‘Alive Alone’
courtesy of ‘ep_jhu’

Our first instinct was to sit on this so that crappy behavior didn’t negatively impact Thrive DC and the people who rely on them, but we’re just going to hope that the angels of everyone’s better nature are stronger than the snark & jerk angels.

Some of The Real World DC crew will be volunteering at Thrive tonight from 4pm on into the evening, preparing and serving meals for the homeless who Thrive feed every day. If you’re rolling your eyes right now and thinking it’s just a cynical producer-driven publicity stunt, well, SHUT THE HELL UP AND GET OVER YOURSELF.

Personally I don’t care if anyone volunteers or donates out of love, hate, shame, pride, pity, fear, loathing, or because the Flying Spaghetti Monster told them to. Thrive serves people in need and for an evening some of the RWDC cast will be a part of that. Good. If you think they’re just there for publicity and as a stunt then feel free to go to the above links and be a more lasting part of the solution.

‘cuddle up’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

Got a story in our inbox today that is terrifying, weird, and also strangely humorous all at once. There’s a dude wandering around Georgetown, knocking on the doors of group houses, occasionally with a case of beer in his hand, saying he’s there to visit one of the roommates, and then heading in the bedroom of one of the female occupants to get on top of her, and in some cases, attempts to rape her. They call him the “Georgetown Cuddler,” and as the City Paper’s Sexist blog notes, this creep really needs a new nickname.

While the whole “I’m here to see your roommate” schtick seems to be a new development, it indicates a guy who thinks he can count on ballsiness combining with the tendency of group house occupants to stay out of each others’ business as far as who is coming and going in and out of the house. This technique, at least, is easy to thwart- not with a weapon, or bars on your windows, but a little something your mom would call manners. No, I’m serious.

Some guy shows up your house, says he’s there to see your roommate?  WHY WOULD YOU LET THIS STRANGER INTO YOUR HOUSE?  Why not engage in a little social grace? “Oh, hi, I’m Tiffany. Your name is?  And who are you here to see? Stay right here, I’ll go call her…”

Seriously. This attacker is wearing normal-guy clothes and counting on being not-that-memorable, because you’ve long since forgotten about that dude who came to see your roommate by the time you know anything is wrong. So make it a point to know who is coming in and out of your house, and he won’t be able to count on that.

DoD’s common access card

WTOP has a story that leads with “Preliminary discussions are underway for a pilot program that will let federal workers and contractors use their employee identification cards to pay Metro fares, Federal News Radio reports.” That’s apparently an over-statement, as the (very preliminary) discussion is simply a part of DoD’s efforts to expand the use of their hoitsy-toitsy ID cards into the public space.  Known as the Common Access Card, the technology is purportedly flexible enough to store a lot of biometric information and be used in non-military/defense settings.

The aspect of the Federal News Radio story that WTOP is referencing comes at the end, where they make mention of a pilot program with transit systems in Salt Lake City. There’s a clear motivation for the DoD to make this happen – they identify over 35,000 employees who receive a transit subsidy. If they can tie them to the employee’s ID card they can reduce the possibility of fraud. Current SmartBenefits systems simply tie the electronic refills to a SmarTrip card which someone could lend to others.

Less clear is why WMATA would want to spend any money on this when their current payment system still languishes. Seven months after they discontinued paper transfers and required the use of a SmarTrip card to get transfer discounts they still don’t have any automatic recurring or online methods for refilling the cards. It’s impossible to say right now what additional functionality this open payment system would have – the RFP on the WMATA website is apparently damaged and not opening. Perhaps it solves their credit card payment issues as well.

‘copperhead-snake-wildlife_8’
courtesy of ‘forestgladesiwander’

Let’s just assume I have a witty “I am so tired of these m-f-ing snakes on this m-f-ing [noun]!” joke and move on, okay?  Fox5 reports that there have been two unrelated incidents of copperhead snakes biting pedestrians in SE. Copperheads are an indigenous species in this area, so this is the kind of thing that can happen, so here are some quick facts:

You’ll never remember all the specific details about copperhead coloring, so just remember that it’s supposed to help them blend in with dead leaves on a forest floor. So lots of different shades of brown, including, you know, copper. At the head. Continue reading →

‘If Poop Grew On Trees’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

Howard Kurtz reported today that WaPo has killed Mouthpiece Theater. As you can imagine, I am crushed.

Shoofa, courtesy of Me

I was alerted to this a few days ago by the very seductive website, Free App Alert. Personally I have a hard time believing anyone ever spent money for this app, but for free it’s worth a shot. Shoofa is basically just a coupon service for various local restaurants and bars but it uses the iPhone and its location awareness to provide them.

In theory you’ve got to be bold enough to feel comfortable holding up your phone to show your server what the deal is but in scrolling through some of the offerings ($2.50 drafts from 4-630P Monday & Friday at Mango Mikes, 2 for 1 appetizers at Cap City Brewing from 4-7p weekdays) sure look like standard advertised items. Which is fine – the app nicely shows you who has a deal and how far away they are, even providing a map link and phone number hotkey.

Kora, courtesy of Me

If you’re nostalgic for the dearly departed Farrah Olivia you can breathe a little easier next week: on August 10th Koru will open to the public in the old Bebo space in Crystal City.

Thrillist is reporting that the restaurant opens today but Open Table is still not taking reservations and a call to the listed phone number confirms that they open this coming Monday. Farrah Olivia fans will be happy to know that Morou will continue to drive the food direction and Heather Quattara will manage, just like old times. Thrillist says another tradition is kept up: Koru is the name of their youngest daughter where Farrah Olivia was named for their oldest.

Andy Roddick by Not enough megapixels

Sorry for the late notice, folks, but if you happened to buy tickets to see Andy Roddick play Tuesday night (which he didn’t – he’s playing tonight), you’re in luck.  Between 11am and 1pm today, the tournament organizers will be giving out 150 free tickets at the Lacoste store in Georgetown.  You must show a ticket stub from Tuesday night’s match to qualify.  Andy announced the ticket giveaway yesterday on his Twitter account (@andyroddick) for his loyal fans, so be sure to hurry if you want a chance at those tickets!

‘Phillips First Thursdays’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

Tomorrow night The Phillips Collection is hosting the first of its weekly “Phillips After 5” programs in August (the “After 5” program is usually year round on the first Thursday of the month). While I’m told the lines won’t compare to the Hirshhorn After Hours program (thank god!), The Phillips Collection has a good thing going for them.

Admission into the Collection’s latest exhibit, Paint Made Flesh (about $12), will earn you access to the post-work entertainment, food and cash-bar. From 5 to 8:00 p.m Minor Thoughts featuring Maureen Mullaney will get you feeling their jazz. And try not to let the Play Night Actors – who integrate themselves into the crowd – fool you. Located a block from the Dupont metro stop (North exit!) at 21st and Q, The Phillips Collection is a convenient spot to swing by on your way home.

The Paint Made Flesh exhibition, if you haven’t already checked it out, would be worth going to see even if there were no After 5 program. (The Phillips Collection is really just sweetening the deal!) The Paint Made Flesh exhibit looks at how oil paint changed the way painters were able to convey the human body. There are many very intriguing paintings from various periods, and each painting has a wonderful description of the work alongside, helping to weave a powerful story. Continue reading →

I’ve never bothered to comment on the embarrassment that is WaPo’s little video foray, Mouthpiece Theater, because… well, I didn’t want to accidentally cause someone to see it and suffer the way I had. They got more attention than they deserve last week, however, when Milbank (half of the un-comedy duo from the vids) decided to obliquely call Hillary Clinton a bitch just for yuks. So if you really want to see their shtick it wouldn’t be hard to google up now.

However I found this gem today which I think pretty accurately conveys the quality and thoughtfulness of MT and has the added advantage of actually being amusing. I see a lot of stuff online that unfairly takes swipes at traditional media and ignores their contributions but this is pretty spot-on in mocking their attempts at … relevance? I don’t even know what they’re aiming for in making MT.

Lleyton Hewitt by Max Cook

Contributed by Paula Schumann

Last night at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, the weather was perfect for the first round of the tournament. The crowds are definitely growing and the matches are getting more interesting.

Continue reading →