Last night a dear friend of mine and I oo’ed and aah’ed our way through browsing the fall fashions at Pentagon City. Usually this involves showcasing our uncanny ability to pick up variations of exactly the same outfit, color, style – so much that sometimes we have to bargain with each other (“if you buy that one I’ll get this one instead”). But now something has changed this paradigm… she’s expecting.

So, as she commented last night, not only will she miss out on what promises to be one of the best fall fashion seasons in years, but our shopping expeditions will radically change into exploring the land of elastic waists and empire blouses. Selfishly, for the first time in ages I’ll be able to shop without fear we will end up at the same party wearing the same outift! But it also means I’ve gone from her best shopping buddy to one who’s completely hopeless and inept as the months progress.

Please help, shopping denizens of DC, fashionable mothers of the Washington area. Where do you go for classic, comfortable, yet stylish maternity clothes? Especially for a girl who works on K Street, like my friend, who needs to look polished and poised while her body changes. Please help ensure our shopping expeditions have continued success!

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Well, the Nationals are coming into their final series of the year, and while they’ve clinched a .500 record, it’d sure be nice to get that 82nd win. The Phillies come in needing to sweep the Nats to have a chance at the Wild Card, with their elimination number at 1 (number of Astros wins or Phillies losses required in order to eliminate them) they can’t afford to lose. Here’s hoping our Nats can at least hit .506!

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The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (who have the best domain name ever) released the brand new $10 bill yesterday in a big event by the Statue of Liberty in New York. Of course, all the bills will be printed off the presses in DC, over at 14th and C St. SW, and the first bills will be appearing in ATMs and cash registers starting early next year. I think it looks way nicer than the $50, but take a look for yourself. The BEP does accept walk-ins for tours right now as we’re in off-peak season. Tours happen every 15 minutes beginning at 9am til 10:45am and then again from 12:30 until 2:00pm.

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Mayor Williams said tonight he won’t run for re-election next year. If you get a chance, come noon today (the 29th), he’ll be giving a press conference at the rec center in Hillcrest at 32nd and Denver in Southeast. For seven years, he’s been our man on the street, bow-tie and all. I think I’m gonna miss him. Good luck, and Godspeed, Mayor Williams.

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A co-worker just relayed something he had seen this morning.

There’s this janitor in our office building, extremely hard-working, very quiet and rather shy. He was on his hands and knees scrubbing up something on the luxurious marble floors of our lobby. Two suits walk by and push through his work space, practically walking over him in the process.

Adding insult to injury, they looked back at him and began to snicker.

Unbelievable.

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So, we weren’t going to post about it here, because this blog isn’t about us, but at Wayan’s insistence…

Tom and I got engaged yesterday in Point Reyes, California. You’re welcome to read all about it on his blog or on mine. There are photos of both Point Reyes and of course, the ring in our Flickr photostreams.

We’re thinking May-ish for a wedding date, but no, we don’t know where yet. But I promise, no whiny wedding venue bullshit here at Metroblogging DC. That’s what my personal blog is for.

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You have to be kidding me. Seriously. Kidding me.

With Senator Allen up for re-election next Fall, the Democrats are looking to pull a rabbit out of a hat and they may be asking Ben Affleck to be that rabbit.

As a Virginian, I am absolutely horrified that this is what the party has sunk to. Just horrible. Please, for the love of God, let the hollywood boy stay in hollywood pretending to be a pilot or a superhero instead of in Washington, pretending to be a politician.

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…is which city officials take bribes, and which ones are FBI agents. Douglas Jemal didn’t quite figure out the difference, and seven months after they raided his offices, he’s been indicted for bribery.

Oops.

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That quintessential question, sitting at your desk, long about 11:45 and your stomach’s grumbling at you and you wonder, “So, what’s for lunch today?” Well, this week is your lucky week, because Galileo is doing their grill feature again this week. We’ve been before, and their cannolli’s to die for, so if you haven’t had a chance to head over to Galileo for the Grill Lunch, now’s your chance, they’re open on Wednesday and Thursday this week. Get over there before they run out of cannolli! I recommend the sausage sandwich.

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Tonight I saw a pre-screening of Serenity, a new movie, free just so I’d write about it. The corporate shills say I should quote some industry crap for my free swag. Yeah, and they also say that DRM (digital rights management) is good for me. Enough of that.

Serenity is a new sci-fi movie that can best be described as a cross between Unforgiven and Star Wars. With a futuristic world & space battle right out of Return of the Jedi and dialogue that would even make Kevin Costner in Dances with Wolves wince, futuristic space-folk still battled with old-school pistols, even Samurai swords, while trying to bring truth to the galaxy.

The psycho girl was fun, and there were very funny moments in the film, but for $35, the cost for two plus popcorn and drinks, I say save your dosh. A six-drink night at Wonderland will get you in her bed faster, with the DVD saved for a winter night at your place.

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I was just in Firehook Bakery for my usual afternoon delight, when I overheard this exchange between a British tourist and the barrista:

Brit: “Could I get a cuppa tea?”
Barrista: “You want a cup of green tea?”
Brit: “No, no, regular tea. Tea.
(Pauses…)
Don’t you have just an ordinary cup of tea?”
Barrista: “You mean, not flavored? We have lots of flavors.”
Brit: “Just a cup of tea. Ordinary. Regular.”
(She pauses again, squirming in dismay at the inability to communicate her fervent 3:30pm desire to get a nice cuppa)
Barrista: “How about black? We have black tea.”
Brit: “Yes, yes, that’s it. That’s what I mean. That’ll do.”

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What’s this, you ask? A hundred thousand protesters in DC this weekend and nary a peep from the Metrobloggers?

Let me clue you in on a little secret. Protests are part of daily life here. Anyone who has lived in DC for more than a month has learned the critical lesson: Whether it’s that crazy guy with the bullhorn on Farragut Square or 100,000 people chanting on the Mall, it’s best to ignore protesters.

Don’t look at them, or they might try to hand you literature that you’re just going to have to find a trashcan to throw away. If you engage with them, they might want to come BACK. And that means more fucked up traffic, edgy cops, and people who are so consumed with love for the ANWR, or hatred for the World Bank, that they completely fail to notice that they’re supposed to “stand to the right.”

Protesters are essentially tourons with signs.

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Push, shove, get outta my way!

Wow, never have I seen anything quite like a supermarket on a weekend in DC. You would think that Hurricane Rita was hitting DC by the way folks elbow and scramble for bread and eggs. Instead, it

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With 50,000 angry women (and the 50,000 college guys pretending to be angry so they can get laid) descending upon the city for protests this weekend, you might be thinking, so what exactly is DC going to do about it?

The answer is: close streets. But the good thing is, the Post is there with a handy map to tell you where to avoid in the city this weekend due to IMF/World Bank protests or the Anti-War march or the Book Festival, or the SegwayFest, or…

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I realize that I had a pretty religious upbringing. And while my parents aren’t prudes by any stretch, I realize that there is a lot out there I haven’t really been, um, exposed to.

But what the HELL is up with nude housecleaning services? I mean, I suppose I understand the market demand for such a thing, but I can’t imagine wanting to work with ammonia or bleach while my sensitive bits are exposed, get it?

But if you’re looking for a job as a nude housekeeper, there is plenty of demand for it, even in Falls Church. So is this some widespread erotic-services trend that I just wasn’t aware of, or is this a wishful thinking trend made possible by Craigslist?

(Yes, there is actually one “service provider” advertising as well.)

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Danger, Danger!

Originally uploaded by tjbax.

These are the shoes that the TSA decided were so dangerous that they had to have “additional screening.” These shoes. The ones I bought for $10 at Target. In the CHILDREN’S section.

Tom and I are headed to Webzine 2005 in San Francisco this weekend, where we’ll be meeting up with Grand Metroblogging Poobahs Sean and Jason, plus bloggers from both LA and San Francisco.

Also in attendance will be Philip Kaplan, who you may remember as Pud of Fuckedcompany.com. OMG. I am about to become a drooling fangirl. A conversation with a coworker:

“Pud from FuckedCompany is going to be there too.”

“No way! You have to get his autograph!”

“I’m going to make Tom take my photo with him!”

“Get him to sign your BOOB!”

“Um, no.”

“You know, you’re not a very good groupie.”

“I know. Tragic.”

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Display Only?

Originally uploaded by tbridge.

What happened to “Out of Order” ? I mean, I just don’t get it. There we are, sitting in the Dulles terminal waiting for our Jetblue flight to California, charging our laptops (hint for travelers, all payphone areas at Dulles have at least one grounded 3-prong outlet beneath the payphone banks) and we spot this gem. I got nothing folks, this one is just way too out there for me. What purpose in the world could a payphone have as a display? Look at our pretty yellow handsets! They’re so…YELLOW! You too could have such a delightful yellow hue in your very own home!

What’s goin’ on here, Verizon?

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Hey DC Bloggers, want a free ticket to Serenity?

Okay, now that you’ve started to salivate, please be sure to wipe your mouth.

From Instapundit Glenn Reynolds:

MOVIE SEEKS BLOG REVIEWERS: The PR folks for the forthcoming Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel, etc.) science fiction movie Serenity are inviting bloggers to advance screenings. (List of cities here via an Excel document that didn’t quite format right, but it’s legible). It’s free, and all they ask is that you blog something, good or bad, about it.

If you’re interested, email ’em at rsvp@gracehillmedia.com and they’ll put you on the list. I’ll be going to a screening in Knoxville.

There is indeed a DC screening, and while I’ll be out of town, there’s no reason you shouldn’t go. Get on it, peeps!

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Professional Development Trip to Paris for your chef: $3,500
Luncheon for the wife and garden club: $5,000
Trip to Nigeria: $22,345
Drivers’ Costs: $54,000
Bar Bill: $100,000

Spending over half a million of the university’s money on yourself? Priceless.

Yup, the President of American University is currently in some awfully hot water over his spending habits, which include pan-seared foie gras, and some nice cashmere and some antiques. Yeah, if I was an alumni of American, I’d be pretty steamed right about now…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Tonight was a good bar-crawl. I’m entertaining/interviewing a candidate for a prime Geekcorps Mali Program Manager position and took him out for a night on the town and social testing. I don

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs