Another Year Cometh & Go.....

I'll let the Pics do the talking....

HAPPY NEW YEARS ALL!

Return to Boulevard de Atlas

I.E. Flexing those Gastronomical Mussels…..

Haven’t been back to the Rock & Roll Hotel for a while, not since seeing The The’s. Went to see The RedWalls, Johnathan Rice, and The Whigs, of whom might have been nice to recruit into the newly formed WHIG Party, but alas they are not very eloquent. Just a small crowd of us went on the first day of snow of the year with A Rotten Rabi, Stef, and Club D, who has a nice and succinct review of the music of the night and the Sauce Boss (whom I see every year) from the previous Saturday night.

I vaguely remember hearing Jonathan Rice from somewhere before, and Behold – he is on my Walk the Line CD & Plays Roy Orbison in the movie. No wonder his sound was a little Country-ish – I though George Throughgood – but I’m no expert.

Of note for the night were the two new spots on H Street – First is the much touted Dr. Granville Moore’s. This place is attempting to rival Bistro du Coin in Dupont for their Mussels (which I think are the best in the city - price & taste factored in).

Well as the list of places for mussels (French style of course) increases in the city, I woefully fall behind on my list to try them: Montmartre, Brasserie Beck – I have been to them, but still remaining are: Hanks Oyster Bar, Bistro Italiano, Marvins, Les Halles and Belga Café I’ve been for drinks but not food.

SO I took up my quest again recently, when my best friend (& former roomy) from Miami, Mario came into town, and started at the beginning with the Bistro. OUTSTANDING!! as usual. In comparison Granvilles mussels tasted like mussels cooked in sauce, & Bistro’s mussels tasted like they were infused with the sauce YUM!! Plus they are always giving you more bread to sop up that sauce.

As for Montmartre, I cant remember them that well, so that doesn’t bode well (although I do remember their risotto with Calamari in Ink plate – 5 stars for that!), and Beck’s were very tasty indeed, as good as Bistro, but way pricier.

SO rating them:

Bistro du Coin *****
(better if you are in the mood for Wine)

Doc Granville Moores Brickyard ****
(better if you are in the mood for Belgian Beer)

Brasserie Beck ****
(better if you are in the mood for Fancy Restuarant)

Montmartre **
(better if you are in the mood for Other types of seafood)

The Hidden Gem of the evening is SOVA, which for full disclosure is owned by the Husband of a friend of mine (Frank – Kavitha’s hubby). He runs a cool Café/ Wine bar two doors down from the R&R Hotel. Well ok technically the wine bar portion isn’t open yet, but that’s just awaiting the liquor license. He has the same neat dispenser system that the pretentious Sonoma Wine bar has – without the pretentiousness or prices.

His Latte rivals mine (he uses good beans but no match for well roasted Dominican). The décor is R&R Hotel done nice – without the gaudiness – i.e big clunky but comfy couches, warmly painted walls in sage green or warm red colors. The backroom has a big ol' big screen tv and the upstairs has a HUGE Table where you could set up a game of World in Flames with room to spare if you wish.

I can definitely be seeing Granville’s & SOVA as part of my regular routine for visits to the venerable Hotel.

Thankfully it's.............

Why do we need a holiday to be thankful for things? Why not do it all the time. Well I guess we forget to appreciate so we seperate this day aside. Thanksgiving is becoming one of my favorite holidays because it is the last sanctitude away from commercialization. Sure it started off rather differently, but over the decades, it has become something better.

Examples of victims are: Halloween, Easter, Mothers Day, July 4th, Presidents Day, and the ever infamous Christmas. Thanksgiving is one of the **BIG** truly American Holiday. By "American" I don’t mean citizens versus non-citizens, immigrants versus non-immigrants, blacks vs. whites, vegetarians versus meat-eaters, doves versus hawks, Republicans versus Democrats, Native-Americans versus Non-Native Americans, or rich versus poor. I’m not talking about any of the myriad things that divide us as a nation. I’m talking about all of us – the 300 odd million of us that make up America.

Admittedly there are a few holidays that are not fully invaded, like Veterans Day (unlike its cousin Memorial Day), yet it is the harbinger of that aformentioned Christmas shopping frenzy of black friday and the chaos that ensues. We are also often forced to the altar of the food gods for this holiday, but it isnt that bad giving our money for a Traditional Harvest feast to the farmers of america, if it wasnt for those twin evils of High fructose corn syrup and Hydrogenated vegetable oils. But yet I digress.......

For 364 days each year we may focus on other priorities in our lives. We are simply asked to reflect on the things that we’re grateful for. We don’t have to drink green beer, send gifts, carve pumpkins, buy cars, or shoot off fireworks.

We are asked, simply, to be thankful. And to this I wish to just say to all my friends, family, loved ones for bieng you - through arguements and disagreements, Good Times and rough, sour patches or overenthusiam, complaints and compliments; I am glad for those in my life. And if I don't say it enough, or sometimes forget to stay in touch - then know it is in my heart; Thank You ... all of you, for everything.

I hope your Thanksgiving is one of just that.

A Nation of Purple

Ive been catching up on some of my politics as distasteful as it may be - but necessary to not be one of the sheeple. And distasteful it is when you hear some questions these candidates pander to and agree with. The one that prompted this latest posting was from one participant in a town hall who spoke of the "anger the average European Christian, native-born American feels when they see their country turning into a multicultural chaos Tower of Babel."
WOW! People believe that this is their nation? A European Christian nation? What about the Native Americans who were here before us? All the African Americans that were FORCIBLY brought here by all those "European Christians"? The Asians (and Irish) upon whose this nations railroads were built by? All the Hispanics we annexed (& bought) from Spain via Texas, California, New Mexico & Arizona? All the Creole people who make Louisiana such a unique State? The Inuit? etc. et. al......

We are lucky that sometimes the candidates sometimes have common sense and this particular questioner was quickly silenced by Mr. McCain with as sound "(he was) grateful to live in a nation that has been enriched by people coming to our nation from around the world." Can we get a great big Howard Dean "YEEEEHAAAAAH!" for standing up to that idiot and not pander! We are a not a nation made up of red states, blue states - but a combination of much more - both together and so much more - A nation of purple with a hue of every color in there!

So thus I continue to go about the ardours duty of going through each of the candidates stances on the issues, or lack thereof - as many just have blurbs with no real policy or details behind them. And yes, this is for both parties as unfortunately no one else has signed onto the WHIG party.
My ranking of the candidates on the issues is below - with one candidate on each side getting a slight boost due to some aspect that makes him stand out (personality and other intangibles)

Reps: 1- Huckabee; 2- McCain; 3- Guliani; 4- Hunter; 5- Romney; 6- Paul; 7- Thompson; 8- Tancredo
Dems- 1- Richardson; 2- Obama; 3- Gravel; 4- Biden; 5- Kucinich; 6- Edwards; 7- Clinton

My rankings on both sides actually came as a surprise, mind you I don't agree with all the issues of my top picks, and it was semi unscientific using this: http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm and of course the candidates sites themselves.

OK now onto the scary part: In one of the latest Defense bills passed I discovered this passage in the Defense Appropriation Act for Fiscal Year 2007 ; H.R. 5122 [109th Congress]:

Subtitle E - Defense Against Terrorism and Related Security Matters Section 1042 -
"Revises federal provisions allowing the President to utilize the Armed Forces in connection with interference with federal and state law to allow the President to employ the Armed Forces and National Guard in federal service to restore public order in cases of natural disaster, epidemic or other public health emergency, terrorist attack or incident, or domestic violence. "

WAIT!!!!!!!! This - if I understand it correctly (and I do) effectively makes the Posse Comitatus Act invalid!!! I'm fed up at this point at the growing powers of the Executive Branch - where is the backbone of Congress? Our voice - our freedoms don't mean a thing if we elect people who are just going to go with the flow and be walked all over. OK I'm not trying to sound all Conspiracy theory and all, but still its too much of a trend, the politics of fear are some of the worst ever..... (minor update: This is even better explained under the Insurrection Act of 1807 entry)


All I can think of is a quote by one of our founding fathers :


They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. — Benjamin Franklin

Mountains, Meadows & Morlocks

Spent a cool fall weekend at the Myron Glaser Cabin near Paris,VA for Kevin L.'s birthday. (above left is the composition of "Javin" ; Right is our Hike group @ Sky Meadows)

A first on this particular trip due to the hike in while raining and packing everything on me for the 2 miles from the car to the cabin. I don't think I had hiked anything like that since I was a Boy Scout. Even then, I don't think I carried as much as I did this time, or in such an awkward fashion compared to the rest of the group who had proper packs.


Eventually the rain stopped and we finally emerged into true sunny fall weather for a great hike to Sky Meadows along the old Appalachian Trail. It's kinda of strange in that I would have never guessed 4 years ago that I wold have enjoyed the mountains so much. But in a way I see it as a replacement for the beach, since the beach is always better! This trip was particularly cool in the sense that wildlife was actually spotted by my own eyes: 2 Deer, 1 Bald eagle, at least 2 hawks/falcons of some type - one extremely low-flying over us as we ate lunch at Sky Meadows, and various turkey Vultures headed to South Florida most probably (pic of them on the Miami Courthouse) . This was in addition to the various uncounted songbirds heard in the forest.

The view was kind of neat at sky meadows - but pretty spectacular was the pseudo impromptu game of Frisbee at the top of what is effectively a plateau with a view of the Paris, V.A. farmlands.


Overall a better way to spend a pre-Halloween weekend eschewing the costumes and parties for this year..... Either way it seems as if some phantom figures (or ghosts) showed up anyway, leaving strange images on my camera. Only discovered 2 days later when downloading them, I finally figured out why my batteries were so low!



The following week I re-did Old Rag Mountain. It was even more amazing than in the spring with all the foilage in perfection! Although I didnt also do the rock scramble on the way down due to starting off rough with what I believe was a pain in either the Tibal Posterior or Flexor Digitorum Longus Tendon(s). Either way is seriuosly hampered me to almost a crawl for about 30 minutes before the pain was bareable. Despite it I worked through it and was well enough later on, but still wasnt up to the scramble down. Next time I do Old Rag- although I will miss some amazing foilage on the fire road back- I will do the scramble down! I am glad I stuck it out because the colors were AMAZING!

From OLD RAG fall ...

Seen in D.C.

I live in a world of Fantasy
So keep your reality away from me
I see what I want to see
And that is Okay by me

Seen on the back of a moving style van on
Florida Avenue this morning.
WOW talk about enlightening the Sheeples,
even if they don't understand what it means.

Seen anything interesting of late?

Of Horses, Steeples and Ferry's

Another year now comes with the coming of the International Gold Cup Steeplechase at the Plains in Loudon County, VA. Along with the spring cousin, the Virginia Gold Cup, these are great day of fun at the horse races with the gang. Our amazing coordinator Jeff once again needs a big congratulatory applause for this the 4th year. Bookie duties were handed back to Alexandra (since last time she was missing). Big difference though was that this year was the first time I lost money on betting on the horses (albeit only $4). Of note though was one of my friends and his comments on women chewing gum. He calls it "bovine", unless of course its some trashy girl...

So lots of fun was had by all, otherwise I leave you all to some helpful advice from Jon on the horses, and the more eloquent AB.

Next day was another early one as Carmel, Rob, Minah & I headed off to Harpers Ferry for a day of hiking, leaf peeping, and some historical stuff. Got to hike the Maryland Heights trail taking the road less traveled up to the Old Stone Fort. With our warm weather the leaf changes have been disappointing until this trip - finally fall weather is upon us, and this was a great weekend to usher it in.



Notes about Harpers Ferry:

• Don't go expecting a real town - it feels allot like Colonial Williamsburg in many ways, lots of fun to still be had though
• Don't miss the Ice Cream shop in town
• Check out the Cemetery at the highest point in town.
• Explore lock 33 on the C&O Canal. There is nothing that stops you walking on the canal itself
• Jefferson Rock Is climbable - just don't let the park rangers catch you.
• It would suck to be a Civil war soldier - apparently all they did was build rock walls
• Apparently almost any panoramic picture of Harpers Ferry will include that church steeple, theres no way getting around it.
  

Topping off a graet weekend is having my team win two games straight in a row - both Sat & Sun nights. No not the poor Dolphins who can't win this year at all, but the Red Sox. I believe it happens to be what we were wearing - lucky Pirate gear and lucky Dog - Reagan!!!!












With fellow Red Sox fan Mary, and her dog Reagan doing Blue Steel thus intimidating the Indians into loosing

The Massing of the Sheeples... or not.

New Term for the following year: Sheeples.

Origin: mash up of Sheep and people

Definition: The masses of people who just follow because they are too engrossed in thier own lives and have no time to care (about our liberties, our country, etc.)

Ok so were all tired of listening about the presidential canidates, and we all have our favorites .... or not at all.

My Opinion - The system is broke - we have to major power brokers putting up 2 sets of opinions and nothing else. The sheep see two paths, and fail to see the other option - blazing a new path. I mean even when herding sheep there are certain some that decide to go astray.

So the powers that control the two ideologies - much like the sheperds or cowboys, go off and round up these unique thinkers and pen them up, thus ensuring we dont develop new ideas. And this happens in both parties.

I'm sick of it - sick of it all. Really I do believe the Brits are on to something - elections are called and you have 60 days to campaign... simple. We need to stop sending our canidates out looking for money - or just have every canidate run for Both parties primaries, like ... Stephen Colbert!

Yes as many of you know he announced his (mock) Canidacy. Thats awesome - now if he were really electable that would be even better! but how brilliant is the idea of no parties and just general primaries. Even better is the idea of no fundraising, canidates all get the same amount of money. Running a campaign is no longer a business (as it is now), everyone has an even platform to present thier views. Yeah it will never work out...

But who knows. As Ray says - we need to reform the Whig Party. So far there are 2 of us, who else is in??

Responses to Notes....

So Jon asked the question: “what songs would be good to listen to when getting over someone” SO I came up with my CD’s worth of songs.

Some of the songs don’t always truly apply to all situations/girls, but what the hey. Here's a list in no particular order:

Corazon Espinado Santana with Mana
Oh, broken/pierced heart – whatever you want to call it….

Esa mujer me esta matando
Por mas que trato de olvidarla
Me a espinado el Corazon



Translated (loosely):
That woman is killing me
But no matter how hard (she) treats (me) I cant forget her
She has pierced my heart

Let Your Troubles Roll By Carbon Leaf
Also on Jon’s list but mine for the first stanza – describes a forlorn heart readily.

Love endures, it clings away
When asked to leave, it begs to stay
Like the perfect song, at imperfect times
It's the way the chords struck with the rhymes
So let your troubles roll by...

Goin Nowhere Chris Isaak
Truly a “Getting over her” song!

Like the stance, like the sky, likes the way you shake it.
You’re the kind of a girl that looks better naked.
You’re the kind of a girl I would say is goin' nowhere.
You’re goin' nowhere.

Precious pain Melissa Etheridge
A way of taking that hurt, how do we deal with it.

Empty and cold but it keeps me alive
I gave it my soul so that I could survive
Keeping me safe in these chains
Precious pain

Royal Station 4/16 Melissa Etheridge
Melissa does it consistently in her early career songs –
This one makes one think of how we must forge ahead .

I ain't got nothing to soothe my aching soul
Except this screeching and screaming iron
To tell me where I ought to go

Breakdown Jack Johnson
A simple song – when you just need to let go.

I need this here
old train to breakdown
oh please just
let me please breakdown




Breaking up Rilo Kiley
Ohhh it feels good to be free – well until we need that urge otherwise
Very – almost disco-ey?? Not quite but very upbeat

am i breaking up?
is there trouble on the line?
did your heart break enough?
did it break enough this time?

ooh it feels good to be free..........

– not Breakin up – but still good! - Paints Peeling



Start a New Life Let’s French
Title says it all

1234 Feist (no thanks to that new Ipod commercial)
How dare does one reverse their feelings? Surprising lyrics found in another very upbeat song

you're changing your heart.
oh, oh, oh, you know who you are.
sweetheart, bitter heart,
now i can't tell you apart.



Anemone Brian Jonestown Massacre (BJM)
BJM a psychedelic 60’s retro – Stones/Byrds/Dylan inspired west coast band puts out some amazing songs many based on rejection, love, (including unrequited) - my choices were hard to peg, so I narrowed it down to two: this one because by the end of a relationship “dragging me down” is usually the feeling - remind yourself youre better of “up”, not down

i only play it for-real
you should be picking me up
instead you're dragging me down
flying over my head
you're landing all over town

F*cker Brian Jonestown Massacre
My heart is mine – you have no reason to mess with it!

i've been sitting in my room so long
i think about the ways you've done me wrong again
f*cking b*tch she tried to break my heart
the way she loves me i just fall apart


Stupid Girl Garbage
Yep the girl is dumb if she don’t like/want me ! LOL!

You stupid girl
All you had you wasted



Float On Modest Mouse
Jon is right on this I just didn’t realize why…




Artists of Honorable Mention

More songs by Melissa Etheridge, BJM, Carbon Leaf, Rilo Kiley, & Chris Isaak’s Blue album and missing the cut were songs by Dido, U2, Sublime, & The Cars.
I wanted to add something from the Decemberists (My current fave band) but it doesn’t quite fit this category.


Continue the thoughts – and responses ( Don’t forget to put it on Jon’s comments – he is the master of this after all.)

Since there are none of the standard pics here, I leave you with my rejected entry (due to length) in last years Screen on J&D G You tube video festival – warning – NSFW but only due to a few cuss words…… How To Take Revenge on Your Cheating Girlfriend :

glumbert - How to take revenge on your cheating girlfriend

Note to Jon:
"But actually it makes things clear, you see, 'cause now I know exactly what I have to do"

Is Feng Shui for Rich People?

Well I finally got a decent portion of the new place somewhat organized and REALLY cleaned, and for those of you who know - that is one heck of a feat with my roomie. I mean it looks as good as it has in years. Beyond this point it will take putting half his stuff in a POD and organizing the multitude of CD's he has. Well all I can say is one step at a time - take a weekend here or there when he heads off to NYC, and I can adjust and throw out a little more junk each time!

Which brings me to the Feng Shui part. For the last year and a half - maybe two - I have owned the above book "Feng Shui for Everyday Living". And after looking at it various times thinking that it cant hurt(though never quite buying into it all) - I figure - who, in everyday life, has the money, time or space to do all this. I want a more clutter free home - but who has the space to hide all the stuff one hangs on to. Who has the ability to paint their apartment at whim whatever color they choose - or plop down money to get furniture like they show in the books and all those web sites. We all work for a living and have a dozen other more pressing demands for our money. Who can really afford Feng Shui??

Me I'll take my small victory in a clean house and a little more free walking space where I can get it (My small victory is pictured below).

Addendum: Two days later.... the place is a disaster again: Bags of produce, bottles of Bacardi & Tanqueray, clothes and the kitchen **Sigh**. I have a strong feeling that this is a Felix & Oscar situation.

What I Did This Summer

A.K.A. DO I Know What I Did This Summer......


Much like in grade school when your teacher would make you do a show & tell of your summertime antics, its time to reflect back on the season. Admittedly I didnt go anywhere MEGA interesting like Africa or as remote as Minneapolis, become a hardcore mountain-biking athlete, or have a major life event this summer, but events over the last few months have definately had (I think) profound effects on me that I am still not so sure about myself.

Yes I know many of you are thinking that summer was over a while ago, but remember my perspective growing up in South Florida where it doesnt get cool until maybe November. So in the ever muddling of my life B.D.C. and A.D.C. (before and after moving to D.C.), I attempt to find a middle ground. And thus it has been this summer - where is MY middle ground?

A month ago I started thinking of this with an unfinished post that went like this:

"A Tough Pill To Swallow

Its been a hard week the one after my birthday. I guess I wrangle with a few things on this page everytime I open it. Mainly how much of my personal life is too much for this very (potentially) public blog. I mean its not like I have drunken nights full of debauchery and I am not writing about college style exploits here."

Why I never finished that - well I am not sure if I am ready to share that, but I was feeling in a very low place, and feeling very confused about many things (even possibly a little betrayed), plus I am positive I made some bad choices also. But it did get me on the track to thinking - even if the thoughts have barely left the train station yet.

But I have been trying to think what defines the middle ground - my standards - someone else's?

Examples:


- Most people my age are generally married - and getting on with that stage of thier lives. Am I ready for that? Who knows (I thought I was 2 yrs ago). So its either single, coupled or married

- How does your job define your middle ground? satifaction vs compensation...

- Friends and Family time....

- Bieng a giver and bieng a taker: This is a tough one - really. I have always been a giver, constantly putting other peoples needs over my own. But I look back and I consider how much is too much (and I am not just talking about monetary/physical things). In many ways I have given of myself, let others take credit, and (yes as strangely as it seems) stood in the background, just about always refusing help from others.

But something has changed - I'm not sure I like the difference it has manifested - I feel dirty when I take (I mean I have never asked for help in moving, yet always help everyone else). I "think" I try to balance it now, but then guilt sets in, especially with my friends and family.

So how much is too much? I dont know - it's just one of the cars on that train thats just leaving the station. One thing that I know... one area that I still give, give, give - is the romance department - but thats a total failure. Seems that I overinvest in those I am interested in, then of course Viola- my heart hurts to no avail. Gosh am I stupid for letting these things happen.

Someone please give me a freaking clue cause I have none.....

Which brings me to all these pictures - and something touched upon before on an earlier post. Once again hounding me is the same general thoughts - its just this time it has catchy initials: WDYDWYD and is a two edged sword into my soul. Why Do You Do What You Do? is a pretty simple concept, in describing yourself in simple terms. Then I see this second picture.... same initials, and cuts into the deep of it.

Coupled with the pictures here as just a sample, it is a powerful question in its simplicity. I have been looking at them and pondering since I saw them from my variuos friends who went to Burning Man. It's impact strengthens that questioning I have been doing lately. But for now - its a different post .....


To be Continued.........

Addendum to Summer

1- Saw two genuine musical legends - the incredible Elvis Costello & the enigmatic Bob Dylan

2- Sally finally let loose some steam after all those summer trips. Than goodness it happened near a friends house and Darren & George helped me out in getting her back up and running for $20 bucks! Replacing a busted upper radiator coolant hose is simple work after all. (If you don't know by now - that's Sally pictured below after OBX, dont blame me for the name - My niece Alexia named her)


3- Finally watched my first Football Game of the season. Damm do the Dolphins SUCK!! ok I'm still giving Cam Cameron time to turn the team around - but come on boys - you let thata busted up Daunte Culpepper - whom we let go - score 3 TD's Running the ball in HIMSELF, and another 2 passing TD's??? Talk about embarrassment!

4- RAY knows how to cook !! My GAWD!!

5- Dave C. knows how to brew beer and have FUN!!! cant wait for that batch to be ready!

Yep that covers the last week of summer.....

For the Record :

Vacations suck....

No not the vacations themselves, but more because when you come back, unless you have one of those jobs which is FUN to you and that you look forward to every morning (Of which I dont have) then you realize you were in paraside of one sort or another and you have to come back to real life.

But generally I find myself just finally relaxing and destressing by the time I need to go. (note to self - take 2 weeks Vacay from now on). Then you come back to the daily grind - i.e. the zombie factory. Uplifting isnt it??

Well seriously, I did have a great time while I was at the beach..... just coming back.... sucks....

The Sands of Time...........

It all goes by to fast. I spent a week on Carolla, NC (in the Outer Banks) and enjoyed every single bit of it (almost). Great people - good times - sleeping & waking to the sounds of the ocean. It's really hard to describe the week in the short space here , but I have definite highlights:

• As mentioned - an requires rementioning as #1: going to sleep & waking to the sounds of the ocean
• Poker Night!
• Delicious home made Crab cakes
• HOT TUBS!!
• Being able to see Stars again! - lots of them!
• Tennis! - such fun; first time since I was like 11 or 12 yrs old
• Fishing! I finally caught FISH!! and 2 of them (Bluefins) on my first cast!
• Puzzles - Puzzles - Puzzles - and a Puzzle Off contest!
• Rooftop Sunset watchers
• Water Ballons!! FIRE AWAY!!!
• Pirates! (specifically International talk like a Pirate Day - and the associated Fireworks)
  
• Paella!! My grandma would be proud.

It's The Great Paella Charlie Brown!

Tonight I made my first real Paella. I had just bought my paella pan, had the correct rice (Bomba), good Saffron, and Spanish Paprika - along with all the seafood I wanted. Ahhhh seafood... that is a big one.

Mind you it took me 3 hours to find some fresh squid as the guys from Sharky's Charters, Bait & Tackle sent me & Rob down out to Roanoke island to the town of Wanache. There we made stops at Oneal's which brings in the seafood from the trawlers in the "Industrial Seafood Commercial Zone". Well then, after having driven 25 miles (and stopping a 5 other places before hand), the guy tells us they have don't have them - despite the Sharky's guys promising up & down they would. At least Oneal's sent us to Ellsworth's a few blocks away. They had Squid for sure! Well they did, and we found out from this big guy in his late 50's with a classic NC OBX accent and oozed lifelong fisherman. Well we could buy all the squid we wanted as long as it was in 28 pound frozen blocks!!! Sure enough he sent us to back to a local market obviously called Seamart !!!

Ok I got my squid - and the Paella was a first of many. Although I knew how to make Sofrito (the tomato base sauce for many Cuban foods) - I had never actually made it from scratch being lazy all these years. OH how amazing that smell alone was filling the huge kicthen I had the pleasure to cook it in. Even more so was that since it was such a large group I was working TWO Pealla pans. Overall I was pleased with the outcome except that I used a little too much of the Hot Spanish Paprika... use less next time!
(of note the cook always makes better food when supplied with a glass of wine!)

An editorial on the Editors

If you get a chance - and you arent feeling too down - go see the Editors. My friend Stefanie convinced me to see them - and on her good (hopefull) taste I said yes. I am glad I did - effectively combining The Smiths and Interpol sounds these guys make depression sound uplifting . The lead singer, Tom Smith, sounds a little like Morrisey from the Smiths era, and makes me think of what Cosmo Kramer would look like if he were making music - very herky jerky motions that definately keep you entertained. The guitarist was totally sporting the Han Solo look... quite amusing!

Additionally there were 2 other acts at the good ol' 9:30 Club; one of them was handing out these bumper stickers saying; "Who the F*ck is Biffy Clyro" well I wish I still had no answer to that question. I mean I have nothing against metal, but these guys sound like noise. ok a few songs were better, but still a mismatched pairng. Ra Ra Riot was good from the 2 songs I heard from them. Mental note to make a better effort to see them - I thought they were the second act & thus did miss them.

The tally: Editors 4/5; Biffy Clyro: 2/5; Ra Ra Riot 3/5 (based on 2 songs heard outside the club)

A Day of Laboring

Well summer is unofficially over marked by the weekend where we honor all those (and ourselves if applicable) who do the work. And what do most of us do for this long weekend - we do a LOT of work to enjoy a little time off... is it ironic - not sure... maybe i'll go look up the definition again.

So despite not having to work to make plans to do nothing, I planned on labouring into my new digs. Yes people I now officially *live* in the District after moving about a bunch of the burbs in this city. So I spent a good portion of a whole week packing, moving, unpacking, re-organizing, etc... its more tiring than one would think. Taking a break Friday night I went to my friend Ali's Bday party intent to see what all the hubub about 1223 was.... well we had fun because the people - the club is over-hyped (2 out of 5) - for those that know it its a barely upscale Club Five .

(With Rebecca, Ali (the Bday girl), and Char Ann)
Not to make the weekend a total loss, I did 2 very last minute things. The most important was resuming my sereis of hikes about the area. Not having done any since the Amazing White Oak Canyon/ Cedar Run hike, I found it an easy re-introduction to get acclimated once again. Lots of ups and downs, on this one but with some nice views looking back from the foothills back to the flatter eastern approaches of what I believe is Loudon County. It was actually neat that this hike crosses state boundaries. Of an unusual nature was all the quartz strewn around the trail (I wanted to call it marble). Lots of shade from th trees also.

At the top was an strange feature - it looked like the area had been struck by lightning and part of it had burned. Apparently it is also frequented by rock climbers - I believe some day Jon might actually do this cliff face now that we discovered it, not that I see myself doing it though, that type of rock climbing is tough on my knees.



After the nice drive back, and a short nap - I headed to my friend Diana's little shindig of a BBQ. It was typical Diana BBQ - we go cause we know what to expect - friends - food - catching up - and interesting conversations like Abby's trivia on the ability to nail Jello to a wall (cant bedone under normal circumstances), or her collaboration of Eric's statement a few months ago that Graham Crackers (along with oatmeal and of course Corn Flakes) were all made purposefully bland to limit mens "excitability". Oh yeah - that's my type of conversation - weird and random.

Labor Day itself though meant a bit of labor (organizing/packing/unpacking again) but most importantly - The Return of Croquet ! And this time my first female partner, none other than Diana! Despite a strong start, eventually Jon (partnered with Matt) caught up to us on a good run and demolished our chances at wining. Actually it was quite closely contested, but Darren effectively gave the game away when he left his ball within easy striking distance of Jon's ball on the last wicket. Game set and match.

This informal group that gathered though brought a smorgasboard of amazing food - rather different from Jon & Darrens standard Big BBQ's. Mary brought cayenne pepper bacon encrusted shrimp, bangers (not sausages according to Jeff), Key Lime bars by Alexandra, Ann's amazing black bean dip, etc, etc.... Considering that no one planned anything, it was amazing. I brought some picadillo I had made and was overwhelemed at how everyone raved over the simplest of cuban dishes. I mean I didnt even make black beans to go with it. Anyway here is a decent recipe. A bit of a difference is I used diced tomatoes from a can (i'm a bit lazier) and use white cooking wine also.

A few quick reviews.... and notes of those gone by

Things to kep in mind from three restuarants I've eaten at lately:

Doungrats: Delicious Thai food - best meal/value south of Baltimore for Thai(4 out of 5)
Colvin Run Tavern: delicious and subtle flavors but maybe I just expected more (3.5 out 5)
Montmarte (Eastern market): Delicious scallops, amazing rissoto with calamari with squid ink sauce.... my absolute favorite! (4.75 out of 5)


and on to some sad news, The Cedars (of which I wrote about earlier) and Let's French - local bands I liked are no more...... The Cedars had alot going for them but Lets French was set!! They had a new kick butt full lenght album and everything.... wow interesting how things happen - I discover them a little before summer starts - and they are gone a little before summer ends....

Do YOUR Thing!

That is a loaded statement or proclamation, or however you take it. It can get lost in the median of a very interesting documentary, despite it being part of its central focus. In 10MPH; Seattle to Boston in 100 Days you dont expect it as a theme, yet it subtly throws it in your face. Overtly the film is simple Segway cross country trip... but in thier conception of what to do other than just show the segway - they stop to get a nice slice of Americana that hasnt been seen since Charles Kuralt. Ok not as well done as Charley, well okay - but still, much better than what most have done for a while in documenting this stuff.

So out go the filmmakers Hunter Weeks and Josh Caldwell (both great guys who I got to meet and coincidentally friends of Jon's from College), on an uncertain journey and without bieng fully funded. They went out and did what they wanted to do (even if it was hair brained to us "normal" folk). But as they meet people throughout the country - thier take on it is: why are you doing what you are doing? They get a bunch of catch phrases from each person as "x''s thing, etc.

But what the film really gets in motion (in my mind) is are; you, me, anyone one of us doing our thing anymore? do we really have the realistic capacity to do that in todays modern world? And if we all did, who would do all the other things that the rest of everyone needs?

Of course it ultimately makes one question - are we happy doing what we are doing? How empowered are we to change that? Well give me a few months - my friend Dave just gave me a book called the Pathfinder... lets see where that path goes....

Random Musings... again

SO I got a little older . My birthday shares dates with William Jefferson Clinton (boo or cheer appropriately as you wish), along with National Aviation Day, and what apparently I thought was Penguin Awareness Day, but alas, I cant find the culprit website that told me that. Well nevertheless I had a penguin birthday cake.

Thanks to all the well wishers, to Megan & Stefanie (with me in the pic) for not one but TWO delicious cakes and to Carmel for taking some great photos !

A Wedding Trip & Reunion

SO last week I went to Boston in about 15 years. I really dont remember much from that trip other than visiting the actual Cheers Bar (called the Bull & Finch back then before they changed the name over) , touring the U.S.S. Constitution, and seeing the fireworks in celebration of troops returning home from Operation Desrt Storm (yes, me a loooong time ago).

SO this was kind of a reunion, in more than one way. it all started with having to endure the worst airport/airplane experience EVER (you don't really want to read a boring rant now do you) - and mind you I have flown ALOT since my mom worked for the airlines for a while. So my first experience as I step off in mid August and its 65F !! What is that! Luckily it got warmer after that......... Needless to say I got to see a bit, even if it was the rushed tour through the lens of my camera.... no big deal I have done it before, most notably on my first trip to Paris when I was in the N.A.V.Y.

But I'll live. I get to experience the "T" to my hotel where they promptly loose my reservation. Luckily I convince them to give me a room at the reservation rate. Yet another minor hurdle solved. SO I get dressed and head over to the Hilton by the airport for the main purpose of my visit (about time I get to it!) my brother Carlos Miguel's wedding. Ok technically on Friday its only the rehersal party. But still its great seeing my Dad and Chata, my godmother (Madrina) and cousins, etc. I hadn't seen most of them snce my last visit to Puerto Rico about 2 years ago.


Siblings, a parent and a niece: Raul, Carlos Miguel, me, Dad, Ana Marie & Alexia -->

The wedding itself was wonderfull - the reception lots of fun (one can always count on my Madrina and her kids to really get the party started!) Its good to see how well my Dad has porgressed in recovering from cancer, and it really warmed my heart. You can call & talk all you want, but actually seeing , is a relief, and it makes you really want to thank whatever powers that be are out there.

Somehow this weekend, Boston really made an impression with me. What an amazing city, what history, architecture, and the PEOPLE!! It feels more personable than DC for sure.... maybe what I miss from the OLD Miami. A little more laid back, genuine, etc. in the end I should really find a job in the carribean somewhere... I think it truly fits my style more...

Linda & Carlos Miguel ---->

Ok so I have a running dialogue of my trip around Boston, just clicky here as usual.

Things happen way too fast

So I know I am SO far behind here, I must apologize - Since July I have just found myself lacking time to do much on here. Since then a few highlights have been:

• Seen the Decemberists with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (amazing!)

These guys are great! I hopefully introduced a few fans (and one snob) to this amazing group. Maybe its a bit highbrow for some, but the lyrics (of which **I** Need a dictionary for some words) are smart and often tell neat stories. You know how music was often used in olden days to keep history.

• Took an incredible beach camping trip where I got to go in the water with bioluminescence!

Not since my trip to Puerto Rico 2 years ago (actually in Vieques) have I seen this. And surprisingly this far north! I always thought it was mostly in the carribean, although at Assateague (The Maryland side of Chincoteague from a few weeks earlier) it was not as bright as in Vieques. I was lucky enough to have a new moon though. Of course hanging out wth great freinds was awesome. More pics are ------> here <------

• Took my real first Kayaking trip on the Rappahanock River, thanks to my awesome friend Megan! Scott took some amazing photos, which is all I have left since I seem to have misplaced mine. Still somehow I was fascinated by the boathouse on the river... I must have taken a WHOLE bunch of them of that alone. Hopefully in late September I get another chance at more photos

There are a few more things but I'll details those seperately.

(at the Rappahanock with Dana, Carmel, me, Bill, Megan & Scott - dont forget to ask about the "Baconator"!!)

Folklife Can't Really Suck this Much Can It?

Ray and me went two weeks ago to the Folklife festival.... My Gawd!! Who thought of the lineup of Virginia for this thing?? If you want to see Virginia , go 10 minute South!! Or get this - The CALL CENTERS or Ireland!!!! Brilliant Geniuses! Even the Mekong River Area was annoying... Puppet theaters with no shows, and a Tea House with no Tea......

Thank goodness that friends make an outing fun, yes despite it all we had fun, mostly because we made it ourselves..... plus I actually managed to not crack my head open on a bike ride with Ray...... NEAT!!!

Here are more pics that Ray took

Tubing, Rockin, Its All so "Beaching"

WOW what a way to have to catch up on everything!

1) Tubing on the Shenandoah River with Hilary (Visiting from L.A.) , and the peeps on the 4th of July!! Gotta thank Jon for organizing this one! Of note was the awesome spot in front of the Netherlands Carrilion for the fireworks.... next year I am biking down... getting back was insane!

(pics from Darrens awesome waterproof digital Olympus camera , of which I want one, are -->here<-- Pic above is of George, me & Joel)

2) Carbon Leaf Concert - Of course Carbon Leaf Rocks - unexpected was how cool Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers were. Awesome on the stage - later as we listened to the album - is wasn't as high energy.... sad.

3) Day Trip to Chincoteague: Somehow this trip was soooo much fun! was it the company, was it because it was my first trip to the beach? was it Eric falling asleep?? Actually Its ALL of the above!! ... I miss the beach though & just lounging around, the warm feel of the sand and sun, and getting in the water when I please. I highly feel part of the euphoria was my first beach trip with my friends.
(thats Eric & Jon with me at the entrance of Chincoteague Island)

Things of note - even if they don't all make sense to everyone:

• Beware playing Journey or Air Supply on long car trips...
• Eric reads books while listening to Books on tape
• Seaweed necklaces RULE!
• I can still body surf just as good as those dumb body boards
• bring money when biking parks.... I couldn't go up the lighthouse because it cost $4 and I didnt have it on me.
• I had forgotten how funny Eddie Murphy's Delirious was.....
• My camera sucks.. I need a new one
• BEACH TRIPS RULE!!!!
  

Oh yeah I took home 2 lbs of shrimp for cheap!! Oh was that good! Thanks to those on these trips that made them all FUN!!!

more pics of Chincoteague here!

Not A Crabby Time

Well why else would it not be crabby when you eat at the Quarterdeck ??? My amazing friend
Hilary (w/ Ray in pic) came all the way from L.A. just to visit..... well mostly for her sister :) But yet we ate out with some MEETin people and Kara, Karoline, and of course the ever prevalent Ray! (no one else of note really other than "mumbles" who tried stiffing the rest of us on the bill....)

But that was just dinner with an amazing gal!!!! We headed to Dremo's afterwards - yeah that place wont be there long (Spring 08 actually) - We need more High rise condo's after all - forget about the establishments that made the neighborhood cool in the first place..... Anayway it was good to hang out with my peeps (Yusef, Stefanie, Megan, Dana, Liz, Kevin and a surprise showing by Wayne & Annie who had just come in from NYC!!!). Despite wanting to get home early, At Ray's insistence we continued to show Hilary the "historical evening tour"of Court House/ Clarendon area with a visit to Mario's Pizza...... yep.... greasy cheap good pizza...... Ok time to go home-

In a rip off to Rays "Whammies", I give the Quarterdeck two claws out of five... 1 for yummy food, and 1 for atmosphere, but nothing for the slow service (so what if they were filled to capacity) , and apparently cant keep a nice selection of crabs sizes for us... oh yeah beer selection sucks.....

Good News Comes in Droves!

YES!! It happened!! I got a NEW job! And a much better job in many ways. Ok sure I wont be doing something as directly productive as helping communities like I was doing at HUD, but heck, the paycheck is WAY better, and I was just being a data monkey (thank Cat for the terminology) and a bad writer (never my strongest suite). Now I’ll just be a data monkey doing quality control for the tech help desk for our government entity that oversees the Enron’s or Exxon’s and Jonathan Lebed's of this country. Yeah exciting stuff, but interesting (or so I hope).

Combine that with a week of great activities - and that makes me a happy man!!!

Shaken not Stirred

Location:
Wolf Trap

Target:
Pink Martini

Date:
Monday June 18th

For those of you who don’t know this group…. Yeah – catch them, buy their stuff, and spread the word. I’ll let the music do the talking….

The stage presence is a mix of; old style big band feel, lounge singer, latin jazz, and full orchestra! The main singer had this perfect name also: China Forbes!! Soo coool!

Going Out With a Bang!

SO I know no one really watches Formula One Grand Prix Racing here is the states... Well maybe the odd person here and there. SO I was left to my own devices this weekend to catch up on last weeks race in Montreal (June 10th) and Sunday's at Indianapolis (June 17th). Needless to say - I was STUNNED at the Canadian GP. I have never seen so many wrecks in a GP race or so much bouncing around in ages! The most dramatic being Robert Kubica's airborne high impact crash that left almost nothing remaining of the car as he approached the hairpin at turn 10 (accelerating out of turn 9; see below) about 250 KPH (about 180 MPH)!! This is quite amazing that luckily he survived intact with a concussion and a sprained ankle! Well heres some video, but who knows for how long as apparently FOM (Formula One Management) is having all videos of the crash removed...



He hit that wall hard - flying literally! OUCH!

In other news - who else watches America's Cup Sailing?? apparently I do...... I have such strange taste in sports. Below is the Canada GP Circuit track - turn 10 is in the lower left corner (click on the pic for full sized version)

So You Want to Start a Revolution

So, last night (Friday) I was invited at the very last minute to the SilverDocs Festival in Silver Spring. I had never heard of the movie Chicago 10. But I was not in the mood for a large crowd, and was informed of Dave Connelly’s Happy hour at RFD a bit to late.

The evening started off a little disappointed; great company with Jon, Darren & Ann at one of my favorite restaurant Cubano’s. Unfortunately I ordered the Masitas de Puerco, and this was the first time I have EVER been disappointed in the food there (luckily everyone else’s was very good, as usual). Surprisingly, we met up with Brandon, Candice & Kelly who had dragged the siblings to the Cubano’s on my recommendation from when I told her over the Memorial Day Weekend.

Anyway the whole point was to go see the Chicago 10, which as a minor aside should really be named the Chicago 8, and I still don’t get the number difference after looking up some of the history….

Basically in a nutshell, the movie depicts the events of the Democratic Convention of 1968, and the ensuing riots, and the trial that came after of 8 people who were charged with CONSPIRACY to incite riots across state lines, etc…. Now most people would think.. uughhh a documentary… and normally I am not one to shy away from them (former History Channel addict here). But this was definitely a new direction for this style of film.

The director Brett Morgen, uses no current interviews – instead he uses extensive archival footage to let the viewer experience the events as one might have during that time, albeit from the safety of your theatre seat and condensed (supposedly from over 700 hours of footage). He then interspaces that with the trial, depicted in rotoscope animation style, with actors reading/depicting from the transcripts. It is a VERY UNIQUE way of presenting a documentary for sure. Although the director says (he was present and supposedly said) that he leaves the viewers to make their own conclusions from the material, there is an obvious editing process. He was also trying to draw some parallels between the situation in Vietnam and Iraq with some eerie footage of LBJ saying almost the same as GWB, and thus sets a nice POV to make the actions somewhat contemporary.

It was also, it would so seem to me an obvious miscarriage of justice. How common is it to bind and gag a prisoner in the court for requesting the ability to represent himself? I was left stunned needless to say.

I think one of the thoughts that still definitely swirls in my head is our true ability to influence politics in this country as the protest in Chicago was meant to be. It seems that our influence as a people is minimal – contribute to this – contribute to that. Only rarely do I see what I figure is a politician who really listens to the people. Its all about political wrangling and money…… I feel saddened, and disheartened. I mean if you really try to start something, it might just destroy you. Even though I don’t particularly like her, look what the anti-war campaign did to Cindy Sheehan – and to what avail… the politicians in charge continue to “stay the course” (I’m not saying I have the right or wrong answer, just an observation here).

So do we do enough for our voices to be truly heard?

(For those of you wondering - the title was inspired by: 1- Obviously The Beatles Song - Revolution - lyrics here and coincidentally was released in November of the same year, recorded just before July also, and... ; 2 - Those idiots who try selling you the "Stop Bitching, Start A Revolution T-Shirt... What revolution are they starting? a commercial revolution?? pppppffffftttt!!!!!)

A Patchwork of Thoughts

As I make my way back home from Miami, I realize a few things:

• Despite having been home for so many years – Miami isn’t home anymore.

• 

• Yes I do speak my own language… well more like I constantly make up words that I think should exist…. So sue me…..

• Miami has changed so much – it feels crowded. It feels run down. Maybe its just the places I saw that were from my growing up, but much of the old Miami is gone – either overrun, replaced with something else, or dilapidating. I leave a bit saddened.

• I like Lighthouses...... (that's Bill Bags State Park & the Cape Florida Lighthouse, Miami's oldest structure in existence)
  

• I have never thought that much of South Florida has much character aside from certain areas (Coral Gables, my favorite; Coconut Grove, Miami Beach, Brickell, Little Havana, The Roads area, - snug in between the Grove /Brickell & Coral Gables).Its no different in Ft. Lauderdale or Boca Raton, but I will say that the resorts in Boca can be kick ass and yep- pretty romantic – even when you have some surly grackle (its like a lesser crow) interrupting you.

• Why haven’t I visited the Bahamas yet? They look soooo amazing from the sky. When you can see the underwater sand dunes from 25,000 feet up you know it has to be beautiful. Put that as an easy “must do” trip. I think I still have sailing the windward/leeward islands as a to do – but first I need to learn how to sail the big boats… putzing around in my old 14’ Laser sailboat isn’t the same thing.

• Left side of the plane – window seat… best seat in the house.

• Despite the above statement, Miami still looks gorgeous looking south as you take off. I remember the view from the Biltmore Hotel's 14^th floor many years ago when I was in the cigar lounge with my cousin. Yep the Best view.

• Clouds from above are cool, makes me think that it would be really cool to ride in a hurricane hunter airplane sometime…. Oh what a sight to see it in person from above – stick that on a to do list (now to figure out how to get on one!)

• Flying over the ocean…..I look down and see the light winds caress the surface, it looks like a patchwork, closely knit, thick yet delicately spaced… yet another of mother natures simple beauties….

I think that does it for now…..

My Own Personal Google Map

So off I go to my trip to Miami, and actually am writing (though posting it later) this as I fly at 40K feet over what I assume is Virginia (it could be the northern end of North Carolina) crossing into the Atlantic Ocean. But what really struck me was getting this perfect window seat for take off.

Now having flown so much in my life I love the feel of take off & landing. To top this off I realize I have the perfect take off view of D.C. as we head west. It ended up being this very cool overview of the city like scrolling along on Google maps or Google Earth. Oh! There’s the Capital & the Mall! Oh wait a great shot lining up with the Washington Memorial! Hey! It’s the Potomac River and look at the Woodley Park area there! Oh it’s the Beltway – Traffic seems light this afternoon. It’s the Mormon Temple and Silver Spring!! Yeah so that was cool!

Maybe I have always enjoyed flying because it’s the closest I figure I will ever get to being in outer space. It also ties in perfectly with my love of maps. Well it was just a thought… here are some pics I took.



L-R: Somewhere over NC ??
(update: after consulting Google Earth - that first is a view of
Cape Lookout, N.C. - see if you can spot the lighthouse)
- View of Miami Beach
- I-95 /SR 826 interchange in Miami



L-R: Miami isn't as green as many people might think
-The Miami River
-The Most insane Airport in the States
Below: The ORIGINAL One and Only Orange Bowl