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

And That Really Bites: Congress Heights on the Rise posts a rant about the lack of dog parks east of the river. The blog says, of the dog park situation in and around Congress Heights, that, “when I want to take [my dog] to a DC dog park I have to drive ‘over the river and through the woods.'” The post goes on to note that dog parks could be a better, or at least equally applicable, use of taxpayer money than schools and other human-oriented public services: “A big portion of my taxes already go to support the public education and services of  children I do not have (because I can’t afford them and I really don’t want any) and for a ‘safety net’ that I don’t get to use.  My safety net is spelled ‘J-O-B’ and when I didn’t have a job for 18 months my lifestyle was mostly sponsored by my fallback safety net  ‘H-U-S-T-L-E.'”

Scorched Squirrel: A member of the Brookland email list speculated as to the cause of a “bang” and consequential power outage nearby. “Well that was fun. Burst of light and a loud bang,” he wrote. “My first thought was a transformer blown, since the power also flickered. But there’s a dead squirrel in the street now with fur missing, which makes me think it might have shorted out something.”

Developing Skepticism: In response to an article on the now-closed Ontario Theatre, one member of the Adams Morgan email list expressed his concern about the possible conversion of the landmark into condominiums. They wrote, with little fanfare, “If they turn it into another damn condo…”

Times Square of D.C.: Penn Quarter Insider posts a reaction to the potential addition of nine more signs outside the Verizon Center. The author wrote, “When the three digital billboards went up at 7th and H Streets, there was some fury from the neighborhood. People didn’t like the light pollution, they were ugly, they distracted drivers, etc.” They continue wearily, “Well, they haven’t gone anywhere. And—brace yourself—more may be coming.” The blog goes so far as to say that due to nine additional signs, some of which may not be digital, “Our neighborhood is becoming the Times Square of D.C. more and more with each day.”