Sunday Snapshots: The Neighborhood

Since the post I just posted (see below) was sans photos, I thought I'd share these:

Aren't these doors pretty? Sights like this are everywhere in DC, which is one thing I love about the city. I think this is an international labor union of some kind.

And you gotta love the metal elephant statue among the lilies in front of this townhouse on Biltmore. Even better is that he has these strange spikes all over him. Random statuary in DC is common, too.

Sunday Sentiment: Too Much Information

I believe that I've shared with you my commitment to myself to slow down, yes? Smell the flowers a bit? Well, this week---as usual---I managed to work myself into quite the tizzy, contrary to my best intentions to be Zen.

I'd been reading this book called The War for Wealth. Imagine, if you will, Thomas Friedman of The World is Flat as a realistic but pessimistic German, and you've got an idea of this book, which pretty much says that the U.S.'s glory days are behind us and that we're sliding into permanent status as a second-tier economy, right after we've pissed everyone off. Good stuff, yeah?

THEN, we had an economist and geo-political expert visit us at work. He squeezed us in between his meeting with Dick Cheney and some Pentagon officials to deliver to us with cool objectivism his message that oil is likely to be at $400 a gallon by next year and that Israel is likely to go to war with Iran and that Iran has nukes in about 50 different locations.

So, after a long week at work and all the running around that my week tends to entail, I had a total meltdown on Thursday night. I can only take so much. And to have all this information is one of the liabilities of living in DC and working with insiders. You see, I love listening to NPR, reading the latest business book during my Metro ride, and then promoting the world 's thought-leaders for a paycheck. In fact, I drink it up, and I feel like I've become smarter since I've come to DC. But Thursday, I had been on a global economy binge, and it was time to resist the temptation for information. After all, I have to live in this world, too.

Tuesday Timewarp: Happy Birthday

(Pardon me if you've seen this photo on my blog before, but its a great one.)

Two of my favorite ladies were born in June, and I am late in publicly wishing my dear friend Lisa a happy birthday. My other dear friend Moya celebrates tomorrow. Since they are a bit like the dynamic duo, I figured they wouldn't mind my wishing them well a deux. In fact, we're a terrific trio; once when we were strutting down a street in DC, we had a random person drive by and yell out to us, "Charlie's Angels!"

So, I dedicate the Timewarp this week to the other 2/3rds of the Angels... Here's Scottish cutie Claire Grogan of Altered Images.



Did you know that Claire Grogan has appeared in both Red Dwarf and EastEnders and the British version of Hell's Kitchen? Thanks, Wikipedia.

Saturday/Sunday Summary: Doing Less

Part of my commitment to slowing down has been, well, less blogging. So, while we are getting some pretty killer thunderstorms (the sky is the color of peach ice cream), I'll summarize my "crazy" weekend with a few photos.

Kicking it all off, I worked late on Friday, staying until after 6pm. (During the summer, our office closes at 3:30pm on Fridays.) Then I met Wood at the gym. I had a 7pm appointment with my trainer Darryl. Later we ate at Mixtec, which was the most over-priced, bad Mexican I have ever had. In fact, I just wrote a scathing review since no bad Mexican should go unpunished. Yes, I am a snob about Mexican food. And boy, do I miss Red Iguana.

On Saturday, we slept until 11 or so and then went to get brunch at Tryst where we shared a chaipuccino, my very favorite frozen drink. It made up for the bad Mexican, but it undid the good I did with my trainer. (Not the animal crackers you get with your coffee at Tryst!)

We watched the Euro Cup at Wood's place. (The Ruskies beat the Dutch and as of the time of this posting, they will be playing the The Spainards.) Then we went grocery shopping. Wood got his blood pressure taken at the new Harris Teeter! His b.p. was at first a bit high, but we attributed that to all of the fun we were having.

Later we watched our NetFlix pic Walk the Line to which Wood commented in all seriousness, that I am his June Carter. (Awww.) I didn't let on that I do believe that is the sweetest thing he has ever said to me.

Today, we got up, watched CBS Sunday Morning and then I took a field trip to a part of town to which I have never been---a sleepy neighborhood called Brookland, near Catholic University. I was checking out some real estate, which I've been known to do, just to see what kind of interesting opportunities abound in DC.

Timewarp Tuesday: Pop Will Eat Itself

This is another great political song, brought to you by the late 80's/early 90's band PWEI. I used to play these guys all the time on my weekly radio show. (Yes, I was a radio DJ in college on WTUL. This surprises you how?) As an aside, the late Ernie K-Doe, famous for the song "Mother in Law" was also a DJ while I was there. And I guess Jerry Springer also got his start at WTUL's news department. (Why, so did I!)

Anyway, the vid is a little hard to see, but the song alone is worth a listen. It's an anti-Nazi song called "Ich Bin Ein Auslander."



Man, do I miss spinning those records. It wasn't nearly as fun after CDs were invented.

Saturday Sentiment: New Orleans

I've been thinking about what's truly important to me. One of those things is New Orleans.

There are few things that have captured my heart like that city, so for this post, I'm borrowing a post from fellow native Californian and part-time New Orleans resident Harry Shearer. It's called "The New Orleans You Don't Know."

Friday Finale: Transportation Nightmares in DC

The following two images sum up why you can't win with public transportation or parking your car in DC.

This morning there were power outages at several Metro stations and two fires at Metro Center. When I got to Farrugut West station today it looked like this: pitch dark except for the train.

Not to mention that we had a derailment on Monday.

And here's the other curiosity: DC Parking Enforcement. Notice where the car is parked.

No wonder I got so many tickets when I had a car.

Tuesday Timewarp: Sheela na Gig

This week I am sleep deprived and right now I'm experiencing a wine haze. Here's this week's flashback vid.




Yeah, that's kinda what the 90's looked like. See Wikipedia for the fascinating origin's of Sheela na Gig.

Sunday Sentiment: Dog Days of Summer

It's 94 degrees out and HUMID. Heat index is into the 100s. And I made a new friend on my way home to enjoy my newly-installed air conditioner.

This little guy was unfazed by the heat. Just a baby beagle/daschund/basset hound, the world is totally new and exciting to him! I'm sure I'm not his only new girlfriend.

Wildcard Wednesday: Philosophical Thought of the Week

The rain dumped in buckets today. I waited for the bus for almost 25 minutes. Usually my bus (the 42) comes every ten minutes. About 20 minutes into the wait, a woman asked me, "Have you been waiting long?"

"Yes."

This being a bus stop for multiple routes, I then thought to myself, "Well that depends what you're waiting for."

And then I realized I was no longer talking about buses.

**********************************************************************

And today being the "day after," I just wanted to share this heartfelt show of support from someone in the neighborhood. I especially like the "Want change? Vote for a WOMAN." (All caps with the "female" symbol next to it.) When I first saw this sign, I thought it had been made by a kid. Then I realized that even if it weren't, it was still pretty cool.

Read the post from when I officially became a fence sitter.

Tuesday Timewarp: Two Kinds of Oil

On this political evening, I bring you one of the great political bands from the 1980's: Midnight Oil.



MO's lead singer, Peter Garrett, left the band in 2002 to further his political career. In November 2007, Labor Prime Minister elect Kevin Rudd named Garrett Minister for Environment, Heritage and Arts.

Ok, shifting gears... the second oil.

My friend Rob sent me the following information on what oil companies to boycott. I thought I'd share this with you. Here's an excerpt from Rob's e-mail.

COMPANIES TO AVOID.
These companies import Middle Eastern oil:

Shell................................. 205,742,000 barrels

Chevron/Texaco.................. 144,332,000 barrels

Exxon /Mobil....................... 130,082,000 barrels

Marathon/Speedway............ 117,740,000 barrels

Amoco.............................. 62,231,000 barrels

And CITGO oil is imported from Venezuela by Dictator Hugo Chavez who hates America and openly avows our economic destruction! (We pay Chavez's regime nearly $10 Billion per year in oil revenues!)

The U.S. currently imports 5,517,000 barrels of crude oil per day from OPEC. If you do the math at $95 per barrel, that's over $524 million PER DAY ($191 BILLION per year!) handed over to OPEC, many of whose members are our confirmed enemies!!!!!

COMPANIES TO PATRONIZE:
Here are some large companies that do not import Middle Eastern oil:

Sunoco...................... 0 barrels
Conoco..................... 0 barrels
Sinclair...................... 0 barrels
BP / Phillips............... 0 barrels
Hess. ........................ 0 barrels
ARC0....................... 0 barrels
Maverick................... 0 barrels
Flying J. .................... 0 barrels
Valero........................ 0 barrels

I AM GOING TO ADD THE FOLLOWING:

Murphy Oil USA sold at Wal-Mart is from South Arkansas and owned USA

Not only that they give scholarships to all children in their town who finish high school and are legal US citizens.

I encourage you to share this information with friends.

Monday Musing: Utah Redux

I returned from West Coast last night. (California pictures and stories forthcoming.) Today I am embracing a Zen attitude and smiling and greeting people more, even if the favor isn't returned. Just because I live in DC, I don't have to become it. I'm always up for a cultural challenge.

Speaking of cultural challenges, my Utah friend Jeremy who is attending med school in Cleveland alerted me to the following article on the curious experience of Blacks in Utah that ran in the Washington Post yesterday. Of course, there being few African-Americans in Utah, I was not surprised that my dear friend Erika was featured it this piece!

And just in case you wanted to get a little taste of Utah, here's a snippet from So You Think You Can Dance?, the Salt Lake City auditions.



(FYI, last season's winner was a black girl from Utah!)