Way back in 2006, but I still want to be friends. Don't you?
Hi guys, as many of you have told me via comments, emails, and personal conversations, the situation with comments regarding Toyland has gotten out of hand. A handful of people, on both sides of the debate, have made inappropriate and hostile comments. Some comments have even targeted this blog, and me personally (one of which appeared on Yelp). My personal dating life is never an appropriate topic for conversation here, and it certainly does not belong on Yelp!. I will say that I'm probably the only person I know who has been falsely accused of dating someone and had it show up on Yelp! So I can now cross that off my list thanks to the help of someone I've never met.
But more directly to my point, there were originally three partners involved in the Toyland venture. None of those three people are involved in the conversation that has taken place here. From everything I've heard, all three wish to settle their differences as amicably as possible and move on with their lives. When we squabble here (or troll, as some of us have done) it not only muddies the waters (they are still settling their affairs) it also prolongs what has been a painful process for them all. So I am once more asking people to please be respectful of those three people who were directly involved in this venture and let them have some peace. Please refrain, for the time being, from leaving any comments about Toyland. I don't want a hostile atmosphere on Frozen Tropics, and some of the comments have made it feel that was to many readers. So, for the time being, I am calling for quiet time. I don't want to see any comments pro, or anti, Toyland. I just don't want to talk about it here because I want to give those three time for the dust to settle. If I do see any comments in that vein, I'll delete them. We are not talking about this here because we are only causing pain right now.
To those who have (intentionally, or unintentionally) stirred things up, trolled, or escalated, the tension:
please step back and take a breath. If that doesn't work, please go back to your respective corners, sit there, think about what you've done, and don't come out until you can behave like nice civilized adults again. I think we'll all be the better for it. Why twist the knife? I personally feel that to do so is profoundly disrespectful to all three original partners. Let's let their wounds heal instead.
Bottom line: If you like the "new" Toyland, go there. If you don't like the "fake" Toyland (I'm trying to echo the language of the commenters here), don't go there. If enough people don't go to Toyland it will fail. If enough people do go to Toyland it will succeed. But don't abuse my blog for selfish and petty reasons. When you do that, it not only creates a hostile environment, but it is also annoying, and profoundly BORING for other readers.
Be nice guys. You only get one life. Why waste it fighting on some blog? Can't we just be friends?
59 comments:
Hear, hear, Inked.
And if you don't like what inked has to say on her blog: go start your own (and go fuck yourself in the process).
Good post, especially the BORING part. Thanks for all your hard work Inked.
Now, on to the hipster-stickball-please more vacant storefronts convo! I'll take a back of Abita Amber with my Whiskey, please.
I apologize. I am done.
Rich,
It's all cool. I just want everyone to be cool. If you can do that you are welcomed back to the table.
Good to see this won't be an issue anymore.
Sidenote:I read this blog quite a bit and recognize some reocurring commenters, so whenever I drive past Parker St, I always think "'Not on Parker' doesn't live on this street :)
I think if we all had to post a sexy-time photo of ourselves to comment here this sort of shenanigans would be nonexistent.
But thank you Inked for this post. I realize running Frozen Tropics is a lot of work, and please don't let the occasional negative experience like this make you forget that a lot of us rely on FT for info on the neighborhood.
Just a personal request, though. It's great to see bar and restaurant coverage, but could you post more on residential developments in the area? Those have a much bigger impact on the neighborhood long-term, as bars/restaurants come and go, but a massive development stays for decades.
I'll start a discussion topic to get our mind off this.
If you could have any member of the Wu-Tang Clan come over and help you with chores for an afternoon who would you pick an why?
Is ODB in play?
that's easy...
Ghostface
Thank you so much for this post Inked.
ODB is totally in play and my number 1 choice.
A) ODB changed his name to Big Baby Jesus
B) he passed away at least a while ago
I will not be silenced.
This blog is the Fox News of H Street.
Thank you. As someone who is not involved, you are right I did find the comments BORING. I am sorry for everything you endured Inked esp. on Yelp. How ridiculous is that? I hope that review is not your 15 minutes. You deserve me. Thank you for bringing this blog to life and your work is greatly appreciated.
That should say "you deserve more." Oops. Auto fill strikes again.
Let me just nip this in the bud for the more skeptical posters.
Any further comments that you see, including anything after 12:18:00 AM, from Rich or Rich.E (excluding this one of course) in this tread are impostors. I have apologized and moved on.
Here' s screen shot of my Yelp inbox as proof as of 10:23am:
http://i.imgur.com/ADIHG.png
I hope this is satisfies all suspicions so that everyone can continue their Wu-Tang discusion in peace. In which case I would like to put my vote in for Inspectah Deck for this verse alone:
I bomb atomically,
Socrates' philosophies and hypothesis
can't define how I be droppin these
mockeries,
lyrically perform armed robbery
Flee with the lottery,
possibly they spotted me
Verses like these would do wonders for my curtains.
What in the heck is Wu-Tang?
RZA. Why? Because it'd be educational, and what could be better than learning something while doing the laundry or wiping the switchplates?
"Why waste it fighting on some blog?"
Moreover why waste it fighting about the same things? 90% of the commentary surrounds these themes:
1. The old timers are hindrances
2. The newcomers are intruders
3. Displacement
4. I moved here before you
5. I moved here to get away from people like you
6. Your business sucks
7. Your business will suck even though it hasn't opened
8. Your business used to not suck but now that everyone likes it, it sucks
9. Die hipster scum
10. Die yuppie scum
We need to focus on more important things like:
1. Politicians using H Street to demonstrate how much they support independent, small businesses while concurrently supporting Walmart
2. How much we miss poo poo
3. Supporting local business through constructive dialogue
4. Property vacancies and blight
5. Raccoons
What ever happended to DJ Key-K?? Is he still around?
Anon 11:02 -- Google and Wikipedia are very useful for straightforward questions like that one. The Wu-Tang Clan were/are a very popular, long-lived (going on 20 years now), large hip-hop collective.
Thanks, Inked. This blog is great and idiots who spew hate don't deserve it!
I've gotta second the RZA. Would be very interesting to have a conversation with him.
Curmudegeon, never teach the Wu-Tang secret to anyone.
Inked-
Can you please disclose the financial arrangements that you have with those establishments you cover. Do you have a standard arrangement covering all establishments or is the arrangement specific to each. Just curious.
ODB is DEFINITELY in play.
For me, Raekwon the Chef is a no brainer.
Inked, why did you call the new Toyland, the "fake" Toyland? I think that in itself is incendiary.
12:47, I have no financial arrangement with any of the places I cover. I used to work at the Argo abd Quaker Valley Orchards stand at the farmers market.
1:27,
I was trying to echo the language of each side.
Inked-
When you mean no "financial" arrangement, does that include any benefit from establishments noted on Frozen Tropics?
1:27, 1:56-
Are you trying to unearth some kind of Inked-related conspiracy?
Are you looking for a reason to not patronize and comment on this blog any more? Do you want to convene some kind of blogger ethics panel to review Inked's actions over the last few months? Give it a rest- you dont need an excuse to not read or comment, just go and don't come back.
BTW Inked- I love this blog, especially posts about the Florida Avenue Market. Keep doin what you are doin!
Inked, I've loved the blog since its inception. Its been a great service to the hood - especially back in the day where we couldn't find any info or ink on what what planned for H. As they say, no good deed goes unpunished. Some of us are grateful and don't question your motives.
1:56,
occasionally Tony T. will buy me a shot of whisky, but I'm pretty sure he does that for a lot of people. I have occasionally excepted a free dessert over the years (but I certainly don't expect it, and it is generally not offered). I have no arrangement with any of the places. It's NOT pay for play. If I ever do make a financial arrangement with a place, I will note that that business is an advertiser/supporter on the post (unless maybe if it's just a press release, or flyer). I've said all this before, so it's really nothing new.
One of the central goals of the blog is to promote H Street businesses. Some businesses may get more play because they send me things, or regularly update their website, or Tweet, or get written up a bunch, or do something else that catches my attention.
That's all well and good, Inked, but you're dodging the real question.
Which member of the Wu Tang Clan would you want to help out around the house?
what about the possum, and the irish o'possum. wu tang my ass. i would absolutely get PE to help. flav for the comedic relief, griff, cus he's more racist than i am, chuck cuz he's smarter than i am, and terminator x cus he's a badass.
tonyt
thepug
(weird, my word verification is trashy. how do they know that?)
Wow, I was completely clueless as to what has been going with Toyland until today. I haven't been visting Toyland as much as I used to (or this site, for that matter) because of work and other miscellaneous crap. It's sad to hear what has transpired with my favorite local watering hole, and I'm sorry to hear about all the troubles that have come from it on this site. I hope things can work out for the best for all parties.
P.S. i have been recently trying to come up with a better payment system than the occasional free shot for inked. in spite of all this recent lameness, i think that frozen tropics is a blog that keeps the h street community involved and informed. i'm not worried about a conflict of interest, i just think that the good job frozen tropics does deserves more than the occasional free shot, or fundraiser for tropics readers. when i figure out how, and how much i can give inked i will post it so there's no secrets.
BTW the pug's 4 year anniversary is next weekend and we will be raising money for pancreatic cancer research.
-Inked
Some people might suspect that you have been pressured by the H st bizs to halt Toyland gossip on your rag. Thanks for the disclosure.
@Centzon Totochtin said...
Whatever!
@- 3:24
Victory goes to Anonymous! What an awesome bit of sleuthing on your part sir, ma'am or it! I just hope that the fears of "some people" have been put to bed, along with the rest of this affair. I am sure that feelings have been hurt, but hopefully in a decade or so this will seem as insignificant as a pimple on Chef Raekwon's derriere.
this is great news
I heard the Toyland peeps are breeding raccoons and letting them loose on H St. Just sayin.
Another question. Where can I go to by a beef brisket. I'm not talking corned beef, it's only February. I'm talking a monster 8 lb brisket I can throw in a smoker.
I get my brisket for Wholefoods or Costco. If you get it from Costco, ask the butcher for the uncut slab in its original package. You will then receive a great piece of brisket worthy of smoking.
Wow TonyT, sexist too? What about Sista Solja?
For brisket, you might also try one of the butchers at Eastern Market. I have gotten brisket from Whole Foods before, but I am not sure they would have a single 8 lb slab for you.
@Centzon Totochtin said...
Victory for one and a lesson for another. Well done!
Glad the topic is dead. At least here on Frozen Tropics.....
Kiki, absolutely sexist, but how did you pick me out over everyone who was arguing for the wu tang? I always liked mc lyte and the q-u-e-e-n more than sista soulja, and i always felt like spinderella was gonna learn about my skills on the decks and ask me out, but alas it was not to be.
Also i kinda like the digable chick.
TonyT,
I am sad I cannot make it next weekend to the pancreatic cancer fundraiser as I'll be out of town. But thank you for hosting this fundraiser for an oft-overlooked, quick-killing disease.
I've never read the comments before, and I'm so sorry to hear they've been nasty. I love your blog, and I've never questioned your motives or even thought about your dating life. I just want to remind you/let you know that you have a lot of fans who read regularly but never post comments. Thanks for all your hard work on the blog, and please don't let a few rude posters get you down.
There is a whole lot of meat cutting and selling that goes on up at the Florida Market. You can probably get something legit up there. I;ve never bought up there because it is crowded and I dont really know much about meat. It doesnt seem like the place to stand around and ask questions unless you want to look like a wanker
dave b, you've just described the dynamic that goes on in the basement apartment of my rowhouse that is "vacant" (I've renamed the bedroom "Toyland"). I keep it under control for the most part, but one of these days it's gonna be in the news like that men's "wrestling club" in dupont from a few years back. Daddy always wanted me to wrestle.
Three cheers for the Pug. Tony, the Clash, who in the Clash would you rather make you a cup of coffee?
that coffee better damned well better be carbon neutral. Oh wait.
i'ld have the coffee with joe, drinks with mick and i'ld get in a bar fight with paul. aliza, every anny at the pug we raise funds for the lustgarten foundation. we've been involved with them for a long time. check them out.
K-A-R-L-S Disco Wiener Haven. Need salsa, need ketchup.
Amen Girlfriend! Let's put this topic to sleep. And, whoever posted on Yelp really needs to a get a life! We love your blog and support for the neighborhood and are not stupid enough to believe everything we read...especially on yelp....
Hey tonyt, see you next week for the fundraiser/fun-raiser, oh and i'll bring those cowboy boots from san antonio you asked me for. haha.
inked, keep doing what you do. i moved into the neighborhood over on 18th and benning a short while back and frozentropics has been a wealth of info. rock on.
I guess I should continue to be happy that I get few comments on my blog entries...
Post a Comment