Meat Week kicked off last night at Urban BBQ in Rockville. (Photo: TBD Staff)

Meat Week is real and it’s back! It's the D.C. metro area's second year celebrating the week-long event filled with smoky brisket, pulled pork, barbecue meats, and flavorful sausages.

Meat Week captain Janelle Dennis says the event had great participation last year, and she expects to have just as good of a turn out this year. Are you planning on attending any of the events? Where’s your favorite place to go for barbecue goodness?

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Looking for something to do this weekend? Stumble through the suggestions from TBD's staff picks of events and entertainment options.

Below we'll show you one random selection from the 33 best bets for entertainment this weekend. Click the green button to see a new suggestion.

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Chad Brown got 10.5 inches in Thurmont, MD.

One of the first questions people are asking each other this morning is, "How much snow did you get?"

We're doing our best to get you some answers to that. TBD users are sending their ruler-in-the-snow photos to iwitness@tbd.com, and we're mapping them here for you to see. Send us your own photos and we'll add them.

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Ain't it pretty? (Photo: Jay Westcott)

The tree limbs coated in white, the empty field that looks like a clean sheet of paper, neighbors helping neighbors with their shoveling – sometimes we need a weather disaster to remind us how beautiful things can be.

We expect to find a lot of negativity over here, where people can vent about their disastrous commutes and power outages. But we'd like to balance that here with your stories of heroic neighbors, your best photos, how you or your kids enjoyed playing in the snow, or any other uplifting experiences you'd like to offer.

Here's one to start us off, from Tina Montgomery: "My roommate (Heather Leeper) and I live in a sweet condo on Gallows Road where much of the Tysons traffic was tonight. We felt so bad for all the trapped people so we passed out hot cocoa outside."

Isn't that nice? Leave a comment here with your positive story, or e-mail your photo to iwitness@tbd.com. We'll promote some of the best stories here and on our TBD on TV broadcast. Don't let the Debbie Downers win.

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Ugh. (Photo: Jay Westcott)

Metro delays. Highways that become parking lots for hours. Sidewalks that never get shoveled. And oh, the power outages.

We all like looking at snow from the inside of a window, but it can really be a pain sometimes when you're in the middle of it. Here's your place to vent (minus the profanity, please).

Leave a comment here with how the snow ruined your day Wednesday or is continuing to haunt you today, and we'll promote the best (or worst?) horror stories here and on our TBD on TV broadcast. If you're feeling positive, you can share your stories of triumph, fun and beauty over here.

But keep those good feelings out of this comment thread. We're still fuming over here, thanks.

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With the expected arrival of actual accumulating snow in D.C. tonight, the snowball fight enthusiasts behind the Washington D.C. Snowball Fight Association are organizing the "Official" Dupont Circle Snowball Fight tonight at 8 p.m.

If you brave the fight or have other snow adventures tonight, we'd love to see your photos. You can send them by tweet, by email, via our submission tool or by tagging your pictures on Flickr with tbddc.

Keep an eye on the event page to check for any changes. Dress warm, snowballers - and don't hurt anybody with iceballs. You know who you are.

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A big, juicy double cheeseburger. Don't let this sway your voting. (Courtesy of Elevation Burger)

We want you to help us decide which is the best burger in the D.C. metro area.

The ones with the most votes by Feb. 3 will be put to a taste test with a well-known local food critic. Results will be aired on WJLA's Good Morning Washington between Feb. 14-18.

How this works: The poll will present two burger joints at a time. You click on the one you prefer, and then choose from the next pair, and the next. Click the green "Add your own idea" button to throw your own suggestion in the mix, and check the "View Results" tab to see what's ranking at the top so far.

NOTE: You only need to submit a new restaurant for the poll if it's not already on the list of results. Typing in the restaurant's name does not count as vote -- you can only vote by clicking the blue button for the restaurant when its name comes up. Please do not reenter any of the following, because they are already in the poll: Five Guys, Elevation Burger, BGR, Good Stuff Eatery. If you want to vote for those, wait until they come up as an option on the blue buttons.

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The 2011 Academy Awards nominations are out, and we want to know what you think.

Vote for which movie you think should win Best Picture.

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President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union Address in January 2010. (Photo: Whitehouse.gov)

Every year, the American president updates the country and the Congress on the state of our union. Shockingly, every year it is "strong."

Check out the tradition of strength in the State of the Union address using our quote randomizer below. Click the green button to get another quote.

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How do you choose your favorite local bar?

Is it about the drinks, the people, the location, the entertainment? Use the poll above to share what's most important to you.

How this works: The poll will present two bar features at a time. You click on the one that's most important, and then choose from the next pair, and the next. Click the green "Add your own idea" button to throw your own suggestion in the mix, and check the "View Results" tab to see what's ranking at the top so far. We hope you'll share this page with others to spread the word.

After you've voted your heart out, head over to our related post on 20 bars for '20-somethings' in D.C.

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Are you in your 20s? Do you like bars? Do you at least like people in their 20s who like bars?

Here are 20 local bars recommended for the "20-something" crowd. Recommendations come from local users of Quora, a social question-and-answer site.

What do you think? Did they get it right? Leave comments below about the ones picked and what they missed. And don't forget to check out our related interactive feature: The most important features of a great local bar.

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When your front porch is a skating rink, how do you get to work safely?

Whether you're walking to Metro, waiting at the bus stop, or scraping your car windows, it's hard not to notice the sheet of ice that covered our area overnight.

So, we want to know what you're wearing. On your feet. This particular staffer does not recommend galoshes, as they don't provide any traction on the slick sidewalks. Here's a photo from yours truly to get you started:

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a day not only to remember the words and mission of Dr. King, but also to carry out his message through public service. Here's a glimpse at some Washington, D.C.'s volunteer projects today.

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Earlier this week, ABC7's Lisa Fletcher did a story about iPad apps designed for our furry feline friends. The video, which you can watch after the jump, shows a bunch of adorable shelter cats chasing the virtual mice in the iPad game.

We liked this video so much, we wanted to see more. We're willing to bet there's some cats (or dogs even) in the D.C. area who play with their human owners' tech toys too.

Have video of your pet playing with an iPad, iPhone, tablet or Wii? Send it our way using the submission tool or share it as a video response on our YouTube video (here's how).

If you don't have a video of this, well, maybe it's time you shot one.

We'll share the videos we get on TBD TV, thus making your pet famous (by local cable TV standards).

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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. leans on the podium at a press conference March 26, 1964. (Photo by Marion S. Trikosko/Stored at Library of Congress)

Many of the wise and eloquent words that filled Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life echo long after his death.

He is remembered for several famous speeches and writings on civil rights and morality, and the most timeless of his quotes have been recorded and repeated to honor his memory and extend his teachings.

Below we present many of those quotes, and some you may not know so well, for you to choose your favorites.

How this works: The poll below will present two quotes at a time. You click on your favorite, and then choose from the next pair, and the next. Check the "View Results" tab to see what's ranking at the top so far. We hope you'll share this page with others to spread the word.

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Chicken and waffles, possibly the brunchiest brunch around. (Photo: TBD Staff)

Shall we do brunch, D.C.?

Between the TBD staff and our vast network of hungry bloggers, we have a lot of opinions on local restaurants and dishes. We’re channeling all of that local eating expertise into the social web to help you figure out where you want to go and what you want to order when you get there.

Since TBD launched in August, we’ve been adding dining tips at a wide array of D.C.-area restaurants from our awesome local dining bloggers to Foursquare.

All you have to do is follow TBD and whenever you check in at a place we’ve highlighted, those tips will pop up and tell you what to order (or what to avoid). Handy, right?

Now we’ve taken our favorite meal (brunch) to a whole new level with our favorite people in mind (that’s you).

Join TBD on Gowalla and take on our Local Brunch Trip. Every week, TBD staff offer up new picks for weekend brunch in the D.C., from the Bloody Mary bars of Arlington to the waffles of Capitol Hill (and everywhere in between). These aren’t fancypants brunches that cost $20 for two pancakes (we’re journalists after all) or national chains – just places we genuinely like eating.

If you take us up on our suggestions, check in at the dining stops. If you check in at at least 10 of the brunch pick places, we’ll even hook you up with some TBD swag, just to say thanks. If you need an extra large T-shirt after downing a monstrous brunch buffet, we understand.

Have fun a-brunching.

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Photo by Flickr user DeaPeaJay

Geeks want to have fun like everyone else, it's just that they might have a slightly different definition of "fun."

Here are 21 things to do and places to go for geeks in the D.C. area, as recommended by Quora users answering these questions.

What's missing here? Add your comments below.

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When Metro CFO Carol Kissal said the agency is considering selling naming rights to stations, people on Twitter had some fun with it. If you're on Twitter, add yours by tweeting with the #dcmetrostationnames hashtag. If you're not, feel free to add your ideas in the comments here.

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Whether you can't stand working in the office, or you just need to find a place to get online and have a drink, you will at some point find yourself looking for a work-friendly coffee shop nearby.

Look no further than this map of 20 highly recommended local coffee shops -- praised not only for their blends, but also their WiFi, work space and electrical outlet access.

This advice comes from some laptop-toting users of Quora, a social question-and-answer service, in response to the question, "What are the best work-friendly coffee shops in the Washington DC area?" You can add your own recommendations there, and in the comments below.

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As of Wednesday morning, 12 people have been killed in Prince George's County in the first 12 days of 2011. This has disturbed and captured the concern of many residents, who are sounding off on Twitter and Facebook.

See what they have to say after the jump, then see ideas people have to reduce the violence.

UPDATE: As of Thursday, now 13 people have been killed in the county. Follow in-depth coverage here.

NOTE: There is some adult language quoted in the items below. We've left out some of the most vulgar, but in order to capture the emotion and true reaction we have included words that may be offensive to some. Please read at your own discretion.

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