day203 :: year two
Originally uploaded by erin*carly

Reader Mike Wilkinson asks us to warn you that MPD seems to be aggressively targeting jaywalkers lately. He saw 6 people get ticketed at 14th and P last week.

Thanks for the tip! You can send us info, or just enjoy our occasionally witty musings, by following us on Twitter.

DSC_1816
Originally uploaded by Ghost_Bear

So today is, apparently, (according to all my shopping sources) the biggest day of online sales. Ever.

I did a little investigative work, and this proves to be true. There are about a billion coupon codes out there, waiting to give you free shipping, 10, 20 or 30% off, etc. etc. You know the drill.

DC Scout also informs me that there are plenty of local sales, Bluemercury, Carine’s Bridal, and my favorite local traveling boutique, Forever Heather is having a Winter Trunk Show soon.

So get your holiday shopping done online, and take advantage of the pre-holiday sale-ageddon.

DSC_0220
Originally uploaded by Ghost_Bear

I’m not sure I like the idea, but Maryland is switching the payment method on unemployment benefits from checks to a prepaid debit card. They’re saying it’ll save them $400,000 in printing & postage, but I fear that fraud would go up, as I suspect they’re more theft-prone in this current state.

Plus, do we really need to stigmatize these folks when they use the cards in public? Or will a Maryland Unemployment Benefits Visa be the new caché method for paying in this new economy?

Recursive soup
Originally uploaded by gadl

If you get Daily Candy DC, you’ve seen this already, but it thrilled me so much I have to share here. Soupergirl will deliver vegetarian soup with locally-sourced ingredients to your home or office, or to a designated pickup location, every week. For a very reasonable price. And the soup sounds delicious. Also, she has very entertaining web copy.

I love making soup, but my repertoire is limited. Where has this been all my life?

Normally a tarty calendar with women on it means something different, but this one is put out by the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs organization and I’m betting is more likely to have silicone baking pans than… other… silicone things.

While WCR seems to be a national organization, lots of our local women chefs and their tips show up – the website lists Nora Pouillon of Dupont’s Nora, Jamie Leeds of Hank’s Oyster Bar, and Barbara Black of Blacksalt and Tracy O’Grady of WIllow.

They had me with Willow. You can grab the calendar online or – and this would be my vote – grab one when you go have dinner at one of the restaurants (*cough* Willow *cough*) listed at the website.

Beltway traffic 2
Originally uploaded by derang0

If you’ve not left for points outside of DC, don’t delay too much longer. WTOP’s Bob Marbourg is noting that rush hour could be quite horrifying, as traffic is slowly building up and slowing down. Choke points at the moment are mainly where lane merges and interchanges occur, with backups slowly building.

Also, at Reagan National, you’ve got some spaces still available. If you’ve got late flights, check this page for lot availability.

Happy travelling and be safe!

Sweets………..
Originally uploaded by LaTur

I know what you’re doing. You’re sitting in your cube as the day ticks by, surfing the Internet, waiting until you can finally leave to get on with your holiday plans. It’s okay, I won’t tell your boss.

So, what are your plans, anyway? Are you jumping into a car to drive home, knowing that the drive will take twice as long because that’s what EVERYONE is doing? Are you spending Thanksgiving here in the area? Are you one of the crazy ones actually hosting dinner? (And if so, your turkey should be in the brine NOW!)

I’m one of the crazy ones- I’ll be spending the afternoon getting last-minute supplies and cleaning my house in preparation to spend all of tomorrow cooking. Fortunately, we throw dinner parties all the time, so we’re more excited than stressed, but not everyone hosting their first Thanksgiving feels as prepared as we do.

Crescent Trail bridge
Originally uploaded by NCinDC

So you’re stuffed full of turkey, the kids are running around the house in circles, and it’s definitely time to take a hike. Literally.

My suggestions for post-dinner or Black Friday avoidance are some of our area’s best trails. Click on the links below to TrailLink.com for trail Google maps, user reviews and photos. Check them out:

1. The Capital Crescent Trail which runs from Bethesda to Georgetown
2. The Mount Vernon Trail which runs from Arlington way out to Mount Vernon
3. The W&OD trail which runs from waaay out in NOVA (Purcellville) into Arlington
4. Rock Creek Park trails

So, work off those calories on local trails! Your tummy and family will thank you. (And then add your pictures to the We Love DC pool on Flickr, of course.)

Inaugural 09 Hotel Madness…
Originally uploaded by dbking

Okay, so you live in an English basement apartment, or maybe a one room loft. You’re missing out on the whole inauguration rental deal. What do you do? Rent Yourself as a Verifier of Services. Smart. Brilliant, even. How do you know, coming to the DC area, that the place you’ve rented for a couple grand is even legit? That’s where this guy comes in. He checks out the short term landlords, he checks into some of your logistics, and makes it all work.

For a low, low fee, I’ll be glad to be your concierge while you’re here…

Turducken
Originally uploaded by tbridge

I went this afternoon to pickup our Turkey at Let’s Meat on the Avenue in Del Ray, and to my delight and surprise, they are selling Turducken for Thanksgiving. Not sure what Turducken is? Well, it’s a Turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken. You’re either reaching for the nearest trashcan, or you’re out the door to get this American delicacy.

Get out your wallet, though, it’s $6 a pound, with a 15lb target weight. But, I will vouch for Let’s Meat’s awesomeness, everything we’ve gotten from them has been nothing short of incredible.

image from WWTDD

One of my guiltier pleasures in life is “What Would Tyler Durden Do,” a website laden with snark and sarcasm that happens to revolve around celebrities. For about a nanosecond I considered linking to this story about Lohan and Ronson since the pictures are supposedly from a security camera in an area nightclub, then decided I couldn’t live with promoting gossip.

Till I noticed the cigarette. Now I have to ask – is the DC smoking ban being commonly flouted in the dance clubs or is this purely a celebrities-can-do-anything-they-want thing? I’m more a bar with a jukebox guy than a club-goer at this point in my life, so there could be Centaurs and Pixies in there for all I know.

Yeah yeah – you’re saying “if you have an issue with gossip why would you read that site?” It’s because his (their?) writing cracks me up. For example: “Kerry Katona of the Brit girl group “Atomic Kitten” was smashed out of her GD mind during an interview on the ITV morning show today. As she stammers through the beginning of the interview, be sure to keep an eye on Ken, who has the worlds greatest expressions. At the 4:20 mark Ken finally asks her about her slurred speech, and Kerry responds with, and I hope I’m spelling this right, “glrbblle riddle woodle waddle”.”

Ingalls Homestead
Originally uploaded by t-dawg

There are three conditions under which you can claim the homestead exemption for property taxes in DC:

1) An application must be on file with the Office of Tax and Revenue;
2) The property must be occupied by the owner/applicant and contain no more than five dwelling units (including the unit occupied by the owner); and
3) The property must be the principal residence (domicile) of the owner/applicant.

That means you have to live at the location as your primary residence, Congressman Rangel (D-NY). The Post is reporting that the Congressman was successful in deducting the homestead exemption on the value of his home despite all this. Of course, this means he will have to fight Eleanor Holmes Norton in a no-holds-barred cage match to represent the District of Columbia in Congress. Frankly, I’m taking her, as she’s got tenacity up the ying yang.

So, cough it up, Congressman Rangel, you owe us some back taxes. Or we’ll send Representative Norton with a hammer and tongs.

Taxation without Representation
Originally uploaded by dbking

That’s what the City Council wants to call South Capitol Street between N Street and Potomac Avenue, making the southern entry to the District a political address that none could forget. Of course, it would also mean that the Nationals, whose headquarters offices at Nationals Park would also have to be redone. Sounds a little hokey to me.

Of course, would Drive sound better? How about Way? Maybe Boulevard? Street just seems so…bland.

Turkey Trot, by philliefan99

According to this weekend’s Washington Post, the average Thanksgiving meal rings in at 4,500 calories, way in excess of an average man or woman’s daily caloric intake, 2,000 and 1,600 respectively.  But honestly aren’t we all tired of articles about holiday weight gain and how to avoid it?  It’s the same tips every year, just check out this week’s Health section.  And while yes, we should be mindful not to gorge ourselves, shouldn’t any taken counter measures be lauded not for their negative caloric effects and fat reduction, but rather for their enjoyment?

So in that spirit, what activities (calorie burning, or non-calorie burning) do you and your friends and family share with each other on Thanksgiving?

Continue reading →

Stikman
Originally uploaded by kimberlyfaye

Walking to the metro from Art & Soul last Friday, Matt and I passed by a stikman figure stuck onto the pavement in the crosswalk near the U.S. Botanical Gardens in front of the Capitol.

Matt got all guy-nerd on it and was like, “That thing is cool. I wonder what it is!” Which led to some frantic googling on his part, and up came this WaPo article on stikman, the little robot figure popping up all over the city. Created by the artist known as “Bob” (better than formerly known as Prince, eh?), stikman is the brain child of a street artist (think Banksy, but not at all) just looking to spread the figures. And to “simply to cause those gazing down to pause and wonder”, something I hardly do enough of on my morning and evening commutes.

I think he’s pretty cute. Matt’s convinced that he’s dancing (doing the robot, duh). I think he’s just hanging out, tryna make friends. Any theories on stikman’s activities? Where have you seen him?