1. Turns out he's followed my posts for a while and wanted to help me out.

2. He lives close by and brought his two sons (14 & 10).

3. I overheard him tell his boys "it's not about how you start a job, but how you FINISH the job." ❤️💪😭 I did NOT expect to learn such important proverbs and life lessons through this...

4. HE. WOULD. NOT. ACCEPT. PAYMENT. guysssss 😭

5. I had to thank him and beg him to at least let me tip his boys and put it towards any summer fun or back to school shopping... I gave them each a $50 and he kindly obliged.

6. I've now gained a new friend (and role model, as a dad to a boy myself)

No... this is not AI.

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

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.

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??

Truth

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.

Hi can anyone recommend any good authentic Chinese food. Being from California there are so many good options.. anything similar to it??

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?!

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

Hi guys!
I’m a woman in her early 20s who just moved to the Vienna/falls church area. What are some ways I can befriend other girls my age in the area? Are there any organizations that are free/affordable? I like plants, yoga, reality tv, and crafting. I also recently joined a book club and I am interested in joining an affordable yoga/workout studio. Any recommendations?

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.

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.

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!

Democratic Party of Virginia boosting incumbent Beyer and hosting canvassing events for him before the primary is over.

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.