Growing up NoVA

Stupid Uninformed Metro Riders

2010-11-24T08:43:00.001-05:00

I don't think there's any other city that gets more ticked off at people for not following the unspoken (yet highly known) rules of their metro system than those of Washington DC. Today a woman slipped her hand in the door of the train as it was closing and held us up a couple minutes, when the door finally opened she popped her head in and asked, "does this train go to Union Station." A collective "NO!" came from us witnessing the incident and as the door shut on the confused woman, we all gave each other the obligatory shaking of the head and sighs of exasperation at those folks who hold us regulars up. ARGH!

Back to wasting time while trying not to waste time

2010-11-15T13:02:00.003-05:00

A handy collection of all the links and things I've been looking at today that others may find interesting...personal comments may be included where comments need to be made.

mental_floss Fun With Pie Charts post reminds me of the days when I was a naive middle schooler and used pie charts to decribe just about everything from which genre of music I was digging at the time to what boys I thought were cute comparitively.

Often thought of bringing my own seating on Metro....

A few good tips on How to Become a Morning Person. It really is a lovely time of day once you get over the whole fact that it's morning....

Christian Bale gives interview on hating giving interviews.

2010

2010-01-01T10:56:00.002-05:00

In 2010 I will blog more (I hope...and at least while I remain unemployed). Pretty much since I woke up I've been having all kinds of thoughts....too many to track in any other outlet and since I have no one here to talk to besides me cat....blogosphere ftw.

Listy Goodness:

Woke up saying oh god oh god oh god...and I stayed in last night (well except for those few hours I went out)! Really its all cooking related....do not drink late and leave oven unattended! Though I cannot share my cooking disaster without incriminating myself I can tell you....well....its bad but momentarily being resolved.

9 Ways the Future Will Suck

8 Nerds Who Will Utterly Kick Your Ass

Best of: Culture, Comics, Games, TV and Movies

The whole Angel/Cordelia love thing always really bothered me. Has anyone else been re-watching on TNT? Since I haven't had a lot to do recently, Ive been DVR-ing the eps...I wish Cordelia would just get evil already and go away. I really want to like her, and I do in the first couple seasons, but being first a Buffy fan, the Angel/Cordelia "relationship" REALLY bugs me. It doesn't seem right. Does anyone else out there feel the same way?

I could seriously eat Hollandaise/Bearnaise ALL THE FRIGGIN TIME. Why is it so good on so many different things? This year I hope to become an home-made accomplished Saucier.

Why are all holidays synonymous with drinking? Thats not good for the people of Earth is it? Or maybe Ive been living my life an entirely wrong way? Please show me the light w/o using religion. I triple dog dare ya.

Also....Wesley is a bad ass (if you don't watch Angel, you should...I was into the whole vampire thing way before these Twilight/True Blood dorks (which I totally am).

A story about almost the worst thing I've ever tasted.....

2009-12-05T15:09:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I went grocery shopping and in an effort to save money,
while still eating well, I decided to give powdered sauces a try. You
know what I'm talking about, you see them in the spice aisle usually and
while you know the can never live up to homemade they get by as "ok" or
"pretty good". Gravy for example, while most delicious when whipped up
on the stove from juices of your respective meats, is still quite good
out of the jar and passably delicious when a gravy "powder" is mixed
with water (stirring constantly until you bring to a boil).

So we know, gravy powder mix, not so terrible, right? Have you all ever
tried any of the other powder sauce mixers? I never had...until last
night.

I believe my first folly was going for a quick fix of an old family
recipe.
We take food very seriously in our family (Mom, you know what I'm
talking
about) and may even be considered "food snobs" when it comes to certain
dishes. Certain recipes have been passed down over time, and may
perhaps be considered "Secret Family Recipes". We love decadence.
Welsh Rarebit, Pot de Creme, Christmas Potatoes, etc. But out most
coveted dish of all time in our repertoire (at least in my opinion)
is...*drum roll please*

Hollandaise

Delicious, smooth, buttery, hollandaise sauce. Don't even get me
started about Hollandaise's sister companion, Bearnaise. If I go into
detail we might all go into a food coma without even having tasted the
stuff, but more likely we would end up at expensive French restaurants
demanding a medium rare herb encrusted roast with a side of red baby
potatoes and steamed asparagus. *Drool*

But I digress.....if you haven't been too distracted by the food
descriptions above, you may have an idea about where this story is
going.
I was in the market and saw the packaged Hollandaise. Knowing I'm on a
tight budget, but will be eating at home (alone) a lot I thought, why
don't I treat myself with a family favorite recipe in instant form. It
can't be all bad. The moment the cashier scanned the package, I knew it
was sacrilege, but I imagined telling my family this Christmas, while
sweating over the double broiler constantly whisking the egg yolk and
butter mixture (clockwise with a wooden spoon non-stop), about my
discovery that powdered Hollandaise wasn't all bad after all. Not that
we would dream of using the stuff at our Holiday meal, but maybe we
could incorporate it into more family dinners without all the work. I
would be the brave soul. The Lucy who wasn't afraid of trying new,
cheap ways to better expand my culinary horizons. I'd get a pat on the
back.

But I was so, so wrong.

The mixture (when added to water over a medium/low heat whisking
consistently while watching The Day After Tomorrow) thickened up quite
quickly and I was pretty impressed with the consistency. Making
Hollandaise from scratch is tricky and you never know when it might
curdle on you, but I could tell this mixture was going to keep up its
beautiful appearance until my salmon was done broiling and the brussel
sprouts were properly steamed. Just to be safe, I added a generous
pinch of kosher salt and several good shakes of lemon pepper...took a
minute to gaze at interchanging scenes of Jake Gyllenhaal and Randy
Quaid on the television....picked up a spoon and gave it a taste.

YUCK!

This stuff was gross. It was chalky and boring and just awful. Ok...it
needs more seasoning. More salt, more pepper, the juice of an entire
lemon.

Taste.

EW.

Disgusting.

I stared at the sauce for a few moments while several tornadoes hit Los
Angeles causing mass destruction and panic (I love disaster movies) and
wondered what I should do. Should I throw it out? Probably. It was
gross, no one was expecting it except me as part of the meal, and I knew
my salmon and sprouts could survive without it. But then again,
maybe...just maybe the salmon and brussel sprouts could enhance the
chalky yucky sauce.
Its possible right? I just need to add some more butter, salt, pepper
and lemon to everything and it will be ok. Right? Suddenly my healthy
dinner (minus the intended sauce) turned into a sodium/citrus-filled hot
mess. I loaded my plate with the nicely cooked salmon filet and a
healthy helping of brussel sprouts, added butter and lemon, held my
breath and spooned on minimal helping of the hollandaise.

You can imagine, it was terrible. What did it taste like? Salt and
lemon with odd textures that resembled the food I was eating. You know
what though......I ate it all anyway. I had just planned out my meals
for the week and I'd be damned if this disgraceful stuff was going to
ruin MY carefully thought out meal plan. I have a budget. I must stick
to the budget. I need my greens and my protein.

After my meal, I threw out the rest of the sauce (disgraceful that
product was put on the market....should I write to the FDA?). In
reality, the package only cost 89 cents so it's not like I was losing
out on much, but I felt like such an idiot for believing, if only
vaguely, that a package of powdered Hollandaise could even remotely
compare to the real thing. I'm still even wallowing this morning about
it, which is why I decided to write my experience down in hopes that
both you and I may never make this mistake (or in my case, make the
mistake AGAIN).

You know what the funny part is? I had three perfectly tasty Lean
Cuisines sitting in the freezer that I had not incorporated into my meal
plan that could have been eaten instead.

Oh well, live and learn.

Wow - I finally figured out how to post a title!

2007-10-09T12:23:00.000-04:00

Back to the basics. I want to post fun/interesting links for your enjoyment instead of all this ranting and raving. The crazy only comes out of me *some* times!

-WMATA considers changing the name of the new baseball stadium stop (Navy Yard) so as not to confuse people (aka tourists). Wouldn't it just be more confusing to have two "stadium" stops?

-I'm considering a Green Memorial for my burial now. The idea is pretty cool! Is it weird that I've already given thought to me funeral? I think its practical. For once I'm thinking ahead on something!

-This is hilarious. And I think I have the same $1 million dollar bill the guy was trying to use!

-Goonies sequel?!

Aaaand....thats all for now. Maybe more later...

2007-10-04T16:00:00.000-04:00

If I could count the number of time I've been told to keep my opinions to myself, I might have enough money for those expensive boots I saw on Macys.com.....I might have enough for ten pairs of boots and a house even. That is....1) if I counted or 2) if I ever listened to anyone.

For many, many years people have been told to keep their opinions to themselves out of politeness especially subjects involving politics and religion. Always known as testy subjects that get the best of friends and family into heated debate, the general public seems to shy away from these conversations, even if it makes things a little more exciting.....I think we could all use a little more excitement in our lives, don't you?

With that being said, let me state plainly and clearly what I think about these taboo topics.

Religion: I do not believe in god or jesus. Never have, never will. The most I've been willing to state is that there is a very slim chance that these two things are real only cause I can't prove it wrong....and if I can't prove it wrong, that means you can't prove it right. Don't use the bible as proof. For all we know it could have been created by the L. Ron Hubbards of yore. From what I'm told the bible has some great stories in it. Magic, mystical creatures, and angels. Sounds like something out of Lord of the Rings. Maybe one of these days I'll pick it up, but the pages are rather thin and I tend to treat books with a heavy hand so maybe Ill just get the DVD. Is the bible or its equivalent on Netflix yet?

Politics: I am a raging feminist, pro-choice, pro-gay, pro-union, anti-gun, anti-war, tree hugging liberal. I believe that raising taxes is ok if its going to give everyone health care. I don't think the government should have one ounce of say what we do with our bodies.....and contrary to popular right-wing belief, being pro-choice does NOT mean you are pro-abortion. It means you have the right to decide what you want to do cause chances are, abstinence only teaching did not work and little Susie never learned about birth control and prevention from STDs. Also guns DO kill people you NRA assholes. When you leave your fully loaded gun in your nightstand to make you feel "safe" at night, Timmy is probably going to find it eventually and end up accidentally shooting himself or his friend in the head while playing wild wild west.

So thats what I think....the basics at least.

Freedom of speech does come at a cost. We end up having to deal with absolute toolboxes like Bill O'Reilly, pill poppers like Rush Limbaugh, Her Cuntess Ann Coulter, and even foreign dicktator Ahmadinejad. We have a choice to listen to what we want, just like you have a choice to read this blog or not, but for some reason it is always what we disagree with most that we are so interested in hearing. Opposing sides are constantly at each others throats and hanging on to the oppositions every last word, and why? I'm certainly guilty of this as I just got really pissed at a quote that I (shamefully) found on PerezHilton.com by Ann Coulter stating:

"If we took away women's right to vote, we'd never have to worry about another Democrat president. It's kind of a pipe dream, it's a personal fantasy of mine, but I don't think it's going to happen. And it is a good way of making the point that women are voting so stupidly, at least single women. It also makes the point, it is kind of embarrassing, the Democratic Party ought to be hanging its head in shame, that it has so much difficulty getting men to vote for it. I mean, you do see it's the party of women and 'We'll pay for health care and tuition and day care — and here, what else can we give you, soccer moms?'"

Isnt that just despicable? Don't you just want to choke her scrawny little neck? I want to see her castrated, stoned, stretched out, looped around a flag pole and burn baby burn...the last thing she'll hear is John Edwards speaking to a group of AFL-CIO workers about cutting taxes for the rich to provide free government paid health care to their families. Hahaha....I'm evil!!!

Some would be unhappy with me if I stated this opinion say, out at a bar in mixed political and religious company. They would look at me with big eyes, mouths agape, shaking their heads. How dare you speak your mind in public like that! Hey, I even get it from my own mother. The one who told me I could be whoever I wanted and always stand up for what I believe in. Of course, she (and others) might say that my tasteless description of how I would like to witness this evil bitch's death is unnecessary and rude, but really....does this bitch deserve to be treated like a human being even in rhetoric. No fucking way!!!

And when someone tries to tell me in conversation that they think we had a valid reason for invading Iraq am I just going to smile and nod and just say, "well that's your opinion." NO! The reason these motherfuckers are still running this country and the WORLD is because they play dirty, they talk dirty, and us more educated and courteous folk have been letting them walk, stomp, spit and kick all over what the United States stands for. The founding fathers must be rolling over in their graves! Illegal wiretapping, religious persecution, scandals and cover-ups, denying innocent children health care, the list goes on.

So pardon me for not bending over backward to play nice with all the kids in the school yard. The one runt of that pack that stood up to the bully was always laughed at, but in the end, when the runt won, the bully went crying to mommy like a little bitch and the school yard was once again a happy, safe, democratic place to be.

PS and BTW: This was written as a rant...spelling and grammatical errors are probably all over the place and I may or may not be making sense, but hey, whats a blog for, right? Im sure you caught my drift, picked up what I was throwing down, etc.

2007-09-03T12:39:00.000-04:00

An open letter to the religious solicitors in Elmwood Village:

Dear freaks,

Please refrain from leaving your literature at my house on Norwood Avenue (I'm talking to YOU Scientologists and Jehovah's Witnesses). I am not now nor will I ever be interested in your so-called "religions". You've been littering my front porch all summer and I am sick and tired of cleaning up your pamphlets and brochures. And that Scientology questionarre you handed me on my way to the bank? I've seen better questions on a MySpace survey. I've tried to be nice, but I'm about to go South Park on your ass.

Thank you.

Disdainfully yours,
A pissed off neighbor (aka ME)

PS: Youre killing trees! You may not care since you think youll be taken to the Mother Land sooner rather than later, but some of have accepted that we have to live on this GD planet.

2007-08-26T10:24:00.000-04:00

I've abandoned my blog and I'm ashamed of myself. I live in Buffalo now, so I don't know if the title still applies, but considering I did grow up from NoVA, but live in a different location the least I can do is give my opinion about living in another city.

I'll be back. Soon, I promise. I don't have a job or anything, so I should have plenty of time to write.

2007-04-03T10:29:00.000-04:00

Tuesday Linky Goodness

I'm not doing anything at work but surfing the World Wide Web, so I thought I would share some interesting links I've come across the past couple days:

-The Office has put the city of Scranton, PA on the map and Scranton looks to cash in. (and thank god they are airing a new episode this week...its been too long.)

-I just read this article about a secret FBI intelligence unit interrogating a group of war protesters back in 2002. Apparently, they were detained because of suspicion in their all black attire which is often associated with Anarchist groups. Up until now the FBI and DC police had denied this incident ever took place, but after the individuals filed a civil lawsuit "newly uncovered" records surfaced to support the protesters claims. To light my fire even more, I listened to this while I was reading the article:

-I find this blogger pretty hysterical (in a funny not a crazy way). I'll always love my town, but you have to admit it can suck to live here sometimes.

-I didn't partake in any Aprils Fools pranks this year, but I enjoyed these sites practical jokes.

2007-04-02T10:50:00.000-04:00

Shamrock Fest was awhile ago, but here are a couple pics of my friends and I. I'm working on personalizing this blog a bit more since I won't be able to talk about DC/NoVA happenings for much longer.

This one above is of myself, my friend Lindsay and her boyfriend Ed. Not sure where I got the aviators from or what I'm reaching in my purse for. This is after several hours at the Fest and the Bloody Mary brunch.

So this one is of me and the girls, Lindsay and Derin. I think Derin and I left shortly after this. If its not blatantly obvious to you Derin and I were at a different level than Lindsay was at and it was a loooooong metro ride home.

On another note, I think I was the only person at Shamrock who wasn't wearing green, which is odd cause green is my favorite color. Thumbs up to all the port-a-potties. Unlike past years in Arlington, there were plenty of bathrooms and I never had to wait in line to go. I still prefer the Arlington location if only cause its much closer to home.

2007-03-27T15:29:00.000-04:00

From Dcist.......

March 27, 2007

Washington, D.C.: Insert Catch Phrase Here

On Sunday, the Post ran a story detailing the Washington, DC Convention and Tourism Corporation's announcement that they will spend $150,000 beginning this year to research and develop a new catch phrase for the city. We told you a bit about these plans, including the Tourism Corporation's effort to gather your opinions on the District through their Share Your DC survey, back in January. If you still haven't completed the survey, go ahead and take a minute to do so now.

New city slogans are all the rage, we're told, like the ubiquitous "What Happens Here Stays Here" for Las Vegas, or the much-derided "Metronatural" for Seattle. But we'd like to humbly submit that the Tourism board rethink this plan. Not the part about coming up with a new slogan for D.C. — "Washington, D.C.: The American Experience," is objectively boring. Just the part where they're going to throw down $150,000 to pick a new one. Why didn't you come to us, Tourism officials? Between our staff and commenters, we bet can come up with something perfect for the low, low price of only, say $50,000. Think of the savings. Think of the time you'll save. Think of the ridiculous DCist yacht party we could throw. It boggles the mind.

We stayed up all night working on some slogans, and encourage you to add some more to the comments. Some of these are somewhat serious suggestions. Others, not at all serious. We'll trust you to know the difference.

"D.C. Quarter" image from Modernhumorist.com

Washington, D.C.: But It's a Wet, Sweaty Heat

Washington, D.C.: Walk Left, Stand Right

Washington, D.C.: Kickball Capital of the World

Washington, D.C.: Better than Baltimore

Washington, D.C.: Democracy is Overrated

Washington, D.C.: Half-Smokey

Washington, D.C.: Capital of Culture

Homeland Security Alert Level: Fabulous!

Washington D.C.: 535 Representatives in Congress

Washington, D.C.: What Happens Here, Gets Out Pretty Much Everywhere

Washington, D.C.: Like Richmond, Except More So

Washington, D.C.: Wildly Underappreciated

Washington, D.C.: Technically Not Built on Top of a Swamp

Come for Washington, Stay for D.C.

D.C.: The Pentagrams in Our Street Layout are Purely Coincidental

D.C.: Remember Your 8th Grade Trip Here?

***

Also, some honorable mentions from the commenters at Matthew Yglesias' blog: Washington, D.C.: I Moved Here for Work; Washington, D.C.: An Hour From Baltimore; Washington, D.C.: 5 Percent Lawyers; Washington, DC: You Voted For 'Em.

Posted by Sommer Mathis in News | Link | Comments (29) | Recommend this! (11) |

Washington DC: What happens here will be undone after the next election.

[5] Posted by: Take 3 | March 27, 2007 12:44 PM

Washington DC: A Crapital Shi**y
Washington DC: Now With 30-percent Fewer Poor People
Washington DC: Because You Don't Know Any Better
Washington DC: POPO-WOW!
Washington DC: Check Your Gun, Wallet, and Dignity at the Door
Washington DC: Our First 10 Callers Will Recieve a Whoomp! There It Is! Teeshirt
Washington DC: Slave Revolt-Free for Over 200 Years
Washington DC: What Happens Here Never Makes it to the Grand Jury
Come for the Smug Sense of Entitlement, Stay for the Overpriced Tapas
Washington DC: Birthplace of Al Jolsen!
Washington DC: Because Buisness Suits and Sneakers Never Go Out of Style
Washington DC: We Make Guam Look Good
Washington DC: Everything you always wanted in a city. And less.
Home of the Beautiful Whitehurst Promenade, Day Spa, and Dog Biscuit Bakery (Opening Summer 2009)
Lincoln was Wrong: You Can Fool All the People All the Time

[7] Posted by: monkeyrotica | March 27, 2007 12:49 PM

Washington DC: The Wannabe State

[12] Posted by: Take 4 | March 27, 2007 1:18 PM

Washington, DC: Northern sinning, Southern gossiping.

[17] Posted by: Sweet | March 27, 2007 1:36 PM

Washington, DC: Now with more guns than ever before!
Washington, DC: So what do you do?
Washington, DC: 2/3 of us can read
Washington, DC: Bitch set me up
Washington, DC: We're only here when Congress is in session
Washington, DC: Less homicides than Baltimore
Washington, DC: Humid in the Summer, freezing in the Winter, only a month's worth of really nice weather
Washington, DC: Where the lobbyists come out to play
Washington, DC: I promise you a police car on every sidewalk. (marion barry, ladies and gentlemen)

[21] Posted by: Berto | March 27, 2007 1:53 PM

Washington, D.C.: Where other people vote for your neighbors

[29] Posted by: LA | March 27, 2007 3:09 PM

2007-03-20T12:19:00.000-04:00

What happened to Jewel?

How does an artist go from songs like this:

to this:

Its supposed to be funny, right? I was looking for some sort of message in the Intuition lyrics, but I just wasn't getting it. And this is coming from someone who purchased and actually enjoyed Jewels book of poetry.

This all came up after spending an hour on a feminist blog then later looking through Co-Op Americas Responsible Shopper site and listening to Jewel's Pieces of You album so I think I may just be feeling a bit self righteous. There are a crap load of other things I could complain about that have more signifigance than how Jewel might have changed her image, but oh well, its me and I'm sad to say I do still pay attention to celebrity going ons.

2007-03-15T14:18:00.000-04:00

Best Political "Cartoon" I've Seen in Awhile:
Gotta love Tom Toles :)

2007-03-09T14:23:00.000-05:00

There's a ton of stuff going on in the area this weekend and next weekend. Heres a list of some stuff to chose from:

-Of course there is Shamrock Fest. I decided against going this year (rather my wallet decided for me). I will be doing a pre-party at my friend Derin's where she promises eggs, bacon, potatoes, and mimosas. I'll probably make myself a Bloody Mary :)

-The Hirshorn is hosting an After hours event tonight which reveals a new installation in the museums lobby. You can also take an "Insomniac" tour of the museum, drink, and play with Lite-Brites. Can't go to this either cause of the damn wallet!

-DCist Exposed kicks off tonight March 9 and will be showing till March 16.

-March Madness blah blah blah, here are some places to go watch the games in the DC area.

-The muy expensive, but very fun DC International Wine and Food Festival. I love wine, I love food, and I love festivals. I wish I could go to this.

-The National Museum for Women in the Arts is showing a special exhibit, Katrina Mississippi Women Remember from March 9- May 28.

-The DC Independent Film Festival will also be wrapping up this weekend. Looks like I missed International Womens Day. The next few days have some good offerings.

Have any other inside information? These are just a short list of the special events I heard about for this weekend, there could be many others. I'm sure you are all gearing up for St. Patricks Day as well. I'm not as excited as I have been in previous years. Anywho...could this day go ANY SLOWER!?!?!?!?!???? GOSH!

2007-03-09T10:29:00.000-05:00

My top three YouTube music videos of this week (aka songs played on repeat at my office desk):

Mew - Special

The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends

Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks

2007-03-06T09:08:00.000-05:00

Links to help you avoid work (like I am currently doing):

-On March 15 between the hours of 10 and 12 go to your local Starbucks to take advantage of their Coffee Break where you are entitled to a free 12 oz coffee. Might as well get something for free out of this billion dollar franchise.

-I am so upset that my favorite magazine would allow my least favorite person to be a guest editor.

-USAToday.com has a new look and some pretty cool new features (such as being able to comment on all stories and having personalized blog pages hosted by the site). Heres me in case your a member and want to add me as a friend :)

-A hilarious article from Cracked.com on the 8 Important Lessons Learned from 80's Cartoons.

-

2007-02-28T08:52:00.000-05:00

Political Cartoon of the day:

2007-02-28T08:22:00.000-05:00

From the Borowitz Report:

Supreme Court Gives Gore’s Oscar to Bush

Stunning Reversal for Former Veep

Just days after former Vice President Al Gore received an Academy Award for his global warming documentary “An Inconvenient Truth,” the United States Supreme Court handed Mr. Gore a stunning reversal, stripping him of his Oscar and awarding it to President George W. Bush instead.

For Mr. Gore, who basked in the adulation of his Hollywood audience Sunday night, the high court’s decision to give his Oscar to President Bush was a cruel twist of fate, to say the least.

But in a 5-4 decision handed down Tuesday morning, the justices made it clear that they had taken the unprecedented step of stripping Mr. Gore of his Oscar because President Bush deserved it more.

“It is true that Al Gore has done a lot of talking about global warming,” wrote Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the majority. “But President Bush has actually helped create global warming.”

In another setback for the former vice president, a group of scientists meeting in Oslo, Norway today said that Mr. Gore was growing at an unsustainable rate.

“The polar ice caps may be shrinking, but Al Gore is clearly expanding,” said Dr. Hiroshi Kyosuke of the University of Tokyo.

The scientists concluded that if Mr. Gore continues to expand at his current rate, he could cause the earth to spin off its axis by 2010, sending it hurtling into the sun.

“Here’s an inconvenient truth,” Dr. Kyosuke added. “Al’s got to stay away from those carbs.”

Elsewhere, after foreigners received a record number of Academy Award nominations, CNN anchor Lou Dobbs proposed building a 12-foot high fence around the Kodak Theater.

2007-02-26T15:06:00.000-05:00

Stuff to do!

Since I am moving out of the area soon, I'm making a list of activities and places in the DC area that I haven't done/been to yet, but always wanted to.

-I just realized the the Air & Space Museum not only has an IMAX, but they have a Planetarium too (duh)! From the sounds of it, its quite a nifty planetarium too :)

-Go to Ben's Chili Bowl. Its infamous and in DC and I've never been. Shame on me. (Plus I gotta see if it beats Vienna Inn's infamous dog, I've heard mixed reports.)

-Def need to hit up Eastern Market. I've kinda wanted to do some meat and cheese shopping, but I've been waiting for a nice day. Of course, when it is nice out I'm broke and I figure, whats the point?!

-Have high tea at the National Cathedral.

-Go to PX. An unmarked bar in an old speakeasy fashion with what sounds like a terrific bar menu.

-And the Eighteenth Street Lounge. Another hidden hangout.

-Go to Hains Point and see The Awakening sculpture.

-Hit up Tryst for a full afternoon of coffee shop atmosphere.

-Skyline Caverns (or some sort of cavern), Monticello, Natural Bridge, Natural Chimneys to name a few things down south. Realistically, these trips won't happen before I leave.

-Drag Bingo!

Okay, thats all I got right now. My head is starting to hurt. Any suggestions?

2007-02-26T12:15:00.000-05:00

Linky Goodness!!!!

Anyone stay up for the Oscars last night? I did. It was mildly entertaining (as usual), but I joined an Oscar pool this year so I had an invested interest in this years winners. The only movie I saw that was nominated was Little Miss Sunshine so my picks were random and I lose. I'm used to never winning these pools anyways. I don't know why I keep throwing my money away...especially when I'll be unemployed in less than two months!

Anyways, heres some links to different things I found interesting:

-I love a band that names itself Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Btw, that link will take you to a great music site that isn't blocked from my work computer :)

-Who knew charts and graphs could be fun?!

-Virginia sort of apologizes for slavery.

-Speaking of Virginia (haha...isnt this a blog about growing up NoVA?), Jamestown (and the rest of America) is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. You can be a part of the American Extravaganza...woo hoo!!!!

-There are the Oscars and then there are the Razzies. Both entertaining.

-This story is just bizarre.

-Great Rolling Stone article about John Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Its pretty old (October), but I just got around to reading it last week. A couple parts I liked:

A fake news show, "The Daily Show," spawned a fake commentator, Colbert, who makes his own fake reality defending the fake reality of a real president, and has government officials on who know the joke but are still willing to be mocked by someone fake. Your shows are like mirrors within mirrors, using a cycle of fakery to get to the truth. You've tapped into a sense in society that nothing, from reality shows to Bushworld, is real anymore. Do you guys ever get confused by your hall of mirrors?
STEWART: I didn't know we were going to have to be high to do this interview.
And.....

STEWART: The other night -- this I loved -- O'Reilly said, "Here's why Kim Jong Il did the nuke test: He's trying to influence the American elections, the same reason Iran is ratcheting up." And I just imagine Kim Jong Il, in all his craziness, going, "Claire McCaskill's down by three points to Jim Talent. Launch the nukes! " O'Reilly's problem is not his ability to form rational arguments, because he's a very smart guy. It's his ego.

-St. Patricks Day recipes? I guess theres an appropriate dish for all occasions...I assume the standard ingredient is whiskey.

-Political cartoon of the day:

Thats it for now...if I find something interesting later, I'll add it.

2007-02-20T10:55:00.000-05:00

Best political cartoon from yesterday:
For more information visit www.tysonstunnel.com

UNDER NOT OVER!!!!!!

2007-02-19T12:17:00.000-05:00

I suppose the reason I haven't blogged much recently is that I don't have a whole hell of a lot to talk about. I haven't been going out too much recently and when I have, its usually a disaster (don't ask). For the last few months I was taking over for my co-worker whos been on maternity leave plus still doing all my work, and while that still leaves me some time for internet goofing off, I had moved from my cushy office to a more open area and haven't wanted to risk being caught *gasp* blogging! I'm usually too lazy to blog when I get home cause I'm trying to catch up with the ridiculous TV shows that I let take up about 10-12 hours of my week, time I could be doing something much more proactive, but fuck it, I'm tired and want to invest myself in the characters of The OC rather than have to deal with my own crap.

Its the usual ups and down that I suppose (and HOPE!) many people go through. One week you've been in such a great mood. You get your bills paid on time, you return phone calls, get out of the house and experience something new, put your clothes in the hamper and wash them when it gets full. Then there are those days where you might not feel like getting out of bed so you just lie around watching kiddie and tween movies all day, you put your phone on silent, and go invisible on instant messenger, and the only person you talk to is your cat.

I digress....

I don't know if I really have a point here other than just ramblings. I like to think of myself as being pretty proactive, the kind of person who likes to go out there and try and make a difference instead of just waiting for someone else to do it. Other times, I feel like the rest of my generation. Apathetic to just about everything and "waiting for the world to change" on its own.
Well, we probably have Nirvana and the whole rest of the Grunge phase to thank for that.

Now I must heat up my Minestrone Soup and hope that something exciting and news worthy happens while I'm in my afternoon meeting so I have a reason to watch the evening news. I'm sick of all this Anna Nicole BS.

2007-02-16T16:57:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted in forever. I need to get to, but since its now 4:57 on a FRIDAY and I'm off to Fridays for Happy Hour(s), I'll just leave you with the best comic advice giver since Lucy Van Pelt:

(sorry its kinda fuzzy, but you get the idea :)

2007-01-25T08:58:00.000-05:00

Political cartoon of the day (an oldie, but a goodie):

2007-01-19T15:38:00.000-05:00

I'm running out of time in the work day so I'm just going to post a few quickie links of interest. There isn't much going on this weekend that I know of. I have Happy Hour in t-minus 60 minutes(or less) at Fridays and Saturday night I'm going to my friend Megans birthday party. On Sunday my roommate and I may hit up the infamous Ben's Chili Bowl in the U Street Corridor. I've only been in that area to go to Black Cat which was formerly The Cage. Ahh...The Cage. I have found memories of using my fake id to get in there on Friday nights back in high school. I probably never even had more than half a rum and coke when I went there (the only drink I knew cause my parents drank it), but it was the thrill of getting into a 21+ club at age 17.

-Coincidentally, the ever wonderful Middle Distance Runner is playing at the Black Cat Saturday night on the main stage. They just got a bunch of their equipment stolen in Brooklyn recently so they could really use your $$.

-Read a great blog earlier about a squirrel sneaking into a DC house scarring the bejezus out of one of the tenants.

-I didn't realize Obama was a smoker. I also heard something about him confessing about substance abuse in his book. Can anyone confirm or deny this? I wouldn't be surprised if he did have an issue in the past. Cause you know, all of us cigarette smokers are secretly heroin addicts as well. At least every non-smoker looks at us like we're shooting heroin when we light up within 10 feet of them (especially at Sweet Water Tavern in Merrifield).

-The Real World DC style.

-My mom will be very upset to hear that Passions has been cancelled.

Ok well thats it for this week folks, unless I get the urge to post something this weekend (highly doubtful). I'm off to my Happy Hour(s) at Fridays. Oh and thats Fridays IN Tysons, not the Toilet Bowl one, cause if you didn't hear, that one closed last week. Its amazing. It was my favorite place to love to hate (besides Clarendon Ballroom). I will always remember how no matter what day of the week or what time of day, I always recognized a fellow high school classmate or other random person I knew from a friend of a friend. There was always someone talk to there and catch up with. Aaaaand....I'm over it :) The new Fridays in Tysons is so much nicer and well lit. And you can't beat the Happy Hour(s) specials!

$2 draft beers
$3 cosmos, LITs, mojitos, margaritas, rum & cokes, and some other mixed drinks
1/2 price appetizers

ROCK!

Have a fab weekend :)

2007-01-19T10:56:00.000-05:00

Belated Martin Luther King Day tribute doubles as the Political Cartoon of the Week.

This week I was a complete stress ball and I'm really looking forward to the weekend. Not that work is stressing me out right now, actually it's been pretty quiet with people being in and out of the office a lot this week. Its just personal crapola that's got me stressin. I'm a believer that negative things occur in threes (with me having three strikes in the last three months or so), but add life altering decisions to the mix and you've got the weight of Chicago Bears linebacker on your shoulders. Miraculously, I'm having little to no back problems.

I just received an email from the Arlington Young Democrats in the form of a State of the Union watching party. I love it when people have a sense of humor about politics (see left).

I was excited to hear that Senator Jim Webb will be delivering the Democratic rebuttle to Bush's State of the Union. It is the second year in a row a Virginia Democrat has been chosen to give the rebuttle, with Governor Tim Kaine being the first to do so last year. There are talks that Virginia could become a swing state in the 2008 election, which would be pretty exciting. The usual Right-leaning state has elected two Democratic Governors in a row and just put a Democrat in the Senate against all odds. Could Virginia being turning Blue???

I'll leave you with this Public Service Announcement and be back later with linky goodness:

2007-01-10T12:34:00.000-05:00

For this weeks "whats happenin" I'll just start off with an email that I sent to a few friends about our weekend activities:

Hey guys! Just wanted to holla and wish you all a Happy Hump Day :)

What are your plans for this weekend? Friday night I'm going to TT's to see Rachel's first performance with her new band Full Minute of Mercury (you can find them on The Space). The show starts at 9 (supposedly) and is $5 to get it. I know Ashley and Lindsay already expressed interest in going....Derin, Jesse...you down?

She also has a show at DC9 on Saturday which is an EXCELLENT venue kinda close to the 9:30 club, but I'm not sure I want to hit that up two nights in a row. I was thinking it might be fun to go to the Draft House or something though. Little Miss Sunshine & Stranger Than Fiction is playing on Saturday night. ALSO.......if I'm feeling adventurous I may hit up Iota during the day (around 2ish) to see a couple bands, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and Harry and the Potters. Uff.........I just saw that one is $10 so I may not go, but who knows.

I guess that's it. Anyone want to join me for any of these events or have some other super plans? I'm not really in the mood to work today (as you might be able to tell!). Have a lovely day all!

XOXO
Lucy
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So anyways, that's what I plan on doing this weekend. If any of it actually gets done will remain to be seen. If Rachel reads this, please don't think I don't WANT to hear your beautiful voice two nights in a row...I just need to watch the cash flow and I know TTs will be a show in more ways than one ;)

Some other stuff going on in the aire-uh (in gangstah voice):

-Bush is making a televised speech tonight to allegedly unveil his plan to increase the number of US troops in Iraq. Obviously, there is going to be protests going on...this is DC. Heres a list of from the emails I've gotten so far (I don't think I'll be attending any of them, but I support their causes):

Wednesday, January 10 8:30pm
Code Pink and DAWN will be sponsoring demonstrations against the speech that will stupify most Americans and even military folks about increasing the amount of troops in Iraq. WHERE: Lafayette Park - in front of White House WHEN: 8:30pm
Bring your noisemakers!

Thursday January 11 - Major Anti Torture Events
Witness for Torture | Code Pink | DAWN and many other groups and concerned folks will be demanding the closure of Guantanamo and the end of torture as a method of interrogation throughout the world. Click on the website links above to get details.

Lafayette Square, across from White House
Pennsylvania Avenue & Jackson Pl, NW
11 Jan 06:00 PM
MoveOn will be holding signs that state "NO ESCALATION IN IRAQ" and "Wrong way to bring our troops home". We will be chanting "no escalation" themes. If you attended the event last week and kept your signs, bring em' back!!! DC for Democracy is also sponsoring a candlelight vigil to oppose President Bush's call for a troop surge in Iraq. There will be a reading of the names of Iraq War casualties from the DC area, some brief speeches, followed by the candlelight vigil.

Monday Jan 15 -
* Protest the War Mongers at Lockheed Martin with Peace Action and others
Jan. 15 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm | WHERE: Meet at Davis Library, 6400 Democracy Blvd. Bethesda, MD 20817 | FMI: Larry Callahan 240-888-8947
Protest and Action against Lockheed Martin Manufacturing of Weapons that Primarily Harm Civilians and the Environment. Lockheed Martin's neighbors demand they Stop Making Cluster Bombs, Depleted Uranium Weapons, Advocating for War and Get out of the Neighborhood.

-There's still time to take advantage of DC's Restaurant Week. I've never been able to take advantage of this since I'm usually poor when it's going on and it seems this year is no different. None the less, some people who have a greater income and are in less debt may enjoy :)

-Cartoon America: : Highlights From the Art Wood Collection of Cartoon and Caricature exhibit at the Library of Congress. Its free and going on through Feb. 24. Sounds like a must for comic fans.

-David Lynch will be in town at the Round House Theatre in Bethesda at 6pm. He will be discussing his new book, "Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness and Creativity." The event appears to be sold out. For some fun watch David Lynch's daily weather report on his website.

-In case I forget to tell you next week, on Thursday Jan 18, Bill O'Reilly and Steven Colbert will be appearing on each others shows. Can't wait to see it! That's something I'll be DVR-ing for sure :)

Thats all I'll post for now.....back to the grindstone :(

2007-01-09T09:09:00.000-05:00

Probably one of the best choreographed music videos I've ever seen!!
Ok Go
Here It Goes

I'm putting together a bloggity today so check back later :)

2007-01-05T12:12:00.000-05:00

New Years Resolutions for 2007

1. Update this blog more often! I found I was a lot more in the "know" about DC happenings when writing this blog just from looking up material. A lot of times I've heard or read about something and think it would be great material for a blog here, but I'm too lazy or too busy to write one out and then I forget about my brilliant idea(s).

2. Try to do one new thing a week or at least twice a month. There is so much to experience in this great world other than lying in bed watching reruns of The Office or going to the same old bar every Saturday night.

3. Quit smoking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I tried this in the fall and was pretty successful with a little wonder drug called Chantix. Then back in November, I ran short of money to buy my perscription and the shit hit the fan in my personal life so I'm back to a pack a day. It disgusts me. If I have to get a second job just to pay for those pills it will be worth it!

4. Quit spending $$ on frivilous things...try to save. This means no more impulse shopping at H&M and Forever 21. No $50 tabs from a night out in Arlington. No cabs when I can just as easily walk or take the bus. And finally, getting a bank account! (no I dont have one...dont bug me about it please.)

5. Keep in touch with people outside my small social circle. Normally, I only hang out with about five different people or so and I've been totally ok with that for quite some time now, but I'm starting to feel guilty about those I've caught up with from MySpace, but have neglected to try to get coffee/a drink/see a show/whatever with any of them. Also, I'm getting bored (not with my friends...just in general). I need new experiences to keep me on my toes (preferably cheap or FREE experiences!)

5. Read more. Right now I'm finishing up The Devil in the White City which was quite a page turner. It made me remember how much I love to read and why I've been wasting my weekend afternoons watching reality shows on MTV. Also on my list of books to read is Special Topics in Calamity Physics, Marie Antoinette: The Journey, Isaac's Storm, and many others.

6. Take my career more seriously. Figure out what the hell I REALLY want to do and take some classes at NOVA to get on track for an Associates Degree (at the very least). Dr. Phil says: "I want you to get excited about your life!"

7. KEEP AND ACCOMPLISH THESE RESOLUTIONS! If Dwight can do it 8 years in a row, I think I can accomplish six goals in a years time.

2006-11-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

Washingtonpost.com site rocks!

I was just searching through the City Guide section for possible things to do this week/weekend and found some really cool stuff:

-Everything...but the Turkey where a few hundred volunteers get together and make Thanksgiving dinner for various homeless shelters in the city. It takes place at the District of Columbia Community Center, but you don't have to be Jewish to get involved.

-Food Network hottie Dave Lieberman will be co-hosting the Capital Food Fight 2006 tomorrow evening at the Ronald Reagan Building. It looks like it will be kind of a live Iron Chef. Tickets are kinda pricey, but it looks like a really fun event!

-Drag Bingo at Chaos on Tuesday nights. Their tagline: 'Bingo like you've never seen it.'

-I didn't even know Swing dancing was still in, but Clarendon Ballroom holds a swing night from 9-11 on Tuesdays...if you're not into the drag bingo. You can find a bunch of other Swing events here.

-Ok Go will be playing at the 9:30 Club this Sunday, but unfortunately tickets are sold out :(

If I find anything else, I'll let you know

2006-11-10T15:32:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or does it seem like there hasn't been a lot going on recently? It probably is me since I can't seem to find the time to research happenings in the area and nothing is jumping out at me. So instead of telling you all the awesome things I'm doing this weekend (nothing) or what is going on (...) I'll just ramble :)

LOVES
-I've been a big fan of the website Overheard in New York for quite some time now and wondered why we don't have our own official Overheard in DC, but in the meantime I'll make do with this site.

-Beach hair some how it makes messy hair look sexy.

-Benefit's line of products. Too bad I'm broke and can't afford anything.

-Being a democrat!!!!!!!!

-Avocados. In a sandwich, on a salad, pizza, or just by themselves with a little bit of salt. YUM!

HATES:
-Everything I want being so damn expensive!!!!!!

-Owing people money. If I can get away with never having to borrow money again I would be very happy. I seem to be needing help a lot lately and I HATE that.

-Being in charge of my office football pool. Its proving to be a lot more of a responsibility than I initially thought it was. Seven(ish) weeks left. I hope I can win one, it would make it all worth it!

-My cat waking me up at 5am.

Okay..........I lost my focus somewhere in the middle of working on my loves.

Have a good weekend!

2006-11-01T13:22:00.000-05:00

The past few weeks I've been busy, busy at work and socially so I really haven't had the time to blog at all. The couple times I was about to write the phone would ring or the stupid Blogger site was under maintenance. So here's a few things I've done or wanted to talk about:

-Went to Graves Mountain in Syria, VA for Rachels bday celebration which was tons of fun. We were supposed to go apple picking there, but I guess we were a little late in the season and there were no apples to be picked left in the trees so we picked them out of large wooden boxes instead. I still have a bunch leftover so if you have a good apple recipe (pie, strudel, whatever), please let me know!

-Went to see the premiere of the film 11 that my friend Neil wrote and directed at the AFI theater in Silver Spring. Movie was really great, I was very impressed even the second time around. Then we went to the after party and the after-after party. Many miller lights and tequila later Ryan and I were stuck outside Brions Grille in Fairfax at 2am waiting for a cab that never came. Luckily I ran into a friend from HS and he gave us a ride home. Damn Yellow Cab!!!!!!!! I LOATHE that company.

-Also went to a couple rallies for Jim Webb in Annandale last weekend. First one was a union rally which was a lot of fun and the other was a general rally with Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, and Jim Webb. In between the rallies we hit up the Annandale Halloween parade which I can describe in one word: Pathetic. That and sitting in lots of traffic on Little River Turnpike made me remember why I really dont like that town.

-Work has been pretty good. Im moving away from data and starting to work on show operations which is way more suited to my personality and work style. I guess I dont officially get my title changed till next year and until then I am impatiently waiting, but trying to work as hard as I can to show my stuff.

-Tomorrow I'm going to the MACE! 2006 to learn some stuff about show operations then I will be attending a fundraiser at Clarendon Ballroom for Jim Webb attended by Michael J. Fox and Gen. Wesley Clark. I'm super excited to go to that....it should be a lot of fun!

Ok........so I think that pretty much brings us up to speed. I'll try to get something together about events for the weekend either later this afternoon or Friday. As my 2W bus driver would say......Hello Lovelies and have a Lovely Day!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-11-01T12:49:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been MIA (if you even noticed...). I just wanted to start off with a little music video for a song I like a lot......

I wish my commute could be like this every day

2006-10-17T11:46:00.000-04:00

I just got this email of a list of fun things to do in the DC Metro area this Fall/Halloween. Thanks to Derin, Megan and Jen!

Apple-picking at Homestead Farm in Poolesville, Maryland - It isn't too far of a drive (and the drive is beautiful!), and they have apples, pumpkins, squash, etc., as well as sheep, turkeys, chickens, and roosters for the kids to visit. They are also very reasonable in price.

Driving up Skyline Dr.

Cox Farms and Burke Nursery, both in VA

Butler's Orchard Pumpkin Festival in Maryland - really fun and very child-focused

The Ranvensworth-Bristow Civic Association in Annadale has a great (and FREE) Halloween parade for children -- families gather along the route and pass out candy to the children. They even have some pets dress up! It's held on the Saturday before Halloween at 4 p.m. on the corner of Erie and Newcastle Sts.

Rock Creek Park's Nature Center in DC has a costume party on October 29 at 2:00.

Croyden Creek Nature Center in Rockville, MD has Croyden Creep events with an animal show, graveyard tour (totally not scary), climbing wall, drive-in movie with a kid friendly movie (last year it was "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"). Last year they had a little "bat cave" and talked about and showed a bat. Everything is free, except for the movie (I think).

Burke Lake Halloween train ride is great. We also go to Boo at the Zoo every year.

Halloween Fashion Show at Babies R Us in Falls Church.

DelRay Halloween Parade in Alexandria - It's usually held the Sunday before Halloween on Mt. Vernon Avenue at 2 p.m. There are awards for best costumes.

We love Cox Farm for preschool through elementary-age children. They have mazes of baled hay, rope swings, gigantic slides, farm animals, fresh applesauce and grilled hamburgers, and on the weekend they have terrific folk-rock performers on an open air stage. You can also take a tractor-drawn hayride through a ridiculously silly haunted field (painted cartoonish signs) and get a small pumpkin from the patch.

Brookside Gardens in Maryland has a pumpkin patch for toddlers - Sign up early!

Belvedere Plantation in Fredricksburg seems to be the favorite for taking children to a real pumpkin patch for parents that live in Woodbridge, VA.

Greenbelt, MD has an annual costume contest and parade at the Roosevelt Center. This year it's October 27 at 4 p.m. (registration starts earlier). Costume contest is for ages 18 mos. through sixth-graders.

There is a vendor who sells his fresh farm produce in Tenleytown Saturday and Sunday. Last year he sold pumpkins. So far, I've only seen gourds this year.

There is a patch in Upper Marboro that had assorted pumpkinsn and corn last year. It is way laid back and a lot of fun.

The Leesburg Animal Park has a great pumpkin patch with a petting zoo, puppet show, hay rides and a host of slides and other activities that promote a family fun-filled afternoon. There is an admission fee of $10 per person on the weekends and holidays. It is less during the week. Leesburg Animal Park, 19270 James Monroe Hwy., Leesburg, VA 20175.

Turtle Park in NW DC (the AU Park neighborhood) has a great costumed kids' Halloween festival each year, with a costume parade and a children's musician or performer. This year I believe it's the morning of Saturday, October 28, starting at 10:00.

Burke Nursery's "pumpkin playground" is the "closest in" one we go to -- it's really great for small children as they have few "big slides" like the pumpkin patch at Cox Farms. But the Cox Farms one is great now that my oldest is in elementary school.

There's a pumpkin patch near the Blockbuster Merchants Starbucks on Rolling Rd.

In Alexandria, we love the annual pumpkin patch on the grounds of Immanuel-on-the-Hill Episcopal Church, near the intersection of Quaker & Seminary Ln. The pumpkins are brought in from a Navajo farm in New Mexico, and there are also some great seasonal soups and baked goods for sale. They have an annual children's Halloween costume parade through the patch each year - This year it's on Sunday, October 22 at 12:30 p.m., and all are welcome. You don't have to be a church member.

In Arlington on October 28 at 4 p.m., Westover Baby-Toddler Halloween Parade. Starts at intersection of Kennebec and N. 11th St, at the pavilion. Mr. Don will perform.

Cox Farm is a drive but it is the BEST!! We go every year. Take a picnic lunch and make a day of it.

Cox is great, but it has crowds on the weekends. Go during the week, when it first opens.

My own sideposts:

I just learned about a fun and free Halloween party for the little ones at Jonah's Treehouse in DC on October 27... more details coming soon in a blog post of its own!

And as I've mentioned previously, my best tip is this: For many more great Halloween events appropriate for children ranging from toddlers through school-age, be sure to check out the fabulous Our Kids seasonal event list, which covers the District, ALL of suburban Maryland, and ALL of the NoVa suburbs.

2006-10-12T12:16:00.000-04:00

-There will be an official dedication to the new Air Force Memorial (see picture) Saturday, October 14 beginning at 1:30. I had no idea this was being erected until I was on my way back from a Nats game recently. I didn't even know what those pointy things in the sky were supposed to be until today. In any case if you dig the military, or more specifically, the Air Force you'll probably find this mildly interesting. Keep an eye out for Military groupies...I'm sure they will be out in full force.

-The Small Press Expo is being held this Friday and Saturday (Oct. 13-14) at the Marriott Bethesda North. SPX hosts independent comic artists and writers to exhibit their material to comic book and graphic novel fans. Seems like comics are making a comeback, but I haven't jumped on that bandwagon myself. I never really got past the Betty & Veronica comics.

-I can't remember if I already mentioned this, but Night Dreams in Bethesda will be hosting a "Sexiest Costumes" fashion show Saturday, Oct. 14 from 6-8pm. This looks like a great opportunity for men to openly oogle women in skimpy outfits pre-Halloween. Have at it.

-I will be attending the Green Festival this Saturday at the DC Convention Center. The Green Festival is a joint project hosted by Global Exchange and Co-Op America. I'm looking forward to being surrounded with earth conscious folk in patchwork and hemp. There are some interesting panels, speakers, and movies on the schedule. Come out and learn a bit more about saving our Earth!

-James Blunt will be at Merriweather tomorrow night Oct. 13. Even though I can't really stand the guy, a lot of people seem to like him...

-I don't really like all these suggestions for stuff to do in Maryland, but it appears to be the hot spot this weekend. The Maryland Brewer's Oktoberfest will be held Saturday (Oct. 14) at the MD State Fairgrounds (in Timonium, MD...wherever that is). From the looks of the website, this seems to be a pretty cool event. Admission is $17 and you get three free beer tokens if you come dressed in German attire. There will be over a dozen brewers with over 70 kinds of beer, but, the Beer Belly Contest looks like it might be pretty entertaining!

-I think I might have found the greatest thing ever. There will be an event entitled Don't Hassel the Hof Brau at Rustico in Alexandria on Wednesday, Oct. 18. The idea is you drink Oktoberfest beers and listen to the music of the lovely Mr. Hasselhoff. Starts at 6pm. I don't think I've ever seen such a good reason to go to Happy Hour.

-Tonight is the kick-off for the 16th annual Reel Affirmations Gay & Lesbian film festival which will be going from Oct. 12-21. Tonight they will show the film Shortbus which is directed by John Cameron Mitchell, of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Shortbus features actors engaging in real life sex in the film so its pretty risque (I'm not sure if its ever been done before...) but I've heard great things about this film. The schedule is jam packed with movies being shown at Lincoln Theater, Goethe Institute, and the Landmark E-Street Theater.

-DC Hunt 2006 will be taking place next Saturday Oct. 21 so register now if you would like to participate. The location this year will be in the U Street Corridor. I don't know what this is all about cause I've never done it before, but it looks fun. If anyone is interested in creating a team, let me know...I dont think I have anything to do that day.

-My friend Lindsay is going to the Markoff's Haunted Forest tomorrow night. AOL City Guide rated it in the top 13 haunts in the USA so I guess that means its entertaining and hopefully scary.

-Last on my list (but certainly not the last thing going on in the area this weekend) is Minus the Bear playing at the Black Cat Saturday (Oct. 14). I'll be there!!! Hopefully my foot will bear with me while I dance to Pachuca Sunrise :)

Have a great weekend people!

2006-10-11T11:25:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when I'm reading my daily news and blogs I find a subject that I find particularly interesting and start researching it. Today my interest was in the DC grafitti artist Borf. I had kind of been following the story after the artist got arrested last summer, but lost touch with it after that. Today I went into more detail about the message that "Borf" was trying to get out. Turns out, "Borf" is an anarchist (a philosophy which seems particularly popular with todays youth). The image of a young boy that is often accompanied with the Borf name is actually the image of a friend the young man who got arrested who had commited suicide several years ago. According to "Borf"'s mother, he saw his friends image as portraying everything he felt was wrong in this world.

Personally, I don't agree with anarchy, but I do admire these people who feel so strongly against our government that they choose not to follow any of its rules. Though a bit of graffiti isn't really going to do much rebelling, it is a unique way of getting out a message and catching people's attention.

Anyways, within the whole Borf search I found an article entitled We're All Borf in the End by Oxford student Claude Willan. The article talks about how the youth of today (Gen X, Gen Y, whatever you want to call us) don't have a single voice representing their generation. Perhaps thats because we are all so different in our ideas or that we have each able to represent ourselves through the power of the internet. I'm not sure if it actually means anything that we can't point to a guy like Abbie Hoffman or Jack Kerouac and say, "See what this guy is saying? THIS is how we feel." So what is really better? To have one person speak for millions or to have millions speak for themselves? Which is the better way to be heard and understood? Its much easier for one individual to be a kind of poster boy or girl for a cause...someone charismatic, good-looking, and well spoken that the press loves to interview. But as we can see more recently, people are paying attention to the blogs...a collective group of anonymous voices. Maybe not having one person represent, but all of us speaking out has and will make the difference that we long for.

2006-10-09T13:18:00.000-04:00

Local political stuff (except the road thing) -

-Washington Boulevard/Rt 27 in the vicinity of Arlington Boulevard/Rt. 50 the roadway - northbound and southbound will be closed for the next three days between 8am -5am.

-GMU and the Campaign for a Living Wage is showing excerpts from the film Waging a Living and have invited Democratic and Republican nominees for Norther Virginias House and Senate races to come to answer questions and discussion. October 11 at 7pm in the Johnson Cinema.

-Lou Dobbs will be at the Olssons Bookstore in Arlington tonight discussing discussing his book War on the Middle Class.

-Final Virginia Senate debate between candidate Jim Webb and George Allen on TV tonight (check CSPAN) at 8pm.

2006-10-06T10:06:00.000-04:00

Stuff I'm doing this weekend...

Since it mostly looks like rain up until Sunday, my big plan is to stay in and do chores tonight and tomorrow. Sounds exciting huh? I do have a fabulous dinner plans for Saturday night to celebrate my friend Susie's birthday. We will be dining at Dupont Grille, which I've never been to before, but the menu looks scrumptious as does the wine menu.

If the weather clears up by Sunday, I'm going to try hitting up Eastern Market early morning. I just heard that they have a great slection of food merchants. Time to stock up on meats and cheeses!

Stuff you can do this weekend...

-Middle Distance Runner is playing at the Velvet Lounge Saturday night with The Dance Party and e. Joseph. I always recommend MDR to indie music fans. I might go myself, but I'm not a big fan of the venue at Velvet Lounge. Last MDR show I went to I didnt even have to move to jump up and down cause the floor was bouncing. Just a bit too crammed in for my taste. I'll be trying to make it to the show on 10.28 at Iota. Although I have a movie premiere that day too...I digress........

-Snakes on a Plane Friday! and lots of other great flicks at the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse.

-Just found out about this thing called First Fridays where art galleries in the Dupont Circle area area free and open to the public from 5 - 8pm the first Friday of each month. A lot of galleries serve food and wine...some even have musicians.

-Mid-Atlantic Oktoberfest at the Capitol City Brewing Co. this Saturday from noon-7pm. For $20 you get unlimited samples of a variety of beers, german music and the Alpine Dancers.

-Perhaps you might be interested in getting some rain boots with all this wetness going on. My feet got soaked this morning during my commute and I refuse to sit through another day with wet toes.

-Oh, if you are planning on hitting up the museums at any point between now and summer of 2008 let me tell you where NOT to go. The National Museum of American History closed Sept. 5 for renovations. I found out a couple week ago when I was on a quest to visit every Smithsonian on the mall. (My suggestion is to skip the Castle. Not worth getting through security.)

-Sunday is BINGO! night at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department. Not sure if I'll hit it up this weekend, but I may become a bingo regular. I love me some bingo. This information is courtesy of Moni who is (un)fortunate enough to work with me here at the office and she is also a volunteer at VVFD.

-If you are lucky enough to have a fireplace (or know someone with one), I think that is the best idea for tonight and tomorrow night. Thank You For Smoking and United 93 are both good picks for rentals.

-Some movies in the theaters that look promising (to me anyways..it is my blog):
Little Miss Sunshine
The Last Kiss
The Illusionist
The Science of Sleep
The U.S vs. John Lennon
The Black Dahlia

If you are lucky enough to have Monday off (I am not), enjoy yourself! Perhaps you can catch up on whats going on in daytime soap operas. Let me know whats going on on Passions!

2006-10-05T13:14:00.000-04:00

iPod Shuffle Random Playlist:

1. Red is the New Black - Funeral for a Friend
2. Rockmaker - Toto
3. If I was Your Girl - Janet Jackson
4. Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
5. The Background - Third Eye Blind
6. This Place is a Prison - The Postal Service
7. Thats a Lie - Middle Distance Runner
8. Marching Bands of Manhattan - Death Cab for Cutie
9. No Surprises - Radiohead
10. Speacialist - Interpol

The rules, for bloggers who want to play:

Get your ipod or media-player of choice, select your whole music collection, set the thing to shuffle (i.e., randomized playback), then post the first ten songs that come out. No cheating, no matter how stupid it makes you feel! Maybe link the songs to online music stores for readers' convenience.

I love my iPod...ask me about it

2006-10-05T12:27:00.000-04:00

Mayor Anthony Williams will be getting roasted October 18th at the MarriottWardman Park Hotel. If you've got $250 to blow on a ticket, this'll probably be pretty entertaining. Although, I'm sure we could just watch the highlights on the 11:00 news.

2006-10-05T10:16:00.000-04:00

-Metro will have to wait a little longer for a permanent General Manager. (See cartoon.)

-Ryan and I went to Olssons Bookstore last night to see Andy Stern discuss his new book A County That Works. He had a lot of great things to say. When we went to The Big Hunt later with the Drinking Liberally group, Andy came up to introduce himself as soon as I had taken a huge bite of my burger. Why does that always happen? Anyways, he seemed like a great down to earth kind of guy...liked how he was saying the biggest way to start change is in our communities, not in congress.

-I just found out that there is a Eating Liberally group. That is kick ass. Too bad it looks like its just going on in New York. I think this is something that we need in Fairfax, don't you? Or at least in Arlington.

-Webb campaign playing it smart and making some $$$. Hopefully we'll see some ads like these on TV soon.

-Looks like someone had a test they weren't prepared for in Culpepper today.

-Why have I never been to Eastern Market? This is right up my alley!

2006-10-04T10:36:00.000-04:00

Upcoming book events in the area...

-Two days left for the Fall for the Book Festival at GMU.

-Lou Dobbs - War on the Middle Class: How the Government, Big Business, and Special Interest Groups Are Waging War On the American Dream and How to Fight Back
Monday, October 09, 2006 at 08:00 PM at Olsson's Arlington/Courthouse, 2111 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA, (703) 525-4227

Offering solutions as well as commentary, prominent CNN host and commentator Lou Dobbs unleashes his manifesto on the vanishing American dream.

Olsson's will validate your parking ticket for one hour of free parking at the Colonial Parking Garage located at 2101 Wilson Blvd.

-Emily Franklin - The Girls Almanac
Tuesday, October 17, 2006 at 07:00 PM At Olsson's Books & Records-Dupont Circle, 1307 19th St. NW, (202) 785-1133.

In these interconnected short stories set across the Northeast, through suburban neighborhoods, preppy camps, island resorts, and Ivy League colleges--as well as far flung locales like Ecuador and Iceland, "The Girls' Almanac" chronicles the lives of Jenna and Lucy-;two thirty-something women who desperately long for a true friend-;as well as the lives of the women and men who have touched them: friends, lovers, parents, and neighbors.

-Leslie Sbrocco - The Simple & Savvy Wine Guide: Buying, Pairing, and Sharing for All
Tuesday, October 24, 2006 at 05:30 PM At Best Cellars Dupont Circle, 1643 Connecticut Ave., NW, 202-387-3146.

Following on the heels of her successful first book, Wine for Women, Leslie Sbrocco's Simple & Savvy Wine Guide offers today's young wine drinkers tips, top 10 lists, roundups of best buys, and easy-to-use shopping guides to help them select the perfect wines for any food, mood, or occasion. Join Ms. Sbrocco and Best Cellars Dupont Circle when Ms. Sbrocco presents her new book, The Simple & Savvy Wine Guide: Buying, Pairing, and Sharing for All. Free. Books to be sold by Olsson's. Call Best Cellars Dupont for more information at 202-387-3146.

2006-10-03T12:28:00.000-04:00

-Women are beeing pantsed around the Vienna Metro.

-New express lanes at the Vienna, Pentagon City, Bethesda, New Carrollton, and Anacostia stations will hopefully make experienced metro riders rides more convenient. Read: no more waiting for grandma to try and figure out how to get her card through the faregate.

-Southwest airlines come to Dulles airport.

-In case you haven't been near a TV recently, NBC's Friday Night Lights premieres tonight. Whitney Matheson gave it a thumbs up, so I figure it can't be all bad.

-Work in or around Tysons Corner? This is the best place to go to lunch. I'm enjoying the grilled tilapia BLT right now. Yum!

-George Allen coughs up 50 grand for a TV spot encouraging voters to concentrate on the issues, although the Allen campaign was the one to go negative in the first place.

2006-10-03T09:26:00.000-04:00

90 Days till DC becomes Smokefree

Since I can now call myself a non-smoker (two weeks and counting!) I am very happy about this change in our city bars and restaurants. I would be even happier if this law was enforced in Virginia. Even as a smoker, I was all for it. It would have kept me from smoking a pack and a half when out for a heavy night of drinking and feeling like ass the next day (I'm sure the drinking didnt have anything to do with it...).

I can now go out to the bars in DC w/o having to deal with the smoke smell that has more recently made me feel ill rather than tempting. And its not really a big deal to just go outside. Sure, winter is coming and itll be cold, but itll save lungs and $$.

2006-09-29T13:09:00.000-04:00

I'm sure everyone is pretty much up to speed on the Metro expansion project going further into Northern Virginia through Tysons Corner and Reston all the way to Dulles airport. I am a BIG fan of this idea. We've had some set backs due to funding issues and I'm still not really sure if the line going through Tysons will have a tunnel or not.

My opinion is that if this is going to happen, and it is, we MUST build underground. We're not even talking miles of tunnel. The tunnel is just to be built under Tysons Corner which will make the plans for this area (I say this area because its where my office is located) to become more of an urban pedestrian friendly environment in the future. I wish that we could skip ahead ten years and have already made some progress on construction, but unfortunately we have to live in the now.

Sure, traffic will be horrendous during construction, but I believe the end result will be well worth it. This area is growing at a rapid place, and whether it likes it or not this IS an urban area. New building plans are being drafted every day and every time I go down Gallows Road a new housing development has popped up (I won't get started on that...a whole other issue). The area is growing faster than anyone can keep up with and we are clogging our roads with more cars, be them Prius's or SUVs. Action needs to be taken immediately. Sure, it will cost, but the outcome will be so much better for this community.

Maybe my strong opinions on expanding public transportation are because I dont drive, but I think its important to offer alternatives to the people in this area. A lot seem to think that its just easier to hop in your car and go rather than walk, metro, or take a bus, but with gas prices being how they have been, growing obesity, and a polluted environment its time for a change.

*stepping off my soap box*

2006-09-29T08:33:00.000-04:00

-My movie pick for the week: The Science of Sleep. Its only playing in limited areas of the country, and luckily enough at the Cinema Arts Theater, Regal Ballston Common 12, and Fairfax Corner Cinema Delux.

-Cady Alley on M Street in Georgetown will be hosting a Day of Design at their store this Saturday from 10am - 7:00pm. This will be their first time hosting such an event with workshops, lectures, and demos on home furnishing and decorating. Looks like this is a FREE event, unless you want to pay $10 for all day parking.

-Borat comes to Washington, hilarity ensues.

-Have you heard about the Screech sex tape? I heard that the "graphic act" that he performs
at the end of the tape is the Dirty Sanchez. Ugh.

2006-09-28T17:45:00.000-04:00

This George Allen Insult Generator is pretty funny.

Also, please check out the VA Democratic Senate Candidate Jim Webb

2006-09-28T13:46:00.000-04:00

Cool stuff to do this weekend:

- I just heard about the Crafty Bastards Arts & Crafts Fair in Adams Morgan this Sunday, October 1 and I am super excited about it. Sure it looks like everything there will be overpriced, but its something fun to do and I'm all about supporting starving artists. My favorite blog, PostSecret will also have a booth there.

- Speaking of PostSecret, the mastermind behind this community art project, Frank Warren, will be featured at the George Mason Fall for the Book Festival next week. I'm still trying to decide if I want to attend the gallery reception or presentation.

-Both Saturday and Sunday you can find lots of fun at that Virginia Wine Festival in Leesburg. I would go, but after my last wine festival at the Tarara Vineyard's Blackberry Festival a couple months ago I haven't really been quite the wino that I once was. Lets just say I'd rather not show my face there untill maybe the Fall Barrel Tasting in November. Anyways...if you go to the festival this weekend, go visit my friend Susie whos pouring at the Hidden Brook booth. Tell her Lucy sent you and she might fill up your glass something extra!

-Of course, there is the Redskins game vs. the Jaguars at home this Sunday. If you have tickets, I envy you. I just put my name on the list to get season tickets so I'm expecting a call for those in 2050. If you ever need some company at one of the home games (especially the Cowboys game) I'm always available.

-2006 National Book Festival on the Mall.

-I just read sad news that the Blocktober Fest will not be taking place this year. Apparently, Arlington County said they would not host the event anymore, but a TBA location has already been set in place for next year. If you're anything like me, you're probably wondering what will happen to Shamrock Fest. Well, the website says its still on for March 10, 2007, but the location is still TBA. I wonder where this mystery place is located?

-Do you like depressing music? You would probably enjoy Cryfest at the Black Cat Friday night. A DJ takes turns spinning The Smiths and The Cure all night long. I like to think of it as the original emo music, only way better. A friend of mine went last year and said to get there early if you want to get in and dress in layers because it is hot and crowded inside.

-Oh! Don't forget about the Maryland Rennaissance Festival! I know I just stated in my introduction that I'm not a huge fan of MD, but this is an event worth making the trip to no mans land. It is SO much fun, and not terrible expensive for what you get. Snaps if you dress up, expect to see a lot of...interesting characters.

Ok, thats all I have time for. There is much, much to do this weekend, so if I missed anything you would like to promote or share, please feel free to add it in the comments section. And I don't want to hear anyone whining about there being nothing to do from now on cause I just spent my entire afternoon avoiding work looking up dozens of events in the Metropolitan area.

2006-09-28T09:18:00.000-04:00

All the 24 years that I have lived on the earth has been in Northern Virginia (except for that two year stint when I went to college in Ohio that I dont really like to think about...my suggestion, don't move to Ohio). In no particular order I have lived in Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Vienna, Oakton, New Baltimore, Merrifield, and Annandale. At some point I thought I was going to move to more exciting places like Chicago, New York City, or Buffalo, but I'm now starting to realize that this is home. I've grown up here yet I have no close relatives living within 400 mile radius of me so I'm pretty much on my own, which is OK by me.

I've never had a license and don't have plans on getting one any time soon. It takes me 50 minutes to travel the 8 miles to work by public transportation. I take a bus, the metro, and then another bus which is mostly a waiting game, but I have my iPod or book of the week to keep my company so I don't mind the commute. It would probably take me almost as much time if I were driving because of the traffic around here. On non-working days if I care to venture out to the grocery store or a local bar I usually have to call a cab (if I cant get one of my friends or the BF to take me). Let it be known that I DESPISE Yellow Cab. I also have the feeling that Red Top and White Top cabs are in on their monopoly of the Northern Virginia area.

My parents never owned a house and often moved us every few years so I have a hard time staying in one spot for too long. Even though I've moved more times than I care to count, the next location is rarely more than 5 miles away from the previous. Since I moved out of my Mom's 5 years ago I've moved about 8 times (roommates can be a bitch) and this includes times when I've had to move back in with Mom in between new leases. Shes moved back up to Buffalo so now it's just me.

Anywho.....this is just an introduction on little old me. I'll be posting random thoughts, happenings, and observations in and around the DC Metropolitan area. I doubt I'll ever mention Maryland unless its to make fun of them. If you're from around here, you might be aware of the unfounded rivalry that exists between Maryland and Virginia. Its dumb, but I love to hate them anyways. Except Baltimore is pretty cool...and the Eastern Shore.