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

Legalize It? In response to a post from a Crestwood email list complaining about teenagers smoking marijuana in a car last Friday, another fires back, “I got stoned a few thousand times when I was a kid on your street and probably every other in Crestwood, but it wasn’t in a blue Prius… it was a faded gold Toyota Corolla. Two questions: 1. Am I in trouble with you too?  2. Do you have absolutely nothing better to do than harassing young people bonding? Perhaps they are stumbling and making some mistakes along the way, but these ‘kids’ are clearly minding their own business…why don’t we save the gossip for boring crap that doesn’t infringe on peoples rights like: ‘whoa! watch out folks there’s a pothole on Taylor street that’s a doozie!!’ Or, ‘Mrs Johnson is wandering in the middle of argyle terrace again! don’t run her down!'” Still another list member feels this response was “inappropriate.”

Animal Kingdom: A posting about a found cat on the Tenleytown email list didn’t garner any specific connections, but had some members thinking about another cat that went missing last week. Turns out that cat, Mookie, was found and reunited with its owners. One neighbor was ecstatic: “YEAH!!! I am doing the happy paws dance. I just read the happy news about MOOKIE finding his way home after his neighborhood romp!! It is Spring and they have been cooped up all winter and dreaming about the goodies outside(not that I endorse their hunting).” Another was more inclined to cold-blooded humor, writing in a separate thread entitled, “Are You Missing Your SNAKE?” “I was reading the paper and enjoying my coffee and a nasty-ass snake slithered across the floor of our fifth-floor apartment.”

What to Do? 14th & You has noted that the corner of 14th and Corcoran Streets NW has been “cleaned up.” The corner was previously “home” to a homeless man named Michael, who in an interview with People’s District claimed that he preferred to live outside and not seek shelter or city resources. Though the interview received many favorable comments, his pile of stuff on the corner continued to grow to some consternation and bafflement. 14th & You commenters are conflicted as to whether or not the decision to remove Michael’s things was a good one or not. Writes one, “Sad story, and a shame that Michael cannot get the help he so clearly needs.” Another disagrees: “I live just around the corner. Last week or so, after the signs went up but before the “pile” was removed, Michael had begun to exhibit new signs of dementia, loudly hollering at no one in particular. Yesterday morning, walking my dogs, he was wandering both sides of the block and appeared to be stalking and again yelling. As I passed along on the opposite side of 14th he was yelling that he was going to get me and my dogs. This occurred very eary Sunday morning.”

Just Not Good Enough: When Georgetown Metropolitan reported that Paul Bakery would be opening in the neighborhood, commenters where aghast at yet another chain infiltrating M Street NW and beyond. One waxes, “While worthy local businesses struggle to stay, we hail the arrival of more chains that supplant local real estate, charge more and care less about neighbors, friends and customers. I encourage the G-town world to continue to have their great breakfasts at Furin’s . What chain has the consistent familiar smiles, staff, delicious pancakes, lunch salads and will go out of its way to treat customers as neighbors and bring food its ill patrons? I and so many others have had the benefit of the care, friendship, great breakfasts, cupcakes and good food from Furin’s.” Another agrees, writing “More like Furin’s, more like Poupon, more like Leopold’s…and fewer chains, please.” But the blog notes that despite the appearance that Georgetown is completely chain-ified, that simply is not the case: ” While it’s fair to complain about the lack of genuinely exciting or even interesting restaurants in Georgetown, one of the things Georgetown’s definitely not is chain-dominated. As of GM’s latest count, there are 126 restaurants in Georgetown. Of those, only 20 are part of a big chain. An additional 5 more are part of a regional chain (i.e. Five Guys). So even if you lump the regional chains in with the national chains, there are still only 25 chain restaurants in Georgetown. That’s less that 20%. (And the number of chains is unchanged from last year, while the number of independent restaurants has increased).”