Wednesday, November 26
Column: ‘Shrinkage’
Not exactly “like a frightened turtle” as “similed” on a long-ago Seinfeld episode by Jerry himself; this shrinkage is the good kind, the kind you hope a radiological oncologist characterizes when viewing your CT Scan (computed tomography).
Tuesday, November 25
And The “Scancer” Is…
Unknown at this date – Saturday, November 15. In fact, it will be six days from now until we’ll know the results. As it is always scheduled, a week or so after my quarterly CT Scan, we will have our usual follow-up, face-to-face appointment with my oncologist. At this meeting, I am examined, and of course, the radiologist’s report of the most recent scan is discussed, and plans for the future – stay the course and/or adjust or switch altogether – are considered.
“Shrinkage”
Not exactly “like a frightened turtle” as “similed” on a long-ago Seinfeld episode by Jerry himself; this shrinkage is the good kind, the kind you hope a radiological oncologist characterizes when viewing your CT Scan (computed tomography). Specifically, the exact kind of scan I get every three months to assess and evaluate the tumors, and fluid, in my stage IV, non-small cell cancer-affected lungs.
An Exceptional Education
Exceptional Schools Fair offers parents a chance to learn more about schools for their children with special needs.
Maureen Kleinman wandered from booth to booth, speaking with representatives from schools that cater to students who have special needs. She asked questions about each school’s resources and environment.
Encouraging Girls to Pursue STEM
Holy Child will host female speakers in science, technology, engineering and math fields.
When Trish Whitcomb’s daughter Colleen began to express an interest in engineering, she and her husband were at a loss as to how to foster her academic and career aspirations.
November Raises Awareness and Celebrates Caregivers
Resources available for people living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.
Mary Driver-Downs has been one of the primary caregivers for her mother-in-law, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, for the past six years. It has been a difficult journey, but one she says is well worth it.
Turkey Carving 101
Local chefs offer advice for slicing the star of the Thanksgiving table.
Few things symbolize Thanksgiving like a whole roasted turkey on a platter, but when it’s time for dinner, neatly sliced pieces of meat look even more appealing. Whether it’s sliced at the table or in kitchen, turkey carving can be a daunting task, however. A few local chefs share their favorite turkey-carving methods to create an impressive holiday platter.
Letter: Meeting a Candidate
To the Editor
I am not a political person, but I recently attended a young professionals event and met Craig Parisot, Republican nominee running for Virginia House of Delegates, 34th District, and I knew we had a new kind of candidate on our hands.
Exploring the Beauty of Nature
Kathrin Swoboda, of Vienna, received the Nature Visions' "Best in Show in Fine Art" award at the recent 2014 Nature Visions Photo Expo.
Vienna: Madison Volleyball Drops Heartbreaker in State Final
Warhawks lose to First Colonial in epic five-set match.
The Madison volleyball team lost for the first time this season --- in the state final.
Herndon Teen Dances in ‘A Christmas Carol’
Holiday classic offers dinner and a play.
A holiday classic comes to life in an intimate, dinner-theater setting when the City of Fairfax Theatre Co. and Truro Anglican Church present “A Christmas Carol.”
Hometown Girl Really Makes Good
Danielle Talamantes goes from Vienna to NYC’s Metropolitan Opera.
Danielle Talamantes’ life story sounds like a Hallmark made-for-TV movie. Local girl sings in community, takes her voice to next level in international competitions, is discovered by agent of New York’s Metropolitan Opera.
Editorial: Holidays Are About Giving
Give thanks and share; tens of thousands of families around us are in need.
The holidays are about giving, and giving thanks. The holidays are about children and family. The holidays are about sharing, about joy. The holidays are about being thankful and about faith and appreciation. The holidays are about alleviating suffering for others. Surrounded by the bounty in so many neighborhoods in Northern Virginia, many of us see little signs of the massive unmet needs here. But in Fairfax County Public Schools, more than 52,000 of the students are poor enough to receive free or subsidized meals, a significant measure of poverty.
‘Audience Will Root for the Characters’
Oakton High presents the drama, “Radium Girls.”
Based on true events, Oakton High’s upcoming play, “Radium Girls,” is a compelling drama illustrating a tragic time in American history. Show times are Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 4, 5 and 6, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Friday, November 21
Vienna: Madison Volleyball Drops Heartbreaker to First Colonial in 6A State Final
Zanellato totals 28 kills for Warhawks, Carter finishes with 17.
The Madison volleyball team lost to First Colonial in five sets in the 6A girls' volleyball state final.
Thursday, November 20
Oakton Girls’ XC Repeats as State Champs
Cougars mistakenly think they finished runner-up.
The Oakton girls' cross country team repeated as state champions.
Renovation Keeps Rolling at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria
New wing showcased at Nov. 14 ribbon-cutting.
Thomas Jefferson senior Thomas Rogers is big on the laser cutter. “You can cut anything you want,” said the McLean resident, “like exact designs on sheet metal.” Rogers was enthusiastic about the device, but wouldn’t fire it up during the Nov. 14 tour of the Science and Technology Governor’s School’s new two-story wing with 14 research spaces.
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors makes two rail-facilitating moves; Arlington ends streetcar project.
As the Silver Line Metororail project progresses towards its second phase opening date of 2018, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors are helping pave the way.
Wednesday, November 19
Editorial: Why Shop Small? Shop Large Locally
Small business Saturday isn’t enough; don’t wait until then, and don’t stop after that.
There is a joy to shopping in local stores at the holidays, to participating in community traditions and celebrations, to walking along a sidewalk with the streets decked out for the holidays, to being greeted by someone likely to be the owner of the store, to finding gifts that are not mass-produced.
Santa and Silver Season Arrive at Tysons
Santa Claus ditched his sleigh and traveled to Tysons by Silver Line Metro. His Nov. 14, 10 a.m. arrival at Tysons Corner Metro Station signals the start of the first wave of holiday shopping in one of America’s premier retail destinations.
Vienna Youth Soccer Completes ‘Give Cancer the Boot’ Campaign
Vienna Youth Soccer’s (VYS) fields were a sea of pink in October as players and their families participated in the third annual ”Give Cancer the Boot” campaign by wearing pink during games and practices.
Girl Scout Presents ‘The Backyard History of Vienna’
Last week on Tuesday and Thursday nights, Nov. 11 and 13, Kara Coxe, a junior at James Madison High School, presented her Girl Scout Gold Award Project, “The Backyard History of Vienna” to the adult students in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program at the Vienna Presbyterian Church.
The Best Holiday Gifts in the Vienna Area
Holiday gift guide features locally-owned businesses with high-quality merchandise and friendly customer service.
Why, yes, you can shop online or at the mall for holiday gifts …. or, you can get personalized, friendly service and distinctive, high-quality goods by supporting your Vienna-Oakton small businesses, typically owned by local people who give back to the community.
Crime Solvers Seeks Public’s Help
Fairfax County Crime Solvers is seeking the public’s help in identifying the person(s) responsible for firing a handgun outside in Oakton, resulting in one bullet penetrating a home.
Vienna Gets Festive
Holiday activities abound in December.
The Vienna area, from James Madison High School to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, offers a diversity of holiday fun for all ages. Some are free; most are not.
The Antioch Christian Church to Celebrate Homecoming
The Antioch Christian Church will Celebrate Homecoming Weekend on Sunday, Nov. 23. The church is located at 1860 Beulah Road in Vienna. One combined worship service will take place at 10:30 a.m.
Capitol Steps Performs at Shepherd’s Center of Vienna
The sold-out audience was rolling in the aisles when nationally recognized comedy troupe, Capitol Steps, appeared at the 2014 benefit performance for the Shepherd's Center of Oakton-Vienna (SCOV). SCOV serves older adults in Oakton, Vienna, Merrifield, Dunn Loring and portions of Fairfax and Reston.
Oakton High School Presents 'Fahrenheit 451'
Featuring a cast and crew of 35, Oakton High presents the thought-provoking drama, “Fahrenheit 451.” The curtain rises Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 20, 21 and 22, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 at the door only.
‘We Need to Keep Our Children Fed’
Vienna CROP Walk raises more than $30,000.
Many of those participating in Vienna’s 10th Annual CROP (Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty) Walk had done so for several years. Others, like resident Martha Nichols, were walking in it for the first time.
Holiday Bazaar in Oakton
Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax (UUCF) at 2709 Hunter Mill Road in Oakton will host Annual Holiday Bazaar - with local, handmade art and crafts -- on Saturday, Nov. 22, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sun., Nov. 23, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
Vienna Travel Club Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Shillelaghs Travel Club of Vienna celebrated its 50th Anniversary with a gala luncheon at The Westwood Country Club that was attended by more than 175 members, vendors and guests. The atmosphere was “family reunion.”
Column: And The “Scancer” Is…
Unknown at this date – Saturday, November 15. In fact, it will be six days from now until we’ll know the results. As it is always scheduled, a week or so after my quarterly CT Scan, we will have our usual follow-up, face-to-face appointment with my oncologist.
Tuesday, November 18
Madison Volleyball Wins First Region Championship
Warhawks carry undefeated record into state tournament.
Madison hosts Ocean Lakes at 6 p.m. tonight.
Friday, November 14
Excuse Me
Early on during my indoctrination/assimilation into the cancer-patient world in which I now reside, I remember asking a fellow cancer patient/friend if I could use cancer as an excuse for whatever it was needed excusing (directly or indirectly related), and she said: absolutely, “blame the cancer.” Years later, after a chemotherapy infusion, I saw my oncologist walking through the Infusion Center and asked him if my thinning hair might be a result of this most recent chemotherapy drug (not all chemotherapy results in hair loss). His response was similar to what my friend had advised me in 2009. He said: “You can blame me,” (which of course, I understood to mean, cancer/the treatment of cancer) “for anything.”
Dos, Don’ts and What-Ifs
Instinctively, I am not the most open-to-new-ideas/new-things kind of person. However, an unexpected diagnosis of stage IV, non small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at age 54 and a half – along with its equally unexpected “13-month to two-year prognosis,” changes a few things. And thanks to a great friend, Rebecca Nenner, whom I have written about previously, I have/have had to become more open, and consequently, have assimilated into my life many non-Western, non-traditional alternatives (pills, supplements, super foods, activities/behaviors, etc.) with which I was totally unfamiliar (I’m a sports and chocolate kind of person), in an attempt to outlive my prognosis.
Thursday, November 13
Jean R. Packard Remembered at Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna
Jean Packard was Frank Roberts’ first boss. He was 13, she was 22 and the acting editor of her father Dave’s Clermont Sun newspaper in Batavia, Ohio. “I was a ‘devil’s rat,’” Roberts said, responsible for odd gofer jobs around the office. “I was trying to hide from work and she’d track me down. She was a tough boss.”
Wednesday, November 12
McLean Location for 2015 DC Design House
House will benefit Children’s National Health System.
The new country estate at 956 Mackall Farm Lane in McLean will be the location for the 8th annual DC Design House, a project that raises money to benefit Children’s National Health System. The 2015 DC Design House will be held from April 11 to May 10.
New Interior Design Book Features Local Tastemakers
Interior designers offer advice on creating an elegant home.
Fall not only brings vibrantly colored leaves and pumpkins, but it also ushers in a slew of new book releases. Among those is an interior design book featuring local designers.
Editorial: Thanksgiving Help for Those in Need
Roll up those sleeves and help.
This week is the week to jump in to help the many organizations that will help needy families through the holidays. Here are a few ideas of how to help, but the opportunities are limitless. More than 236,000 people living in the area do not have access to enough food to sustain an active, healthy life for all members of their households, according to Catholic Charities. That is to say, more than a quarter of a million people, including many children, go hungry on a regular basis.
Dream Team Vienna Wins Robotics Championship
A Vienna team of sixth graders captured the 1st Place Grand Champions Trophy for overall excellence and the 1st place Robot Performance Award at the recent First LEGO League Robotics Regional Qualifying Tournament at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), Alexandria.
Oakton, Langley Football Reach Postseason
The Oakton and Langley football teams each earned a spot in the 6A North region playoffs. Oakton enters the postseason as the region’s No. 14 seed and will travel to face No. 3 Lake Braddock at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14.
Flint Hill School Dessert Theater to Present ‘Midsummer/Jersey’
Flint Hill School Dessert Theater will present “Midsummer/Jersey,” Nov. 14-15. The play, written by award-winning playwright, Ken Ludwig, is the hilarious, high-octane retelling of Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” set on the boardwalk of a seaside town in modern-day New Jersey.
Vienna Broncos Leave No Doubt, Finish Season 9-0
The 100-Pound American Vienna Broncos won the Fairfax County Youth Football League title on Saturday, defeating the Lee Franconia Wolverines 38-24.
Vienna Honors Parade Winners
The Vienna Town Council and the Vienna Business Assn. honored the winners of the Town’s Halloween Parade at the Nov. 3 Council meeting.
LearningRx Offers Military Families Brain Training Discount
For Veteran’s Day, LearningRx of D.C. Metro Area is offering 11 percent off of their brain training programs for military families Nov. 11 through Nov. 30, located at six local centers -- Chantilly, Fairfax, Leesburg, Reston, Vienna, and Potomac, Md.
Vienna Little League, Town Join Forces
Will both chip in to renovate Glyndon Park baseball field.
On Oct. 27, the Town of Vienna and Vienna Little League representatives met with the neighbors living by Glyndon Park to discuss plans to renovate and improve the baseball field there.
Stroke Comeback Center Celebrates 10th Anniversary
For 10 years the Stroke Comeback Center (SCC) has helped people with aphasia and their families receive communication support when these families have lost their insurance benefits. And on Thursday, Oct. 30, the SCC held its 10th Anniversary celebrating “The Art of Communication.”
Column: Excuse Me
Early on during my indoctrination/assimilation into the cancer-patient world in which I now reside, I remember asking a fellow cancer patient/friend if I could use cancer as an excuse for whatever it was needed excusing (directly or indirectly related), and she said: absolutely, “blame the cancer.”
Thursday, November 6
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Clifton residents to hold open-house tour of newly remodeled homes for the benefit of local widow.
Neighbors help each other. That's what communities have always been about. Long-time Clifton resident Bob Gallagher is rallying his friends and peers to help his neighbor Elsa Armendaris.
Natural Treatments for Anxiety
Experts say complementary medical treatments can help relieve anxiety and other mental disorders.
When 35-year-old Andrea Evenson decided to try meditation, exercise and yoga to deal with her anxiety, she had already been on a myriad of anti-anxiety medications.
Column: November Is Adoption Month
Here’s how to help find a forever family for children and teens waiting in foster care.
If you are lucky, you don't know what it's like to live in the precarious limbo that defines foster care in this country.
Commentary: Sometimes Perception Really Isn’t Reality
Fairfax County is home to one of the wealthiest populations in the country. Unbeknownst to many, the county is also home to the second largest population of homelessness in this region. In fact, more than 1,200 residents of Fairfax County are without stable and safe homes.
Madison Girls’ XC Dominates Conference 6
The Madison girls' cross country team produced the top four finishers at the Conference 6 meet.
Oakton Girls’ XC Wins Conference 5 Championship
The Oakton girls' cross country team performed well despite some additional time away from competition.
Wednesday, November 5
HOT Topic
Fairfax County Fire & Rescue invites the media for Hands-On Training.
Rob Schoenberger is pretty good with a 15-foot extendable camera. Its built-in microphone and powerful lights come in handy, paired with a Delsar seismic sensor device, when trying to locate people trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building.
Halloween Parade Winners Announced
The Town of Vienna and the Vienna Business Association have announced the winning entries in the 2014 Vienna Halloween Parade. Winners were recognized at the Nov. 3 Town Council meeting.
Surviving a Real-Life Disaster Film
Vienna mom and her son shopping at Oakton gift store when 87-year-old motorist plows SUV through the store.
What started out as a routine after school trip to the Oakton Library last week turned into a real-life disaster film for one Vienna mom and her son. Monday, Oct. 29, was pleasant fall afternoon, so Shadi Peikari and her son, Bayan, 13, made a last-minute decision to walk to Abbey’s Hallmark store in the Oakton Shopping Center.
Vienna Halloween Parade Takes Over Town
Flashing emergency lights, blaring fire and police sirens, and roaring Vienna and Fairfax County police motorcycles kicked off the 68th Annual Vienna Halloween Parade on Wednesday, Oct. 29.
Beauty, Sustainability Awards Presented to Homeowners
The Town of Vienna recently honored three local homes with Community Enhancement Commission Beauty and Sustainability Awards. They acknowledge the hard work Vienna residents put into beautifying their yards and gardens, while encouraging others to adopt greener and sustainable lifestyles.
Restaurants and Apartments Planned for Church Street
Now vacant lot proposed for redevelopment.
Arrington Properties LLC owns the site at 120 Church St. N.W. in Vienna and it has plans to redevelop with a building containing both residential and commercial uses. Details were presented during the Oct. 20 meeting of the Vienna Town Council.
Column: Dos, Don’ts and What-Ifs
Instinctively, I am not the most open-to-new-ideas/new-things kind of person. However, an unexpected diagnosis of stage IV, non small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at age 54 and a half – along with its equally unexpected “13-month to two-year prognosis,” changes a few things.
Tuesday, November 4
Early Voter Turnout Steady in Vienna
At Wolftrap Elementary School the morning of election day, Nov. 4, voters came in a steady stream, but no large crowds at a single time.