News and notes from Reston (tm).

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Reston Association Discovers Secret of Time Travel, Uses It In Predictably Sad Way

backintime.jpg

The Reston Association must have a DeLorean hooked up to its fancy e-mail machine, as it bombarded Reston residents with a variety of wacky messages yesterday -- including this gem reminding people to vote in the referendum for its fancy headquarters facility, which ultimately failed before they went ahead and decided to move anyway.

No wonder they need to move to a more modern facility, as we have it on good authority that it takes 1.21 gigawatts of electricity to power such a time-bending missive -- something not possible with the electrical grids of 1960s-era buildings.

20 comments:

  1. Sad. Shows how Smyers' carried this board almost to failure.

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  2. Who puts the timestamp on the notification? The PC clock or the e-mail server? It appears that whoever did it didn't have the intelligence to cover their tracks.

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  3. Another fine example of Milton Matthew's RA running with precision - just like "clockwork".

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  4. oh that silly RA. you just have to laugh how they can send out year old emails and screw up an online election. no biggy.

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  5. If you don't like Reston and RA you do have the option to move the heck out, you know. Seriously. You're all so jaded and hateful about the organization but choose (CHOOSE!) to live here anyway. Robin is gone, Milton is, well, Milton, it's a community association that you decided you wanted to be a part of when you moved to Reston. Yes, RA has its faults, but perhaps you can go and get yourself involved in the organization, volunteer your time and work to make it better, rather than sit online and complain how much you hate it. There are so many committees and meetings and things to do to get involved and have your say. Now go do it.

    /end rant

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  6. Bob Simon's Metallic Alter-EgoMay 4, 2010 at 3:20 PM

    I'm not entirely sure how an innocent mixup has led to a rant about a former RA president. Some things are just funny on the surface.

    Like banning red mulch -- funny.

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  7. They banned red mulch? When did they do that? Why didn't somebody tell me earlier? Now I'm going to have to dig up my whole front yard. Damn.

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  8. Peasant From Less Sought After South RestonMay 4, 2010 at 7:58 PM

    Anon 5:24:

    Red mulch being banned from the Garden of Eden was first reported in this filthy Web log on February 25, 2009. Hope you don't have any white stones either -- also verboten!

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  9. Dear Restonian Readers,

    During a routine maintenance session of Reston Association’s online eNotices program, a subroutine to send out certain Reston Association newsletters and event reminders was inadvertently triggered.

    We discovered the problem within minutes and it has been corrected by our Information Technology Team.
    Many people who received the errant notices took time to e-mail us and we followed up with a response that outlined the situation.

    We’d like to thank the Reston community for your understanding and support.
    Amelia Townsend
    Director of Communications

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  10. Where's Chloe O'Brien when you need her?

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  11. Anon 8:33

    You need to get a life. Smyers is gone. She was only one person and you need to stop whining. The board does not have responsibilty for email. Never did, never will.

    I agree with Anonymous 3:15. If you don't like it, get involved or move out. You choose.

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  12. This could never have happened if the voters had approved that new, high-tech palace of pleasure, I mean, headquarters they wanted for themselves!

    "If you don't like Reston and RA you do have the option to move the heck out, you know. Seriously. You're all so jaded and hateful about the organization but choose (CHOOSE!) to live here anyway."

    You know what? THEY work for ME. They are not there providing a free service, out of the goodness of their hearts, they are there because I PAY THEM. If they are not satisfying me, then THEY have an obligation to change their behavior. I do not have an obligation to move, or quietly to endure any incompetence or stupidities that they commit WITH MY MONEY.

    All this leaves aside the fact that in today's housing market, telling people they have the "option to move out" is profoundly stupid. Many people do not have the option to move, as a matter of financial reality. Furthermore, if they did, they would drive down YOUR property value, so you would not want them to do that if you had any sense.

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  13. Seems like an innocent, hilarious mistake. Maybe if our dues were higher, they'd have better time machines with which to do their job.

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  14. Anon 11:32 and 3:15 - People volunteer but you can't change the facts about her. Board chooses their leader, not the masses in case you didn't know.

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  15. So, Amelia, is this a feature in the software? Quite impressive knowing that RA spends $400,000 a year in IT.

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  16. 1:44 You seem angry and bitter. And over what exactly? The board does work for free, in case you forgot. We DON'T pay them. Not sure what your point is on the "could never have happened if the voters had approved that new, high-tech palace of pleasure, I mean, headquarters they wanted for themselves!" What?

    I will not feel sorry for someone who cant move due to financial reality. I pay my morgage and my dues and will not complain about living here.

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  17. White stones? Is there a size requirement for it to be banned? My neighbor just had white stones (potato size and bigger) put in down her driveway and a path in front. Actually, they're only white when the sun is shining. When it rains they're gray. Does the color changing exempt them from the rule?

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  18. Yep. That's how petty things can be in Reston.

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  19. 8:34 - nope, not bitter and angry. The emotion expressed is "contemptuous of you", if you are the 3:15 anon who thinks we should all shut up and accept whatever the RA does without complaint.

    We DO pay for the RA, and thus we are ENTITLED to a Board that represents our interests, whether or not the Board members themselves are actually paid. We have NO obligation to endure (especially not silently!) their bad ideas or the generally insulting attitude they have displayed over the past several years.

    "Not sure what your point is on the "could never have happened if the voters had approved that new, high-tech palace of pleasure, I mean, headquarters they wanted for themselves!" What?"

    Sorry you are too dense to understand irony. The point is that they wanted to spend a ton of money on a superfluously huge headquarters, but they didn't get to do so, and I facetiously suggested they could blame this recent email glitch on the rejection of their absurdly grandiose project.

    "I will not feel sorry for someone who cant move due to financial reality."

    Not asking you to feel "sorry", but to say anyone who doesn't like it should move is a stupid argument that must be rejected out of hand. Indeed, that argument should be rejected EVEN if people were financially able to move. As I said, nobody has an obligation silently to accept lousy service THAT THEY PAY A GREAT DEAL OF MONEY FOR.

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  20. 2:11pm It is TELLING that you COMPLETELY IGNORED the part of the post/rant having to do with VOLUNTEERING to help make the RA better in place of just WHINING and CRYING about Robin. The point is that Robin is gone and you are still BELLYACHIN' about her, as though she had anything to do with a pretty humorous, if embarrassing, mistake with a computer program. You are GRINDING AN AX, BEATING A DEAD HORSE, etc....
    Also, in regards to stupid arguments to be rejected out of hand, your MY MONEY argument is really lame. 22,000 households pay the same amount, so your money amounts to 1/22,000 or about .000045455 of the annual dues collected. It's ALL OF OUR money, and the way we decide how it gets spent is by ELECTING the BOARD, going to MEETINGS, and otherwise PARTICIPATING in the PROCESS. If you are not part of the solution, YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.
    p.s. The over use of CAPITILIZATION really adds something to the irrational discussion, doesn't it? Almost as good as USING LOTS OF EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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