On the way in this morning, (waxpool/28) noticed many of the data centers had the generators going. Not sure if there’s an electricity issue or they plan it to go together ? No idea if the yellow smoke is related though.

This little raccoon is hanging outside my door. What the hell should I do?

I have worked in an office near the intersection of Loudoun County Parkway and Waxpool for about 5 years now and the area has become a hellscape.

We have trouble parking at our office now because of all the data center construction workers. There is endless traffic because there is always at least 1 lane closed on Waxpool for construction. The trees are gone. Other office buildings are gone. It is dystopian driving around here now. It's only a matter of time before our building gets torn down for another data center.

Any community that wants to see what life is like after data centers needs to spend some time here. There is no charm or any redeeming qualities over here anymore

I'm not sure if it's just summertime sadness or the state of the world keeping me in, but I just can't get excited about anything going on in the area this summer. It's hot, the drivers are more aggressive, everything is a big money grab, air quality wasn't great, everyone's sick (achoo sick, not sick in the head lol), distrustful, or jaded. I barely leave the house these days. I don't think it's depression because I'm still doing my hobbies and having a fine time, but the thought of forcing myself outside to another curated instagram brunch makes me want to hurl and hiking might actually put me in the hospital. Can someone convince me NOVA is the shit right now and I might just be depressed??

I will also offer them plenty of snacks and cool filtered water.

But also, are you supposed to tip cash labor jobs?

Data center off 50 near airplane road running its generators.

Forgot to post this when I saw this one morning on the way to work early in the morning. I have never seen an insect this big in my life. It didn’t move, but I was able to get a picture of it. After reading about these, I learned they are very rare and they can fly. All I know is if it started to fly, I would have ran into the street screaming LOL! For reference, it was about 3” long as you can see when compared to a large brick wall brick.

It seems so difficult to get a teaching position (ELA 6-12) within FCPS. I have completed so many job applications and no response. This would be my first year teaching and I’ve been subbing within FCPS since last year. Why does it seem damn near impossible to land a position when schools open back up next month? I guess there isn’t a teaching shortage here in VA.

Is Capital One in McLean the highest paying (cash comp) employer in the DMV?

I was casually looking and saw “Current Master’s - Data Science Internship…” offers $147k salary, of course that’d be prorated, but it implies the new Grad (Master grad) offer is at least $147k/year + sign on + performance bonus. If that’s how much new grads are getting paid, I can’t imagine how much C-level executives are getting paid!

What in the world?! Is there any other employer playing that much (or better) on cash comp in Nova?

Anyone know their interviews are?!

Hey NOVA! I’m the UPS Automotive Fleet Manager for this area, and we’re currently hiring a full-time Journeyman Mechanic for our Newington facility in Springfield, VA.

This is a permanent union position, not seasonal.

Pay and benefits:

Starting rate: $40.01/hour

Top rate after one year: $47.07/hour

Top rate increases to $49.32/hour in August 2027

Company-paid health insurance

Pension contributions

$450 annual tool allowance

Paid vacation, sick days, and holidays

Overtime opportunities and night-shift differential

Company assistance with CDL training and testing

We’re looking for an experienced mechanic who is comfortable with diagnostics and performing repairs independently. Class B CDL is preferred, but candidates may obtain it within their first year with company assistance.

Applicants must also be able to obtain a DOT medical card and be available for nights and weekends.

One important detail: the position is currently based in Newington, but it is part of a bid area that also includes Dulles and Alexandria. Future shift and location assignments are based on union seniority.

The application information and QR code are included in the image. I’m happy to answer reasonable questions about the position, shop, schedule, or hiring process in the comments.

I think they like our yard because we've got a smorgasbord of pretty much every native and invasive plant/weed growing here.

50M, grew up in NOVA, went to HS in area. We all ended up at a few VA colleges back in the mid-90s when it wasnt as hard to get into these schools, and those 4-6 years spent there were a blast - the stories couldn't be written by hollywood for the crazy things that happened. they were good years.

mostly everyone stayed in touch.

20s were spent in NOVA Clarendon bars, trips to Eastern Shore beaches and clubs downtown.

30s were spent at marriages, trips out of town for the weekend, and the sidelines of early years of kids' events.

40s were spent with much, much more kids events, catching up with divorced friends and living vicariously through their dating stories (apps to date??).

Now, turning another decade. My friends have largely been successful in conventional terms. Nice homes. Vacations. The occasional toy like boat, or country club membership, etc. What kills me though is it seems the only thing these guys want to talk about is money. A constant barrage of one-upsmanship on killings in the market, investments, bonuses, purchases.

I never would think to tell a friend how much I made. I always thought it was personal - for you, your spouse, maybe your parents to know. But they throw around real dollar amounts like its no big deal. I am happy with my career and would place myself somewhere in the middle of their income brackets, but when it turns to this talk, I just start nodding, walk away or try to start another convo.

We used to talk more about sports; sometimes politics but that got too dangerous. We used to reminisce a lot more about HS, college, music...just fun stuff that made us all laugh with and at each other. Now its just money non-stop.

Is this a NOVA thing? An age thing? Or just a money thing? It really makes me sad to think this is how it could be as we move forward.

Genuine question, because this is a very new experience for me: Is it standard to tip disability services at the airport?

I sprained my ankle on the last day of a European vacation and was able to coordinate disability services through my airline. Both airports in Europe that I used on my travel back to the US had great disability services, and there was no expectation of a tip. Everything was going fine when I got back to the States until the person wheeling me to the arrivals door finished helping me get my luggage into my husband’s car. He just continued to stand there, looking put out and eventually said “is that it?”. My husband and I were both genuinely confused by this question. Eventually, he shrugged and walked away, but I got the sense that he expected a tip.

I’ve lived in America almost my entire life, and I know that tipping culture is a thing here, but in my mind, disability services at the airport is not the same as a bellhop at a hotel. Just wondering if anybody has had similar experiences and knows what the expectation is.

ETA: I’m muting this thread because the question has been thoroughly answered. Thanks to everyone who gave clear, insightful, and non-judgmental feedback, informing me about the protocols around tipping disability services at American airports. I am very privileged that I have never had to use these services up until this point in my life, and this was a genuine oversight/lack of understanding on my part. More than anything, this experience makes me sad that these people—who work extremely hard to help those among us who are disabled, temporarily or permanently—are not fairly compensated by their employers, and so the burden of their compensation falls to people who may already be experiencing increased living costs as a result of being permanently disabled.

Anyone have recs? I’m completely overwhelmed with the # of options, and most of the assessments I’m finding are geared towards kids. (I’d like to get myself tested, and am decades away from kid status…well, except at heart I suppose?) Would love to find someone in Tyson’s/vienna/fairfax/Reston, but can go anywhere. If it helps, I have Caremark insurance.

TIA!

Absolutely need to find THE best carrot cake around! Friends birthday coming up and it’s their absolute favorite cake!! Open to any and all recommendations!!

Theres a group of homeless people with 2 or 3 goats traveling down route 50. Everyday they are a bit farther up. Anyone know their story? I am curious.

Anyone else sign up and not get a link to attend?

Can any musicians on here recommend a casual community (ie. non-professional) orchestra to join? I’m a violinist who was once good (all-state musician, played through college, etc.), but now kind of stinks lol.

Specifically, I’m looking for something super low-key with minimal/no auditions and shorter rehearsals that is very convenient to Alexandria. I get terrible visual fatigue from music reading and night driving, so nearby and shorter rehearsals is key. I’d probably need to enlarge my music, but am happy to sit in the back with my own stand or memorize. Basically looking for a group to test this out with, since I haven’t played in an orchestra in years and not since my vision got flakey. I know there are a number of groups around, but given my limitations, recommendations appreciated.

Title. New to the area