– Why are there still people who yell “O!” during the National Anthem? Not only are you at the wrong stadium, you have terrible manners.

– Three pieces of string does not qualify as underwear. That’s not panties, it’s twine. Also, I don’t want to look at your ass crack all night, so wear a longer shirt.

– It was terribly ambitious of the Nats to send out invoices for playoff tickets to season ticket holders and demand that we pay them by Monday to reserve our seats. Awfully ambitious, seeing as how the Nats are at least 5 games out of even Wild Card contention.

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You know, some political emails are just so funny that you have to let them speak for themselves. I just got this gem from the Fenty Campaign:

From: alec@fenty06.com
Subject: FENTY CAMPAIGN SURPASSES 2,000 YARD SIGNS
To: alec@fenty06.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Adrian M. Fenty (D-Ward 4) announced today that his
mayoral campaign has delivered over 2,000 yard signs to residents in
all eight wards throughout the city.

Let me see if I’ve got this straight. Instead of talking about Fenty’s stance on local issues, we’re going to talk about his lawn signs. Right. Gotcha. Should I expect further hard hitting emails about Fenty’s jaunty cap collection? The number of bumperstickers on area cars? Number of buttons distributed at metro stations?

Or, are we going to talk issues like the homeless problem in DC. Unemployment. Attracting business to the area. Using public funds to build a sports stadium. Taxation. Representation. These are things you issue press releases for.

Not how many goddamn ugly-ass lawn signs you stick up across town. C’mon Adrian, I expect better from you.

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I hadn’t been to the Luna Grill and Diner in ages, but last night after re-joining the National Capital YMCA we needed something close by and relatively uncomplicated for dinner.

Not to mention the minute I remembered the place I began to obsess about their sweet potato fries. There’s something about the sweet potato that makes me think of autumn leaves and cool breezes. Maybe its role at Thanksgiving dinners has something to do with it.

Ummmm… deliciously roasted sweet potato steak-cut fries with a hint of caramel…

Luna Grill was just as quirky as ever, with its offbeat murals and rustic wooden tables. It’s a charming spot with basic good food – “slow food served fast” as their motto says. However, I could’ve done without sitting on my neighbor’s lap, as it were. The tables for two are ridiculously close together, so close you can hear all the slurping and chewing, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if the guy next to us had joined our conversation. It also made for some interesting aerobatics on the part of our waiter as he attempted to refill our glasses.

But those fries were heavenly!
Now I just need to find some sweet potato pie, perfect for autumn.

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When I was out for Happy Hour on Friday, my friend Ben was telling me a tale of woe of how he was nearly arrested when he and a friend had taken a dog out to a local park and let it off the leash to run around. I was astounded to hear that there were few, if any, dog parks in the District, and that police, having solved all other crimes, had resorted to harassing dog owners in a park.

Today, however, is a good day for dog owners in the District, as the City Council voted to allow dog parks on city- and federally-owned park land. No word yet as to where some candidates would be, where would you put a dog park in DC?

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Thanks to Christian and Nikolas for reminding us that there’s more to life than the anti-war/anti-capitalism/anti-you-name-it-we-hates-it rallies this weekend.

If you’re looking for something to do locally, there’s going to be a Green Festival (a joint project of Co-op America and Global Exchange) at the DC Convention Center with tickets at $15 a day and a metric tonne of exhibitors from DC Yoga to Marantha Nut Butters to the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. Sure, the smell of patchouli may be overwhelming from time to time, but it beats getting gassed by the cops when some anarchists try to break into Citibank.

Of course, if you’re more literary minded, the National Book Festival, put on by the Library of Congress, will be taking over the National Mall for the weekend. This year’s authors will include Buzz Aldrin, David Baldacci, Neil Gaiman, Giada de Laurentiis, R.L. Stine and a whole bushel of other authors across many genres.

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This just in from Dr Dremo – their Beer Pong games are history. Why would they stop such timeless fun? How could they end the hard-core competition? Well it seems that Johnny Law is anti-pong. Yes, there is no more beer pong at Dr Dremo’s by order of the Arlington county police and the VA Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Apparently, drinking games are not permitted in bars in the state of VA. Drinking games like beer pong, the college favorite at every Virginia college, university, and frat house. What does that mean for flip cup then? And for the state of education in Virginia? Now who is the nanny state?

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A Falls Church man has admitted to plotting with a Saudi Al Qaeda cell to assassinate President Bush.

Ahmed Omar Abu Ali says it never got past the “idea stage,” and it’s not hard to see why:

“My idea was . . . I would walk on the street as the President walked by, and I would get close enough to shoot him, or I would use a car bomb.”

Yeah. That would work. Just bump into ol’ Georgie on the street. Or park in front of his house.

Clearly, this is a guy who hasn’t been paying attention, or hadn’t spent much time outside of Falls Church…

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Ah, yes, it’s that time of year. The time when you begin to have strange cravings for Steak-on-a-Stick, or smoked turkey leg eaten right off the bone a la Henry VIII. Perhaps you find yourself speaking in an excruciatingly bad English accent, or inexplicably adding “e” to the ends of words like “Shop” or “Old” – well then my friend, it’s time to don thy frippery best and hie thee to the Maryland Renaissance Festival!!

Runing weekends now thru the end of October, the RennFest is always a blast. Start out early and do as we savage Vikings do – have oysters for breakfast (and oyster shooters for second breakfast!). Wander aimlessly through the grove marvelling at the handicrafts – purchase some honey candles, perhaps some chainmail or a pewter toasting cup. Let your inhibitions run wild, and remember it’s all about having some good olde-fashioned goofy fun. Lots of it.

The stage shows are always hysterical – don’t miss the sword-swallowing – and the jousting is always rousing. Inbibe in local ales and wines (but don’t do archery afterwards!). Above all, spend the entire day, and see the evening exit procession by torchlight – really lovely.

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Do you find a good meal better than sex? Would you quit a job that interfered with dinner? Can you spot a truffle in the wild? Then you should belong to the Tastings Journal.

There you can have 4, 5 and 6 course prix fixe dinners by Washington’s hot new restaurants. Each month they offer an exclusive menu at a different restaurant. Reservations are required; the events always sell out fast.

This month, it’s all about BACI. The place is stunning and as always, the dinner includes a complementary bottle of wine. At $50 per person it better. Now break out the no-limit credit card and get ready to spend some dosh on the din din.

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Yes, I am. I would mainline sugar and cream if I could, which shocks some because I eat so healthy and don’t have sweats near. Really, though, the reason I don’t get near the dessert tray or the ice cream isle is that I have no willpower when it comes to sweets.

For Ben & Jerry’s I do not need the pint lock or even a lid – pints disappear in one sitting. Cakes go even without icing and cookies are eaten as batter before they make it to the oven. Right now, I’m having one of my favorites – Nilla wafers and soy milk. Mmm Mmm Good!

Tomorrow, I’m gonna celebrate the end of triathlon training, I’m gonna get Krispy Kremes for the office!

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We took fifth tonight at Four Courts’ Pub Quiz, ace-ing out a round featuring roman and greek mythology and going near perfect on the olympics round. Half price burgers, wholesome delicious Guinness, tasty cider and their fantastic bread pudding were on the menu for the Beltway Buccaneers (our tribute to International Talk Like a Pirate Day), but perennial trivia nemesis Norfolk & Chance beat us out for the last prize spot. Not too shabby, though, for 20 some odd teams fighting for intellectual dominance while the Cowboys/Skins game (and ensuing telethon) played up on the screen.

Of course, it looks like the Redskins are done for, down 13-7 late in the 4th quarter with the Cowboys in possession, but hey, stranger things have happened, no? Maybe the ‘skins should take our advice for the evening: “Hey now, 5th place ain’t so bad…”

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Apparently, if you live/work near DC, America’s Arctic Refuge needs you. During your lunch break tomorrow, you could join thousands of citizens from across the country and send a message to Congress: Save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge!

Folks in the Dome might then realize its Arctic Refuge Action Day, Tuesday, and from 11 AM -1 PM on the West (Front) Lawn of the U.S. Capitol there will be speakers like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., U.S. Senators Kerry, Lieberman, and Chafee U.S. Reps. Holt, Markey, and McCollum and Native American Leaders and Drummers from Alaska and Lower-48 Tribes.

Regardless if you think they should save the caribou or drill to drop oil prices; it will be fine day to laze on the Capitol Steps. It should be warm & sunny, and a good day to get an office tan. Sees ya there!

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…you’d better be garnishing Youppi’s wages now that he’s the mascot for the Canadians. That no-good gigolo left behind his bastard-child, Screech, and poor Slapshot hasn’t gotten a cent of child support from that jerk since he fled DC when he heard Slapshot had laid an egg. Of course the local rags have said he was looking for work in the minors, but now that he’s signed a major league deal of his own, I fully expect the Feds to go after him.

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Yar, it be International Talk Like a Pirate day once again. All ye landlubbers best watch out for us pirates, as we’ll be conductin’ our commerce soundin’ as if we’d be taking up our cutlasses and givin’ out what for! All ye bilge rats that be lookin’ like ninjas best be watchin’ out as we’re out on the prowl. All ye politicians best be usin’ some advanced pirate lingo in some of that thar legislation you be writin’ up on that hill today!

O’course, in order t’celebrate this fine day, some of us Metbloggers will be over at Four Courts for some trivia startin’ around 8 o’clock and we’ll be drinkin’ the grog with the best’f’em.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

This weekend we travelled up to northeastern Pennsylvania for my husband’s family reunion. On the way we saw both beautiful scenery and depressed areas. Some towns we drove through probably haven’t seen an economic boom since the days of the robber barons, if at all.

At one point we drove through Jim Thorpe, a town that seemed to be completely frozen in time. It’s nestled in Mauch Chunk, the “Mountain of the Sleeping Bear.” Architecturally, it’s still the Golden Nineties (1890’s, that is), the sort of place you’d call quaint, and seemingly devoted to maintaining that image for tourism – little shops, statue of the town founder Asa Packer, his impressively grand mansion on the hill, a working railroad to take you through the “Switzerland of America” – all this within a very small patch of land on a river. Kayak shops and signs for the Audobon trail abound. The great and tragic Olympian Jim Thorpe is buried there.

The town’s history and fate, like so many others in the region, became bound to the rise and fall of coal mining. They filmed “The Molly Maguires” there, which we’d seen a few months back. Some of my husband’s ancestors had even been involved in that rebellion, struggling to win parity in a life of black lung.

I thought as we whizzed by in the Mini, making the locals’ heads turn, that this would be a nice place to visit for a weekend. I thought that again as we sped by on our return, exhausted from several hours of reunion-izing. But we didn’t stop, eager to return to our city, and something tells me we won’t see it again.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

When I went to bed just after midnight last night, the Nats had a 5-0 lead on the Padres and what looked like their fifth straight win all but locked up.

Oh, would that that that were so! Instead, Frank Robinson decided to change pitchers in the ninth twice, and closer Chad Cordero gave up a grand slam that Chris Needham from Capitol Punishment would call “Vomit Inducing“:

It’s late. I’m tired. I’m angry. I’m disappointed. Pick a negative or hostile emotion — it’s probably in me somewhere. I’ll have the gory details, and why I think Frank managed us out of the playoffs in the morning. For now, I’ll stew in my bile.

And sure enough, that’s exactly what happened. With two outs in the ninth, Chad Cordero tossed a pitch that would hit the gut of every Nationals fan as it sailed out of Petco Park and forced extra innings. Of course, that was the mental defeat right there, but the killing blow came on a three run home run from Ramon Hernandez off Jon Rauch in the 12th.

Today the Nats sought to keep the Padres below .500 and keep alive their scant chances at a Wild Card spot. It was not to be. They went up 1-0 in the 2nd on a sacrifice by Cristian Guzman, but that would be the only run the Nats could score. They’d give up two late runs, and the losing run ended up being on a throwing error by Joey Eischen. The Nats ended the day 77-73, in need of four wins in their final games to make the .500 line. While it’s unlikely that the Nats would finish in last place, they’re only three and a half games ahead of the Mets who are currently riding the bottom of the NL East.

The Giants and Barry Bonds are in town starting on Tuesday for one of the last series of the year. Tickets are still out there. See you at RFK!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Wegmans’ Menu magazine is the worst kind of food/home pr0n there is. Worse than Food Network, worse even than Williams-Sonoma, this magazine caters to every dirty, middle-class, giant-kitchen, china-pattern-choosing, mistress-of-the-manor fantasy I have. Oh sure, Food Network shows me how the other half lives, and Williams-Sonoma provides the retail outlet for the accessories of my obsession, but it is Menu that makes it all seem attainable.

“Look!” my tormentor says. “Look how simple it is to throw a fabulous dinner party! Your plates will be color-coordinated with your table linens and you shall have a set appropriate for every season!” It whispers sweet nothings in my ear about slow-cooked beef stew and delicate baby vegetables served on shining, jewel-toned dinnerware and I am powerless in the face of such persuasion.

*sigh* It’s almost enough to make me forget the tiny apartment kitchen and utter lack of dining facilities for more than two people that is the lot of a single twenty-something in DC.

Damn you, Wegmans. Someday the kitchen island and cavernous dining room shall be mine. And then I will throw the fabulous dinner parties, the big family holiday gatherings, the sumptuous brunches that I’ve already planned in my most private of fantasies. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” will be a weekly institution, you’ll see.

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Starting today, Safeway grocery stores will be delivering their groceries to area homes via their Safeway.com onling ordering service. Of course, they’re going to be facing the ever-popular Peapod service from rival Giant. Safeway.com will be offering a free delivery on an order over $50 as a reward for signing up, but be aware that groceries won’t come from a central warehouse as they do with Peapod, but rather from your area Safeway. That can have its detriments, given the status of several area Safeway stores.

Check it out, and let us know what you think. I’m always looking for ways to help decrease the number of errands I have to run in any given week, and perhaps Safeway.com might be a way to do just that.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Count on the people of DC to come up with the perfect person to head FEMA.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

You know what’s a fun way to spend a Friday evening? Well, fun if you’re a frilly girl who likes fussy, glittery things that smell nice… A product launch party at Lush in Georgetown.

You can smell the Lush store from a couple of doors down- fruity, perfumy bath stuff practically smacks you in the face before you walk through the door. It’s like a skin care deli- products are sold by weight, wrapped in paper or little plastic containers.

They throw parties pretty regularly, and when you’re one of the first to RSVP, you get a goodie bag of samples. Which sort of makes the Lush associates like drug pushers. “Just a little to try. You’ll like it, I promise.”

If nothing else, it’s the best way I’ve found to combat what the local water does to my hair…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs