‘My Trusty Gavel’
courtesy of ‘steakpinball’

Yesterday’s council vote on the gay marriage bill was after what’s known as the first reading of the bill, and it’s only the first of two necessary before the matter goes to the mayor for a signature. The Post and others have specifically mentioned that, to their credit.

However they keep flubbing one minor point: while the rules require that the second reading happen no sooner than 14 days later, that’s contingent on their being a meeting then. According to Michael Battle, legislative assistant to Phil Mendelson, the laws have to pass at a legislative meeting and the regularly scheduled one isn’t till the new year. “Traditionally,” Battle said, “the Council has an additional meeting in December.  It has not yet been decided if there will be an additional meeting in December.  You would need to check back at the end of next week to be certain.”

The end of week he’s referring to is presumably because that’s when the DC Register is published. According to the council rules for period 18[pdf], “15 days notice by publication in the District of Columbia Register is required prior to” holding a legislative meeting. That’s not necessary in the case of emergency legislation or for enacting internal council rules, but that doesn’t apply here.

If the council publishes notice of a special legislative session on this Friday the 4th, the soonest they should hold a legislative meeting and do the second reading of the gay marriage bill is on Monday the 21st. However there’s a loophole big enough to drive a truck through  in this clause:  “Less than 15 days notice of intended action or for a hearing on a bill or resolution may be given upon good cause found and published with the notice.”

It’s possible – and likely – that another session will be held before the new year. At that time they could give a second reading to this bill. However there’s not currently a legislative meeting scheduled for the 15th, and in fact there’s a committee of the whole meeting with its own agenda going on that day. So these repeated statements that there’s going to be a vote “in 15 days” is premature.

‘Date Night at the Legg Mason’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

I got word of this one too late for it to go in the Comedy in DC feature this morning, but it sounds like it might be interesting: the Arlington Drafthouse is holding “Laugh Match,” a comedy show/speed dating hybrid. It’s December 5th at 9:45PM.

After the comedy performance, host Helen Hong (E!, TLC) and the four other comedians match single audience members up together for quick speed-dates there in the room, complete with running commentary, musical chairs, etc.

Tickets are $15, and it sounds like it might be a fun thing for people who aren’t easily embarrassed.  And if you go, drop me an email (tiffany at we love dc dot com), because I want to talk to you about it.

Whether you’re a regular DCFBHH attendee in need of a reminder or you’re interested in putting a face to a name for some of your favorite local food bloggers, come have a beer! Tonight is officially the fourth Food Blogger Happy Hour to grace our fine city. Following on the heels of happy hours at Poste, CommonWealth and the Black Squirrel, this month local food bloggers are descending on ChurchKey, the latest 14th street hot spot.

The happy hour is hosted by Modern Domestic, Capital Spice, Dining in DC, Gradually Greener, Capital Cooking, Young and Hungry, and WeLoveDC. Even if you can’t make it tonight for a beer, pop by these sites to see what the locals are saying about DC food.

If you’re interested in attending, RSVP on Young and Hungry’s site, who’s accepting RSVPs for this month’s happy hour. If you can’t make it, check back for next month’s location (always the first Wednesday).

‘Spices in the Spice/Egyptian Bazaar’
courtesy of ‘acaaron816’

If so, here’s your opportunity. Local social entrepreneur John Sorial is looking for about 50 people to help refine some menus for a specialty food line of Middle Eastern entrees. You show up and eat a free meal in exchange for providing some honest feedback.

I asked John what restaurants he’d say served similar cuisine, hoping to provide you some guidance about whether it’s something  you’d like. “I don’t know of any high profile restaurants that feature authentic Egyptian cuisine. ” He says that in a pinch you could think of it as somewhat of a mash-up of Lebanese Taverna, Zaytina and Cava Mezza.

All you really need is an interest in the cuisine of that region. Familiarity is almost a downside for their purposes. “Many Egyptians have biases for how it should taste according to what they grew up eating… we are looking for “virgin palettes” if you will,” Sorial says.

If you’re game for a little taste-testing and socializing send an email to John at johnsorial at yahoo dot com. The event will be Thursday at 7:30pm on the 17th of December and will kick off with an explanation of the venture, followed quickly by the tasting and talking. It’s out in Fairfax at St Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church, so it’ll be a bit of a drive from the city, but did I mention free?

‘Gingerbread House’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

Tonight is the Gingertown buildout at David M. Schwarz Architects. What’s Gingertown? Imagine a city of gingerbread houses, only instead of being designed and clumsily assembled by your 3 year old niece and your dad from a kit, the houses are designed by architects and built under their supervision. The city remains on display for a few days, and then the individual structures are passed out to local charities, hospitals, and civic organizations for display at their offices.

The buildout event is tonight from 6:30 to 9:30 at the David M. Schwarz office, and you can sign up to participate at gingertown@dmsas.com.