less property tax revenue per square foot.

Lee Auspitz from the Davis Square Task Force says that the examination of all this doesn't take into account the impact to the city's revenue from changes in property tax because of whatever changes there are in the neighborhood. A park might cost the city money but then drive up property taxes in the area and so raise more revenue; the opposite for a less-desirable development like offices. Private residential housing in a highly attractive neighborhood may raise more in property tax than commercial property. Why doesn't the city have any figures on these situations?

Many of the community members express concern at the parcel going out of city hands never to be re-purchasable. Rachel Heller (former alderman candidate) suggests looking into a long-term lease to allow new development but keep the option for the city to regain control at a later time.

Mayor Curtatone says that "we aren't going to spend $15 million for a community center" and if we do, it's going to be more central to the city as a whole. The sale of this property would be money to go directly to cutting down debt service, which would then allow the city to invest in new infrastructure like police & fire buildings, new library. He isn't sure there ever will be a public use for the parcel. Neighbors object that there isn't much public space in Ward 7 at all, and this is pretty much the last that hasn't been developed.

I should note that I'm biased; I definitely want to see long-term and public needs considered more than the immediate revenue issue. I'd like to see the city keep some of the property, even if a chunk is sold. Even if a city part of the property can't be developed immediately, or even if it just is an open paved ball court park for the near future, IMHO it's better than giving it up for good. I'll be writing a post about my thoughts for the property separately, but I'm sure my perspective colored my notes.

Several of us in the community are considering starting an informal group to further discuss what we as neighbors want from the redevelopment of the site. If you're interested, drop me a comment here and I'll be sure to let you know what's up.

The city representative running the meeting promised to post the consultants' powerpoint and data to answer several questions from both constituents and Aldermen Trane and Gewirtz, so I'll add that link to this post as soon as it's available and I can track it down. For that reason I'm not adding all the exact figures and stuff to the already long notes section of this post.

Cedar St Construction

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:34:17 GMT

What the f is going on here? Jackhammers have been going steady starting around 10 PM, and now a fire truck just showed up. Gas leak?

See the summer one-acts festival in Davis

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:41:54 GMT

Reserve your tickets now for Theatre@First's next show.

Theatre@First presents Festival@First 6: Tables Turned, an evening of eight one-act plays. These plays, including two world premieres by local playwrights, are about ordinary people in extra-ordinary situations. Watch as they make the choices that will shock and delight you in a hilarious and thought-provoking evening of entertainment!

The Festival opens July 23 and runs through August 1. Tickets are only $12, $10 for students/seniors. Reserve tickets at our handy website
http://www.theatreatfirst.org

WHEN:
Thursday, July 23 at 8pm
Friday, July 24 at 8pm
Saturday, July 25 at 8pm
Sunday, July 26 at 3pm (matinee)

Thursday, July 30 at 8pm
Friday, July 31 at 8pm
Saturday, August 1 at 8pm

WHERE: Unity Church of God
6 William Street, corner of College Ave.
(just 4 blocks up from the Davis T stop)
Sadly we're not accessible to wheelchairs.

HOW: Reserve tickets now online at http://www.theatreatfirst.org
Or E-mail tickets@theatreatfirst.org
Or call 1-888-874-7554

Join us for summer theater in Somerville!

iTouch 8gb, brand new

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:48:22 GMT

Hi,

I have an 8gb ipod iTouch that I got with my macbook. It's the newest version, still in its original packaging. Just wanted to see if anyone wanted to buy it off me for $200 (they sell for $229 on the Apple website). I could meet up anywhere in the Davis/ Porter area. Comment with your email if interested! Thanks :)

Fourth of July

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:43:13 GMT

When are the fireworks this year?

Cop convention at bank at Cedar and Highland

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:37:03 GMT

Did that bank get robbed AGAIN? There are about a zillion cops there and as I walked by I heard a man in plainclothes say "I think we may have our suspect already." Anyone have any news... I can't find anything but my google-fu is hampered by a cranky 3-year-old.

More on Parking

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:58:37 GMT

An article in the Somerville Journal quotes Alderman Pero as saying "city officials can't give in to constituent concerns." Huh? Isn't this otherwise known as listening to the people who voted you into office? And will vote you out? I understand they haven't come up with the right answer yet, but this statement is arrogant and lame.

Link to the full article:
http://www.wickedlocal.com/somerville/town_info/government/x1885874713/Somerville-aldermen-split-on-citywide-permit-parking