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I Don't Know

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During a recent phone conversation with a good friend, she mentioned how almost every conversation involves some brief pause followed by the conversation trailing off with some version of “I don’t know.” Before our conversation was over, she ended up saying it as well, after which we had a great laugh. I think most of us have probably said it during these crazy times. True. There is a lot we don’t know. Our daily routines have been turned upside down and what seemed certain proved to be anything but. Jobs, meetups with friends, CAI in-person events, crazy rush hour traffic, you name it. Gone. However, in thinking about it a bit more, I think there is a lot more we do know than we don’t know. We know we are resilient as an industry. For proof, just look at how our communities, management companies and business partners have navigated our current world. As a prime example, I had never heard of holding a board meeting via Zoom – maybe a conference call but never a video meetin
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Helpful information about reopening your facilities

I know we all have heard all about how we need to be cleaning and disinfecting our community facilities before they open. The one thing that I have not heard or thought about is the water sitting inside the pipes for the last 2 months or so. I received this useful information from NVBIA and Loudoun Water. Loudoun Water: Loudoun Water is providing guidance related to reopening buildings after a prolonged shutdown. Building managers should be sure to flush the pipes in order to ensure optimal water quality. When buildings and businesses are closed for an extended period of time (e.g. one week or more) a thorough flushing process is needed to move out water that may have been sitting stagnant inside the building's plumbing. Stagnant water, for even as little as two days, can lead to low or undetectable levels of disinfectant, such as chlorine. This water can become unsafe to drink or otherwise use for personal or commercial purposes. Proper flushing can restore chlorine le
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Improvements in My Life in Quarantine

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  We have now been in a shelter in place/stay at home since late March. I have celebrated my wedding anniversary and my birthday at home. While I still go to the office to work, the office is deserted, the streets are deserted and all amenities in my office building are deserted.  At lunch, no one is outside walking and I get the sidewalks to myself. I haven't hugged someone, shaked a hand or had an in person meeting - other than with my husband Joey and Angus, my dog - in months. I have given up my usual routine and hobbies and have had to adjust my life completely and there have been some really good adjustments. While so many people bemoan how bad all of this is, and I agree, this is a terrible situation. I don't want to look back on this time of my life and not see something positive that came from it.  So, I want to share with you what I have improved while in quarantine and I would love to hear about your successes as well. I pick up the phone more . I text l
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Turning a Negative into a Positive

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We can all agree that the last few months have been challenging.  Everyone is trying to adapt to our new normal, often successfully but occasionally not so.  Isn't that how life normally is?  It has its ups and downs, but we always manage to find a way to turn a negative into a positive. I've had plenty of time to reflect and have learned some very valuable lessons.  In browsing though social media, it appears that many of my friends have also learned some valuable lessons.  Below are my favorites: 1.  You are not stuck at home, you are safe at home 2.  Attitude can make or break you 3.  We are much stronger than we imagined 4.  The future will be bright 5.  Patience is a virtue 6.  Laughter really is the best medicine 7.  You can maintain relationships, just in a different way 8.  Face to face interactions are more important than we knew 9.  My Netflix membership was worth every penny 10. I hope some of the creative ways that businesses (especially restaurants)
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World class queso

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Like many others, my husband and I had takeout Mexican yesterday to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We ordered from a local independent restaurant in Alexandria - our favorite - and tolerated the 90 minute wait for food.  Included in our order was queso dip and we were disappointed in it.  Weird because we have enjoyed it for years but we made queso that was better.  A lot better.  So, I am sharing the amazing queso recipe here for all of you to enjoy. It's the recipe for queso at Republic Cantina in DC, so I take no independent credit for this.  Also, this makes a huge batch, so make some to enjoy now and then freeze it (we used gallon plastic freezer bags) for later.  Enjoy! Ursula
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