Monthly Archives: December 2008

All Politics is Local, The Daily Feed, The Mall, WTF?!
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Anti-Photography Bullies at the National Christmas Tree Don’t Want You Getting Pictures of Santa’s Workshop

Over by the National Christmas Tree there is a Santa’s Workshop where children can line up to visit Santa Claus and have a picture taken. I don’t have kids but when I visited Saturday night, the view through the window was a cozy, picturesque scene of a jolly old man smiling as he held wide-eyed children on his lap, and I had to get a photo — which, of course, came out blurry in the dark.

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As I was fiddling with my ISO settings an elf-suited girl told me, “You can’t take photos through the window, the flash will just reflect off the glass and distract Mr. Claus.”

“Thanks,” I replied amiably, “I have flash off.”

“Well, you still can’t take photos!” said a man by the exit, bodily moving to block the window. I believe he may have been trying to sound intimidating, but it came out as more obnoxious than anything else. Not wanting to make a scene, I said nothing more, put away my camera, and walked off in a huff.
Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Getting “Crushed” by RCN

photo by Flickr user dsearls

photo by Flickr user dsearls

I am lucky enough to be an RCN customer in DC who just involuntarily participated in RCN’s Analog Crush – its switch from analog to digital cable.

And what a great experience! First, all the cable channels changed, scrambling our usual TV customs. Next the Internet connection sloooowed way down to 400Kbs on average. Then to my wife’s great joy, her Windows Media Center PC lost all channels just as late night feeding sessions started.

So now that she watches snow and my downloads are slowed, its time to return the favor to RCN. Crushing them with a switch to Comcast.

People, Sports Fix, WTF?!
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Minding the Net

Photo courtesy of ivanomak
Jose Theodore, courtesy of Ivan Makarov

I watch hockey. A lot. So when stuff happens that seems unusual, I’m not entirely phased. Tonight, however? Yeah, totally amusingly unusual and worth posting here.

My friends and I were engrossed in Boston’s ugly beat down of Atlanta tonight before we switched to Chicago’s eventual win over Colorado when we got wind of the ‘unusual’ over at the Caps game.

We’d heard that Theodore went down with a hip injury (or is that a “mid-body injury,” to use the NHL’s new method of reporting boo-boos?) earlier in the day and that Brent Johnson – he of the hot glove hand lately – would be in the net against the Senators. The NHL Network had been reporting Sergei Varlamov’s call-up to back up Johnson, so what was all the buzz about?

Lo and behold, Varlamov was going to be running late flying in from Houston where his other team – the Hershey Bears – was on the road and wouldn’t make the start of the game. Yeah, I know, it doesn’t sound unusual. Yet. Continue reading →

Interviews, Life in the Capital, People
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Why I Love DC: Jasmine

Photo courtesy of maxedaperture
Washington Monument, courtesy of maxedaperture

All the authors here at We Love DC have written essays on why they love DC. Since I’m the newest addition, it has fallen to me to explain just why it is that I love DC.

I love DC for a lot of reasons, but primarily because DC has character. Name a state that has as vitriolic a slogan as “Taxation Without Representation” on their license plates. The people of DC are pissed, and they want everyone to know about it. How can you not love that? I dig a city with passion.

DC is its own city–it will never turn into NYC, or be confused with LA. The architecture is fantastic, and as a fan of little bronze plaques, I love that it seems like a historic event happened on every corner. My personal favorite is the Wok n Roll in Chinatown, which is the current occupant of the Surratt Boarding House (allegedly where the conspiring to assassinate Lincoln went down).

I don’t know if you know this, but DC is kind of a big deal. Important people do important things here every day. Stuff like, oh I don’t know, running the country. I love people-watching during rush hour and wondering what exactly those guys and girls in the serious suits got up to today. DC is also kind of a must-see for pretty much every American. Just check out people’s reactions when they hear that you’ve never been: “Whaaat?? Not even on a school trip?!” Yeah. I live there. And yeah, I can tell you exactly how to get to that museum/monument/restaurant. (OK, maybe not because directions aren’t my thing, but I can fake it.)

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Entertainment, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Keep Your Dignity. Keep Your Job.

ecard by RTCRM

ecard by RTCRM

In a follow up to Tiffany’s The Office Holiday Party piece, Washington DC advertising agency RTCRM has come up with the microsite keepyourdignity.com in an effort to help people make it through the holidays with their dignity and job intact.

You can watch helpful PSA-style videos, take a risk assessment quiz to see if you’re in danger of embarrassing yourself, and if it’s the day after the party you can send out an apologetic e-card (this image above) to make up for your faux pas.

Holiday parties should be about laughter, joy and the open bar.  Not awkward moments and ruined reputations.  So visit the site, educate yourself and have a safe, happy and office-appropriate holiday.

Interviews, Life in the Capital, People
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He Loves DC: Peter Earnest (Part 1)

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As many are aware (and many more not), my first job in the DC area – what brought me here in the first place – was a full-time position in management with the International Spy Museum. At that time, I made the acquaintance of the Executive Director, Peter Earnest. As founding director, Peter brings to the museum over 35 years of experience with the Central Intelligence Agency, including two decades in the CIA’s Clandestine Service. He’s also served in the Office of the Director of Central Intelligence as liaison officer to the Senate and as an investigator / inspector with the Inspector General. He was a member of the CIA’s Senior Management Service and awarded the Agency’s Intelligence Medal of Merit for “superior performance” throughout his career.

A fascinating man who’s led a most interesting career with the CIA, Peter was gracious enough to sit down and talk about Washington, his career and espionage within DC with me. We had such a great time and shared so much info, I’ve had to break the interview up into two segments. We’ll publish Part 2 next week.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Nats Bid $160M for Mark Teixeira


Going in a new direction
Originally uploaded by Rod the Rabid Rodent

I’ve complained about the lack of Offense for the Nationals for what feels like time immemorial, and it seems that the front office has finally listened. They’ve reportedly offered $160 Million over 8 years to Mark Teixeira. That’s a whole lot of money. What happens when he says, “Wait, they only won how many games last year?” and Scott Boras turns JimmyBo down? Well, there’s always Adam Dunn, except that he’s everyone’s Plan B. So, we’ll overpay if we get him, but I suspect that we’ll be too far behind after Teixeira tells the Nats to take a hike.

I’d love the addition of a real first baseman to replace our injury-prone brothers-from-another-mother, but I think that’s over-paying, and we probably won’t get him anyway. But that could just be the pessimist in me.

The Daily Feed
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Pub Crawl in Clarendon Saturday


IMG_2977
Originally uploaded by asmythie

“You’re never too old for a pub crawl,” she said, as she handed over the materials to the bartender. $5 gets you a bracelet at Mister Days in Clarendon on Saturday starting at 2pm. The pub crawl itself lasts til 9pm, covers Liberty Tavern, O’Sullivan’s, Eleventh Street Lounge and Clarendon Grill, and your wrist-band gets you special prices on their specials. The theme, of course, is “I’m dreaming of a White (Russian) Christmas,” as Kahlùa is footing much of the bill for the specially priced liquor. But, hey, cheap booze is good in this down economy, right?

The Daily Feed
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How remarkably uninformative

Photo courtesy of Me

Lacking specificity, courtesy of Me

I was waiting for a breakfast sandwich at a fine local eatery and killing time looking at the corkboard that so many cafes put up. It was covered with ads for local businesses and fliers for various community activities, as well as Heather’s contact information. The question is, contact her for what? I was half tempted to call just to ask “what the hell?” but the negative possibilities I could think of far outnumbered any positive ones. The most benign one that came to mind was a sociology experiment, but perhaps I’m just having a failure of imagination.

Anyone got any good idea what the point of a name and number on a community corkboard might be?

The Daily Feed
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Not Snow Much


snowflakes
Originally uploaded by lorigoldberg

Ha. I just made myself laugh with my headline. Okay, anyways. I was hoping for a snow day off of work tomorrow (weren’t we all, I mean, hello, long weekend…!) But while the temperature is definitely dropping, it looks like we’ll be faced with… well… the dreaded gross wintry mix, at the most.

With weather.com predicting a low of 40 degrees for tonight, and sun tomorrow morning, it looks like the highly anticipated snowpocolypse is just not going to happen.

Hunker down, folks, it’ll be another yicky weekend… check out my rainy weekend suggestions for things to do in the DC area.

Fun & Games, Night Life, We Love Food
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We Love Food: New Year’s Eve!

Photo courtesy of mattyp_
Closer – NYE 2005, courtesy of mattyp_

Yes, yes. A bit early? Maybe. But now’s the time to start thinking of NYE planning before the rest of the holiday season overwhelms you and suddenly find yourself lacking a place to enjoy and celebrate ringing in the New Year. So here’s a very non-comprehensive list of restaurants for you to consider. We’ll post more as we find out about them!

THE DISTRICT

Article One at Hyatt Regency Washington, on Capitol Hill. Call a reservationist at 202.719.8436
A la carte from 1:00 – 8:00pm.
Menu Highlights: Pan Seared Scallops with Baby Spinach ($12); Peppercorn Crusted Filet of Beef with Butter Poached Rock Lobster Tail ($42); Crème Brulee Sampler ($7).

Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert at The Ritz-Carlton Washington, in the West End. For reservations call 202.974.4900
Prix-fixe menu: 6:00-6:30pm and 9:00-9:30pm seatings; $150 per person.
Menu Highlights: Terrine of Foie Gras, Cranberry Sauce, Duck Croquant and Dried White Figs; Shrimp & Grits; Bourbon & Maple Glazed Pork Loin, Collard Greens, Hoppin John and Pork Jus. Includes five-course menu, complimentary champagne toast at midnight and special party favor.
Menu by Chef de Cuisine Joe Palma.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Life, liberty, and the pursuit of half-price drink specials

Photo courtesy of dharmabumx

Participation Lager…, courtesy of dharmabumx

Reader Adam asked us for a shout-out to an online petition, Save the Parties. Here you go, Adam.

I’m not sure he’s barking up the correct tree, here. The petition asks Mayor Fenty to “stand strong” but Fenty liked the original measure which exempted nightclubs from the measure.  The people who need to be told to sit down, shut up, and mind the business of their own areas are Senator Feinstein – who never met a nanny-state measure she didn’t like – and Senator Bennett, both on the Inaugural committee.

Or, for that matter, any other congresscritter who think that it’s their place to meddle in DC’s business. There’s certainly a case to be made for their being interested in the things that impact doing the nation’s business, but how late someone can get a beer? Leave the rules of actually making a home here to the locals.

Downtown, Essential DC, History, Monumental
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Monumental: U.S. Navy Memorial

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Architect Pierre L’Enfant envisioned a memorial in the capital to “celebrate the first rise of the Navy and consecrate its progress and achievements.” However, it never took shape until 1980 when Rear Admiral William Thompson, USN (Ret.) received blessing from Congress to construct a Navy Memorial on public land.

The Memorial Foundation, formed in 1977 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and other Navy colleagues, selected Market Square – across the street from the National Archives – as the site of the memorial. Construction started in 1985 and was officially dedicated on October 13, 1987, the 212th birthday of the US Navy.

There are two parts to the Navy Memorial, the public plaza and the Naval Heritage Center, which occupies one of the two buildings that flank the memorial. Just inside the entrance is a sculpture by Stanley Bleifeld, The Homecoming. The Center caters to building personal links between naval service personnel, both veterans and active-duty, and their families.

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The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors, WTF?!
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Ginkgo Stinko


Ginkgo Berries
Originally uploaded by brownpau

With regard to Wonkette’s report on widespread city stink, the most likely culprit is the malodorous ginkgo seed, which the trees shed in late fall to early winter — to fall all over the sidewalk. The seed is encased in a fleshy berry-like layer called a sarcotesta, which contains butanoic acid — a chemical found in vomit, feces, and rancid butter. (And delicious parmesan cheese!)

You’ve probably had to step through a few layers of ginkgo while walking around for the last few weeks, thus carrying a sarcotesta-rrific fragrance on the soles of your shoes around the city, into your homes, offices, on to the Metro, and everywhere else. Do yourself and everyone else a favor and wipe your feet thoroughly before going indoors. Gladly, winter is arriving, and ginkgo seeds will not be dropping from the trees for much longer.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Health Alert!


Washing the hands
Originally uploaded by Jsome1

Brownpau shot me this health alert; since he’s swamped, I’ll post it for him. Seems the Norovirus is back…

“Local health authorities have identified an outbreak of norovirus (“Cruise Ship Disease”) in the metropolitan Washington Area. It has been identified in hospitals in Washington and Montgomery County and seems to be spreading rapidly. It is recommended that for the next several weeks that you make heavy use of hand sanitizers and engage in frequent hand washing. That is particularly true if you make use of the Metro system, gyms, or attend church, movies, sporting events, or other events where large numbers of people are present (like holiday parties).”

Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, possible diarrhea, stomach cramps, low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and a general sense of fatigue. It can last 24-48 hours, isn’t serious to healthy individuals (just uncomfortable), and requires fluids and rest.

So be a good person and wash them hands, okay? Carl just had it, so take it from him: “Here’s my assessment: It sucks.”

The Daily Feed
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Frustrating signage

Photo courtesy of Me

Debatable

I have the sense we’ve talked about this before, but I was confronted with it anew when my darling fiancée and I went to see Twelfth Night on Sunday. Whatever building is at 5th and E (all I could positively identify was a McDonald’s) has sprouted jersey walls all around it and that’s removed a lot of available parking, forcing me to park all the way out on 3rd and E.

Where it was mostly clear, excepting a few cars. The cause, no doubt, was these signs. I’ve always viewed them as meaning from 7am at the start to 7pm at the end. After all, if a store was going to be open from Noon to 5pm, Monday through Thursday, you wouldn’t write “from Noon Monday through 5pm Thursday,” would you?

Since I escaped without a ticket I can only assume I was either the last one slated to be towed or that interpretation was correct. What would be a better way to communicate this information, do you think?

Special Events
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Swept up in the yuletide

Photo courtesy of M.V. Jantzen
As Long As You’re Here
courtesy of M.V. Jantzen

I have a soft spot in my heart for Santarchy because of how I first encountered it. The very first December I lived in the area, I was sitting in a Starbucks off Dupont Circle and I noticed someone in a Santa suit go by. Then another. Then a few more. By the time a stream of them were stumbling by, one stepped into the shop and said…. something. It could have been the quadratic formula, to be honest – I was still a little surprised. A friend later reminded me of The Tick crying “it’s a yuletide!” in the face of a flood of Santas.

That was my first glimpse into Santarchy, and I still regret not immediately standing up and joining the crowd. I should have had a little more Santa in my heart that day and a little less Elvis (though everyone has a little Elvis in them (except the anti-Elvis)). I finally went back in 2006, and it was far more fun that I could have anticipated.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Superior Blockage

Superior Blockage
Originally uploaded by brownpau

This is from yesterday afternoon. Hey Superior Tours of Baltimore, MD, thanks for blocking the K Street crosswalk to Washington Harbour so thoroughly that I had to walk about halfway to Key Bridge just to get around the back, where I was promptly blown with hot bus exhaust.

The Daily Feed
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Yeah that’s fair

Photo courtesy of kimberlyfaye

The Spirit of Justice
courtesy of kimberlyfaye

Author Amanda Brooks noticed that one of the people petitioning GWB for a pardon is John Walker Lindh, the messed-up suburban white kid who went to Afghanistan to train with the Taliban, rather than Hot Topic like his other disaffected peers. He’s serving out his 20 year sentence with no chance of parole.

Brooks, as someone who writes about sex work, doesn’t really care about Lindh. She’s simply observing that the 20 years he’s serving are a lot shorter than the possible 55 year maximum sentance that Deborah Jean Palfrey was facing for running a business that connected willing participants and for which she paid all her taxes. Brooks says that credible sources indicated that Palfrey likely would have done 12-14 years before being paroled.

I hadn’t know before doing some research for this bit that Lindh was born in DC and spent his first ten years in Silver Spring. Personally I prefer sharing the city with folks like Palfrey over people like Lindh.