We here at Metroblogging DC know its hot outside. We see the heat waves coming off the street even from our high-up offices. We heed the Code Red’s from the Weather Service and dream about winter.

And we hear you bitching about the heat. We can hear you moaning now, maybe even going so far as to utter, “It’s hot enough to fry eggs on the pavement.” So we did a little test, a little mid-day experience to record just how hot it is really.

Watch, learn, enjoy, just how hot it is today:

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

You’ve seen his stunning photography in the Metroblogging DC Flickr Group, and we often use his photos in our stories, but do you know the story behind the man behind the photos? Recently, I interviewed the amazing maxedaperture, aka Max C, about his photography, which on a hot day like today, is so apropos.

Surprisingly, Max just recently picked up photography as a hobby in the last year and a half. A natural? Maybe. Dedicated? That’s for sure. To quote him:

What draws me to photography is that it’s a combination of art and technology. The artist in me likes to find the best composition of a shot as well as what I think would make for an interesting photo, while the geek in me likes to say, “I should probably shoot this at f/2 or bump up the ISO since it’s dark and I need a faster shutter speed.” As time goes on, both of those aspects are becoming more and more second nature to me.

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So I’m reading the WashPost article about Aaron J. Burroughs, a junior varsity assistant coach at Bowie High School who is accused of pimping out a 15 year old girl. And while I am horrified at his actions with the minor, he apparently was selling her since September, I am amazed at the man’s industry.

Let’s take a look at Mr. Burroughs jobs:

• He’s most well known as a junior varsity assistant coach at Bowie High School, a time consuming if not so lucrative occupation. This is also were he may have met the girl he’s accused of prostituting in the District.
• He’s also a Metrobus driver, and even got busy with the girl in the Bladensburg Metrobus yard
• He stands accused of being a pimp, selling the girl for sex at $150 a tryst out of the Budget Inn on New York Ave NE
• And last but not least, to quote the Post: “He also admitted to having two pounds of marijuana in his vehicle, saying he supplemented his income by selling the drug”

“Supplemented his income”?? That man has four job! He would make the Hedleys of In Living Color proud of his work ethic if not his chosen professions. Me, I’m just surprised it took all four jobs to support his home in Crofton and his bus yard sex Range Rover.

There’s gotta be more uses of his money, he’s sure not spending it on his defense. Not only did he admit to most of the child sexual abuse charges, he’s being represented by the Public Defender.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

So I’m driving through Montgomery County today to deal with a family crisis, when I decide I need to change lanes. I signal, check my mirrors, glance over my shoulder, and start to move. Suddenly, I have to jump back into my lane because there’s a car right where I’m trying to merge to.

It’s a MoCo cop, and he’s giving me the look of death. Hey look, don’t hang out in my blind spot when you see me signaling and we won’t have these problems.

I’m not sure if I’m relieved that he didn’t pull me over or appalled at the stunning lack of professionalism when he flipped me the bird as I pulled in behind him.

Fuck you too, asshole.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Well, it’s August, Congress is out of session and life is slowing down to a heat-induced crawl. How about doing something a bit unique with your time? Come join Metroblogging DC! We’re accepting applications all month starting today and running through the 31st. While the position doesn’t pay, it does come with the occasional beer, concert ticket or cool invite. We only ask that applicants be willing to post 12 posts a month (roughly 3 per week) for us here at Metroblogging DC.

If you are interested, please apply here and we’ll be in touch. Or, feel free to email tom at metroblogging dot usual TLD for businesses.

Come! Join our Merry Band!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Are you headed to the Dupont Circle Metro Station this evening? If so, I bet you’ll not want to do my usual “Free Stairmaster Challenge” and climb the 155 steps of the Q Street North Exit at max speed.

No, you’ll want to relax and stay cool as you’re taken to the surface.

Um, good luck with that. It seems that one escalator is unavailable there and both mezzanine to platform elevators are unavailable for an extended capital improvement project.

Before you start to bitch, guess what? Metrorail will be launching Operation H2O this afternoon and giving out 7,000 bottles of water from 2pm until 7pm or they run out.

That should be enough to keep you cool, apparently only 4,620 passengers exit the Dupont Circle Q Street side on average.

Next, give love to Metro Interim General Manager Dan Tangherlini who says:

“Distributing water to passengers after they climb up our escalators is our way of saying thank you to our loyal customers, and to also thank them for their patience while we make these repairs.”

Dan, you got our love and our thirst.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Now that it’s over, the Washington Post looks back on the first ever Capital Fringe Festival and they have pronounced that it was good.

Ho hum.

They do a nice job of recapping a few shows, along with talking about the overall success and tone of the show, but if you want a real insight into what went on you want to head over to City Paper’s Fringe and Purge blog which was updated constantly during the course of the festival. There’s pictures, detailed write-ups and even the odd (and I ain’t kidding) bits of video here and there.

My much smaller contribution is limited to my past posts about Naked Cabaret and HELP WANTED. What were your favorite experiences and what are you sorry you missed?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Yo! Ladies, I’m over here..

Last night’s Screen on the Green movie, Bullit, a Steve McQueen classic, brought out all the hotties – I even started out the night with two supermodels!

All that estrogen in the air put a zap to our heads, for the usual party scene of Screen on the Green took a different twist. It became the pick up scene of Screen on the Green!

Slowly, as the bottles of wine emptied, ears were filled with sweet nothings, arms wrapped around bodies, and not a few couples were lip-locking more than movie watching.

Next week’s movie, “To Have and Have Not” promises to up the romace even more. Just read Screen on the Green’s description:

Apolitical hero Humphrey Bogart helps out the French Resistance during WWII by smuggling human cargo. Sparks fly when Bogart meets Bacall (19-year-old Lauren in her screen debut) who gives him plenty of attitude and lessons in whistling. Their real-life love affair began on the spot.

Might your next love begin on the spot too? The pick up scene of Screen on the Green!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Do you remember the Washington City Paper article, “Blood, Sweat and Gears,” on the Roosevelt High School Robotics Team?

Did you want to be the haggard proud mentor of the robotics team, Tac Tacelosky, and lead the team in building the “advanced shopping cart”? Well here is your chance!

Tac is leading a training session on Saturday, August 5, at UDC for adults to learn all about building a Vex Robot – what the students compete with. Oh, and if your hesitant to be thought of as mechanical competent, Tac says:

Don’t worry if your background isn’t engineering — these kits are designed for high schoolers. If you’re an adult who can follow a recipe or put together IKEA furniture (or at least mostly put it together), you can handle this.

In addition, if you’re more skilled in C, Visual Basic, or spreadsheet macros, they need programmers as much as engineers.

Still, if your only times wearing a tool belt you were dancing on a bar, there are other ways to help. Tac has the goal of getting at least two Vex Robotics kits into District High Schools that want them and a $250 tax-deductible donation can make that happen for your favorite school.

Interested? Check out the details on the 501 Tech Club Listserv

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs