DSC_0130.jpg

Originally uploaded by rev_bri.

When I read Darpino’s entry yesterday on Apple-sauce wrestling, I was amazed, surprised and a bit dumbfounded. Girls. Wrestling in Apple-sauce. In our fair city. I just didn’t know what to say except perhaps “And it’s only $10 to watch!? Sweet!”

Well, I didn’t go, I ended up going to watch part of the Nats horrific loss at the hands of the Marlins, but DC photographer and flickr user rev_bri was there and got some good (some not worksafe..) photos from the event, including this beaut.

Somehow, I think he had more fun than I did.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Well, the period between surcharges is over. The $1 surcharge that ended on the 4th may be gone, but now we’ve got a $1.50 surcharge per ride. The surcharge lasts 120 days, or, until January 7th, 2006. Yet another reason to take Metro, or walk. Cabs here just aren’t worth riding in, unless you’re totally hammered.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I spent this morning in the lovely new GWU Hospital. Gleaming floors, expansive windows, huge Grecian urns and plasma TVs – wow. They really went all out, didn’t they? A far cry from the last time I was there, blood pouring out of a gash in my husband’s eyebrow, the result of his inadvertently walking into a steel staircase at Club Insomnia. That old emergency room was a real pit.

I was there for a CT Scan of my sinuses, a follow-up to my recent allergy testing. Now, I’m seriously claustrophobic. I’ll get off a too-crowded metro train and I cringe fighting through crowded platforms. I have nightmares about tunnels and being buried alive. No joke. So I was fearing this procedure, thinking it would be the one where you have to lie inside a coffin-shaped machine for forty minutes.

But when I entered the room, I saw just a rather silly-looking machine with what looked like a large donut on top. “Piece of cake,” I thought. Until I lie down with my neck immobilized at a weird angle, and then the donut flips over and rotates around until its edge is at my throat like a guillotine blade and all I can see is a whirling thing inside and the bench I’m lying on starts jerking closer and closer until my head is pinioned underneath what is now the Evil Donut Machine from Hell.

But hey, nice improvement to the facilities. I just need a drink now, and it isn’t even noon yet!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

This evening, on the way home from that godawful “effort” the Nats put forth against the Marlins, we came home a different way than usual. Driving along L St., we came to the intersection at 14th, where we wanted to turn right to go back down to 395 and home to Virginia (I know, I know, we’re suburban dwelling cretins with no city driving experience, if you want to toe that line, toe it elsewhere.), however, there’s a sign there that reads “No Right Turn 9pm-5am.”

We saw the same sign at 14th and K (we turned right anyway), and were similarly bewildered. During rush hour, I might be willing to let these signs slide as the product of a civil engineering board, designed to make traffic flow more smoothly, but I can’t come up with a pressing reason that a right turn, in a business district largely unpopulated after dark, would be hazardous to traffic. Can someone explain this to me?

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Oh you knew it was gonna happen, and in DC it doesn’t take long. Yep, there is already a Katrina-related protest:

Black Voices for Peace & The National Black Environmental Justice Network Co-Sponsoring:

MISMANAGEMENT OF HURRICANE KATRINA PROTEST
FRIDAY, SEPT. 9, 12-2:30PM, LAFAYETTE PARK

Join Black Voices for Peace and The National Black Environmental Justice Network as we demand accountability from the State and Federal Goverment and the Bush Administration and to protest the mistreatment of hurricane Katrina victims.
For more details call (202) 265-4919

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Not only did the Nats indeed provide tickets to Katrina evacuees (hat tip to Darpino and the news guy on the radio this morning), they also had an evacuee throw out the first pitch. Class. Thanks, Nats.

Meanwhile, evacuees are trying to get themselves back on their feet by looking for work. Spread the word to your HR departments, that the Department of Homeland Security is suspending I-9 enforcement (for affected workers ONLY) for 45 days to give displaced workers time to get their employment authorization paperwork in order. In practice, this means that anyone who escaped with a photo ID in their wallet showing their residence in a hurricane-affected area can legally be employed while they try to recover things like passports, birth certificates, and Social Security cards.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Let’s see what today’s word of the day is. Ah! It’s Gouging!

Yeah, that’s right oil companies, we’re looking right in your direction. Gas prices in DC are now at $3.38 and not moving anywhere. After watching gas prices hike themselves up a good fifty cents last week, now we’ve seen some adjustments over the last few days, but we’re still above every other metropolitan, with the exception of New York City. Folks, this is just getting ri-goddamn-diculous.

Of course, if we’d done anything to increase our refining capacity since, oh, I dunno, before I born, perhaps this wouldn’t have become quite the fiasco that it’s turned into, but since we’re so short on refining capacity, losing even one refinery will cause gas supplies to dry up and spike the prices through the roof. Of course, most likely, the oil companies just don’t give a shit, and so the prices go up and more people think about mass transit and hybrid cars and even Wayan’s broke-ass bicycle. In the meantime, I’ll leave you with the informal definition, per the Apple Dictionary that’s in OS X Tiger:

Thanks oil companies!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I’m planning a trip to San Francisco for Webzine 2005 later this month, and as a good central valley kid, I’m going home to see my parents first. JetBlue had dirt cheap tickets ($200 roundtrip!!) from Dulles to Sacramento, and I can crash with my folks in Davis for a day before heading into the city. Not looking to sit in traffic, I took a look at the Amtrak Capitol Corridor between San Jose and Sacramento. Sure enough, I can get a roundtrip train ticket (and bus transfer into the city) for two people, for $68 between Davis and San Francisco’s Ferry Building. What’s the equivalent here? Well, there isn’t one. One way Metroliner service to Baltimore is $42. per person. For a roundtrip, you’re looking at $168, for two people, or, $100 more.

What gives, Amtrak?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

DCist is celebrating their first birthday today, but will be having the party next thursday at Stetson’s. No word on if they’ll have Cake yet, but there do appear to be drink specials on the outing. Congrats on a year’s worth of DCist, Rob and Mike, we know just how tricky that gets at times!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Chief Justice Rehnquist’s funeral will be this afternoon at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Northwest, and there are going to be a number of street closures and no parking areas along Connecticut Ave and M Street this afternoon. Thankfully the Post has made a map. He’ll be buried in Arlington National Cemetary, so I imagine there will be a funerary procession through downtown this afternoon as well. Please stop and pay your respects, this is one motorcade worth waiting for.

Godspeed, Justice.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

So as Tom and I are sitting here at RFK, the Nationals announced on the PA and the scoreboard that tomorrow night, cash donations for Hurricane Katrina victims will be accepted at the gates.

Now, that’s nice and all, but here’s what I want to see:

Since the DC Armory is where 200 evacuees are currently being housed, and since the Armory is right next door to RFK Stadium, I’d like to see the Nationals organization pony up with some free tickets to the games. Here are some people who have been under nothing but stress and strain at the loss of their homes- how about giving them a free night at the ballpark to offer them a mental reprieve? At any given weeknight Nats game, there are easily hundred of seats in the outfield that could be donated.

And while I’m on the topic, what’s a ball game without some ballpark food? Come on, Aramark, pitch in a hot dog and a soda for each one. And not one of those chinzy paper cups. The plastic souvenir cups. That they can keep. Because they probably lost all their drinkware. In the HURRICANE.

So don’t cheap out, yo.

Hook it up and set the charitable example for the fans who you’ll be soliciting donations from.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Hey, what’s this? Ballpark WiFi? At crappy RFK? Sure, it’s not much to sneeze at, but it appears that the Florida Marlins have brought their own WiFi network with them, so, here I am, live from Section 511, Row 2 Seat 5 of RFK!

To quote Mel Allen, “Well, how about that!”

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I’m not really supposed to have caffeine. Heart condition, palpitations, that sort of “frail Victorian lady” bullshit. So I usually tempt fate and indulge in a delicious yet deadly cafe mocha from the downtown Firehook Bakery across the street from my office.

Today after my allergy testing fun I really needed a pick-me-up. So, far from Firehook, I wandered into the Washington Circle Starbucks for a “tall skinny mocha” or whatever the hell they call it. When it’s up I collect it and am on my way to relax in the circle and let my blisters fade when it strikes me that the cup is incredibly lightweight. There seems to be no heft from the mocha or the espresso shots. I lift the lid and peer in – what do I see? Whipped cream. Literally over half the cup must be whipped cream.

Now I know people joke that Starbucks is in the dairy business, not the coffee business, but this is ridiculous. So I return to the counter and sweetly say, “Miss, I’m sorry. No whipped cream, please.”

She rolls her eyes and makes another mocha.
This time, it’s filled to the brim with actual liquid.

What the f*%#@? Is this typical, Starbucks drinkers, or is this a case of bad barrista?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

They say that if you live in DC for a long period of time, sooner or later you develop allergies. This certainly is the case with me, and I just can’t take it anymore. So today I postponed the return to work and instead submitted to the joys of allergy testing.

In case you’ve never experienced said testing, here’s how it works:

A calmly smiling nurse first swabs your forearms with some icky smelling disinfectant. Then she draws little pink polka dots all over them so that you look like the sad elephant from the Island of Misfit Toys…

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs Continue reading →

Chris Needham over at Capitol Punishment has this to say over Grandpa Frank’s latest temper tantrum:

“What’s Next? Demon Rum?”

Frank Robinson finally figured out what was causing the National’s 2-month malaise. No, it’s not the stinklicious shortstop. It’s not the hobbling third baseman with the balsa bat. It’s not the team’s un-clutch hitting, nor the five-alarm fire that comes after a Tony Armas or Ryan Drese outing.

It’s the music. And the cards.

Gosh darn it, these boys aren’t serious about the game with their hippity hoppity music, and their cuthroat games of pinochle.”

Well, whatever the case, the Nats are on a three game streak, and rapidly looking like a team that could pull it out of the toilet before the end of the season. With a bunch of roster moves, they’ve bulked up with minor league talent including Ryan Zimmerman and Rick Short, and making his first major league start tonight is Darrell Rasner, who spent most of the season at AA Harrisburg. Go Nats!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

With the death toll mounting, and damage weighing in well into the 11 figures, it’s nice to see people getting together and raising cash for Katrina victims. Friday, DCist is putting on a benefit concert with local bands, to be held at the AU Graydon Center. Count us in, DCist.

DCist: DCist Presents: A Katrina Benefit:
“What: A Katrina Benefit
When: Friday, Sept. 9, 8 – 11:45 p.m.
Where: American University’s Mary Graydon Center
Who: Gist, Cartel, Paul Michel, RPM, Laura Burhenn, Army of Me.”

With a donation of $5, you get a killer concert for Hurricane Relief with all proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild New Orleans. We’ll see you there.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Are you a trivia junkie? With a drinking problem? Do you think Quizmaster Amy’s Pub Quiz Night at the Falls Church Four Ps is over just when it’s getting good?

Clearly, you need the Brainstormer Brand pub quiz tonight at Four Courts in Arlington.

The quiz, happily coinciding with Half Price Burger Night at the Courts, is 7 rounds of trivia. Some rounds are general knowledge, some are specialized- sports, photos, music, etc. By about round 5 you’re ready for it to be over, but the joy of cheap burgers with your friends softens the exhaustion.

Teams are limited to four players, so if you’re coming with a big group, prepare to break up into more than one team. It’s not taking a break for Labor Day, either, so if you haven’t made plans for the last night of your long weekend, here’s your suggestion.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

So there’s this woman, and I’ve never gotten annoyed enough to take her photo, but every time I see her, she’s doing the same thing.

She’s in a Metro station, and she has invariably taken up one of the only two fare machines that takes plastic, and she’s loading TONS of nickels and dimes into the thing, one at a time, while a line forms behind her of impatient commuters who just want to swipe their cards and load $20 onto their SmarTrips.

She never picks one of the farecard machines that doesn’t take credit cards or do SmarTrip. She doesn’t pick the ones that do SmarTrip with cash and farecards only. Instead, she picks one of the two busiest machines and spends several minutes loading a week’s worth of small change into the thing while a restless mob grows behind her.

Gah. Who IS this chick and can I grab her and teach her some Metro manners?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Gas prices

Originally uploaded by tjbax.

Taken Thursday night on Washington Blvd. in Clarendon… This station was next door to another station charging $2.99/gallon, and yet people were still filling up there. Not sure what that’s about.

What’s the highest price you’ve seen near you?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Okay, I know outsourcing has been all the rage lately, with tech support, phone call center and other jobs heading to the far east as part of the overhead reduction trend that’s been all the rage in local businesses, but this is just plain ridiculous:

A Pakistani company, The Resource Group, seeking more call-center work from U.S. firms, set up an office this year in Washington, D.C., a block from the White House, and installed a receptionist, live from Karachi, via a flat- screen TV on the office wall. According to a May Washington Post report, Saadia Musa cheerily greets visitors, answers and routes phone calls to the Washington office, lets in deliverymen and orders sandwiches from down the street.

Has anyone been over to The Resource Group to see their outsourced receptionist?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs