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If you take a DC taxi from downtown Washington to Dulles Airport, what do think the fare should be?$50? $60? $70?

Better yet, what have you been charged, and why did you pay?

I ask this as I just had my very first Dulles taxi ride where the driver used actual mileage for the rate.

DC cabbies are supposed to use miles but they never do. Hacks always want to offer me an imaginary fixed price that varies wildly.

So what is the real price from McPherson Square to Dulles? $51 dollars.

How close were you?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

That sound you hear in the distance isn’t the screaming of a politician. Oh no. It’s John Stossel’s unending orgasm of glee. See, 20/20 got unfettered access to Deborah Jean Palfrey’s records as part of an interview they did with her that will air next month.

Folks, this one’s gonna be more fun than a barrel full of monkeys with knives.

Included with the records are 46 pounds of phone records from her DC pimping business. Yeah, the same one that catered to politicians in this town.

Oh, this one’s gonna be a real good time, let me tell you! So, what’s your guess? Who’s on there?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I have a theory. Everyone has an Art, even if they don’t know what it is yet. It’s that one thing you’d do whether you got paid for it or not, it’s your outlet, the thing that lets you create something purely for the sake of creation. It could be very traditional, like drawing or music, or completely off-the-wall like balloon animal sculptures. (Of course, if you can make it pay, then so much the better, no?)

One of the great things about DC is that between all the various educational institutions, non-profits, networking organizations, and just generally well-connected people, you can find a way to pursue your Art no matter what it is. My Art became clear to me a few months ago- stand-up comedy. Fortunately, DC happens to have a world-class comedy club right downtown, and they offer classes! (Longtime readers will remember that Trudi Jo Davis took a similar class about a year ago.)

I’ll let the Metrobloggers who were at the graduation show last night chime in to tell you about it themselves, but I will say that if comedy is something you’ve ever wanted to try, there’s no better place to get your feet wet than at the Improv. I took a four-week course with Matt Kazam that covered everything from writing the material to overcoming stage fright to dealing with hecklers, followed by an open-mic at SoHo off Dupont Circle, and then finally last night’s show at the Improv.

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

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Tonight I am experiencing a very unique DC moment, an ANC meeting.

The Advisory Neighborhood Commission is Washington’s nod to local home rule and as a new homeowner, as of two hours ago, I am now very interested in my local government.

My local ANC sounds like it has its financial act together, its sitting on $91 thousand in cash. Better yet my new next door neighbor is my ANC commish.

Past that I am glad my clock-stopping hottie and I split a bottle of wine together before we came. Now all this government yacking sounds at least half interesting.

Ooo, The Fuzz is about to talk, gotta go.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The Onion News Network has a hysterical take on the pandas at the National Zoo, including the recent addition of young butterstick…

Controversy In Captivity

Yikes!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Did you attend the Washington Post Bloggers Summit or better yet, the drunken after party? While I didn’t feel any lasting effects, either from the WashPost or the booze at the time, it seems that the Post didn’t forget us.

Now several DC Metrobloggers are getting press releases from Euro RSCG Magnet, a PR firm that the Post has hired to publicize its Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive website.

First was a plug for the Joshua Bell Experiment, that was topical if a little tardy. Then today came a more obscure note about the WashPost going HDTV on us:

washingtonpost.com, the award-winning news and information Web site, today announced high-definition (HD) podcasts, designed to be viewed on HD television and computer screens, are now available on iTunes. In a first for a news organization, the award-winning documentary videos created by the washingtonpost.com multimedia team also conform to the highest specifications for the new Apple TV, making it easier than ever to view extremely quality news content anywhere, any time users want it.

Could this be a good sign that DC bloggers, and blogging in general is getting more respect, or is it yet another attempt by PR firms to shape thoughts and ideas best left to independent thinkers?

I’m hoping the former, as I’ve come to learn firsthand with my humble OLPC News, blogging is moving into the mainstream, so much that the line is already blurring on what is “mainstream media” or not.

DC bloggers, are you getting the Euro RSCG Magnet emails too? If so, what do you think?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Across from the White House exit of the McPherson Square Metro station is a new coffee fix.

Mojoe is a full service espresso and coffee bar, complete with flavors for those who like them.

Today is a little chilly but by summer, when chairs and shade are promised, Mojoe should be a perfect afternoon caffeine counter point.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

This shocking sight greeted me this morning at the corner of 17th and H Street: a gaping hole where a building once stood.

Soon there will be another but at the moment the block looks lacking.

Gone is the size, the form, the warmth of short, squat, massive DC. A gap toothed skyline in its place.

And soon, yet another construction crane leering over the city.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I love the arrival of spring, except for this one thing: the ubiquitous stink of new mulch everywhere. I lack words for how much I loathe the way it smells. I think I’d prefer if they fertilized everything with cow manure. Why does it smell so bad? What’s the magic ingredient of suck that goes into mulch to make it so repugnant? Fresh mown grass? Fantastic. Sawdust? To a woodworker like me, it smells like home.

Mulch? I am certain that’s what Satan’s armpits smell like after a long day of tormenting souls in on of the hotter parts of Hades. On the day he forgot his anti-persperant.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

How is this for a fire hazard: a tub of propane tanks just waiting for some drunken fool to ignite as they stumble around Wonderland’s beer garden.

If you too live by the cheap gas, you might be interested in a strange DC sight: the Propane Taxi.

This is a propane tank delivery service that will bring you refills right to your door, or tub. Just don’t drop a tank on your toe, John.

The emergency room wait for care on that foolishness is long I hear.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It looks like Arlington County is getting a wireless network that is supposed to cover the whole county, offering Wi-Fi access to all the citizens, workers and businesses in the county. From the Arlington County website:

The Wi-Fi mesh network will provide the approximately 26 square-mile Arlington County a broadband alternative for residents and visitors to the County. It will also enable County employees to work in the field without having to return to an office and a traditional landline to complete their tasks. EarthLink will also enable Internet access for to-be-determined nonprofit partners of Arlington County, as well as create wireless hotspots at a number of Arlington parks, community centers and libraries.

Now wait a second here – don’t think that you can just roam around the county using free Wi-Fi wherever you happen to be. Nope, you will still have to go to Murky Coffee or Caribou Coffee (home of the best damned hot chocolate ever) for that. What this offers is an “affordable” Wi-Fi service.

What’s affordable? Who’s to say? Well, if you are an Arlington resident, you can go to the public meeting on the issue this Tuesday evening at 7:30 in room 311 of Courthouse Plaza, 2100 Clarendon Boulevard and give them your two cents on the issue.

I suspect, having seen this sort of thing promised in other cities, that Earthlink will want to charge something slightly less than Starbuck’s does for Wi-Fi access and that the mesh will not really be built except in the more prosperous areas and places like Courthouse, where the county offices are. This is all just speculation on my part, not based on anything I have seen here in Arlington, which seems surprisingly free from the very extensive graft I witnessed in the last place I lived.

This is a great idea and I hope it gets made into a reality soon. My question is whether it will draw the revenue Earthlink will require to make it all feasible and whether it will be expandable to handle more traffic, should it become very popular. Alas, I can’t make it to the meeting because I have to teach that night, but I hope someone can go and report back what is discussed. Any volunteers?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Does the water taste just a hint like bleach? Don’t worry – that’s a completely normal byproduct of weakening the biofilm. From April 7th to May 7th the Washington Aqueduct Division of the Army Corps of Engineers, Arlington County’s water supplier, is using free chlorine to give the water pipes a once-yearly flush to eliminate bacterial build-up and regrowth.

From the county’s FAQ page on the process:

Temporarily converting from chloramines to free chlorine is done to help control bacterial regrowth within the water distribution system. The County will be coordinating an annual hydrant flushing program to coincide with the disinfectant switch to further control water quality.

A biological film known as “biofilm” is found in all water pipes. Over time, biofilm becomes resistant to the chloramines it encounters regularly and as a result can cause water quality problems if it is not properly managed.

Switching to free chlorine for a short period of time shocks and weakens the biofilm, rendering it safe. The system-wide process of flushing the water mains through fire hydrants combined with the disinfectant change is proven to be effective at controlling biofilm.

So if the biofilm is weakening and thus likely sloughing off into the public water supply, I certainly hope it is being treated to the point that no harm comes from it. As much as I love staying hydrated, the thought of drinking a tall glass of biofilm is not nearly as appetizing as these engineers might think.

All I can say is thank goodness for happy hour, where thoughts of water consumption are washed from our cortexes by large volumes of beer, which, like chlorine, is a wonderful sanitizing and purifying substance. At least I can pretend it is.

So what to do about water consumption? Flavor it, of course. That slight chlorine taste is harmless, after all, but not too pleasant. Go get yourself a bunch of Kool-Aid and enjoy such flavors as red, purple and orange, the last of which happens to also be the name of a fruit. Just don’t get all Peoples Temple on us in the process.

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Photo by DC Metroblogger

And I suggest you celebrate the right way, with a super-cute Easter bunny cake from Hellers Bakery in Mt. Pleasant.

I am going to miss Hellers, and its sweet treats, when I move to Petworth. I have yet to discover a similar Sunday morning croissant salvation in my new hood.

But that is next week. This week its time to get me some Holly Cross buns for my coffee too!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Joshua Bell is probably one of the top five, if not top three, living violinists in the entire world. So, what would happen if he set up a busking spot at the top of L’Enfant Plaza Metro? The answer lies in Sunday’s Post article, which details the experience of Bell at the top of the metro.

The results are pretty well astonishing, especially for a player of his calibre. Gene Weingarten’s piece absolutely captures the results of the event, and of the amazing talent of Bell. Check it out, if only for the incredible video.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

If you’re on Twitter, there are now friendable sportsbots for the DC area, including the Nationals, the Caps, the Wizards and the Redskins (sorry, sports fan The DC United isn’t yet on their list.)

So, while you’re out there on Twitter, go ahead and check out Metblogs, and add us to your friends list too. Check it out, it’s cool stuff.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Keith “I’ll Kill Ya” Washington

I cannot believe this! Keith A. Washington, the guy who shot two Marlo Furniture movers, killing Brandon D. Clark, did it again. He whipped out his police issued pistol and threatened a innocent home appraiser who knocked on his door last week.

Can we get a big “WTF!”? Why does this man still have a gun? A PG Country police issued gun no less!

Why does he have any gun on his person after the Marlo movers shooting? The guy is a crazed lunatic, a real a-hole and shouldn’t be in possession of a police issued anything, except a prison jumpsuit.

And yet here he is getting charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault and use of a handgun during a violent crime with said government gun. Oh wait, not the first gun but a second gun. From the WashPost article:

Investigators confiscated Washington’s service weapon when he was placed on administrative leave after the January shooting. At some point, under standard police practices, he was issued another weapon. A source, who requested anonymity because the case is ongoing, said investigators think the gun involved Thursday was the newly issued service weapon.

Giving a guy under investigation for a double shooting & one death with a gun, a second gun, is “standard police practice” in PG Country? Will Police Chief Melvin C. High yet again give Washington his gun and badge back even after he took them and Washington’s police powers because of this second action?

Keith A. Washington is nuts & should be allowed a water pistol, much less an actual lethal weapon. I don’t even live near PG Country and I totally agree with the still shocked appraiser:

“Considering what happened to the guys from Marlo Furniture, I felt both terrified and grateful that I wasn’t killed,” King said.

Damn straight, Mr. King. And if you’re wondering just how f**ked up the scene was for Keith A. Washington to pull a gun, check out the account published in the Post after the jump.

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

Photo by DC Metroblogger

You know you want this. You know you need this. You know that sticky, sugary, damn tasty straight-to-you-heart-and-kill-you goodness of a Carvel cinnamon bun calls to you this morning.

Do no resist. Do not think healthy, granola-infused thoughts. Its Saturday morning. Coffee calls.

Rise from your warm bed and get a cuppa Joe and this high-calorie, high-cholesterol, perfection at the new Carvel’s at Tivoli Theater.

I already have. Two in fact. The best start to a weekend of high-impact sports, aerobics, and cycling to shape up for swimsuit season.

Yeah, right after I sleep off my sugar coma.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Given that the rapture did not happen after all the other day, I suppose I should reconsider my plans for the weekend. All the looting and booty-shaking I was going to do is probably unwise at this point, especially since it is not a foregone conclusion that my soul is damned and that I am destined to walk aimlessly through a hellish world for all of eternity. Not yet, at least.

Back in North Carolina, where I grew up, we had Easter Monday to look forward to and the traditional N.C. State–Wake Forest game to help us digest the candied ham from the day before, which we were still belching up on Monday. In Massachusetts, the land of high taxes from which I recently escaped, we had Patriots Day on the day after Easter. It was dressed up to look like a commemoration of the battles in Lexington and Concord, but really it was an excuse to drink beer and not go to work.

What’s to do down here this weekend? Anything going on other than church and slow driving?

Barring the real rapture happening or the possibility that apes become our masters before the long weekend, what do you have planned?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Hello DC, I am a Blackberry carry case, or “sled” and as you can see, I am a little lonely.

I know my overworked lawyer owner is missing me already, at a loss without my incessant vibrations in her life. I am missing her too.

No one curses me out quite like she does when I vibrate late at night. No one throws me with such vigor when I interrupt her curly action. And yet no one obsesses over me quite like she does.

Might you be her?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Here is an interesting aspect of the US Postal Service mailboxes. When they are not getting all Jedi Master on your ass, they are using damn cool technology to make sure your 39 41 cent postage gets your mail delivered.

The US Postal Service workers in DC use PDA’s on their routes, identifying every mailbox they open with a swipe of the box’s barcode. USPS managers then know exactly when a mailbox was emptied.

While that doesn’t mean you letter is safe from human collection errors or other delivery issues, it does give some assurance that each mailbox in Washington DC is emptied at some time near when it should be.

Now doesn’t that make you a wee bit happier when someone says, “Yeah, the check is in the mailbox”?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs