Ads everywhere, even in the elevators

There are ads everywhere these days. I ran across this one in the elevator. The insidious thing about it is that it is the elevator inspection certificate issued by the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation. The upper left corner has a "did you know" section that talks about how much money the home improvement commission recovered for shoddy work. If the state makes you put up a sign, it should have an ad on it. (I was going to put the text of the ad in, but then decided if I were complaining about the ad, it wasn't a good idea to more widely distribute it. Enlarge the image if you want to see it.) I also like how the certificate number is missing.

Bethesda Pier 1 closing

I read that Pier 1 Imports is closing their Bethesda, MD store. They are currently having a store closing sale with discounts of 20% to 50% off (I have doubts about their long-term viability, but for now, it is just this store closing). Funny thing though. A month ago they were having "the pier 1 sale" with up to 75% off. That sale made sense, clear out the leftover christmas stuff. This sale, however, is curious. Did they take the same merchandise that didn't sell at 75% off and now mark it "up to 50% off"? Or, did they put an entirely new season of merchandise in only to mark it down a couple of weeks later? (Above, a picture from February 9th with the 20%-50% off signs. Below, a picture from January 8th with the up to 75% off signs.)

[where: 6801 Wisconsin Ave, Bethesda, MD]

What great weekend weather

It's always welcome when we get unexpectedly nice weather in the middle of the winter. Today was sunny in the mid 60s, I hope you got a chance to go outside. I went for a walk on the Capital Crecscent Trail in Bethesda, MD and I think everyone else in Bethesda was also there. It was pretty crowded but everyone was enjoying the weather.

[where: Bethesda, MD]

Ice Cream for Breakfast Day is Saturday

Sometimes you need an off-beat holiday. Who thought it was a good idea to eat ice cream in the middle of the winter. If it was up to me, I would have made it in August when it was really hot. However, it isn't up to me so Ice Cream For Breakfast Day is the first Saturday of February. That's this Saturday.

How do you celebrate it? Have ice cream. For breakfast! No need to make a sundae out of it, this year I am going to make pancakes and top it with a scoop of ice cream. If you have kids, they will love it, guaranteed.

If you want to learn more you can read about it, but really, all you need to know is: Eat ice cream. For Breakfast. On the first Saturday of February.

Tautology Alert: We don't spend money on neglected stuff

This should be pretty obvious, but someone thought it was worth writing a whole article about it. Here's the summary: We don't spend much money researching neglected diseases. Well, color me not suprised. If we were spending money on them they wouldn't be neglected would they?

I was actually surprised at how much money is being spend on some of these "neglected" diseases. The related diarrhoeal illnesses had over 110 million spent on them in 2007, doesn't sound neglected to me.

Another (non) shocker "investment decisions...may also be influenced by factors such as the presence of advocacy and fundraising groups". You mean people might raise money for a particular disease and want it to be spent on it? Who would have guessed.

Overall, this article is notable only in its uselessness.

Article about local businesses and the Recession

The Gazette has an article about the importance of customer service to small businesses during the downturn. They mention a couple of Bethesda businesses, Coco Mio (clothing and accessories), Jaleo (restaurant), and Fancy Cakes by Leslie (baked goods).

For Coco Mio, business is down 30 percent since last summer, but Fancy Cakes is hiring.

[where: 4700 Bethesda Ave, Bethesda, MD]
[where: 4939 Elm Street, Bethesda, MD]
[where: 7271 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD]

Local Restaurant Coupons: GoOut2Eat.com

I found an interesting site the other day, GoOut2Eat which has discounts for DC area restaurants. They just started posting ones for Bethesda, MD. They have some quick, lunch type places (such as Crossfire, Philadelphia Mike's, and St. Elmo Deli) as well as sit down nice restaurants (such as Jaleo, Gaffneys, and Thimian Thai). I tried out a coupon for Philadelphia Mike's yesterday, a dollar off a combo.

They also have discounts for a lot of resturants in Rockville.

[where: Bethesda, MD]
[where: Rockville, MD]

Bethesda's Resturant Week is extended

Now it is Restaurant Two-Weeks. It was supposed to end on the 1st but they have extended it thru February 8th. You can get a fixed-price two course lunch (either $12 or $15) or three course dinner ($25 or $30) at one of 30 Bethesda-Chevy Chase restaurants. The full list of participating resturants is available, please call ahead for restrictions and reservations.

[where: Bethesda, MD]

Time to make your Groundhog's Day resolution

It's Groundhog's day and old Phil saw his shadow (I've heard he is right 48% of the time, it's like money in the bank). I'm still working on coming up with my groundhog's day resolution, but I am sure it will be along the lines of "Do something both useful and interesting this year".

Most people don't make groundhog's day resolutions but I have been doing it for 5 or 10 years. It makes perfect sense. Do you know anyone who is still keeping their New Year's resolution in February? Didn't think so. But my groundhog's day resolution always lasts into February (sometimes even into late February). Plus, it kind of elevates this under appreciated holiday into something almost useful.

Maryland State Highway Administration is (kinda) using twitter.

I read this at the Gazette and was really pleased, it seems like a really good use
for twitter (but better to have one for each county, not one for the whole state).
For the inauguration MDSHA used twitter to give short updates about road closures and traffic. There are dozens of updates on the 19th and 20th, but nothing since. This type of service would have been great during the snow and ice this week, hopefully they will revive it.

There's an interesting privacy twist to this. If you are one of the 187 people following them, then pretty much anyone can figure out you live in Maryland.

[where: Maryland]