I Am a Big Ball of Rage

Grrr....

"WASHINGTON, in many ways, is an unsurprising place to visit -— an expanse of monuments, symbols and sites familiar to any American who watches the evening news (or, at least, "West Wing"”). Which is not to say that Washington can'’t be, with a little effort, a city of surprises and unfamiliar delights. So, yes, any 36 hours in Washington should include trips to all those famous buildings and memorials, but it should also include excursions to places that perhaps if less famous, are all the more interesting." (emphasis mine)

This paragraph opens the New York Times recommendations of things to do while visiting the District. I wonder though, if New York is so great why would one bother leaving in the first place? And where would you go?

"Go to Penn Quarter, a vibrant Washington neighborhood, for Zaytinya (701 Ninth Street NW, 202-638-0800) a Mediterranean tapas restaurant, that serves fresh Middle Eastern plates in a bustling setting of candles and soaring ceilings. '“It feels like New York,'” a friend said at dinner one recent night. Precisely." (again emphasis mine)

Well thank God that we have a place that is reminiscent of New York. I guess that is how the unfortunates stuck down here survive. I would write more, but, to quote Moe, "I am choking on my own rage here."

Linda Cropp Thinks That I Am Gay

Tim, Emily and myself went to Dakota Cowgirl last night after too many $1.00 beers at Fast Eddies. For those who don't know, Dakota Cowgirl is a gay bar. What I mean is that there are gay men there and it is obviously gay friendly, but it isn't over the top gay so as to make a straight man uncomfortable. We went because I wanted to play Keno, Emily had never been, and Tim got dragged along.

So there we were critiquing the music videos on the flat screen TVs and losing in Keno, when a man comes up to our table and asks if we are registered DC voters and if we would like to meet Linda Cropp. We answer that yes we would love to meet the candidate. So Mrs. Cropp comes up, introduces herself, shakes our hands and asks for our support on September 12th. She then moves on and introduces herself to the other tables. She is in the bar for about 10 minutes before leaving to go to her next stop.

I think that this is all pretty great. Her supporters have rainbow stickers on that say Linda Cropp, but the best part was their campaign flyer. Here is the front:
Sorry for the poor scan, but you have to admit that it is fantastic. Although, I imagine that in Mrs. Cropp's conception the GLBT community is the vermouth, they add a lovely accent in small doses but ruin the Gin if they are around too much. I am not quite sure who the olive is.

But the back of the flyer is even better.
Last night I thought the line "Its time to put this Diva in charge!" was the best part, but sobriety has forced me to reconsider. I really like the idea of drinking "responsively" even if I don't know what it means.

So unless someone else makes a strong push, it looks like I have met the future mayor of the District of Columbia. I guess this means that I will have to pick a candidate based on their policies rather than a selfish desire to say that I have met the mayor. Crap.

UPDATE: It turns out that I wasn't the only one to witness this spectacle. I imagine that that dog wasn't too happy when they removed that sticker.

Corona in a Can?

As I was leaving work on Saturday I got a call from Tommy asking me if it was okay if people came over to our apartment. I said that company was welcome, mainly because I didn't anticipate that there would be attempts to add extra carbonation to a can of beer. My boss was in the car, and wanted to know if I wanted some free beer for our impromptu party. I love free beer, so we went back to the restaurant and filled up. And while my boss is very nice and generous, it wasn't generosity that was guiding her, she just couldn't sell this beer. The beer in question was Corona in a can.

It appears that people just won't buy Corona out of a can. She tried offering all sorts of deals but just couldn't get rid of it. I guess that what people want out of Corona is the commercial. They want to be sitting on the beach with that clear glass bottle. The company sponsors Jimmy Buffett concerts for God's sake. It got me wondering, has anyone ever seen Corona on draft? Does such a thing exist? I am pretty sure that I have seen every other major beer company on draft, except for Corona.

The first of what is sure to be many Wire related posts...

Has anyone read any of George Pelecanos's novels? And do they have any suggestions regarding which are better than others?

I ask because I have decided that George Pelecanos is awesome. Let me enumerate why:

1. He grew up in the District.
2. He writes books about DC that don't involve politicians.
3. He is a writer for The Wire.
4. In the Tour Music section of his website he admits to liking Q and not U, The Replacements, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Bruce Springsteen.

Really, the whole list could be that he writes for the Wire, the rest is just gravy. I ask for suggestions because it is time to stock up on more books, and I don't want to ruin my estimation of the man by reading a lesser work first.

In related news, I am overwhelmed with anticipation for the new season of The Wire. I have to agree with Yglesias and declare it to be the best show on television. If you haven't seen it, you are really missing out. I use to work as a criminal defense investigator, and I can say that the show is surprisingly accurate. Particularly regarding the street level aspect of the drug trade. Unless they have moved since I left the criminal world (a strong possibility), I can take people to places that look exactly like the courtyard D'Angelo worked in during the first season. As you can imagine, my mother was heartbroken when I left that job.

And finally, because I think spell checkers are hilarious, I just realized that Blogger's spell checker really wants to turn "Yglesias" into "eyeglasses."

More Music Mania

Do we think that this is the ultimate Republican make-out music? Stolen from Bill Simmons, who you really should be reading if you are not already. I recommend his stories about Vegas trips in particular. Also, I use to wonder what people did at work before computers and the internet, now I wonder about life without YouTube. It is a frightening thought.

I need some advise from a Sociologist. I am wondering how 200 people can simultaneously forget about the song "Beth." This should really be studied. Do yourself a favor and check out the video I linked to. It is Kiss! With an orchestra!! And the orchestra is wearing Kiss makeup!!! And they are performing Beth!!!! You can leave your thank you notes in the comment section.

It's Official...

I am old. When the music that I listened to in high school is being packaged together as "Buzz Ballads" and sold as exclusive offers on TV then it is time to pack it in and start worrying about school districts. While I don't particularly love any of the bands on the Cds, the principle still stands.

In other news, my mother is taking credit for this. My parents just got back from San Francisco where my dad's company has their summer meetings. Comcast had a reception at the meetings, and my mother apparently took a Comcast executive to task over the television situation. I know what my mom is like when she gets in those moods, so it is no surprise that the situation was resolved.

At Least Someone is Thinking About the Children

It is no secret that I love baseball. Well, before the Nationals arrived I would try to make out to see the Prince William, then Potomac, Cannons a few times a season. The Cannons, now Nationals, are a single A baseball team. For those who don't know, Major League Baseball has an extensive farm system ranging from Rookie leagues to Triple A. Single A is essentially the lowest level of professional baseball one can play.

If you have never been to a minor league game, you really owe it to yourself, particularly a Single A game. One of the exciting things is that the players are good enough to be paid to play baseball while bad enough to still be in Single A. This means that on any given play you could see a thing of beauty, like a diving catch or a well turned double play, or overgrown Little leaguers throwing the ball over each others heads. You just don't know what will happen. Also, the crowds are usually small enough that a good heckler can really have an impact on the players.

The other great thing about Minor League baseball is that they have fantastic promotions. The Cannons use to have a deal where if you brought a Twizzlers wrapper you go two tickets for the price of one. They also do great things between innings, like tether 7 year olds together and tell them to run away from each other.

The Newark Bears have a great promotion going on. Tonight is "Britney Spears Baby Safety Night" at the ballpark. There are many reasons to go see a minor league game, but tonight you can experience them all for free and all you have to do is dress like a baby!

The reason for this promotion is:

"The Newark Bears know that the Pop Diva's public mishaps are far from intentional. It is her celebrity that has brought attention to the fact that not all new mothers in New Jersey are "not that innocent" when it comes to caring for their bouncing bundle of joy."

See, they are not just making fun of Britney, they have a message and social conscience. They will be educating new mothers. You could win a child car seat! I really hope the title of the pamphlet that they are handing out is "Don't Be A Britney."

Their commitment to baby safety is further evidenced by the 2,000 free NJ Lotto scratch off cards they are giving away, and the post-game firework show. 'Cause nothing says safety like gambling and explosions!