Outside with ya!

Come this time next month, you’ll not be inside a bar, hacking out a lung. No, you’ll be inside the bar, enjoying Smoke Free DC while the smokers freeze outside.

With this victory for health, if only for your lungs and not your liver too, where are you gonna go? The folks over at Smoke Free DC have already started a “Where Will You GO?” list to see where the party will start.

I know the first place I’ll go (again) is Tonic, to cure what ails me: sobriety. I’ve boycotted the bar since it became an underground smokehouse.

That and I will finally count Wonderland as smoke free. While Monday Night Trivia Fight was on the “smoke free” second floor, the smoke from downstairs doesn’t stop at the stairwell.

Enough about my soon-to-be haunts, what will your new ones be?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Can anyone recommend a good Cambodian restaurant in the area? I have looked but haven’t found anything. I even consulted a Cambodian woman I met, who told me the closest one is in New York. With an area as diverse as DC, it seems that we should have something here. I await the list of all those wonderful secret places you have tucked up your sleeves!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Welcome to the Metroblogging Network our newest city: Auckland! If you haven’t had a chance yet to see some of the other great cities that are part of our expansive 5-continent network, click the map over there at the right and you can see some of the other cool places that we cover in our network.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Waste. That is what I think when I see this amazing display of fish. The waste of the un-bought, unconsumed, uneaten seafood that died to spoil.

Can Washington DC really consume this much seafood via the Fish Market in Southwest? Will they really sell all that salmon, all those crabs, all the shrimp on display?

Will it not be shoveled into a trash bin, dumped, and lost from the ecosystem forever?

Such waste. It almost makes me want to vegetarian again. I was one once, for eight years, after I went scuba diving and saw the reefs from which these fish came. Or saw what was left of them. Scraped clean by trawlers for a market just like this.

And now here, in my own city, I see this display. Might this, and other displays like it across town, really be too much fish for one city?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

This is the lobby of my office building today (points if you can figure out which one).

Free food always brings out a crowd. A hungry crowd of office rats.

Now who in your office would be the first rat at the table? For us, it was accounting. Figures.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I may have found out how not to feel like a squished fish in a tin can during morning and afternoon commutes. Recently I was recording sounds of the Metro with a small handheld digital recorder and noticed that everyone gave me quite a bit of room, although not without slightly freaked-out gazes.

Look – it’s small and I can hide it in my hand. Does it really look that dangerous?

The next time I wanted to record in the train I brought the same little recorder and attached a neck strap so it would look like any other MP3 player someone had dangling around their neck. Still people were freaked out a little. Maybe next time I will actually plug in headphones as well and fool people into thinking the little device really is what it looks like.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The ever-cool Capitol of Punk has updated their DC tours with text message options, so that as you’re on the tour, you can text the tour and get updated messages and history from the various sites in DC. Check it out, it’s worth it to see DC’s incredible place in the history of Punk Rock.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

“The Brainwave Chick” Paras Kaula

My friend Andy Carvin just alerted me to the ultimate Geek-Meet in DC this week: Dorkbot DC.

How geeky can something with the name “dorkbot” be? How about this description:

Dorkbot DC is a monthly meeting of artists (sound/image/movement/etc.), designers, engineers, students and other interested parties from the DC area who are involved in the creation of electronic art (in the broadest sense of the term.)

Or better yet, just check out “The Brainwave Chick”, Paras Kaula, who is a “neural artist”. Yeah, I don’t know what that means either, but she apparently uses brain wave frequencies to create visuals and music.

If this sounds like your crowd, and with enough drinks, its definitely mine, get your ass to Provisions Library this Wednesday from 7 PM – 9 PM and get your electro-geek on!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

All six fans of the DC United are likely crying in their beers tonight as Freddy Adu’s been traded to Salt Lake, along with their veteran goalie, for a reserve goalie and what amounts to two players to be named later. Adu’s career in DC has been disappointing, primarily for Freddy who wanted more playing time, and for the United, and with his 18th birthday coming up, he’s likely to sign with a European Pro Team, which means we wouldn’t get squat if he left without a trade. Seeya Freddy, and good luck in Salt Lake.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I’m loving this, um, holiday oriented high key shot by Flickrite flickr-rickr. First off, clone out the black spot in the lower left corner, but moving along – I love this alternative shot of dear old St. Nick. This could be the artwork for say, Green Day’s Christmas Album. The lesson here though is that you shouldn’t be afraid to blow out your highlights if it fits the shot and I think it really adds to this photo in particular. Ho, ho, *cough*, ho!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

… but anyone looking at these auctions already wants a Wii for themselves or someone else. Apparently jmontalvo7881 of Fairfax didn’t want to risk anything however, and stuck in a gratuitous cleavage shot.

Not that I’m complaining, mind you.

photo courtesy of jmontalvo7881

Sadly there’s no picture included for the vibrating remote.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Are you hungry right now? Might you want a salad for lunch? Maybe at Cosi? Maybe the one at 15th and K Streets NW?

If so, be careful. This is the view at the lunch rush last week – four lines all the way to the door.

Apparently its training week at this downtown Cosi, a training week for the cashiers and the food preps.

Not a training week like at Corner Bakery, that would be rough, but still a challenge.

A challenge my cashier didn’t handle too well, handing me my salad without fork, napkin, or bread.

Still, I give her credit, the line was long, people were hungry, and she was trying her best.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I have to meet some folks for dinner tonight near Wisconsin and M Street. Are there any places folks know to park that are:
a. cheap
b. close
c. free

or possibly some combination of any two of those above requirements? Usually I find myself just driving through on my way somewhere so I am not too familiar with parking in the area, except that I know it’s difficult and/or expensive. Thanks for your help!

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Honor By August 4

Originally uploaded by tbridge.

Saturday evening brought two great things together at least: good gumbo and good rock music. I found myself with a dilemma: with just an hour before showtimes, our usual standby restaurants in Clarendon were quoting 30-45 minute wait times. Stunned and disappointed, we gave the Iota Cafe a try before the concert.

The Iota Cafe, part of the ever famous Iota Club and Cafe, serves light fare, and a mean seafood gumbo, in a small space with about 10-15 tables. Prices are reasonable, and I was actually really impressed with the seafood gumbo I had. Their wine list is pretty good as well, with a nice bottle of red wine running around $30, dinner for two with wine and dessert can run less than $100 with tip, which isn’t shabby with alcohol and service included.

The opening band for the evening was Color Side, which took advantage of pretty much every modern rock cliche: stylish guitar player hides behind his hair and rocks while staring at his feet, lead singer gives up on the microphone and turns his back to the audience to rock with the keyboard player because it’s all about the muuuuuusic, man! They were solid, but cliched.

Elevator to Space (whose website I love its unix geekery) was the middle band, serving as an excellent bridge from the cliched-but-good Color Side and the very excellent Honor By August. Their mixture of Doves-inspired jam rock and good ol’fashioned rock and roll kept the crowd’s attention and inspired some dancing, but it was clear that this was a crowd for Honor By August alone.

As soon as Elevator to Space was done with their set, the crowd moved en masse to fill the small gap between the front of the stage and the patrons already there. They played a rousing set, closing out with several new songs from the upcoming album. Evan Fields can really wail on guitar, and Michael Pearsall’s vocals are topnotch. The lightshow, put on by the guys who do the lights for Widespread Panic, was excellent and added to the incredible instrumentals for the evening.

Going out to Iota reminded me how much I love good live music, and I think I’ll have to start heading out there more often.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

I bet you were sad to hear that Pluto was downgraded from the ninth planet to dwarf planet number 134340.

Photo by DC Metroblogger

But I bet you’re not as sad as the American Geophysical Union.

Their very cool headquarters on Florida Avenue has all nine planets embedded in the sidewalk around the building. Each positioned at its relative distance from the sun.

Now they’re gonna need a jackhammer and concrete filler to remove this little guy – Pluto – from their sidewalk.

That or start adding a whole other range of dwarves.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Santa couldn’t get it all done every year without the reindeer. These were just a few of the ones who joined the bevy of Santas for Santarchy this year. I’ll tell you all about it later when I’m less tired and drunk. Suffice to say it was a blast, up till the second my darling girlfriend and I had to bail out and go to a friend’s christmas party. I suspect many of our fellow Santas are still out tearing it up, but after the first few hundred years of Santa-dom you realize there’s all tomorrow’s parties to stay fresh for and sometimes you just gotta pack it in.

Ho Ho Ho.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

This past week I had to get something down at the Container Store in Clarendon. Normally I don’t like the idea of a store that sells things like boxes to store your boxes in but I had a particular need I was pretty well stymied by. But when I got to the Clarendon shopping area I found myself circling around three times, trying all the side streets within a reasonable walking distance and still not finding a spot to park in.

Sure, I could have used the parking garage there but I don’t feel right about paying to park so I can give more of my money away. The meters don’t bother me so much, being able to take as little as a quarter, but the garages do. I needed a spot for about ten minutes. That doesn’t justify parking in the $2 garage.

So are there any secret parking spots folks know around that area that maybe I just missed?

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Photo by DC Metroblogger

What might this be? Is this an eviction or a house cleaning? The couch, it’s definitely ready to go. The clothes less so.

Looking closer, that would look good in my house. Oh where is a pick-up truck when you need one. If only I had Don’s cell phone number.

Then again, this will not last long and Don lives far, far away. The urban rats will cart off the couch, by hand if need be.

The clothes, I went through them by hand. Not much. Not like the sweet leather jacket I found once. That street find kept me warm, all the way to Peace Corps Russia.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

Can you tell I’m a little excited? Santarchy 06 is tomorrow!

photo courtesy of The Opus

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs

The Washington Buddhist Peace Fellowship has monthly peace walks around the White House on the second Sunday of the month. This month it is the 10th at 1:00 p.m. From their online flier:

“Join us as we walk in silence for peace around the White House. We will gather at 1:00 p.m. in Lafayette Park for a brief welcome and short readings from different faith traditions and then walk in silence for about an hour around the White House. We will close with a short meditation and reflection. No signs or banners are needed, but wear a white shirt if you have one.”

Buddhist or non-Buddhist, all are welcome.

This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs