chinese food on christmas

new music!

i guess it's been a while...

1. leona lewis.
true she won the british version of american idol. but with a voice that sounds like a mix of mariah and whitney, what's not to like?

2. will hoge.
will comes highly recommended from nick. i'm a little bummed i had plans on saturday night because it would have been nice to check him out live at the state theater. i guess i'll just have to settle with the cd for now.

3. brett dennen.
brett is one of rolling stone's artists to watch in 2008. what does he sound like? well, his myspace page describes his music as folk rock/pop/indie. but don't take my word for it - go have a listen for yourself!

4. mambo sauce.
go-go's back! well, did it ever go away? in a nod to dc's own chuck brown, dc-based mambo sauce brings go-go up to speed in the 21st century. and with an ode to dc ("welcome to dc") with lyrics like, "even the mayor had a run in with crack," what's not to love?

5. chelsea lee.
you probably won't believe me when i tell you she is only 16 years old. well, she is. and she gives it away with her giddy stage presence (i just saw her at jj), but you can't tell from her voice.

free cabs!

for those of you who refuse to take the metro (or stay out until after the metro closes) - this is for you. i suggest you program it into your phone just in case. it's always better to leave your car somewhere for the night so you are safe. especially after your work holiday parties - we all know how crazy those get!

happy repeal day!

thanks to the many full-page ads in the post this morning i now know that december 5th is national repeal day. it was this day back in 1933 when the 21st amendment was ratified, thereby repealing the 18th amendment (prohibition).

and how can you celebrate? one ad i saw suggested having a drink at the 21st hour (9pm). and for those of you in dc it would be fitting to have this ceremonial drink at the eighteenth amendment over on the hill.

cheers!

careful sliiiiiipppppy

it's december 5th and we've got the first snow of the season! and as much havoc snow in the dc area causes - it really is fun to wake up to freshly fallen snow. and speaking of havoc, the metro was operating at about five miles per hour this morning. and it was overpacked and overheated - i nearly passed out before i took my down coat off. but, don't worry it'll be back in the 60s by next week.

happy hanukkah!

starting tonight it's eight crazy nights of candles, fried food and gelt! ok, maybe not so crazy. at least not crazy like those red cup carrying, christmas music singing, frantic shoppers out there.

and this is why i love dc

yesterday i was over at otr (that's the office of tax and revenue) picking up some copies for work. in order to get in the building you must walk through a metal detector, show an id and sign in at the front desk. i was there with a coworker and the metal detector beeped like crazy when he walked through, yet the security guard said nothing. and then we both showed our ids and the guard barely even looked at them. and then we bypassed the sign in desk and went straight to the elevator. it just makes me laugh that they attempt to have all of this "security" while upstairs some women are stealing millions of dollars from the dc government.

it's exactly why i work in dc but live in virginia. who wants their tax dollars going to a corrupt city?!

r.i.p.

sean taylor.

breaking news!

cheney has an irregular heartbeat. wow, i never saw that one coming.

ps. did you know that the hot tub at the vp residence was filled in w/ concrete because of cheney's chronic heart ailments? seems a little extreme to me. you'd think he'd have enough self constraint to just not go in.

happy thanksgiving!

it's been a great day (so far) :)

as in true brown family tradition i went over to my parent's house this morning to watch the parade. and this year we had a little visitor! well, make that two visitors. first riley came over to play! and then jack came over too. it was the battle of the two cutest kids. i'm not sure who won. they both had some great one-liners.

and then i went home to bake a pie. the taste is still to be determined (tbd. ha!), but from the looks and smells of it i think it might be my best creation yet. and in case you were wondering it's an apple pie with a cranberry/walnut crumb topping. and i'd take a picture but i can't seem to locate my digital camera.

and while the pie was baking i went out for a run in shorts and a tank top! it's the end of november and it was nearly 75 degrees out today! amazing. obviously al gore is onto something.

with my pie out of the oven (and torturing me on the counter) i flipped on some football. what a boring game. i can't wait to go to my cousin's and stuff my face with the best meal of the year.

hope everyone else has a great thanksgiving!

hoos ready for the big game?!

yay short week!

after we all get through the two (and a half) day work week it'll be time for lots of eating, football (go hoos!) and shopping.

need a gift idea?

then look no farther than starbucks. honestly, who doesn't enjoy getting a starbucks card as a gift? and this year they've introduced customizable cards. just to starbucks.com. from there you pick out one of the four card themes and then go through and customize the graphics and type up a short message.

and the cost? you can pay either $15, $25, $50, $100 - with $5 going towards the actual card cost (kind of like how smartrip works). and they also give you the option of including a holiday greeting card for an additional $4. but obviously, i would skip that if i were you.

and for those of you who are too lazy to design a card you can always just buy one of the cheesy holiday designs starbucks has in their stores. and to add to the cheese they generally stuff them in some heinous christmas stocking holder. but, if you're not into that you can always just ask for a regular card holder. i know they have them in the back since i ask for them every year.

no more tailgating on the lawn

well, at least not at the tech game next weekend.

this is so addictive

but honestly, what online game isn't??

how high (ha!) can you get?

free salad on wednesday

oh, and it's located in chinatown at 730 7th street.

worse than the red cups

cupcakes!

yesterday i was reminded of the deliciousness that is a baked and wired cupcake when my coworker brought me back one of their strawberry cupcakes. seriously, they are the best cupcakes you will ever taste. and man do i miss working in georgetown right about now. although i just heard that they've expanded a bit and have extended their hours to the weekend! i think a little weekend excursion to georgetown is in order!

it's a bake-off!

someone at work had a genius idea to have a pie baking contest the week after thanksgiving. i began my "research" by getting some slices at pie gourmet last friday night. and now i have two weeks to practice my pie baking skills (which are severely lacking, by the way). the practice begins tonight with an attempt at toll house pie. think warm, gooey nestle toll house cookie in pie form - and with vanilla ice cream from the penn state creamery! and after that i have a stack of other recipes to try - apple, apple-cranberry, apple butter pumpkin, maple apple...

it's the most annoying time of the year!

last week it was the return of the red cup at starbucks. and then last night there were already cops directing traffic at tysons. let me remind you it is only november 12th and more than a week and half away from thanksgiving. you know what i'm thankful for this year? that i'll be out of the country (in mexico!) the week before christmas.

what is everyone talking about this morning?

the red cup is back. it's the beginning of november and the holiday season has already begun. somebody gag me.

two woman at otr managed to scam the district out of at least twenty million dollars over the course of at least seven years. and at least $1.4 million of it was spent at neiman marcus. and the best part of it all? yesterday mayor fenty had a prior speaking engagement at mazza gallerie for "neiman marcus mazza gallerie day." but in all seriousness, some of our competitors have been linked to this scandal - so maybe this will be a big boost in business for us!

i know everyone must have tried the frrrozen hot chocolate at serendipity3 up in new york. in fact i even have a packet of the stuff to make at home. but now they have just introduced the frrrozen haute chocolate - a $25,000 dessert worthy of the guinness book of world records. i'm guessing if someone orders one of these (there's a two week lead time to fly in all of the ingredients from europe) they'll be able to bypass the hour long wait in the street.

#26 is back in full force! at yesterday's weekly press conference out at redskins park, clinton portis came dressed as choo-choo - the dance instructor?! and just in case you want to take a stroll down memory lane with his past characters - look no further than his personal webpage.

don't forget to vote today!

the polls in virginia are open until 7pm tonight.

the superman sack

i finally found the video of navy corner ram vela sacking notre dame quarterback evan sharpley. and in a weekend of great football - this play definitely stands out as the best!

wow, what a difference from last weekend

first the hoos eked out another victory against wake. then penn state pulled away with a win over purdue. and then the skins survived overtime against the jets.

and that on top of all of the amazing football from yesterday and today. seriously, could there have been anymore great games?! although i somehow missed the amazing superman tackle from the notre dame/navy game last night - so if anyone sees the video floating around let me know.

i bet you didn't know...

that the capitol building in washington, dc has 365 steps to represent every day of the year. that's real fact #183 from a snapple bottle top. who would have ever known?!

the best soulja boy!

seriously, go check it out!

(you might have to scroll down and click on the soulja boy link)

new music!

it's about that time again...

1. keyshia cole.
someone at work gave me a copy of her new cd. it's good. and you can listen to some of it on her website and her myspace.

2. will.i.am.
i just sat and listened to his whole new cd. we already know he's a great producer - but his new solo cd makes for a good listen.

3. josh rouse.
i just got a hold of his newest cd. and i can see how he's been around for almost ten years now. he's a folky singer/songwriter - just what i love! and he has a song featured on the new house soundtrack.

4. sharon jones and the dap kings.
the dap kings are the session band at daptone records - and you think they sound familiar? that's because they were hired to play for amy winehouse's last (first?) album. but, now they're back with sharon jones. and it's so good!

5. ben kweller.
too bad i didn't get a hand on his latest cd earlier - he played the millennium stage back in september. oh well, i'll have to catch him next time he's in town.

i read the wapo chats so you don't have to

here are some of my favorite posts from this week...

---

from the reliable source chat:

Falls Church, Va.: Any idea where I can get a Tom Sietsema Halloween costume?
Amy Argetsinger: Hmpf.

that's just hilarious!

---

...it wouldn't be in springtime: Seriously, here's my experience at the drag races last night. Mosh pit with less room and people who don't get the salmon swimming upstream nature of it. I was waiting for Black Flag to start playing at one point. A woman ahead of me warning another woman about the guy grabbing womens' breasts. Being pushed to the point of falling except for the poor person in front of me who was holding me up by being pressed against the 50 people in front of her. Heard more than one person complain about the crowds of straight people, one saying, "Go back to Georgetown!" As if. I did get to see the very tip tops of the outfits including what appeared to be very well put together board games and a resurrected Princess Diana complete with bodyguards. It was nice that the mayor was there. He was not in Drag, during the race. Went to Stoney's afterward which quickly became more of the same. Crowded, with some folks literally knocking people over to get clear space. It's become enough of an event that it's almost worth the city putting up bleachers and futiely trying to get the Log Cabin Republicans to pony up funding for it. So much more I could write...

...Knowing that in Spring I'm bewitched by you so...

Amy Argetsinger: Thank you for this. I think you should submit this to the Outlook section. Seriously.

so sad i missed it.... NOT!

---

from tom's chat:

Washington, D.C.: Tom- For the poster who wanted to find a cake. Furin's at 29th and M did an amazing job on my friend's strawberry shortcake birthday cake and I highly recommend them.
Tom Sietsema: My lovely producer suggested as much. Thanks.

i couldn't agree more! when i worked in georgetown we would have furin's cakes in our office all the time - and the strawberry shortcake one is definitely the best!

---

from j.free's chat:

Alexandria, Va.: I've noticed your strong penchant for hipster music. Do they allow you to wear horned-rim glasses and ironic tee-shirts at the Post?
J. Freedom du Lac: No, but today *is* crotchless leather chaps day on the fourth floor.

Arlington, Va.: Please tell me Weingarten doesn't work on the fourth floor.
J. Freedom du Lac: No! There's not enough room on the fourth floor for his talent. His moustache is kinda big, too.

i don't think these two even need a comment.

Columbia Heights, Washington, D.C.: Why isn't anybody excited about the Stevie Wonder concert tonight?
J. Freedom du Lac: I am. You are. That makes two of us.

and we all know how that turned out.

Fixing your ringtone: They tried to make me call Verizon, but I said no, no, no.
J. Freedom du Lac: Thank you.

when has there been a j.free chat without the mention of amy?

---

from the fashion chat:

Greenbelt, Md.: I am a forty-something woman who works in a fairly casual office (not jeans, though). I have been shopping at Casual Corner (now defunct) and Christopher and Banks for separates. Now, I'd like to move my wardrobe up a step. A bit more with it, a bit less polished separates. Where do you recommend shopping?
Janet Bennett Kelly: I might try Club Monaco if I were you. It's in Gtown, so not so geographically desirable, but the story carries conservative and polished basics with a bit of an edge, which could be just what you're looking for.

let me get this straight - the woman used to shop at casual corner and now janet is recommending club monaco? has she ever been to either of these stores?? i'm not saying i'm a fashion expert - but those two stores could not be any more different from each other.

---

from kim o'd's chat:

Washington, D.C.: I've fallen for the new TV show "Pushing Daisies" and Ned the Piemaker's pies sound delicious. Over the last couple of weeks, they've had apple or pear pie with "gruyere baked into the crust." Any idea for how to make a pie crust with gruyere in it?
Kim O'Donnel: You'd incorporate shredded cheese into your dough, I'm thinking. I do this with cheddar sometimes for potpie crust. I need to take a look at my recipe and I'll follow up with details.

every time i watch that show all i want is a piece of pie...

---

from the gog chat:

Washington, D.C.: For the person looking for Pumpkin beer to go - check out Sweetwater Tavern. I went last night and got a Growler to bring home - and they even give you a baggy of the spices to put on the rim! It's also the best Pumpkin Ale (in my opinion).
Fritz: Seconded.

that's my comment! so fritz - when are we going to get together so you can buy me that beer you owe me?

West End: What is this new bar in Georgetown called the "Gryphon Room" that everyone on LateNightShots keeps talking about?
Fritz: Ha. "New bar." The Gryphon Room is the grotty little downstairs bar and dance club at the Guards, and it's been welcoming GW and Georgetown undergrads for years. It's about as fancy as Smith Point.

To West End: Just so you know...The Gryphon Room has a list and if you aren't on it, it costs $5. Pretentious for the basement of the Guards but I can't say I didn't have a good time.
Fritz: Just like Smith Point...

this is exactly why i refuse to go to the guards anymore. that and i steer clear of anything advertised by LNS.

---

now if only john kelly would come back from england. i really miss his friday afternoon chats!

the downfall of halloween

later i was supposed to meet up with my mom and my aunt (in from nyc for work). well my mom just informed me that while eating a tootsie roll last night she pulled out one of her fillings and has to leave work early to go to the dentist. i guess she's a statistic now!

that's why i just stuck (ha!) with pumpkin beer and pumpkin cupcakes last night...

the dream band!

last night was great! nick had the genius idea to go pick up a growler of sweetwater's pumpkin ale. i was a little skeptical at first because the fun of sweetwater's pumpkin ale is the brown sugar rim, but then i was informed that they give you a little baggy of the rim spices. amazing!

so with our beer in hand we headed home to greet more trick-or-treaters (we got a bunch, hooray!). the plan for the night was to do some music exchanging. and once we got into that we got to talking about the best musicians. and that led us to forming our own dream band. it was quite the deliberative process and i'm sure we left out someone(s) - so feel free to create your own dream band and leave it in the comments!

singers: martina mcbride and jackson browne
guitar (electric): prince
guitar (acoustic): tim reynolds
piano: bruce hornsby
drums: carter beauford
bass: victor wooten
harmonica: john popper
steel guitar: robert randolph
saxophone: clarence clemons
violin: martie maguire

are you kidding me??

this is ridiculous!

we love you stevie!

no, i did not yell that out last night. but about 400 different women did. from all corners of the arena. but minus that (and the freakshow "dancing" in front of us) the concert was amazing! he was surprisingly energetic and played for nearly three hours without a single break (and i was told he had a sip of water - one! - but that must have been when my view was blocked).

some of the highlights:
- ribbon in the sky - at first i was getting bored by the ten minute rendition of the song - but then when he got the entire arena singing (one part for the ladies, another for the fellas) it was pretty amazing.
- all of the political activism was pretty inspiring. and i would have paid to see some of the faces of the politicians who were in the audience. (and speaking of politicians - jeannemarie devolites was campaigning at the dl metro yesterday with an elephant mascot. as if anyone doesn't know she's a republican. what a joke.)
- the dueling harmonica solos.
- the backup singers/dancers. one girl was his daughter, the other guy could dance, and the third girl looked pretty on stage (i'm sorry, but she was kinda boring).

some of the lowlights(?):
- the first hour of the show. i could have totally done without it.
- the girl in front of me who couldn't fit in her seat and therefore thought it would be a good idea to sit on top thereby blocking my view of the stage. but, i was too lazy to move over so i guess it was my loss.
- the acoustics were absolutely awful! we missed a lot of stevie's story telling - especially because he mumbled a lot!
- he didn't get to you haven't done nothin' or i just called to say i love you (and probably a bunch more). but i guess you can't hear them all, can you?

and things that make me wonder (yes, pun intended):
- does he have a set list in braille?
- does someone tell him when he gets a standing ovation?
- has someone told him he does the head sway?

and totally unrelated, but exciting!

happy halloween!

all stevie, all day

stevie wonder tonight at the phonebooth! i'm pretty pumped, if you couldn't tell.

i fell asleep, again

why do i keep missing then ends of good football games??

11 street is on fire!

no, seriously. there's a huge flaming fire coming from a manhole in the middle of the street. tons of people are out on the street observing in awe. sirens are coming from every direction. and that is exactly why i'm back at my desk in my office.

someone taped it!

happy monday!

and in case you're not so happy (it is monday morning afterall):

what a miserable weekend

first the hoos lose in a heartbreaker to the wolfpack. and then the skins lost. no, they got embarrassed. and i wasn't expecting them to win, but 52-7? really?? and they faked a spike and scored a touchdown. pathetic.

happy birthday N!

jeremy darling said it best: "tonight is going to be ooc."

oh and way to go chokies!

pumpkin beers!

here's a write up of all the different pumpkin beers you can find in the area (via washingtonian). is anyone else suddenly thirsty??

exciting news!

from this week's rolling stone:

whitney houston may be going in a hip-hop direction on her comeback disc. she has recorded with will.i.am and has approached polow da don for the cd, out in 2008.

i cannot wait until some of her songs start to leak!

i jinxed myself

of course after posting about that awful metro announcer i had a worse one (or at least just as bad) this morning. on account of all the rain i was running a few minutes behind - did anyone want to actually get out of bed this morning? i got to the station and was excited to see a train coming so i ran down the stairs and just made it on. i guess i shouldn't have been so excited - the announcer sounded like a twelve year old girl who had just sucked helium. ugh.

the worst metro announcer ever

i'm sure just as i write this i will hear someone worse - but honestly this woman is really bad. she's on the 7:45 train out of dunn loring. and you might ask why i don't just avoid that train - but i've tried - she's unavoidable. one time i got on someone else's train but then we were off-loaded at east falls church and of course her's was the next train through.

and if you're an orange line rider you'll know exactly who i'm talking about. she talks like a slow robot - awkwardly breaking up her syllables - it makes you want to gouge you eyes out (or is that just me?).

and while we're on the subject of metro announcers - what ever happened to the best announcer ever? he was the guy who would make fun of all the drivers stuck in traffic on 66, give directions of how to get off the train and genuinely wish you a good day. i think the last time i heard him was last february. maybe he switched lines?

wildfires: the hurricanes of the west coast

seriously, it's getting ridiculous out there on the left coast. the ap is reporting that over a quarter of a million people have been forcefully evacuated from san diego. and this is all after the fires ravaged malibu yesterday. yikes!

more chris long

go watch the safety.

chris long on gameday

hoos hoos hoos hoos hoos hoos

what a great weekend! first was the celebration of oktoberfest at the german embassy. let's just say that drinking beer (and champagne!) out of a 24 oz. stein makes for a good night. and add that to the fact that there was an authentic german band and old guys in lederhosen.

and then it was time for the match up of the season - virginia v. maryland. after turning down tickets to the game (a night game in college park, no thanks) i settled into the new dogfish head restaurant in seven corners for a night full of good food, good beer and great football! and i even made it home in time to catch the end of the lsu game - wow.

and the heart attack weekend continued on sunday with the skins game. how they survived their fourth quarter meltdown i still don't understand. but no need to dwell on the negatives - we came away with a win!

and the icing on the cupcake? the hoos are now ranked in all of the polls - topping out at 15th in the bcs!

things i learned this week

1. ipa stands for india pale ale. yes, i realize i'm probably the second to last person to know this. and honestly, i have no idea why i never knew it before.

2. it is illegal to chew gum on the metro.

3. climbing stairs makes you so tired because you are fighting gravity (ha!). that's why i got so tired walking up all the hills in charlottesville last weekend too, right?

4. just in case you were wondering - maryland still sucks.

5. there are about 42 (ok, only nine) different covers of umbrella out there. obviously we all knew about scott simons' version back in june. actually, i'm kind of shocked matt nathanson didn't cover it last night. i mean even ingrid covered it when i saw her at jj a few months ago (and she didn't even know all the words!).

and just for the record - that's two posts on a friday - no more complaining!

another thursday night at the 930 club

seeing matt nathanson in concert has been about four years in the planning for me. honestly i've had conflicts every other time he's been anywhere near me. but, the wait was definitely worth it! obviously i already knew i loved all of his songs - but his stage presence is just great. think a very dirty dave barnes.

and the added bonus with this show is that ingrid michaelson opened up the show. tragically she only played for about twenty minutes - and left out my favorite song (the hat) - but she was definitely just as quirky as usual.

and after she went off we had more than an hour to kill (who wanted to see melee anyway?). so we frolicked over to duffy's (that guy's a genius, by the way) for some beers and tots. after watching endless shows about whether joe torre was going to stay or leave (he left) we decided to head back for the main act.

i guess i should mention this was a (very) early show. the doors opened at 5pm! so it was now about 7:30 and matt was about ready to take the stage. i figured it would be somewhat crowded - but i'm pretty sure the place was sold out! for an early show on a thursday night - i was shocked! and to think they had another show that night (the wallflowers) - they must have done a killing at the bar last night!

so how was matt nathanson? pretty much amazing. and except for the guitarist looking like fidel castro in his green military shirt (and he even popped the collar toward the end!) - his band was pretty much lame. although matt's personality and banter with the crowd more than made up for his pathetic band members. at one point he heard someone yell out something about the red sox....

did someone just say something about the red sox? [cheering] i was born in massachusetts. are they playing right now? [someone yells, yes!] awesome, how are they doing? [yelling] oh, they're losing? [more yelling] no, they're winning? [even more yelling] oh, it's 0-0? great! so i don't really know anything about sports - does washington have a team? [people start shouting at him] oh, they're in the national league? so that's a different league than the red sox? [lots of yelling] oh, their name is the nationals? the dc nationals? that's lame. so does everyone just adopt the baltimore orioles as their own? [at this point half of the crowd cheers and half of the crowd boos] wow. sorry, i didn't know.

ok, so back to the music. he played a nice mix of new and old stuff - mixed in with a lot of guitar tuning. i mean like a lot a lot. it was weird. and it's not like anyone would have been able to tell the difference anyway, right? so in between all of his great songs he threw in two great covers. the first he described as the best song ever written - laid by james. but then he corrected himself and said this next song was the best song ever - don't stop believin' by journey. and the crowd (obviously) went wild! the only thing that could have topped that was if they had covered soulja boy and done the dance.

and the best part about the whole night? we were home before 10! a pretty tame night compared to the one some of my coworkers had - winning itouches and six hours on a private jet. man, i always miss the good parties.

mmmmm cupcakes :)

yikes!

my old hood is getting dangerous.

dc cabs to switch from zones to meters

fenty is set to order the switch - but no word yet on the timeline for the implementation of meters. will it be cheaper to take a cab in dc with meters? that remains to be seen. but i guarantee cab fares in dc still won't be at cheap as in charlottesville.

top five posters

here are my favorites from over the years. what have you seen??

1. maryland basketball: it's a riot.
seen at u-hall for a maryland v. uva basketball game way back in 2002. i previously posted the picture i snapped of it here.

2. virginia is for lovers: that's why we score more.
spotted at the wake forest basketball game last january. and then randomly last week at swim practice my swim coach (a former uva swimmer) was wearing a shirt with the same slogan. i'm going to need to get my hands on one of those.

3. we must protect this buffet.
a classic take on the under armor ads. this one a direct shot and the fridge (aka maryland coach ralph friedgen). this one was seen at the maryland v. uva football game up in college park third year).

4. steve blake: toss my salad.
some guy in my dorm first year made this sign and somehow held it up the whole game (basketball against maryland first year) without getting in trouble. since then the rules have tightened up just a bit.

5. sportscenter is next: unless duke needs more time.
now usually i hate the sportscenter is next signs, but this one was just classic. just a few weeks after the infamous duke/clemson game this sign just made me laugh. and what made it even better? we beat duke. and i was there!
(note: the above link has been changed since some people took offense that it had previously linked to a carolina site.)

cupcakes for a cause

i bet you didn't know that national cupcakes for a cause week is going on right now. head over to their site to create your very own virtual cupcake to send to your friends. for each e-cupcake sent, $1 will be donated to cancercare for kids. i mean what could be better than receiving a cupcake in your inbox and know that you're helping a great cause at the same time?! i guess eating one of my delicious cupcakes (modest, i know) might be better - but that isn't doing anything to help cure cancer!

the wapo shows the hoos some love

i know it's only because the terps had a bye this weekend. but hey - we'll take what we can get. here's the best sentence in the whole story:

"After beginning the season with a debacle in Wyoming, Virginia (6-1, 3-0 ACC) has improbably made itself into one of the hottest teams in the nation and a leading contender for the ACC championship."

[knock on wood]

homecoming recap: rilo kiley style

this post is best enjoyed while listening to rilo kiley in the background!

1. silver lining.
have you heard the hoos are ranked 19th in the bcs?!? wahoowa!

2. close call.
so, how about those hoos?! after getting completely outplayed by the huskies all afternoon we managed to make plays when it mattered and we eked out a win (17-16). never have i ever screamed so loud, jumped so much or smelled so much bourbon. it was amazing!

3. the moneymaker.
saturday night was ridiculous. we started (and finished) the night at biltmore. we ordered some food (they have sweet potato fries, fyi) and got the night started with some pitchers. after the food was demolished someone (was it you, brian?) had a great idea to do a round of shots. with the advice of our amazing server we got a round of johnny appleseed shots. and then before we could even stack the empty cups someone whipped out there credit card for round two - alabama slammers. and then round three - under currents. and round four - soco and limes. round five - washington apples (lots of crown royal, not so much apple). and round six - more under currents. and that's not even counting the stop light (one red, one yellow and one green) shots that the non-sleeping boys took. nor is it counting the steady flow of beer all night long. the end result? a $1,000 tab at biltmore. how crazy is that?? let's just say our server LOVED us (she was getting mad tips and taking every single shot along with us).

4. breakin' up.
so, have you heard they redid the girl's bathroom at biltmore? it's amazing. well, it's at least not as gross. regardless, the bathroom at bilt remains the place to go for a good time (talking about jeans, anyone?) this weekend we almost witnessed a girl fight (it was seriously getting heated in there), some girl told us that her boyfriend wanted to kill all the children with rotten apples and ran into some awkward people (in the bathroom and right outside).

5. under the blacklight.
saturday night we strolled into the biltmore all wearing black. our dining drinking partners thought we missed the fact that uva actually won and that we were in mourning (no, we were sober at the game thank you very much). i mean doesn't everyone know that black is slimming?? (no, not swimming. slimming.)

6. dreamworld.
so we stayed with the funnel mistress (yay!) in her brand new place on fifteenth street. it was wonderful except for that it's right next to the train tracks. and there's no way anyone can sleep through those train whistles. no way at all.

7. dejalo.
so no one will really get this - but i finally got to meet mónica. it's funny because my sister tells me about her all the time and pronounces her name w/ the accent - but it just sounds weird when she says it like that. that's all.

8. 15.
the dumpling place, starbucks, ragged mountain, plan 9, 1815, jefferson vineyard, arch's, south street, christian's, biltmore, bodo's, arch's (again), the lawn/range, scott stadium, biltmore (again).

9. smoke detector.
so we left biltmore around 12:30. let me just interject that we had been there since about 7:30. so we were clearly exhausted and headed back to get some sleep. or so we thought. approximately ten minutes after we had cuddled up on our air mattresses, etc. the loudest noise i've ever heard in my life emanating from the hallway. once i came to i realized it was the smoke alarm and we realized we had to go outside. so i grabbed my blanket, wrapped it around myself and made it down the ridiculously long hallway to the street (and since it was the middle of the night i obviously forgot to put any shoes on). hours later (well really maybe only like twenty minutes) the fire trucks arrived and the alarms finally got turned off.

10. the angels hung around.
ricky stokes was sitting at the table next to us at biltmore friday night. just another uva legend i've seen up close and personal!

11. give a little love.
i love charlottesville. i miss it already. and i can't wait to go back. road trip anyone??

charlottesville tomorrow!

well fall is finally here (at least weather wise - it's technically been fall for almost a month now). and honestly what's better than a gorgeous fall weekend in charlottesville? and with the day off from work tomorrow i plan to squeeze in even more fun activities (read: eating) than usual!

and the weather for kickoff on saturday is looking just a tad cooler than the georgia tech game. instead of sweating through a tshirt and shorts i might actually have to throw on a sweatshirt when the sun goes down (hooray 3:30 games!).

so i know that today is going to totally drag, but at least it's gorgeous out! i can't wait to take a leisurely (ok, probably not so leisurely) stroll around the city at lunchtime!

jello shots are making a comeback

just another thing we're ahead of the curve on.

the republican race for president, in a nutshell

from the republican debate last night in michigan:

"This is a lot like 'Law & Order.'...It has a huge cast, the series seems to go on forever, and Fred Thompson shows up at the end." -Mitt Romney

new music!

1. the silver seas.
my reader alerted me to a free silver seas download yesterday and today at work i've been streaming their whole cd. so far imaginary girl is my favorite (probably has something to do with the piano).

2. vanessa carlton.
remember back in college when everyone was obsessed with a thousand miles?? well since then she's dated third eye blind's stephan jenkins, run the new york marathon and now she's just released a new cd. and she's going on a national tour - and i just snagged tickets for her stop at the birchmere.

3. spoon.
true this isn't new, but it's good just the same. and with their recent performance on snl i figured i'd throw them in the bunch. and honestly with a cd named "ga ga ga ga ga," how can you not listen??

4. ray lamontagne.
just got his cd from my dad. and it's pretty good (in that eric hutchinson pretty good kind of way).

5. girl talk.
if you like mashups then this guy has got you covered. he just put out a whole cd of amazing mashups. go have a listen.

just in case you missed this last night

did i mention i LOVE this show?!

how did the cowboys win last night?

i got sucked in and stayed up until the end (past midnight) just to watch the bills hand the game to the cowboys. i mean, really. tony romo was intercepted five times (and fumbled the ball once) yet somehow his team was still in the game at the end of the fourth quarter. and then the bills couldn't hold onto the ball and went three-and-out with to give the ball back to the cowboys for another chance to score. but they needed eight to tie and they missed the two point conversion. so the game was over, right? nope. the cowboys attempted an on-side kick and recovered on their own 47 yard line. they miraculously completed two sideline passes to set up a 53 yard field goal for their kicker. he kicked it - it was perfect - cowboys win! wait, not yet. bills coach apparently had called a timeout right before he kicked it so it didn't count. but he kicked it again and made it again (thereby ensuring that everyone in washington would be miserable today).

even though i'm obviously completely unsatisfied with the end result - i do have to say it was probably one of the best football games (well at least last 10 minutes of a football game) i've ever seen.

ps. you can go watch the last 19 minutes of the game here.

happy columbus day!

one highlight of working on a holiday is the commute is really light. i'm talking no one sitting next to you on the metro light. but that just meant that i had plenty of time to read up on the skins huge win yesterday!

and now i'm sitting in an office with no air flow (apparently someone forgot to turn the hvac on this morning). but at least it's a short week - i'm heading down to charlottesville on friday!

come on fall!

well fall's here, but it feels like it's still summer. seriously, could it be any hotter out there? i'm so ready to break out all my sweaters!

ps. i really just love this for the ingrid. i can't wait to see her again in two weeks!

madame tussauds

so in case you hadn't heard - the new wax museum in the old woodie's building opened this morning. and seeing as it's not even a block away from my office i decided to take advantage of the grand opening price ($10 as opposed to the normal $25) and just went and took a lap through the museum.

in all my trips up to new york city i've never made it to the madame tussaud's up there - so this was my first trip to a wax museum. let me tell you - it totally creeped me out. they're so life like - and it's totally freaky when you look at the eyes (it's like the tj statue on the lawn - the eyes always follow you no matter what).

tragically both of us forgot our cameras (poor planning, i know) - but we made do with a treo. i took a picture w/ tj (of course) and then i put my freakishly large hands (ha!) up against the hand molds of samuel l. jackson and evander holyfield. and yes, my hands are the same size as both of those. talk about creepy.

there were a good mix of people - historical figures, all the important presidents (well and some of the less important ones), musical legends, sports legends, pop culture celebrities and of course dc's very own mayor for life (that's marion barry, of course).

so was it fun? yeah, it was cool to see the very lifelike figures. but is it worth the $25 admission?? definitely not (in my opinion). so that means you should get over there by tomorrow (saturday) to get in for the cheaper rate.

ugly betty gets political

how about last night on ugly betty when christina and betty walk into wilhelmina's apartment, christina calls it the devil's lair (or something to that affect) and then picks up a picture of wilhelmina w/ dick cheney?? i'm sorry, but that was just hilarious.

the actual quote: "i can't believe we're actually in lucifer's chamber, beezlebub's lair, the devil's rumpus room! ooooh look! a photograph of wilhelmina with dick cheney!"

new graham colton!

i'm not sure if anyone else is excited about this - but i am! plus assuming the birchmere had a typo in their email blast he'll be playing there in november w/ vanessa carlton (and i know my roommates will be excited about that!).

crank that redskins

hail!

so happy it's thursday!

there are so many reasons to get excited for thursday...

1. trash day.
our trash guys are awesome. although somewhat sketchy - they're always there to say good morning. or turn around on their truck and wave as they're leaving (i told you they're sketchy).

2. the city paper.
i enjoy reading the city paper for the ridiculous stories they publish.

3. tv.
if you don't make it out to thursday happy hour (everyone knows you get thirty on thursdays) you always have thursday night tv. first there's a chance to catch up on some shows from the week and then there's ugly betty and grey's.

4. friday.
once you get through thursday you're home free. although i really didn't appreciate this morning when some random woman in the elevator went on and on about how today was thursday, tomorrow is friday and how she has a three day weekend to look forward to. not all of us have monday off, but thanks for rubbing it in my face.

5. weekend.
it's especially great when you have a fun weekend planned. you won't want to miss our party on saturday - it'll be fun-filled with piñatas and autumnal mistletoe.

new music

1. alice smith.
i actually first heard her when she opened for citizen cope a few years back. i liked her then - but i kind of forgot about her. recently her name has been popping up everywhere and i was reminded how much i liked her music.

2. new buffalo.
you might not of heard of her - but you probably have heard one of her songs. she wrote "1234" for feist (you must have seen the new itunes commercial by now). and her own music sounds similar - just with an australian accent that you can sometimes pick out.

3. kt tunstall.
just like pb&j are all over tv this season - kt tunstall was all over tv (and movies) last year. and this fall she has a new cd out - and it's fun just like the last one. she does need some help with her style though - that get-up with gold leggings at live earth was no good.

4. ben lee.
he's more than the guy who used to date claire danes. this aussie also has a new cd out - and the songs are catchy just like catch my disease was.

5. rooney.
you probably remember when they were on the oc back in season one and sang "i'm shakin" at the bait shop. well since then they've opened for kelly clarkson and released a brand new cd - and it's good.

we need a bar like this in dc

i was just chatting w/ a friend in new york about our respective weekends. while she was all over the place on saturday night (as was i) - one place stuck out for me. down in soho there's a bar called antarctica and every night they're open they have a name of the night. basically if the name on your id matches their name of the night you drink for free. needless to say her name was on the list for saturday - and she had a really good night.

free music at starbucks

starting today when you get your morning coffee you will also get a code for a free download on itunes. it's not for any old song - rather a predetermined song of the day - but a free song is a free song.

today i got bob dylan's "jokerman" - but starbucks promises a new song daily (for the next 37 days).

young folks

is it just me or has this song by peter, bjorn and john been everywhere lately?! off the top of my head i heard it on grey's (it's on the new grey's soundrack), gossip girl, dirty sexy money and big shots. and that's not counting the endless number of plays from our computers upstairs.

for those of you who don't know what song i'm talking about - it's the whistling song - and you can go listen to it on pb&j's myspace.

oh and despite what the chorus might sound like they are really saying: "and we don't care about the young folks/talkin bout the young style."

happy october!

nothing says fall like apple picking and fresh cider donuts. all i've been hearing lately is how great the cider donuts (and fresh ice cream) are at miller farm in clinton, md. so we drove half way around the beltway and through pg county and finally got to the farm. except there wasn't really a farm - and there surely were no apple trees. and they had already sold out of cider donuts. but they did have freshly made apple ice cream. so we got a large ice cream and a few assorted donuts and got back in the car.

since we really wanted some apples we decided to go where we knew there would be apple trees. so we got back on the beltway and drove the other half all the way back to potomac where homestead farms is. we made a quick stop for food and coffee but then we were at the farm ready to pick apples. tragically the pink ladies weren't ripe enough yet - but we got some good sun crisp, cameo and stayman apples.

we got enough apples to eat and bake with and i got a little something special for our party on saturday. i won't ruin the surprise - let's just say that it's something you might want to stand under.

parking on u street

so i always knew parking in the vicinity of u street is somewhat sketchy - but i've never really had a problem. sometimes i've paid to park in the 930 club lot - but since we were doing dinner in the neighborhood before the show last night we decided just to try and find a spot on the street. we came up 13th street and then looped around w street back down to u street. we initially saw a bunch of free spots on w street but weren't sure if they were legal spots. so we kept looking, but we ended back on the same block. right ahead of us a cop pulled over into the empty spots so i pulled next to him and rolled down my window.

me: excuse me, can we park here?
cop: i don't know. (in a rude/sarcastic tone)
me: um, ok.
cop: i just pulled in here and now i'm leaving.

and then before i had a chance to say anything else he peeled and raced to the end of the street. so after being confused for a bit we decided to pull into a free spot. and after examining all of the signs on the street we determined my car would be safe there. and safe it was - it was just coated in a rain when we got back after the concert.

rilo kiley

yes, they stood under the blacklight (and luckily the guys were wearing white shirts so you could tell). but no, they didn't play that song. overall the concert was great - i'm just a little tired today that's all.

we missed the first band (thanks to a delicious dinner at creme), but we got there just in time for the second opener. it was a little bizarre because there were people on stage tuning instruments and then suddenly the lights dimmed and the drummer announced "we're grand ole party"/"we're rilo kiley" (it depends who you ask) and then they just started playing. the band was two guys (one on bass, one on guitar) and then a girl drummer who was also the lead singer. once i got past the fact that the girl had a bowl cut and designs drawn around her eyes i really enjoyed their music. i was disappointed in their set though because they literally just played through all of their (really short) songs with no breaks. i could have been just as satisfied at home listening to their cd (that is if i had a copy).

then after some dorky guy in a cardigan (very much like henry on ugly betty) single-handedly tuned every single instrument on stage rilo kiley finally came out for their show. jenny lewis is so vintage chic - i love it! honestly i wonder how many gold sparkly dresses she possibly could have. and she matched perfectly with the gold curtain handing in the back (and the giant balloons that were thrown into the audience that spewed gold confetti when they popped). one complaint - she is probably due for a hair cut - she has literally had the same haircut since she was 12 (or however old she was in troop beverly hills).

although i don't remember the whole set list i do know that it was a good mix between old and new. my only disappointment in the song selection was that they didn't play 15 - and i was especially annoyed to find out that they played it the night before. although from what i've heard thursday night's show was the better of the two (come on - everyone knows the last night is always the better one).

crank that soulja boy

Texas Longhorns Crank Dat Soulja Boy @ UCF - Watch more free videos

i'm not sure what's funnier - this video or when all the thirteen year old girls at the bar mitzvah i went to earlier this month lined up and did this dance.

is today national piñata day?

at least google seems to think so.

update: or it's just google's ninth birthday. whatever.

what i'm listening to

1. matt nathanson.
he's one of my old favorites (and i finally get to see him live next month!). i know i've already told you about him - but his song "car crash" is the itunes free single of the week right now. and for anyone out there without an ipod you can go to apple.com and download itunes for free. do it now.

2. the sketches.
they opened for eric hutchinson last weekend playing an acoustic set. i was hesitant to buy their cd since they promised it was all electric. but i listened to the songs on their myspace and it's not that much different than what we heard on sunday.

3. bellman barker.
just read about them over at dcist so i took a listen and i'm liking what i hear. plus i'm always up for supporting local bands!

4. chrisette michelle.
i've actually been listening to her for a while - ever since my dad gave me her cd. although i did miss out when she was at the black cat a month or so ago - i bet she's really great live!

5. tyrone wells.
odds are you'll like his music - he pulls from so many different styles. and he's currently touring with stephen kellogg - but tragically not for the birchmere show in november. i'll just have to catch him the next time he's in town.

this weekend in a nutshell

michael's, snake bites, zydeco, washington apple, dragon beer, bronchitis, three ring circus at 1815, french toast, football game in the brutal heat, lots of g.o.s. singing, arch's, lots of football, south street, crepes, five dollar cab rides (for seven people), biltmore, bodos, mincer's, bellair II, eric hutchinson.

so except for the skins totally blowing it i'd say this weekend was great!

charlottesville tonight!

nine hours and counting... clearly because of that today will totally drag on forever. but i have two tubs of smore cupcakes waiting for me when i get home (just a friendly tip - when a frosting recipe calls for sour cream don't use it - it totally botched up the marshmallow frosting for my otherwise amazing smore cupcakes!).

but back to charlottesville - i'm really excited to see all the changes since april (when i was last down there). i already know that jaberwocke has been renovated and reopened under the name 3. and amigos closed to make way for another location of christian's (ha haha ha). also i heard that o'neills is closed for good - although i'm not sure that anything has opened in it's place.

oh, and the game. we generally play georgia tech pretty close (and usually win!) so i'm hoping for the same result tomorrow. i still remember first year when we beat them on the hook and ladder play and everyone rushed the field!

hooray, beer!

so i called back this week and got pretty much the same answer as last time: "um, i don't really know." but then i just got an email from sweetwater saying that their oktoberfest is on tap now and their pumpkin ale isn't too far behind. i can't wait!

the most ridiculous kitchen gadget

seriously - check it out. i mean i'm sure there are worse, but this one seems pretty useless.

shiver me timbers

today is talk like a pirate day!

hail to the redskins!

remember last year when after two weeks we were 0-2?? well now that's officially in the past with the skins off to a 2-0 start and fresh off a road win in the nfc east. and with the next three games at home (the struggling giants, the lions and the cardinals) things are looking like they finally might go our way.

and i'm really glad the game didn't go into overtime since i was majorly struggling to stay up as it was. but watching the skins beat up on the eagles up in philly is totally worth me being exhausted today.

side note: please tell me you saw sean taylor's fro last night. you could see it creeping out of his helmet all night and then after the game ended they had a great shot of him and all of his hair (yes, i will try to find a picture of it later).

update: here's the picture.

eammon's

eammon's opened in old town over a year ago, but it's taken me that long to get down there and try it. we even made it to px (the exclusive bar above eammon's) months before i made it back to give the food a try - but friday i made it down there to try the fish and chips place behind the folks at restaurant eve. there's nothing like some good indigestion to start off the weekend, right?

the weather was dreary so it made for a perfect night to stuff myself silly with fried food. literally everything on the menu is fried. between four of us we ordered the cod, the grouper, chicken bites, a burger, coleslaw and of course some chips (aka fries). we thought that wouldn't be enough and contemplated ordering more - but it's a good thing we held off - it was more than enough.

all the fishes come with your choice of sauce. i think there were six choices for sauces - we ended up getting four of them - tartar sauce, dijon, old bay and some spicy sauce - and of course we had a side pile of ketchup going for the fries (oops - i mean chips).

i was expecting a night of fried food - but i was somewhat shocked when the burger came out deep fried. the patty had been cooked and then dipped in batter and deep fried. it was good, but not really what i was expecting at all.

and in case you're thirsty they have guiness on tap and a few other bottled beers to wash down all the fried food. and they have a cooler of water set up in the back so you can keep going back for more (one complaint - they're water cups are about the size of panera's if you know what i mean). if you want anything more substantial in the drink department you'll have to head upstairs to px - and let me tell you it's definitely worth it.

honestly the real reason i had been looking forward to going to eammon's was for their dessert. mainly the fried milky way. everyone else i went with was stuffed to the brim - but of course i was more than ready for dessert. i went up to order the milky way and they were out! instead i just settled for a snickers (i'm not sure why they couldn't have just gone down the street to cvs and picked up a few milky ways - but whatever).

even though it wasn't my first choice - the fried snickers was everything i dreamed a fried candy bar would taste like. it was delicious - crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside:)

and great win for the hoos on saturday (i got a little scared there towards the end). i'm pumped to go down to charlottesville for the game this weekend!

prison break starts tonight!

dad's backyard burgers

for anyone who lives near the gallows/29 intersection in merrifield knows how long dad's backyard burgers has been "coming soon." and for those of you who don't know? it's been over three years. it was the first tenant announced in the new retail development at the intersection, but since then carvel, cinnabon and z pizza have opened.

in what began as excitement for a new burger place opening right near my house turned into an obsession over when the place would actually open. everyone had their own theory on why it was taking so long (they ran out of money, they couldn't get permits, etc.) and everyone also had their own ideas of how far along they had come. whenever i drove by i would see someone peeking into the windows to see the progress (and yes, i'm guilty of this as well).

so as i said before three years had passed since the initial "coming soon" sign had gone up. at this point i had pretty much given up hope that it would ever open (despite the build out looking somewhat complete). then last friday when i drove by at 7am en route to ct i saw the sign: "opening 9/10." could it be for real??

in the days of five guys and elevation burger i was pretty excited for another non-fast food burger place (i mean does anyone actually like mcdonald's burgers??). so this week when my coworker asked if i could help her move on thursday i suggested we grab a burger first.

after confirming it was actually open (apparently it didn't quite make it open on monday - or tuesday - or maybe even wednesday) we left work starving and ready for a burger. we got there and there were only a few customers (and nearly four times the number of employees!). we walked up to the register to order and they handed us a menu and an order sheet. it's kind of like how they do it at jettie's - for those of you familiar w/ the process. you check off what you want and write and special instructions and jot your name down at the top.

so, what do they have on their menu? obviously they have burgers - but they also have hot dogs, grilled chicken and grilled fish. (i honestly wonder how long the fish will stay on the menu - no offense, but why would a vegetarian go to a place called dad's backyard burgers??). everything comes with fries and a drink. for the burgers you have a choice of 8oz ($8) or 5oz ($6.50) and pretty much everything you could think of is available as a topping.

since it was our first time there we decided to get a burger and a hot dog so we could try both. i settled on a cheeseburger w/ cheddar and my friend got a cheese and bacon hot dog. we put our orders in, got our drinks and settled in at some seats at the bar (no, they don't serve alcohol).

as expected the service was extremely slow. they had about five too many people behind the counter assembling the meals. and they weren't preparing the orders in order - about four people who ordered after us got their food before us. but luckily we weren't in a hurry and we were actually kind of enjoying watching the show by the grill (which is wood burning, by the way).

it was probably at least thirty minutes before they called our number - but the unusually long wait was more than worth it. the burger was honestly one of the best burgers i've had. the patty was stuffed with herbs of some sort and the wood burning stove really brought out the flavor in the meat. the hot dog was a big fat hebrew national hot dog (in other words - it was delicious!).

the fries were good, not great. they need to work on getting them a bit crispier since they were on the soggy side. but the flavor of the fries was good so i have faith that they can get the cooking style right.

now the real reason i wanted to go was because it was a brand new place in the neighborhood. i honestly didn't have high expectations about the food. i stand corrected. if you're looking for a good, fresh burger look no further than dad's. oh and i heard a rumor that they are going to offer half price burgers on tuesdays after a skins win - much better than that papa john's deal (gross).

my wish list

check this out and tell me it's not one of the coolest things you've seen. it would definitely be easier to transport than that huge piece of plywood!

happy positive thinking day!

no, i'm serious. and it's just perfect for me (hahahaha).

happy new year!

i was a little nervous that the recent scarcity of honey would throw a curve in our celebrations last night. but luckily my cousin was just recently in serbia and apparently there are still bees over there because he brought back some delicious honey!

i'm still full thinking about last night's dinner - matzoh ball soup, noodle pudding (aka kugel), fresh tomatoes w/ basil and mozzarella, broccoli ( you know i dominated that dish), lots of chicken and a yummy apple cake for dessert!

and the best part about jewish holidays are the leftovers - and now brigid knows that as well:)

l'shanah tovah!

don't forget to vote!

you can vote for cavman once a day!

what i missed by not going to my company's world conference

yes, that's dj am and paris hilton (and some random dude). really i'm more jealous about missing dj am. he's amazing!

only in dc...

in a city that's slightly obsessed with politics it was only a matter of time before a dc bar took full advantage of the upcoming presidential election. lotus lounge (14th & k) has kicked off "pick the potus at lotus" contest (clever, isn't it?). their bartenders have created a drink for every presidential candidate taking into account some aspect of each candidate's background. for a full list of drinks go here.

vote for cavman!

our football team may not be all that great, but we still have a chance to win something! go here and vote for cavman in the capital one mascot challenge.

GO HOOS!

the only highlight from the vmas

mtv has the whole show online but don't waste your time - just go watch this.

hail to the redskins!

unfortunately instead of watching the game i was stuck in the post-game traffic on the beltway. (and this is after i got stuck in the jets traffic up in dirty jersey). but the skins WON - hooray!

weekend!

i'm headed up north early tomorrow morning. it's the bar mitzvah for my cousin's youngest. bring on the "professional" dancers, endless buffets of food, the martini bar and of course the cha cha slide.

goals for the weekend:
1. snag the extra set of keys so we can crash at the ritz.
2. spot a celeb when i pop into nyc for the night on saturday (i'm 2/2 the past two times i've been up there - kate moss and adrian grenier - and it is fashion week).
3. not resort to buying sorbet on saturday night (god, i wish i had a picture of that one).

a new twist on dessert pizza

you know i'm a sucker for anything w/ oreos in it. but dominos? nope, i think i'll pass. plus seeing as i've pretty much mastered oreo cupcakes i think i'll try my hand at recreating the oreo pizza.

hootie!

originally we were supposed to go see hootie back in july. but then darius rucker (aka hip shaker) got hurt and they had to postpone their tour. so two months later we finally go to see them. and honestly i'm kind of glad it was in september - the weather last night was absolutely gorgeous! (just like darius, right brigid?)

i had done some research earlier in the day on the opener - patrick davis. i listened to his music on myspace and i was not impressed. he reminded me of a southern, country josh groban. does that sound like a good combination to you? let's just say he didn't do anything to win me over with his live performance. in fact i think his cowboys comment made me cross him off my list forever. sorry.

but hootie was a completely different story. they sang through their old hits and a few of their newer songs off of looking for lucky. did you know that hootie and the blowfish has been a band for 22 years? that means i was two years old when they first came together. that is just crazy. but by the way they move on stage you could never guess that they are all in their forties.

a special treat was that peter holsapple was playing on stage w/ the band. it was especially cool when they played a cover of rem's "losing my religion" since peter played guitar on the original recording of the song w/ rem. he played keyboard for most of the night - but through in some guitar for some of the songs. and i'm pretty sure he was the one playing harmonica - but really we couldn't figure out who exactly was playing it.

but probably the best part of the night were the two signers. yep, there was someone signing the entire concert. it was really cool! and apparently it's really tiring because the guy and the girl kept switching off. but the guy was so much better - he really evoked the rhythm of the songs. and i got to learn some sign language from the girls i was sharing my blanket with.

i have a few complaints, though. first of all i don't like the double encore. it's really not cool. especially when you don't even play for a hour and a half total. and a big concert pet peeve of mine is when bands end on a cover. i don't even care if it is oasis - we paid to see hootie. and if they had played all of their songs i would have understood - but they left out tucker's town and i go blind. total bummer.

ps. i'm so glad i'm stuck here at work while my coworkers are off in toronto gallivanting w/ paris hilton.