I don’t think this is what Giant had in mind when they started offering these post-it boards, but perhaps I’m wrong. At least this ad is an actual ad and not just a phone number.
By Don
Monthly Archives: December 2008
By Don
By Tom Bridge
Inaugural Fever
Police protect Nick Altrock from adoring crowd, 1906 by Boston Public Library
Not Inaugural Fever as in “escalated to a fever pitch,” but rather Inaugural Fever as in, “Hm, I think I will stay home today.” I’m excited for the inauguration. Right after the Election, I devised just about every possible plan to get down to the Mall, to get a ticket for the actual event on the steps of the Capitol. None of them worked, mind you, because I don’t tend to donate to national politics, or really ever approach my elected representatives about much. I figured, “Hey, wouldn’t it be a cool and very DC thing to do to go down to the Inauguration?”
Yeah. It would be. But I suspect this is something that’s far better in theory than in practice. The cavalcade of news stories about how crowded DC is going to be has cinched the deal. With the Park Service expecting anywhere from 1 to 4 million people, Metro freaking out because they can’t carry any more than 1 million people, yet 1.6 million people are expected. John Catoe’s done everything except ask for DC to close down except for inaugural traffic.
Bathrooms are going to be hard to come by downtown, and by the Mall, so expect long lines just to pee. January temperatures make hanging out on the Mall sound like hanging out inside the walk-in freezer with 1 million of your best friends. Better yet? They’re not letting people on the Mall until after 7am, which means that if you want to get there early, you can’t. So get ready for a huge crush of people in the Downtown Core starting about 5:30am, if not earlier, to get onto the Mall proper. Continue reading
By jasmine
It’s Your Lucky Day
music at jammin' java, by flickr user cafemama
If you missed the Ten out of Tenn Christmas show last weekend but are still in the mood for some live holiday tunes, head out to Jammin Java tonight and catch The Lucky Day Christmas Show. They’ve got kind of a catchy, 90’s rock sound, which is hard for me to pass up.
They’ll be there with the super sweet Ellen Cherry and guy-with-guitar Joel Stein. $10, 7:30 pm.
By brownpau
Red Line Delays Due to Person Struck by Train
Metro’s Red Line is delayed this morning in the direction of Shady Grove, with trains on that side terminating at Twinbrook station due to an “emergency situation at Shady Grove.” Delay announcements were followed by notices to station managers to “not call Central unless your station is also having an emergency.”
Current Metro alert says Disruption at Shady Grove in both directions. Expect delays in both directions due to the report of a person struck by a train. NBC Washington says the person was struck on the inbound rails at Shady Grove at 9:50AM. WJLA reports the man was pinned under the train but survived and was taken to a local hospital.
WTOP reports the man has died of his injuries; witnesses saw him jump.
By Haul Out the Holly… and the whiskey.
Christmas at the White House, courtesy Flickr user M.V. Jantzen
While Comedy in DC is on December hiatus, it occurred to me that right after the infamous office holiday party, family holidays are the next best source of unintentional comedy. I think the Post’s Carolyn Hax got some hard-to-top stories, but I’m sure there are some other good ones floating around out there, just waiting to be shared.
From freak turkey-carving accidents, to mom’s opinion of your new boyfriend (my dad remembers well the holiday in which my grandmother told them she missed my mom’s old boyfriend), to family drama oozing out around the corners of Christmas dinner (food fight!), or gifts that make you wonder whether you’ve offended the giver in some way, the holidays, with their gifts and merrymaking and alcohol consumption always seem to bring out the ridiculous in people. And this year, with the Inauguration coming hot on the heels of the holidays, it seems even more fraught for the family members who live here, with relatives inviting themselves over to stay for the festivities, thus extending this uh, joyful family season for another three weeks.
Unlike office holiday parties, I actually recommend alcohol as a way to enhance your enjoyment of family gatherings. There’s nothing like a pleasant buzz to make your uncle’s antics entertaining rather than creepy.
When I was 16, I got into an argument at some holiday gathering with my aunt, the family instigator, and she got so angry… she mooned me. For years after that, the universal gesture for telling her she was being ridiculous about something was to turn around and show her your ass. I know, it’s not as over-the-top as the Hax submitter who went to the family thanksgiving that turned into a murder confession, but we can’t all have families that crazy.
So it’s time to share, DC. What ridiculous things happen to you at the holidays? The worst gift you’ve gotten? You can remain anonymous- we promise not to tell your mother-in-law that the collection of Franklin Mint collectible kitten plates went straight to Goodwill.
By Don
Musical interludes
image courtesy of the Suspicious Cheese Lords
Nathan took a minute to mention this over on Tom’s post about the metro singer and it seemed worth a shout-out.
Your interest in music suggests you might enjoy the Suspicious Cheese Lords – a local, all-male a cappella ensemble specializing in early music. Next concert is December 17, 7:30 pm at St. Paul’s Lutheran.
http://www.cheeselords.org for more information.
When he says “early music” he’s not talking about wake-up music on the morning drive; The SCL do a range of music but specialize in music from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. If that doesn’t immediately bring something to mind, head over to the Suspicious Cheese Lords MySpace page which has several full track recordings. It’s lovely stuff, and it’s hard to imagine music that would get you in a more spiritual holiday mood.
As far as the odd name? You’ll have to read their own description. Ah, latin humor! Sic transit gloria fossor.
By brownpau
Foggy Bottom Metro Escalators Broken Again
As of December 15th and till today, two out of three street-level escalators at Foggy Bottom Metro station are closed. Only one narrow escalator serves double duty as up/down stairs for rush hour crowds. It’s an outrage and an unmitigated catastrophe in progress, but still nothing new to this beleaguered Metro station. This means more lines, more crowding, more walking down broken steps. Avoid it if you can: use this handy map to find alternative Metro station entrances. More on this from Dr. Gridlock.
Update: As of about 7PM, the middle escalator has been opened, but only as stairs, with escalator #3 going up. There was no backup or bottleneck; how was it for you?
By Wayan
Inauguration Stand Viewing
Down at the White House, the inauguration preparations are in full effect. The stands on either side of Pennsylvania Avenue are coming along nicely. In fact you should go see them now. This will be your only chance to get this close to them. Inauguration week, the whole block will be a mad house.
By Ben H. Rome
He Loves DC: Peter Earnest (Part 2)
Peter Earnest, courtesy of Me
Last week, we introduced you to the Executive Director of the International Spy Museum, Peter Earnest. He sat down with me back before Thanksgiving; we talked for quite a while covering both his personal observations and his professional opinions on the Washington DC area.
Before we continue with the rest of the interview, I need to point out that Peter can be an extremely funny guy. If you doubt, witness the two-part episode that aired about a month ago on Stephen Colbert’s show, specifically the “Fallback Position” segment he does periodically. He did two segments with Peter, an interview and a look at some items in the museum proper. If you’ve not seen them, you must. (Each segment is about six minutes long.) Don’t worry, we’ll still be here when you get back.
Ok, on with our conversation! We cover everything from public perception on espionage to cabbies to people; find out what Peter had to say after the jump. Continue reading
By Don
That’s local job creation
Happy debate day!
courtesy of erin m
The Washington Port ran an interesting article on Sunday about the various locals or locally-raised individuals who are going to be a part of the Obama administration. It’s worth a look, and nice to see government officials saying some nice things about the area.
By Tom Bridge
Nats GM Jim Bowden Chats at 11am
Washington Nationals Executive Offices
Originally uploaded by afagen
It’s cold and rainy in DC, and there’s still 90 days between the fans and the closest pre-season game, but Jim Bowden is doing a chat at the Nationals Website (Sorry for the browser hijack by opening a new window, their chat app changes the window size! how rude.) I’m assuming he’ll be talking it up about Mark Teixeira and the Nats’ chances to sign him, as well as our new Rule 5 draft picks, and maybe he’ll be hinting at some new pickups for the Nats this winter.
If he says anything really groundbreaking, I’ll update this story! Otherwise, tune in to the chat.
By Tom Bridge
WMATA Says No to Google Transit
You probably heard about this over the weekend, as our friends at DCist had this as part of their weekend coverage, with the original story coming from Greater Greater Washington. Late yesterday, Metro put up their side of the story which basically says, “Well, they wanted us to invest time and effort into doing it, and we can’t be assed to make the trains run on time to begin with, what makes you think we’d help someone else make money?”
But wait, there’s more.
Continue reading
By Max
Featured Photo
Santa the Magnificent by M.V. Jantzen
With Christmas just over a week away (ahem, photo contest), you have to ask yourself, “Have you been naughty or nice?” If you answered the latter, have you made your list for Santa? You know you’re dying for a Slanket or a Snuggie. If you’ve just about had enough of those gosh darn split ends, you’ll no doubt be asking Santa for a Split-Ender. As for me, I’m hoping he puts a new Canon 5D Mark II and a few prime lenses under my tree.
But what if you haven’t been so nice, hmmm? What if you tried to sell Barack Obama’s empty senate seat to the highest bidder? What if you hired some high dollar escorts and took them to the Mayflower Hotel? What if you had an extramarital affair during your presidential campaign while your supportive wife of 31 years was in remission from breast cancer?
I’ll tell you what happens. This guy and his buddy come after you. I hope you like Marlboro Lights and the smell of concrete.
By Don
Important theater safety tip
Dumb poodle
courtesy of oh snap
My writeup on West Side Story is scheduled for later in the week, but for the moment I want to quickly provide a little help for those of you who have the same deficiencies as a dozen or so people who were at tonight’s performance.
When a musical number reaches a crescendo and comes to an end and the stage lights go down, it’s not intermission if the house lights don’t come up. What it is, instead, is the end of the next-to-last number before intermission, which means the last scene is about to start and you’re now all standing up and/or in the aisle because Grod forbid you not be first in line to get yourself a Pepsi.
Those of you who were (rightly) embarrassed – or perhaps just desperate for that Pepsi – who went ahead and (distractingly) walked out thusly managed to miss the pivotal emotional moment of the show. In the future, use this simple guide: if the lights are down, stay in your seat and keep quiet.
By Don
I do not approve
RFD going downhill, courtesy of Me
We went to RFD recently to meet up with some people who my darling fiancée went to high school with, and when I was finished renting my beer I was horrified to discover that they’d repainted the bathrooms. Where there’d once been walls covered with amusing beer quotes there was now just a blah flat brown. The tin beer signs over the urinals were an improvement over obnoxious ads, but only barely.
I’m disappointed, RFD. Your old decor reflected your enthusiasm for beer. There’s nothing wrong with it as it is now, but those quotes were part of your character.
By jasmine
When Being Trendy Isn’t a Good Thing
According to Google’s new toy, Google Flu Trends, which claims to know about flu activity across the US according to how many times people are searching for flu-related terms, Virginia and Maryland have higher flu activity than the rest of the nation.
I’m not sure this is something to really get alarmed about, as VA and MD are still only at “moderate” and DC is safely at “low,” but this is definitely still prime time for sicknesses. Wash your hands, please don’t cough on me, and stay healthy, DC.
By jasmine
Concert: Ten out of Tenn
Ten Out of Tenn at Iota, photo by Jasmine
I hadn’t heard of Ten out of Tenn until recently, and I don’t know exactly how that happened. TOT is a group of awesome indie folk/rock artists from Tennessee who play together and release CD under the Ten out of Tenn name, even though each one is trying to make it big on their own. The result of this collaboration is something like a mix CD on stage, which is just about the greatest idea ever.
Ten out of Tenn came to Iota Saturday for their Christmas tour, and the venue was definitely decked out to reflect that–white Christmas lights on the ceiling, giant red bows on the mike stands, and stockings in the back with each TOT artist’s name on it. I was ready: bring on the holiday cheer.
Continue reading
By brownpau
Rock Creek Parkway Crash
Vehicular crash on Rock Creek Parkway at Virginia Ave NW, down near the Watergate. Emergency responders are on the scene; looks like at least one person was injured enough to need rolling-away on a gurney. Fortunately GWU Hospital is right around the corner. The intersection is blocked so you can’t turn onto Virginia Ave NW from the southbound lane, but Parkway traffic is flowing smoothly otherwise, with minimal rubbernecking.
By Max
Should I Switch to Verizon?
Fountain Feet by me
I’ve been a loyal AT&T/Cingular customer for many, many years now and I have no major complaints really. Sure, sometimes my calls get dropped when I drive under certain bridges in town, but overall I’ve been a happy customer and I love the idea of rollover minutes (even though I never seem to use them).
I’m also a gadget junky. I’ve been reading about the Samsung Omnia for months now which was rumored to be released by AT&T in the US market. Unfortunately it was not and Verizon is the only carrier offering the phone. I suppose I could buy it unlocked on eBay and continue to use AT&T, but the easier thing to do might be to switch to Verizon.
By Ben H. Rome
Weekend Flashback: 12/12 – 12/14
nclud Holiday Party, courtesy of jjgardner3
Crazy-beautiful weekend, with cold temps to remind us what month we’re in, and a clear blue sky yesterday that made you ignore said cold.
We’re halfway through the holiday season; have you thought about entering our first Holiday Photo Contest? I’ve put up a couple of the entries we’ve seen so far in the flickr pool; hope these inspire you to get out there and take your own photos to enter – just don’t get into any fights, okay?
A weekend medley after the jump. Continue reading