Monthly Archives: May 2010

The Daily Feed
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John Lennon’s Artwork on Display in Georgetown

Photo courtesy of
‘Gold Peace’
courtesy of ‘bixentro’

Most of us, unless you were hiding under a metaphorical rock your whole life, have heard of and enjoy The Beatles every now and again.

Those of us who tend to be the Beatles’ faithful also know that John Lennon was taken from the world far too early. Lennon’s is a life worthy of celebration for the extensive amount of creativity he amassed on society-at-large. It is honor of the late John Lennon that his visual artwork is being put on display in downtown Georgetown at 3336 M Street between 33rd and 34th Streets.

The show is called “In My Life,” and is a definite testament to its title. The gallery of work includes self-portraits, sketches of home life, and works promoting peace.  Some of Lennon’s lithograph pieces will be for sale with donations benefiting the Washington Animal Rescue League being accepted at the door.

Why the WARL? John’s widow Yoko Ono told WTOP that despite Lennon being a cat person, Lennon did something special for his son Season for Christmas in 1980.

“We got this dog that came to us. It was a present to Sean from John,” she said.

Lennon never lived to deliver the pup, having been killed December 8th of that year, but his legacy lives on through his activism and artwork.

Note: This is the LAST DAY to see this display and the gallery will be open from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

The exhibit is located at 3336 M Street. For more information call: 202-298-9222.

Life in the Capital, People, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors, WTF?!
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This Week in Rodents: Squirrels 1 – Hawks 0

Photo courtesy of
‘Salient #10’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

A local squirrel is recovering after a narrowly escaping a hawk, this week.  This normally wouldn’t be news except that the incident was captured on film by local photographer Mark Hansen. Check out the photos here and note the priceless WTF look on the hawks face, post miss. Sweet shots, Mark!

News, The Daily Feed
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Alonte Sutton’s Body Recovered

Photo courtesy of
‘the first national cemetery’
courtesy of ‘Pappa91’

A body thought to be Alonte Sutton, 18, was found in a ravine in Southeast DC over the weekend. Sutton had been serving as an intern for Councilman Michael A. Brown, who Sunday expressed sadness over Sutton’s death in some touching comments given to the Post. Sutton’s death appears related to an argument had between Sutton and an unnamed assailant who wanted Sutton to transport his girlfriend. The assailant left the scene and returned with a firearm to address the argument. The story is deeply sad. Our condolences to Sutton’s family on their loss.

The Daily Feed
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Mystics Attendance Banners Taken Down

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington Wizards Vs. Nuggets feb 6,2008’
courtesy of ‘Bari D’

Capitals Owner (and soon-to-be Wizards and Verizon Center full owner) Ted Leonsis has made a small change to the interior of the Phone Booth. As of Friday, the three banners recognizing the Mystics and fans for leading the WNBA in attendance in 1998, 1999 and 2002 have been taken down. Lenosis discussed the change in a post to his own blog:

“So to all of the folks who have emailed me your thoughts over the years about the attendance banners– as a heads up know they are no longer up in the rafters. I hope we can put up some real championship banners based on team performance soon.”

The banners had been a little bit of a point of humor for some local (and national) scribes, and it hopefully is among other things Leonsis will be making over as he gains control of all the clubs that play in the downtown arena. As a first move, this is far from surprising given Leonsis’ commitment to winning – something that hopefully catches on quickly around the rest of the District’s sports franchises.

News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Nats Net the Fish 5-4

Nationals Park in the Sun
Nationals Park, by Tom Bridge

In front of a Saturday afternoon crowd of 21,633, the Nationals and Matt Chico held on to the team’s winning record.  The Nats, now 16-14, remain a game behind their 2005 selves for best start in team history, but it’s all about momentum for this club.  After the game, manager Jim Riggleman said that, “Sometimes you get a little lucky,” and it was luck today that prevailed for the Nationals.

Continue reading →

We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: One Hour Photo

Time is constant, it is unavoidable, it can be unattainable, and it is a commodity.  When someone we cherish is gone, we wish we had more time with them.  When a deadline is approaching we say, “If only I had a little more time.”  People say that life is short, but what they really mean is that there isn’t enough time.  We spend our days in the hustle and bustle, sending e-mails, eating lunch at our desks, multitasking, scheduling meetings, and doing everything we can to make the most of our time.  Everything we do and everything we have done, everything, is in one way or another dependent upon time.

It was an amazing day when the first cave drawing was created, freezing a moment in time.  What sparked in that person’s mind, motivating them to make a record of history?  Was he aware that he had virtually defined the word “history” as we now know it?  Was it hard for others to grasp the idea that time not only marched steadily forward, but was also made up of distinct points in the past that we could capture?  Until that moment we only had memories of events that we could recollect by saying, “Remember the time when…?”  Over the ages we began to invent better ways of capturing history, whether it was carved in stone, drawn on paper, or a painted on canvas, but these methods could only show a rough portrayal of the actual event.  That is, until the invention of photography.

“Photography appears on the scene as though someone had found a way to freeze the water of passing time; appearances that were once fluid as water running through one’s fingers became solid objects.” – Rebecca Solnit

Continue reading →

The Daily Feed, Tourism
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European Embassies’ Open House Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
‘PICT2454’
courtesy of ‘kpelli73’

One of the cooler things about living in the Capital City are all of the amazing embassies. One of the neater moments of my professional career was getting invited to an event at the Irish Embassy. This weekend, all of the European Embassies are hosting an Open House that runs all day Saturday. There’s a PDF Map on the EU’s site to guide you through the various embassies, and it includes an event listing for the rest of the week’s festivities. Go check out some of the beautiful buildings and residences!

The Daily Feed
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Breaking News: Intersection @ N St and Connecticut Ave NW Blocked Off Due To Major Crash

NandCONNcrash-1

A car accident occurred in the lane splitting of the intersection at N St and Connecticut Avenue NW just minutes ago. The intersection is roped off by yellow police tape after a truck SUV smashed into a motorcycle. The man driving the truck was not visibly injured and seen speaking on his cell phone at the scene. It is not known what condition the motorcyclist is in at this time but was seen bleeding and able to move around. As a result of the number of motorcycle accidents being high, enforcement at the intersection has been increased.

DDOT says to expect lengthy traffic delays on the post-work commute today due to the crash.

UPDATE, 4:21 — According to DDOT, North bound Connecticut Avenue is closed from 18th St NW to Dupont Circle. Southbound lanes are open.

NandCONNcrash-1

More photos from the scene after the jump.

Continue reading →
Entertainment, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Betty White SNL Party At Duplex Diner This Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘Betty White’
courtesy of ‘tgkohn’

Remember how hilarious Betty White was in the Super Bowl Snickers commercial?

The answer should be: of course I do! But in case you don’t, here’s a refresher:

After her funny stint playing football on TV, the former Golden Girls star received an increased interest by American’s possessed by pop culture antics to host Saturday Night Live.

Those hungry for pop culture had their prayers answered and Betty’s scheduled to host this Saturday (aka tomorrow) and DC’s Duplex Diner in Adams Morgan is celebrating the occasion with Betty White-themed drink specials, prizes, a Betty White costume competition, and more.

Party starts at 10.

The Features
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DC’s Unique Spots: Franciscan Monastery

Photo courtesy of
‘Franciscan Monastery Fountain’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

When Tiff and I moved into Brookland, we’d heard about the Franciscan Monastery, but seeing the beautiful grounds of this place was something else. Nestled into the hill north of Monroe Street and East of Catholic University, the gardens and the incredible architecture make this place into something out of a story book, or out of an Italian countryside.

The large building in the center of the grounds is The Memorial Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and was built in 1899 by the Franciscan Order and designed by Aristide Leonori. The grounds include an incredible garden, cared for by their Garden Guild. Guided tours of the high-ceilinged church and the gardens are available on the hour Monday through Saturday starting at 10am and going til 3pm, or self-guided tours of the gardens and grounds are available from 10 to 5 any day. Mass is said in the Chapel every day, and masses are open to the public on Sunday mornings.

Continue reading →

Food and Drink, News, The Daily Feed
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Let Us Not Eat Lettuce

Photo courtesy of
‘feeding my grasshopper visitor’
courtesy of ‘TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³’

Bags of romaine lettuce sold under the Freshway Foods, Freshway and Imperial Sysco brands are being recalled because of  a possible link to the E. coli outbreak.

According to the Washington Times, “The recalled lettuce has a “best if used by” date of May 12 or earlier. The recall also affects “grab and go” salads sold at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets and Marsh grocery stores.”

The lettuce was sold in DC and 23 other states and is thought to be responsible for 22 cases of E. coli in New York, Michigan and Ohio.

The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Last Snow Standing Goes To Filthy Pile At BWI

Photo courtesy of
‘Washington D.C., snow – one week after the big blizzard of Feb 2010 – snow in city center parking lot’
courtesy of ‘DominusVobiscum’

We’re well into May now but the remnants of the 2010 Snowpocalypse are still haunting the area.

Washington Post staff reports that there’s still a pile of snow (albeit very black and dirty snow at that) at BWI. Crazy? Yes. Slightly awesome? Pardon me for stating the obvious here, but I believe a “duh” is in order.

You can check out a picture (taken on May 3rd) of this last-snow-standing pile here.

The Daily Feed
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Great Brookland Yard Sale This Saturday

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘dno1967’

Growing up, I remember when the big church yard sales would hit in the Springtime. Local charitable organizations would partner with a church, and the big yard sale weekend would hit, and everyone would be a junk trader for a couple of hours, decluttering their houses and recluttering them with new fun junk. This weekend, a whole neighborhood in DC is going to emulate that by firing up the Great Brookland Yard Sale on Saturday from 10am to 2pm. Houses all over Brookland (look at the map below) will be participating in the grand mission to get rid of their awesome junk.


View Great Brookland Yard Sale 2010 in a larger map

The Brookland Blog has a great guide to navigating the big sale. Check it out! In case of rain, it’ll happen Sunday, same time.

The Daily Feed
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Solar Decathlon 2011

Photo courtesy of
‘Solar Decathlon winner’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

If you need something interesting to do this weekend, why not head over to the National Building Museum to check out the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2011 Finalists: A Special Presentation.  The exhibition will present the schematic designs for solar-powered houses from the 20 finalists competing in the 2011 Solar Decathlon.

Cheer on your favorite collegiate team as they try to secure a spot on the Mall!

Admission to the National Building Museum is free.

Entertainment, Food and Drink, Special Events, The Features, We Love Drinks
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Drinks Smackdown! Beer vs. Wine 2

Photo courtesy of
‘Glorious Cheese’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’

When last we met for an epic drinks smackdown back in March, fellow WLDC author Kirk and I had our preconceived notions of which paired better with food – wine or beer – challenged and in some cases totally overthrown. I left with a heightened appreciation for beer and a fascination with the subject of food pairings. So when I was invited to attend National Geographic Live’s A Come to Cheeses Moment: Wine vs. Beer event, where beer and wine would duke it out over best pairing with cheese, it took little to convince me.

Wouldn’t you know that earlier in the day I was advised to kick the dairy habit for two weeks thanks to suspected lactose intolerance (my reaction? censored!). So my second drinks smackdown fittingly became farewell to my beloved cheese. Forgive me then if this reads more as an ode to cheese than to drinks! Sigh. I inhaled deeply as I entered the Grosvenor Auditorium at the National Geographic headquarters, redolent with the stinky glorious aroma, ready to say good-bye.

It was a packed house, and we were incredibly lucky in our three distinguished (and humorous) presenters – Steven Jenkins, Joshua Wesson and Nick Funnell. Both Jenkins and Wesson are regular on NPR’s The Splendid Table – Jenkins is the first American to win the prestigious title Chevalier du Taste Fromage and Wesson is the author of Red Wine With Fish and a top sommelier, having opened Best Cellars in 1996. Funnell is the brewmaster for the Great American Restaurants chain and a winner at the Great American Beer Festival. They had an amazing depth of knowledge that I can’t hope to replicate, but I’ll try to give you a taste.

All of the cheese served was from raw milk, and Jenkins did point out that he had chosen obscure cheeses which might be difficult for us to get ourselves (you’ve just been challenged!). The price point of the wine was very reasonable, Wesson indicated, around $15 a bottle. Funnell had picked all local beers at roughly $7 a pint.

So let’s dive in! Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed
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Services Taxes to Expand to Include Gyms, Spas and Instruction?

Photo courtesy of
‘$196,876,282.12’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’

Thanks much to tipster Jennifer who reminded us that today’s the day: the City Council is taking up expanding the service tax to raise revenue.  Included in what you might start paying new taxes on are personal instruction, massage services, magazines, house cleaning, gym membership fees, carpet cleaning and cultural event ticket costs.  Chances are, if you do business with someone in a one-on-one sort of way, the city wants a cut of the transaction, and that extends from personal trainers, to maid service, to pet grooming.

I know times are tough in the budget arena, but the answer during a recession, or the early rebound from one, is not to increase the load on area small businesses.  While the list of services at the Post’s blog doesn’t include my own area of IT Consulting, it’s a short leap from the current list to an expanded list.  If you operate a personal services business, or side gig, this might affect what you do, if you’re a dogwalker, or masseuse, or work at a gym, chances are you’re going to be responsible for tax collection and disbursement, adding a whole other line item to your administrative routine and complicating what it takes to do business.

If you don’t want your gym bill to go up, or any of the other personal services you purchase to go up, email your city council rep.  Don’t know who that is? Find out with your address.  Over 2,000 people had emailed Mary Cheh as of yesterday, and more than that had hit Jim Graham.

There’s really no “good” way to raise taxes, but focusing on small local businesses after you’ve driven the big ones to the burbs? That’s just insult to injury, DC Council.

Fun & Games, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Barnes Dance in Chinatown

Photo courtesy of
‘in the crosswalk’
courtesy of ‘Jonathan Thorpe’

DDOT’s taking dancing in the street to a whole new level starting next Wednesday when they debut a new pilot program at the intersection of 7th and H streets in NW DC near the Verizon Center.

A “barnes dance” style intersection is being set up by DDOT in an attempt to reduce the number of conflicts between pedestrians and cars, DDOT spokes person John Lisle told WTOP.

While the details are still a little fuzzy, the intersection will work as such:

Traffic continues to cycle through the intersection as usual, but when all vehicular traffic is halted pedestrians will then be able to cross the street in any direction they want.

Up, down, left, right, sideways, longways, diagonally – they’re all options for your next crosswalk adventure – get creative.

WTOP reports that the ‘pedestrians-only’ cycle will be 29 seconds long with 26 seconds to cross and a solid three second don’t walk for stragglers to clear the intersection.

The question to ask here is: How creative will people get and how soon will we be able to watch it on YouTube?

Get those cameras. The antics start Wednesday.

Adventures, Essential DC, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Glover Park-Burleith Farmers Market Debuts Tomorrow

Photo courtesy of
‘_MG_0683’
courtesy of ‘logan.brown’

Even though I won’t be around to witness its opening weekend, I’m super pumped that the Glover Park-Burleith Farmers’ Market debuts this Saturday from 9am-1pm.

This producer-only farmers market features local fruit, vegetables, meat, cheese, bread, eggs, plants, cut flowers, handmade soap, pasta, gelato and more. A different bluegrass band will be there every week to provide live music to the dog-friendly market. In 2010, the market hopes to offer additional features, such as bike clinics, live-chef demonstrations and garden/composting workshops.

The market is located in the parking lot of the Hardy Middle School, just across the street from the newly opened Social Safeway.  The market will run every Saturday, rain or shine, until October 30th.