I was faced with this conundrum when I got off my flight on American at BWI on the 25th. Get my bags or go to Hooters? Tough one.

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At least Richard White can be thankful that his sacking will get lost in a flurry of stories about Marion Barry’s latest shame. From the Post,Metro Drops Longtime Manager.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Okay, something is going down on my block, at the corner of 16th and Park Road to be exact. The cops have blocked off 16th street and re-routed traffic to the side streets. This makes my apartment so damn quiet when its usualy filled with street noise.

I would go down and get a closer look, but the cops even sealed off the sidewalks. Oh and there are no TV cameras around either. Whatcha think is happening? My bet – Barry is getting setup again!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Fark, the amusing link aggregator, is hosting a Fark Party at Whitlow’s on Wilson on Friday, January 27th. I’ve never been to a Fark Party before, but I understand it involves a lot of drinking:

Time: 7pm – and it goes until question mark!

The original plan was to take over the area off to the left behind the pool tables (the “Sand Bar”), but the very nice lady I talked to at Whitlow’s informed me that it’s been reserved by another group until 8:30. Soooo….

I’m thinking we should congregate by the bar, scare off some of the normals, and hang out there, drink til we can’t feel feelings, then head back to the Sand Bar once the lamers leave and the main bar starts to get really busy. So when you get there, just walk straight back to the bar and look for a bunch of wheezy gimps.

Also, 7pm is just a general starting time, I will probably be there earlier, as will a few other Farkers. Feel free to come later, but keep in mind that around 9pm or so they’ll start charging a cover charge.

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As Wayan said, the Metroblogging DC happy hour (actually, happy FIVE hours) could totally kick the ass of whatever Drinking Liberally brings. And so that you, our dear readers, can enjoy the fun too, I present some choice quotes from our gathering last night. Quotes are presented in chronological order so that you can appreciate the cumulative effect of the alcohol consumed.

Don: I like Wegmans because you can get whatever hippie-granola-bullshit you want, but you can still get some fucking Crispix!

Wayan: Don is the manly man. He’s more manly than three of us put together.

William: How Virginian am I? I cultivated tobacco for school credit.

Tom Bridge: I got beaten up by angry Hungarian men. It was the best massage of my life.

As more and more beer was poured, conversation became increasingly…entertaining. The rest is in the extended entry for the sake of my fellow bloggers.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs Continue reading →

Marc Fisher has a column in the Post today that deals with Marion Barry’s sad drug addiction and his status in the community.

He’s absolutely right. We’re enablers. We’re complicit in his addiction so that we can laugh at him when he falls. We secretly hope that he’ll do something else, something gloriously stupid, something grandiosely corrupt, so we can mock him and make social profit from jokes against him, or look magnanimous when we forgive his transgressions. But it’s time to set that aside, instead, we must encourage people that has those problems to be moved here in order to change their life.

Our Drug Addiction Treatment in Florida is design for each person experiences the disease of addiction and its co-occurring mental health disorders uniquely, and that entering lasting recovery means finding the deeper purposes that empower a fulfilling life in sobriety. South Florida Rehab is dedicated to help you or a loved one live the life they deserve.I recommend visiting this rehab center in Hawaii and start confronting your addiction to get your life back on track and have a healthy lifestyle.

Opening a treatment center can be costly. Your largest investment will be into the property and the people running the center, however the return will be helping many sick people who can not bet addiction on their own. if you find yourself this is something that will bring joy to your life, here you can read a guide about how to start your rehab

I write this not as captain of Metroblogging DC, but as a private citizen upset with corruption, upset with our broken system of accountability, and upset with the DC Council for supporting his antics. Step down, Mr. Barry. Get clean. Get healthy. Become a public advocate, not this public embarrassment.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

If you like a little artery-clogging goodness once in a while and Five Guys is where you get it, you’ve probably gone through the less enjoyable wait. Long lines up to the register, then an even longer wait for your food. I can’t help you with the register line but the food wait you can dodge.

Check the menu ahead of time, call the store near you and place your order. When you arrive you still have to wait in the line to pay, but once you do they’ll holler over to the kitchen staff and only then do they place your fries with your order, keeping them piping hot and crispy. My wait was less than sixty seconds after I paid.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

IMG_1399

Originally uploaded by DCMetbloger.

We’re all a little slow this morning, and for that we apologize, we celebrated a year and a half of posts last night at RFD over round after round of interesting and unique beers. Unfortunately, or, perhaps, Fortunately, there was no wireless access there last night so we couldn’t liveblog the experience for everyone. Pictured here are Michael Darpino and Tom Mills, one of our veterans and one of our new folks.

I understand there’s a forthcoming post on some of the quotes of the evening, but it’s nice to get together with your fellow bloggers, even if it means a hangover or two the next day. Bear with us today and check back after 11 or so, when we’ve all sobered up and had our coffee.

If you’re interested in joining our merry band, please feel free to join us!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

While taking a quick drive out of the office to pick up some Five Guys I had the dubious pleasure of listening to Kojo talk to Marie Johns, who would like to be DC’s mayor in the future. While she was waxing poetic about setting an example for our children, Kojo asked her what seems to me like a simple question: Do you think, in light of the charges, that Marion Barry should resign from the council?

Too bad she’s too much of a spineless wuss to answer the question either way, any of the four-plus times Kojo asked her. She found time to repeat herself about setting an example and mention that Barry is a “hero in this community to many,” repeatedly. I assume the extended version of that is “a hero in the community to enough people that I won’t risk even a single vote by commenting one way or the other.” Of course she also seems to lack the spine to simply refuse to commit until more certain information is out, or even question the point of the war on some drugs.

If you’d like to torment yourself by hearing Marie Johns speak at length without ever saying anything, you can listen when the download is available in a few hours.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Warning to all the frequent fliers out there, the TSA is installing bomb-detection equipment known as “puffer machines” in airports nationwide. Both Dulles and National got their own puffers on Monday and if my experience in Miami was any guide, security lines are gonna be stupid-long.

There I stepped into what looks like a little plastic closet with a glass door at one end, the other open. A puff of air shot up from below (can you say Seven Year Itch?) and then a few seconds later, the chime sounded and the doors opened. Nice and easy yes, fast, um, not at all. Add in the slow-pokes always in front of you and line waits will easily double on busy flight days.

Good luck frequent flyers, its gonna be a long wait.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The Washington Post is reporting that Mayor for Life Marion Barry tested positive for cocaine and is now in some serious legal jeopardy for violating his probationary conditions and now risks spending a year and a half in jail because of it.

Thanks, Marion. You may DC looks Oh So Very Good. Politicians like you running the city might be some of the reason DC lacks things like representation in Congress.

Technorati Tags: DC, Marion Barry

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

As we all know, traffic sucks in DC. A direct result is that we all have those days when we’re stuck in unexplained traffic jams for some ridiculous amount of time. We’re annoyed, because all we want to do is get home, see our families, and have a little dinner, no? As a service to our local community, allow me to present a few of Metroblogging DC’s tips for surviving a traffic-heavy commmute.

– If you happen to be in a heavy traffic jam and happen to tap the rear bumper of the car in front of you, it’s a sign. It means you should try leaving an extra foot or two between your car and that one, because you were clearly following too closely before. It is NOT the signal to crawl even FURTHER up my tailpipe and hit me AGAIN three blocks later, YOU STUPID BITCH.

– If you happen to be the aforementioned driver who hits the same car twice in a three block space due to following TOO DAMN CLOSELY, the polite thing to do is look appropriately contrite, not start gesticulating in your rear view mirror as if it was MY car that REACHED OUT AND GRABBED YOURS, DUMBASS.

– At 19th and E Streets NW, the two right lanes are the only lanes that may turn right onto E street. TWO. Not THREE. If you try to turn right from the second lane to the left, while TALKING ON YOUR CELL PHONE, you are an ASSHOLE, and you deserve not only all the angry honking you get from the cars you’re preventing from continuing through the intersection, but you also totally deserve it when all the drivers who are following the rules refuse to let your dumb ass into the lane in front of them.

– It is the height of inconsideration to block an entire lane of traffic behind you, with plenty of empty, clear lane in front of you, so you can try to force your way into the other lane that’s not moving.

– Bonus Parking Garage Tip, directed at the idiot in the green Jaguar from Annapolis: I know, you got to work late like I did, and you had to park in one of those little half-spaces with the big pillar in one end of it. But that’s no excuse to park so close to my wee little car that I can’t even open the door. I shouldn’t have to crawl into the driver’s seat from the FUCKING PASSENGER DOOR when I am parked fully inside the lines because you park like a retard. Further, I shouldn’t have to do the little wiggly-reverse dance just to avoid taking your mirror off by hitting it with mine. I notice that you left yourself MORE than ample room to get in and out of your car. It is only my respect for the laws of a civil society that prevented me from KEYING THE EVER-LOVING FUCK out of your pretty green paint job. Asshat.

By following these few simple tips, you can greatly improve the quality of your commute. Because I won’t get out of my car and FUCKING BEAT YOUR ASS.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I’ve just returned from the Washington premiere of Terrence Malick’s “The New World” at the AFI Silver. The actual opening won’t be until Friday the 20th, but one of the great benefits of membership at AFI is advance screenings, so I got to soak up this incredible tone poem of a film a week early. The sold-out house seemed mesmerized during and dazed afterwards. It’s beautiful and elegiac scenes will haunt me for a long time.

I know several of us at DC Metblogs talk about how great AFI’s programs are, and I’d like to take this moment to hawk them again (even though they didn’t hire me last year, grrr… that’s ok, I’m still a member). AFI Silver rocks. I urge everyone to take advantage of the privilege of having the branch of such an institution in the DC area. Upcoming programs include a complete David Cronenberg retrospective (yes, even “The Brood”!) and a centennial celebration of the great Otto Preminger’s films.

Fantastic stuff, and not only for film buffs.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I just went out in search of lunch. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s lovely and sunny outside and not at all chilly. Yet another indication of the impending weather apocalypse. In any case, I thought I’d grab a delicious seared tuna salad at the little Artizen Cafe, next to Ollie’s at 11th and E. And since I was being such a good girl and getting salad, I thought I’d also treat myself to the best hot chocolate downtown.

Or should I say, I meant to, because it turns out to be “closed until further notice.” Ugh. I have no idea why – could be any number of reasons. I’ll bemoan the loss of not only their hot chocolate, fresh salads, and decadent panini, but also the cheery modern style and the friendly service, a relief from the usual Potbelly’s Au Bon Pain’s Cosi’s in such abundance on every corner downtown (ok, I know Artizen was a chain as well but at least a different chain). Double Ugh. Where am I to get my serotonin chocolate rush now??

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The Diane Rehm show is talking now about about everyone’s favorite DC Metblogs hot-button issue, smokefree DC. There seems to be some actual discussion going on rather than just talking shouting points, as well as some interesting facts.

I had no idea Dublin had gone smoke-free, much less Spain. I remember coming back from Madrid and not even bringing my suitcase in the house because the smoke-stink was so strong. That was the only time I can remember being glad to have a detached laundry room…

You’ll be able to listen to the archive of the show by 1p this afternoon.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

So I get these emails from Drink Liberally, a remnant of the 2004 election that I went to all of once as the meeting I attended bored me and (sorry Tom) they were at RFD, the most boring pub in town.

Filled with very earnest guys and a few wonky women (none as hot as the ex-Wonkette), talk quickly became way too political and policy for my tastes. As I tried to find a fun group to chat with, I noticed that RFD is essentially a large empty box with walls covered with sports TV. Great if you are a Redskins fan, crap if you hate the mind-suck of TV.

To try and tease more folks down to their Wednesday night drinks, now at Mark & Orlando’s, they linked to their Flickr account in this week’s email to show off how fun DCDL is. Word to the marketing department, if you’re gonna post photos, make them eye-worthy.

The photo I have here – that’s the best one of the bunch. The rest are even too boring for CSPAN.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

That’s right, if you wanna taste fine dining at fix price specials, make your reservations now. Pricy places are offering a three-course lunch for $20.06 and a three-course dinner for $30.06 when you mention “Restaurant Week” when making a reservation.

For the rest of us, who make our meal plans oh 3-5 minutes ahead of time, the pox on you reservists. We can only wait till the week after, when your overscheduled lives dissipate back in the Washington background.

The full WashPost list & details

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I don’t have a lot of occasion to ride the Metro, unfortunately, so perhaps this is an old change I am just now seeing. But whose bright idea was it to make the system maps 1/4 of their former size, a la the over-crowded CNN layout? The map is incomprehensible unless you’re right next to it and good luck seeing it if anyone is in that seat.

Either end of the car still has the full-sized maps but that’s of little help if I’m in the middle. I’m not just looking out for my own dizzy self here – we’ve got a lot of tourist riders who need all the help they can get too.

On counterpoint is my lovely girlfriend, who quipped “Considering some of Metro’s issues in the last year, maybe making the safety in-case-of-emergency info more prominent is more important to riders than knowing where they’re going.”

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It’s going to be bea-u-ti-ful warm winter day outside. Time to go for a run, a picnic, or like Russians, a swim. No matter what you do, don’t be sitting inside reading this!

Save the DC Metblog fun for when snow is in the forecast.

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Last month we covered the strike at the Washington Ballet and the ensuing closure of the company. Looks like things are getting worse: The Ballet has rejected an offer for mediation from the President of the Kennnedy Center. Of course, it probably doesn’t help that the dancers still view their own strike as a lockout. That said, it doesn’t seem to help that the management of the Ballet is unwilling to guarantee a certain number of dancing positions. Kaiser used to be the Executive Director of the American Ballet Theater, which gives him some serious insight into the artists’ community, as well as the management’s views. Here’s hoping they’re able to come to an agreement.

Technorati Tags: DC, ballet, strike

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs