Barmy

Originally uploaded by tbridge.

barm•y (bär’mee)
adj., -i•er, -i•est.

Eccentric; daft.

Oh, I wish you could make stuff like this up.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Well, Frank may have received the Medal of Freedom at the White House yesterday, but it seems that his employers are still trying to screw him. Bud Selig announced the other day that despite all of their feet-dragging, there’s still no new ownership for the Nationals. Of course, when their owners are their competitors, it should come as no surprise that Bud is dragging his feet in announcing the new ownership. Let the other squads sign their free agents, their new GMs, their coaches, and let us swing. That’s exactly what those assholes are going to do. It’s absolutely infuriating that Bud will pay lip service to caring about baseball in DC, but won’t do a damn thing to help it flourish.

I love this game, I find it to be our nation’s poetic sport. Football may be our epic sport, and Basketball our flashy sport, and Hockey our toothless sport, but Baseball has always been something more, and to see DC’s team treated so shabbily at the hands of the other teams’ owners, it’s really quite infuriating.

Give us Malek and Zients, Bud. Give us the freedom to spend money on our players, to trade without worry about whether or not we “can afford” it. Because, quite frankly, our manager has the Medal of Freedom, the only baseball manager to receive such an honor. Have you seen Frank when he’s angry? I’ve seen him angry. That umpire wasn’t ever the same. I’m not even sure if he’s stopped rocking himself to sleep at night. Don’t make us sic Frank on your ass, it just won’t be pretty. You may find that pretty star-shaped medal with sharp and pointy edges in places that sharp and pointy ain’t a good idea.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I’ve been on a real comfort food kick lately. Maybe it’s because we’re dealing with all sorts of pesky “life” questions, like what the hell are we doing with it. Yikes. So I’ve been taking more than the usual glee in savoring food, which I had better get out of my system soon before I retreat into a butter-cream-starch-chocolate land of no return. But after a scary meeting in which the enormity of the various decisions facing us suddenly loomed ahead, comfort food and a pint were really all that would suffice. So off to Bar Pilar. Papa Hemingway would be proud. Or at least kick us in the pants.

Bar Pilar’s menu is all about the comfort food – mac-n-cheese, tater tots (tater tots!!??), tacos – sure there are salads but honestly, are you really going to eat a salad at a bar? One food coma and two pints of oatmeal stout later, and we were markedly more relaxed than before. This little annex of Saint-Ex, named after Hemingway’s boat, is cosy and unpretentious. On prime weeknights/weekend nights it can be uncomfortably packed and difficult to make it to the bar, but on a Wednesday night it was perfect. The fact that places like this are so popular should really convince more folks to open up more bars/restaurants on 14th Street – come on, there’s space!

(And while on the subject of 14th Street, what is up with Source Theater?! I’m sick of seeing it dark and empty and covered in graffiti… )

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

My condolences to San Francisco who yesterday passed a firearms ban, similar to the illegal one that DC passed a while back. Jason over in San Francisco has some thoughts that apply as much to us here as it does there:

So I hope you recover from your bout of insanity and I hope you don’t get shot in your home by an armed assailant. Seriously, that would suck. What would be worse though is while sitting in your living room, your neighbor is being robbed and they’re forced to defend themself with the 12 gauge shotgun they had to buy instead of a handgun and the spray from the buckshot that misses the burglar goes through the wall and hits you in the face. That would suck a lot too I believe.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

We know it’s tough to ride the Metro when there are no seats available, so today, we salute you, Mr. Lean Up Against the Metro Pole Man! After a long day on the job, the last thing you want to do is ride the Metro, but there you stand, your tall form pressed against that pole as you hold on to the upper bar. Though others seek to brace themselves with their hands, you pay them no heed as your buttocks clench tighter around that pole (do they ever Lysol those?). As we pull into the station and still more patrons board the train, your gluteal grasp on that pole grows no looser. And for that, we salute you, Mr. Lean Up Against the Metro Pole Man. Well Done.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I hate doing things that are completely self-referential, but this one is for a good cause. See, we love to write here, but we need to know better what our audience is. It’ll help us do more cool stuff in the future. Don’t worry, we’re not tracking IPs here, we’re not keeping the data forever, we’re not going to identify you individually and track you down. So please, Take Our Survey!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Well, while it seems clear we won’t get new ownership next week like Baseball had initially promised (promises mean little or nothing to people with that much money, apparently), the rumor is afoot that The Chosen One, Theo Epstein, He Who Could Bring The Championship To The Accursed, may well be ending up as the GM of our Nationals. Now, granted, it’s all still rumot, but the idea of Epstein at the head of the Nationals is enough to draw me into a near religious frenzy.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Metro Center Chic Shops (say that one five times fast!) Celadon Spa, inSight Opticians and Coup de Foudre Lingerie are hosting a special benefit/sale tomorrow night from 6 to 9 to benefit the Hoop Dreams Scholarship Fund. 10% of the proceeds from the evening will go directly to the scholarship fund. In addition, Celadon and inSight are offering 10% discounts, and Coupe de Foudre is giving out free gifts with each purchase. There’s also prizes to be won, including frames at inSight, a set of Lingerie from Coup de Foudre and a gift basket from Celadon. In addition La Tosca will be providing some light snacks.

So, details are: Tomorrow Night. 6p to 9p. Celadon, inSight and Coup de Foudre, all right around Metro Center. Do this, catch a flick at E st. Cinema or have a pint over at Elephant and Castle, and make a night of it!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I got up early this morning, eschewing the usual two or sometimes three snoozes on the alarm, put on some jeans and a ratty t-shirt and drove over to my polling place to vote this morning. I realized as I got out of the car that my bedhead was quite spectacular, and that I hoped the little old ladies that run my precinct in Fairlington would still let me vote despite looking not a whit like my drivers’ license. But away I went, past the campaign signs in the school parking lot (how’s that work, exactly? Hi, I’m a candidate, can I put my propaganda up in your school? Yes? Sweet!) and past the cold looking Republican with a brush cut handing out sample ballots, and past his similarly cold Democrat doing the same.

I went in, identified myself, and cast my ballot on a little touchscreen computer. That concerns me, as it always does, because there’s no paper proof that the computer will see my vote the way I did, which is cause for concern in black-box voting systems. Oh, how I long for the scantron sheets I used in Alexandria in 2000. At least there was a paper trail…

Have you voted today? Tell us your voting story.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

There’s been a Crossbow hanging out in my living room for a year now. My housemate’s, it was never used and now he’s gone, leaving the Crossbow behind. It was destined for the Dumpster until the new housemate convinced me to try and sell it. Three weeks on Craigslist and my website, five emails of interest, and only one viewing later, I’ve given up trying to sell it. Now it has one week on Freecycle DC before Dumpster-time.

Freecycle DC, which serves the environmentally aware and responsive community, is pretty cool. With simple basics, Keep it free, legal, and appropriate for all ages, and a mission to help reduce consumption and waste by connecting people who are throwing away items with others who are seeking the same, they keep computers, furniture, clothing, magazines, sporting equipment, and the stuff in your closet, out of the landfill by passing it along to a new home.

The only rules: OFFERs must include a District of Columbia pickup location. Limit of 1 WANTED post per week per member.

So come, Freecycle DC with me.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

We at DC Metblogs seem to have caught the foodie bug lately! Continuing on this theme, twice in the past few days I’ve passed the gallery space of Hemphill Arts at 1515 14th Street, right next to Studio Theater’s new entrance, and noticed a new restaurant is going to open on the ground floor. I peeked in to see what looks like a very open, elegant space, with large black-n-white photgraphs on the (seemingly) white walls and a cool bar area. It just says, “Viridian – Opening Soon!” – no date, though the tables are set. The only gossip I can find are a couple of older blurbs about it being a restaurant with a seasonal menu and the involvement of the former pastry chef from the late lamented Ruppert’s.

Definitely looks intriguing, and certainly will pull in those theater and gallery crowds starved for some haute cuisine. Foodification continues! Anyone have any other scoop on this place?

Update 11/8: The always clued-in Amanda from Metrocurean is reporting that it may open this weekend – very cool. Except that I’ll be in NYC. Oh well, if anyone checks it out let me know!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

As in San Francisco, it’s election day in Virginia tomorrow. At stake is pretty much every major office in the land, from School Board to House of Delegates to Governor. While other DC blogs may choose to call the Virginia elections “minor”, I think it would be folly not to encourage everyone on that side of the Potomac to get out and vote tomorrow. Few things are more precious than your vote, and every vote counts.

If you’re in Arlington County, you’ll be voting for School Board, County Board, House of Delegates (there are four districts in Arlington), and the major statewide offices of Attorney General, Lieutenant Governor and Governor. Polling place info for Arlington is available online.

Fairfax County will be voting on school bonds and any of 17 different House of Delegates districts, plus the statewide offices. Polling place info for Fairfax is available online.

Alexandria City will be voting on Commonwealth’s Attorney, Sheriff, 3 different House of Delegates districts, plus the statewide offices. Polling place info for Alexandria is available online.

I’m sure the robocalls will be coming fast and furious tonight if last night was any indication.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Now that Halloween has passed, what’s the next major holiday you’re thinking about? Maybe Thanksgiving if you’re thinking ahead, or even Christmas if you plan long range, but New Years? I mean really, do you know what you doing this New Year’s already? Can you make plans 60 days in advance like that?

Well things to do sure hopes you can. They’re already hyping their NYE Global Gala 2006 when its still shorts & t-shirt weather and my Halloween pumpkin is still fresh. Granted, I’ve yet to carve my pumpkin, so I might procrastinate a tad, but who out there is already slapping down $145 for 9 internationally themed party rooms, even if they are at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel? And if you are, what does that say about your OCD?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The Post is reporting on the possible paradigm shift in the Administration regarding the detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay. Which is timely, considering for my last minute theater experiment on Friday night I saw Studio Theater’s production of the play “Guantanamo.”

Studio’s new expanded facilities are exceptional. “Guantanamo” is playing in the upstairs space of the Milton Theater, with an improved reception/bar area, and the overall building modernization, including a new entrance on the 14th Street side, is an exciting development for the neighborhood.

I don’t usually enjoy so-called “political” theater, of either side of the aisle, as more often than not it can be bombastic and one-sided. “Guantanamo” avoided this pitfall for me by being a well-crafted and intelligent piece of documentary theater. The text is taken strictly from the real-life testimony of detainees, their families, and others. By weaving these words together – sometimes incendiary, sometimes heartwrenching – a living breathing testament to man’s inhumanity to man is formed in all its complexity.

The pacing could use some tightening, but I’ve no doubt that it will once beyond opening jitters, given director Serge Seiden’s impressive track record and the commitment of the excellent ensemble cast. Possibly the most effective stage business is that upon the audience entering the theater, the prisoners are already there. And they are still there when you leave – no curtain call, which perfectly highlights the limbo of their situation, and also reinforces that this is not an ego piece.

Whatever your politics or your view on this policy, I think there’s something almost sacred about being able to see this kind of theater in the nation’s capital. We have that right, that freedom, to watch and challenge, whether we agree or not. If we ever are unable to see theater like “Gauntanamo”… well, I can’t imagine it. And I don’t want to.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

_B061900_cropped

Originally uploaded by kevinliu.

Okay, okay, I know I have mixed feelings about DC right now, but while I was assembling an Ikea nightmare on Saturday, the weather was phenomenal. I had the house open to the breeze, the cats were playing in the leaves, and the foliage was at its peak on my little residential street. While I was cursing at wrenches, Kevin Liu was capturing some of the best “Golden Hour” photography I’ve seen in DC. This shot was my favorite, but wander over to his flickr photostream for his whole day. Man, what I wouldn’t give to have gotten some of these shots!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The best quote I ever heard about investing in airlines is that you should only do it with your mother in law’s money. Apparently the folks that spent their hard earned cash on Independence Air are about to learn that lesson the hard way as Independence has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in Delaware this morning. No word on what Sen. Vinick (R-CA) or Rep. Santos (D-TX) have to say about this after their discussion of airline bankruptcies in their live debate last night. Seriously, don’t you wish your politicians talked like those guys? Without message people, or anything? And were mostly eloquent? Anyhow, Independence flights are on schedule for today, but no word on what’s going to happen next.

Personally, I’m rooting for JetBlue to buy them up for their gate space at Dulles.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Coatrack Eagle

Originally uploaded by tbridge.

As Tiff and I headed for lunch today, we saw this wonderful statue in the lobby. Apparently the security guard was off on his building rounds and needed somewhere to hang his coat. Awesome.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Or so says the National Weather Service, via DC Text Alerts, and even AccuWeather. What, might you think, could trash a beautiful day like today? Well a squall line that is headed this way in a hurry.

Already it is responsible for a tornado that killed at least 11 people and injured over 100 last night in Indiana and over 130 reports of severe weather overnight from Missouri to Ohio. Winds up to 89 mph were reported as it raced east and it due here tonight.

Word to the wise, stop web surfing and get outside now. You’ll have plenty of time to read tonight, when you’re hunkering down hoping a tree doesn

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

After years of just missing the brunch menu at Polly?s Cafe, we finally got up early enough on a Saturday morning to get in and get down with the smoked salmon eggs benedict. This is a slightly pathetic victory considering they serve brunch until 3pm (ok, I know, it?s very pathetic), but a trip to the vet got me up early and guilty enough afterwards to seriously need that pitcher of mimosas.

(?Did you know your cat is missing a tooth? Oh, he also has a bad ear infection, did you know that?? ?Uh, no,? I said sheepishly, squirming under the technician?s You?re An UnFit Cat Owner glare?)

I?ve loved Polly?s rough and honest simplicity for a long time. I love it?s motto ? ?All Fresh All the Time. No Freezer. No Microwave.? It?s a gastro-pub, one of the pioneers of the first wave of U Street?s ?revitalization? (or ?gentrification,? or whatever the hell else you want to call it, how about ?foodification,” let’s all get along and rejoice in getting more food in the hood!). The cosy underground space is at it?s best in fall and winter, when the red brick walls and wooden banquettes invite you to linger over a beer and gaze into the fireplace while your husband watches a game on the bar TV, conversation ebbing and flowing in a soporific haze of relaxation. The pub grub is always satisfying, the servers casual and friendly. And where else can you hear Siouxsie one minute and James Brown the next?

I was so happy to dig into those perfectly poached eggs and toast to the genius who invented the mimosa, that I forgot all about the horror awaiting me when I got home. I have to give my crotchety cat ear medication twice a day for the next week…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

As resolved, Friday I strolled over on my lunch hour to TICKETplace to pick up some half-price tickets for that evening. I ended up with ?Guantanomo,? mostly out of guilt that I barely have ever patronized my local theater, Studio.

Wandering back through the blocks that make up the designated neighborhood of Penn Quarter, it struck me as so idyllic – in the unseasonal (but welcome!) balmy warmth, the quaintness of it all was very appealing. So it is a bit manufactured in places, but still somehow? I like it. I stopped into Teaism for my favorite, their addicting green tea/wasabi-spiked Salmon Ochazuke soup, and just lingered.

It started me wondering, who lives in Penn Quarter? It seems to me the swanky condominiums are designed to attract a certain set of forty-to-fifty-somethings, who feel possibly too hip for Georgetown. But I could be wrong, there could be younger folks living there. With a world-class repertory theater like Shakespeare, the new home of Woolly Mammoth, cool furnishings stores like Apartment Zero, and several delicious restaurants ? I?m really curious now, who lives there and do they think they?re as lucky as I do?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs