People are shuffling around, not making eye contact, as I prance around shirtless, my body painted green, purple and silver, the only person enjoying the significance of this day. Bethesda – I ask – what gives? Where is the fun? I get the whole ban on public nudity because you have to draw the line somewhere, even if it is arbitrary, but does that ban extend to all types of fun? Is this a city of squares who wouldn’t know how to party if given a rule book?

Yep, that about sums it up for Bethesda. What’s going on in your neck of the woods?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It looks like Maryland state Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Montgomery County) is going to do a little grandstanding about same-sex marriage with the very same tactic I have long recommended:

No more civil “marriage;” give civil unions/domestic partnerships to all couples, homo- or heterosexual.

Think about it for a second: Imagine the blissful silence as government stops trying to define couples’ relationships for them and worries about the things it’s good at- taxation, property rights, power-of-attorney. Everyone gets the same treatment for civil purposes while the people who need validation from other people for their relationships fight about it amongst themselves.

..Oh wait? We live in reality? Well, a cranky libertarian can dream, no?

Rep. Raskin’s grandstanding aside, it seems like a great time to wish all you affianced couples in Maryland a happy Valentine’s Day a little early.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

image courtesy of PropaneTaxi.com

I recently had to fill two different propane tanks and thought I’d share my experience.

The first I took to Home Depot for a swap. Rather than make an explicit trip out of it I tossed the empty in my trunk and drove around with it for a few days or maybe weeks. In the end I didn’t end up going by any HDs and ended up taking a detour on my way home one day. Lacking one of the new snazzy-dazzy self-serve gadgets out front that I’ve seen in a few locations, I had to go inside, pay a cashier, then go outside and flag down an employee who was milling about.

All in all it wasn’t too long a process since there was none of the oh-wait-wheres-the-key kind of thing I’ve suffered through in the past. Total cost: $19.

When the other tank went dry just a week later I thought I’d look into the Propane Taxi service that I’d seen ads for and which we’ve speculated on here in the past. I went to their website and punched in my zip code to discover that the delivery date would happen to be the very next day. Just good luck, that, but the longest I could have ended up waiting would have been if I’d ordered the following day – a Tuesday – which would have put the delivery 4 days out, on Saturday.

The site makes you go through a fairly quick registration process but it’s not onerous. Name, address, phone, credit card. You can have a different billing address for your credit card than where they’ll deliver the tank as well. Once I did that I was able to order my $21.99 tank with a $1.00 off coupon, making what would have been a $23.09 order $22.04.

I couldn’t tell you exactly when the delivery happened – the old tank was off to the left of my house when I left for work in the morning and the new one was in the exact same spot when I got home that night. They sent me a confirmation email to let me know it had been done as well.

All told I think that’s enough added convenience to justify $3, even for a cheapskate like me. If I’d had to drive out and back to Home Depot the closest one is a 10 mile round-trip, almost half a $3 gallon of gas – not to mention my beyond-value precious time. It might be a deal-breaker delay if I hadn’t come into a spare tank but if you can wait a maximum of 4 days for a refill I think this is a winner.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I used to drink close to a six pack of Mt. Dew every day but I slowly weaned myself off of it and now drink something healthy for me: Blueberry Stoli Vitamin Water. However, every once in a while I get a craving for some super sugar water and head straight for the Coke. None of that Diet or Zero crap either, I’m talking about the fully leaded, bubbly, brown stuff. I feel like there’s a magic ingredient in it, one that makes your life a little bit easier and your day a little bit brighter.

Evidently I’m not the only one who’s discovered this secret. Just see what happens to James Carville and Bill Frist after they knock back a few Coke’s with a smile. They put their political differences aside, turn into best buddies and start riding Segways around town. While Coke has never had quite that effect on me, I’m thinking that Dick Cheney should try some. You never know, you might see him and Hillary skipping hand in hand by the reflecting pool one day.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I know I am ready for some fun on this sacred day of drunkenness and earning beads with acts of public nudity. My plans? Today I am at work in Bethesda, which is not really much of a party town. It’s an okay place but people here seem a bit afraid of the prospect of too much fun. Let’s not let it get too out of control. A nice, slow pattern of breathing is more appropriate than wheezing from running through the cool morning air shirtless and intoxicated, which is why you might do that in the first place.

Who has the scoop for area Mardi Gras celebrations? What’s a hot place to go? I just learned of one thing going on. The Westover Supermarket in Arlington at 5863 Washington Blvd. will have a jazz quintet starting around 7:00. In case you have never been there, they also have one of the largest retail beer selections I have ever seen in such a small market.

What are your plans for this day of celebration and debauchery? And where can a guy get a king cake around these parts?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It’s going to be warm and grey today, with temps in the mid sixties and a decent amount of cloudcover. Rain’s not likely til tomorrow, but carry an umbrella for the heck of it. People may think you a dandy.

Lawyers Present Argument for Guns

The lawyers for Dick Heller, principal defendant in District of Columbia v. Heller, presented their case yesterday by filing their brief with the Supremem Court. Oral arguments won’t be heard until the 18th of March. In the intervening 70 years since the last firearms ban review at the high bench, the AK-47 was invented, as was the TEC-9, and several other firearms that perhaps the founders hadn’t yet envisioned in the hands of the general public.

Arlington Gives Go Ahead on New Clarendon Development

If you’ve walked up Wilson Boulevard from the Clarendon Metro, you’ve seen the all-but-abandoned buildings that line Wilson from Highland up to the Clarendon Ballroom. If you think that’s what the country chose to issue demolition permits for, you’d be wrong. Instead it’s the building at the corner of Wilson and Highland, across from the DIA offices, that got the go ahead. Go figure.

Security Barriers Cause Accident

Chance are you have seen the barriers at Constitution and First north of the Capitol. Most of the time, they’re recessed below the street and folks drive over them just fine. Except last Friday, when one popped up in the middle of traffic, causing a serious accident. The malfunctioning barrier sent two people to the hospital as their van crashed in to the barrier when it was raised unexpectedly. Jeez, guys, that’s pretty scary. How many times does that get to happen?

The Rocket’s in Town

Accused-steroid-user and all-around asshat Roger Clemens is in town to testify before Congress under oath about his behavior concerning steroids and human growth hormone. The Mitchell Report, released this winter, has testimony from Clemens’ trainer swearing that he was on drugs for much of the last few seasons. But, fear not, the hearing is behind closed doors and won’t be on C-SPAN. Feel free to call him a jackass if you see him on the street.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

According to this tidbit of news from DDOT, new work zone standards are being put into place that disallow construction sites to close off sidewalks from pedestrian access.

It’s about time.

When I worked in Penn Quarter, many lunch hours were spent training for some perverted form of “American Gladiators” as I (and other wage slaves) would weave our way down E Street, crossing back and forth due to various sides of the street being closed off for multiple building renovations. By far the worst was the new building going up at the corner of 9th and E, which – depending on the time of day and the weather – you could either use the concrete barrier-formed pathway to navigate down 9th, or use the leaky wood-covered walkway that stank to high heaven, especially during our wonderful heat-soaked summers. Or be forced to cross halfway (yeah, like we use crosswalks around here….those are for the tourists, remember?) when the ‘pathway’ would become closed. Which was often. For no discernible reason.

And then, of course, cross back again, because the sidewalk on the other side was closed a block away. It was like playing Frogger, DC-style.

The new rules basically “force” developers to maintain either a covered walkway or a protected open walkway for pedestrians – making the ‘zigzag walk’ of many during lunchtime (and the morning / evening obstacle courses to various Metros) a thing of the past. Sidewalks can only be closed now for full-building demolitions or situations where public safety would be compromised.

Of course, if the developer is Douglas Development…. I’ll probably still cross to the other side of the street.

Just to be safe.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Woodley Park Metro – Adams Morgan

Originally uploaded by p2wy.

I was talking with Sean about a post on Metroblogging Dubai that’s discussing the case of Cat Le-Huy’s arrest in Dubai, specifically on the points made about the tourist board and what they say about Dubai, as opposed to what’s true.

I suppose it’s not the job of the tourism board to point out the various legal faux pas and foibles, but rather to attract people to your city. There ought to be, I suppose, a good local guide to what the Tourism People are missing.

Let’s take a look at a few things on the DC Tourism site, shall we? How about the FAQ? Boy, where to start. Those are some frequently asked questions, I’m sure. However, what about questions like, “I’ve seen the museums, what else should I see?” or “What Universities should I visit in the District?” for prospective students?

What would you warn people about before they came to DC?

I mean, there’s the obvious about standing to the right on escalators, not blocking the doors on the Metro, and leaving those lame ass Old Navy Flag t-shirts behind, but what should they see off the beaten path that the Tourism Board hasn’t figured out yet, or is afraid to tell people?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I found this recent news release interesting. Apparently A-SPAN mouthed off a little about the quality of the shelter so the County decided to kick them to the curb. What do you think about this issue? I think bad-mouthing the facility you are supposed to be running is pretty irresponsible.

From the Arlington County Web Site:

The Arlington County Department of Human Services (DHS) will take over day-to-day operation of the community’s Emergency Winter Shelter (EWS) effective today, Mon., Feb. 4.

The County terminated its contract with the Arlington Street People’s Network (A-SPAN) to operate and provide services at the facility, which is located near Courthouse Metro.

“No disruption of services will occur,” said DHS Director Susanne Eisner. “The Emergency Winter Shelter will remain open, safe, and available to meet the emergency wintertime needs of homeless persons in the community.”

Contract termination
Arlington County terminated the contract after A-SPAN informed the County that it intended to terminate the contract. In addition, in recent days, Arlington’s DHS officials became increasingly concerned over A-SPAN’s operation of the shelter. “When A-SPAN made irresponsible statements, saying that homeless persons are better off sleeping outside than in the EWS, we lost faith in their ability and willingness to run the shelter,” commented Eisner.

Inspections last week performed by the Arlington County Fire Marshal and the Arlington County building inspectors found that the EWS is safe and meets all building codes.

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

I give up.

I don’t want to seem ungrateful, as I do like the Arlington online event calendar. It’s klunky and javascript-crazy, but it works okay in Firefox and has a good amount of listings in it for community events. The problem is, like any website that requires that I revisit it periodically to see what’s new, is that I just won’t remember to do that. The solutions they offer to this are email alerts – fat chance, I get too much email already – and RSS feeds. Super. If you don’t know what RSS feeds are then this ain’t the whine for you.

If you do, Arlington’s got several, one for each category on the calendar. Arts, Business, Environment, Government, Reading & Literacy, Special Events, and Sports & Fitness. The only problem is that they just don’t work.

Oh, they list the calendar events…. sometimes a bunch of times. But they all come up with useless links rather than the link to the item itself. For example, here’s the item detail for the Pedestrian Advising Meeting on Jan 9th It’s got the times, location, sponsor, transportation options and more. But if you look at the entry in the RSS feed for Government events you get the brief description “Pedestrian Advisory Committee bi-monthly meeting”. Which might be okay, except the link is just to the sponsor website, WALKArlington. Go there and there’s no immediate information on this meeting.

If it’s a library-hosted event like this Stop in for Stories regular event you get a description that says “Stop in for Stories is a fun and interactive program with stories, songs and crafts for all ages. There is no registration required for this ongoing program.” and a link… that doesn’t say diddly about “Stop in for Stories.”

So I’m done with clicking a link to get more information… and not getting more information. I’ve removed all the feeds from my reader and if I don’t happen to look at the calendar to see something on any given week I’m just not going to know about it. I don’t know if this is a mis-configured tool or if they’re using it wrong, but the upshot is that you get less functionality with the RSS reader, not more. I wonder if anyone involved in running the calendar has actually ever tried to use their own RSS feeds?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

If you have not been to the frog show at the National Geographic Museum, definitely go check it out. I believe that frogs bring good luck and are some of nature’s most interesting critters, so I was delighted when my lovely wife agreed to go with me on a frog-viewing date yesterday. It’s so romantic to be together among nature’s beauty that I wish we had waited for Valentine’s Day. Speaking of romantic, there was even a display about how frogs hump, as well as a tank of bullfrog tadpoles that I look forward to watching develop over the next three months, before the display closes down.

Actually, that might be a good way to celebrate the day of romance, in case you are still looking for someplace to take that special person for Valentine’s Day. Hey – it beats a trip to the weird fish-stinking juice bar or relying on dog poop to create that magic moment. Give me frogs any day to help liven up the romance. If you go this route, be sure to take time off from work because the museum closes at 5 p.m. daily. Maybe some frogs in the morning, some good old-fashioned afternoon delight, and then a nice dinner out. Can it get any better than that?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Congratulations to the New York Giants for defeating evil Tom Brady and the Patriots in a huge come from behind victory. To suit the Patriots fans, the weather today is going to be gray and occasionally rainy.

Hall of Fame: Monk and Green

Congratulations to Redskins WR Art Monk and CB Darrell Green on their election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This was Green’s first year of eligibility, but Monk’s eighth. Many a Skins fan had questioned the collective wisdom of the NFL when Monk was rejected over the last several years, and I know at least one had quit watching football entirely because it. It’s okay now, Ben, come back!

Taxi Strike Today

It may be tougher than usual to find a cab today as many of the taxi groups are striking today. But since we have about eleventy million organizational units handling the various taxicabs, there will still be some running. The strike is over the metering system that’s due to take effect in the Spring. Perhaps this is a way to get the cabbies used to their new lower salaries?

DC Slowdown?

District CFO Natwar Gandhi is concerned about a 2009 slowdown in the local economy, which would effect the bottom line of the district. While DC is still running a surplus ($250M in 2007), it may not be that way much longer. This will play heavily into the budget hearings for 2009 that start soon, and including $1B (yes, with a B) of “program enhancements” including a new data center for the city, HIV/AIDS testing for the inmates of the DC Jail, and an expansion of the libraries’ collection.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

One of our faithful readers wrote in to tell us about the Hasbro Scrabble Gram that ran in the Washington Post on January 25th, as described by On The Red Line. The letters, as written, were, “E U T T S X B”. Maybe it’s me, but I look at that and think of the Hershey Highway. And no, I don’t mean US Highway 422.

Don’t they have editors for this thing? Who suspects that somebody may have gotten fired over this? I checked on the Hasbro web site and didn’t see a mention of it, alhtough I did learn of the Chicken Limbo recall and other various nonsense about toys. Are you a puzzle person? Did you get the official right answer the first time?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Saint Anthony of Padua
(patron saint of barren women)

You may have heard that I am a fan of local painter Dana Ellyn (evidenced by this and this and this). It’s true. Dare I say, I think her art is pretty incredible – both personal and political, giving social commentary and unique insights into current events.

I just got her most recent email newsletter and learned that she will be at the same show Matt Sesow will be at this evening. Here’s what she wrote:

“DC Greenheart Exhibit”: is an exhibition of new paintings, drawings, and photographs by 19 local artists priced at $500 or less. Art will showcase environmental awareness with a touch of Valentines Day inspiration. 10% of all sale proceeds will benefit www.earthecho.org in support of saving our planet.

The opening night party is free to attend but please RSVP to:
rsvp@taurusdev.com

Lofts 11
8th Floor Penthouse
1125 11th st. NW
Washington DC 20001

Go check out her art and Matt’s, contribute to a worthy cause and have a great time. Remember – tell them the friendly folks at Metroblogging DC sent you.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Local artist Matt Sesow has a few exciting events going on this weekend. If you are not familiar with Matt’s work, definitely go to his web site and get a feel for it. Much of his work is raw, like the texture of rough-cut wood, and full of emotion. Although at first his paintings may appear to be less carefully crafted than some other artists’ work, closer inspection shows that his hand is very deliberate, creating works that say something about society and his personal life.

So here is what Matt has in store for tonight:

This Friday night, I’ll be at the opening reception for the ‘greenheart’ exhibit here in DC. I found a mention of it on a blog website, from “the drop” website:
One night only, Lofts 11 presents “DC Greenheart Exhibit”, featuring works from 19 Artists… An exhibition of new painting, drawings, and photographs priced at $500 or less. Art will showcase Environmental Awareness with a touch of Valentines Day inspiration. 10% of all sale proceeds will benefit earthecho.org in support of saving our water planet. Opening reception with artists….
Date: Friday – February 1, 2008
Time: Reception: 7:00pm-10:00pm
Location: Lofts Eleven 8th floor Penthouse, 1125 11th Street, NW
RSVP to rsvp@taurusdev.com

And then for Saturday:

I’m going to host an open studio this SATURDAY (Feb. 2nd) from 12 noon until 6pm. I’ll have the usual bevy of refreshments and stacks of paintings for you to peruse. There are a few “31 Days in July” 2007 paintings left as well as a nice number of recent gems that beg to be seen.

No rsvp needed, just show up, bring friends. (1851 Columbia Rd, NW #603)

A map to my place is at: http://www.sesow.com/map.htm feel free to phone 202.319.1459 if you need additional directions, etc.
Please contact me at sesow@sesow.com if you want to schedule a
special private visit.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It’s that time of year again, DC. The time when your team isn’t playing in the Super Bowl. Let’s face it, if you’re a Redskins fan (not) like me, it’s been a loooooong time since your team has been anywhere near the Lombardi Trophy. But don’t let that trivial fact spoil your fun because we all know the best part of watching the Super Bowl is the commercials and the halftime wardrobe malfunctions.

So where’s the best sports bar to watch the Big Game in DC?

Photo by fanaticssportscentral

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Last Saturday the Mysterious M and I decided to eat downtown, since we were already down there. I hadn’t had Italian in quite a long while and was due for some gluttonous pleasure noshing on copious amounts of pasta, sauce, and cheese. So the Willard desk staff (so helpful!) suggested Finemondo, which was two blocks up F street NW.

We arrived right at 5 p.m. Unfortunately, the doors were locked. I remembered seeing the hours online (5-10 pm for dinner), but was amazed that despite a menu out front, no hours were posted on the doors. We did the ‘hangdog’ look to the two people cleaning tableware inside, but were ignored. Which, ok, I can’t complain – I’ve done the same thing when I was in their place.

Fortunately, the maitre de unlocked the door at 5:05, though he immediately disappeared before we even cleared the second set of doors. Now, granted, we were first, but… no hello? No “wait one second”? Seriously?

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

The sleet and freezing rain were dissolved by the heat island effect, leaving us with just a lot of rain. Carry an umbrella, it’s mostly going to suck today.

“Sick and Safe” has Businesses Ill

The concept is one we should all be familiar with: DC workers are guaranteed sick leave by law. Unfortunately, as the Examiner shows, this may send some businesses to Virginia and Maryland: “It already costs me 29 percent more to do business in the District. This will make it in the high 30s and affect bottom lines in every business.”

DC Fire Department Instructor Gives Out Answer Key

An Instructor for DCFD has been suspended from his teaching duties pending a review of allegation that he gave out the answers for his own exams. Great. I know you want people to pass the tests, man, but you could do that by doing your job instead of just skirting the porn allowance on DC city computers. Of course, the Examiner makes it look far more insidious by suggesting this was a move to promote more caucasians in the department.

School Closure List Expected Shortly

There’s a press conference at 10:30 this morning, and it’s expected the list of 23 proposed closures may be whittled down to fewer schools. We’ll know shortly if all the protests have been successful.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs