ken's rnr

Booeymonger

2006-04-21T08:37:00.000-05:00

I was always wondering about a strangely named eatery when I drove by in the Northwest DC.
While of a customer site visit in tanleytown, we went there for lunch, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this is a cool, NY style sandwich place, a little "soup nazi" like, but not as bad. You see people ordering their sandwiches through a little window, and then move to the cachier with a little slip in their hand. Very strict protocol.

I tried The Californian - Homemade chicken salad, fresh avocado and alfalfa sprouts on a kaiser roll. Pretty good. THe place is described by the patrons as the local favorite - so next time you are in the vicinity- stop by, dont be afraid of the weird name.

Did we spot a rare bird?

2006-04-11T07:32:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Elena and I walked around this lake in the park in Gaithersburg (Seneca Creek State Park), and saw two huge woodpeckers. They were awesome - with big red tops and all. We looked at them till they basically flew on - and pretty much thought nothing of it. This morning i was looking at the Yahoo news photos - and HOLY CRAP! I think we spotted the rare Ivory Billed Woodpecker thought to be extinct until just recently - which was spotted again just recently in the South. I need to go on an overnight expedition to the park to see if they are still around there. Of course there are a couple different types of woodpeckers that look somewhat similar...
Legend:1. Red-cockaded2. Hairy3. Downy4. Pileated5. Red-bellied6. Red-headed7. Sapsucker8. Flicker9. Ivorybill (extinct)

Source: Tom R. MacKenzie U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1875 Century Boulevard, Suite 410Atlanta, GA 30345(404) 679-7291Fax: 404/679-7286

I sent an email to this guy - let's see what he thinks...

Louis VIX

2006-03-24T10:33:00.000-05:00

January and February were a drag for discovering new music and nothing new was discovered. March is the complete opposite. I am probably just catching up with what everybody already knows…. Like SXSW ended last weekend, but only this week I found out that their website has a “SXSW Music Player”. I know, I am barely hanging on.

Anyway, one of my new fav bands of the moment is Louis XIV. They probably have the edgiest lyrics out of all the indi bands I've been listening to recently. You sort of feel dirty if you pay attention to the lyrics. One blogger said “I’m sure they’re all lovely people, though for some reason — possibly based on their lyrics — I find myself hoping they wash their hands before eating.” Check out the first verse of “Finding out true love is blind”;

Ah chocolate girl, you're looking like something I want
(finding out true love is blind)
Ah and your little Asian friend she can come if she wants
(finding out true love is blind)
I want all the self conscious girls who try to hide who they are with makeup
(finding out true love is blind)
You know it's the girl with a frown with the tight pants I really want to shake up
(finding out true love is blind)

Is it wrong to like them? Regardless of how un-PC their lyrics are, their beats are so contagious that you find yourself glued to their music. It’s like reading Lolita. You know that what you are reading is wrong, but you just can’t help but to continue reading only to find yourself more perturbed that you are actually enjoying reading this book.

Bratty high school cheerleaders

2006-03-19T11:31:00.000-05:00

Recently my friends and I went to Rasika. Everyone was eager to try out their food and drinks. We didn’t have reservations and figured we wouldn’t have any luck getting a table, but would be able to snag a seat in the lounge or the bar. Unfortunately the host insisted that the seats in the lounge and the bar required a reservation as well. What?! Has anyone ever heard such nonsense? We made our mistake by talking to the host when we came in. Instead of talking to him we should have acted like hot shit and just sat at one of the many available tables in the lounge area. Since we couldn’t get a table we left. But now the moral dilemma – even though they acted like bratty high school cheerleaders we all want to go back and try their food. Oh the peer pressure of a couple good reviews. So what to do?!

Boycotting

2006-02-21T12:29:00.000-05:00

I am boycotting places that don’t offer veggie options. First place added to the list is Bar Rouge. Not only did they not have any veggie options, but their drinks were terrible. Keith and I each ordered a pomegranate martini that was supposed to have vodka, pomegranate juice, and cranberry juice. What we got were two juices with a drop of vodka. Maybe Belvedere vodka is supper smooth, but I doubt that even the smoothest vodka in the world can pass itself for tasting like pomegranate and cranberry juice. After this disaster we wondered over to Halo where we knew we wouldn't be disappointed. That place should be called Holy for its drink and the incredible Happy Hour.

Science Club

2006-02-19T22:38:00.000-05:00

Couple of us checked out the Science Club about a week ago for Happy Hour. It’s a cool new spot with a rather unfortunate name. Maybe it is not the name that’s the problem, but the execution of the theme. It didn’t feel well thought out, but more like an after thought. The Underground Bar in the basement of the Science Club had this random bookshelf with some beakers, pipettes, and other random science stuff in it. It looked like it was just randomly placed there. It’s like after everything was planned out they realized they needed to throw in some science related stuff so the place lives up to its name. I say ditch the science junk that’s just a distraction and keep everything else as is. It’s a well designed placed that looks nice. Who needs the random beakers and microscopes laying around?

I loved the all veggie menu. Let the carnivores suffer for a change.

Blacksalt

2006-01-08T18:49:00.000-05:00

I’ve heard a lot of buzz about Blacksalt restaurant over the last year and have always been tempted to check it out. Boris and I had dinner there Friday night and it was excellent. The restaurant is really nice and well designed with a modern look to it. Definitely make reservations if you go. The place was packed and even though we had reservations we still had to wait about 15 minutes to get our table.

As we were waiting for our table, I was debating whether to order wine, but I saw someone get a cosmo that was the perfect shade of pink (I knew that it would be good). So I quickly got me a cosmo. It was excellent. They used some vodka I’ve never heard of before, but it added a nice aftertaste to the drink (Boris said it tasted like paint-remover).

There are a lot of options on the menu: tapas, appetizers, salads, small entrée plates, and big entrée plates. For appetizers we got wood roasted shiitake mushrooms and Vietnamese mussels. The mushrooms were amazing. They had the perfect mix of vinegar and oil. I’ve never tasted mushrooms this good. The mussels were also very good. They came with a fermented black beans, cilantro, scallion, mint, and bean paste sauce, but I feel like if mussels are fresh then they can’t be bad. For the entrée I ordered the wild Maryland rockfish with mushrooms and butternut squash and cauliflower puree. Boris got poached pompano (neither one of us has ever heard of this fish before). Both of the fish dishes were well prepared and very yummy.

I was very impressed with Blacksalt – the food was great, the service was great, and the atmosphere was great. My one complaint is the French influence in the food. I don’t like heavy buttery sauces and many of the entrees at Blacksalt came with some sort of creamy sauce. To me that distracts from the fish and overpowers it especially if the fish has a very mild flavor to begin with. (I prefer the California style of cooking.) But don’t get me wrong, I’ll definitely go to Blacksalt again especially since they were very accommodating when Boris asked for no butter sauce with his entrée.

Very Best

2006-01-07T17:22:00.000-05:00

I was actually excited for Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants list primarily because the magazine got a new dining editor, Todd Kliman. In one of his weekly chats he promised a lot of changes to the list. It is about time. That list has definitely gotten stale. The same restaurants were recycled year after year. But not this year! There are a lot of new restaurants on the list. Todd Kliman has been getting a lot of crap from some of the chatters about the new format and all the changes to the list. His defense is that the list reflects what is going on right now in the DC restaurant scene (For his entire comment click here.). I agree. The trend with new places is all about innovation and some of the restaurants on the old list just can’t keep up. Just because they were on the list the year before,does not mean they should be on the list this year.

I don’t treat the list as a Bible, but it is a good reference point. One night, Boris, Niki, and I checked out Faryab, one of the restaurants on the list. I can’t speak for them, but I was pleasantly surprised. It had very yummy Afghan food. We split three vegetarian entrees: sweet pumpkin dish, eggplant dish, and potatoes in a tomato sauce dish. All the dishes came with rice. One of the dishes came with sweet rice, but I’m not sure if we ever figured out which dish was supposed to get the sweet rice. The waiter just brought everything to our table at once and left. The sweet pumpkin dish was a little too sweet for me and it reminded me more of a dessert than an entrée, but the eggplants and potato dishes were both excellent. (Although I must admit my bias, I love eggplants and potatoes.) I’m glad we checked this place out and I’ll definitely visit it again.

Goodbye Social Welfare Programs...

2005-12-21T11:39:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry for the political post, but it seems people don't realize the gravity of the situation currently in our country. This post is not meant to get into a debate, but just to let people know what is happening in our country...

Today, Vice President Dick Cheney broke a tie for the new budget bill that the Senate has been trying to pass before the end of the year. This bill will "imposes the first restraints in nearly a decade in federal benefit programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and student loans."

Let me explain simply what has happened this year. Tax cuts were extended earlier in the year, benefiting mostly upper class taxpayers. This has caused an even higher deficit than before. In order to meet the administration's pledge to reduce the deficit, budget cuts had to be passed. This budget bill does just that, but it cuts funding to many essential social welfare programs that have in fact been struggling to survive.

Regardless of your party affiliation, or even your interest in politics, when the Vice President (a member of the executive branch - the President's administration) has to break a tie for a vote in the Senate, it shows that this budget bill is NOT good for the country. Checks and balances that were put in place at the founding of our country are not working. Our country is divided. A 51-50 vote on this bill (legislation which is arguably bad for this country) says to me that our government isn't working properly.

These sorts of changes are happening consistently. We have ONE majority voice in this country, and this voice is changing everything for their priorities. This is NOT what a democracy is supposed to be. Ironic that we are imposing democracy in other places when we don't even know how to effectively execute it ourselves.

Now, drilling for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge is at stake at the hands of Ted Stevens (Republican from Alaska), who has been pushing for this for over 25 years. Coincidence that it hasn't passed in 25 years through various administrations? NO, it's not. Drilling in ANWR is a bad idea. It will take a minimum of 10 years to get oil from there (if there is any), and the amount that we retrieve is expected to only last 1 year at today's usage levels. There will be virtually NO impact on the price of gasoline. However, Ted Steven's and his oil supporters will benefit and once again, the desires of money hungry corporations will supersede those of you and me who want what little wildlife that is left in this country to remain.

This is not the time to say "I'm not political," or "I don't have any interest in politics." It is our duty as citizens to make our democracy real and functioning appropriately. It's about time we stop allowing the priorities of the few to hijack our country and the rights and desires of the many. We must preserve what we have left for not only ourselves, but the next generations who will undoubtedly have to deal with the changes we are making today.

When you can't drive most places because gas is too expensive, we are getting sick from pollution, old people are dying early because they can't get high blood pressure medicine because it's just out of their reach, our wildlife is gone, more students are prevented from going to college because they can't afford it, and the number of people living on our streets, cold and hungry, is drastically higher, you'll wish you had your voice heard and were a bit more political.

Squirrel killer

2005-12-13T12:15:00.000-05:00

Today, on my way to work I drove over a squirrel. I am a squirrel killer. The poor little guy made a dash across the road and when he realized he was going to get squashed he made a mad dash back, but it was too late. I drove over him as he was running back. Squirrels are my favorite rodents. I feel terrible. In all the confusion I didn’t know which way to swerve. Damn squirrel. Why couldn’t he be smart like some other squirrels and cross the road on the electrical wires over the road?

Move Over Halo....Smoke Free DC Has Passed the DC Council

2005-12-06T21:13:00.000-05:00

Well, maybe it is not official yet, as Mayor Williams still has to sign it...but it is a step in the right direction. Although there is an "exception" loop hole that the Titanic could squeeze through, I am so happy that DC is trying to be Smoke Free by 2007. I do not agree with the bill's opponents that all of the smokers will run off to the smoker-friendly Northern VA establishments, I say if NYC can pull it off, so can DC. Maybe if we are lucky, Halo will have some Smoke Free Competition:)

Does Gary Shteyngart have a superiority complex?

2005-12-04T00:51:00.000-05:00

After reading Gary’s latest piece in the December issue of Travel + Leisure Magazine, I noticed a strange pattern in his writing. Every time he writes about going back to Russia, the story is always full of references of how he is back there drinking and/or eating something really expensive at some overpriced restaurant or club, smoking expensive cigars, and tipping exuberantly to the shock of waitresses and his local friends and acquaintances.

The Russian Debutante's Handbook went a little overboard with the mafia “tough guy” fantasy – but I thought that was just where writing the story took him, even though it felt a bit stretched. The short story in Boris Fishman’s new compilation called Wild East was entire based on the premise of his character being a “New Russian” – a rich banker magnate basically searching for meaning of life in a huge pile of money while trying not to get eliminated by some competitive “biznesmeny”.

I understand that a Jewish boy from Russia who grew up in new York and had to endure his mother’s comments like “don’t slouch – you walk like a Jew” would have to feel pretty good about becoming a published writer with regular stories in the New Yorker, a critically acclaimed book and another one on the way – but most of us Russian Jewish immigrant kids who came from the Soviet Union with nothing in his pockets and had a good head on his shoulders are doing pretty well for the most part and feeling great about it. But I would think that the true wealth of a person is not measured by money and possessions only – and just because you can afford to travel back to Russia and party there – doesn’t mean you are so superior to people who live back there and struggle to make ends meet. They are just living in a country in a time of turmoil – and if anything, you were is lucky to be able to leave and go to a place with better opportunities. Recognize your fortune and be humble about it.

Yes, I too have fantasies about how I would go back to Russia and impress my Russian friends with the my appearance of wealth created by American inflated salaries, access to cheap consumer goods and unfavorable ( for the Russian locals) exchange rate. I just keep these fantasies to myself and don’t base my entire body of work around them.

How was your Turkey Day?

2005-11-29T16:06:00.000-05:00

Today is my first day back to the routine of work and what not...yay! I'm already anticipating a long Christmas/New Year's week for myself in a little over 3 weeks.... Anyways, here's what was good and bad about my 5 day weekend....

Thumbs up to getting the last seat on a delayed flight 1 hour before my scheduled flight. They closed the door behind me and I arrived in NY 5 minutes before my scheduled flight was supposed to leave DC. But the good part is finding out later that the flight was supposed to be on (8:10 PM) didn't arrive in NY till 2:22 AM. Doh...thank goodness!

Thumbs up to eating nearly beyond physically possible and enjoying the time with the Fam. Better yet, coming out to my Mom's parents, with whom I'm very close to, and having them tell me that they are happy for me and supportive. Phew...what a relief. It was anti-climatic, as I've been gearing up for well over 6 months to tell them, and there really was no issue. But I still have to tell my Dad's mother....

Thumbs down and up to being lazy on Friday. Not sure if this was good or bad. Did accomplish a few of the obligatory chores for my Mom however...

Thumbs up to going into the city on Saturday with Jampa and my parents and enjoying NYC, which I don't get to do nearly enough. Thumbs way up to crazy man at The Met who kicked and screamed when the guard tossed him out of the Van Gogh line for cutting. Not sure which was better: crazy man or Van Gogh exhibit...both were very entertaining.

Thumbs down to the gallery that was closed for Thanksgiving weekend (it was only a Saturday). I was anticipating going to this gallery for awhile, as there were some good photography on exhibit. Oh well, next time...

Thumbs up to seeing Rent on Sunday. It was quite good, true to the musical, but added a nice sort of Indie Movie Theme to it, as well as some helpful cinematography.

Thumbs up to more homemade food by my Mom on Sunday and from my grandmother (she's Italian) on Monday.

Thumbs down to being delayed Monday night on our flight back, but it was nice to finally arrive back in DC, which I call home more and more these days. (By the way, when do you stop calling Home as the place where you grew up?)

All in all, a great weekend. Looking forward to Christmas time. Hope you guys had a great weekend as well!

Sidewalk Rage...

2005-11-23T12:21:00.000-05:00

I now walk 15 minutes, about 0.75 miles, to work each day. It has been the highlight of my new job. Besides from not having to drive to Reston or Tyson's each day, it is nice to not have to go to Virginia and support a state that doesn't respect me. Virginia!....feelings are mutual!

Anyways, even with the issues of working for the "Man" and being a corporate slave, driving around here was almost always the worst part of my day. My road rage, although I'm at least smart enough to never take it too far and act on it, was quite high. I hated driving around here....and I still do. However, now that I practically never drive (woohoo!!), my road rage has transferred to sidewalk rage. Sometimes I can be one angry pedestrian. And you'd think that as a pedestrian, I wouldn't be able to inflict rage on someone in a car that could drive over me and end any dispute. But, you can. Let me show you how...

Today was the ultimate exemplification of my sidewalk rage. I walk through Thomas Circle every day, which has construction in progress. The pedestrian walkways change regularly, but the construction people make sure to put up stop signs and yield to pedestrian signs. It is clear that the pedestrian has the right of way in such a work zone. However, people try to push it, thinking that pedestrians will yield. Not me! I walk into the street forcing people to stop, being careful to watch them so I don't get run over. Well, this cab this morning knew I had the right of way, and didn't want to yield to me. But he did, cause he's supposed to. His hands went up in the air. So, what did I do? I walked as slow as I possibly could. When I finally passed the car, he started driving and rolling down the window. I made some incoherent comments and I couldn't really make out what he was saying as my iPod was on.

I can't stand these people. I test them every day, and I get annoyed. One day I had the idea to ask MPD to give me the capability to give out traffic tickets :) Drivers in this city, especially cab drivers, don't mix well with pedestrians. I think it's some sort of imbalance of techniques.

Let's compare other places. New York, where I'm from, is aggressive. People do some crazy shit driving around there. And the pedestrians are equally as crazy. No one waits for a walk sign in New York City, except for the tourists. But everyone sort of gets along, it's like a level playing field. Everyone's aggressive when they drive, and when they walk, so you know what to expect. Now, in California, there are very strict pedestrian right of way laws. Every driver stops their car for a pedestrian, and pedestrians are scolded for even stepping a foot into the street when you aren't supposed to. Again, there is this consistency. In DC, there's a mix, those who respect pedestrians, and those that are aggressive. I feel as though it's not either that is right or wrong, but rather the mix of the two that causes problems. Perhaps our reader in NY can compare NY with DC...

So, since I am now a pedestrian, I'd like to take the California side of road etiquette. So, I push the limits, both with the hopes of getting to work quicker and forcing others to respect the pedestrian. I mean, it is a law. And I'm not willing to let a stupid diplomat get away with running a stop sign while I'm in the crosswalk (that happened last week). Hopefully I'll be able to stay alive.... I guess my next job may have to be one in which I can work from home :)

Happy Turkey Day!

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama

2005-11-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

Saw the Dalai Lama at the MCI Center last Sunday. As you may know, the Dalai Lama (the 14th reincarnation) is the spiritual, political, and religious leader of Tibet, although he lives in India as a refugee. Tibet is a relatively new country not known to Western societies till the 60's, and is currently occupied by China. The Chinese government continues to commit genocide and are effectively removing Tibetan culture from native Tibetans, and the rest of the world. Tibetans in Tibet are not allowed to worship His Holiness or even mention the Dalai Lama's name. For more information, see International Campaign for Tibet.

DC was lucky to have such an influential leader visit to give a speech on Global Peace Through Compassion. It is truly amazing to see the Dalai Lama bring an almost sold-out MCI Center to a standing ovation. After various tributes and a 70th birthday celebration for him, the Dalai Lama took off his shoes and folded them underneath himself on a chair, very representative of his down-to-earth nature. Although the acoustics were poor where we were sitting and His Holiness' English is sometimes difficult to understand, the energy in the MCI Center was powerful and his simple, yet inexplicably difficult to practice, messages were still taken to heart.

The most fundamental message of the afternoon was the idea that compassion, happiness, and kindness start with each individual. This compassion at the individual level spreads to one's family, and then to the society. Once the culture of the society is compassionate, nations can be compassionate and we can live peacefully in an ever changing global environment. Simple and obvious, right? Well, why is it so difficult to do, and why are we living in times that quite possibly exhibit the least amount of compassion that I've ever witnessed in my lifetime? Well, it starts with each of us, and everyday we should strive to be more compassionate.

I was reminded of this last night when I went to my first condo board meeting, and two board members were yelling at each other for 5 minutes. Granted, I expressed my concerns in an assertive manner, and I could have been much better about that. Maria finally made the point - can't we be nicer to each other? She stated that she's lived in many countries, and people are the most mean to each other here. In my opinion, being compassionate to ALL living things is probably the most important moral value today, yet we have a long way to go, myself included.

The Dalai Lama discussed a lot more on Sunday, and I will be learning a lot more as I begin to read one of his many books available. Whatever your religion, spiritual beliefs, political views, the Dalai Lama delivers many messages worth investigating. The ultimate thing that validates the Dalai Lama in my mind, the fact that His Holiness says, "if what I'm saying doesn't make sense to you, don't believe it." How many leaders today will say such a thing? I can't think of any. It makes sense though, as one of the fundamental concepts of Buddhist philosophy, as I understand it, is that there are things that we just don't know and don't have an answer for. This is profound in my book, and I'm anxious to learn a lot more from whom I believe to be one of the most influential leaders of our time. After all, he did earn the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989...

Now that I'm out about being gay......

2005-11-15T17:11:00.000-05:00

....I can relish in fabulous music by Madonna. I wouldn't have admitted that I love Madonna or Cher before I was out, as it's so gay! But now, I'm out of the closet and loving Madonna! And it couldn't be a better time than now.

Today, Madonna releases Confessions on a Dance Floor. Thanks to a preview of the album, I have listened to the entire album....about 13 times now (yay repeat). It is fantastic - Madonna doesn't stop amazing me with her talents. Objectively, one has to admit that this is a very good release for her.

It is discoey dance music that you can enjoy at work, on the stereo at home while making dinner, when you feel like dancing in the shower, or at your favorite local (most likely gay) club. And how appropriate that Hush, the weekly gay club night at Chloe in Adam's Morgan is having an official release party on Thursday, November 17th. Elena and I will be there....and early we will be to receive freebies and get as much Madonna in as one can. It's going to be a fabulous night!!!!!

Viridian

2005-11-14T22:59:00.000-05:00

It’s been almost two weeks since anyone posted on the blog - how devastating!

In other news, Niki and I decided to check out Viridian, the new restaurant in the Logan Circle Restaurant Mecca District. We went there mainly to have a glass of wine, but since it was around dinner time and the place was empty when we got there we contemplated getting a table and checking out their entire menu. Unfortunately our contemplating was cut short as the hostess told us they were completely booked. Say what?! There were a handful people at the bar and that is it. No one was sitting down. We got a table at the bar and ordered some wine. We were of course tempted by the food decided to order some of their small dishes. When the waiter came to take our order he warned us that they had no gas and some of the items were not available. On their second night they had no gas. They had to do some major damage control for the people who had reservations (and by the way the place only filled to 1/5 of its capacity the entire time we were there). Besides the obvious detractors the place has definite potential. It’s very well designed. Everything we ordered, side dishes and dessert, was very yummy. The wine was excellent and the pomegranate cosmo was delicious. I will wait a couple of weeks to let them work out their kinks and then definitely check them out again.

Flash at its best....

2005-11-01T10:29:00.000-05:00

Well, flash is a web technology, and it's really cool. This is what flash can do - Become Republican. Flash has been used for a few years now, and it's very cool. This is one of the best flash sites I've seen...

Ok, really. This is just plain funny. Regardless of your political stance...you gotta have a sense of humor about this one. (Oh, yeah...and it's true.)

Vegetate

2005-10-25T15:30:00.000-05:00

It is about time that DC got its own vegetarian restaurant – Vegetate. It’s my new favorite place. It’s stylish, but not pretentious, has very yummy food, and serve brunch on the weekends. After the liquor license issue gets resolved their lounge will rival many lounges in DC. The owners - Jennifer and Dominic - were super nice and inviting. This is a place everyone has to check out.

What happened to the social norms of dating?

2005-10-20T16:33:00.000-05:00

So last night I was watching Seinfeld and in this episode Jerry decides he wants to break up with a girl he has been dating. As he reaches for the phone, Elaine shouts, "No, no, you are too far into it for the phone break up." Jerry hangs-up and goes over to the girl's apartment to break up with her. What happened to this social etiquette? When did it become socially acceptable to just "ignore" someone you have been dating until they get it.
Recently I have been seeing this pop up more and more. My roommate dated someone this summer and one day he just "decided" that he didn't want to talk with her. He ignored her calls and text messages until she had to literally break into his apartment (he has one of those keycode door locks) and ask him what happened. His excuse- he felt he was "too irresponsibile right now and would do something stupid like forget to call." Then everyone had to suddenly pretend that everything was okay and go on with their lives. I have seen them walk by on campus and its the "hey" as you walk by kind of greeting- not even the "hey" and stop and chat. Whats up with that?
Are we reverting back to 5 year olds who ignore all their problems until they go away? What next- are we going to start throwing things and being mean to the person we have a crush on?
Whats even worse is that we (including myself) make excuses for these people! After my roommate's relationship ended everyone just kind of went with the "well, he is having some sort of problems and issues right now that he needs to resolve." Well, just for the record everyone has problems and issues, but why should that negatively affect other people?

Our First Blogger HH

2005-10-20T08:55:00.000-05:00

Elena, Jampa, and I went to Dragonfly last night to attend our first Blogger HH. My first time at Dragonfly, which is a pretty cool place, but I think it's outdone by some newer places these days. However, it was great to meet some people in person last night, such as Dale and Kathryn and DC Cookie. We met some others, but I forgot their blog :( Sorry...it was great to meet you too! Unfortunately, we had to leave early due to our reservations at a new restaurant, Vegetate. Hopefully we'll see you at the next Blogger HH!!!

this past weekend…

2005-10-17T20:47:00.000-05:00

franz ferdinand CD – was expecting more of the same, but was thoroughly surprised. they definitely know how to make great music that never bores you.

jampa’s bengan bharta – to die for.

rice - loved the food, hated the long wait.

zengo – another over-priced restaurant in DC that charges $10 for small drinks. yeah the ambiance was nice, but i don’t know how it is different from all the other over priced places.

simian – this weekend’s favorite band. now looking for this week’s favorite band.

Petrotheism

2005-10-13T13:20:00.000-05:00

Boy, do I love this cartoon. Thank you Mark Fiore for telling it like it is.

Finally, a Queer Group I can take part in....

2005-10-13T13:11:00.000-05:00

Here's a post for the 5 of you readers. I know...I had a hiatus Niki style, but I'm back (and probably worse than before). Anyways, on to the post....

The group? Oh yeah, it's Guerilla Queer Bar DC. Jampa and I have been talking lately about how it's tough to balance our straight friends and going out, and our need to go to gay places so that we too can dance together in peace, or hold each other's hands. I'm not going to go off on a politic rant about how this wouldn't be a problem if our culture would just support gays and then we'd feel comfortable (or arguably my inability to challenge the culture and say F U). Regardless, this is one interesting, and might I say provocative, group. I'll be going to their next "meeting" and will report on it.

In other news, Reel Affirmations starts today. I'll be going to see hopefully a few gay flicks. (Of course some of them will just be soft core porn, but I'm used to that...and perhaps not too upset about it). It's good to post again...and not do work for a bit :)

P.S. Thanks Elena, once again, for telling me about this group, and every other thing I know about DC :)

What really changes after 10 years anyways?

2005-10-13T07:21:00.000-05:00

So I went to my high school 9 year reunion this past weekend (this may lead you to believe that we have one each year…no, it was just that the planners thought they could get off easy by combining the class of 95 and 96 together) and I ask myself what has really changed in 9 years?

One classmate summed it up as “I am older and fatter just like everyone else,” but being to optimist that I am, I tried (in vain) to come up with better things. After the evening was over, I think it could be summed up as: I hadn’t spoken to most of my graduating class in the last 9 years and that I probably wouldn’t speak to them again for another 9 (and there are many good reasons why).

The event was poorly planned. I applaud the idea to use websites such as Classmates.com, however in doing so, one must post the event details on the website versus simply stating "TBD...More to Come. Check Back Often". Due to the poor planning (and the fact it took place a year early) many people did not know about the reunion and therefore did not attend. There is always hope that the 20 year (or in our case, 18 year) reunion will be better.

However, I am glad that I went. It is always good to see familiar faces and get caught up on 9 years of gossip.

Did you go to your class reunion? If so, was it any better than what the King George Class of 96 threw together?

My New Addiction: Su Doku

2005-10-13T07:13:00.000-05:00

Have you ever got hooked on something overnight? For most people the answer is probably yes…it could be that TV series Lost or (for others Queer as Folk…)or maybe an Appletini. I know from this blog, some are definitely addicted to Java Green and Teasim.

For me, my newest addiction is a crossword puzzle like game based on numbers. I first saw it in the USAToday while I was on travel and instantly googled it to find more puzzles online. I have since learned that the Washington Post publishes a daily game. Call me a nerd liking a numbers game, but I must admit, even the hardest ones are easier than a crossword. I dare you to give it a try and see if you also get addicted…it is a great way to pass away the day if you are bored at work:) Here are some sites to get you started:

Monterosa
Times Online
Fingertime

Busboys and Poets

2005-10-10T20:14:00.000-05:00

Busboys and Poets has been generating a buzz ever since they opened. I finally checked it out on Saturday. The space is very chic and manages to blend a lounge, bookstore, coffee shop, bar, and restaurant together well. Majority of the people there were chilling in the lounge area taking advantage of the free wi-fi. The fact that they have food is one big advantage over Murky Coffee. Who wants to leave a comfortable couch to get food somewhere else - I hope Murky reconsiders this business decision and brings back their yummy sandwiches. Before going to Busboys, I was under the impression that it was this "progressive political" pro-social justice kind of place and was definitely surprised to see what looked like Storehouse couches and leather chairs in the lounge area. The book selection in the bookstore was definitely more of the “let’s have a revolution” type. I just never equated “progressive” with Storehouse, but then every good revolutionary needs a comfortable place to rest…

Band of the week

2005-10-05T13:04:00.000-05:00

My favorite band this week is Wolf Parade.

Turner, where are you?

2005-10-04T08:28:00.000-05:00

What do you do when you love a movie’s soundtrack? You get it. What do you do when you love a particular song on the soundtrack? You get the CD by that artist. Sounds easy enough, but not when you can’t find that damn CD anywhere except for some German site that has no shopping cart button for me to click. This is where I am stuck. Keith and I saw the “Edukators” a while back at E street and both loved the movie and the soundtrack. Getting the soundtrack was no biggie. Even Amazon has it. But finding anything by Turner is becoming practically impossible. I love his song “After Work” and have a craving to hear more, but there are like no traces of him anywhere out there in the internet world (…besides that german site). Has anyone else heard of him?

Everything is Illuminated

2005-09-26T17:56:00.000-05:00

Everything is Illuminated.

A directorial debut from Liev Schreiber ( the role that came to my mind when I put the name on the face was that of a super-secret super cool CIA operative in the recent Jack Ryan installment “Sum of all Fears”) is a touching, hilarious at times, but also holocaust-reminding, heart-squeezing kind of movie.

An unexpected part for Elijah Wood who plays a young American Jew Jonathan S. Foer with an unusual hobby of collecting shall we say old family relics, traveling to Western Ukraine to discover more information about his late grandfather’s home village and the girl who saved him from the Nazis.

After meeting his Ukrainian translator Alex with his angry driver-grandfather who between themselves refer to Jonathan as “the Kike” (although the English subtitles politely translate it as “the Jew”) – Jonathan realizes he has a long journey ahead of him.

But somewhere between dealing with his fear of dogs when he has to sit in the car next to Alex’s grandfather’s “seeing eye bitch”, a dog introduced as “slightly demented”, and trying to order a vegetarian meal in a small-town Ukrainian restaurant, Jonathan finds a way to deal with the terrible inconveniences that people in Ukraine refer to as “everyday life”. More importantly, he manages to make his traveling companions see their world differently too – with the Illumination that occurs at the end of something originally dubbed by Alex the translator as a “very rigid search”.

Two thumbs up from me.

Letter to the Governator

2005-09-23T13:33:00.000-05:00

Today, as you may know, Governor Schwarzenegger is expected to receive AB 849, the bill that passed the California legislature to allow gender-neutral marriage equality. I sent the following letter to him, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that he allows this bill to pass into law (which he can do without signing it, btw). If you live in California, know of anyone that does, or simply support the bill, please write the Governor at http://www.govmail.ca.gov. More information can also be found at Equality California's website. This is at the final hour of this historic legislation...and I hope you can support it.

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger,

I am writing to implore you to withhold utilizing your veto power and allow AB 849 to pass into law. California has often been at the forefront of change, pushing other states and their citizens to be better people. For example, California has environmental legislation that can set an example for other states in the nation to preserve our natural resources. Marriage equality is another issue that California can lead on, and history will show that this great state has led the effort in change in so many ways.

Now is your opportunity to do the same for marriage equality. If AB 849 passes, history will show California as a state that honors the will of its people and reflects a broader movement for equality among all people. It wasn't even 50 years ago that interracial marriage was illegal, now is California's opportunity to do the right thing and be on the forefront of states granting marital rights to ALL of its constituents.

In addition to the fairness and equal rights of all citizens, there are additional reasons to support this bill. Although I am not a resident of California, my partner and I dream of moving to California in the near future. We bring high level skills in a tax bracket attractive to your state. However, we could not in good conscience make this move if we realized that the Governor did not respect our personal choice or the will of the people as reflected in California's passage of AB 849. Moving to a state that treats us fairly is at the top of our list of importance when choosing where to move. My partner and I want to live in, work in, and pay taxes in a state that supports us.

Furthermore, many industries will prosper in allowing all couples to marry, as they have in Massachusetts. This is good for the economy of California; everyone benefits, economically and otherwise, from giving all people equal rights.

History will look well upon those who supported marriage equality, just as it does those who supported civil rights just a few decades ago. I urge you to join the legislature and your constituents in seizing this opportunity to continue leading the country on issues that better our society. Please allow AB 849 to become law.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
Keith

Oprah makes a stink…

2005-09-23T10:04:00.000-05:00

Oprah celebrated her first show this season by making a big stink about the Hermes incident yet again. She even had the president of Hermes USA apologizing on the show. Let’s break this down. She gets to the store after closing time and gets turned away. What a catastrophe! For some reason everyone understands that when a store is closed, it means that it is not open, but not Oprah. She saw people inside and must have thought the employees forgot the store hours and were open all night. Did it ever cross her mind that maybe the other customers got there before the store closed and were finishing up. This happens all the time. Most stores do not kick you out if you are finishing up right around closing time, but they also don’t let in new customers. And what about the employees? Don’t they have a right to have a life, to go home, and not work 24 hrs a day so that Oprah can buy a purse at any moment. People like Oprah forget that the world does not revolve around them and if they didn’t exist it would still keep spinning with no problems. She is all about righteousness on her show, but that is tossed out the window when purses are involved…

Billy O'Reilly casting perls.

2005-09-23T09:20:00.000-05:00

Check out O'Reilly's recent powwow with Phil Donahue here. Hats off to Phil for standing up to this obnoxious finger-in-your-face jerk. Ok, so I understand he maybe a conservative (conservative is probably an understatement, fascist is more fitting) - but what happened to basic courtesy? Billy, you are on a national TV show, so start acting like it. We live in a country with so called free speech, so unfortunately we cannot prevent you from saying that losing thousands of American lives in Iraq was a just price for giving Iraqis a chance for freedom, just don’t be a dick and act like anyone who may allow the slightest remote possibility that this war was wrong is a total imbecile. Speaking of which, the president you have so widely supported isn't so popular anymore in a couple of southern states... Maybe after a "cold shower" people started to see the truth a little better and connecting the dots to realize that Bush's promises were not really fitting with cutting budgets to strengthen levees and hiring a horse trader to manage a national emergency agency.

F U Fox

2005-09-23T09:09:00.000-05:00

From right now, I will no longer be watching any Fox channel, at least that I know of. Goodbye Simpson's...it's going to be hard, but this is what I have to do. (Also, a caveat before I go on my rant, sorry for making this political, but I'm political and it's DC. Not to mention that these days, with such a horrendous government, how can I just sit around like another yuppie and not say/try to do something).

Ok, on to my rant. Fox News Channel is the WORST media outlet ever. I don't even know how anyone watches this shit. I mean, this is pure shit. O'Reilly and Hannity are consistently rude to their guests, and they are completely stupid. Ok, I know this isn't factual, but I'm so pissed after watching this interview with Donahue, that I can't feel anything but strong hatred towards Rupert Murdoch and his Evil Empire.

I do love Phil Donahue, btw. Dr. Phil and the other weirdos are nothing compared to Donahue. I love you Donahue, and you aren't bad looking with that gray hair :) Ok...anyways....FU Fox and that's it. I will try not to spend a penny on anything Fox, even thought that is actually difficult. Anyone know those good anti-fox websites out there?

Ok, I'm done. I implore you to join me in a boycott of Fox. I'm tired of being an upper middle class person that just talks about what I believe in. It's time I put my money where my mouth is. I like to think I'm coming into my yippie self :)

Politics Test

2005-09-20T09:05:00.000-05:00

Well, this isn't much of a surprise. What are you?

I am a
Social Liberal
(61% permissive)

and an...
Economic Liberal
(15% permissive)

I am best described as a:

Socialist

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

VA Vino

2005-09-19T20:22:00.000-05:00

Niki has been trying very hard to get me to come out to some of the vineyards in VA. She hasn’t succeeded yet, but I did manage to make it out to Breaux Vineyards on Sunday. I am definitely spoiled by Napa and I wasn’t expecting much from the VA vineyards, but I was pleasantly surprised. It has a great location with beautiful views and is only about an hour away from DC (a definite plus). They have a picnic area right between the main building and the grapes where you can munch on food, drink their wine, and totally chill out. The cool breeze and shade from nearby trees made the whole experience absolutely perfect. I could only imagine what it looks like when the leaves change color…

Prayer Day

2005-09-16T11:53:00.000-05:00

Did anyone know that on September 8^th monkey boy declared September 16^th the National day of Prayer and Remembrance for the Victims of Hurricane Katrina? I appreciate the sentiment. But honestly, how is prayer going to help these people now. I am sure they did tons of praying while they were stuck in the convention center and the superdome. And how can we have a day of remembrance for the victims while all the victims have not been found. The last I heard they were still looking for dead people in New Orleans and the count has been going up and up. Maybe it’s monkey boy that should be doing all the praying – “I pray to the all mighty Jesus to get me out of this and for my mother to stop saying even dumber things than I say and that all the people in Louisiana and Mississippi forget what a mess I’ve made of their lives by appointing my friends to be in charge of FEMA and vote republican in the next election”.

Holy Frijoles

2005-09-15T00:27:00.000-05:00

No trip to Baltimore is complete without a visit to Holy Frijoles. Located in Hampden, Baltimore's white ghetto turned artsy-trendy neighborhood, it is a great place for quality, inexpensive Mexican food. The menu is small, but includes the standard Mexican fare and requesting any dietary preferances is really easy. Personally I say go for the chicken burrito. But if chicken ain't your thing (I know who you are!) there are two other options- veggie and steak. I have heard good things about both of those. I've also had good luck with the faijita's- but those require some assembly and thats a little too difficult for me. Also their salsa and guacamole are good- and I don't even like avacado's!

They used to be BYOB, but recently they expanded so now they have a bar. Last time I was there I tried their margarita's. They are supposed to be "Best in Baltimore" but I think all that says is that Baltimore does not know a good margarita. The drink itself was strong, but I agree with Elena that the margarita mix was premixed. Elena and I got the Happy Hour (Tues-Sun 4-7pm and all day Mon) price of $5.50 so it was worth it, but its just not worth full price ($11). That's the price of two burrito's and frankly I would rather have the burritos.

When your drunk and stuffed you can walk around Hampden. It is an awesome little neighborhood with art stores, vintage shops, and a cute little used book store. They also have places for dessert and you have my utmost respect if you can still manage to eat something else.

All in all, Holy Frijoles rocks and Hampden is just plain cool. Yeah Bawlmore!!

To be Green or not to be Green

2005-09-08T17:31:00.000-05:00

Keith and I go to Java Green at least once a week and we love that place. It’s has very yummy vegetarian food and it likes to flaunt its greenness. So we went there for lunch again today. Afterwards, to delay going back to work we were standing outside and chatting away when we see one of the guys who works there get into a Lexus SUV that is filled with rice and whatever other stuff they use at Java Green and drive away. That doesn’t look very Green to me. And besides, is a Lexus SUV the best way to get all your supplies around? I am not very happy with Java Green.

Celine to the rescue

2005-09-06T16:30:00.000-05:00

I’ve never been to a Celine Dion concert, but her performance on Larry King Live blew me away. Never underestimate the power of Celine. She even inspired me to give away a "million dollar" that I don't have. If only she was in charge of FEMA…

Bugs

2005-09-04T12:09:00.000-05:00

Can someone please explain this to me:

About a year ago J.Crew came out with pants, skirts, dresses that had the dumbest patterns on them – bugs, lizards, dragonflies, etc. Is this not the stupidest thing you've ever seen? Who would wear pants with bugs on them? This is not cute, this is stupid. When I first saw this about a year ago, I thought that this would maybe last a season. But no. I was at J.Crew yesterday and they still had this stuff around. Did people not get enough of the cicadas last year that they had to wear them on their pants? Now how did J.Crew conduct market research for this? Did they ask people “What is it you would like to see on your pants? What is it you’ve been dying to wear, but never had the chance to wear?” Of course, the obvious answer is bugs, lizards, and dragonflies.

Is there any help out there?

2005-09-02T09:30:00.000-05:00

All I've heard from the media is about how there isn't enough help and support in New Orleans. Not about how this organization and that government agency are getting down there and saving peoples lives. I hear about how people are dying, the hospitals don't have electricity and how they don't have air conditioning so the dead bodies are being put in the staircases.

Does anyone else want to cry and scream and throw their hands up in the air? Number One, there are people dying. This is first and foremost. Get your asses there to help. All organizations that could help should be putting in 110% of their energy into getting food, shelter, etc. for every single living thing there. Where is TrueMajority, MoveOn, and the other sites? I haven't been getting nearly as much e-mail about the hurricane as I get about the War Protests.

Number Two, is this just the worst of a failed administration? I hear more about gas prices from this administration than I hear about relief efforts. Is this just the media portraying that? I don't think so, Bush himself spends more time on gas prices in news conferences. How far can a failing administration go? In a country so wrapped up in morals and ethics, in gay marriage and abortion, where are the morals around saving people who don't have food, shelter, clothing? The supposed "moral" administration isn't so moral, is it? This moral society isn't so ethical, now is it? We spend so much time debating what is right and wrong. Any logical person can realize some basic rights and wrongs. I'm sick of living in a society that pretends to be moral, and is anything but.

I can't help but think that there are racial and class implications in all of this. The people stuck there are the poor people who couldn't escape. Is this why there is less attention, because most of the wealthy people were capable of getting out and to safety. I feel like we are living the Titanic movie.

While walking to work today, I noticed how beautiful it is out. So ironic, that I have the luxury to leave my condo, walk outside and enjoy the beautiful weather as I go to my upper middle class job. I am so thankful for all I have. This is why I need to support those that don't. This is the fundamental need of an advanced society, compassion. I know that there are only like 5 committed readers of this blog, but that's enough to get out the word that people like you and me are unsatisfied with the way this society is moving. And for right now, we're going to help every person we can, especially those afflicted by the worst natural disaster in recent American History.

Vacation's over

2005-08-31T15:25:00.000-05:00

BTW, Bush cut his vacation 2 days short to attend to Hurricane Katrina. A whole 2 days! Wow, he must really care about the people who have nothing now. It means a lot to have the most vacationed president work an extra 2 days for a tragic event. Let's give him a medal!

Weeds, but not really

2005-08-31T14:33:00.000-05:00

Surprise, another post from me (where the other contributors are, I'm not sure ;). Anyways, I wanted to make this post about what a great show Weeds is, as I saw the 4th episode last night (thanks On Demand, and f u Comcast). This show is getting better and better as I watch it. Highly recommend it. That's it for the review portion of this post, now it gets into more about me :)

Well, I've been feeling a bit down today. And what I started realizing is that I've become very indifferent to everything. Kind of like a consistent emotional state at level zero..neutral. I normally get worked up about things and have natural mood swings. But not anymore, and I think I know why....Corporate World. I think that after 5 years being in that world and working for the Man, I've become complacent and indifferent. I try not to care anymore, because it doesn't matter. Now I'm out of the corporate world, but the damage has been done.

So, then I came to start thinking about my intended post about Weeds. I think all my emotional energy has been transferred into shows like this. It's as if my life is just a normal, daily routine now, and everything emotional and all the drama that used to exist is now living inside the show; the actors playing parts representing pieces of me. Weeds is the latest one to do this, but before that it was Six Feet Under and Queer as Folk. And let's not forget Real World, Laguna Beach, and any other MTV Reality Show at one point or another.

I saw the Edukator's last weekend, and one of the ideas presented in the movie was to blow up the satellite TV infrastructure. They were trying to better society by removing the influence of TV. I think perhaps that's what it has come to. I am going to commit myself to only watching Weeds, and maybe HGTV's various programming, and perhaps a few others, and...

Ok, really now...I'm focusing on hobbies, on being outside, on exercising, riding my bike around the city, taking a photography class. I need to undo some of the habits I've acquired over the past 5 years. Is it even corporate culture that has done this? If it is, you think I could start a program to de-corporatize individuals?

To Tip or Not To Tip

2005-08-30T15:30:00.000-05:00

I have been known to frequent Starbucks (like at 3:00 every working day, which are now coined "Starbucks Breaks"). Well, today wasn't any different. I went and got my Frappuccino, and was thinking about the Tip Jar. Now, I've seen these every place, and I don't often tip (especially at Cold Stone Creamery, cause they keep singing songs that they've changed the words to include something ice cream related).

Anyways....back to the tipping. It's not that I'm cheap or anything, but I just don't see the purpose to these. Like, what have you done so great (and often they've done something mediocre)? But then I started realizing, I see the same guy make my Frappuccino every time I go there, I should reward his wonderful frapp making skills, cause he makes a mean frapp.

I also tend to frequent Java Green (see my thoughts on this awesome place here). I go in there almost everyday for lunch. And I'm the kind of person who likes to be friendly with people that I see often, such as the cute guy who takes my orders. I want them to recognize me as a regular. I don't really understand why, but I do. Perhaps throwing in some money into the tip jar every day would help.

So, after leaving Starbucks, I realized that I tip for a haircut (and I love when I just sit down and they just start cutting without having to ask you what style). And I tip a cab driver? Why not tip someone you makes a great frapp or kick-a$$ sandwich for me everyday? Do I wait till they make the frapp for me without having to order it, or they wave hello as I walk in to order a sandwich? And why not share the wealth a bit, unless it doesn't go to them :(

I think tomorrow I'm going to throw some change into the jar, and see what happens...

VMA - Very Many Ads

2005-08-29T09:34:00.000-05:00

MTV's VMA's was quite over-the-top last night. It was essentially ghetto-fabulous...the best way to describe it. I would have rather spent the time watching Weeds. Here's the analysis:

Thumbs up to more performance than awards (but then why is it an awards show?) Regardless, it was like watching a live concert.

Thumbs down to God this and God that. Everyone mentioned God. Like what the hell? Thank God for giving me vocal chords and sh$t like that. And Diddy's shirt at the end, "God is the Greatest!"

Thumbs up to Shakira's performance, as well as Green Day, Coldplay, Ludicrous, 50 cent, and Kelly Clarkson

Thumbs down to the whole show being so commercial. And there were multiple plugs made during the show. Plugs like these de-legitimize the award show. And the commercials, like the Jeep one that they replayed during every break. The VMA last night was like the Super Bowl of Music Awards, but without the really good commercials.

Thumps up to the Beavis and Butthead segments. These were some of the most enjoyable "acts" of the night. Where did they go anyways?

Thumbs down to Diddy. His hosting capability was poor at best. He's no Billy Crystal hosting the Oscar's. MTV tried to make the VMA's Oscar big, but unique. It just didn't work.

Thumbs up to the water theme. It was actually quite cool. And then bringing it all together with Kelly Clarkson getting drenched with the fans, not too shabby.

And finally, the worst part of the whole show, the H3 commercial. I'm already anti-SUV, but this had to be the worst commercial ever, in history. They should fire the advertising agency that came up with this one. It was a monster and a machine, having a kid, which ended up being an H3. What the hell is that? I was never going to buy a Hummer in the first place, but now I hope that all Hummer's spontaneously blow up. Ok, I feel better now....

Anywho, MTV might as well have called it the Hip-Hop Awards. I'd say it was about 85% Hip-Hop. Hello MTV? There are other good musicians out there that don't Rap. Well, maybe they didn't have the good graces of God to put them on the stage. Thank goodness MTV still has a bunch of good reality TV to watch!

Bathroom Preferences

2005-08-26T16:33:00.000-05:00

I walked into the bathroom earlier today, and there is someone in the stall making noises. No, not those noises (even though that often seems to be the case). I think he was trying to get the next roll of toilet paper out from within those metal containers. Lots of metal sounds, dropping pieces of the toilet paper holder on the floor, who the hell knows what was going on.

It came to me that there seems to be a whole culture that revolves around bathrooms. There's bathroom etiquette, "can you spare a square," urinal rules when choosing one, and random preferences. Personally, I prefer the toilet seat covers. I'm very anti putting my butt on something that some other random person put their butt on. I mean, why would anyone not use the toilet seat covers?

And then there's really nice bathrooms and co-ed bathrooms. What are some of the nicest bathrooms in DC? Mie 'n Yu has co-ed, swanky bathrooms. Kramer's has sketchy, coin-operated bathrooms. I think it's Thai Chef that has a very scary, dirty bathroom.

I always thought that there could be a book written on just "Bathroom Reviews." A sort of traveler's guide to bathrooms around the world. You think someone would pay me to travel the world and put together a book like this? Then I could quit my job and travel the world for free!!! This could be the post that started it all....or not.

How to resign from your job....

2005-08-25T17:21:00.000-05:00

Although I would have liked to leave my company with an e-mail like this, I didn't. I can appreciate someone else doing it though :)

Note, the company's, which we will refer to as Pappa D, is protected and may or may not be the company I used to work for.

I think the subject [Outta Here!!! Wahoo!!!] says it all! Good luck to you all, but me---I’m OUT! My official last day on the books will be September 7^th. I just left the DC office and hand-delivered my letter of resignation.

And yes, I am ecstatic beyond words about this! I’m getting what those nimnuts, sorry your employer, should have given me in the beginning. How are you going to tell a woman who more than successfully ran a startup consulting practice a month after September 11^th and did it for three years—hitting revenue that I’m not even getting with salary & benefits combined that I need to “be in the role” of a manager and hit the benchmarks before promotion? Are they on crack? Must be, because that is an insult!!! I know my worth and value and nobody can sell me short, I won’t accept it. No, I don't want to go back to that self-employed world, hence the reason I came back to corporate America; running my own practice was a part of my overall strategic career plan to make myself a candidate that would outshine anyone in any employment competition I entered.

Anyhow, I’m going to be the audit manager I should have been brought into this firm as and I’m increasing my salary by 33.4%--YES 33.4% and the people running this firm care about the things I care about --- namely, me, giving me respect and truly getting me to that next level!! My prediction (and goal) ---I’ll make partner in 5½ - 6 years easily. Sure I had visions of making partner at [Pappa D] and probably would have if I hadn’t had what I consider the worse start in the history of an experienced hire. I’m not just someone who has been in the workforce, I’m someone who has done way more in strategically shaping and molding my 15-year career---it made no sense to sit on the beach for 11 weeks, during the same period they were crying about needing people on projects---please!! I’m going to enjoy not being a part of this craziness, the required butt-kissing and thank the lord, I don't have to deal with those mean girl “cliques.” High school was a long time ago and those [Pappa D office] clique leaders need to grow up (we'll say: Nhu & Lisa)! J I said it like that because the Mid-America region of [Pappa D] is phenomenal and totally different. If you ever get to work for anyone out of Dallas---jump on the opportunity.

Nope, I don't have any regrets---I met great people, especially you. [Pappa D] served the purpose---every audit job wants someone with [we'll say Big 4] experience---well check my resume, it’s there. [Pappa D] could have kept me, but letting people who don't know their heads from their behinds be in charge of scheduling my career? Oh no, that is a bad move. I do believe that [Pappa D] is great at getting the best talent; they just don't have the correct insight to retain that talent and honestly, they don't give a care about keeping that talent. I knew I was out of here in March, but for the headaches and frustrations, I still felt the need to leave on a high note. No one was more organized and exact in getting my segment of the [big auto company] project done than my team, with me at the helm. Plus I loved being in California for three months (racked up the frequent flyer miles and the Hilton points---gotta keep that status you know!!) and not having to answer to or listen to either nitwit---[again: Lisa or Nhu]---that was worth the 5½ hour flights on Mondays and Fridays!

It’s been real, but I am clearly on to bigger and definitely better things for me. The best part, I’m happy again. If you want to join me…drop me a line. Hey---I am a manager. J. [wouldn't it be great to actually put her e-mail here] or call me on my cell!!! In this interview process, I have made some great contacts, not just at my new firm, but there are some great opportunities out there----all over this country. I’m more than willing to divulge the info, if you want to know.

Maybe I'll have to use this for my next resignation :)

What we love about DC...

2005-08-25T17:17:00.000-05:00

Check out this post from DC Urban Family for proof of why DC is so great. I think it's truly what you make of it. There's definitely things to dislike about DC, but regardless, you can always find something to like or someone new/different. It's the diversity here, I think, that makes DC great. But, you definitely have to go out and find it. Everything good and happy and right isn't going to jump out at you, you have to put the effort out there. Something I need to be doing more of myself....

Six Feet Under

2005-08-22T08:57:00.000-05:00

Watched the final episode of Six Feet Under last night. This episode was fantastic! The writing for this show has been absolutely superb, especially this final season. The only thing that the show revealed was that there could have been a few more seasons. However, it's good that they left on a high note (a seemingly recurring theme).

I shed quite a few tears for this episode. I don't cry at anything (except for maybe the final episode of Queer as Folk), but this show has made that much of an impact on me. I can't describe how great this show is...it is definitely my number 1 show of all time, beating out Seinfeld (in a close second).

Of course, let's see how the final season of Soprano's works out, if it ever gets here. Kudo's to HBO for continuing to have some of the best shows on TV (and Curb Your Enthusiasm is starting again!). Thank you HBO for being with me on Sunday nights!

Flying Spaghetti Monster

2005-08-22T08:55:00.000-05:00

These 2 articles explain perfectly the continued stupidity that is the country. Enough said.

Onion article

Flying Spaghetti Monster (this is really good!)

Bring your kids night

2005-08-20T18:33:00.000-05:00

Apparently it was bring your kids night at Reef on Friday. Keith and I were chilling at the bar drinking Belgian Sunrises when we look over and see this chick in her late 20s holding a sleeping kid in her arms. Now potentially there is nothing wrong with this picture. There must be like at least 10 different reasons why you would be hanging out in a bar in Adams Morgan with a kid. Then we see her order drinks and take shots with her friend. Now there is definitely something wrong with this picture. I am not saying mothers can’t drink. I am saying don’t drag your kids especially your sleeping kids to bars. Then the door opens and there is another family with more kids. Ok, so Reef is not just a bar and has a restaurant, but do people really go there just for food?! And we were there around 9, shouldn’t kids be sleeping at that time? And how about enforcing the “no one under 21” rule they are so stringent about!

Battle of the Network Reality Stars

2005-08-17T21:41:00.000-05:00

Just when you thought I was pathetic enough, I sat through the debut of Battle of the Network Reality Stars on Bravo (Wednesday nights at 9:00). This is after watching HGTV's Kitchen Trends and Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

This show is based on the show back in the late 70's called Battle of the Network Stars. I'm guessing this show had a bit less drama than today's reality TV. Just when you thought there couldn't be another reality show, this comes along. At first, I enjoyed the good, fun competition that the show was depicting. This turned into boredom because I was missing the drama found in a similar show, MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge (The Inferno). But, at the very end, the drama kicked in and I became hooked. The preview of the season was even better...lots of drama to go around.

So, reality TV is the only thing on these days, but if you are into it, Bravo's latest addition isn't too bad. It's scheduled on my DVR...

What the F is wrong with this country

2005-08-16T14:49:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry to have to write this post, but I can't help myself. I have mostly refrained from discussing "political" issues here, even though you can probably guess where I lie. My friend forwarded this article to me from the Washington Post: Vowing to Set the World Straight.

There are many absurd comments made in this article, which focuses on reparative therapy (psychotherapy to make a homosexual a heterosexual). Now, I don't have to tell you how absurd this is, I mean, any reputable organization that has anything to do with therapy has renounced this since the early 1970's.

But I blew my top when I learned that an organization, PFOX (created to counter PFLAG) based in Fort Belvoir, is on the board in Montgomery County to help write reparative therapy into the sex education curriculum. The sex education curriculum has been under fire lately and was initially rejected due in part to the inclusion of homosexuality support. Don't forget that this is happening in one of the most progressive counties in the country! And not in some ass-backwards, conservative, evangelical town in Virginia.

What the hell is this country coming to? These reparative therapy groups cause much harm in a community already struggling. Suicide among teens who identify themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender is much higher compared with heterosexual teens. (I don't want to put questionable statistics in here, but one statistic I found was gay teans are 300 times more likely to commit suicide than straight teans.) Why are people so innately stupid? Can these people focus on some bigger issues, like people not having enough food, shelter, clothing, etc. and people dying in Iraq based on a web of lies?

PFOX is located in Fort Belvoir...nice and close to DC so that I can go protest their stupidity. These sorts of organizations should not be supported (and there are many different organizations garnering support from people and getting money from the worst administration in my lifetime). Coming soon, Support Gay Rights, where I will be posting the many organizations and companies that shouldn't be getting any support whatsoever from intelligent and compassionate people like you and me.

It's times like these that I tend to believe in "heaven" or some sort of afterlife where you are judged. It's the only thing to keep me sleeping at night...knowing that these stupid people will eventually face judgment and pay for their horrendous acts. Karma.

The Aristocrats

2005-08-15T14:41:00.000-05:00

Saw The Aristocrats on Sunday. Relatively good movie. I think not knowing about the history of "The Joke" made the movie more interesting. If you are stupid like me, and didn't fully understand the meaning of 'aristocrat' till 1/3 through the movie, then you'll really enjoy it!

It is NC-17, and for a good reason. No nakedness or sex or anything bad visually. It gets that rating purely on the language. Crazy, isn't it?! Anyways, if you are a person that is offended by the word 'dick' or have some sort of conservative religious brainwashing, then DON'T see the movie. Otherwise, it's a movie to be seen.

It has some just plain funny in it, but also is interesting to see some aspects of comedy and culture that you don't normally see. Like seeing how different people laugh at different parts of the movie. On more than one occasion, there would be 1 person laughing and the rest of the theatre with their mouths dropped to the floor. And be sure to catch the Republican joke...it was great!

Of course, it is playing at my favorite theatre, E Street Cinema.

Yucca Di Garlico

2005-08-15T14:26:00.000-05:00

I haven't ranted in awhile (ok, so that's just because I haven't posted in awhile), but regardless, I feel as though I need to rant about this. (I'll post a rave in just a second).

Anywho....went to Bucca Di Beppo on Friday night for dinner with some college friends (table of 10). It was on my list of suggestions to the planner, who is new to DC. I hadn't been to Bucca in over 5 years (and never whilst I lived in DC), and I thought it would be a good place for a lot of people, and not too much money.

What I forgot was that Italian restaurants are mostly crap. Ok...that might be a bit overarching, but the Bucca not so great. Can we say Garlic salad? How about Garlic with a touch of bread flower, bathing in butter. Or maybe Garlic Parmesan...and a bit of meat. The family style is a cute idea, but really, do we need to have an entire chicken on a plate, or 2 pounds of pasta served in a bowl? Oh, and the server was horrendous...but I think they are supposed to break glasses and talk loudly and annoying.

Ok, well, if you've never had homemade Italian food, sure, this place isn't horrible. But where are the good Italian restaurants? Filomena was ok, but expensive. Yet to try Olives, but again, so expensive. And dammit, where is there good NY Pizza?

Ok, I'm done. I've gone back to repressing my "why can't DC have good NY food like pizza and italian food and bagels" feelings.

Let the comments begin....

Dynasties

2005-08-10T14:47:00.000-05:00

I feel like there are several restaurant dynasties in DC. Each dynasty owns several restaurants that are very popular with the masses. It starts like this, they open up one restaurant, figure out a formula to make it work, and then open other restaurants based on that same formula. One of these dynasties is the DC Coast – Ceiba – Tenpenh Dynasty. (This is dynasty is vast expanding and will soon open a new restaurant Acadiana). I’ve been to Ceiba and Tenpenh for restaurant week, but last night I went to DC Coast. The food was good, but the atmosphere was lacking. It was nice, but cold and formal. It is the sort of place I think of DC lawyers and politicians going. I definitely liked Tenpenh and Ceiba more both for the atmosphere and the food. Both were more original with their cuisine, but the lemon cheesecake last night was amazing. Nothing like I’ve ever tasted before. Even though DC Coast won’t be my number one choice for a nice restaurant to go to in DC, the other two restaurants got me hooked to this dynasty and I can’t wait to check out their new place.

Fredericksburg First Friday

2005-08-08T20:56:00.000-05:00

Many of you may be aware of Dupont Circle's Art Galleries First Friday Open House, where the galleries open their doors from 6-8 on the first Friday of each month to show off their new exhibits. To encourage patrons to attend, the galleries tout free “wine and appetizers” (aka one bottle of wine and one wedge of cheese to the first person who gets there and eats/drinks it all up). While Dupont’s First Friday is nice, Fredericksburg’s First Friday is where the action is.

To start, you need to head down 95 south before traffic gets too bad. While this may get you to Fredericksburg before the art show begins, it gives you ample time to catch a bite to eat at any of the many restaurants (and they are not chains) old town Fredericksburg has to offer (for you veggie lovers, I recommend Sammy T’s). If you are not in the mood for food, head down to Kybecca’s wine tasting shop for a sample of yummy wine. From there, let your art walk begin. Make sure to visit Liberty Town, Wegners, the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts, and the Wounded Bookshop. You will not be disappointed. In addition to some really cool art, your taste buds will be happy too, as there is ample food and spirits to go around. After you see all the art your eyes can handle, head over to The Loft or Spirits, if you are up for a night on the town….

I say if you are in DC, try the Dupont First Friday, but if you are looking for an evening adventure, head down south for a truly awesome time!

Café Mozu

2005-08-08T20:43:00.000-05:00

All and all I give Café Mozu raves. I thought the food and the service was on par for a fancy restaurant. I was there for Restaurant Week, so I didn’t check out the entire menu, but the summer tomato and avocado salad and black cod were super yummy. However, no rave would be complete without a few accompanying rants…so here they are (not necessarily in order):

1. Not enough reasonably priced wines by the glass
2. VOSS bottled water may be served in individual glass bottles, but is definitely not worth 6.00/bottle
3. Service in the Empress Lounge left a lot to be desired…it was more like waitress Princess Leia forgot about her tables while she was off in lala land
4. The maitre d' who takes reservations over the phone cannot properly read the computer screen to understand the availability of tables (e.g., can’t tell when there is room for 3 vs 5 people at the restaurant)
5. Only 2 women’s stalls for two restaurants to share…but I don’t hold this against Café Mozu, hardly any bars or restaurants have adequate lavatories for the ladies

While this may seem like a lots of rants, they will not prevent me from giving the Mandarin Oriental Hotel a second chance…even if it is just to see if City Zen is really all that it is cracked up to be…

Mazda Zoom-Zoom-Live experience!

2005-08-05T08:48:00.000-05:00

This is just to inject some testosterone into this blog...
Register for Mazda Zoom-Zoom-Live experience! at https://www.ZoomZoomLive.com. I've been to a couple of this type of events - depending on what their marketing budget is, the manufacturers let you drive their cars, and sometimes - a few of their competitors. They may feed you free lunch and even give you chachkies to take home.

Saab had a moderate scale even with about a dozen cars total - 4 different Saabs and a few direct competitors like Benz C class, Bimmer 3, Volvo S-40, and Audi A4.

Lexus went all out and had a bunch of categories with a separate driving course each - sedans, sporty coups, convertibles, mid size SUV, large SUV...Holy crap! You could tell they dipped their grubby marketing hands into the fat Toyota pocket big time. The Lexus LX470 - the monster SUV based on Toyota Land Cruiser was cool to try, but there is no chance in hell I would be caught behind the wheel of this Bush-rallying, gas guzzling terrorist supporter. The ES 330 sedan was a smooth ride, and with a moderate 3.0 v6 engine and the entry-level price tag - something I would even consider for my next car... Believe it or not - there were too many cars to drive at the Lexus event.

The GM was supposed to feature H3 (bleh) but also Saab as well as the other generic looking non-exciting pieces of crap like Pontiac G6, Chevy Cobalt and the ugly midget Aveo. This was pretty much the event to go and check out their competition. Luckily enough, a huge tropical storm damaged their setup just a couple of days prior to the date I registered for – so they got lucky and cancelled the whole rest of the driving days. Oh well, like a really was going to even consider GM…

All of the events in this area so far had been on the parkin lot at Fedex field - easy to get to, and plenty of free parking....

Hail to Halo

2005-08-04T09:13:00.000-05:00

It is unfathomable that Ken has not posted a review of Halo in the month or so that this blog has been around. Halo is heavenly. The first time I went to Halo was a month after they opened on P St. between 14th and 15th, thanks to the suggestion of Elena. Two things made me say "this is my regular bar."

First, the non-smoking, modern, and hip atmosphere was inviting. The fact that you could go to a non-smoking gay bar, and enjoy the surroundings made me giddy like a little school girl.

Second, the drinks were fabulous. They were sooooo gooooood! They have a drink menu that changes regularly. My first time there, I had the Liz Taylor. Oh my god, so good! So good that I replicated at home. On the menu now, there's something called the Metropolitan. But no matter how good you try to make the drink yourself, the Halo bartenders are so skilled (especially Victor) that it never comes out as good as the real thing.

So, I went there last night with Elena for their 2 for 1 happy hour (5 - 9 PM) which is so awesome. And yet I was stunned again. Not only was it crowded, but they were serving hors d'oeuvres (thanks dictionary.com), really really tasty horse doovers.

My only complaint...the place isn't big enough! This place has become so hot...you'll often see a line outside on weekends. One thing that is nice to see is that straight or gay (see future rant on not enough integration of all kinds in DC), this is a great place to go, in one of the best neighborhoods in DC. If you don't mind spending 8 bucks for a martini (the average these days), then check out Halo...you'll be in heaven.

Screen on the Green

2005-08-02T08:44:00.000-05:00

I went to Screen on the Green last night. The last time I had been there was a few years ago, and to my surprise, the screen was on a different part of the green. Regardless, we found this year's location (on the mall between 4th and 7th streets), and got there in time to sit on the sidelines. The movie starts at sunset, between 8:30 and 9:00. Get there early to get a seat up close (around 6:00). If you don't mind sitting in the back or on the side, then you can stumble in at 8:00.

The best part of the "festival" is that you can bring a picnic. But, no alcohol is allowed since it is a national park ;) There seems to be quite a few people that sneak in some wine...just don't make it a problem....

Anyways, Screen on the Green is a great summertime event in DC. It's what makes me happy that I live in this city and can enjoy all these cool, and FREE, events!

I got Hollywood figured out...

2005-08-01T06:20:00.000-05:00

Ok, you may remember me from such postings as "War of the Worlds was the worst movie ever" and "Mad Hot Ballroom is the best movie ever," as well as "Cosi is poopsy cause I ruined my fancy pants from J.Crew." However, I've come to a conclusion this weekend...a conclusion that has been brewing for awhile now. I've wrapped my head around it and have decided to post it here so that all can benefit from it. Hollywood is only good at comedy. That's it...as simple as that.

I saw Wedding Crashers this weekend. Funny movie! Vince Vaughn took the cake (quite literally) on this one. You know the movie was funny when you are in the theatre with only 10 other people, and you are still laughing your pants off (except your J.Crew chinos). The only thing I would have liked better is a larger part from Will Ferrell. If you liked Anchorman, then you'll like Wedding Crashers.

So, I've realized that I'll go see a Hollywood movie that is a comedy, and that's about it. I'll keep to the mainstream Indie flicks for anything else.

Oh, and this was my first time at Regal Cinemas in Gallery Place. Lots of restaurants coming soon and a super nice theatre, that's also metro accessible. Although Chinatown is no longer, it's a good place to see a movie. Now I don't have to go to Georgetown ever again...

We don’t speak Starbonics

2005-07-31T14:27:00.000-05:00

Everyone loves Kramerbooks & Afterwords Café & Grill and I have yet to figure out why. I love the book store part and have gotten numerous books there, but the restaurant part has yet to impress me. Last week we decided to branch out from our usual post-farmer’s market lunch place and ended up at Kramers. They only serve brunch on Sundays and all the items were around $15. Isn’t that way too much for brunch?! They went with the lots of food and free stuff approach. The food was so-so. I prefer the less bad food, no “free” stuff that you charge me for anyway, and more good food approach. The free stuff included a tiny glass of orange juice along with tiny mini-muffins. It was really hard to tell the muffins’ flavor, but it looked like they were the blah variety drizzled in poppy seeds. Then you had a choice of a Mimosa, Bloody Mary, or some other drink. Everyone at my table got Mimosas. When they brought them out all the glasses were ¾ filled. Did the waitresses take a gulp of our Mimosas before they brought them out? Why wasn’t the glass filled all the way? Is this some cost cutting measure? Maybe I shouldn’t complain about a “free” Mimosa or “free” tiny glasses of orange juice or “free” mini-muffins or maybe they can get rid of all that stuff and only charge me $9 for the over-priced brunch. As we were looking at the menu, I turned it over and the last page listed all these rules. No this and no that and minimum price per person is this and the proper vocabulary is this. Apparently they don’t speak Starbonics. You know, I like that rule. It’s like when you travel abroad. Do you expect everyone to speak English just because US is trying to take over the world? I think not. That rule was the only thing I like about Kramers that day. Then came the pancakes. I can’t speak for everyone’s food but mine was nothing special. In fact, the pancakes tasted a little bitter so I had to soak them in the maple syrup. Will I eat at Kramers again? Obviously not, but then again, I am not a fan of dinerish food.

Business casual

2005-07-30T15:46:00.000-05:00

All the places I’ve worked at enforced a business casual dress code, but what is business casual? It seams like each company has its own rules of what is and isn’t allowed. Here is what I’ve gathered so far - it’s the realm where you don’t have to wear a suit, but you can’t wear jeans, short, flip-flops, and raggedy t-shirt. Now what about bras, are they required or has business casual become so casual that bras are no longer required? Like this intern in my office came in one day without a bra. Yeah, she had one of those tank-tops with a built in bra, but she needed a little more support than that. And she is one of those frantic frazzled types. She doesn’t walk from place to place, she runs from place to place. Now is that business casual behavior? I think not. It would have been business causal to walk from place to place, but running around definitely crossed the line.

Following the Signs

2005-07-29T09:58:00.000-05:00

So I am always looking for new things to do in the city and on Monday I was presented with the same event from three different sources. I first saw the event via a Local Wine Events newsletter. "Sushi and Sake tasting event in the city, now that sounds like fun" I thought to myself. But the hefty price tag that accompanied the event (50 smack-a-roos) was a bit discouraging, so I passed over the event and kept reading my e-mail. That is when I saw that I had an e-mail from Professionals in the City. I found this strange as I have never heard of this organization before, little lone received an e-mail from them. However, I as looked over their events, there appeared this Sushi and Sake tasting once again. Not that I am a firm believer in signs, but seeing the event twice in one day got me thinking "maybe I should look into this." Me being the social chicken that I am, I could not fathom going by myself, so I told Keith and Elena about it, to see if I could get some company. Although I won't repeat their exact responses, the general consensus was NO. So, once again I stopped considering the event. And just when I had written it off for good, I get yet another e-mail from my friend Marc who had heard about the event through Learning Escapes. While I figured I could ignore the first 2 e-mails, after 3 different sources telling me about this event, I told myself that I must follow the signs and attend. Without confirmation from any friends that they would go, I made my mind to go anyway and I am glad that I did. The day of the event Marc, and another friend of mine Dave, decided to attend as well...so I would not be lonely after all. The event was great. I found a new appreciation for Sake and there was plenty of Sushi, Teriyaki Chicken, Dumplings, Soba Noodles and Edamame to go around. I saw an Aikido demonstration for the first time and heard a great Japanese jazz band. I think Elena and Keith missed out, but I am sure there will be others.

Where Did Mr. Poopy Pants Have Lunch Today?

2005-07-28T14:05:00.000-05:00

While I assume that it was not cosi, I was wondering if he had branched out to another lunch place close to the office? Ever try Firehook Bakery? I love their fresh bakery goods and they have yummy sandwiches as well. I say stop complaining about cosi and find me another great hot spot for lunch:)

Food For Thought

2005-07-27T17:55:00.000-05:00

So with all of this talk about veggie food…here is some interesting food for thought. At the Boy Scout National Jamboree, which is currently underway at Fort AP Hill, it is expected that the 40,000+ boy scouts will consume:

- 76,000 hamburgers
- 15,000 chickens
- 90,000 pancakes
- 14 miles of submarine sandwiches
- 10 tons of beef stew
- 59,000 gallons of milk
- 479,000 eggs
- 240,000 sausage links

Cosi is poopsy

2005-07-27T12:44:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I am a bit of a child. And you would definitely agree with me if you saw my temper tantrum after lunch today. I decided to go to Cosi, which is conveniently located in my building (and every other corner next to a starbucks). First off, they no longer have my favorite veggie sandwich (read, mediocre at being vegetarian friendly). Second, they are over-priced, at $7.54 for a sandwich, which leads me into my third gripe. The sandwich was poop. It had a piece of eggplant, a slice of provolone, and a bunch of oil drenched green olives. To add a bit more oil to it, they flooded the sandwich with some olive oil.

Now, I should have known it was going to be a disaster when I saw the sandwich dripping like a garden hose from both ends of the sandwich as the woman was wrapping it up to go. I paid for the sandwich, and decided to forego the bag, as I often do. (Note: I often try to minimize the extra garbage that the food industry adds to everything you buy. It saves trees and lessens the impact on garbage). Anyway, I should have gotten a bag cause on my way to my office, the excess oil had continue to collect and spilled all over my new J.Crew pants that I was wearing for the first time. Now, oil isn't easily removed from clothing, and I also paid a ridiculous amount for my J.Crew chino's (regular fit broken-in chino's....very nice!).

I could have had a nice long lunch at java green with my best lunch friend in the whole wide world, but instead I got crap at Cosi. No more cosi for me....

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2005-07-26T14:41:00.001-05:00

I get excited about certain movies. It is not a specific type of movie or even an actor that draws me to the big screen, it is just something I see or hear about the movie that makes me want to see it. Although I can’t put my finger on it (maybe it was childhood nostalgia or that 21 Jump Street star), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a movie I instantly wanted to see. Box Office reviews and Katie’s interviews with child stars Annasophia Robb and Freddie Highmore only increased my yearning to see this movie. So off to the theater I went, and I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. Wonka and his factory reminded me of Michael Jackson and his Neverland Ranch, which gave me the willies. I thought the plot was choppy and the dialogue was poor. I won’t say it is a bad movie, because I think there are many others that are much worse…but I won’t be renting it when it comes out on DVD.

New Orleans Here I Come

2005-07-26T14:41:00.000-05:00

Oh I have heard the stories about staying out till dawn and coming back to the hotel with a neck full of beads. There are tales about the wild happenings on Bourbon Street and amazing cuisine that makes anyone feel like a king. But what I want to know is New Orleans all that it is cracked up to be? I will soon find out. I am headed down there for Labor Day weekend. I have accommodations and a plane ticket, now I just need to know where the fun is. If you have been or know someone who has been, lemme know where I should go, what I should do, and any other New Orleans “Musts” or “Secrets” I gotta know about.

There is a Doctor in the House

2005-07-26T14:39:00.000-05:00

For all of those who know her, I wanted to let you know that Susan got accepted to Med School! To help her celebrate, I took a last minute trip to NY to help her celebrate the good news. Not that I want to admit to being old, but watching the sun rise as we trekked home at 6:00am, was a bit much:) For anyone planning a trip to NYC in the near future, I would recommend going to Pier 63 Maritime. It is a great outdoor setting that offers food, drinks, and dancing. Sue’s celebration lasted until the wee hours of the morning and no one was bored (not even me, the girl who doesn’t dance). If you go…remember it is mostly all outside…not the place to be if the weather is foul.

Yes, another vegetarian restaurant

2005-07-23T18:19:00.000-05:00

I was in Baltimore yesterday and it is a rule that I eat at the One World Café whenever I am in town. It opened up just as I finishing my four years at JHU - if only it was around sooner. It is one of the best vegetarian places. Actually, they are not true vegetarian restaurant because they serve fish. So instead I will say it is the best fake vegetarian restaurant. Not only do they have great food, but they also have a bar with a great beer selection – I can never resist the Rogue Dead Guy Ale on tap (don’t buy this in the store it is never as good – Dr. Dremo’s has it on tap as well) and the Baltimore prices make it practically impossible to resist.

It's easy being green....

2005-07-21T14:32:00.000-05:00

...at Java Green. At 19th and K, it's an all vegetarian restaurant with mostly vegan foods. It's a perfect place for lunch or a light dinner, and is now open on Saturdays. Today, I had the Chicken Java Panini (soy chicken, spinach, roasted red peppers, and provolone), and I was in heaven. Easily accessible from...well, everywhere you'd want to be, it's a great place to eat, whether your vegetarian or not. It's one of those places that even meat-eaters go to because the food is so damn good!

I've committed to making this my regular lunch place so that I can get back into being vegetarian. With food as good as they have, it should be easy to be green...

P.S. I just went again today, and got the Tofu and Avocado wrap. Just as yummy as yesterday's panini. I think everything on the menu is good...and I'm excited to try every single thing. Oh, and be aware of the lunch specials...good discounts on great food.

Reef

2005-07-21T08:57:00.000-05:00

Reef is one of the best places in DC - right smack in the middle of Adams Morgan. It makes Adams Morgan worth visiting. Whenever the weather is good it is a must to chill on their rooftop deck and enjoy the great views and great drinks (Belgian Sunrise is my favorite). There is no better way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon. If you are planning on getting food on the rooftop, beware, the food service is slow. There is usually one waitress serving the whole rooftop, but honestly who cares. I enjoy the atmosphere and the drinks (which they are always quick to bring out) too much to let the slow service bother me.

Freda Wright Sorce and questions of Faith.

2005-07-18T10:47:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, July 10, Freda Wright Sorce, the wife of the WJFK radio’s DJ Don Geronimo whose real name is Mike Sorce, was fatally injured after her Lexus SC430 convertible was struck head on by a Ford Explorer that crossed the median from the opposite direction to avoid a pileup. She was flown into Maryland Shock Trauma in Baltimore where she later died from her injuries.

If you are one of some 120,000+ listeners of the “Don and Mike Show” in this area, you probably know that Freda was a frequent on-air contributor to the show. “She was the voice of reason on the show”, said Mike O’Meara, Don’s co-host.

This story really freaked me out quite a bit. I mean here is a 50 year old woman coming home from Ocean City, having just celebrated her 50th birthday a few weeks ago, driving in a brand new Lexus convertible that her husband bought for her as a birthday present…Not bothering anybody, and not even doing anything that would potentially provoke any trouble…

Their relationship was quite evidently that of deep love, and even with frequent bickering on the air, one could tell how much in love they were with each other. Freda never referred to Don by name on the air – it was always “my booboo” and “sugar bear”. I cannot imagine what this guy is going through right now, and what his life in the near future might be like…

Here is where the question of Faith comes in. As so many in our society are guided by the universally accepted cross-religious principle of “Everything happens for a reason”, I am really struggling to make a connection in this case that would make sense to me. Of course I didn’t know Freda personally and cannot say for sure what kind of model citizen she was or not, but I doubt that she could have such a skeleton in her closet that could possibly justify such an untimely and violent death.

There are plenty of examples of such things we can think of – with September 11 being the most grandiose and visible event, but also all those little kids who were sexually assaulted and murdered. If anyone can tell me conclusively what exactly their fault was that they deserved what happened to them I would appreciate it. The more I think about situations like that, the more I think that maybe the universal doctrine that controls life in this world is not “Everything happens for a reason” but rather just “Sh*t Happens”…? At least, with that in mind, we can stop blindly following the thought that no matter what – God loves us, and realize that everything in life is fair game.

Feel free to try and prove me wrong.

Weekend activities...

2005-07-14T15:28:00.000-05:00

Something I am contemplating to do this weekend is the Guerrilla Film Fest. No no, it is not what you think. One of the sponsors is Whole Foods, so it can't be too militant. Here is what the filmfest is all about:

The GUERRILLA FILM FEST (GFF) was established to provide an alternative venue for independent and foreign filmmakers who work outside the Hollywood system (and who are therefore often marginalized by the mainstream entertainment industry in the United States).

And the best part... they are all short flicks, so if one sucks you don't have to wait forever for the next one to begin.

Café Saint Ex

2005-07-14T11:51:00.000-05:00

Café Saint Ex is a place I have gone before and will go many times again. It has a fun, upbeat atmosphere and some delicious treats. Not sure if everyone has this problem or not, but I definitely get the case of order envy whenever I go there. After scouring the menu to ensure I get the best items and even asking the wait staff to validate my selection, I always like what my neighbor ordered more than my own. Last night was no exception, but lucky for me, my “neighbors” happened to be sitting at my table and were amenable to sharing. They were smart enough to order an array of items from grilled tuna and arugula salad to smoke salmon sandwich. Of the items I hijacked from their plates, I highly recommend the sweet potato fries and the Green Tomato BLT. Not to say I didn’t like my own order, I thought the appetizer shrimp with caper slaw was great, I was just a little disappointed with my olive dish. I was under the impression that if the olives were baked and served with bread, that you would be able to put the olives on the bread (like a bruschetta or tapenade). I guess I should have clarified that with the waitress before ordering. For anyone reading this: BEWARE the olives have pits and cannot be placed on the bread. Furthermore, the olives are very small and taking all of the pits out of them takes a very long time (borderline annoying). Enough ranting…St. Ex should be about raving. It is truly a great place to hang out, drink beer, and if you are up to it, be a deejay with your iPod every 2nd Wednesday of the month at 9:00pm.

Napoleon Dynamite

2005-07-12T10:35:00.000-05:00

Let's discuss how this movie is neither Napoleon nor dynamite. I've heard that it is a love-hate movie. I definitely didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I was mildly annoyed by it, but still watched it and laughed at the funny parts. It didn't feel like a movie, but more like sketches pasted together to last 1.5 hrs. Where is the character development in this "movie"?

Neither Rant nor Rave

2005-07-10T17:05:00.000-05:00

You ever get a phone call on your cell phone and recognize the number. But you just aren't sure who it is...it could be someone you want to take a call from, or maybe not. And I just don't have the capability to remember every number I've ever seen...

Well, this happened to me today. I recognized the phone number, but just didn't know who it was. Took the call...and definitely shouldn't have. Need to avoid the person that called, so now he is stored in my phonebook, so that I know the next time he calls. Wouldn't it be nice to have a special phonebook of people you DON'T want to talk to? Perhaps it's just a group that's created on your phone? How many people in your cell phone's phonebook are there so that you don't have to take the call?

Continuing with "my favorite" theme...

2005-07-10T11:15:00.000-05:00

My favorite thing to do in DC in the summer on Sunday is Farmer's Market in Dupont Circle. Where else can you get the freshest and yummiest veggies and fruits!!! Boris used to make fun of Niki and I when we got all giddy about the farmer's market starting - even when it wouldn't start for another month, but now he jumped on our bandwagon and gets even more giddy.

After the Farmer's Market, we usually go to Teaism for lunch. It's Yana's favorite restaurant in DC. She bugged me like three times already to write a post about it. Here is her exact quote:

It is the best, it is the foundation... It is one of the best three places in DC - Teaism, Mojitos at Cafe Atlantico, even though I never had one, and Belgian Sunrise at the Reef. So good!!!

Her fav dish is the Salmon Ochazuke - green tea based soup with rice and salmon. I usually get the Japanese Tofu Curry and their salty oat cookies are to die for.

Rice

2005-07-10T10:56:00.000-05:00

We all know that Logan Circle is Hot Hot Hot-- new lofts, yummy restaurants, Whole Foods.... One of the great finds in the up and coming neighborhood is Rice Restaurant. Whether you are trying it for the first time or the 10th, I am sure you will agree that it will become one of your very favorites. You can choose from the seasonal menus (e.g., Green Tea or Flower) or try a dish from the Authentic Thai section of the main menu. My favorite is the Red Curry Shrimp and Eggplant. Even if you are not a traditional fan of curry, you must give it a whirl at Rice, as it is nothing like you have ever had before....a true culinary marvel if you will. Every non-noodle dish comes with a different color and/or flavor of rice to compliment your selection. No worries…you can have as much rice as your belly will stomach (and believe me, you will want at least 2 servings). While the atmosphere and food are true gems in the DC restaurant scene, if you are a girl, you will wait in line to use the bathroom and the coconut pie concoction was SLIMY.

Friday night jazz

2005-07-10T10:36:00.000-05:00

My favorite thing to do in DC in the summer on Friday night is Jazz in the Garden. They provide munchies and wine, but we prefer to bring our own. Don't forget to bring a wine opener! We've improvised creative ways to open up wine bottles, but none have been successful (sticks, hummus containers, knives, pen - you know, all the things they used to open wine bottles before there were wine openers). But seriously, it's the best way to end the week - you chill by the fountain, listen to jazz, drink wine, eat some munchies, and chat with friends.

Matchbox Pizza Joint

2005-07-07T19:37:00.000-05:00

The K in KEN is definitely keeping quiet about Zola and Matchbox even though he was there with me last night.

Matchbox is like one of many many restaurants that has popped up in Penn Quarters. It's doing the whole beer and pizza thing. It's not all that cheap and the menu is not all that exciting. If you are going to be in a location with a lot of innovative restaurants maybe you should try to be somewhat innovative too. The sesame seared tuna was way overcooked, but the salad that came with it was really yummy and the fresh portabella pizza was pretty good. They do have some decent beers on tap (Rogue, Dogfish), but they get a big strike against them for offering crap like Bud, Miller, Amstel, etc. Overall, I have mixed feelings about this place, maybe I need to check them out again (when Jaleo is all packed and there is nowhere else to go)...

Southern Hospitality: Happy Hour at the Morrison Clark Hotel

2005-07-07T15:38:00.000-05:00

Mark you calendars. Each Wednesday from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the Morrison Clark Hotel puts on a great happy hour “Big Easy on the Veranda" from 5:30 – 7:30. When the weather is nice, patrons sit outside on the porch sipping Mint Juleps or Hurricanes. Yummy hors d'oeuvres from their restaurant are passed around for all to try. When the weather is not cooperating, don’t fear, HH is still there. Patrons just get to sit inside next to a cozy fireplace and play an array of board games if they so choose. Does this remind anyone of good ole Savannah or maybe the book ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil’?

Let’s give it a try….Say Wednesday, July 13th 5:30…

Zola...

2005-07-07T10:19:00.000-05:00

Had a little Happy Hour shindig last night at Zola. Been there before so knew what to expect. It's a very pretty place with a nice looking bar, but everyone there was of the snooty conservative variety. Lots of button-down shirts with ties or jackets. They were all talking about golf and consulting (ok, so I exaggerate a bit). The drinks were a mixed bag - some were ok, others tasted weird. Only one Cosmo out of like five was good. So will I come back to this place, probably not.

Rehoboth Beach....Only Raves (well almost)

2005-07-06T10:02:00.000-05:00

Well after the amount of alcoholic beverages I imbibed this weekend, you are lucky enough to be reading this post:)

For a last minute trip, it was a huge success. We stayed at the Sea Voice Inn (http://www.seavoice.com/) where the "night manager" Rod, was a hoot! Sea Voice is a former Bed & Breakfast 1.5 blocks from the beach and every restaurant and bar in town. I say former, because a)there is no breakfast included, b)you have to bring your own sheets, and c) it is on the market (for 2 million if you are interested). The house is huge, has the friendliest cat ever, and is definitely a must if you are headed to the beach anytime soon. Although the house is in need of some TLC, it is very easy going and the best part: CHEAP!! half price rooms.

Great thing about Sea Voice is that you can use their kitchen, which came in handy around 2:00pm each afternoon when Sue and I began the drink d'jour:

Day 1: Mojitos - typically made with mint, rum, sugar, lime and seltzer water. However, at the beach when you run out of lime....lemons work as well! (i know boris hates me right now). However, if you want good Mojitos in Rehoboth - go to the Terrace Bar/Restaurant at 14 Wilmington Ave. It is a bright pink building a block from the board walk. Ask for Victor, he will hook you up
Day 2: Wine....and lots of it. While most restaurants have wine, my recommendation is bring your own and sit on the porch...you will have the best time "People Watching"
Day 3: Margaritas- Jose Cuervo is a friend of mine.... as is Dos Locos (http://www.rehoboth.com/doslocos/) while we didn't have any food there, the margaritas were up to par
Day 4: Sangria, using the best recipe around. After 4 bottles of red wine it was time for dinner...

Food in Rehoboth is good, but a little expensive and not always vegetarian friendly. Most restaurants have 1 veggie dish and most chef's wouldn't try and create something different other then what was on the menu. However, we did find some great places:

Planet X ( 35 Wilmington Ave )
Celsius ( 50 Wilmington Ave. )
Fusions ( 50 Wilmington Ave. )

Places below: Don't bother...food not that great and definitely NOT worth the $$$

Chez Le Mer
Jake's Sea Food
Rusty Rudder (in Dewey)

As with any beach town, Rehoboth has enough Funnel Cakes, Salt Water Taffy, and Boardwalk Fries to feed a small country.

Rehoboth is a great beach town. It is gay friendly and has the nicest people. The town is full of eastern european students spending their days waiting tables and their nights partying with the locals. If you are under 23, Dewy may be your beach, otherwise, I say stay in Rehoboth

This is KEN and not KE

2005-07-05T11:09:00.000-05:00

Someone should put a limit on the number of postings I can make in a day. Anyways, this will be quick.....Niki, are you there? Nothing snooty this weekend? :)

2 movies...1 rant and 1 rave

2005-07-05T10:04:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I saw War of the Worlds at Georgetown Saturday night at 12:20 AM. Absolutely one of the top 10 WORST movies ever. The story was dull, stupid, and absurd. The dialog was horrendous, as well as the acting. Tom Cruise is a sell-out in my book now, the little girl was 10 times the actor that he was in this typical Hollywood movie crap. The only redeeming quality was the special effects, which were done well. Except the special effects was the only part to the movie...and there was so much gratuitous action for no purpose that it negated it's contribution.

Ok...maybe this is going to be 2 rants and 1 rave, since Georgetown is now on the list of movie theatres to not go to. Only open a couple of years, the theatre is already grundgy and I now feel like I'm sitting at the theatre in Union Station, albeit sometimes fun. But not for the worst movie of all time. The worst part is that I missed out on some sleep for this movie....

Ok...enough ranting (I know I do too much of that)! Mad Hot Ballroom is one of the best movies I've seen in awhile. But perhaps that's because I saw it 2 days after the worst movie in a long time. I saw the matinee at E Street and love that theatre more and more. The movie was funny, sad, inspiring.....a great movie! And E Street continues to be my go-to theatre.

Moral to the story....Hollywood is putting out worse movies every year....and as they continue to do so, I am supporting Independent Film (or as close to it as you can get).

First rave...

2005-07-03T17:55:00.000-05:00

The best vegetarian restaurant ever is Vegetable Garden in Rockville (it is probably the only thing that makes living in Gaithersburg bearable). It makes my top 20 favorite restaurants list. The inside is clean and simple and it's not the prettiest restaurant I've ever been to, but who cares when their food is soooo good.

Continuing with the vegetarian theme, I was surprised by the new Pope:

"we cannot just do whatever we want with [animals]. ... Certainly, a sort of industrial use of creatures, so that geese are fed in such a way as to produce as large a liver as possible, or hens so packed together that they become just caricatures of birds, this degrading of living creatures to a commodity seems to me in fact to contradict the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible."
- VegNews, July/August 2005

Ok, so he had to mention the Bible, but he's forgiven this time.

Justice O'Connor

2005-07-02T10:08:00.000-05:00

So Justice O'Connor decided to call it quits. This was definitely a curve ball, did anyone even suspect that O'Connor would be the first to go? Everyone talked about Rehnquist, Stevens, but not O'Connor. I can only imagine whom monkey-boy with dickey, alberto, karl, and his other top advisors are going to nominate, but I am sure it will be someone very moral.

First rant....Zaytinya

2005-07-02T08:24:00.000-05:00

So...when this blog was first envisioned, it was decided that I would provide the gay slant to DC. Well, the first rant doesn't necessarily have a gay slant...but Zaytinya is off my list.

I went to the cute, modern restaurant at 9th and G on Thursday afternoon. Second time I've been there. This time it was for a "career counseling" session for work. When I arrived, half the tables were free. The hostess asked if I had a reservation. After saying no....her tone changed, and she said that I could have a seat at the bar.

So, I go scope out the bar. There's 1 table with a woman standing near it, and seats at the bar. I decide to go back and ask the hostess if I could sit at the table that the woman had her drink on. For the 5 minutes I had been there waiting, it didn't seem like she was using the table. And if she did plan on using it...then sit the hell down and order! Well....the hostess said in a snotty voice, "They have that table." I asked if the only way to sit down in the restaurant was to have a reservation. The hostess responds, "The first reservation available isn't until 1:30," which is 1.5 hours later. And she said it like....this restaurant is too good and too popular to not have to have a reservation. So, I go back to the bar to wait for my career counselor. While I'm there waiting, not 1 person asked if I needed anything...not even a menu.

My career counselor arrives, and I tell him the story. We decide to go to Jaleo. Mind you, this is owned by the same company, yet we get there and sit down immediately. We weren't even asked if we had a reservation. The meal was great, as expected!

The question is....do I just boycott Zaytinya and continue to go to Jaleo and Cafe Atlantico (mojito's, right elena?) even though they are owned by the same company? Very difficult decision....

Well...one thing is for sure, this is not the last of the many rants about the snotty restaurants in the DC area that really aren't worth it, especially in the "kick china out of the town" area. If you are going to be snotty about it, at least have good food and good service (something Zaytinya didn't particularly have the first time I was there).

Gay or Straight or Transgender, Zaytinya is stinky. You won't see me there ever again....unless someone else is paying :)

This is how it all began...

2005-06-30T16:23:00.000-05:00

One fine day as I was checking out various blogs dedicated to DC, I realized that my friends and I are just as qualified to blog about DC as anyone else. As we were hanging out one Friday afternoon and ranting and raving about everything that we saw, we realized that our blog should be dedicated to not only ranting and raving about DC, but to ranting and raving in general.