color me excited!

just got word that pinkberry is planning on opening a store in DC by 2008. true, it's no arch's but frozen yogurt is "frozen yogurt." right??

starr hill is closing!

it was announced yesterday that the restaurant and music hall is closing after it's final show on july 7th. luckily the beer production had been moved off-site to crozet, so that won't be affected. but still - starr hill is closing. tear.

new music friday

i don't know about you - but whenever i go to a concert i sign up for the artist's/band's email list. you never know what good information they might send you. like for example - i've been on the argument's mailing list for about two years. tragically they broke up about a year ago. but, just yesterday i got an email from scott simons (aka lead singer of the now defunct argument) about his new website.

i immediately clicked on the link and was taken to a fun little site with streaming music (only partial songs). and you'll never guess what the first song was. it was scott's version of rihanna's umbrella. i'm not really the biggest fan of that song (it being pop and all), but i really really like scott's version. it's very indie - very cool.

ps. if you go to his myspace page you can hear the full versions of some songs and can even download umbrella!

some morning links

here's what's making headlines in my book:

- some guy robbed the giant pharmacy in burke wearing a spiderman mask. no, seriously he did.

- this week's issue of us weekly isn't going to have a single mention of paris hilton! i knew i liked that magazine!

- the cia just released thousands of pages of previously classified documents relating to the "family jewels." it's like a history major's christmas/hanukkah!

- i got this delivered to my inbox this morning. and clearly i've already ordered them. i can't wait to make my own cooiches (man, don't you wish you knew the story behind that word).

it's back!

what is it? the world series of pop culture, of course! it's an ew sponsored show on vh1 that pits 16 cleverly named teams of three against each other in a quest for pop culture supremacy. set your dvrs - it's starting up again on monday, july 9th at 9pm!

i thoroughly enjoyed last season - and i successfully answered along with the contestants for most of the questions. i did so well that i even went so far as trying out for this season. well, not exactly. when they had open tryout online this past february i went to log onto the system to start taking the test and it crashed. and it kept crashing for the ten or so minutes that was allotted to log on. oh well - i guess i'll never officially know how much of a pop culture genius i am.

oh and my early favorites? based on names alone i'm rooting for "the truffle shuffles." i mean with a name like that how can you not root for them??

what i'm listening to

here are a few new artists you should check out (but not on streaming internet radio today):

1. nathan angelo.
i was half-way home from the birchmere on sunday night when i realized someone had put something on my windshield. when i got home i took it off and it said "who is nathan angelo?" that's all. genius advertising if you ask me - i immediately when and googled him. and i really like his music (his entire cd streams at his site). and an added bonus - he's playing sunday night at jj!

2. rodrigo y gabriela.
no, they don't sing. but their tunes are so catchy. odds are that you've heard "tamacun," but you can head over to their myspace page to hear some of their other songs.

3. feist.
she was introduced to me late saturday night (well really it was early sunday morning). but i listened to it again in the daytime and i really like it. you can hear snippets of her songs on the website.

4. ingrid michaelson.
i "discovered" ingrid when she opened for josh kelley at the birchmere a few months back. i (obviously) bought her cd and can't get enough. you might even recognize some of her songs from grey's. and she's coming to jj as well (on july 17th).

5. ryan shaw.
i heard him open for joss stone two weeks ago at wolftrap. man is he good! i'd describe him as a mix between robert randolph and stevie wonder - definitely two of my faves! go check out some of his songs on his site or his myspace.

live from georgetown, it's saturday night!

here are the top ten reasons why saturday night was so fun. note: this list is more in chronological order than in funness order.

10. polishing off a bottle and a half of wine on kristen's roof before going to dinner. man, those are some killer views.

9. pulling of the surprise at dinner! even though the hostess nearly screwed it up - kristen's face was priceless!

8. our waiter at paolo's looked like mika! and there are unconfirmed reports that he was later spotted at garrett's (although i'm still waiting on the photographic evidence before i believe this one).

7. susie bringing a tray of about 42 soco and lime shots over to our table at chadwick's.

6. the sign in the bathroom at chadwick's (see below post).

5. the "dj" actually having grace kelly on his 1982 computer. cha-ching!

4. drawing on the tables at garrett's. luckily they put paper on their tables in the back room. and luckily we had a pen. i do believe a intense game of hangman ensued.

3. arm wrestling. is any night truly complete without arm wrestling?

2. the cab ride home. it wasn't the all time best, but we got a good story out him.

1. late night dance party in my room. if you weren't there (and let's be honest, you probably weren't) you missed out on lots of mika, some jump-on-it and some sally o'malley.

best picture of the weekend

taken in the girl's bathroom stall at chadwick's. full recap coming soon.

hilarious zim video!

if you didn't watch the nats game on friday and missed when zim "caught" the ball in his shirt then you need to watch it. it's pretty hilarious. and of course the nats won!

(very) thirsty thursday

well when your boss literally tells you to leave work at 2pm what else can you do but go drink? i'm not even kidding - he told me that "tax was shutting down early." so, i stuck around for a bit longer (who really goes to a bar at 2pm on a thursday?) - but by 3:30 i was getting antsy so i shut down and headed to the hotel washington. what a gorgeous day for some rooftop drinking! however, with $7 beers and awful service we decided to frolic elsewhere.

have you ever been to mcfadden's at 4:30 in the afternoon? yeah, neither had i. well, before yesterday at least. our group instantly tripled the population at the bar - it was so dead down there. before anything got too crazy at mcfadden's i hopped back on the metro to head to clarendon. i figured i should take advantage of it being the longest day of the year and hit up another rooftop. but, when i walked up the stairs at clarendon i was greeted with a torrential downpour. and of course yesterday was the one day i left my umbrella at home (who knew it was supposed to rain??).

luckily the rain storm was short lived and we were up on the roof (oh yeah!) in no time. and you can totally tell what part of the roof collapsed - they didn't do a good job of matching the new wood with the old wood. oh well.

when we tried to leave and get a stamp the bouncer told us he couldn't stamp us until 8pm. so we just went and ordered more drinks. when we noticed people starting to pay a cover we went over and got our hand stamped and headed next door to grab some dinner.

if you haven't been to liberty tavern yet you need to get over there pronto. it was so good! we got two pizzas - one was a traditional margarita pizza with delicious mozzarella and the other was with cheddar, bacon, onions and apples. the latter one might sound strange - but the flavors worked together and it was delicious!

after we finished devouring the pizzas we headed downstairs to check out the bar scene. it was definitely hopping. we managed to score two seats at the bar and were able to look onto the huge plasma tvs and watch the bartenders mush up fresh fruit for all of their specialty drinks. after we downed another beer each we headed back next door, bypassed the line and headed straight for the stage.

i have to say - burnt sienna wasn't as bad i remember them being. it seemed like this time the lead singer could actually sing (imagine that). although my ears are still ringing from last night - so maybe it was just too loud. definitely the highlight of the night was when the band took a break and they put on mika. as if you didn't know - i love mika!

once i caught myself yawning i figured it was time to head home for the night. afterall, i had started the "night" at 3:30. i mean who really goes to four different bars on a thursday? apparently i do.

happy first day of summer!

and in honor of the summer solstice, caribou coffee is giving away free drinks today! head on down to caribou between 2-3pm this afternoon to get a free northern lite cooler. as if you needed an excuse to get outside on this gorgeous day.

forget ny, i really ♥ dc

i was on washingtonpost.com this morning and came across a really cool feature (well at least i think it's really cool). apparently from 2002 - 2005 the wapo ran a weekly series called "you haven't lived here if..." highlighting some of the best local spots around town. and this morning i stumbled upon the archive.

here are some of the places i've been to:
- frozen dairy bar for some delicious custard. however, it was way better when it was the original custard stand. the custard is still just as good now (i did just go last thursday), but the atmosphere sucks. especially now that there's a pizza place in there.
- climbed on the awakening statue. and if you haven't been yet you better hurry up - they're planning to move it to pg county sometime soon.
- seen the cherry blossoms. but, from the hordes of people here in march i think everyone in the country has seen these.
- hiked up old rag. why my swim team thought this was a good idea i don't know - but the views from the top are really worth the painful climb.
- been up in the washington monument. it was years ago, but i really don't remember it being that exciting.
- i couldn't have written this one any better myself. chili dogs at the inn? sign me up!
- walked up/down the "exorcist" stairs in georgetown. was it just my dad who used to take me and my friends to go up the exorcist stairs?
- been wine tasting in virginia. i honestly think it's a requirement before you graduate from uva.
- been through the holocaust museum. and if you haven't seen this one i really suggest you do. just like all (well most) of the other museums in dc this one's free too!
- caught a show at wolftrap - it's only the best place to see a concert!

what about you? any uniquely washington spots we should all experience while we're here??

google maps are the best

man that line will never cease to make me laugh. thank you, snl. but for real google is the best! i know i did this like a year ago, but i've been busy on google maps for work today and suddenly remembered it. go to google maps - click get directions - type in washington, dc in the first box - type in london, uk in the second box - scroll down to the #21. and tell me that the people at google don't have a sense of humor. it must be all those free lunches they feed them over in california.

obama girl

not an endoresement - just a hilarious video. i apologize in advance for getting this "catchy" song stuck in your head.

picture day at work

i seriously feel like i'm back in elementary school. although, instead of a cute little outfit from gap kids or limited too i'm decked out in a suit and pearls.

and of course it's supposed to be nearly 100 degrees today (just like on picture day last year). but, luckily this year my walk from the metro is not nearly as long so my hair is still somewhat straight from this morning's chi session.

the photographers are set up in our main conference room for the day and the p.a. lady just told us to go drop in and take a picture at our convenience. well i knew my hair would just start looking worse as the day wore on so i figured i'd bite the bullet and go get my picture taken.

so i walked into the room, signed my name on the list and waiting for my turn to come. the girl in front of me finished up and john came over to welcome me (yes, the camera man introduced himself). i sat down on the stool and he awkwardly arranged me. i really don't understand how tilting my head 1/8 centimeter to the left is really going to make a huge difference, but i complied with all of john's requests.

and then he started snapping away and i felt like i was at a photo shoot. he kept saying, "oooh nice smile," and "nice shot!" he did a good job of boosting everyone's self esteem - everyone who took a picture while i was in the room had a "perfect" smile.

he told me i was done so i got up to walk out, but then he handed me a memory card and told me to wait to talk to kevin so i could choose my picture. this, i decided, was most definitely not like elementary school. kevin was sitting at a computer and i walked up and handed him my memory card so he could upload my pictures.

i have to say - john is an excellent photographer. i immediately told kevin to delete the two pictures with my head slanted - they were heinous. but, then when i was told to choose between the other two i was at a loss. to me they looked identical. but, then again i'm not a professional. i asked for kevin's advice and he told me he liked the "surprise" look in my eyes in one of them so i told him to keep that one.

so now that i'm done taking my picture i can get back to all my real "work" for the day. and by work i mean obsessively stalking the sabre to see if sean has announced whether or not he's staying. and clearly he reads my blog so i'll make a plea - hey sean, please don't go!

overheard at the pool

i was sitting at the pool earlier today (probably playing w/ riley!) when two girls walked by. they were probably about four-five years old. one of the girls had water-wings on. they were walking mid-deck from one pool to the other when the girl in the water-wings looked at the other girl and said, "do you think you want to get your belly button pierced?"

i'm not even kidding. i nearly died. and i immediately went around and told everyone so they could look at these girls. and when i told my sister she just looked down at her belly button (which is pierced) and said, "well, i guess i'm not the best role model." and when i went and told one mom about it she told me that she recently overheard her eight year old son and his friends talking about the tattoos they're going to get. absolutely ridiculous.

hope everyone had a nice father's day!

joss stone

joss is amazing! her voice is even better live than on her cds. she was wearing the cutest little dress and obviously no shoes! and the didn't stand still for much of the show - she is so fun and energetic! and she has fun little anecdotes for all of her songs. it's pretty amazing how many times this girl has been in love. she's only twenty years old! which probably explains why she was sticking with tea on stage - i'm sure she hates coming and playing in the us - england doesn't have a drinking age does it?? and speaking of england she has the coolest british accent!


ooooh and ryan shaw (the opener) was really good too. he was definitely way too preachy for me (let's be honest - any religion is too much for me - but he was way over the top). ok, but his voice was really good and his songs were great. and his bass player was amazing - he could play the bass like i've never seen/heard before. wow!


sounds like a perfect night, right? well it would have been if the weather had cooperated just a tad. it started raining about three minutes after we got there. but, luckily we had the genius idea to go stand under the overhang. and that was all well and good until a freakshow who worked there decided to become the line nazi and hardcore enforce that everyone stand behind the "line." so we got as close to the "line" without going over and somehow stayed almost completely dry. and while the lightning was pretty freaky - the only one real scare of the night came when i was in the bathroom and the power went completely off. those bathrooms are really dark with no lights. but, luckily the power came back on a few seconds later because there would have been a lot of unhappy fans out there.


going back to wolftrap just reminds me how much i love that place - i can't wait for the rest of the concerts this season!

mid-week music update

he just posted some "new" songs on his myspace page. the songs themselves aren't new, but the arrangements are - he plays them with a band! and not to sound cliche, but they're pretty good.

and of course he's playing a full band show at jj on july 12th - i'll be there - will you?

and speaking of concerts i'm heading over to wolftrap (my favorite!) tonight for the joss stone concert. and her opener, ryan shaw, has been described as "stevie wonder-esque." oooh i think i might love him!

and yes, it will probably be raining. but, after sitting through the gavin concert during crucial thunderstorm with cloud-to-ground lightning i think i can handle a little rain (and even some thunder). plus, everyone knows sitting on the lawn is the only reason to go to wolftrap.

i ♥ ny

i'll start with a recap of the most important part of the trip - the food! like all of my trips, i managed to squeeze in as much eating as possible. since our train was an hour and a half late getting into the city i had about ten minutes to freshen up before ash and i headed out to dinner on friday night. luckily i'm a quick changer - we were out the door and in a cab before we knew it.

first stop of the night - megu. we couldn't get reservations at nobu, so we had to settle for this. but, the restaurant was gorgeous - the food and drinks were delicious - and the service was excellent - so i can't really complain.

after finishing every last bite (and drop) we headed uptown to rare. too bad we were stuffed because the burgers (and sweet potato fries!) at rare are to die for. since we had already eaten we skipped the restaurant part and headed straight up to the rooftop (and no, this one hasn't recently collapsed).

next up was the overlook right next to ashley's apartment. and despite the name - there is no view. the "overlook" is a sweet little deck in the back looking at brick walls. but, with the nice(ish) weather there wasn't much to complain about.

let's fast forward to the next morning. we had a 10:45 reservation at norma's for brunch. of course we forgot to set an alarm. i woke up at 10:15 - looked the clock - and then yelled at ashley that it was 10:15. yikes! we rushed to get ready and hopped in a cab. we walked into le parker meridien at 10:45 on the dot. and do believe the hype on this place - it's one of the best brunches i've ever had.

we were seated immediately and our waiter brought out a little sip of smoothie in a shot glass. it was delicious. and then came the coffee - they bring out a french press to every table. it was good, strong coffee (just how i like it). deciding on what to order is probably the hardest thing - pretty much everything on the menu looks delicious. we ended up getting the buttermilk pancakes and the gooey four cheese omelet. mmmmmm:)

after brunch we headed way downtown to soho to do some shopping. i really wanted to go check out topshop, but despite what the website says it is not at 35 howard st. - we checked. then we headed over to rivington st. to get cupcakes at sugar sweet sunshine. and unlike magnolia, these cupcakes were so good! definitely lived up to the hype i've been reading.

after we scarfed our cupcakes we walked back up rivington passing all the cute shops and cafes. then out of no where a guy and two girls walk out of a cafe and almost run into us before i realize who it was. adrian grenier! and yes, he's just as hot (no, probably hotter) in real life as on entourage. and he had two beautiful girls in tow. i really felt like i was in entourage for real. although i was just telling my coworker this story and he totally peneloped me by telling me about his saturday night - he was hanging out at fly and ran into damon wayans.

and after that we decided to head home to rest up for what we knew would be a crazy night. the night started out at morandi (the sister restaurant of pastis, balthazar - aka place i saw kate moss - and schiller's). instead of the french vibe that the other restaurants have this one is pure italian (although the tiled floors and the massive mirrors are still a theme in this one). the food was good, the wine was great and the crowd was gorgeous!

a loaf of bread, a carafe of wine and a whole lot of pasta later we decided to cab it uptown to the next stop of the night - the rooftop bar at 230 fifth. it's the largest rooftop bar i've ever seen - and it has a great view of the empire state building! too many rounds later we made our way back home. and you know it's been a good night when you find your friend passed out in her hallway gripping a pint of (just bought) sorbet. ooooh i love new york!

sunday morning was rough for ashley (for obvious reasons) but i managed to shower (on a sunday, no less!) and get ready for my trek to jersey. first stop - the world's slowest bagel place. i would have gone elsewhere but by this point i was so hungry i couldn't even be bothered to get out of the line. i met up with my cousins (while trying my hardest to avoid the puerto rican parade) and we made our way out of the city.

my cousin's graduation party was in a room at maggiano's - so no complaining on my end. and there's nothing better than dancing with all of my little cousins - they're all so cute! and i also got to chat with my cousin (who just happens to be the new ceo of discovery) about all the hot spots down in dc. i'm really hoping to get a spare set of keys to the condo he just closed on in the ritz carlton down in georgetown.

whoa - i'm getting tired just thinking about my weekend. luckily i get to keep the weekend of great eating going with nari's celebratory lunch at ceiba today. oh, and speaking of eating (aren't i always?) - they just announced dc's restaurant week will be august 6-12 this week. perfect timing for my birthday:)

paris...jones???

i know i said i can't stand paris hilton (and that's still the truth), but i do love eugene robinson and his column this morning couldn't be more spot on. he clearly puts on paper what everyone is thinking.

i'm heading up to new york city this weekend. but, luckily i won't accidentally run into paris hilton. today she'll either be back in jail or lounging poolside while under "house arrest." but, maybe we'll have another kate moss (w/ daughter) sighting at lunch?? no, i'm thinking we can do better than kate moss. well actually weekends in city in the summer are pretty dead - everyone's out at the hamptons (especially in this heat!).

things that annoy me - part VI

it's been a while since i've added to this list...

33. sonic.
i don't understand why sonic pays to advertise so heavily up in this area. they're closest "restaurant" is in fredericksburg, va. and i've heard it's not even that good.

34. email signatures.
no, the email signatures don't bother me per se. it's really when someone blatantly ignores all of your information and asks for your fax number. actually i have a pretty funny story about this one. we have a client at work who doesn't have email (he's some crazy old man). so one day i get a fax from him asking me to call him asap. so i called him back and left a message. then he called back and asked me what my fax number was because he had some stuff to send me. so yes, he faxed me to tell me to call him so he could ask for my fax number. what a nutjob.

35. paris hilton.
i'm not even going to justify her with any comments. ugh.

36. the pan-am safeway.
i will be the first to admit i'm not a big safeway fan, but since it's the closest grocery store to our house i often find myself dropping in to pick up a few last minute items. no matter what time i go it's never busy throughout the store (which is hard to navigate, by the way), yet the checkout lines are ALWAYS very long and very slow. it's miserable. so, i think i'll just stick with wegmans.
37. wolf blitzer.
like when he spoke for the third longest amount of time at the the democratic debate on sunday? yeah, that's ridiculous. does anyone actually like this guy??


38. daughtry.
i'm willing to look past the fact that he came from idol (i mean i do like kelly clarkson after all). but, how can anyone actually like a guy who sounds like a cross between nickelback and creed?! it's bad, worse and heinous.

reeves update

i work about two blocks away from reeves and yet some people here in my office have never been there (or even heard of it - the horrors!). so, i decided to remedy the situation and headed up the block to pick up some cupcakes. i came back with three different flavors - red velvet with the slightest smidgen of cream cheese icing, german chocolate (cup)cake and yellow cake w/ chocolate icing and sprinkles! and they were all so good (so good, so good)!

the cupcakes are just how i like them. the cake is very moist and flavorful! and the icing isn't over the top w/ sweetness - it actually has some flavor. and they don't pile the icing on like some bakeries do (although i'm convinced those places are just trying to cover up their mediocre cake).

i should have taken some pictures, but let's be honest those cupcakes didn't have a chance. we stood over my desk and devoured them. and everyone who walked by was sorry they hadn't been invited to our impromptu cupcake party.

but, there is some good news. according to the peeps at reeves they are looking to move elsewhere in the city within 90 days, but they don't know where. let's hope they find some good space soon!

sad, sad news

just read in tom's restaurant chat that reeve's is closing on friday. for those of you who don't know, reeve's is a washington landmark. it's a delicious bakery on 13th & g downtown. their cookies and cupcakes will be sorely missed. however, they're only closing because of their inability to rework their lease w/ the landlord. i'm hoping their able to find some suitable space elsewhere in the city. maybe i should have one of the broker's in my office look into this...

free summer concerts!

i could name at least 42 reasons why i love the summer. but, i won't. instead i'll just tell you one of my favorites - outdoor concerts! true, wolftrap is the absolute best place to see a concert, but you have to pay to get tickets. so for those of you on a strict budget this summer i've compiled a list of some of the free concerts in the area this summer.


herndon - friday night live - friday nights 6:30-10:30pm.
Jun 8 - Scott's New Band + 8 Track Jones (Party Bands - Covers/Originals)
Jun 15 - Burnt Sienna (Dewey Beach Party Band)
Jun 22 - LauraLea & Tripp Fabulous+ Fools & Horses (
Jun 29 - Welbilt+ Crowded Streets
Jul 4 (Wed.!) - Right Foot Red
Jul 6 - Hyjinx
Jul 13 - Kristen & the Noise (Dewey Beach Party Band)
Jul 20 - Love Seed Mama Jump (Dewey Beach Party Band )
Jul 27 - B2B (Jimmy Buffett Beach Band)
Aug 3 - JunkFood+ Seven from Sunday (Party Bands - Covers/Originals)
Aug 10 - Mr. Greengenes (Dewey Beach Party Band)
Aug 17 - Gonzo's Nose (Party Cover Band )
Aug 24 - Jah Works (Reggae)


pentagon row - rock at the row - thursday nights 7-9pm.
June 7 - Fools and Horses (Rock and Roll combined with new British Pop)
June 14 - Back to Zero (Funky Party/Dance)
June 21 - Brothers Shamus (Bluesy Rock)
June 28 - Dan Haas (Lounge/Pop)
July 5 - King Cadillac (Retro Rock and Roll)
July 12 - Shane Hines (Pop/Rock)
July 19 - Gonzo's Nose (80's and 90's Cover Band)
July 26 - Joker's Wild (Swing)
August 2 - Tom Principato (Blues)
August 9 - The Reflex (80's Cover Band)
August 16 - Taylor Carson (Singer/Songwriter)


kennedy center - millenium stage - every single day of the year 6pm.
go check out the schedule online - they update it about every month or so. yes, you've probably never heard of most of the "groups," but the concerts are free and you can always stand to get some culture.


fort reno - monday and thursday nights 7:15-9:30pm.
Monday, June 15th - Mass Movement of the Moth, Deleted Scenes, The Boom Orangutangs
Thursday, June 21st- The Hard Tomorrows, Let's French, The Mirror Script
Monday, June 25th - LeJeune, Pup Tent, Engine Room
Thursday, June 28th - Mess Up the Mess, The Sentiment, Julie Ocean
Monday, July 2nd - The Evens, Joe Lally
Thursday, July 5th - Max Levine Ensemble, TBA, Sonic Survivor
Monday, July 9th - Greenland, Statehood, Kitty Hawk
Thursday, July 12th - Mary Timony, Medications, The Charm Offensive
Monday, July 16th - Caribbean, Len Bias, The Ardennes
Thursday, July 19th - Beauty Pill, Carol Bui, The Alphabetical Order
Monday, July 23rd - Meredith Bragg, TBA, The Andaulsians
Thursday, July 26th - Antelope, The Omega Band, Scanner Freaks
Monday, July 30th - TBA
Thursday, August 2nd - The Aquarium, Benjy Ferree, Yell County
Monday, August 6th - TBA, TBA, Shapes Not Sounds
Thursday, August 9th - Brandon Butler, TBA, Baby Killer Estelle
Monday, August 13th - TBA, Perfect Souvenir, TBA
Thursday, August 16th - Edie Sedgwick, Sentai, TBA


[i wonder if the band TBA is related to dj TBD. haha.]


arts in the parks - fairfax county.

fairfax county is once again hosting free concerts in a lot of their parks. they have a nice website set up so you can easily search for the concerts. there are concerts at lake accotink park in springfield, royal lake park in fairfax, ossian hall park in annandale, lee district park in springfield, kingstowne town center in alexandria, nottoway park in vienna and mason district park in fairfax.


the mall - screen on the green - monday nights at dusk.

true, these aren't concerts. but, movies are almost as cool. right?
July 16 - Annie Hall
July 23 - The Thing (From Another World)
July 30 - Wait Until Dark [bad memories w/ this movie. really bad memories.]
August 6 - All the Kings Men
August 13 - Casablanca

what i'm listening to

if you're anything like me then you love discovering "new" music. so, i figured i'd give you a rundown on what i've (somewhat) recently added to my ipod.

1. regina spektor.
true, some of her songs are a little freaky. but, i really like her a lot. her songs stream at her site, so go check it out. my favorite is a toss up between "that time" and "on the radio" so make sure to check them both out.

2. landon pigg.
unfortunate name, but great music. and like usual, my dad introduced me to him. not sure about my favorite yet, but his songs are streaming on his site as well.

3. plain white t's.
you've probably heard of them - dc101 has been playing their song "hey delilah" a lot (or at least everytime i am in the car). and their site has a few of their songs streaming.

4. maroon5.
yes, i realize they've been around for a while now. they released "songs about jane" back in 2002, but didn't win a new artist grammy until 2005. explain that one to me. but, really they've been around since 1997 when they went by the name kara's flowers. back to the present - i'm really liking their new cd - and especially the anti-war anthem, "makes me wonder."

5. amy winehouse.
i still don't understand how such a tiny little girl (minus the beehive of course) can have such a deep, soulful voice. but, i like it. and i especially love her carefree attitude.

6. jon mclaughlin.
best discovery ever. he opened for stephen kellogg and matt wertz (two of my favorites!) at the 930 club back in march. honestly, anyone who plays a piano/keyboard is fine by me. but, jon mclaughlin is really good. check out the first track - industry (his whole cd is on his site).

7. mika.
if you haven't heard "love today" yet go listen to it now. you will become addicted immediately. it's the kind of song you want to play in the morning to get yourself going for the day (kind of like avril's "girlfriend," but that's another story). his song, "grace kelly" is popping up everywhere as well (including in knocked up). and he is playing the 930 club coming up and the show sold out weeks ago. i would kill to see the dynamic at that show.

ewwww fast food

as if i really needed a reason not to eat fast food - i just came across this site where there's a side by side picture of the advertised product with a digital picture of the actual product. not surprisingly, none of the actual products look remotely like the picture in the ads. instead they all look soggy and greasy just like they (presumably) taste.

knocked up

went out to herndon on friday night to see josh kelley in concert. i mean honestly what could be better than sitting in the grass on a gorgeous night drinking endless heffewiesen? and the concert was amazing (yes, pun intended). josh kelley was as random (and most likely drunk) as always. and the highlight of the show was definitely when they played "the weight." i love the band!

and luckily since the concert was in herndon and there were approximately 58 people there we got a chance to hang w/ josh and his band after the show. we clearly took the obligatory group picture with him. then i got his guitar pic and we got a broken drum stick as well. and then i managed to get the biggest bruise of life while lifting myself on the stage. but, none of that even compares to when we got on the center stage and started belting out celine dion. yeah, it was one of those nights.

but, back to josh. when we went up to talk to him we had two questions for him - 1. where'd you go to college? and 2. have you seen knocked up? i'm pretty sure he never graduated, but he went to ole miss in case you were interested (clearly we were). and in response to the second question he said, "absolutely - it was great!" (and in case for some reason you live under a rock and don't know this - josh is engaged to katherine heigl).

with the weather so nice on saturday there was no way i was going to sit and watch a movie inside. but, when the remnants of hurricane barry blew through yesterday we figured it would be a perfect day for the movies. and apparently everyone and their mother had the same thoughts since the movies were absolutely packed.

after a brief scare of the screen going blank and the lights flickering the movie got started. and josh was right, it was absolutely great! the cast was great and the movie was hilarious. but, not in a completely stupid funny way. the story was nice too - although pretty unrealistic. i mean how many one night stand turned pregnancies actually turn out that well? but, whatever.

and hands down the best cameo in the movie was kristen wiig playing an E! executive almost exactly as she played penelope on snl this past season. she was so good, so good, so good! and i had forgotten paul rudd was in the movie - he's so great! i've loved him in everything he's been in (yes, that includes the object of my affection). and even though the kids don't have too much of a role in the movie the lines they have are just classic.

and i ended the weekend by watching the democratic debate. why did i think this was a good idea? well, actually it was fun to watch and make fun of everyone. it's sad because bush has all but handed to the 2008 election to the democrats and they can't even get it together and put up a definitive strong candidate. the debate only showed that the front runners are excellent at avoiding the question and bs-ing. and don't get me started on wolf blitzer (don't even get me started).