What would you do if you woke up last Saturday morning and checked your Virginia Lottery Mega Millions numbers from Friday’s drawing in Saturday’s Washington Post and your numbers matched the $31,000,000 (that’s $31 million, folks) grand prize?

Right after you checked the numbers a second time, had a mild heart attack and then hurt yourself shouting and showing the loved ones, would you call your boss? Would you tell his voice mail that you weren’t coming in on Monday because he was an unprintable string of obscenities to you at work? Would you get right good and old skol & play the song “Take this job and shove it” in the background while you did that?

Then, the real question becomes: what would you do when you read this little correction in the Wash Post on Sunday? The one that means you were one of the two that matched 5 numbers for $250,000 but not the Mega Millions for $31 million? That after tax, you were looking at $150,000, a tidy sum yes, but not Mega Millions. Would you call that boss back and beg or stay at home for a year or two?

And would you ever, ever read the Post again?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

There’s going to be a live discussion on WashingtonPost.com about the post.blog comment shutdown from last week and the technical and ethical issues around it. It’s going to start at 1pm this afternoon so if you want to watch it and/or ask questions, you can go here. If you’re late for the party you can still read it after the fact.

One thing we supposedly know already is that comments will return. Dan Gillmor heard from WaPo-online editor Jim Brady and supposedly they’ll return sooner rather than later. I find the facts as they were told to Dan a little questionable, though. The implication of what was told to Dan seems to be that it’s about accountability and identifying a poster, but over on his live chat from Friday Brady implies it’s a content issue. Proof will be in the pudding, I suppose. Anyone want to start a pool on how long till comments return?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

We’ve talked about Arlington Beer Bar Dr. Dremo on numerous occasions here, as their location saga has gone on and on while the County Council discusses the zoning of the land, and such. The latest in the saga is that the buyer of the land on which Dremo and the Taco Bell sit has requested a 9 month delay in the final closing of the sale, so the earliest that the land would be sold would be September of ’06 instead of this month. Looks like another hot summer with no air conditioning at Dremo!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

We’re lucky enough in this town to have some incredible events at some of the amazing museums. This week’s highlight is a session at the Spy Museum called The FBI and the Weather Underground. The talk will cover the history of an American counter culture group called Weather Underground, which were an offshoot of the SDS movement in the 1970s. They blew up a statue or two in Chicago, caused riots, and leveled a house in an explosion that was meant for a noncommissioned officer’s ball. The talk is unique because not only will they have the FBI agent assigned to part of the case, but one of the founders of the Weather Undeground as well:

In the late 1960s and early 1970s long-simmering public unrest over the Vietnam War, social reform, and civil rights erupted into violent radical protest. When the Weather Underground began a series of bombings — including strikes on the U.S. Capitol and the Pentagon – as acts of war against the United States, its young members became the target of one of the largest FBI manhunts in history. Bill Ayers, a founding member of the militant political organization and author of Fugitive Days, will recount the origins of the WUO, its purpose, as well as his own evolving feelings about its actions and legacy. Don Strickland, a former FBI agent assigned to the WUO case, will discuss the Bureau’s wide-ranging efforts to deal with the WUO’s violent acts and track down Underground fugitives, many of whom had become skillful in adopting aliases, forging identification, and selecting hideouts. Join these two former adversaries for an evening of reflection and revelation about an incendiary time in American history.

If you’re big on Spy stuff, or just want a scintillating lecture on the history of the 1970s FBI, $20 buys you a ticket to this event.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

There’s a Brainjam in DC on Monday at the DC Improv.

What’s a Brainjam, I hear you ask? I haven’t been to one either, but judging by the description on the website, it’s like speed-networking mashed with free-form conversations about hot topics of interest to the attendees- blogging, digital identity and trust, managing information overload through social bookmarking tools, etc.

Because I have the kind of job for which networking is a requirement, I actually get to take time out of my workday to go to this. Will I see you there?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

A more cynical person might say that’s almost the Washington Capitals’ tagline, but I think even the most optimistic of us has to look at the line from this article with some dark humor.

The loss snapped the Capitals’ four-game winning streak, their longest in three years. They had been looking to win five in a row for the first time since March 2001.

Maybe someone who paid better attention in statistics can back me up on this one, but even if you’re winning only 1/2 the time (like when flipping a coin) you’ve got a 6% chance to hit 4 in a row in any given sequence. To not pull that off in an 82 game season is sad.

On the other hand, I think the writing is a little sad too. Talking about hockey statistics over the last three years is a little… odd. Shouldn’t you talk about the last three seasons played? After all, I don’t remember any standout performances in the NHL for the 2004-2005 season…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Since March, the corner opposite the entrance to Walter Reed Army Medical Center has been occupied by protest groups including Code Pink, who use the corner to display protest messages against the war in Iraq toward the hospital where troops are recuperating after war injuries. Apparently, they forgot to renew their permit. The countering group Protest Warrior has bought them instead and now reside on all four corners of the entrance to Walter Reed.

Oops. Lesson to all: keep your protest permits current if you want to do something controversial on a regular basis, or someone else will snatch them up when you forget.

Technorati Tags: DC, protests

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

A 7 year old girl was shot at daycare this morning by an eight year old boy who brought a gun in his backpack, for reasons that no one can possibly comprehend.

I’m an advocate for gun rights, but stuff like this makes me seriously think twice about the whole thing. Guns don’t belong in childrens’ hands. Period. While I firmly believe that gun control means hitting your target, I don’t advocate this sort of careless behavior with deadly weapons that allow them to fall unsecured into the hands of eight year olds. This is certainly a tragedy and I hope will cause all people to think more about gun security and safety and education.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families involved in this horrific tragedy.

Technorati Tags: DC, guns, gun control

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Need a ride to the airport? How about a taxi in Arlington? Well it’s Google to the rescue! They now have a new fancy-schmancy service for those who wanna see exactly where their ride is: Google Ride Finder for Washington, DC. With location data only for Super Shuttle and Alexandria Yellow Cab, it’s not that comprehensive yet.

Then again, if you’re waiting for DC cabbies to get GPS, just pray for meters first. Me, I wanna see Metro buses and trains in real time.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The Washington, DC area is a popular landing place for members of the Pittsburgh Diaspora- the people who grew up in the Steel City, found that they didn’t particularly want to work in banking/education/medicine/biotech (the major industries that sprung up there after the closure of the steel mills), and left for greener pastures and better weather. Probably every 4th person I meet here is either from Pittsburgh, went to school in Pittsburgh, is dating someone from Pittsburgh, etc.

You can take the football fan out of Pittsburgh, but you can’t take the Pittsburgh out of the football fan, and with so many Pittsburgh expats here, DC is sort of like a colony state of the Steelers Nation.

So as a public service to my neighbors here in my adopted hometown, let me point you to a handy glossary of some sports terms you may hear bandied about as we Blitzburghers revert into the yinzer accents we’ve worked so hard to lose.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Let’s say you want to try out this whole Internet dating thing. That you’re a little overwhelmed by Match.com and the likes of DCDomme. Then, if you were the shy but somewhat adventurous type, would you, by chance, pick your dating site by cardboard posters stuck in the ground, ala campaign posters?

I can see that in a political town like DC this could make some sense, but really? If the folks are too skittish, DC Singles, you actually think they’ll join your site if they see some street-side sign?

And wait until they check out your site – well if they don’t go to DCSingles.com by mistake that is. If they make it to the http://www.dcsingles.org/ they’ll be greeted by a long form to fill out.

A form that asks for an Evening Phone, a Daytime Phone, and the question: “What is the best time for us to contact you?” Contact me? Wait; is this a personal site or a telemarketing site? And why does a quick Google search bring up 174 other websites just like this one. You’re not helping me “Meet Verified Local Singles Now” that way!

No, everything about your site makes me think its cheap and sleazy – akin to Joe’s Fly-By-Night Telemarketing Business, Inc. And I’m not the only one creeped out either. I wonder if they’re any realtion to that sneaky Columbia Heights News?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

According to my trusty international holiday calendar, complete with lunar cycles, this Sunday is the first new moon and therefore the start of the Chinese New Year! 2006 is the Year of the Dog, and the celebration usually lasts for fifteen days.

The annual Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown is next Sunday, February 5. Festivities are always a blast (fireworks at 3:30pm), with the lion and dragon dances a standout. The parade is a true delight, running from 2-5pm on H Street NW between 6th and 8th.

But if you’d like to kick-off the celebration this weekend, you can hit the Freer Gallery for a tour of the Arts of China. Meet at the information desk at 1:15pm this Sunday. Both the Freer and the Sackler make up the Asian Arts branch of the Smithsonian and always have fascinating exhibitions. Currently the Sackler is hosting an installation by Chinese-American artist Mei-ling Hom, “Floating Mountains, Singing Clouds,” while the Freer has “100 Years of Tea,” a showing of ceramics related to the tea ceremony.

And there’s always your own private tea ceremony at Georgetown’s Ching Ching Cha, the loveliest oasis in the city.

End the celebrations with the Chinese New Year Gala, held at the National Theater with a revue called “Myths and Legends,” which from the pictures alone looks to be worth a trip. It’s on February 16 and 17 at 8pm.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Apparently we’ve officially morphed from the New Economy to the Fat Economy.

Which reminds me of an article I read recently in December’s Self magazine (yes, I admit, I voraciously read women’s magazines. Only in airports though. What else are you going to do waiting around in security lines?). It was their “6th Annual America’s Healthiest Places” issue, and I surprised to see DC rank as number 18 out of 100 overall, and number 3 in “Best Eaters” with this interesting tidbit noted – that women in DC eat an average of 19 salads per month.

Now, I’m not sure how scientific this ranking is (they do list Sperling’s Best Places as a source, among others) but it’s certainly intriguing, considering a lot of people probably think Washington is an artery clogging half-smoke porterhouse chili dog town. But perhaps the ladies are abstaining from that old-fashioned power diet. Is DC really a salad town after all?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Rat-a-tat-a-tat… rat-a-tat-a-tat…

“Hmm, maybe there’s something rolling around on the roof,” I thought, mindlessly online shopping as the noise overhead became more and more insistent. But after ten minutes my ability to ignore and deny no longer worked. The noise was a definite scratching and pawing in the attic crawlspace. I had an intruder trying to get past the access panel in the ceiling.

My first thought was not to panic and keep it Disney. “Oh, it’s just a poor little squirrel,” I said to myself as my skin started to crawl. But as the scratching got more frenzied and the sound of my voice did nothing to deter it, I had to face facts that it was more likely our old friend, the scourge of DC residents, the ancient carrier of yersinia pestis, the rat.

Like many an urban dweller, we’ve had a rat problem before. Apparently it’s unavoidable when you have an old townhouse with lots of nooks and crannies for little critters to squeeze their way into. Our pest control technician told me not to fret, that it wasn’t a sign of my housekeeping slovenliness but simply a fact of urban life. “The worst rodent problems I see,” he said, trying to reassure me, “are in Georgetown. You know, where all the rich people live? Those people have housekeepers!”

So what do you do when there’s a rat trying to get into the warmth of your house, and eat it’s way through your bread supply? Well, you can call Animal Control, who will refer you to a trapping service. Or you can have a pest control company on contract like we do. Of course on Sunday you just have to wait it out until the next morning when you can cry on your technician’s shoulder.

In the meantime, city rodents don’t give a rat’s ass whether you shout at them “you’re not coming in here, you – big – jerk!” and don’t even get me started on how lame city housecats are as they yawn in your face when you beg, “please Violet, protect me!” (ok, she’s a traitor, but Jules has a good excuse ). So what do you do?

Stand under the access panel and hiss with all your diaphragmatic power. It stopped my intruder in its tracks.
But only for a while…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I was sitting in my hotel room last night, wondering why I was seeing a flurry of activity in my Gmail box, was it catastrophe in DC? Was it mayhem and disaster?

Well, only if you’re an Orioles fan….

The O’s traded crazy closer Jorge Julio for crazy Kris Benson and his even craaaazier wife Anna. Anna, who promised she would engage in a clubhouse gangbang if Kris ever cheated on her. Anna, who refers to her breasts as “funbags”. Anna, whose decision to pose for Playboy essentially got Kris traded from the Mets. Anna, whom I bet would stand on the mound in fishnets and 4″ heels if the rules allowed. Anna, who was interviewed along side Kris on ESPN Radio, because she’s a bigger story than he is…

Hoo boy, what a season this’ll be.

Technorati Tags: baseball

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

What are you doing today? Slacking? Well get off your bum – it’s a great day to get outside and be oh so DC. “How?” you ask? Well, by going ice skating on the National Mall!

While not as fun as Kickball on the National Mall, it does excite. Even the Zambezi makes folks giggle and smile, not to mention the high romance points you’ll be throwing down if you take the love of your life.

Me, I just have a few observations about ice to share:
– it can be very hard
– it can be very dry
– it can be very smooth
– it can be very rough
– it can be very hard

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

… then this ain’t your day to read The Washington Post. Pretty exciting – I’ve never known someone whose picture was above the fold in a big newspaper before. Congrats Kate! I’m not shocked that you’re getting this attention, but I would have thought it would come from a show where you could exibit your amazing singing voice.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The Hoyas did something today that no one else has been able to do all season: Beat Duke. Awesome. The Hoyas are unranked, but who knows how long that will last after this shocker. They’re 12-4 with this win, the Hoyas are still only in the middle of the Big East, as they’re just 3-2 in conference play, but they’ve got a schedule that pits them against conference foes West Virginia and Pitt at least one more time before the end of the season.

With six minutes left in the half, Georgetown took over the lead from Duke and never looked back. At halftime, they lead by 14, and while Duke battled back, they never regained the lead. Hot damn, Hoyas!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

So you wanna get out of town eh? And you have a bucket of Star Alliance frequent flyer miles you don’t know what to do with? Well United Airlines comes to the rescue!

United now has a frequent flyer award page just for you – and check this out: it lists 8 flight destinations from DC in January and 11 in February!

If you ever wanted to go to Phoenix (PHX), Mexico City (MEX), or Zurich (ZRH), this is your chance. Also, if you don’t live here, but in Amsterdam (AMS) or Austin (AUS), its time to visit!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Everyday my bus passes by a slowly crumbling house on 11th Street, between S and R. An interesting house architecturally, it’s from a different era than the others surrounding it. That particular block is a melange of Federal houses, odd 1960’s duplexes, and a few hybrids being rebuilt from a fire that claimed parts of several houses a few years back. The house is a dirty shade of white, with a peaked dormer and an appearance vaguely Victorian by way of the Munsters. As houses in the block are rapidly bought and sold and fixed up, it remains resolutely untouched, seemingly abandoned. I’ve watched it progress from just empty-looking to the day a second floor window was broken. At first it was a small break, the size of a rock, then half the pane, then the entire window which we ended up replacing with the help from roller shutters Sydney who install wood shutters to protect the window.

There’s a famous and much debated theory of criminology called the “Broken Window Theory,” which in a nutshell supposes that small evidences of neglect lead to larger crimes in a neighborhood. So I began to wonder as I watched the window pane disintegrate over a few weeks whether or not this would lead to more vandalism. And indeed earlier this week I noticed a scrawling graffitti tag on the first floor window.

It’s a shame. I have no idea what the background of the house is, whether it’s truly occupied or not, though I will replace the window with a local contractor, click to see the website. The house’s neglect in the middle of so much renovation is a reminder that our much vaunted economic boom doesn’t reach everyone. Today’s bus ride greeted me with the sight of the upstairs window completely busted out, but a support beam crammed in. From another window I could see the back of the house has gaps. Perhaps someone is starting to work on it. Perhaps it isn’t entirely lost.

After all, for years I watched as the beautiful mansion of #1 and #2 Logan Circle fell further into neglect, only to see it restored to its former glory (well, if cutting it into condos can really replicate the glory of President Garfield’s son’s two-house original design).

So I can only hope for the house on 11th Street that your broken window was a wake-up call from the sleep of neglect, not a sign of more crimes to come.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs