Monthly Archives: June 2009

Sports Fix, The Features
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Sports Fix: Top of the Heap Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Jaime Moreno, DC United’
courtesy of ‘geraintwn’

D.C. United
Record: 5-3-8
Last Two Weeks: 1-1-1
Place: 1st in the East

D.C. United played three games since we’ve talked last. Three very different games from what seem to have been three wholly different team. The first, a victory over the Chicago Fire, was a triumph of defense and striking offense. It also put them on top of the Eastern Conference, thanks to Josh Wicks’ goaltending. The second, a tie with the Seattle Sounders was thanks to late-game heroics, and a big mistake. The third, a 3-0 shutout at the hand of the Colorado Rapids left a lot to be desired.

So, who are D.C. United at this point? The team that knocked off the Fire and claimed first place? Or the team that nearly lost to the Sounders and did lose to the Rapids, who are both middle of the pack teams from the West? There’s a lot of distance between the two teams, and United will have to figure out which one they are before they go forward. Injuries have hurt United, with Fred and Jaime Moreno out each for a few games,

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Die, Fringe button, die

Photo courtesy of
‘button’
courtesy of ‘nate steiner’

Fringe tickets went on sale this morning and Tom and I both commented to each other that we wanted to mention it but our loathing of the mandatory button was so great that we both had refrained thus far.

So I decided that I would put up one authoritative Fringe button hate post and that would be it. I like the idea of Fringe, even if sometimes the reality fails to live up to the ideals, so I don’t want to refrain from any mention or promotion. I may yet continue my personal boycott of Fringe events from last year but I pledge that – for the remainder of Fringe 09 – I will keep my button loathing to myself. After this. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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SILVERDOCS Winners

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

SILVERDOCS, the documentary film festival in Silver Spring, MD, ended last weekend with lines around the block for The Nine Lives of Marion Barry. Even though that one had special local appeal, it wasn’t one of the award winners at this year’s festival. A couple of highlights of the winning films are Riseup, a film about the underground reggae scene, which got the Music Documentary award, and The Cove, about Flipper and the creator’s campaign to free captive dolphins, which won the Audience Award. Check out the full list of winners here.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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The Real World, Mapped Out

Photo courtesy of
‘Ever since I can remember’
courtesy of ‘ben pollard’

Well, we’ve had our time to make up our wills, get ready our bail monies, and shine up our truncheons; the Real World is Here. Washingtonian is looking for your help mapping out their stay in the DC area, and is asking for folks to email them, or twitter using #rwwatch to help keep tabs on this dangerous plague of human misery. Keep an eye on their map to figure out where not to go for drinks or dinner after work.

Dupont Circle, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Media, Night Life, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Real World Update

Photo courtesy of
‘Workers’
courtesy of ‘squidpants’

The Real World watch has officially begun.  Word on the street was that filming was supposed to begin this weekend, but it looks like that the actual date may be a bit later.  I swung by the RW house on Saturday to try to catch a glimpse of the incoming cast, but found that the building was still in the final stages of renovation.  From all appearances, furniture was being brought in and the final touches were being put on the aesthetics.  We’ll have to wait and see when the soon to be drunken co-eds officially arrive, unless they managed to sneak in yesterday. 

In the mean time, WaPo’s “Going Out Gurus” have compiled a handy list of Real World friendly bars for all of us to avoid.  Cobalt, Russia House, the Shadow Room and Town make the list, along with a few others.  Take note and beware.

Alexandria, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Is Homeless the New Sexy?

Homeless Guy
Homeless in Sugamo 2
by jamesfischer

It’s a slow day here in Georgetown, what with it being early still and thus nobody making too much of a fuss over me being the only guy in the neighborhood without one of those shitty men’s scarves all the pseudo-hip guys seem to be wearing nowadays. Being a bit bored, I decided to look at Craigslist to see what magic I could stir up. As I have said before, I am a big fan of the missed connections because they represent the bit of tension before a relationship blooms or withers.

I found this one, with a woman who admitted to flashing a homeless guy she found rather attractive:

Hot homeless man at 7-corners – w4m – 25 (Alexandria)
Me: driving bright blue car-gave you money and a wink to match. I showed you the tattoo on my boob.
You: ruggedly handsome, tall, clean cut beard, killer smile, jeans had some holes-and a flannel
I was going to ask for your number and I assumed you wouldnt have one. So I guess we will find out if you have a computer eh? If this is you tell me what the tattoo on my boob was.

I like to think I am a reasonably attractive guy and I never get boobs flashed at me in public. What gives, boob woman? What’s a gainfully employed guy have to do to get some cleavage flashing action? I know it’s like a charitable action to do that for the homeless, but don’t think the rest of us wouldn’t appreciate it too.

My guess for the tattoo: a black widow spider. Or a likeness of Charlton Heston. What’s your guess?

Alexandria, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Inaugupocalypse, Life in the Capital, News, People, The Daily Feed
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Obama at Dairy Godmother!

Photo courtesy of
‘Fresh & Frozen’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’
Obama hit the Del Ray creamery (well, custard-er-ry, or whatever you call it) Dairy Godmother this afternoon. Good thing I snuck in last weekend for the Bordeaux Cherry,  ’cause after seeing what happened to Ray’s Hell Burgers, lord knows Dairy Godmother will be a packed house for the rest of the summer.

Dairy Godmother tweets “President Obama and his daughters just left. Pres. had a hot fudge sundae and daughters had vanilla cone and brownie sundae with sprinkles.” and “Malia had a brownie sundae with a housemade brownie, van.custard, hot fudge, whipped cream and cherry. Then she gave her whipped cream to dad.”

Happy Father’s Day, Mr. President.

Essential DC, Food and Drink, Life in the Capital, The Features
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Restaurants For Any Stage of Your Relationship

Photo courtesy of
‘Hand in hand’
courtesy of ‘Pianoman75’
Dining out, especially in a city like DC, can be a daunting task. More so when you’re trying to impress someone, like maybe someone you’re trying to get your kiss on with. Or maybe you’ve nailed down the right person for you, and you’re just looking for some creative food to keep you on your toes. Or maybe you’re ready to pop the big marriage question but are unsure of where to do it.

Well, lucky for you, I’ve got a round-up of perfect restaurants for any point in your relationship. From first dates, to a late night married take-out place, I have you covered. Read on, romancer, and let me guide you. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Free Concert, Not Sure What This Has to Do With Shakespeare

Photo courtesy of
‘bagpipe parade’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’

Nothing says summertime like… bagpipes? Okay, sure, Folger Library, we’re willing to take you at your word. Tonight at 7 p.m., the Shakespeare Library presents a free bagpipe concert in its Elizabethan Garden featuring musical talent Piobaireachd. Folger also recommends you try their Haggis recipe, dating back to 1610. Mmmm if its one thing I love in the DC heat, its delicious boiled meats. All kidding aside, check out free highland bagpipes tunes on a gorgeous June evening, tonight!

The Daily Feed
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Don’t eat that cookie dough

Photo courtesy of
‘For the Bathroom Impaired’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

Washington Post’s The Checkup blog is reporting that Nestle is recalling all of its refrigerated Toll House Cookie dough because of potential e coli contamination. Since it’s impossible for a human to resist eating at least some raw cookie dough (if not the entire tube) you should return it to its place of purchase.

recall notice and FDA’s press release here.

Essential DC, Life in the Capital, Talkin' Transit, The Features
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Drive in Traffic, Get Paid

Photo courtesy of
‘Stuck in Traffic.. 218 3rd St SE, Capitol Hill’ courtesy of ‘KrS-NrY’

In case you haven’t noticed, gas prices continue to rise. Which means commuting costs are going up again for those who choose (or have no choice) to drive to work each day.

Which of course, leads to Beltway congestion. And then the inevitable “who’s got the worst drivers” discussion, often yelled between cars with exclamatory sign language.

Who needs that?

Starting this fall, the Commuter Connections Work Program will begin paying people to carpool. That’s right. PAY YOU MONEY. Specifically, $2 a day.

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Don’t Miss the Big Green Bus

Photo courtesy of
‘school bus’
courtesy of ‘unai pascual’

The Big Green Bus is coming to Saturday’s Bethesda Big Train baseball game. This summer, 15 Dartmouth students are driving this bus, powered by waste vegetable oil, across the country to raise awareness and spur action on climate change.

You can see them at the 7:30 p.m. game at Shirley Povich Field in Cabin John Regional Park. Wear your Bethesda Green t-shirt, or buy one there, and you can get a free ticket as long as their supply lasts.

Foodie Roundup, Life in the Capital, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Foodie Round-Up (June 15th-19th)

Photo courtesy of
‘Artomatic 2009 Kerrin’s Appetizers’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Good Friday Morning, Washington! How are you out there? Is that, actual, like, sun? WHAT? Here I was thinking we had turned into the Amazon. I had bought a mosquito net and everything. But just in time for a *hopefully* sunny weekend, here’s all the news fit to eat in the District this week. We’ve got the Washingtonian Best Of Washington Party, Galileo III, a Mondavi wine dinner, where to celebrate Bastille Day, and um, Asian picnics on 4th of July (what?). Read on, dear readers. Continue reading →

Life in the Capital, The District, The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: Mount Pleasant

Photo courtesy of
‘Shrine of the Sacred Heart’
courtesy of ‘NCinDC’

The diverse and eclectic Mount Pleasant neighborhood is the topic of this week’s Where We Live.  It was once a streetcar suburb and is now a mix of housing types  with a main street of its own.  It has great access to downtown and is right in between Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights, two very developed areas, but it has retained a quieter residential character.  Read on to hear the very cool history of Mount Pleasant and what to check out next time you’re there.

History: The neighborhood dates back to 1727, when a large area of what is now Columbia Heights/Adams Morgan/Mount Pleasant was granted to James Holmead.  The area was named Pleasant Plains in 1750, and then became part of the District when it was established in 1791.  During the Civil War, the area was home to a hospital, and after the war the neighborhood became known as Mount Pleasant Village.  The area was separated from the rest of the District by rural land, as DC hadn’t grown into its 10-mile square yet, which is why Mount Pleasant doesn’t quite line up with DC’s orderly grid of streets.  In the 1870s, the area became the District’s first streetcar suburb, and many middle class residents moved in to take advantage of the quick commute to Washington City.

The area has changed a lot since then.  In the 1950s, the neighborhood became racially segregated, with many white residents leaving the city altogether.  The 1968 riots only made things worse, and the area entered a period of decline.  However, throughout the 1960s Spanish-speaking immigrants began moving to Mount Pleasant, establishing vibrant communities of El Salvadorean and Dominican Republic immigrants.  In the 1980s and 1990s, affluent professionals began moving into the area for its access to jobs downtown and its historic residential housing stock.  And today, the population is a mix of all those eras: approximately one third of residents are white, one third are African-American, and one third are Hispanic.

Neighborhood Character: Mount Pleasant has a strong historic residential character throughout the neighborhood and a pedestrian-friendly commercial strip along Mount Pleasant Street.  Rowhouses and smaller apartment buildings make up the neighborhood, and many historic structures from the early 1900s remain.  The area is very walkable, with strong transit access and a variety of neighborhood destinations.  In recent years, Mount Pleasant has been changing due to the nearby development of Columbia Heights.  Tim, author of the neighborhood blog The 42 and Mount Pleasant resident of six years, had this to say:  ” There obviously have been hundreds of changes, some from within and many from without.  We’ve been greatly affected by the development of Columbia Heights.  Most of that has probably been good for Mount Pleasant in terms of access to amenities.  On the other hand, we’ve seen stagnant development of out own commercial strip at the same time.”

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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WASA Says Customer Used 139,000 Gallons Last Month

Photo courtesy of
‘Artomatic 1905 WASA Pumping Station’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Think your Pepco bill hike was bad? Meet Jeanette Cohen whose WASA bill went up 4,000% last month after WASA says she used over 139,000 gallons of water. Folks, that’s a 39-day shower, but yet, WASA won’t back down and are insisting that Mrs. Cohen, who’s 99 years old, pay the whole bill.

Class act, WASA. Class act.

No word yet on how much lead Mrs. Cohen’s house now contains.

The Daily Feed
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Angelina’s in the House, as in Congress

Photo courtesy of
‘IMG_2185’
courtesy of ‘KJB Photography’

Angelina is in town today, speaking at a conference for World Refugee Day at the National Geographic Museum. The theme of this years’ conference, which seeks to raise awareness to the on-going plight of refugees around the globe, is “Refugee Youth: Building the Future.”  Additionally, Jolie was slated to have a meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but that was nixed, as Secretary Clinton apparently fell and broke her elbow yesterday. My sources indicate that she is currently on the Hill in the Rayburn building, perhaps on UN Refugee Agency business.

News, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Shooting in Columbia Heights

Photo courtesy of
‘CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS / @CSIï¼�cafe’
courtesy of ‘[puamelia]’

The Post and WJLA are reporting a double shooting in Columbia Heights that has shuttered 14th Street at Irving, as well as the south entrance to the Columbia Heights Metro, and WMATA is re-routing 52, 53, 54, H2, H4 and H8 bus lines around the incident.

It’s not clear the extent of the wounds of the victims, but both have been transported to area hospitals.