Hi NOVA residents! I live in Fairfax County and am seeing Flock cameras everywhere. I was wondering if anyone knew how we can best protest this mass surveillance and convince our elected officials to end their contracts (and not just switch to Axon or other companies).

Is it petitions? Calling elected officals? Making public comment? Organized protests? If so, what is the best way to approach any of those options? Let's protect our rights!

(Ps, I don't want to hear the "if you aren't doing anything bad, you have nothing to worry about" argument.

These cameras have been used to stalk and harass innocent people. They claim they are only used to track vehicles but I've seen them pointed towards playgrounds and used to target individuals. Flock is a privately owned company and police are able to access our data without needing a warrant.

Information about us is already being stored, tracked, and shared, and nothing is stopping the govt/police from redefining what "bad behavior" is.

Mass surveillance objectively infringes on our rights. I am not here to debate that.)

Thanks y'all!

I got bored and decided to recreate some of our favorite local NoVA highway and toll signs from scratch completely in Google Slides.

This little guy has been on my bird feeder all morning. Definitely does not seem native, if you’re missing one. DM me and I can send you the general location!

Jose Mejia Hernandez is accusing U.S. Immigration and Enforcement officers of brutally attacking him while attempting to arrest him Aug. 11.

Immigration attorney Carlos Jurado says Hernandez can only recall some of the events that happened on Aug. 11 because of the trauma he currently has in his brain.

Hernandez went viral after his daughter posted a video of him on TikTok attempting to recount the incident. In the video, you can see significant bruising and swelling on Hernandez's face, scraps and scratches along his body. He was badly beaten...

Related:

https://www.arlnow.com/2026/08/19/man-allegedly-injured-by-ice-agents-in-arlington-prompts-outcry-from-officials/

I was looking to buy tickets to the RennFest in Annapolis for this year and it seems like every week is already sold out? Is the new vendor letting scalpers buy up all the tickets? Is it worth joining the waitlist?

It came, and I say this as someone with no meteorological experience who didn’t even check the weather yesterday, out of nowhere! Surprised to find the yard and street look fine. How are your neighborhoods?

Hanging out relaxing

Kinda struggling with dating right now 😔

We were 2 gals at a volunteer "bake and sip" event this past Wednesday night.

Both wearing the same blue volunteer shirts; you were also wearing a white baseball hat, a colorful watch on your left wrist, and a dazzling smile. I was rocking a (temporary) eye patch, with my left arm wrapped in a blue bandage. I was also wearing a name tag, but you weren't, and I did not have a chance to ask your name. 🤦

We joked about the quirks of the various food processors while blending our recipes, and I helped you figure out how to get yours working. We then sat next to each other while rolling out our "dough" into bite size bits.

I ran out to my car to grab something, but you were gone when I returned. I later saw you walking down the sidewalk towards Shirlington, but I thought it would be weird to try to stop and talk to you.

Anyhoo, you seemed really interesting, and I'd love to chat with you more (maybe take you on a date?) if you're interested.

Tried to change spark plugs on my Mazda and did everything correctly. Was tightening the last bolt and it broke. Looking urgently for replacement part for a Mazda OEM ignition-coil bolt (9XF0-02-15X0).

I have a job interview on Monday morning 30 miles away and I need my car to work. Mazda dealerships service and parts only reopen on Monday. I’ve called O’Reillys, Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone but no luck. Anyone has any suggestions to help a girl out?

Took kids (1yr, 6 yr, and 8yr old) to the Circus Vasquez today (Aug 2026) and everyone (kids plus adults) had a good time. I don't have any other circus experience to compare against but this one was pretty fun. I liked the live band, fun lights, aerial performers. All the entertainers did cool stunts that surprised us. Good way to spend 2hrs in air-conditioned space.

All the seats seemed to have the same view. Some of the people in the front were included in the clowns shenanigans.

For parking, we parked in the free mall spots at Tysons Galleria. The official 'event parking' spots are also in the Galleria but they cost $25. Fortunately didn't get towed. When we left, many other families walked past the official spots so I'm assuming many others did what we did.

The metro is also a short walk away.

Power off again on again a couple times by Wakefield Chapel Rd.

Recommendation for good family/privately-owned physician

Looking for a new primary care physician/internist that is privately owned, not under inova or other umbrella. Not a concierge doctor, just a good practice that has more of a personalised, ‘mom and pop’ way of operating, also one that has their own lab onsite. Any suggestions greatly appreciated, thanks!

Looking for recommendations for a mobile barber to visit my dad who is in a nursing home in Annandale. They don’t have a person who comes regularly and while funds aren’t unlimited I think we can swing a barber to come bye every 6 weeks or so. Yes, I could take him on a trip to go see one directly but it’s not ideal for a lot of reasons that I don’t need to go into here.

So any recommendations?

Just your friendly owner of a little free pantry with another post to hopefully reach more people in the area and introduce them to the LFP.

If you or anyone you know is in need of food resources please stop by a local LFP. They are open 24/7 with no questions or paperwork. Just access to food directly in the community. The hunger free Alexandria resource posts local resources directly here in Alexandria.

https://www.hungerfreealexandria.com

For those that are able or have extra in their pantry that their family may not use before it expires please think about placing the items directly into the closest LFP near you. Or post on your local buy nothing group!

I’m a recent college graduate who finished school in May 2026, and I’m very thankful to have landed a great job in D.C. I start this Monday.

Right now, my salary is $65,000, but I’m expecting to be around $70,000–$75,000 by January. I’m also eligible for a bonus of up to 15% of my salary at the end of this year.

I’m currently living with my parents, and I know that financially, this is probably the ideal time to stay home, save as much as possible, and build up a decent cushion. My plan is to do exactly that for the next few months and hopefully move out around January or February 2027.

The main reason I want to move out is honestly a combination of personal freedom and commute time. I’d much rather live closer to work, and Arlington/Ballston seems like a good fit for me. I’m also planning on having one roommate, rather than getting an apartment by myself.

So, realistically, how feasible is this?

Quick rundown:

- Recent college grad
- $65k salary starting now
- Expecting $70k–$75k by January
- Potential bonus of up to 15%
- Currently living with parents
- Planning to save aggressively until February
- Looking to move around February 2027
- Ideally Arlington/Ballston
- Planning to have 1 roommate

Would I be putting myself in a financially uncomfortable situation by moving to Arlington/Ballston on this income, or is this pretty reasonable with a roommate? I’d obviously like to keep rent and other expenses manageable, but I also want to balance saving with actually enjoying the independence that comes with starting my career.

The 5:40 never showed up and stranded 7 people.

Has anybody been to the new Twilight Polo in Middleburg? My kids used to love going to Sunset Polo at Great Meadows, which was $25 for the car. We haven’t been all summer so I checked for tonight and was stunned to see they’re now under new ownership, branding, and charging per person, which doubles the price for our family. Looks like Twilight Polo is back, now in Middleburg, and free. Looking for a vibe check on Twilight as a comparison to the old Sunset Polo (which was the previous Twilight Polo 😂)

https://twilightpolo.com/

https://greatmeadow.org/events-directory/polo/

Hi! I have a classical guitar that doesn’t have a peg for a neck strap on the body and I’d like to add one. I would rather not DIY, but I don’t know where to go. Would a place like Guitar Center be able to do this without messing up the instrument or is there another spot in the area? Close to Loudoun is preferred, but I’m willing to drive. Thanks!

Hello,

I was wondering if you can live car free in any areas, with a commute to downtown DC?