The annual return of the street sweepers to Somerville

It's not quite as romantic as the swallows' annual return to San Juan Capistrano, unless you're the person who counts the money generated by ticket fines on street cleaning day; however, April 1 is upon us and some of us will be moving our cars to the even side of the street before the sweepers come around on Thursday morning, preceded by the inevitable ticketers.

If my last year's experience proves consistent, there will be no grace period or warnings for those who forget to move their vehicles because it's the first week; instead there will be a bright orange envelope secured to your windshield wiper and flapping in the breeze for sending in your hard-earned (if you still have a job) $50 to the Traffic and Parking Office.

Boston.com does provide help for those of us who haven't memorized this year's list of first and third Thursdays and second and fourth Fridays yet. Go to bostonsweeper.boston.com and enter your city and street name to receive e-mail notification the day before the sweeper comes around.

My goal, as always, is to get it right every time, but there are a lot of first and third Thursdays and second and fourth Fridays to come before the end of December and the thought is rather discouraging. I really believe that one's first street cleaning violation of the year should be waived in common courtesy to residents who have more on our minds than whether tomorrow will be the first or second Thursday or the third Friday or whether it will be Thursday or Friday at all. Unfortunately, this year's budget cuts make it likely that parking ticket revenues will be grasped at harder than ever.

If you're frustated with Somerville's ticketing policies (and who that drives a car here isn't?), don't forget that you can hop over to the Somerville Parking Problems Google group to kvetch with others in the same boat. I think we should start keeping a running total over there of the fees we've paid as a constituency. I'm sure it will horrify us and make the parking commissioner dance with glee.

Two new Somerville websites

Wow, this is great. Somerville residents are furiously typing all day and night, sharing our experiences with one another on everything from local shopping to city services. All you have to do is poke around the web a bit (or stay tuned here) and you'll find everything you want to know about the City of the Seven Hills.

At somervillefoodscene, anonymous reviews of restaurants plain and fancy, as well as grocery stores, are being posted bi-weekly. The reviews are thoughtful and detail-oriented. In the latest entry, about DeMoula's Market Basket, there are price comparisons with other markets, a little history of the store, and observations about the patrons, in addition to an enumeration of some of the things you'll find on the shelves. The review of Tacos Lupita notes cooking techniques, the "laconic" staff, and the decor. Obviously, "anonymous" loves writing about the food here in Somerville, and I think the bi-weekly idea works well, because it seems to give her (I gather from the entry about Highland Kitchen that "anonymous" is female) time to write informative and thorough reviews. I definitely encourage anyone who eats in Somerville to check it out.

As much as I love to read about delicious things to eat, I think my favorite new discovery is Somerville Parking Problems, a Google Group devoted to, well, Somerville parking problems. Anyone living or parking in Somerville has stories to tell about the outrageous rules, regulations, and restrictions that dog our every search for a spot. Somerville Parking Problems is a much-needed support group that invites us to share stories, situations, and solutions to the insanity. In one post, Joe Beckmann makes the apt comment that "It's not a matter of traffic - they ought to shift the whole department to the assessor's office." If that doesn't make you want to shout "Yeah, brother, testify!" then you've obviously never been charged $50 for leaving your car in a spot in front of your home longer than 48 hours. The real mission of the group is to bring together the voices of Somerville residents and by doing so, influence city officials to adopt more reasonable policies. Let's hope it works!