Well, were you car free on your morning commute? Did you pass Tommy Wells (Ward 6) Car Free Challenge? I know I did, I ran into work at my new job.

As I ran, I wondered how they came about naming today “CarFree DC Day”. Might they have read my “Good Idea: Car-free DC” post, itself a copy of a Craigslist ad?

Probably not, since they have a whole usage model around car + free that is way more complicated that I could ever be:

• Carfree (adj.): Refers to “World Carfree Day”
• CarFree (n.): Refers to “CarFree DC”
• Car-free (adj.): Describing a car free way of being
• Car free (n. + adj.): To be free of cars

Sheesh, they make it so complex I just wanna drive away.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Much love to Nats Blogger Miss Chatter for blogging about her recent trip to see the Nats take BP at the new stadium:

I was walking down the road into left field and saw everyone, so froze and took video and photos from there. Wily Mo Pena hit a home run over the left field “wall” while I stood there. Pretty cool!

While things do still look pretty rough and construction-y at the new yet-to-be-named stadium, the Nats have a lot to look forward to there. It looks like the giant display in right-center should be pretty awesome there, and the new park will likely be much more hitter-friendly, which will be great for the Nats’ offense, but likely horrific for the Nats already 10th of 16 Pitching staff.

That is, unless Stan and Jim have a surprise for us in the offseason like I hope they do?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Protest signs DC made or bought?

What do you think the economic impact of ANSWER Coalition’s protest yesterday? How much money did Washington DC businesses and government gain from the protesters?

I’m sure that the hotels, buses, and vendors were happy with the protest influx. Also the sign makers, Port-a-let renters, and even the DC government, with the tax revenue.

Add to it, all those overtime-paid police and security guards who made bank babysitting screaming adults and will now spend said bank in DC.

But what about the drain on DC services, the overtime that came from DC government coffers. Was it more than the tax revenue for the tourists’ taxes? Does DC come out ahead, money-wise, when we have a protest, ineffectual or not?

Armchair economists, compute!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by Carl Weaver

I have had a great time with my garden recently and am slowly capturing some of it digitally as the harvest ripens and my green fruit starts to blush. The peppers, especially, have a really cool look about them. Each is shaped differently from the others, showing something of a personality and unique, dliecious beauty.

What do you have growing in your garden? Take a picture and post a link in the comments.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Kickball. Fun pastime or Scourge of the District? To hear the Anti Yuppie Kickball Guerilla Front tell it, you’d think that Kickball was the favored activity of all manner of evils from Napoleon’s Imperialism and European Fascism through to modern Islamist Terrorism. Check out their charge to battle:

Think of those eyes now turning to you my friends each time you hear that whistle and the whack of an adult foot on a rubber playground ball. What do those eyes tell you when the asshole-parade of rainbow shirts suddenly crowds into your holy places of drink and real camaraderie? What will you say to your children whom you allowed to be so cowed by the yuppie class war that they whine about your feet and cannot begin to function without a social life you had Fedexed for them from China? I’ll tell you your answer! I say NO! NO! NO to the Reebok boot of chump-hood against the neck of our future! NO to the gentrified repackaging and reduction of our heritage to predetermined color-codes. NO to this flight from reality back to little-league baseball insulation! And God Damnit NO to this invasion stupefying lock-step collectivism into our beer-flowing foundries of revolutionary thought!

Folks, this site is an epic masterpiece of Kickball-hatred the likes I haven’t seen since my friend John was picked last for Kickball in the fourth grade. The tirade that he spouted, aged up to his current near-thirty vocabulary, looks remarkably similar to the screed of the new Guerilla Front. Check out their methods of operation, or tell them that your hatred of kickball is best described as an 18-wheeler packed with starved wolves.

Viva la revoluciòn!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

That’s the question I ask thinking about today’s march on the Capitol – was it effective?

First, did “thousands” of protesters change anyone’s mind? From what Michelle Boorstein says, I don’t think so:

Things got ugly for several blocks along Pennsylvania Ave., where war supporters, held back by metal barricades, wore T-shirts, held signs and screamed things at protesters that frequently were obscene.

On the corner of 10th street, two middle-aged men wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with a soldier’s photo shouted obscenities at the top of their lungs in the face of a young man wearing full camouflage and a bandana covering all of his face except his eyes.

And then we have to wonder if it motivated anyone to take action more and/or more effectively than before, no matter what their ultimate goal might be from that action.

Do you think there will be a new groundswell of voter-action? New conversations with new people in homes, churches, or civic groups? Did the protesters at least do a sit-in until they met with their Congressman?

Probably not. Most Congressmen were back home with 4 days off for Rosh Hashana and I dare to say that most protesters did what they do best today: scream and shout like the woman loco_moco witnessed:

I heard the most profanities from a large, middle-aged woman counterprotestor with a big bullhorn. As I was passing, she suddenly lunged over the barrier and tried to smite somebody with it. She had to be restrained by her compatriots.

I’d make that “patriots” but I wouldn’t call her very effective. She’s just one step up from ineffectual protesters I protest.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Wayan’s DC Photos

Today there was a whole other protest. It wasn’t about war, though the opposing sides are just as bitter. There were accusations of killing, death, even murder. And people did need escorts to keep fights at bay.

But this protest isn’t new, or even unique to DC. This is an abortion protest, and it happens across America at Planned Parenthood centers.

On one side you have guys like this one, ready to pounce on any woman entering, pregnant or not. On other you have the escorts, in bright shirts, ready to body-block for those looking for family planning advice.

And sadly, unlike the protest on the Mall, this protestation happens on a national scale every Saturday. Its enough to make we want to quote.

“Can’t we all just get along?”

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I hadn’t intended to post to DC Metblogs while I was here in Chicago, but I spotted this old tug from Lakeshore drive yesterday when coming in from the airport. So today I walked down to Lake Michigan to get a better picture and noticed its registry location – home!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

It’s a lovely Saturday, sunny with highs in the low 70s, perfect for a day out demonstrating. On the Pennsylvania Ave White House to Capitol stretch, we have ANSWER, and on the Mall between 7th and 10th Streets, we have Gathering of Eagles.

Who’s going? Take pictures.
Who’s avoiding? Watch the Metro advisories.

Washington Post Map of Protest and Counter-Protest, and Marc Fisher is posting live updates from both arenas of activism.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Local videoblogger Jill Foster, of Living with Geeks fame, has started a blog called Housewifery in which she documents her experiences getting the household stuff in order, such as health and finances, and offers tips for the rest of us who are negotiating similar challenges. In conjunction with the tips and references she provides, she also includes short videos with a humorous look at the issue. One of my favorites is here:

Come on – who DOESN’T eat M&Ms like that?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

… when you walk up to your gate at Washington National Airport. Whatever mystery fire this was off in the distance was put out pretty quickly.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Maybe my expectations were too high? You know the drill. You’re tired of the same old restaurants in your hood and when you hear a new one will be opening you think, “Nice! Can’t wait to try it! Maybe it’ll be good?” But in the back of your mind you prepare yourself to be disappointed because 3 of the last 5 new restaurants have been bad, and one of them was only so-so.

I guess Plum Blossom, located at 18th & Willard falls into the so-so category as I wasn’t impressed and am in no hurry to go back.

The decor? Very Ikea-ish. No paintings or photos on the wall, very drab, yellow lighting, and the little tables you sit at are made of Formica (would have been so much nicer if they were wood). As a tall guy I had trouble sitting on the tiny cube seats that are less than two feet off the ground, but that wasn’t a big deal.

The service? Well, it’s a new restaurant so you have to expect some jitters. Our waiter didn’t exactly know when to take empty dishes or glasses away and kept brushing up against me when he did so. I asked him what kind of beer they had (hoping for an Asahi or a Sapporo) and he said the list was on the menu. Whoops! No it wasn’t. They only have Amstel Light (like ‘sex on a boat’), Miller Light, and Heineken. Their wine list was pretty slim too. Overall the service was pretty decent but nothing to get excited about.

The food? Ah, the food. What really makes a restaurant worth its weight in soy sauce. I thought the sushi tasted good and wasn’t chewy or fishy tasting, but the pieces were cut too thick ($6 for two pieces). I ordered the small plate of Vienamese Beef ($10) and found it to be chewy and not very flavorful. Good thing I had my handy dish of soy sauce nearby to flavor it up. My friends weren’t very impressed with their dishes either, but one of them is always disappointed since she’s a vegan.

The good thing about my experience at Plum Blossom was the plethora of attractive women there, no doubt due to the feature on Daily Candy (does every woman in town get those e-mails?).

So if you feel like sushi and want to try some place new, go for it. If not, you won’t be missing out. Stick to Sushi Taro or better yet go to Oya.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

photo courtesy of Abrilon

Marc Fisher today has a column advocating for DC voting rights and representation. It’s worth a read if for no other reason that it doesn’t harp on the tiresome and misleading income tax point. While “taxation without representation” makes a nice soundbyte, I think it’s a little weak – we all pay for a lot of things that were decided against our personal interest and fund things we’ll never have use of, and at least in the case of the Senate, were chosen by a group of people of whom only 2% speak on our behalf. Include the House and you’ve got a 3 in 535, or 0.561% say in how 1/4 of your income is spent.

Instead he hits on several good reasons – and “because it’s the right thing to do” is certainly not the least of them – but saves what are, for my money, the best two for last. D.C. residents and armed forces members Darrell Lewis and Kevin Shea died in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively, both conflicts ordered by the President after they were authorized by Congress… where they have no voting representation.

Given the whole point of this discussion, there’s nothing DC residents can do about the matter. However the rest of us who live outside the district and have representation can call our congresscritter and ask him or her to push the matter forward. DC Vote makes it easy for you to contract your representative or you can pick up the phone and call your senator.

Update: Thanks KC for the dead trout to the head – I had another bill open in THOMAS that Webb was a co-sponsor on and my wishful thinking and gnat’s attention span got the better of me, it seems. We VA folk need to call both our Senators.

Here in this area you don’t have to call Webb in VA or Mikulski in MD – they’re co-sponsors of the bill. Maryland residents need not call Mikulski – she’s a co-sponsor so her vote is pretty sure. Virginia residents should call John Warner at (202) 224-2023 and Jim Webb at (202) 224-4024. Marylanders should call Cardin at (202) 224-4524. The rest of you can find the phone numbers you need here.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The Bells of Epiphany Church

Originally uploaded by tbridge.

This morning, I waited for Verizon in a building above the Church of the Epiphany. Built in 1844 on G street in Northwest, the church stands hidden between office buildings, its garden and carillon are its only imprint on the office landscape. Never have I marked time so closely than now, with the tones of Handel’s “I know that my Redeemer liveth” streaming from the bells at the quarter hour.

I imagine that perhapse if I worked here, it might get tiresome after while, but for today, it is welcome austerity. A reminder of the analog in the midst of digita. The feeling of a retreat within the noise and the hustle. It’s why we build parks, set to simulate the natural and to preserve the original state in an idealized way, I suppose. Remind ourselves that we are but building The Machine in a Garden.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I got this from a list I am on with other emergency response folks. Come on to the meeting and hear what experts have to say on the topic.

Are you ready? Come hear what local experts and county officials have to say about preparing for and surviving a pandemic flu outbreak in Arlington.
7 to 8:30 pm this Thursday (13 September)
County Board Room, 2100 Clarendon Boulevard

Me, I am not too worried about this topic because I figure the weak will be weeded out without much effort on my part. Plus, you have to die from something, right?

One of the benefits of being young and healthy and working with children is that I am immune to darned near everything. Here’s to wishing you and yours good health as we head into the flu season.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Your calamari favorite?

Who makes the best calamari in Washington DC?

This is the question my Betrothed Butterbean and I debate whenever we see calamari on the appetizer menu of a DC restaurant. In fact, it’s become somewhat of a quest for us.

Now we’ve tried calamari from the Boulevard Woodgrill to Lauriol Plaza, but without much success. It seems that cooks in DC don’t know what makes good calamari.

We both look for soft, tender, melt-in-your mouth rings of squid covered in a light bread crust, hopefully with a touch of spice. The accompanying sauce should be tomato-based and accentuate the calamari, but past that, I like to be surprised.

And surprisingly enough, I say that the best calamari in DC is at…

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

Cranes at dawn

Originally uploaded by tbridge.

I don’t know how people live so close to the flight line as they do in Rosslyn. It’s just never made sense to me why someone would choose to live beneath the noise of a planes engine at full throttle as it scorches into the clear blue sky. But there I was at just after 7 this morning picking up some keys for a client.

I stood outside on the brisk air, the first sign of Autumn’s arrival, in the shadow of these two cranes, wondering how soon I’d see the skeletal steel of yet another densepacked space in Rosslyn. Give me the bucolic Fairlington, any day.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Wayan’s DC Photos

This is the impressive wine rack at Vidalia, a walk-in closet of fermented grapes that call to me.

In fact, this specific wine bar stockroom calls to me every day from 5-7pm. That’s when talented sommeliers pour free samples for the interested public to try.

They also present unique appetizer samples that compliment each wine, impressing even jaded gourmands with their flavor combinations.

My recommendation is to get there early, say 5:01pm, and bring friends. The sommeliers will be overwhelmed with free sample moochers by 6pm, and while the wine is good, it’s not worth the standing-room-only wait.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Jonny’s crane style is strong.
Photo by Carl Weaver

Jonny Goldstein, DC’s very own videoblogging guru and all-around good guy, has a weekly talk show at jonnygoldstein.com, in which he discusses technology, politics and social issues. It’s always a good time and he has excellent, insightful guests.

This week on Jonny’s Par-tay are Jay Dedman and Kathryn Velvel Jones. This is sure to be a fun, exciting show, and I recommend you all check it out if you have any interest in online video.

Where to watch: jonnygoldstein.com
When to watch: Weds, 12 Sep, 9PM-10:05 EST
What you need to watch: A computer connected to broadband
Interactivity: Chat questions and comments in the live chatroom during the show. It’s a par-tay, and you’re so invited.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

image courtesy of Jonathan Padget

No, not the cruddy movie sequel – a return to The Blue Lagoon: The Musical, which I reviewed here back in August. The musical’s creator, Jonathan Padget, has posted the full show to YouTube in 11 parts.

The set is dark enough that you might be tempted to just listen rather than watch the dim video, but you’d be missing out on quite a bit of giggle-inducing props, not to mention Kathleen Mason and Matthew McGloin. McGloin’s dead-on portrayals of a horny teen boy cheezily posing is worth the dim lighting all by itself, but you for-sure can’t miss the visuals in episode 7 when they Em and Dick portray their first… um… swim in the lagoon.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs