One Man's Loot is Another Man's...

Today, a reader forwarded me two links to news photos that seem to sum up society's views toward found objects and how different people find them.

Granted, both photos and captions came from different sources. However, Yahoo News culled their content from both sources and combined them into a collection. That being said, you would think someone in quality control would have an eye out for these 'errors.'

Judge for yourself.

From Associated Press:

A young man walks through chest deep flood water after looting a grocery store in New Orleans on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Flood waters continue to rise in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina did extensive damage when it made landfall on Monday. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)






From AFP/Getty Images:

Two residents wade through chest-deep water after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store after Hurricane Katrina came through the area in New Orleans, Louisiana.(AFP/Getty Images/Chris Graythen)














I can only imagine the things that I could 'find' in a store with the windows broken out. Interesting to ponder the idea that what is stealing for one group, is actually foraging for another.

However, it is possible that the author of the latter caption could be more generous in their ideas about what people who are starving can do to survive. I have had many conversations in the last few days about what is considered looting. Is it looting when someone takes a loaf of bread from an abondoned store? Or is this survival? Some would say that this is a gray area. In my own opnion, people should use what they can to survive. That does not, however, include 32 inch flat screen tv's. Besides, where would you plug it in?

Yeah. Thanks, Dad

Some people just shouldn't be allowed to be parents. We require licensing for so many privileges in this country. Why not parenthood?

The Sun-Sentinel today details one George father's brilliant idea for a practical joke on his daughter's 13th birthday. His idea? Have her hand a robbery note to a bank teller while he and her friends waited outside.

Aside from being jailed, this man should just be sterilized. I don't believe that our society has given forced sterilization the consideration that it deserves.

In the end, I'm sure that it will be a memorable birthday for the girl. And some therapist, somewhere stands to make a few dollars from it in 10 years.

Read More>>

It occurred Saturday afternoon. Three things that each cause a very visceral response in me combined at the same moment to create the perfect storm.

These would be:

1. Virginia Drivers
2. Humvee Limousines
3. Poofy haired girls from the suburbs in bad dresses

Saturday afternoon I was returning home from an afternoon of shopping in Georgetown. As I made my way up New Hampshire Avenue towards M St. I saw ahead of me a vehicle blocking the lane in front of a hotel. Said vehicle was not just doubled parked, but sitting in the only available northbound lane causing my fellow drivers and me to have to drive out around into oncoming traffic. As I approached, I saw little surprise that the license plate was from Virginia. However, two other things struck me in quick succession. The first was that the vehicle was actually a Hummer limousine. In my mind, these are just the foulest vehicle around. They embody everything I dislike about excess in our culture. Not to mention the fact that the inhabitants are usually from a subset of culture that completely lack taste.

Once my distaste registered, I next noticed a gaggle of poofy haired girls in raspberry taffeta gathering at the entrance of the hotel, preparing to enter the limo.

This particular hummer quickly put me in a situation that called for speeding up and maneuvering quickly since I had not anticipated being in the oncoming lane for half a city block.

I can't begin relate the feelings I had as I crossed through the light and attempted to put as much distance between the offending scene and me. I found myself thinking about the total arrogance of these people to assume that traffic should simply wait while they primped and piled into this obnoxious vehicle that was only sucking more gas from our already low stockpiles. It annoyed me to think of the sense of entitlement these people had.

I could only hope that the Hummer was ushering this herd of bad taste out of the District to some faraway place in the suburbs. But the logical part of me knew that this wasn’t the case. No, this group would be just one more group of obnoxious drunk bridge and tunelers crowding the already crowded bars of DC later that night, eating big slices of pizza and dancing to bad music.

Svetlana Update

I'm happy to report that I was off by 20 minutes. She arrived at 2:45.

Enough Said

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Human Zoo

It's about time. Someone has finally realized that the only animal missing from zoos is the human. The London Zoo this weekend launches an exhibit that features eight human animals wearing nothing more than fig leaves while they frolic in a natural habitat.

It is interesting to note the presence of the leaf. I have to wonder why the orangutan aren't wearing a banana leaf, or the lemurs wearing thongs. This speaks to the prudishness of the human animal. Our very nature embarrasses us. We will take our children to see an exhibit of human animals, but lead them to believe that nature didn't intend us to be naked.

The article, from the BBC includes an exerpt from a poem written by one of the applicants to the Zoo.

"I got a laugh like a hyena but get the hump like a camel, so cover me in fig leaves as I'm the ultimate mammal."

It occurs to me that if the exhibit were to truly show human animals in their natural habitat, they would dress them up, shower them in bling, paint them in makeup and give them guns.

The Countdown

The week is coming to an end and so is Svetlana's time with us. As I packed my messenger bag to head out of the office yesterday I stopped at her cube. "When is your last day?" I asked. "Tomorrow, actually" she responded with a coy flip of the hair as she quickly minimized the Yahoo Email window on her laptop. "Wow. Already?" I said. What I meant was more along the lines of "Wow, you were barely here." She nodded and adjusted her shirt around her midrif. "Well, I guess I will see you tomorrow then!" I exclaimed trying to achieve that tone that you are supposed to use when someone is leaving your working environment. I imagined any going away lunch for her would include not a cake, but vodka shots and heavy smoking.

She looked at me and glanced around, "Yes, but I'm not sure what time I will be able to get here." No surprise. "But you will see my sometime." And with a slight smile she returned to gazing at her laptop screen.

As I turned to walk down the steps I thought about how I was sure that she actually didn't know what time she would be able to make it here. After all, we had already established what an arduous trek it could be in a vodka induced haze with two packs of cigarettes burning their way through your lungs. And I was quite certain that when Svetlana said "sometime", that was sure to mean in time for her 3:05 cigarette break.

Briefs...:::

TOO REAL - It seems that Americans aren't the only ones who can find ways of taking reality tv to new lows. BBC reports on a show in The Netherlands that follows one woman's search for the perfect sperm. Read More>>

MY MAN DOESN'T NEED TURTLE EGGS - Mexico has gone to great lengths to discourage the eating of turtle eggs by men to increase fertility. Now the movement has enlisted the help of an Argentine Model. What's next? Bob Dole? Read More>>

JUST BIZARRE - Completely baffling is this story about a Hollywood producer who had a heart attack and died in his car this week. Unfortunately, the man slumped over onto his 9 year old daughter, who suffocated to death. Compounding the mystery is the fact that he had just abandoned his wife in the restroom of a grocery store. Read More>>

A Desk Less Used

Nothing is sadder than a desk that goes unused. A laptop that sits idle. A mouse that never moves. This was the scene yesterday at Svetlana's desk.

I'm beginning to think that as her time here draws to a close, Svetlana has given up even trying to make it to work. Or perhaps since her supervisor is in Serbia she has decided there is no one to wear her booby shirts for, no reason to make that arduous journey from the Cathedral area.

Alas it seems that her laptop is ready for that place that all unloved gadgets go: The Isle of Misfit Toys.

The Pimping of America

I was told recently that MTV is planning a spin-off to its popular show "Pimp My Ride. " The as yet substantiated show is to be called "Pimp My Sister."

I can report that I was completely horrified when I heard this. I think we have hit a new low. It's one thing to "pimp" a car, but does anyone involved with this show know what it means to "pimp" a woman?

This got me to thinking about how our culture is changing. Looking around me I wonder: Is this the pimping of America? It seems that everywhere you look, our society is being pimped. Cars have gotten bigger and flashier. Department stores are selling 'bling' to middle aged housewives. And, as mentioned in my earlier post on the mating habits of young Washingtonians, being Slutty seems to be the norm now.

Has some unseen power, perhaps the media, quietly been turning us all into prostitutes? Are Americans becoming whores? One only has to look to reality tv to see the way that people are selling themselves for the slightest chance at any bit of fame. Or to examples such as Jessica Cutler who glamorized tricking on capitol hill straight into a deal with HBO to turn her book into a Sarah-Jessica produced show that will make her millions.

When did this begin? Where did it begin? And who's to blame? As I finish this post, I have to note that my spell checker didn't even recognize the words bling, pimped or slutty. Someone should update their dictionary fast before they are kicked off the corner.

What Separates the Spice Girls from the Spice Women

In a shocking revelation, former Spice Girl, Victoria Beckham, aka, Posh Spice told a Spanish newspaper this week that she has never read a book in her 31 year-long life. Apparently her grueling schedule has kept her from finding the time to ever read just one book. It seems that being Spicy is a full time job. But it should be asked: When you are married to David Beckham, need you really do much else?

In other news, Posh also tells of her yearning to pass her knowledge on to the next female generation, saying that she wants to have a daughter. She goes on to say that she imagines doing all those mentoring things that mothers do such as "painting her nails, putting on make-up and choosing clothes” with her. It can be imagined that baby Posh will be more likely to receive a subscription to Elle than her own copy of The English Roses.

The Christian Right is Neither

Every day, it seems, I hear another example of how Christianity is being warped into a weapon. Many in our country, including the president, have spoken about how Islamic extremists are bending the word of Islam and using it for bad intentions. I agree with this statement in many ways. Islam is not a religion that encourages violence in the name of god. The irony is that many of these same people are committing the same crime against their religion. Religious zealotry is just that, no matter what religion is being used as a springboard.

Examples of this are becoming more plentiful. When one of these so called 'Christians' uses a truck to run over crosses laid in memoriam of dead soldiers at the Cindy Sheehan protest site you have to wonder if people realize they are defiling a symbol of their own religion in their haste to shutdown ideas that they don't agree with. These people espouse 'Compassionate Conservatism' but are truly Conservative with their Compassion.
In this same vane, today comes the news that Pat Robertson has advocated the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. It seems that Robertson has deemed Chavez to be a grave danger to our way of life because he intends to spread Communism and Islamic Extremism across the continent. Someone should tell Mr. Robertson that the Red Scare is long over. Robertson goes on to say that Chavez is "a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil, that could hurt us badly."

It's interesting that so many of these dangerous religious madmen sit atop a vast expanse of oil (perhaps it's the oil itself that drives them to maniacal madness, as in Texas.) What should really be said is that they stand in the way of American's ability to consume whatever they want without consequence and that a graver threat to our country is gather within at the moment.

Sadly, what no one speaks about is another group of people who are really hurt by the Christian Right. That is the Christian Middle and the Christian Left. It is sad to see your belief system used by others to propagate hatred when you yourself use it for love. And it's even sadder to see the exposure given to them by the media. To see them splashed across the television so that it comes to the point that most people forget that there are Christians who believe in god and who love their neighbors but don't wish to harm anyone who feels differently.

An Eerie Coincidence

In a decidedly creepy turn of events, Svetlana arrived at her desk approximately 2 minutes after my last post. Could she have known? Were her diamond-studded ears burning?

She breezed in at 1:30 with her usual "Hey." "Umm, hey?" I responded? I'm sure she could see that I was visibly unsettled by her appearance. Or perhaps it was just my reaction to the cloud of smoke that rushed followed in her wake.

All's Quiet on the Eastern Front

Today is eerily quiet in my office. Aside from the fact that one co-worker has been moved to another area of the building and another is on vacation in Serbia, I noticed that Svetlana is decidedly absent from the cubicle next to mine. I'm left to wonder: Is her stay here with us over? Or has she just decided not to show up at all instead of showing up late?

As I sat looking over at her empty cube, an empty feeling crept over me. As disrupting as her presence has been these many months. As much as I've hated the smell of smoke wafting across into my space. I realized with fear that one of my best pools for blogging content will be gone soon, if not already.

We can only hope that she returns at 11:30 tomorrow for one encore presentation.

Briefs...:::

LADY OF THE MANOR- The London Mirror today details how Madonna's non-stop quest to become more British than the Queen has resulted in her downfall. Literally. Read More>>
A LOVE STORY- The Washington Post today features an article about the love affair between man and iPod. As if Women didn't have it hard enough. Read More>>

Killing Me Softly

As I stepped onto the 42 bus this morning in Adams Morgan the first thing that struck me was the music coming from the back of the bus. Since Metro has a policy about earphones that emit music at high decibels I knew that this couldn't be errant iPod music. Glancing towards the rear of the bus I saw a man sitting by himself singing. Keep in mind, he wasn't killing me softly with his words, but belting out his tune. In fairness, I have to say that his voice was not the worst I have heard. He was no William Hung.

Taking my seat, i pulled out my iPod and quickly plugged my ears with the more enjoyable sound of Everything But the Girl. I could still hear him. I looked around and noticed the mix of chagrin and humor on the other passenger's faces. My thumb moved quickly to the scroll wheel and cranked the volume. I'm unhappy to report that the man's vocal renderings were still piercing my eardrums even above my own music.

I was immediately aware of the volume of my music and wondered, as I have in the past, if it was infringing on the noise-free rights of those around me. Again I thought about Metro's music policy, which says that it must be conveyed by earphones and that it shouldn't be audible to other passengers. A friend recently relayed to me his own story about a bus driver that stopped the bus just to come to the back of the bus and tell him to turn his iPod down.

Suddenly I was annoyed. Why is it against Metro policy to emit music from your iPod loud enough to disturb others, yet this man was allowed to use his vocal chords to achieve a much greater annoyance?

As I pulled the chord to stop and stepped off the bus at R St., I glanced back at the crooner who was oblivious to the fact that anyone was affected by his noise and it occurred to me. Maybe I was just jealous.

Scary Billboards Department

Traveling on the Baltimore Washington Parkway to New York on Friday, I came across this billboard. As you can see from the picture, the word "VIRGIN" is scrawled across the white background. What you can't see, due to the small size of the photo, is the line beneath that says "Teach your kids that it's not a dirty word". This might be, but just looking at the sign made me feel dirty.

The word Virgin itself is literally scrawled in dripping red paint. The first thing that comes to mind is fresh blood. There are so many reasons that this is just plain wrong, and I trust my readers to be intelligent enough to figure out all of them.

This seems to be another example of the glut of bad marketing that Americans have been producing lately. It seems that nobody spell-checking these ads for appropriateness or smart marketing.

Have examples of bad marketing? Share them with the class.

Seed of....

It seems that Svetlana, the Ukrainian intern has a new rival among my readers in the popularity department. Since posting the picture taken during my foray into Penn's Woods, I have had a lot of comments about the baby that is the subject of the photo. My most recent conversation was in a instant message conversation with my friend Melinda, of the blog One Girl's View. It seemed that this girl viewed the baby picture in a whole new light:

Melinda: oh I did want to tell you that that is the ugliest baby i have ever seen in the picture from your sisters house

Melinda: oh I did want to tell you that that is the ugliest baby i have ever seen in the picture from your sisters house
Melinda: i never told you, i have nightmares about that baby
Melinda: it came to kill me like three nights now
Melinda: with that expression while breathing heavy
Melinda: it has this little knife that probably couldn't break the skin
Melinda: but I run screaming from it
Melinda: and it always finds me
Me: shut up
Melinda: true story
Melinda: yep three nights woken out of a dead sleep yelling
Melinda: my mom came in one night to check on me
Me:LOL
Melinda: yeah funny to you terrifying to me!
Melinda: who buys a baby like that!

Indeed, who DOES buy a baby like that?

Your thoughts? Have you had any interesting observations or thoughts about the Penn Baby? Share them in the comments section below.

Could We Build Something Interesting?

In a city like Washington, where policymakers throw billions of dollars into pet projects, you would think we could muster enough interest to build something that puts us on the map architecturally.

Should the District actually ever become a state, I think a fitting motto would be "The land where nothing of architectural significance has been built since those Classical Revival monuments."

Earlier this summer the Corcoran informed the public that their attempt to bring a Frank Gehrey creation to DC had fallen through due to lack of funds (and presumably community interest). Interestingly, it seems that EVERYONE now has one of these twisted coke cans. They have become the architectural equivalent of TGI Fridays, and the fact that Washington can't have what is actually already passe is all the more puzzling.

On the heels of this letdown comes today's news that the planned Kennedy Center project has been shelved. The plan, partially funded with federal money which has now been cut, would have created a sweeping pedestrian plaza that would have covered the roadways that snake around the Center. The result would have been to pull the Kennedy Center closer to the Monumental Core of the city by making it pedestrian-accessible. The Center has decided instead hail the completion of the existing construction which was intended mainly to create more room in the parking garage for the SUV's traveling from Virginia and Maryland.

I believe that, until the residents of the city take interest in their community and offer their vocal support for these projects, the look of Washington will continue to be dictated by the Federal Government and residents of the suburbs. The next big architectural project to languish could well be the new baseball stadium planned for South Capitol Street. It would be no surprise to me if this albatross never gets off the ground. When historians look back 50 years from now, will the most significant piece of architecture to be produced in Washington during this period will be the new Giant in Columbia Heights.

Svetlana

She showed up at 12:30 today. 12:30!

People Losing Site of the Point

A recent feature in the New York Times Food section details the intricacies of funeral dining. The article entitled "He Would have Wanted it That Way", details the cultural nuances involved with gathering to eat when a death has occurred. Vertamae Grosvenor, who grew up in South Carolina's Low Country had this touching memory of her mother's death:

"We had pans and pans of rice fixed every kind of way," she said. "Plain rice to go next to your greens. Red rice with smoked sausage. Chicken purloo. Hoppin' John. Limpin' Susan. Aunt Georgianne brought a big pan of her seasoned rice. It was wonderful, but I still don't know what she had it in. I know it had black pepper.

People judged your worth by how well you made rice. If your rice wasn't proper, my God."

It's always nice to know that people are remembering their loved ones in a reverent way. Nothing says grieving more than a little culinary competition with Aunt Georgianne, after all. Bless their hearts.

Briefs...:::

REST IN PEACE - Cuban musician Ibrahim Ferrer, lead singer of the Buena Vista Social Club, died Saturday at age 78. Read More>>
RESTORING THE BUDDHAS - A laser artist plans to restore the 1600 year-old Buddha statues that were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. Read More>>
CHALLENGING HILL- Hillary Clinton will be challenged in the 2006 New York senate race by a popular West Chester County District Attorney who is a moderate Republican female who supports abortion and gay rights. Read More>>

Drop it Like it's Hot

Saturday night in Washington. It's always interesting to see the people of the city and the suburbs flocking to their preferred stomping grounds like salmon swimming upstream to mate. This past Saturday evening, I had the chance to observe young DCMetro-ites in their natural habitat in that quintessential zone of debauchery that we call Adams Morgan.

I have to admit, I have never experienced Adams Morgan on a weekend night before. Have I avoided it? Or simply missed out? That question remains unanswered. On this particularly sultry Washington night, DB and I were pulled out to Chloe by our two female GenY friends. As we made our way, no PUSHED our way through the throng on 18th St., I couldn't help but notice that the buzz coming from the crowd sounded eerily like the sounds of millions of cicadas in a last-ditch effort to mate before certain demise.

Standing in line at Chloe I noticed how many of the women looked like bad (or good) Jessica Simpson imitations. Apparently every girl in the country is now a horsie blonde with a sheet of fabric taped over her breasts and wearing stiletto heels.

Once inside the club, the first thing that I noticed was the music. Now, bear in mind that I had said that I wanted to go to a straight club and dance to good music. We had considered 18^th St. Lounge, but, unsure if they would have dancing this night, Chloe was suggested. The music at Chloe was definitely in the vein of what DB dubbed Hop40. The beat changed very little throughout the evening. For much of the night, an angry male voice seemed to be screaming in my ear, except when it was interrupted by the occasional Beyonce tune. Perhaps I really have grown too old, because this scene seemed less like the ultra-hip, well-dressed picture that I had in mind, and more like a bad wedding.

It was really astounding to see the changes that have taken place in the straight mating ritual. Men were dancing in groups of 3 and 4, often barely approaching the girls. Meanwhile, I noticed that the new method of girls introducing themselves to men seems to be to dance your way up to them, pry them from their friends and then bend over and grind your ass against them. All of this taking place while an angry man screams at you to “Lean Back" or "Drop it Like it's Hot." Are you supposed to lean back or drop it? The best approach seems to be debateable.

I was rather astonished at the GenY rules of dating. As I looked around looked around the dance floor I noticed another phenomenon. Slutty girls used to be talked about, made fun of and vilified. Now, Slutty Girl is the norm. A young 25 year old girl can’t afford not to be a whore. A man wouldn’t give a second look. I realized how frustrating this world must be to navigate through as my friend Ghazaleh threw her hands up on the dance floor and said to me “Do you see what I have to work with? It’s awful out here!”

Walking home that evening with DB, stepping lightly to avoid the cast-off jumbo slices of pizza and occasional pool of vomit, I thought about waking up in the morning in my middle aged gay man's condo, drinking my French Roast coffee and listening to Jazz. I realized that I might be aging. I might even be getting old. But at least I didn’t have to buzz like cicada, shake my ass and lean back to find love.

Taste::Cafe Atlantico

Restaurant Week is in full swing. For those of you who haven't participated, its a great way to try renowned restaurants at $30.05 for a three-course dinner.

Last night I had my first experience with Cafe Atlantico in Penn Quarter. I've been meaning to try this well-known restaurant for some time. I have heard great things, especially of their mini-bar where the chef custom-creates 25 bites of food for a small group of customers.

Last night's menu provided an amazing array of creations. I was immediately impressed with the breadth of ingredients and the blending of cultures. DB and I had a difficult time choosing between the starters, but agreed to share two.

We settled on the Scallops with coconut rice, crispy rice, ginger and squid ink oil, as well as the Conch fritters with a liquid center, jicama-avocado raviolis and mango oil. The first thing that I noticed about the scallops was how tender and perfectly cooked they were, medium rare. The sweetness of the scallops blended nicely with the creamy coconut rice, while the crispy rice provided a nice crunch. This went well with the South African Sauvignon Blanc that I was drinking. This dish is also available in an entree-sized serving, though I think this is unnecessary. I shared this dish and couldn't imagine eating 4 times the amount that I did.

When I tried my first bite of conch fritter, I was glad I was sitting down. The fritter itself looked fairly usual on the outside, however, the inside was a creamy center of conch chowder that oozed out. I was told that they achieve this affect by freezing a ball of chowder. The ball is then dipped in the fritter batter and fried, creating a center that is room temperature unlike the scalding how liquid centers you sometimes find in food. The ravioli that accompanied were like tiny purses of tropical flavor. It seemed an odd pairing, at first to present the fritters with another starch, but the ravioli skin was paper thin and the addition of the mango oil tied the whole plate together.

The first entree that we tried was Duck confit with sauteed baby spinach, pumpkin seeds, raisins and passion fruit oil. This combination of flavors seemed to have a very Eastern influence to it, even though the ingredients that accompanied the duck were solidly Caribbean. The meat was so tender that it collapsed onto the fork with a slight crunch of crispy coating on the skin. The earthiness of the pumpkin seeds was complimented by the raisins and the passion fruit. I am often leery of what some restaurants call duck confit. This piece, however, was definitely slow cooked for hours.

After experiencing this dish, I didn't believe it possible to have another great appearance of food. My experience with DC restaurants has left me a bit pessimistic. However, when we took the first bite of Seared salmon with cauliflower-quinoa "cous-cous," buttery papaya, avocado mash and papa-vanilla oil, I was stunned. This combination of flavors was absolutely perfect. The quinoa was a great stand-in for traditional cous-cous when combined with the cauliflower. The papaya was served diced, atop the salmon in a presentation that lead me to first believe that roe was involved. The small dollop of avocado mash on the site was a nice cool and creamy foil to the other flavors.

We finished our meal with a coconut sorbet which was well done, though no extraordinary. What was more appealing, was the warm chocolate cake served with chocolate flan (more like pudding than what we traditionally think of as flan), accompanied by banana foam and fresh banana-lime salad. In my opinion the two banana sides was a bit overkill and not needed.

The only low point of the evening came after the meal. I am left to wonder what has caused this phenomenon in DC restaurants. No matter how good the food, or the service during the meal, my experience in DC is that many times, you are left to wait for the check or for the server to take payment. I also wonder if these servers don't realize that this is the last impression that the customer has and the moment when they are deciding how much to tip. After an excellent meal, its frustrating to be held captive while trying to get someone to take your money.

That being said, the experience at Cafe Atlantico is one that warrants repeating.

People in Flowered Shirts Shouldn't Throw Dirt

Last night was the Rufus Wainwright/Ben Folds concert at Wolf Trap. The concert was amazing and the performances were definitely on.

The one irksome point in the evening came courtesy of the couple who's picture I snapped. Why is it that suburban Dominionites, a) Look 10 years older than they really are and b) throw a wet blanket on any fun the moment they spot it happening.

Mr. and Mrs. Quite Contrary were sitting in front of us at the concert. When Ben Folds took the stage and began rocking out, two young girls in front of them jumped up and started dancing (as did many in the audience.) Mr. Quite Contrary actually tapped the girls on the back and asked them to sit down. Doesn't he realize that two 21 year old girls shouldn't have their 100$ evening ruined by a man in bad shirt and his bushy haired wife who escaped the cul-de-sac for one evening? Apparently they hadn't heard who the target audience for this concert was.

So if you are reading this post, Mr. and Mrs. Quite Contrary (though I doubt you are), you have won this blog's Wet Blanket Award. In fact, the award has been created in your honor. Cheers.

Briefs...:::

NO TOILET, NO SEAT- A government official in India has proposed a law that requires candidates for government office to have a toilet in their home because many "do not have toilet facilities in their own houses and defecate in the open". Read More>>

IT'S A BOY- The National Zoo, back in the business of promoting animal life, has announced that the panda cub born July 9th is a boy. Read More>>

SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES-A DC pastor has identified the biggest problem facing the black community. Is it drugs? The high incarceration rate of black males? Apparently, of greater concern is the large number of black girls who are going to Wonder Woman's Island. Read More>>

Terror in the Skies

Yesterday's crash of an Air France jet in Toronto was terrifying as it unfolded on tv. Yet miraculously, everyone survived the crash. It does make me breathe a bit easier to know if my plane goes down, I still have another chance.

The whole incident reminded me of an old neighbor. Pam was your typical cute, blonde Suburban mom. One day she mentioned that she used to be a flight attendant for Pan Am. I found this odd considering how much she hated to fly. When I asked her about this, she told me about an incident where her barely contained fear bubbled to the surface.

It seems that Pam was on a Pan Am flight across the Atlantic when the pilots received word of turbulence ahead and warned the flight attendants and passengers. Pam, the trooper that she was continued to work her drink cart down the aisle as the ride became increasingly bumpy. Suddenly, the plane hit a large pocket of air. Her drink cart flew up in the air and slid down the aisle. She was, in turned almost toppled to the ground. In her panic, Pam forgot herself and screamed at the top of her lungs, "We're all going to die!" This of course was of no comfort to the very scared passengers.

One of Pam's fellow attendants thought it might be better if she sit and comfort an older female passenger who was completely terrified. However, within 5 minutes, Pam had dug her fingernails into the woman's arm, producing blood.

I never asked her about the end of her career as a flight attendant. But I'm pretty sure that it was this incident at 40,000 feet combined with the fact that she narrowly missed the flight that crashed in Lockerbie.

Extreme Makeover-Seat of Democracy Edition

Anyone who has lived in DC for any length of time has noticed the severe lack of style that the city exudes. It is amazing that a city of the size and importance of Washington can have be home to so many people with bad taste. Even our scandals can be ugly. Who remembers the Gary Condit/Chandra Levy scandal. Every single person involved in that scandal was completely unattractive. Perhaps being a well-educated city goes hand in hand with bad hair and bad fashion choices.

Nowhere else is this theory more evident than in the list of DC's 50 Most Beautiful People. The list contains more candidates for a 'Before' picture than I've seen anywhere else. With a few exceptions, this collection of movers and shakers and screaming for a makeover. Perhaps someone should write a desperate plea to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

What's your opinion? Sound off on Washington DC's least attractive/least stylish figures.

Snap Back to Reality

I took this picture this weekend while visiting my family in Pennsylvania. I'm pretty sure this sums up the nature of this long strange weekend.

This snapshot was taken at my sister's house where we stayed. Needless to say, with three kids, two large dogs, three birds and a cat, it was far from a quiet weekend. I can only think that the subject of this picture was the lucky one.

Upon returning to the city last night, DB and I felt the need to re-acclimate with dinner at Tako Grill in Bethesda. Sushi, wine and adult conversation was just what we needed to bring us back to reality. Hopefully I can make it another two years without making that trip again.