Two weeks ago, the Capitals came into their game against the Boston Bruins on the hockey equivalent of fourth and long: reeling from consecutive losses and missing their captain, Alex Ovechkin. With the help of a hat trick from an unexpected source, diminutive Mathieu Perreault, the Caps hung on to beat the Bruins and set the stage for today’s Super Sunday rematch.
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Edwin Jackson
courtesy of Keith Allison
The question most often asked when people talk about Edwin Jackson is why has he been on so many teams. The Nats will be Jackson’s eighth team in his nine year career, and the reason is simple. Jackson has never cost much and always had top of the rotation stuff with back of the rotation results. Every new team that gets him believes they can be the ones that can finally unlock all that potential and the team getting rid of him was just tired of waiting.
The interesting thing about the one year $10 million contract that Jackson signed with the Nationals is that it is in line more with Jackson’s results than his potential, and Jackson was more than willing to take a one year deal in order to have a career year and cash in next off-season. The late Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson once said, “Just give me 25 guys on the last year of their contracts; I’ll win a pennant every year.”
With Edwin Jackson the Nats get one highly motivated pitcher that can’t wait to prove his value to the world. The Nats rotation has a lot of ifs but those ifs have evolved a lot in the last few years. No longer are the Nats hoping for the health of John Patterson or Shawn Hill or that a surprise can be found among a bunch of minor league free agents. The Nats have a legitimate major league rotation, and perhaps something even better.
Stratified watermelon 2
courtesy of arquitextonica
Honestly, I’m not sure I understand why you’re reading this instead of being outside enjoying this beautifully abnormal day. But perhaps you just can’t wait to make your weekend plans. Well we couldn’t (because it’s an assignment and I’m a whiney editor who prods people about it) so you may as well read about it. And then go outside. Seriously.
Brittany: This weekend I make a rare excursion west to check out the Tamal Festival at Richard Sandoval’s Tysons property, La Sandia. Looking forward to some tasty tamales and margaritas with a Virginia friend to celebrate the unseasonably warm weather. It is a big weekend for DJ nights too: I will be stopping by St. Ex for Color Wheel – a DJ night offering “the rainbow of grooves.” Who could say no to that? There is also ZOo00OOM! at the 9:30 Back Bar and We Fought the Big One at Marx Cafe to consider. Sunday afternoon may find me at Smoke & Barrel for some of their tasty and super crowd-pleasing brunch – they are the rare brunch spot that can please vegan, gluten-free, and omnivore friends with ease.
christmas eve
courtesy of volcanojw
Joanna: It’s my birthday weekend! I plan to spend Friday with friends drinking Guinness, eating fried stuff, and then drinking more Guinness. On Saturday my husband Michael is taking a day off from studying, and we decided to hit up the museums we’ve been missing. I’ve yet to see the Hope Diamond or Declaration of Independence, which makes me – lover of galleries – a pathetic, backwards wannabe. So we’re going to remedy that and catch a few obscure galleries, too. We may turn so touristy that we go ice skating afterward. Saturday night what I’d like to be doing is seeing Genesis Reboot at Synetic but dang it that hasn’t opened yet, so I’m still deciding – but it will probably involve tapas. And on Sunday we’re watching the Super Bowl with friends over my favorite mac and cheese. This year Michael might experiment by adding bacon. Suck it, resolutions!
moviebillboard
courtesy of RTLibrary
Mosley: Quiet weekend for me; I’m still recovering from my birthday last weekend. I’m hoping that the weather stays good for Friday night, because I’m thinking of going on a nice photo walk through town. I might even lug my tripod around for some long exposure, night shots! Saturday I’d like to go and see the Maltese Falcon playing at the American History Museum. The museum is doing a Humphrey Bogart film festival this weekend to celebrate the opening of their new theater. I’d prefer to see Casablanca on Friday, but it’s sold out. That night I’m having dinner with my family at Toscana Cafe near Union Station. Sunday…I’ll probably watch the game somewhere but I really could care about the outcome, or the commercials.
Flowered Cross
courtesy of Kevin H.
Rachel: The first weekend of February should prove to be a good one! I’m gonna kick things off by catching up with an old friend around the Tenleytown area. Maybe we’ll hit up Public Tenley … not sure where we’ll end up yet though. Saturday will be my first live performance of 2012. It’ll be at my alma mater American University in the Tavern. Doors open at 1, show starts at 1:15, and I’ll be playing until around 2 p.m. The best part is that it’s f-r-e-e! Then, Sunday is the Super Bowl, so I’ll be hulled up at Ragtime in Arlington watching my friends from New York root for their beloved Giants.
Come to the Theatre
courtesy of M.V. Jantzen
Fedward: Saturday night the Social Chair and I will be hobnobbing at the Zinoplex during the Studio Theatre’s annual gala. Last year I had a ring in my pocket I never got the chance to produce (and oh, the awkward conversation with a particular flirty/pushy board member – some of you will know who I mean); this year that ring is on her finger and we’ve got a date set, so I can already predict how our conversations will go (the aforementioned board member should approve). Sunday we’ll stop by the Passenger for our usual brunch, and maybe swing by the new Odd Bar at Eventide.
Rothko II
courtesy of Edward Hoover
Jenn: Like Joanna, it’s my birthday weekend, and I’m in search of some Zen. Perhaps I’ll wander over to the Phillips to continue my Rothko research after having seen Red last week, also catching the new photography and painting exhibit opening Saturday which features photos snapped by artists like Bonnard. More passionate art could include Federico Garcia Lorca’s hauntingly poetic play Blood Wedding, as Constellation Theatre Company’s production opens tonight. But who am I kidding, I’m sure there will be drinks as well as art. If our winterless weather continues, Poste has a lovely thing going with its new winter cocktail menu out on the patio. Snuggle under a cosy blanket with your lover and sip some bacon-infused bourbon hot chocolate or mulled wine while fondue bubbles seductively. Yeah, that kind of artsy weekend.
We Love DC – Thornwillow – 01-26-12 06
courtesy of mosley.brian
The sophisticated home decor flash-sale site One Kings Lane hosted its first event in Washington, DC last week – a party celebrating their “Tastemaker Tag Sale” collaboration with Thornwillow Press. Guests were invited to Thornwillow’s stationery salon in the lobby of the historic and lovely St Regis Hotel to preview the vintage and exclusive items curated by Thornwillow founder, Luke Ives Pontifell.
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Photo by Scott Suchman
This past weekend I saw magic. No I’m not talking about a win from the hapless Wizards or miracles of that sort- I’m talking about a real magic show with magicians, tricks, and illusions. However this show did not have the showmanship of Houdini, the polish of Copperfield, or the rock and roll of Criss Angel. No the trio of Dennis Diamond, Daryl Hannah, and Louis Magic that star in Arena Stage’s Elephant Room look like a cheesy act that’s more Reno than Vegas.
Not only is there magic, but mustaches and mullets as well.
The look and feel of Elephant Room ties into a line said during the show: “We have nothing new to show you.”
With magic’s biggest secrets since revealed, showmanship is now as important as the illusions themselves. The Diamond/Hannah/Magic wolfpack provides a refreshing new take on the magic show. It is essentially the anti-David Blaine. These men aren’t sporting hard bodies or designer jeans, they look more like extras off the set of Napoleon Dynamite than someone that would lock himself in a ball full of water.
And that’s what makes the show so much fun to watch.
DC has more single-occupant households than any other city, including Manhattan
From Fortune, based on data from the 2010 Census: DC has more single-occupant households than any other major US city. DC’s 48% of households is even higher than Manhattan’s 46%.
Are you the 48%?
Edward Gero as Mark Rothko and Patrick Andrews as Ken in the 2011 Goodman Theatre production of Red. Directed by Robert Falls. Photo by Liz Lauren.
De Kooning. Pollock. Rothko. Giants of the Abstract Expressionist movement. Killers of Surrealism, only to be swept aside themselves by Pop Art. At least, that’s how the legend goes (even Rothko would disagree with the precise classifications). But is a revolutionary’s story compelling if it doesn’t end in a young, glorious death? In Red, playwright John Logan sets up his genius protagonist to play defense against the onslaught of age and change. His Mark Rothko is engaged in a constant struggle against accusations of hypocrisy and potential irrelevance, while his paintings stand silent, their internal monologues quietly stealing the scene.
A joint production between Chicago’s Goodman Theatre and Arena Stage, Red is an exploration of an important moment in the life of artist Mark Rothko (played by Ed Gero). He took on a commission in the late 1950’s to produce murals for the Four Seasons restaurant in the Seagram Building, itself a gorgeous modernist tower designed by Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson. We’re supposed to feel somewhat shocked that Rothko would paint for this much money, would consent to house his paintings in a consumerist palace (as if Michelangelo never did anything similar for the Medici, but conveniently forgetting our art history, let’s say it is shocking). Rothko claimed to want his murals to disquiet the diners. The commission was certainly one of the most lucrative of its day. Red encapsulates that struggle between art and consumerism (on the verge of Pop Art’s embrace of it) in the relationship between Rothko and his young assistant, and if it did nothing else, the battle between the two would still make for a fascinating and unnerving evening. Read the rest of this entry »
Comparables: 1633 Hermitage
courtesy of juggernautco
Many of you that frequent We Love D.C. know me as the writer for the Redskins, Nationals, and other sports, but in the day time and sometimes at nights I am a licensed Realtor in the state of Virginia with Weichert, Realtors. What we have in this area is a truly fascinating market. National interest rates are low and prices are still down compared to before the bubble burst. This area is more insulated than other parts of the country because of the number of jobs in this area with the federal government or connected to the government.
The market in this area is a lot healthier than in other parts of the country but due to perception and in many cases reality people are afraid to list their homes. That has caused the market absorption rate in most places in and around the nation’s capital to be right around two months. Some areas it is even under a month. The market absorption rate is the rate in which all current listings would go off the market if no more listings were added to the market. For example there are 33 active listings and 10 that are currently under contract in my zip code of 22033. This is better inventory than most of the area but it is still low and gives us a market absorption rate of 3.3 months.
I decided to do something completely different for the Featured Photo segment today. What you see above is called a sterographic projection, or polar panorama. By using a photo editing program, like Photoshop, a photographer can take a regular, 360 degree panoramic photo and turn it into a little planet. If you have the skill to do it, you can make some fascinating photographs.
Pablo creates a unique world here of a statue in the National Gallery of Art. It’s as if the goddess Gaia has been born from Khaos and looks on the blank slate of a world that she is about to give form.
Randy Wittman
courtesy of Keith Allison
“Why’s Randy coaching, Dad?”
“Because we had to fire Flip.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong.”
Flip Saunders may have not done anything wrong, but he certainly didn’t do anything right. In one way Flip will be the fall guy for another failed Wizards season, but in another way Flip was never the answer at coach, leaving with a 51-130 coaching record in Washington.
Time after time I’ve seen that sleepy-eyed look at press conferences. Time after time I’ve heard him expound on how players are holding on to the ball too much or how they throw the game plan out the window after they fall behind. Perhaps the problems were easier said than done for him.
You can say Flip took on a job he didn’t sign up for. He was suppose to help squeeze one more season from the old guard of Arenas, Butler, and Jamison. He wasn’t originally brought in to coach a team full of first and second year players.
In reality Flip never had control of the locker room. It got out of hand to the point Gilbert was offering firearms to his teammates. Flip was them left with a class of kids who tuned him out.
Regardless of the reason, Flip is out and Randy Wittman is in- but will that be a difference?
Day 269/365 – Happy Independence Day
courtesy of Kevin H.
On a sunny February afternoon, it’s a wonderful thing to think about baseball and dream of the balmy summer evenings, the smell of the half smokes on the grill, the hum of an AM radio wafting on the breeze, and the thrill of the grass in front of you.
It’s a lot less fun to think about the drunk from Philly who’s two rows down in front of you throwing batteries at Jayson Werth.
The Nationals have opened up tickets for DC area residents ahead of anywhere else for DC metro area residents through an online pre-sale. This won’t keep the Philly fans out of Nats Park, but it will mean there are fewer of them. Go out and do your duty and cheer on the (drastically improved) Nationals this May.
Big Cheese truck
courtesy of BrianMKA
Food truck friday? FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY! Check out that strEATS-powered map!
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Four Dancers
courtesy of jcm_DC
Last weekend the National Gallery of Art reopened the Nineteenth-Century French Galleries, which contain works by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Modigliani and Picasso.
The gallery now organizes the paintings thematically and provides textual panels to help visitors understand the reasoning behind the new groupings. In addition, thirteen of the paintings have been restored.
I went last Saturday and was blown away by both the beauty on display and the enthusiasm of the visitors around me. In fact, I was so amazed by the Cézanne pieces that I ran out of time and missed Monet. However that shouldn’t be a problem: the NGA’s price tag (always free) and nearness to Metro mean I can always…Gauguin. Yes, that’s a little Post-Impressionist humor for your Friday.
courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie
While others have taken on the Primary election financial data, I spent yesterday combing through the financials of those Ward 5 Council candidates who have declared their intent to run. I’ve compiled my initial data into a read-only spreadsheet that you can use to dissect the race, and I welcome corrections either in the comments or via email. Using the campaign filings with the Office of Campaign Finance, I have examined closely the filings of the 12 candidates who returned the forms to OCF. I’m surprised that there are at least eight who have taken out petitions who have yet to return file with the OCF, but there are provisions that would allow a candidate not to return forms right away.
There are four campaigns that have made efforts to fundraise in the first reporting period, representing approximately 20 days of fundraising time. Delano Hunter leads the pack with just over $20,000 across 119 donors, followed by Kenyan McDuffie with just under $17,000 across 76 donors. Frank Wilds made a $10,000 loan to his own campaign, but tracked no donations. Bloomingdale ANC Commissioner John Salatti was fourth with $7,600 or so. No other candidate raised more than $550.
Gotta Have it!
courtesy of Phaesia2012
Happy groundhog day! Pop out of your cubicle burrow and head into the daylight to grab some food truck grub.
Lobstah Roll Lunch
courtesy of kimberlyfaye
Welcome to February, food truckers. Hit the streets and get some food truck grub. Check out our strEATS-powered map to see where they are today.
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Carnivore BBQ
courtesy of yostinator
Say farewell to January and hello to February. See where the trucks are roaming on the last day of the month.
Derrick Rose
courtesy of Keith Allison
Reigning MVP Derrick Rose was in a mood.
Sunday night he blamed himself for a loss against the Miami Heat that left him angry, emotional, and determined to make it up in the next game he’d play.
Unfortunately for the Washington Wizards they were that next game. Rose looked like a madman on the court in a 35 point performance as the Chicago Bulls defeated the Wizards 98-88.
The Wizards tried everything they could to stop Rose and the Bulls but it was to no avail. The loss left Wizards coach Randy Wittman a little testy, transferring his frustration to the press after the game. When asked about the team’s Pick and Roll strategy against Rose he answered to the reporter asking the question , “Did you of that question all day? If you have a new strategy, call my office tomorrow. We tried four different things. The way he played tonight, I don’t know if there’s anything we would have thrown out there that could have of. So did he dice it up? Yea, is that what you want me to say?”
I hope Wittman doesn’t read the column I wrote about him.
Anacostia River – Rolling On the River – 5-30-09
courtesy of mosley.brian
There’s a great video (after the jump) of Gabe Horchler of Cheverly MD. Mr. Horchler (the father of one of my friends from Cheverly) has been commuting to work on the Anacostia River for the past 14 years. The video is full of breath taking shots of the river and a great narrative by Gabe. It definitely makes you think about the river and what it means to our city.
I can attest to how amazing the Anacostia is. Back in 2009 I spent a lot of time kayaking along the river, launching out of Bladensburg Waterfront Park. Unlike the Potomac, few people are on the river; this allows a small sanctuary for wildlife to thrive. I’ve seen Great Blue Herons, beavers, snakes, Ospreys, Egrets, and even a Bald Eagle. It can be an amazing experience; I highly recommend going out if you can.
Check out the video after the jump along with a bunch of photos taken along the River. Read the rest of this entry »
dupont circle
courtesy of dracisk
If you use the South Entrance of the Dupont Circle Metro Station, well, I hope you like walking. You’ll be doing more of it, soon. Starting Wednesday, the South Entrance will be closed for 9 months while WMATA replaces the 185-foot spans that rise 85 feet to street level. The company that makes the particular escalators used in that entrance have been out of business for some time, which has made finding parts of the escalators difficult. Given that the spans are some of WMATA’s least reliable, that’s a combo that means replacement and not repair.
WMATA will be putting standard escalators in place and widening the current entrance space to handle these new, wider escalator bays, and the entrance will be closed until November of this year. Farragut North’s northern entrance is just 0.5mi to the south, and the North Entrance of Dupont Circle will remain open during the work. In the case of emergency, Metro will leave one exit escalator span in place during the work for emergency egress, along with a new spiral staircase. The North Entrance of the station will have additional on-call escalator techs in case of failure.
DC Empanadas – La Venganza de Tio Shawn
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie
Who are you kidding anymore? It’s late January and your resolution to lift more weights and less sandwiches into your maw has gone out the window. So why not get a big ole food truck lunch? Besides, walking to and fro will be some good exercise.
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My friend and I were heading more or less home for the night, but it was uncommonly mild and a bit early, so we decided to stroll a few blocks out of the way to get a drink before turning in. The last couple of times we had tried to slip into Tabard Inn, it had been crowded with people seeking the cozy confines on cold nights – but on this warmer evening we were able to easily grab spots at the bar.
It being a Thursday, the super sweet Chantal Tseng was behind the bar – in pigtails and argyle knee socks, no less. She made each of us one of her four featured drinks of the night. I received the Sunburner.
Chantal told us she was on “a blood orange kick,” and the Sunburner certainly was part of that. The citrus purée had a thickness that gave the drink a pleasantly rich and silky mouthfeel. The overall composition was not very sweet, but instead vegetal and dry in a really gratifying and unexpected way.
Stopping in for that one drink quickly slipped into a few more (including more blood orange) – every one of them delightful.
Courtest Chef Tony Maciante
So I’m venturing out of DC for this Tweet of the Week and north to Bethesda. At Chef Tony’s the rotating menu is seafood focused. The only thing Chef Tony Marciante might care about almost as much as food is social media.
On his website banner you can see a caricature, plus all the ways to get in touch with Chef Tony: Twitter, Facebook, email, “I-phone” and even YouTube. Chef even even describes himself as “Social Media Guy & High Tech Chef/Restaurant Owner, TV Business Show Co-Host, …student of life, teacher to some, love me someinternet marketing.” He actually sounds more like a social media pro, telling me “100%, iPhone never leaves my side”
My favorite tweet is after the jump.
XML, or the Extensible Markup Language, is a wonderful data format that can be used for almost anything. On this site, it's being used to syndicate content in what's called "RSS", and that's what you can get here in a variety of feeds. New to news feeds? Read this article from the BBC.
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