As reported on the Montclair website, an "update" from PSE&G. It seems pretty truthy to us. It just needed a little tweaking.

JANUARY 8th UPDATE FROM PSE&G

PSE&G replaced all of the faulty underground cable on the circuit. [Anybody want to take bets?]

After a power outage on Thursday [and um, the Tuesday before that and the Friday before that and oh, we kind of lost track] impacted wisdom teeth service to some 1,920 Montclair residents - many of whom had suffered multiple problems [some of which even had to do with electricity] in the past few weeks - PSE&G quickly took a number of steps to communicate with residents [but not until we kind of busted their balls] .

Utility officials met with town officials Friday to outline the things being done to restore reliable electric service. [Can they restore something they haven't had? Define reliable.] The utility also reached out to each of the impacted wisdom teeth customers in Montclair and surrounding towns with personal phone calls.[Flowers would have been nice, though.]

Rest assured: PSE&G is doing everything in its power to ensure that area residents have their power. [That's a lot of power.] The utility asks that residents be patient while they work to find a solution.[We thought they had a solution: replacing all the faulty underground cable].

PSE&G crews finished replacing all of the problematic underground cable Friday night, and tested the remaining 1,000 feet [Emphasis ours: If they replace all of it, why was there 1,000 feet left?] to ensure its integrity. This should minimize underground cable problems, a main culprit in the %)(*$*&! repeat outages.

PSE&G will continue to provide the town's webmaster with regular updates, until the issue is resolved.[But if you really want to know what's going on, read Baristanet.]

Montclair residents with questions about their bills or reports of emergencies should continue to call [if you can get through]the utility's 24-hour customer service center at 1-800-436-7734, [in other words, we didn't get any deal for them to pay for all that spoiled ice cream] but those with concerns about electric reliability in the area are encouraged to call (973) 365-5287.[Not Mr. Ed]

Meanwhile, as for those two electrical fires last January caused by downed power lines and the one on Christmas Eve, we'll just pretend they didn't happen.

And all it took was one meeting with our town officials? Or maybe it was the wake up call from Mayor Ed that finally got them out of the dark and got them dialing 1,920 angry customers...and there's still that problem of restitution....

January 12, 2006 in Tweaked | Permalink | Comments (14)

Things too wild and woolly for you here at Baristanet? Want to sift through dozens of recommendations for dentists and roofers? Feel you haven't pissed off enough people lately?

In other words, do you want to be a moderator (aka Benevolent Despot) at the Montclair Watercooler?

Sound like a dream job? There are openings. (If you can't click through on this link, you're automatically disqualified so don't get your knickers all twisted.) Hurry. This opportunity can't last long.

June 15, 2005 in Tweaked | Permalink | Comments (53)

Recently, my home was invaded by a team of three women who, armed with an arsenal of props, tools and a seemingly unlimited supply of brute strength, whipped my abode into shape, making it look better than it ever had. After that, someone came and bought it out from under me. I'm not homeless, I've just moved about 10 blocks to new Baristaville digs, where the predominant decorating scheme is numerous modern art sculptures of cardboard boxes stacked in corners, waiting to be unpacked. To see how my house got dressed for success, go Home.

June 7, 2005 in Tweaked | Permalink

Who doesn't think that, given Photoshop or a Church Sign Generator, they could come up with a better design for a Montclair logo? This one comes from Montclair blogger Chris Castellani at NJ.com. 

Meanwhile local advertising guru Nancy Mehegan has some tweaks...

...based on all the feedback we've getting: O straightened, angel's wings showing. She also sends us a link to a cautionary (and perhaps apocrophal?) tale about a town logo that was over-tweaked.

But this one, designed by the Meyers family in Bloomfield, may be the best.

May 26, 2005 in Tweaked | Permalink | Comments (4)

Looking for this little fellow? Raymmmondo's featured him in today's Montclair Times feature, "Where in Montclair?" But Baristanet readers will remember him from our scavenger hunt in January. "Learn its whereabouts next week in Where in Montclair?" Why wait for another tree to be killed? The answer's right here, in the Baristanet archives.

Where we lead, the Star-Ledger follows as well.

March 3, 2005 in Tweaked | Permalink | Comments (1)

Some chest-puffing from the Watercooler today.

There it is, folks! Today we've reached the incredible number of 1000* members on the Watercooler.

The Watercooler was founded on May 1, 2000. Since that date, 25765 messages were posted**  - some silly, some serious; some cranky, some happy; some from new residents, some from "old hands" -- but all of them interesting.***   Thank you to all who make this list such a lively and valuable forum for "things Montclair."****  Now for the "'Cooler 1000 Party"! Anyone who would like to join the "party committee" please contact the BDs*****   at: MtcWatercooler-owner@yahoogroups.com Mary, for the BDs

*On the home page, it says 997 members, but who's counting?
**567,392 posts rejected
***Depending on your feelings about garage-door openers.
****No boring tsunami stuff, ok?
*****Benevolent Despots

Congrats, Cooleristas, from your fellow cyber dwellers at Baristanet. And whaddya know? The very same day, Montclair Unmod has its 10,000th post.

January 13, 2005 in Tweaked | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Glen Ridge Voice reported this week that Glen Ridge has signed a deal with Pepsi that will give the district $5,000 in exchange for an exclusive contract with Pepsi to put vending machines throughout the high school. The district will earn another $3,000 if 3,000 cases of soda are sold by the end of the year.

In addition to erecting a giant blow-up Pepsi can in front of the school, the school district has edited its mission statement to read:

In partnership with a close-knit community Pepsi , the Glen Ridge Public Schools will provide each individual student with a motivational and highly challenging academic program pocket change in an atmosphere respectful of individual and cultural differences soft-drink preferences, so that students can advance their future education, contribute socially, and compete productively consume enough sugar, sodium and caffeine in an ever-changing, to support an increasingly technological financially-strapped global society tax base.”

August 13, 2004 in Tweaked | Permalink | Comments (2)

We were cleaning out our e-mail box last night and came across this interesting release. It was just a wee bit wordy, so we thought we'd tweak it a little.

Open Community Arts Meeting

We be (?) an open arts-based community group. believing that art and creative self-expression is a vehicle for the expansion of human potential. We are dedicated to fostering and promoting awareness by providing forums for discussion and platforms for expression encouraging the development of community based art initiatives through creative forms of expression, We have arts education, community outreach, open collaborations, exhibits, concerts, performances, classes, workshops, youth programs, and other weird shit.

We are an intentional community of artists improving the quality of life by supporting one another with mutual understanding, acceptance and respect while creating culture, sharing resources, enhancing the aesthetic of our burgeoning community, heightening awareness around global and local issues through education and advocacy and networking across our diverse worlds. Anybody can join as long as they're nice.

Want to get involved?

Our next open arts meeting is
Sunday, July 11th
3pm
@
Makeready's Gallery 214 Artspace
214 Glenridge Avenue in Montclair, NJ
(Where we host The Naked Readings)

Join us for an afternoon of creative collaboration.

Questions? Write to Volunteer@SpiralBridge.org

:Poetry:Music:Art:Life:Art:Music:Poetry:

July 6, 2004 in Tweaked | Permalink | Comments (3)