Remember that horrible, awful, snow-addled commute we had back in late January when the feds closed at 3, just in time to send people off into the beginning of an ice storm? Yeah. The feds remember it too, and they’re updating their inclement weather procedures to prevent it from happening again.

The updated procedures basically involve two main categories:

1. Stop dithering and make a decision about whether to close/have unscheduled telework/whatever a lot faster. I think anyone who has ever sat up at night, refreshing the OPM status page can get behind this one.

2. Encourage employees to shelter in place if they can’t get home before it gets bad outside. This one seems… less enforceable, since you can’t exactly require people to stay at the office, but if offices can be prepared to accommodate employees for a little while longer at the office, and encourage them to wait out the worst of it, this could potentially make a difference.

The policy is expected to be approved on November 9th. If you work for the government, you might check to see what “shelter in place” would look like at your office. If, like me, you work for a company that follows the feds’ lead with office closures, you might check with your HR department to see if this will change anything for you.

And maybe it wouldn’t hurt to keep a bag with some spare hygiene supplies and some energy bars locked up in your cubicle, hm?

I’ve been participating in the Zipcar Low Car Diet challenge this month, and something that I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten more transit-dependent is that a lot of intelligent, resourceful people are completely confounded by any bus that’s not the Circulator. If their destination is not close to a Metrorail stop, they drive to it. I humbly submit that this is completely ridiculous; the bus is just not that hard.

However, it IS true that Metrobus lacks the navigational simplicity that Metrorail has. The Metro map gives you a nice sense of the finite nature of Metrorail: there are only 5 lines, and they’re, well, lines; they go to all the stops in order one way, and they go back along the same stops the other way. That’s it. Have you seen the full Metrobus system map? It’s a freaking mess. It’s not even one map; they had to split it into three.

So with the goal of making it all a little less daunting for the novice Metrobus-rider, here are a few things you need to know:

1. Don’t panic! All the bus routes include at least one Metro stop, and frequently more than one. Know that even if you ignore the rest of my advice and find yourself on the wrong bus going somewhere you had no intention of going, you always have the option of riding it until it gets to a Metro station. There is always a way home.

2. One SmarTrip is good; two are better. Cash is pretty much the worst possible way to pay for the bus. The cash fare is higher than the SmarTrip fare, and you can only take advantage of transfers (unlimited transfers for 2 hours!) with a SmarTrip card, which means you have to pay full fare for each new bus ride if you’re paying cash. That means my typical two-bus commute from home to office costs $1.50 if I have a SmarTrip, and $3.40 if I left it on the kitchen counter. I made that mistake exactly once, and now I keep a spare SmarTrip with a few bucks on it stashed in my purse just in case.

3. The Internet is your personal transit concierge; carry it in your pocket if you can. Yes, I know. Smartphones are expensive, and their data plans are practically confiscatory. Plenty of DC residents who have depended on the bus for years manage to navigate the system just fine without smartphones. We are not talking about them. We are talking about you, whose willingness to explore DC is limited to what’s in a 5 block radius of a Metro stop. If you can swing it, get a smartphone with that money you are no longer spending on your car. You just need something that has GPS, can browse the web, and ideally open PDFs. Why? Because you can use the following tools from a computer, but it’s a lot easier to re-route on the fly if you can use them while you’re out and about:

3a. Google Maps with Transit. WMATA finally got on board with this late last year after dragging their feet for aaaaaaaages, and it is pretty much the best thing ever. Plug in your starting and ending points, and Google will spit out multiple transit options that will get you there, and just like Metro’s trip planner, you can specify that you want to leave now, at a specific time later, or that you want to arrive by a certain time and Google will adjust accordingly. Unlike Metro’s trip planner, however, using it on a mobile phone won’t make you want to kick a puppy. Google does include regional commuter buses that don’t take SmarTrip, though, so watch for that. And the full, Google Labs version of Google Transit can even estimate the cost of driving, if you want to feel smug in your transit choices.

3b. Nextbus. GPS tracking of buses, and estimates of how long you can expect before the next one comes along. Set the bus stop closest to your home and office as link buttons in your web browser and you’ll always know when you have to leave. The mobile web app can use your phone’s GPS to give you predictions for all the bus stops near your location (though sometimes it can be a little bit of a challenge to figure out which corner you want). Welcome to life in the future! Caveat: Nextbus is about 78% accurate, which means it is a dirty, nasty, stinking liar 22% of the time. You can mitigate the effects of this inaccuracy first by understanding how it is that it gets to be inaccurate, but also by sanity checks on…

3c. Published bus timetables. They’re all available in PDF form on Metro’s website, and usually a quick Google query for “[route number] wmata timetable” gets you straight to it without having to navigate to it through Metro’s website. Handy from your computer, but even handier from your mobile device. If, for example, Nextbus tells you there’s no bus for 35 minutes but the schedule tells you that there’s a bus every 10 minutes this time of day, you can reasonably assume that Nextbus isn’t tracking a bus or two for some reason (broken transponder, driver failed to sign on, etc.) This won’t save you from every Nextbus lie, but knowledge of the schedules and what causes inaccuracies can wrangle the system back into a usable state for you.

The bus is cheaper and goes more places than the Metro does, and broken escalators are never a problem. If you’re not a bus rider, give it a shot sometime soon and report back.

The comics who regularly appear at the Eleventh Street Lounge open mic night in Clarendon (from this point known collectively as “the Lizards”) are having another comedy-for-relief event tonight. This time, it’s for tsunami relief in Japan, and the gimmick is that all the 10+ comics will be performing in their underwear.

The show starts at 8:30 and admission is $5. Five bucks for comedy, a good cause, and for the comics’ total willingness to sacrifice their dignity for your entertainment. Cheap at twice the price!

Patrick Palafox: This Friday I am heading to this supposedly hard-to-find-place called Subterranean A to witness the Comedy Underground Show thrown by Brandon Wetherbee of You Me Them Everybody and Live From the Lab. I have no idea what to expect, but it sounds pretty hip and I am a hip dude. Therefore, I am a dude with a hip.

Paulo: This weekend we are going to Charlottesville, Virginia to see a friend get married. While we’re there, why not see the history there is to see? Monticello and Ash Lawn are on the itinerary, maybe a bite at Michie Tavern, and I’m told the UVA campus itself is a sight to behold.

Tom:With spring finally here, I’m going to be out and about in the city to take advantage where I can!  Saturday will be Casey Trees‘ open house in Brookland, and as someone who’s looking for a front-yard tree, I’ll be there.  Sunday is, of course, the opening of the summer concert season at Merriweather Post Pavilion with the Sweetlife Festival (tickets $55), which means a long day spent listening to awesome music.

’58/365′
courtesy of ‘ekelly80′

Michael: From Appleseed Cast to Wolfgang Gartner, Kylie Minogue to Sweetlife Festival and beyond; this weekend has so many great live music options that it would take three of me to attend them all. After much internal debate, I’ve decided to let rarity be my guide this weekend and so you’ll find me at two interesting shows this weekend. On Saturday night, I’ll be at Pyramid Atlantic to catch a night of noise and ambient sounds headlined by Rapoon from the UK. I have been a fan of Robin Storey’s Zoviet France and Rapoon projects for many years and I cannot pass up the chance to finally see him in perform live. On Sunday night, I’m heading up to Baltimore’s Ottobar to catch the re-formed Reagan Youth. RY were one of my favorite American punk bands and news of their singer Dave Insurgent’s early 90′s suicide was more shocking to me than news of Cobain’s. What a reformed after 20-years Reagan Youth (with a replacement lead singer) will be like is something I have to see for myself.

Fedward: The Social Chair starts her Friday early — VERY early — at a royal wedding viewing party. Then she’s headed to Filene’s Basement for the Running of the Brides. We’re all wedding, all the time, as you might guess from that ad on the right side of the site. Voting ends Saturday, and we could still use your vote — and that goes for about six hundred of you, at least. Vote! Please!. Saturday we’ll start at the Franciscan Monastery’s annual herb and plant sale and end up at the Lisner for the Pan American Symphony Orchestra’s Viva el Tango. Sunday there’s even more wedding stuff (have you voted yet?) at the Nonconforming Bridal Fair. We then wrap up our weekend with the closing of The Walworth Farce at Studio Theatre.

Don: If you chart out my weekend by time I suspect the number one item would be “grumbling about how I don’t give a crap about inbred monarchy marrying off their spawn,” but it’s a pretty spread-out activity. I encourage you to do it yourself and at your own pace. From a more organized standpoint I’ll be exhibiting my wares at Arts in the Park. I’d encourage you to drop in and say hi but it’s not like Richmond is right around the corner. Beyond that my plans mostly revolve around screaming at the television as the Caps – hopefully – shellac the Lightning. I might sneak out to catch Synetic’s Learwhich has moved from the Lansburgh to the old Arena space in Crystal City but I will probably wait till next week.

‘Garden Mess’
courtesy of ‘MichaelTRuhl’

Rachel: Since the Nats are in town this weekend, that means I’ll be at the ballpark Friday night to watch as they take on the Giants aka the Reigning World Champions of Baseball. It should be an interesting series seeing as the Nats haven’t been able to string together a solid victory since starting their home series against the Mets this week. Saturday I will be barbecuing in White Flint (pending a stellar forecast) but before that, I’ll be starting with brunch in Tenleytown at a TBD location (although Booeymonger in Friendship Heights is a likely choice) followed by a trip to the always entertaining Container Store. Saturday night, there will be a little bit of drinking … probably in Dupont Circle … maybe at Public Bar since they have Sam Adams Summer Ale on tap. The Nats play a 1:35 day game on Sunday but I’m not sure if I’ll be in attendance yet. If I do go, I’ll start out at Das Bullpen and finally try my luck at sampling their beer list.

Addison: Friday I have been somehow convinced into cooking an English fry-up for several of my lady friends at 5am while they watch the Royal Wedding (didn’t we fight a war so we wouldn’t have to deal with this stuff?). After a day full of school work (yay finals season!) I am on heading down to Chinatown to enjoy a few adult beverages at RFD before the Capitals take on the Lightning in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Saturday is one of my best friends’ birthday, so I plan on going out with some friends to celebrate at Chief Ike’s Mambo Room in Adams Morgan. Following that, finding somewhere to watch the St. Pierre – Shields fight from UFC 129. Sunday I’m skipping kickball to cover the Top Dog Half-Smoke Challenge at Domaso, then heading back to the Verizon Center for Game 2 of the Caps – Lightning Series.

Tiff: Saturday morning it’s all about the plant sale at the Franciscan Monastery; thunderstorms and wildlife have destroyed most of Tom’s carefully tended seedlings, so I’ll be looking for replacements, as well as for blueberry bushes. I intend for my backyard to feed me breakfast.

Another weekend come and gone; fortunately this time the thunderstorms held off until Sunday night. Grip your cup of coffee a little closer and hang on to it a little longer.

‘Lightning over Arlington’
courtesy of ‘Pianoman75′

‘The Segway Menace’
courtesy of ‘giantminispacegoat’

’20110424-DSC_3109′
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’

‘Perusing the Prizewinners’
courtesy of ‘Mondmann’

Dave: It’s a really jampacked Easter Weekend for me. First off, I’m starting Friday with my first alumni softball game of the season, playing under the Monument before heading over to the Exchange for a pitcher and some tater tots. I won’t be there for long, because I have to get out to Ragtime out in Courthouse where my band is presenting an epic tribute to Hootie and the Blowfish’sCracked Rear View. We’ll play other stuff, too. Promise. I’m getting on a plane to go join my family for the rest of the weekend, but rest assured that if I were to stay in town, I’d have Screwtop’s Easter Brunch as one of my top priorities.

Tom: Springtime, at long last! Easter is this weekend, and while I’d normally be singing with the Falls Church Presbyterian Church choir, I may just be an observer at the Basilica in Brookland, where a good friend is singing as part of Holy Week services.  As for Easter Brunch, with the teeming hordes descending upon all of my favorite establishments, I’m thinking I’ll just hit Eastern Market this week for some eggs and really great bacon and maybe a local chicken to roast on Sunday night.  We’re planning a little themed shindig for Game of Thrones‘ second night.  Saturday, catch me in the garden getting ready for next weekend’s Garden Guild monastery plant sale. I’ve got beds to prepare for some lovely blueberry bushes.

Rachel: Well as luck would have it, I won one of those Sign of the Whale happy hour specials, so that will be my Friday night in a nutshell. If you feel like maximizing on drink specials between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. in Dupont Circle, just say you’re with Rachel when checking in Sign of the Whale’s front door. Drink specials include $3 mixed drinks and domestic beers. Saturday be the start of my summer-long effort of getting outside and getting active by exploring the various trails DC has to offer. The first trail I will be exploring is the trail inside Montrose Park/Rock Creek Park starting at Massachusetts Avenue and Waterside Drive. I’ve passed it every day on my way to work since August 2009 so I think it’s time to check it out. Sunday will likely include the standard brunch affair at a TBA restaurant. I used to frequent Morty’s but now that it’s gone I may have to settle for Booeymonger in Friendship Heights for my bagel and lox fix.

‘Easter Egg Hunt 2′
courtesy of ‘UrsulaAntares’

Jenn: Thunderstorms, thunderstorms. Rain, rain. I am so tired of the forecast it makes me cry. So I’m tempted if the weekend is a wash to hit the peaceful sanctuary of the Jefferson Hotel this Saturday for the first in a series of wine classes with sommelier Michael Scaffidi. From 2:30-4pm for $75 you can learn the “black magic secrets” of an expert in the intimate elegance of their wine cellar. Or I might splurge on sanctuary of a different kind, a deep tissue massage at Celadon Spa. Failing that, it might be a sojourn to the cool interiors of the Corcoran to see the new permanent collection of modern and contemporary art since 1945 and the NEXT exhibit of the BFA Class of 2011. Wherever I end up, my trusty red umbrella will be fused to my hand.

Rebecca J.: Friday I had plans to hit up a happy hour at Ireland’s Four Courts, but with their kitchen fire yesterday those plans may be on hold. Saturday I’ve got footie match in the morning, after which I’m picking up some watercolors and tints to make Easter eggs. Saturday evening, I’ll hit up Kitchen to sip on some bourbon and sample their mixed slider plate (beef, chicken and crabcake.) Sunday, it’s off to church and then Easter Sunday brunch with the family at Cafe Deluxe in Bethesda. Eggs Benedict? Yes please! A little Game of Thrones to end the day and I’ve had one heck of good weekend.

Patrick Pho: Saturday during the day I’ll be picking up some last minute items for the Helen Hayes awards on Monday. With the help of BrittanyI got some sweet threads for the big night (spoiler: I’ll have a bow-tie!) Saturday night I’ll be reviewing MetroStage‘s The Real Inspector Hound, most likely followed by a night out in Old Town- any suggestions of places to hit up from the gallery would be appreciated! Sunday I’m capping off the weekend with a game up in Camden Yards, to celebrate a special birthday.

‘Saturday’s Picnic’
courtesy of ‘Carly & Art’

Marissa: In a perfect world, I’d take this Friday off to go to the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra’s Jazz on the Mall and listen to some college jazz bands play. But since that’s not really an option for me, I’m hoping to indulge my music craving with a martini and some live music at Utopia. Saturday, I’m heading to the Lamont Bishop Gallery to check out their exhibit of polaroid photos (no, you don’t have to be a hipster to have an affection for polaroids). Keeping with the theme of satisfying my craving for live music, I’ll be checking out Jukebox the Ghost at the Black Cat on Saturday night. It makes me so happy to see how far they’ve come from the days of playing spring fling at GWU and I always have a dancin’ good time at their shows.

Fedward: Like P-Pho I’ll be attending the Helen Hayes Awards on Monday, but unlike him I already have my outfit. So without any clothes shopping required, I’ll have a laid back weekend. There might be a stop by the Apple Store for some accessories for my new MacBook Air, and maybe another stop at Pro Photo so I can eyeball a new Crumpler bag (anybody have a suggestion for SLR body, two prime lenses, an 11″ MBA, and assorted widgets? Comment below!). Sunday could very possibly include the usual brunch at Passenger, because why not? Other than that the Social Chair and I have been looking forward to trying Hill Country, and it’s never not a good time to go by Ercilia’s for tacos and pupusas.

Tiff: It’s Easter, and I’m Italian, so this weekend basically revolves around church and my kitchen, which I have come to believe are really two pieces of a larger whole. Saturday is Easter Vigil, which means Easter bread, which I will have entirely too much of and need to share with my neighbors.

Tornadoes. Sun. Drinking on patios. Rain falling sideways. Did this weekend give anyone else weather whiplash? Here it is, Monday morning, and I’m still feeling a little disoriented. Time to look at some photos while the caffeine hits the ol’ bloodstream…

’1955 500 Mondial Scaglietti Spyder Series II’
courtesy of ‘Danilo.Lewis|Fotography’

‘Oh the embarassment!’
courtesy of ‘yostinator’

‘mysterious blue light’
courtesy of ‘Lauren PM’

‘Texture is………..’
courtesy of ‘LaTur’

‘Franciscan Monastery’
courtesy of ‘MichaelTRuhl’

‘Ring of Fire’
courtesy of ‘pablo.raw’

Patrick Palafox: I am pretty excited about this weekend. I’m planning on checking out the Cool Dudes Hanging Out show happening over at theVelvet Lounge this Friday. I have been listening to Mike Lawrence’s podcast Nerd of Mouth and already know that he will make me laugh. Then on Saturday I shall consume Cake with my ears at the 9:30 Club. The last time I saw Cake was at a music festival in Austin and I was super far away. I thought that I would never have a chance to see them again, but now I do.

Marissa: Friday night one of my good guy friends is in town, so I’m hoping a bunch of us will “bro” it out at Meridian Pint for the release of DC Brau, the city’s first production beer in more than 50 years. Saturday night I’ll be listening to five local bands at GWU, when my old community service sorority throws their 5th Annual Battle of the Bands. The proceeds from the raffle ticket sales and admission all go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Should be a great concert for a great cause!

Dave: This sunny weather is here for the weekend, right? It’s looking like a sports-filled weekend for me. I’ll be Caps watching on Friday night up on the roof at Cleveland Park Bar & Grill (side note: I know it’s no local flavor, but I’m decently excited that Sam Adams Summer will be plentiful in the District come this weekend, so I will be having several). Saturday, if all goes according to plan, I’ll be at Nats Park for the afternoon game with the Brewers before a friend’s 80s themed bacon party (It’s called the Cure…get it?), and I’ll close the weekend off with the opening match of my team’s soccer season.

‘Platypus Kite’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

Rachel: The one weekend I leave town exciting things are happening at Nationals Park. Go figure. I’ll be Chicago visiting with family but if I wasn’t in the Windy City you better believe I would find myself taste testing the Navy Yard’s newest biergarten Das Bullpen since it looks like they might have a tad more space than their counterpart, The Bullpen, further down on Half Street. Nyjer Morgan makes his first trip back to Washington since being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers just before the start of the 2011 season. Fans can also look forward to seeing catcher Wil Nieves back again as well. It should be a welcomed change the Nats fans who braved the Phillies series this week. I wonder who will show up to the park, Tony Plush or Nyjer Morgan. There’s only one way to find out…

Tom: My weekend is going to start this evening at Nationals Park, where I’ll get to test drive my new Eephus League Scorebook against the Phillies.  Tomorrow night, you can expect to see me at the launch of DC Brau at Meridian Pint, before a private beer party to well-wish a friend who’s packing up and heading for the left coast.  Saturday, nursing my hangover with labor, I’ll be planting 60 trees with the Greater Brookland Garden Club, the Brookland Neighborhood Civic Association and Casey Trees over at Turkey Thicket, before heading home to dig up a garden bed for the upcoming Monastery Plant Sale two weekends hence.  Sunday it’s back to Nationals Park to watch the return of former Nationals Wil Nieves (yay!) and Nyjer Morgan (boo!) to the DC area.  Then it’s home to fire up the grill and maybe cook some roo steaks from Let’s Meat on the Avenue.

Addison: This looks to be another busy weekend filled with two of my favorite things ever: spring weather and playoff hockey. Getting an early start tonight, I’m heading to my first baseball game of the year at Nationals Park. Friday, I will be putting on my skinny jeans and thick glasses (not really) and heading over to H Street to check out the new Queen Vic. Hopefully, I can convince them to switch at least one TV from quidditch or lawn bowling or cricket (or whatever other imaginary sports they watch) to hockey so I can watch the Red Palace, and some late-night Sticky Rice. Saturday, if I’m fully recovered, will potentially involve a trip out to Dulles for The Nation’s Gun Show in the morning, followed by a stint at Churchkey in the afternoon and Lucky Bar at night for some Dupont shenanigans. Sunday, it will be back to Churchkey (oh darn) for Bill Couch’s goodbye party and then some kickball on The Mall and flipping of cups at My Brother’s Place. Whew.

‘Lettuce’
courtesy of ‘yostinator’

Rebecca J: Friday evening I’ll be taking it to the rooftop at Surfside for some margaritas, fish tacos and guacamole, before it’s early to bed for me as I’ll be up bright and early Saturday to head to Baltimore for Privateer Day. The event celebrates the rich maritime history of Fells Point and U.S. Privateers, individuals and ships authorized by the US government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during the War of 1812. These sailors were of great benefit to our smaller naval power as it faced the vastly larger British fleet. The highlight of the day will be a live gun battle between the Pride of Baltimore II and other privateer vessels. Saturday evening, I’ll be back in DC, and headed to the W Hotel’s Living Room for a classy cocktail before hitting up the Taste of the South (TOTS), a black tie fundraising soiree that brings some “southern hospitality” to Washington, D.C.  Sunday, the National Cathedral lawn and I have a date with a blanket, book and a nap.

Patrick Pho: Tomorrow I have a completely free day from work, which means my weekend will start with some Northside Social with my neighbor/Gen-Y blogger superstar. Friday night I’ll be checking out yet another performance of the Fighting Improv Smackdown Tournament, it was so good I’m throwing down my own cash to see it! Saturday should be a the only iffy day of the weekend weather-wise, but that won’t stop me from attending a BBQ up in Frederick. That night I might make an appearance at Café Citron. If so please do not dance with me- I’m terrible. Closing out the weekend hopefully with a performance of the Real Inspector Hound over at MetroStage.

Fedward: Friday I’m totally not frantically finishing my taxes and trying to figure out where to mail them. I’m more organized than that. Slightly. Saturday we plan to feather the nest, doing laundry, getting the patio furniture out of storage, and maybe running up to IKEA. Sunday I’m not ashamed to say we’re going to see Michael Feinstein’s WPAS show at the Kennedy Center. Live singing! Real instruments! No auto-tune!

The early absentee-in-person voting for the April 26th special election has begun. If you need to vote early (or just want to get your civic duty done early) you can visit the Board of Elections and Ethics office at One Judiciary Square to vote between 8:30 AM and 8:00 PM Monday-Saturday, and 12:30 PM 5:30 PM on Sunday, April 17th.

Note that due to budget constraints, this isn’t like the early voting from the regular election and primary. Those were standard votes, counted more or less with everything else, but these are absentee votes that will be counted later.

Patrick: I am starting my weekend early with Tacos are a well known We Love DC household. Friday I will be lending a hand with the Arlington Player’s production of 42^nd Street. Saturday I will be celebrating a birthday at a new Sports bar on U Street: Touchdown. I will be ending my weekend at Signature Theatre to review their production of Art. That’s how I do my weekends: fast and furious.

Marissa: After a whirlwind week, I’m hoping to achieve my usual lofty weekend aspiration of getting a little culture and some good food. This week marked the start of the 25th annual Filmfest DC and so Friday or Saturday I’m planning on catching an Italian film, Loose Cannons. Filmfest DC runs until April 17th and you get tickets for just $11. Saturday afternoon I’ll be checking out Pleasant Pops Popapalooza in Mt. Pleasant which is running from 11 am until 3 pm. There will be live music with local DC bands, and the Big Cheese Truck and PORC Mobile will also be there. Here’s to hoping it’s sunny and warm!

Addison: My weekend looks to start off classy and go rapidly downhill from there. Friday evening I’ve got an induction ceremony for the Pi Alpha Alpha public administration honor society at George Mason University in Fairfax. Friday night my kickball league has its season-opening party at My Brother’s Place in Capitol Hill. Saturday, I’m gonna need some recovery time, which will involve eating Ethiopian food with my fingers at Merkamo Saturday afternoon. Saturday night, I will be at the Puck Buddies Capitals viewing party at Nellie’s on U St. Sunday, I will be back at My Brother’s Place for brunch (with all you can drink mimosas!) followed by the first kickball game of the season, as long as the weather is good.

‘Buddhas For Sale’
courtesy of ‘MichaelTRuhl’

Michael: If you knew me at all by now dear readers, then my weekend plans would be obvious. The amazing Bardo Pond are playing the Black Cat on Sunday night. It is the first time they have played in DC in FOREVER. As if that wasn’t enough to get my music geek ass in gear…they are playing on the BC Backstage! Yeah, you read that right. Crazy good band playing in a crazy tiny room on a crazy small stage? Sign me up.

Rebecca J.: Friday I’m making the long trek over to Capitol Hill for a cocktail hour at a friend’s house after which we’ll head over to the Hawk ‘n’ Dove, DC’s oldest Irish bar, to cap off the night. Saturday, I’ve got anearly morning footie match for my all women’s WAWSL team, FYI teams are still looking for players of any skill level. Then it’s on to a wedding ceremony and reception that will feature tons of Georgetown Cupcakes, of which I will be targeting the Chocolate Ganache. Sunday, if I’m not hurting too much, I have another morning soccer match, after which I’ll peruse the Georgetown Flea Market. Sunday afternoon, I’m subbing forWLDC’s Rachel in her Glover Park Co-ed Softball game. Looking forward to pulling the mitt out of closet and dusting it off. That evening, I’ll be crashing. Crashing hard.

Dave: With my friends The Bandylions rocking out at Austin Grill on Friday night, methinks I’ll head down the blue line to Alexandria and spend an evening in the Commonwealth. Saturday, I’m waking up to join my Alumni association as we participate in our school’s national day of service by doing some cleaning and yard work out at Community Residences in Arlington. After that, if energy exists and the weather is nice, I’m hoping to get to the United-Galaxy game at RFK, and topping off the weekend swinging the bats out at the cages at Upton Hill Regional Park.

‘Spring Forward’
courtesy of ‘ajemm’

Tiff: After conducting the aforementioned Taco Night, I’ll be looking to spend the weekend off my feet. Since I have spent all week willing spring into existence by wearing warm-weather clothes and ignoring the shivering as I wait for the bus, I’d like to go see what’s left of the cherry blossoms. You know, what didn’t get pounded off the trees in the thunderstorm and subsequently frozen to the sidewalk around the Tidal Basin.  Perhaps the Arboretum fared better.

The DC Department of Health is launching a media campaign called “Live Well DC!” and they need 8 spokesmodels. But not just any run-of-the-mill, perfectly-toned, dazzling-smile spokesmodels, oh no.

DoH is looking for volunteers to serve as Community Coaches. Eight people who “represent the city’s diversity” and who want to increase their physical activity will be featured in the citywide campaign designed to inspire DC residents to get up and move with them.

The casting call says they’re looking for “all shapes and sizes,” and the profile sheet indicates that they’re pretty serious about that, so if this sounds like fun, the casting call is this Saturday from 11-3 at the Old Council Chambers near the Judiciary Square Metro.

If you’ve ever been to Rustik in Bloomingdale, you’ve probably noticed that it has this big, gorgeous patio… with nothing but firewood on it. Rustik has a voluntary agreement with the Bloomingdale Civic Association allowing patio seating for reduced hours, but has not yet secured the public space permit required to actually seat people outside. The hearing with the Public Space Management Administration is on March 24, and neighbors are writing letters in support of Rustik’s petition to Juan Amaya at the Space Permit Office.

In Brookland, the 901 Monroe project is moving along through the hearing process. On March 14th, the Zoning Commission held a setdown hearing on the project. The commission seems generally in favor of the idea, but would like to consider setting down a version of the plan with zoning that would restrict its height further. The Commission has asked for a number of additional documents: shade studies  on how the proposed development will affect the surrounding area, perspective drawings of how it will look from various points around the neighborhood (12th Street retail, the Metro station, etc.), as well as a copy of the Brookland Small Area Plan. The developers have until tomorrow to turn in this information and the Commission will consider the issue again at their March 28 meeting.

Meanwhile, ANC5A has nominated the Colonel Brooks Tavern building and the neighboring houses for historic designation, which would effectively halt all progress on the 901 Monroe Street development. The Historic Preservation Review Board meets this week, but it seems the nomination will be heard next month. For those of you interested in the debate around the use of historic designation to halt development and the issues that arise from it, I direct your attention to this Greater Greater Washington post and its comments.

ANC Carolyn Steptoe of Single Member District 5A07, the SMD which encompasses the 901 Monroe project and the neighbors most directly affected, held a meeting of her SMD on Saturday for 5 hours. Steptoe invited Barbara Kahlow, DC zoning expert, to speak on how neighbors can navigate and work within the zoning process to achieve the desired result. Kahlow accuses the 901 Monroe developers of thinking they can steamroll un-savvy Brooklanders, but ran the risk of alienating the crowd when she called the Welcome to Brookland bridge mural “dreadful graffiti.” The gasps in the room were audible- that mural is pretty well-loved, including by this Brooklander. Many thanks to Brookland Avenue and Jason Lloyd Clement for their invaluable Twitter-reporting from the meeting.

‘Welcome to Brookland’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’

In Eckington, there’s great consternation (and more than a little punchiness) over the development of a project called “Alexan NoMa West.” The 600+ unit development is being built on a privately-owned field that had been used as a dog park by residents of Eckington. Despite being a residential development in the Eckington neighborhood, it’s being called “NoMa” because it’s within the boundaries of the NoMa Business Improvement District, and was to be called “West” because it’s on the western side of Harry Thomas Way. Phase 2 of the project (NoMa East) was to be on the east side. Now that NoMa East has been canceled, the “West” is to be dropped from the project’s name. Eckington residents have so far been unsuccessful at convincing the developers to add Eckington to the name. Despite the neighborhood’s history, the developers argue that the businesses financing the project were more familiar with the NoMa construction than with Eckington. (Which is a damn dirty shame, if I may editorialize for a moment.)

This community frustration with the “NoMa” construction led to a pretty entertaining round of oneupsmanship on the Eckington list, in which everyone tried to come up with a more awkward and geographically-imaginative nickname for their neighborhood than the last, such as:

• NOMAWIE (NOrth of MAss - West Inside Eckington)
• noma sonhampshirewie eobloomdl

This, in my opinion, is the neighborhood mailing list at its finest; information is shared among neighbors and collective frustrations vented with good humor.

Michael: This weekend I will see two sonic titans in concert. On Friday night, I am going to check out DC/VA locals Dark Sea Dream. I do not know how this incredible sounding local band has slipped under my radar for so long, but Friday night is the night to fix that. I honestly cannot believe how unearthly these guys sound. It’s like the end of a My Bloody Valentine concert is where these guys begin! Sunday night I’ll be at the glorious return of Godspeed You Black Emperor at 9:30 Club. A lot has happened in the post-rock/post-metal universe since this Canadian collective defined the genre a decade ago. I am extremely curious to hear how their epic instrumentals sound after all of these years and how they stack up against all of the interesting bands they inspired.

Tom: Friday night, after a rehearsal at Strathmore, I’ll be toasting my friend Genie at the Passenger and her all too brief return to DC.  Saturday afternoon, we’ll be camped out at Iota working away with our crack design team on the next version of We Love DC, before John takes the stage with Juniper Lane in their Live EP release party.  Me, I’ll be singing with Choralis on Saturday night, as part of their Evening with Brahms concert at Strathmore. Tickets are still available for both.  Sunday? Garden work.  Gotta get the beds ready to plant, I’ve got seedlings in my basement ready to go!

Fedward: By the time you read this I’ll be well on my way to visit Fedward-mère et -père at the family estate in Tulsa. There I will honor my forebears in the traditional way, with visits to the Coney I-Lander and Quik Trip, and at least a half gallon of honorary Blue Bell Cookies ‘n Cream. (And a jaunt to the Apple Store with mom). Free of her ball and chain, the Social Chair will also be toasting Tom’s friend (and ours) Genie at the Passenger on Friday, and may well return there Sunday for brunch, as is our custom. Saturday after a work retreat she’ll either hit up DCist Exposed or Dino, or both.

’61/365′
courtesy of ‘ekelly80′

Rachel: Since my birthday is Monday, the weekend consists of prepping for it. Needless to say, I’m excited. Friday includes an attempt at finding the perfect little dress for the occasion with a shopping stint in Friendship Heights. If I don’t find anything Friday then that adventure will carry over to Saturday. Saturday also includes some rehearsal time for my two upcoming gigs (one on 3/29 and one on 4/2). Sunday’s a bit busier with the first Near Misses softball practice of 2011 before a special birthday dinner with my best friend and a trip to The Gibson for celebratory drinks.

Rebecca J: After last week’s jam packed schedule, this weekend I’m keeping it ultra low key. Friday I’ll head to the West End Cinema for the first time to catch the indie film “Biutiful” starring Javier Bardem and directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu of “21 Grams” and “Babel” fame. Saturday I’m volunteering for the Stoddert Garden Community Work Day, where we’ll be building the foundation for the school’s 4000 sq ft garden that will include raised beds for edibles, a herb garden, a native plant area, a shaded teaching area and much more. If you’re interested in helping out, then sign up on the garden’s blog. Sunday, soccer season kicks off with an early morning 8am game. No sleeping in for this teenager ;)

Dave (O’Levy for the day): After a week starting a new job in a new city, I’m pretty happy to come back to DC and catch up on the things I missed out on with friends and bar patrons alike. Depending on when my flight gets in, I may venture out to Bayou to meet up and watch some college hockey with some fellow BC alums, but at the least, I’ll watch some hoops and enjoy the best late night special in Arlington at Piola ($12 pizza and beer, perfect for that Catholic looking for a filling Lenten meat-free meal). Saturday will be all about basketball, watching in and out through the afternoon intermixed with the United Social Sports end of Skeeson party for Snakes on a Lane.

‘A Twinkle in His Eye’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’

Patrick Palafox: This Friday I’m heading over to the Rock and Roll Hotel to see a long time friend perform in the Baltimore based band Soul Cannon. His name is Jon and he rocks the keys. The last time I saw him we were kids and he showed me his keyboard and had crazy skills. I was so inspired that I ordered my mother to buy me a keyboard. She did and then I attempted to make some music, but actually got addicted to a playing a pre-recorded song on the keyboard and would play it over and over. Sufficit to say I do not know how to play the keyboard, but I’m excited to see my friend play his.

Today, Metro announced plans to “realign” service on the Blue and Yellow lines (actually on the Orange line too, but we’ll get to that) as a way to relieve some of the pressure of people transferring between the Blue and Orange lines at Rosslyn, prepare for the Dulles Metro extension, and “realign service to match changing ridership market.” The changes are planned to take effect in June 2012, meaning you have plenty of time to think through the implications for your commute.

The full report and presentation are worth a read for you Metro geeks, but for those of you who just want to know how it’s going to affect you, here’s the summary: Metro is trying to get suburban riders out of your way.

During peak times, 1/3 of Blue Line trains will be rerouted across the Yellow Line bridge, continuing on to Greenbelt, which will divert a bunch of rush hour transfers to the Orange Line from Rosslyn, where they were causing crush problems, to L’Enfant Plaza, which is a larger station that can handle the volume better. This also means that 1/3 of peak Blue Line trains will be more or less Yellow Line trains with a different origin point.

To accommodate Orange Line riders who might otherwise have transferred at Rosslyn to those rerouted Blue Line trains, Metro will add 3 trains per peak hour, but those trains will go from West Falls Church to Largo Town Center instead of to New Carrolton. So at the eastern end of the line, the additional Orange Line trains will basically be Blue Lines.

The full report has tons of stats on what this change is intended to accomplish. I think the most telling stats are that at peak times and segments, the Passenger Per Car load on the Orange Line is 106, while other lines peak PPC ranges from 89-94. At 89, the Blue Line’s peak PPC is tied with Green for lowest. Metro’s desired peak PPC is <100, and this move is expected to reduce the Orange Line’s peak PPC to 90, while only increasing the Blue Line’s to 93.

If Metro’s projections are correct (and let’s be honest, that’s a big if, but most of us are not in a position to second-guess), it seems like a pretty effective way to reduce the Orange Crush, make the Blue Line more effective, and make transferring between lines easier.

Of course, it’s also change, and change is hard, particularly since this change strikes at the heart of what I consider to be one of the most important factors in Metro’s navigability: Metro trains only have one route. Oh sure, your Metro train may not go all the way to the end of the line, but it never takes off in a completely different direction than you expect. These changes will mean you may have to pay more attention to where your train terminates during rush hour.

Personally, I think that’s a small price to pay if the expected benefits materialize. Metro’s passenger studies determined that riders frequently use the screens on the front and side of trains to gain needed navigation information already, and that they were already accustomed to paying attention to endpoints, so they believe that an Orange Line train labeled “Largo” will be sufficient on a day-to-day basis (obviously there will be a huge communications blitz leading up to these changes).

But that’s my perspective as someone who recently gave up her car and does most of her weekday travel around the city by bus. Read the report and tell us what you think in the comments.

Tiff: With Tom out of town I’m rolling single-style and already my weekend is overflowing into this week. Tonight there’s the DC Web Women <RELOAD> Happy Hour at Science Club (you see what they did there). Tomorrow, there’s DJ lil’e's Lady Gaga vs. Madonna vs. Kylie dance party at the 9:30 Club. It’s sold out, but at e’s last sold-out 9:30 gig, they re-opened the box office as people started to trickle out later in the night, so there’s still hope. Saturday is all about me time: haircut, movies, food Tom doesn’t like… expect to see me wandering around Gallery Place, is what I’m saying. Sunday I’m going all domesticated and baking some shortbread for a friend’s tea party (the kind with actual tea, not the political kind) before putting on my finery (or what passes for it) and nibbling finger sandwiches.

Patrick Palafox: This weekend I’m thinking about heading down to Takoma Park and checking out The Electric Mayhem Comedy Hour that’s happening over at the Electric Maid at 268 Carrol St. NW. this Friday. This will be their third show and all they ask is for a $5 donation. That’s a bit steep for a comedy show, but I think I will drop down the cash, because I’m rich.

Marissa: Another hectic week under my belt and I’m looking forward to the weekend! Not surprisingly, I have a weekend of food lined up for me. Saturday night I’ll be grabbing dinner by Eastern Market at Jordan’s 8 because steak + sushi = greatness. Sunday will be a day of food coverage as I’m interviewing chef Teddy Diggs from Ripple (stay tuned for that Capital Chefs feature…) and then I’m off to cover Cochon 555. Mmmm, bacon.

‘PTL!’
courtesy of ‘pablo.raw’

Rebecca J: Friday I’m headed to garmentDISTRICT, a temporium program in Shaw, providing a unique space for local designers and artists to display and sell their work. The event which runs through March, 20 is also holding sewing classes. Saturday, I’m headed to a going away party at The Big Hunt, which I haven’t been to in FOREVER. I hope to try their latest on taps: Brooklyn Main Engine Start BIPA, Bell’s Batch 10,000, Oliver’s Ironman and Oscar Blues Gordon. Sunday, I’m heading over to the Washington Animal Rescue League to see if there’s a perfect feline match for me. Fingers crossed!

Max: There are some awesome things going on in the local art world this weekend and I plan to hit as many of them as possible.  On Friday, Irvine Contemporary hosts the opening of “Image/Fame/Memory” which is a must see, featuring photography by Curtis Knapp, Gerard Malanga, Billy Name, and Kate Simon as well as work by Shepard Fairey.  Saturday, after a cast screening for a short film I’m collaborating on, I’ll be heading to the Select WPA 2011 Art Auction Gala where I’ll hopefully be purchasing some great artwork to support one of my favorite local organizations.  Also that night is the opening for “Fridge 5” featuring work by some great street artists at the Fridge gallery on Capitol Hill.  As usual, Sunday will be a recovery day filled with brunch, naps, and more naps.

Fedward: Friday night the Social Chair will be showing off her new engagement ring to some friends who live near Eastern Market, so I think that means Tunnicliff’s Tavern. On Saturday we’ll be joining other friends at the new National Pinball Museum, followed by more Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire at the AFI Silver Theatre (this one is CAREFREE, with Ralph Bellamy in a classic Baxter role). We might then stay in downtown Silver Spring to catch one of the last performances of Forum Theatre’s ONE FLEA SPARE. And then on Sunday we get sucked into the wedding industrial complex with a trip to Crate and Barrel. At least it’s not Costco.

‘not exactly Romulan ale’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99′

Addison: Friday, I’m heading to the Caps game against the Hurricanes, which means that some drinking will have to happen before and after. Most likely RFD and Merkamo or stay a little more local and sample the supposedly excellent pizza at Pupatella in Arlington. Saturday night is guys night out to celebrate a friend’s recent promotion. We have a limo and a stack of singles to keep us entertained for the night. I will need to relax a little on Sunday, so what better activity that popping off a few dozen rounds at Blue Ridge Arsenal in the morning and getting brunch afterward.

Michael: I’m hoping to stock up on rest this weekend because next week has a plethora of amazing shows for me. That said, I cannot resist Smith Westerns at Rock & Roll Hotel on Friday night. Their sophomore album “Dye It Blonde” is incredible and I think this show will live up to the high expectations it has fostered.

Tom: The first warm weekend of the year looks to be a wet one, so I’ll be mostly plotting to stay inside. Friday night I’ll be out at Iron Horse celebrating a friend who is starting her first business next week (Congratulations, Cheryl!) and Saturday afternoon we’ll be jaunting over to Siné for drinks with area sportsblogger WFY to talk about the future of the Nationals and get ready for the first telecasts and radiocasts of the year.  Sunday means bottomless mimosa at Rustik DC, followed by preparing for another long week of blogging.

Patrick Palafox: I love animated movies and am going to see Rango. In this film, Johhny Depp expands his repertoire of characters and completely transforms his persona into a digital chameleon. I heard that Johnny Depp lived among lizards in the desert for a whole month to really dive into his character. I truly appreciate any actor that takes the time to be the animal they portray. I’m sick of all these actors that do the voices for creatures and they don’t even do the animals any justice. I put rubber bands on my hands and swam in my neighbor’s pool for an entire day in order to do my lobster voice for the indy film Patrick Palafox’s American Lobster. My mom gave that film two thumbs up and a bowl of ice cream.

‘More of Glen Echo…’
courtesy of ‘Roger Photos’

Rebecca J: It’s been one helluva week, so Friday I’ll be renting “Waiting for Superman,” the documentary analyzing the failures of American public education by following several students through the educational system. The documentary features Washington DC, fifth grader Anthony and former DCPS chancellor Michelle Rhee. Saturday, I’m headed NW of the district to check out the Purcellville Community Market and the legendary Leesburg outlets. Sunday I’ve got family from abroad in town, so I’ll take them to the National Portrait Gallery followed by a stroll down to the Mall and White House.

Marissa: Friday I’ll hopefully be starting off the weekend by relaxing and grabbing drinks with some friends. Maybe we’ll try somewhere new or just end up at Local 16 like we so often do. Saturday, I plan on checking out the Mt. Pleasant Temporium that Rebecca Gross wrote about a little while back. Sunday will be a lot of cooking and a fun little photoshoot for my blog, with my best friend’s coworker, Kristina Hopper. Her other photos look great, so I’m really looking forward to cooking some good food and taking wonderful pictures!

Rachel: Tom and I will be joining our friend Cheryl (aka Mrs. Nats News Network/Caps News Network) to celebrate her new role as a full-time, professional photographer with happy hour drinks at Iron Horse. (Congrats, Cheryl!) Saturday night, I’ll be back at the Verizon Center checking out the Wizards vs. the Timberwolves. You can follow that action via @welovedcsports. Then, Sunday will be spent outlining the “Nats Fans Are People Too” calendar for the spring/summer If you’re a die-hard Nats fan who would like to be featured, please do get in touch. I’ll also be looking for venues to book future shows in D.C. Right now, The Velvet Lounge and Rock ‘N Roll Hotel are on my radar, but if you think of anywhere good, let me know in the comments.

‘spring is coming’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99′

Tiff: A college friend who has spent most of her time in small towns is in town this weekend, so I’ll be spending some time playing tour guide; it’s always refreshing to see the city with someone who isn’t from a city. Visits to the various Smithsonian museums will probably happen, though I may try to sneak in some time to see the rest of the Maximum India festival at the Kennedy Center. Last week, the bottomless mimosas at Rustik nearly derailed my Sunday, and if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

The Committee on Public Works and Transportation, chaired by Council Member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), has completed the initial investigation into the District’s fleet management practices, launched as a response to the controversy surrounding Council Chair Kwame Brown’s city-provided, “fully loaded” Lincoln Navigator.

In 2002, the District passed a law forbidding the procurement of SUVs or any vehicle rated at less than 22 miles per gallon, unless it’s for emergency, security, rescue, or an armored vehicle. Since that time, the District has obtained 42 such prohibited vehicles, including the two involved in Navigatorgate.

The report, released this morning, also calls for additional investigation into who is driving these vehicles. Under District law, only the Mayor may have an on-staff driver, and any other assignment of District employees to act as chauffeurs must be approved in writing either by the Mayor or by the appropriate agency head, depending on the situation.

I encourage you to read the report for yourself; it’s only a few pages long, and is pretty hair-raising stuff when it gets to the part about how many vehicles remain unaccounted for.

Rebecca J.: Friday I’m headed to the Black Cat to catch Fred Armisen perform where I’m hoping for some salutes to his Gov. Paterson and Barrack impressions. After that we’ll head to the basement of Cafe St. Exwhich always gets crazy. On Saturday, as I’m headed to a “Look At This Fucking Hipster” party in the evening, the day will be spent scavenging thrifts shops for the most absurd hipster get up imaginable. I’m already scared to see the bf in skin tight tapered pants. Yowsa! After the wild and craziness of Friday and Saturday, Sunday will be all about relaxing, recovering and watching all things Oscar.

Jenn: It could be an art-filled weekend, starting tonight with ARTventures on H where from 5:30-8pm you can wander through 13 galleries on H Street NE for an art walk that not only gets you culture but also gets you fed – for every gallery you enter, your “passport” is stamped to get you 12% off participating H Street hotspots from 7-9:30pm. Total happiness. Also worth a stop at some point is Rosemary Feit Covey’s exhibit “Death of the Fine Art Print” at Morton Fine Art, where you can see how this provocative artist is stepping out of her comfort zone in a fascinating way. Continue combining art with food by hitting Locolat next door for an evil waffle-burger (yes, it’s a burger with waffles for a bun, topped with beer-saturated cheese. I told you, evil!). Ok, you could also just have a regular Belgian waffle but either way, go for the decadence this weekend.

Katie: Friday night my adorable boyfriend has sworn he will switch things up and make ME dinner for a change, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he comes up with. Saturday, I’m heading over to Brookland to meet up with some ex-colleagues from a former job, and have been promised waffles and mimosas. Then, after delicious brunch and lots of catching up, the best thing EVER will happen: SLUMBER PARTAY! I’m hosting a junior-high style sleepover for all my closest girlfriends at my house. I’m decorating with ridiculous amounts of crepe paper, and turning the entire living room floor into one big puppy pile on a blow up mattress, while we watch Sex and the City and Audrey Hepburn movies. We’re ordering cheesy, goey, greasy pizza and eating raw cookie dough and making margaritas and drinking champagne. We’ll stay up late and talk about boys, playing MASH and truth or dare. In the morning, after little to no sleep, we’ll drag ourselves out of bed and my friends and I will make pancakes before their parents, I mean boyfriends, come to pick them up. We’ll probably still be tired at school on Monday.

‘Lucy :)’
courtesy of ‘Dan Dan The Binary Man’

Rachel: As lame as it sounds, I’m taking Friday night for a Girl’s Night-In … party of one. I’ll be catching up with my good friend Kurt Vonnegut, my laptop and Word Press in attempt to clense my mind and churn out some good, old fashioned copy for a few articles I’ve been trying to finish. Saturday I’ll likely venture to Friendship Heights for a stroll near and around the shops on Wisconsin Avenue near Jennifer Street and then stop a spot for brunch. I’m thinking Chadwick’s might be the winner of my brunch heart for the day, but we’ll see. Saturday night you’ll be able to find me live tweeting from @welovedcsports while I cover the Wizards-Mavericks game at the Verizon Center. Sunday, my Yelp DC friend and I will finally take on the Luther at Churchkey (something my fellow We Love DC’ers have already partaken in). I’m very much looking forward to it.

Tom: Busy weekend ahead! With the Nationals Spring Training about to turn to playing the game rather than just practicing it, it’s time to get out the stat books and write the spring previews, so look for me with a copy of the Baseball Encyclopedia (more likely Baseball-Reference.com) and the blogs of Adam Kilgore, Ben Goessling, Craig Heist, and Mark Zuckerman, while I sip coffee down at Peregrine Espresso.  Sunday I’ll be working on my garden: indoors planting seeds under the grow light. No officer, those are vegetables, not marijuana!  What, do I look like a CBS bureau chief?

Dave: I’m actually setting off on a bit of a day adventure come Saturday, as I’ll get into a car and make the trek to Charlottesville for the afternoon to watch UVA hoops take on my alma mater. Once back, I’m going to do the normal Sunday brunch routine, except moving along to one of the best brunches in Arlington at Liberty Tavern with a good friend from grad school. I’m trying to save up some energy for a big March.

‘Library of Congress Main Reading Room Dome’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

Paulo: I’ve got Venice on the brain, and it’s because this weekend I plan to go see the National Gallery’s Venice: Canaletto and his Rivals: an exhibit of vedute, view paintings of the 18th Century Venetian cityscape. Canaletto was known for a rougher, less precise style of brushwork than was common for landscapes of his day, producing paintings with a distinctly darker, moodier appearance than most — a visual style that in some ways foreshadowed impressionism, accentuated by his selection of lesser known parts of Venice as subjects. This made him more of an outlier amongst Venetian artists, but well-sought after by visiting youths seeking a more distinctive souvenir of the Grand Tour than the usual vedute painting.

Dave: Have you seen the weather report? Give me a patio on Friday afternoon and watch out. Whether or not it’sactually spring, I’m going to pretend it is. I have to take it pretty easy, though: to truly ring in the President’s Day weekend, I’m going to don a giant President’s costume as I cover the Nationals Racing Presidents auditions this weekend (look for that full story on Monday). From there, it’ll be a little more normal – perhaps a little extended brunching on Sunday with the benefit of the Monday holiday.

Patrick Palafox: I’m going to go to the DC Improv this Sunday to take my first class of their Five Minutes to Funny Course, which is where Brad and Ralph met before having their Awesome Thursdays at R.F.D. Open Mic. Looking forward to learning more about the art of making people laugh. My best joke so far is I put my hand on somebody’s arm pit and give them a tickle. It works every time, but will also lead to jail. I need to tickle people without actually touching them.

Ashley: This weekend I’ll be trying something totally (not) different — lots of eating. To prepare my belly for the food fest as well as to break in some hiking boots for a badass trek I’m doing in a few months, I’ll be enjoying the nice weather Friday on a hike, most likely the Billy Goat Trail. To congratulate myself on all that walking, I’ll be continuing my birthday celebrations with friends at Agora on that night, where I will eat my weight intaramosalata. Then Saturday morning, I’m venturing to H St. to try the new brunch at Dr. Granville Moore’s for mo(o)re birthday fun. Saturday night, a high school friend’s band, Awesome New Republic, is doing a show atRock and Roll Hotel that I wouldn’t dream of missing. Sunday will hopefully involve a little more boot breaking in, and finally dinner at Ripple with dear Marissa for a “meeting”, where I’m sure we will discuss tons of important things like boys and Gossip Girl.

‘lincoln shadow’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99′

Rebecca J.: Friday I’m headed over to James Hoban’s in Dupont for some happy hour pints and, although I’ve been trying to be good, chicken fingers. Knowing the crowd that I’m going with, we’ll likely work our way toKitchen in Glover Park and then hit up Z-Burger for a cheesesteak. Saturday I’m off for a belated Valentine’s dinner at The Palm, and depending on the weather, hopefully a romantic stroll up Massachusetts Avenue. Sunday morning I’ll start by trips back to the Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market to pick up my weekly produce and head over to Eastern Market for a cup of coffee and perusal of the stands and goods.

Marissa: This weekend I am vowing to use the Stroga yoga pass I purchased ages ago and get my downward dog on. I also have lofty aspirations of joining a gym with cardio kickboxing classes…so uh, throw those recommendations my way, I make no promised to actually act on them. Saturday, I’m hopeful that I’ll eat at least one meal at Bar Pilar. As Ashley said, she and I will probably discuss reality TV over charcuterie atRipple this Sunday. And maybe, if ambition strikes, I’ll come up with a recipe to enter in that coconut cakecontest I wrote about earlier. I will need taste testers.

Patrick Pho: I’m starting off my weekend with a Happy Hour with friends at The Park at Fourteenth on Friday. I’ll admit that I don’t normally go to swanky places but my friend just got a job there and it’s not like I don’t enjoy the finer things in life every once in awhile. Which is also why I’ll be attending the birthday party of a dear friend on Saturday at another fancy place: Dirty Martini. I’ll be rolling deep, and by deep I mean my roommates and me. I don’t know what I’m going to wear yet but I’m sure I might have to wear a tie. I’ll end my weekend over at West End Cinema working on my final Oscar Watch piece for next week.

‘Barrel House’
courtesy of ‘Pappa91′

Fedward: It’s closing weekend for Marcus; Or the Secret of Sweet at Studio, so that will be my Friday night, closed off with one of Adam Bernbach’s excellent examples of the gin and tonic at Estadio (I’m not yet to the point of trying the recipe at home). Saturday I’m attending wedding and maybe getting roped into singing at their open mic reception, and after all that sweetness I’m sure I’ll need a Bitter End at the bar at Palena. Sunday I’ll be picking up snacks at Rodman’s before a quiet evening at home. And Monday, glorious Monday, I’ll find myself with a rare day off, which I’ll be spending at the National Building Museum for the exhibits “LEGO® Architecture: Towering Ambition” and “Designing Tomorrow: America’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s.”

Rachel: I’ll be spending my weekend at National Harbor and am hoping to check out some of the fine entertainment (etc.) the Gaylord National has to offer … in addition to the pretty, pretty water. Plus — it’s supposed to be absolutely gorgeous this weekend, so a nice stroll around the harbor sounds calming and ideal. Sunday evening, I’m hoping to make it to the Washington Performing Arts Society‘s presentation of the WPAS Men, Women, and Children of the Gospel Choir at the Kennedy Center. This is the first time that The Choral Arts Society of Washington and WPAS’ Men, Women, and Children of the Gospel Choirs will be combined, creating a choir of 300 singers to commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It should be a particularly passionate show. I’m looking forward to it.

Tiff: This weekend involves a World Cup o’ Foosball tournament in Clarendon. Where in Clarendon? You got me. The organizers haven’t decided yet. But with the achingly gorgeous weather we are currently being teased with, I hope it’s someplace with a patio. Sunday, no doubt, will be spent assisting Tom in preparing the backyard for this year’s victory garden. If you’re planning on any urban gardening, I recommend you do that too.

‘Green Glowing Sphere Thingy’
courtesy of ‘kimberlyfaye’

Council Member David Catania (I-At Large) introduced a bill yesterday to allow pharmacists to dispense oral contraceptives to patients without a prescription from a doctor. The bill is intended to increase access to contraception among patient populations who may not be able to afford the office visit to have a doctor prescribe it.

Specifically, the bill would authorize the DC Boards of Pharmacy and Medicine (the bodies which issue licenses to pharmacists and doctors, respectively) to come up with some rules to govern the process by which pharmacists could dispense hormonal birth control without a prescription.

According to the Post, the program under consideration might involve collaboration with doctors similar to the District’s pharmacist-administered-vaccines program.

Under that program, pharmacists must first obtain an additional certification beyond their pharmacy license from the DC Board of Pharmacy to administer immunizations. Then they must work with doctors to actually provide vaccines to patients, but there are two tiers of this collaboration. For most vaccinations (like your basic school immunizations, or travel vaccines), the specific pharmacist (not the pharmacy) must have permission from specific doctors to administer specific vaccines to their particular patients, either by prescription or by standing order. But for influenza and pneumococcal vaccines, pharmacists can get permission from one DC-licensed physician to administer those to all the pharmacist’s patients, 18 or 0ver.

So it’s not clear yet which way the Boards would choose to go in setting the rules for how hormonal contraception would be administered, or if they would choose, for example, to choose the more doctor-restricted approach for things like the patch and the ring, while going with a looser set of rules for the pill.

Disclosure: I am employed by a professional association for pharmacists. This article is entirely my own work and opinion and should not be construed as the opinion of, or an endorsement by, my employer.