On Saturday the 14th at 4AM UTC/GMT we will be upgrading the operating system of our network load balancers to a newer version, one that will allow us to use both CPUs! Nifty, because multiprocessing is nice.

Since we have 2 load balancers, the plan is to upgrade 1 at a time, and there really should be very little impact to our website. Hopefully you won't notice a thing and I'll get to go back to the hotel and watch some wonderful late night infomercials.

We've got a lot of exciting projects coming up for 2010 and we're hoping that we'll be able to deliver them all to you, that you will find it useful/cool/lovely and then you will use the site even more. Behind-the-scenes work like this will give us the capacity to handle the anticipated traffic, so expect a few more maintenance windows especially in the beginning of next year as we've got some neat ideas to improve performance around here! We had the recent 30-45 minute outage yesterday due to one of our logging databases filling up disk space -- not so great design coupled with my human error in handling the initial problem -- and it looks like we're going to finally have some resources to eliminate stuff like that. I can't wait!

As usual, I will be updating status.livejournal.org before and after, just in case you are not able to reach our main website during the work.

Hello Davis Square!

Washington Street Art Center will be hosting "Something Sweet in Somerville", our first ever Grand Gala and silent art auction on Saturday, November 21st. All proceeds from the auction and the door will be going to support the Somerville Homeless Coalition.

The Gala will include a dessert buffet featuring desserts by Dave's Fresh Pasta, Kickass Cupcakes, When Pigs Fly, and other local places. The art auction includes works in multiple genres and the starting bids are low. Admission is $5 at the door or a donation of a NEW winter accessory (hat, scarf, gloves, etc). WSAC is located just outside of Union Square. parking is free and ample. We hope to see you there!

( More info under the cut... )

Since folks here might be interested.. I've gone a few years -- and it is like a total Indian/Punjabi "Bring It On" -- super fun for those into the multi-cultural-entertainment. Its sold out for the last 5 years, so if you want to go, you should buy your tix sooner than later.

---------snipped--
Come experience one of the largest and most successful Bhangra Competitions in North America! The most respected bhangra teams from North America will fight it out to be crowned the Boston Bhangra Champion!

Date: Saturday, November 14th, 2009
Time: 6 PM Sharp! Doors open at 5 PM (tho only the non indian folks are there on time and sitting in their seats at 6, enjoy the tasty buffet! -ed)
Venue: Orpheum Theatre
Address: 1 Hamilton Place, Boston, MA
http://www.bostonbhangra.com/bbc

Special performance by Sharmilla & Dr Zeus! Their hit songs include Sat Sri Akaal, Assi Haan Punjabi, Akhaan Da Nishana, and MANY MORE!

Hello!
I work in Easton, Ma and am looking to move to the city, preferably Somerville since it is close to 93.

I am 23, female, Mass born and raised in Ma, went to college in Worcester.

I am looking to move into a building with people that are social, fun and respectful of space. Right now, I am living in Easton, alone and bored. There is nothing to do here and no young people.

I can sometimes be someone that keeps to myself but I am pretty adventurous and love cities. I lived out of a bag in NYC this summer and couchsurfed so needless to say I am not afraid of the unknown.

Please get in touch if interested!

--Kate

- JJ Abrams is off The Dark Tower...for now, at least. “The Dark Tower thing is tricky. It’s such an important piece of writing. The truth is that Damon [Lindelof] and I are not looking at that right now.” Dear Hollywood: Please give me a bajillion dollars so I can make this into an HBO series (3 seasons ought to do it). I won't let you down. Sincerely, Ryan.

- Black Cat is all but confirmed for Spider-Man 4. Rachel McAdams (mrowr!) and Romola Garai (who?) have auditioned. Please pick Rachel McAdams. Please pick Rachel McAdams. PLEASE PICK RACHEL MCADAMS! It also sounds like the Vulture may be one of the villains.

- Clash of the Titans trailer

- Ambiguous endings resolved. FINALLY! RESOLUTION! They had me lol'in'.

- Prz to be buying Cthulhu sculpture for me. Kthx.

- The D.C. sniper was executed yesterday. Lethal injection. I know it's probably the most painless way to die, but I like to think that if I was ever put on death row, I'd go for the electric chair. I mean, if you're going to be executed for killing people, you should LOOK like you're being executed for killing people. Give 'em a show.

- Also, you guys really need to watch this. It's a pilot called "Danger Planet", it was made for Cartoon Network's now-defunct Cartoonstitute, which was going to show pilots of possible new series and let viewers decide which ones to go with. This one's about an 80's arcade machine and a lift robot who get stranded on an alien planet with a human baby. It's awesome. Trust me.

I am wicked sad about this... I've begrudgingly accepted the loss of lime rickeys in the area ($5 for raspberry syrup and sprite don't count, JP Licks), but no more hot dogs in grilled, flat-sided buns? Well, you're not taking my candlepin, New Chicacaliyorkians!

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/11/the_last_lunch.html

My husband is looking for recommendations for a place to get a haircut.
He has curly hair (medium curly) that he is interested in keeping not super short, with some sort of nice shape.
He is specifically looking for someone who knows what they are doing with curly hair, and can do more than just the basic supercuts-style short clipper cut.
Not too expensive would be great.
Any recommendations from people with similar hair needs?

ETA: Thanks for the suggestions everyone! We'll definitely check these out. Further thoughts/recommendations obviously still welcome.

I couldn't find much in tags about Stinky's pet grooming in Ball Square, but I wondered what recommendations I could get with regard to claw trimming there (Yelp is my good friend but there wasn't much there). Benjamin will not let me anywhere near his claws for a clipping, but now that he has largely retired from his epic scratching projects, it's got to be done. I buy pet supplies from Stinky's and have always been quite happy, and it's right across the street. Would love if it could work out for regular claw clippings, too...

i know you're out there. please don't give me a heart attack and stay away from the edge of subway platform. I DON'T NEED TO BE TRAUMATIZED.

Hi everyone,

I'm a student at Boston University and in my Account Planning/Consumer Insights class, I have to do a whole project for a certain demographic. I was assigned females in Gen X (born late 60s - mid 70s).

Unfortunately, no one I know in that demographic grew up in the States, since I am a first generation born American, which would skew my data since lifestyle and value sets might be different from someone who did grow up here.

If anyone is willing to talk to me on AIM or Skype or via e-mail or on the phone or at a Starbucks type place, please please please let me know. i've asked my friends and none of them have come through and my project is due on two weeks.

You can e-mail me or comment this post (tranmelody@gmail.com).

Thank you so much in advanced!

Melody

If you don't have plans this Sunday night, come out to the Burren in Davis Square (Somerville) to hear some live music. At 8pm, John Craigie will be performing in the back room. He is a friend of someone I know. I'd like to see a good crowd.

You can hear some of his music on his myspace page. He is a very good acoustic/ folk singer and songwriter.

x posted to b0st0n.

If you don't have plans this Sunday night, come out to the Burren in Davis Square (Somerville) to hear some live music. At 8pm, John Craigie will be performing in the back room. He is a friend of someone I know. I'd like to see a good crowd.

You can hear some of his music on his myspace page. He is a very good acoustic/ folk singer and songwriter.

x posted to davis_square.

I remember there being a few people in the community who do cleaning for some extra cash.
Before the end of the year we'll be completely cleaning out the condo to get rid of the pet hair.

We do have a washer dryer in our unit, and we need an extra set of hands.
Anyone interested in earning a little extra money?

I live in a house with two other roommates. The three of us were on a lease from Dec '07 through Dec '08, and have simply been tenants-at-will since then. We each pay our share of rent individully to the landlord, but my understanding is that we are responsible together for insuring that rent for the apartment is paid in full.

We received a note on the door yesterday from our landlord saying that he would like a call concerning ROOMMATE #3's rent. My other roommate called him back and learned that ROOMMATE #3 was late on this months rent, AND had not paid last months rent either. ROOMMATE #3 has also been eating our food when we are not around, and has not been paying utilities on time.

The kicker here is that ROOMMATE #3 is the ONLY member of the household with a job, and he makes good money. (Corporate Web Developer) :\

Our landlord would love to see this person go, but mainly, he just wants his money. That means that it becomes the responsibility of the other roommate and myself (the unemployed ones) to cover this gap, which is obviously difficult if not impossible for us to do.

I would like to know if anyone has been through a deadbeat roommate situation like this before, and has any words of wisdom on the legal ramifications involved. We know that we can't just kick the deadbeat out, and we don't want to loose this apartment either! (We like it here, and we have a pretty good report with the landlord since we stopped throwing late night parties a year ago!) We would love to get rid of this deadbeat!

Any helpful advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thank!

Hello Everyone!
My name is Emily and I am an assistant at James Joseph Studio in Medford. I am a licensed cosmetologist and I am currently taking classes at JJ Salon on Newbury Street. I am currently in Women's haircutting with a concentration on Bob's. For the next few weeks we are doing classical bobs (above the shoulder, one length bob with no graduation and no layers) and I am in need of models. More information is listed below.

Date: Monday, November 16th
Time: 12 Noon
Place: James Joseph Salon, 30 Newbury Street, 2nd Floor, Boston MA
Price: $20
Model needed: A woman who has or wants a classical bob haircut  (http://www.1000looks.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/katieholmesbob.jpg

Models are very important in order for me to graduate in the program so please only contact me if you are sure you are able to make class. There will be a teacher on site at all times and due to the classroom nature class can last anywhere up to 2 hours. The haircut includes a wash and a blowdry.

If you have any questions please contact me at Emilymb13@gmail.com or call/text me at 857-413-7390

I look forward to hearing from you soon! Have a great day!

Emily Abad

Friday November 20, 2009

Join us for services and a dairy/vegetarian Shabbat dinner followed by a meditation class. Dinner and the class are free, but * * you must register by Nov. 13! * * RSVP to registrar@thehav.org or 617-623-3376. We regularly provide dairy-free and gluten-free options at dinner. But if you have specific food needs, let us know asap.

Lovingkindness meditation serves many purposes.  It relaxes the mind, is an antidote for fear, and promotes self-awareness.  Though this meditation has been taught for thousands of years as a Buddhist practice, it has many overlaps with Judaism and works beautifully in helping individuals focus on their most important goals.  Its premise is that in order to develop compassion towards others, one must first develop a path toward practicing it with oneself.
 
Rebecca Lavine is a licensed social worker and has been meditating for nearly fifteen years. She runs the Little Buddhas group at the Cambridge Insight Meditation Center.

Services: 6:30 p.m.
Dinner: 7:30 p.m.
Class: c. 8:00 p.m.

Havurat Shalom
113 College Ave
Somerville MA 02144

for more info
call: 617-623-3376 (voice)
go to: http://www.thehav.org/
or email: info@thehav.org

The 1st floor of Havurat Shalom is wheelchair accessible, including the prayer room, dining room, living room, and bathroom. For the health of those with allergies and chemical sensitivities, we request that you not wear perfume, aftershave, or cologne to Havurat Shalom.

sixwordstories
Whether you're in the mood for a creative challenge or you're short on time or attention span, this semi-addictive community is perfect for those who find flash fiction way long. Once you get the hang of it, you won't be able to stop. The prince turned into a frog. The girl ran home to mother. Tough to write. Easy to read. It's a double threesome of fun.