Yearly Archives: 2009

The Daily Feed
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Protests and forward-looks

Photo courtesy of Me

DSC_5133, courtesy of Me

I went to the Prop 8 Protest on Dupont Circle last night and took some pictures. To my eye there were just shy of 300 people, which I think is pretty good for a drizzly night on short notice. NBC 4’s count of “several hundred” was pretty imprecise but doesn’t conflict with my estimate.

Shooting was a challenge, given the poor light and cruddy weather, though there were many people taking shots. After-dark outdoor protests aren’t real media-friendly, but that didn’t stop a number of locals from standing on the edge of the fountain and talking. Council member Phil Mendelson was among them, as was DC For Marriage’s Michael Crawford.

Photo courtesy of Me

DSC_5110, courtesy of Me

Despite the impetus of the event being the California Supreme Court ruling much of the talk was oriented on the future and marriage equality in the DC area.

Which brings me to this: As a “straight ally” on this issue I have just one request. From this point forward can we please stop putting “Prop 8” in the rallying names of these events and have “marriage equality” or “spousal rights” events instead? We’re not in California and are not CA constituents. Florida’s Amendment 2 passed on the same day, so why keep titling these things for California’s particular flavor of folly?

The Daily Feed
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National Spelling Bee!

Photo courtesy of
‘Cute pollinator’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

You guys, my nerdy, nerdy heart may just burst with glee- the National Spelling Bee starts today. And it will be televised OH MY GOD. In fact, the finals will be televised on ABC in prime time. This is going to be the best nerd television since Chuck and The Big Bang Theory. You can also follow the bee on Twitter.

Why am I so excited about this? Well, aside from the fact that I competed in the qualifying arounds when I was in eighth grade (defeated, I remain convinced to this day, not by my own spelling deficiency but by the pronouncer’s thick Pittsburgh accent that obscured the phonetics of the word), and met a lifelong best friend through it… I remember very clearly being a junior high nerd, and feeling intense relief every time I participated in activities with other junior high nerds like me. Summer science and tech classes? Astronaut camp? Spelling bee? I was in for ALL of it, not just because I was such an overachiever, but because it was where I felt most at home.  So even now, at 30, I feel a lingering kinship with the Bee spellers, and hope that they will continue to embrace their nerdiness. I promise, guys… it gets easier and more fun to be the smart kid.

Good luck, spellers! Hope you get the chance to enjoy the city while you’re here.

The Daily Feed
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I offer this Red Bull to Testudo, Exam God

Photo courtesy of
‘testudo with exam offerings’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

I came across this photo in the We Love DC Flickr Pool, and I have to say, I love it. What at first glance may seem like trash around a turtle statue is actually, according to photog staceyviera, humble offerings to Testudo for good exam grades. UMD students took exams last week, so hopefully the good grades will start rolling in soon! Good luck, guys– I hope Testudo is on your side.

The Features
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We Love Arts: Arcadia

Arcadia - Thomasina & Septimus

Entrancing. Captivating. Charming. Search as I might in my mental dictionary, the attempt is futile: none of these words can adequately capture Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia as presented by the Folger Theatre Consort. The play takes place in an English country house, oscillating between two centuries as characters try to reconcile past and present.  They grapple with the Big Questions as well as the mundane with comedy and humanity in their quest to better understand the world around them and themselves. 

Hannah Jarvis (played by Holly Twyford) and Bernard Nightingale (Eric Hissom) are literary academics focused on Lord Byron. They’ve both come to Sidley Park to conduct research on their next respective big scholarly breaks. They’re staying with the Coverlys, a landed family whose ancestors hold the keys to both Bernard’s and Hannah’s research. We watch the story of those ancestors as well: the young genius Thomasina Coverly (Erin Weaver), her tutor Septimus Hodge (Cody Nickell) and his always off-stage friend Lord Byron. Those of 1809 Sidley Park are perched at the brink of the monumental thought change which brought the Romantic Period after the rational age of Enlightenment. That shift meant as much to those who study it as it did to those who lived it, as the play reveals. Continue reading →

Business and Money, News, The Daily Feed
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DC is #3 City

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington Monument – East View – 7-15-08’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

Kiplinger’s has named DC the 3rd Best City in 2009, just behind #2 Albuquerque and #1 Huntsville (really guys? Huh?). It all comes down to job growth, income growth and housing, it seems. With the government here, and with all the associated business related to the government, we’re picking up jobs, and picking up stimulus funding and growth.

They also talk a lot about the tourist economy, but the best of it all? “One drawback to Washington’s popularity: No matter the time, day of the week, starting point or destination, you will hit traffic. Try the Metrorail and buses instead of driving. Just remember: On Metro escalators, you stand on the right and walk on the left.”

Bout time that message got out to the masses…

The Features, Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: Memorial Day 2009

Photo courtesy of
‘Memorial Day’ courtesy of ‘(¯`’·._.{-KrS«-»NrY-}._.·’`¯)’

We’re not late with the Flashback, honest.

It’s just taking us a little to get up to speed after such a glorious and busy weekend – Rolling Thunder, fireworks, parades, fairs, cookouts – all heralding the ‘unofficial’ start to summer in the District and the opening of the tourista floodgates.

Fantastic photos by all our pool contributors and others! So to get over your ‘hump day,’ take a moment to scroll through the shots and scenes from this past holiday weekend and let that coffee soak on in…

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Fedorov Back to Russia?

Photo courtesy of
‘090127 Fedorov’ courtesy of ‘Dan4th’

It’s quite possible the first summer Caps casualty may be Sergei Fedorov. According to the Russian newspaper Sport Express, the 39-year-old center will be signing a two-year contract worth over $7 million with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Continental Hockey League (KHL).

However, Fedorov’s agent has told the Washington Post that nothing is decided yet, other than that the Caps’ veteran center has had multiple offers from KHL teams. It’s possible Fedorov might return to the Caps next year as well, but nothing is set in stone. Any money sunk into a declining forward will surely take away prime salary cap space better used elsewhere.

The Caps have his rights until June 30th, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Fedorov scored 11 goals and 33 points this season but scored only one goal and eight points in this year’s playoffs. His goal was the Game 7 winner against the Rangers that got the Caps to the second round before losing to the Penguins in seven.

Entertainment, Music, The Features
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Concert: Jenny Owen Youngs

Photo courtesy of
‘Jenny Owen Youngs, 5/23/09’
courtesy of ‘dcjasmine’

Jenny Owen Youngs is young, oh so hipster, and she’s got something to say to you. Which may or may not be a joke, depending on whether she’s singing or talking. Her songs are sweet, thoughtful, and melodious love songs (mostly), but as soon as the music stops, all seriousness gets set aside. Even her introduction of her band-mates (her drummer has some bold eyebrows, apparently) and comments on the insane heat at Rock and Roll Hotel (exchanging moist DNA with the crowd) were delivered with the kind of deadpan wit that I love. Especially with the kind of heat we were dealing with, we needed a little humor to keep punches from being exchanged instead of just sweaty DNA. Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, Mythbusting DC, The District, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: Traffic Circles

Photo courtesy of
‘Sheridan Statue Hoof’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Welcome to another edition of DC Mythbusting!  Last week we discussed how, contrary to popular belief, the height limit wasn’t based on the Capitol or the Washington Monument.  This week I’m here to debunk the myth of the traffic circles in DC.   I have heard from a couple different sources that supposedly Pierre L’Enfant designed the traffic circles in Washington DC as artillery bases to defend the city.  It is said that cannons were placed in the center of the circles to defend against cavalry.  This myth has some traction out there– it can be found in transportation magazines, Washingtonian magazine, and even a book.

The fact is that the circles weren’t even originally envisioned as circles.  According to Grand Avenues: The Story of the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, DC, L’Enfant had planned for squares where the avenues intersected the grid.  In fact, L’Enfant’s plan for the squares was more of an economic development tool: he thought that each square should be settled by residents and Congressmen of a particular state, creating informal state ’embassies’, and that states would then encourage the development of that particular area of the city.  In this way, the squares would encourage both business and residents to locate near their home state square and foster community development.  His plan for the development of the city was to start developing at each of these nodes and connect the nodes with grand avenues. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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New Lost Dog Café Opens in S. Arlington

A New Lost Dog
As a big fan of Lost Dog Café, which has drawn crowds in Westover for years, I was thrilled to see a “now open” sign at its new location this weekend, across from the Arlington Cinema ‘n’ Drafthouse.

Like the original, this one has a menu with scores of specialty pizzas, 50-odd sandwiches, and more beers than I could easily count. My man and I checked it out last night, and to our yummy dinner added a Bad Dog a la Mode brownie sundae to celebrate the opening.

This area of Columbia Pike is being redeveloped, and Lost Dog is one of the first new businesses to open there, in the retail area under the first new condos. So more Lost Dog, less waiting. Oh, happy day!

News, People, The Daily Feed
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Real Housewives of DC

Photo courtesy of
‘Bianca Gascoigne ( THE SAME HIGH HEELS and NAILS’s COLOR )’
courtesy of ‘Andre Portfolio’

This just in from EW and Just Jared – Bravo has announced the development of a Real Housewives of DC. (Because Blonde Charity Mafia was not enough, as Belle from Capitol Hill Style says.)

“We’re tapping personalities who are among Washington D.C.’s influential players, cultural connoisseurs, fashion sophisticates and philanthropic leaders – the people who rub elbows with the most prominent people in the country and easily move in the city’s diverse political and social circles,” said Frances Berwick, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Bravo Media.

“These leading members of D.C. society will be attending important cultural events, political galas, gallery openings and fundraisers in Washington society.”  Sigh. Really? I’ll bet you one million dollars they all live in Georgetown and lunch at the Four Seasons.

Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Our City is Fitter than Your City


‘Dedication’
courtesy of ‘N.S.’

Good news: according to the American Fitness Index, D.C. is the fittest metro area in the United States. Our combination of general good health, admirable dietary habits and frequent physical activity placed us at the top of the study released by the America College of Sports Medicine this week. The news wasn’t all good, though. Our fair city lags behind in the number of park acres per 1000 residents (surprising to me), as well as playgrounds and dog parks. Even so, D.C. was well above the mean in most categories and we beat the competition handily. You can see the full read out on D.C. here.

Essential DC, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors
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The Graceful Edge

Photo courtesy of
‘marathoners’
courtesy of ‘Joe in DC’

Maybe I’m late to the party (wouldn’t be the first time) but I just discovered via The DC Concierge this really lovely Daily-Candy-but-for-exercise email newsletter. It’s all about new or unique exercise opportunities in the DC area for women, and it is called The Graceful Edge.

You know me, and how much I like lists and round-ups, so this is perfection. Broken into types of exercise like yoga, running, triathlons, biking and more, this is a great way to get your morning inspiration for a workout while keeping up on local trends.

Check out what today’s DC items are and if you like what you see, you can sign up on the site. I’m picky about what comes into my email box, but this one made the cut.

The Daily Feed, The District, The Great Outdoors, WTF?!
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Just a Reminder: Don’t Drive Through Standing Water

Photo courtesy of
‘Pipeline burst’
courtesy of ‘ECU Digital Collections’

The rain this morning has been significant so far, with a flash flood warning in place until 11:30 this morning. Several cars got stuck this morning after driving through standing water and shorting their engine. Folks, if the spark plugs can’t make the gas in the cylinders explode, your car will rapidly lose locomotion and you’re not going to be able to restart the vehicle. So, really, don’t drive through standing water. Unless you want to get stuck in the rain on Rhode Island Ave waiting for a tow truck driver who will probably laugh at you, like several folks did this morning.

National Airport’s weather station is reporting an inch and a half of rain in the last twenty-four hours, but I’ve been hearing totals as high as 2-3″ of precip, so this is a pretty soaking event, and we’re due showers all day. So, drive careful DC.

Food and Drink, The Features, The Hill, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Taqueria Nacional

Photo courtesy of
‘Taquira Nacional’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’

The first step to healing, is admitting you have a problem, right? Well, people, here is my admission: I am addicted to Taqueria Nacional. Its draw to me is more powerful than Potbelly’s was when I used to work near 17th & L (best Potbelly’s location ever) and those of you who know me know that I adore Potbelly’s. I will forgo any lunch I’ve brought to work faster than you can say “Hey Katie, wanna go to Taqui…” I’ll dash out of conference calls, I’ll leave my boss in a lurch, I’ll do pretty much anything for a pork taco from Taqueria Nacional in the middle of the day. So this We Love Food? This one is personal, cause I’m a regular. A regular with an addiction.

Taqueria Nacional opened in 2007 amidst a flurry of rumors (it’s in an alley, it’s only a takeout window, it only has tacos) in the foodie scene. Clearly we did not have Twitter to quickly spread the truth, and it took a while for everyone to get on the same page – but here it is: Taqueria Nacional is tucked away behind Johnny’s the Half Shell, in the corner of the courtyard of the CSPAN building. It hides as a little standing-room-only takeout shop with a line that usually reaches halfway across the courtyard. Ann Cashion and John Fulchino are behind this little taco place, which bodes well for the new Mexican fare at H Street Country Club (Cashion’s new venture), and the standards are high. The tacos are five bites of heaven, the salads are fresh with high quality lettuce, the agua frescas are creative, and my stomach cheers at the thought of the fried yucca. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Features
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Sports Fix: Holiday Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘jumping in vain’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Capitals

If you missed Ben’s season wrap-up last week, be sure to check it out. Though the Caps lost a lopsided Game 7 to the Penguins, who’ve gone on to mostly obliterate the Hurricanes (meaning very possibly we could’ve had the Caps in the Stanley Cup finals if they’d shown up for Game 7…) it was a fantastic season where there is much to cheer for.

Nationals
Record: 13-30
Last Two Weeks: 3-11
Place: Last in the NL East, 11.5 games out of first, 6 games back of fourth.

They’re still bad. But it’s getting better. The Nats moved the wildest pitcher in the modern era, Daniel Cabrera, to the bullpen where he won’t do as much harm, or where his harm can be properly directed, and replaced him with Craig Stammen in the starting rotation. If you went, “Wait, who?” you’re not alone. The Nats now have four rookies and a second year in their starting five. Pretty crazy. What they need now is some defense. And some relief pitching. The Nats lead the league in errors with well over 40. That’s the kind of total good ballclubs have in September, or for all season, not in May.

Continue reading →

Technology, The Daily Feed
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Military Robots Author to Speak

Photo courtesy of
‘i bought the little grey guy on the right’
courtesy of ‘hsingy’

On Tuesday, June 2 at 7:30PM HacDC will host best-selling author Peter W. Singer  for a talk on military robotics and his new New York Times best selling book Wired for War.

Peter Warren Singer is Senior Fellow and Director of the 21st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institution, and he is the youngest scholar named Senior Fellow in the 90-year history of Brookings. His new book looks at the implications of military robotics on war, politics, ethics, and law in the 21st century. Described as “an exhaustively researched book, enlivened by examples from popular culture” by the Associated Press and “awesome” by Jon Stewart of The Daily Show, Wired for War made the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list in its first week of release. It has already been featured in the video game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot, and Singer has given presentations on the book to a diverse array of military and civilian audiences.

Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors
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When Sparrows Attack

Photo courtesy of

‘#3000: sparrows in a row’ courtesy of ‘philliefan99’ 

Given the glorious weather DC has been experiencing, everyone seems to be out enjoying the crisp, cool and (dare I say it) non-humid climate. The city really seems to have bloomed in the last few weeks. And you know what else has gone into overdrive? You guessed it–the mating activities of the House Sparrow.

On my jaunts around the city, I’ve witnessed male sparrows going nuts over female sparrows. This aggressive harassment involves 5-6 male sparrows dancing, chirping, pecking, etc. one poor female sparrow, who IS NOT (judging on her fleeing) into this behavior. In fact, it often looks like she’s the one bearing the brunt of her male suitors competitive rage.  In the spirit of female unity, I often want to jump to her rescue, but have thought better of it and decided instead to investigate these strange, foreign, avian behaviors. Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The Mall
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National Museum of American History opens new Maritime Exhibit

Lifeboat.jpg

The National Museum of American History has a beautiful new exhibit ready just in time for the Memorial Day holiday weekend. “On The Water” is an exhibit surrounding the American Maritime culture, dating back to the first explorations of the Americas, through to modern day. We’ll have a big feature on the exhibit this weekend, but the festivities start up tomorrow first thing. They’ll be opening at 11, and going til 4, with special music from the Washington Revels, as well as an opportunity to sail a small boat near the Smithsonian.

Get on out, see the cool museum, or wait until tomorrow and the whole big photo gallery will make it clear why!