And the coveted title of First Guest goes to:
Erin Colburn of Columbia, MO!
Yup. For those of you who weren't "in the know", my sister was down here last week. She seems to have had alot of fun. We'll see next time I call her. I will hopefully have some pictures of that up soon, but then again who knows how long that will be.
It was fun having her out in DC. I got to go to lunch with her a couple times, and Saturday we went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. It is in a cool building and had some neat exhibits. The dolphin show was fun as well. I do regret that her trip didn't happen after I started getting vacation time, but it was still great getting to have her down here.
Stay tuned for more news...
.gibran.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Monday, March 28, 2005
Need to Keep Up
http://isthatabloginyourpants.blogspot.com/
Apparently I need to read other people's blogs more frequently. I guess I'm part of the "Blog Squad" and I didn't even know it. So, thanks for the hook up Allyn. BTW, how did you get those links on the right hand side? I really need to work on my web publishing skills, er...skillz. My bad.
.gibran.
P.S. I guess I should go ahead and say up front that I don't necessarily endorse anything that is on anyone else's page I link to. Unless I specifically say that I do. Then I do endorse it. Otherwise not. Yeah.
Apparently I need to read other people's blogs more frequently. I guess I'm part of the "Blog Squad" and I didn't even know it. So, thanks for the hook up Allyn. BTW, how did you get those links on the right hand side? I really need to work on my web publishing skills, er...skillz. My bad.
.gibran.
P.S. I guess I should go ahead and say up front that I don't necessarily endorse anything that is on anyone else's page I link to. Unless I specifically say that I do. Then I do endorse it. Otherwise not. Yeah.
Friday, March 25, 2005
Enough Room on the Wagon?
Ok, I’ll hop on the band wagon…
Top Five Pleasingly Melancholy Movies
Arranged Biographically with 1 as most recently discovered…
5. High Fidelity
4. Rushmore
3. Amelie
2. Royal Tenenbaums
1. Garden State
Your top 5 movie lists?
Top Five Pleasingly Melancholy Movies
Arranged Biographically with 1 as most recently discovered…
5. High Fidelity
4. Rushmore
3. Amelie
2. Royal Tenenbaums
1. Garden State
Your top 5 movie lists?
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Triumvirate
1. Is it rude to continuously refer to a friend by a nickname they don’t appreciate? What about if they actually despise it? Seemingly the answer to this would be, yes – quite rude. I think it probably falls into the same category as not punching people because, you know, you wouldn’t want to be punched either. Maybe I’m wrong. I mean it is really entertaining, and not just to get his reaction...but rather for some purely intrinsic value. And of course this is all hypothetical. None of it is because I have a friend who hates a certain name that every one calls him (*caugh GARY caugh*). If I did have a friend like that however, it would puzzle me how much it bothered him. I would also have great respect for him though in that he continues to live his life in complete defiance of these people…I suspect one day at a time.
2. Yes the streets in DC are named in a rather bizarre manner, owing to the odd arrangement of the city. DC is essentially divided into 4 quarters, North West, NE, SW, SE. A north-south line running through the capital and the east-west line running through said building create the divisions for this grid. The N/S streets are increasing numbered as you go East or West from the central line. The E/W streets are increasing letters as you go North or South from the central line. Diagonal streets are named after states. As a result of this system all addresses in DC have a note on them as to NW, NE, etc. My office is at 1250 Connecticut Ave, NW. So there you go. Unfortunately this doesn’t allow for an intersection of P and T streets. Maybe we can lobby for a change. Doug, you’re always welcome out here anyway.
3. Why is it that it always seems to rain when I really want to go for a bike ride? Subquestion-Why do people always want to go to great restaurants the day that I’ve decided to start eating healthy again?
2. Yes the streets in DC are named in a rather bizarre manner, owing to the odd arrangement of the city. DC is essentially divided into 4 quarters, North West, NE, SW, SE. A north-south line running through the capital and the east-west line running through said building create the divisions for this grid. The N/S streets are increasing numbered as you go East or West from the central line. The E/W streets are increasing letters as you go North or South from the central line. Diagonal streets are named after states. As a result of this system all addresses in DC have a note on them as to NW, NE, etc. My office is at 1250 Connecticut Ave, NW. So there you go. Unfortunately this doesn’t allow for an intersection of P and T streets. Maybe we can lobby for a change. Doug, you’re always welcome out here anyway.
3. Why is it that it always seems to rain when I really want to go for a bike ride? Subquestion-Why do people always want to go to great restaurants the day that I’ve decided to start eating healthy again?
Sunday, March 20, 2005
2:43 am
That is what time you will arrive back at LaPlata, MD if you leave 1729 T street in DC at 12:45am. I know this because at 12:45 am I left the Napoleon Dynamite party at 1729 T street in DC and I, in fact, just got home. I am now writing this blog at precisely 2:44 am, and am sure that by the time I post the final product it will be at least several minutes later.
Which brings me to what the heck I was doing at a Nap. Dyn. party until so late. It turns out that Jen (the girl with the apartment from the previous blog) was having a going away party for her roommate and they chose to makeit be a N.D. themed party. So several people from my office, whom I know, were going; I thought it would be a good way to see the apartment; and so I chose to venture up to DC at 7:00pm on a Saturday night. It turns out that all their friends seemed pretty cool, and I really liked the apartment.
I don't know if I would say this place really qualified as a palce, but it was nice. It is in a pretty cool neighboorhood, and as I was walking there from the Dupont Circle Metro Station I saw more than one place that I thought would be cool to go and get something to drink while reading, or even potentially writing. I must say that I am starting to think pretty seriously about this. I think that people should leave comments on this blog to tell me their opinions. Not that I'm going to base my decisions on that or anything, mostly just that it would be nice to hear from people and this is a cheap way to get them to post something ;)
Any way, being 2:53 in the morning now and having to get up for church in less that 6 hours, I'm out.
.gibran.
Which brings me to what the heck I was doing at a Nap. Dyn. party until so late. It turns out that Jen (the girl with the apartment from the previous blog) was having a going away party for her roommate and they chose to makeit be a N.D. themed party. So several people from my office, whom I know, were going; I thought it would be a good way to see the apartment; and so I chose to venture up to DC at 7:00pm on a Saturday night. It turns out that all their friends seemed pretty cool, and I really liked the apartment.
I don't know if I would say this place really qualified as a palce, but it was nice. It is in a pretty cool neighboorhood, and as I was walking there from the Dupont Circle Metro Station I saw more than one place that I thought would be cool to go and get something to drink while reading, or even potentially writing. I must say that I am starting to think pretty seriously about this. I think that people should leave comments on this blog to tell me their opinions. Not that I'm going to base my decisions on that or anything, mostly just that it would be nice to hear from people and this is a cheap way to get them to post something ;)
Any way, being 2:53 in the morning now and having to get up for church in less that 6 hours, I'm out.
.gibran.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Potential Apartment?
So many of you ask, whenever I get a chance to talk with you, about whether I have found an apartment yet. Invariably, the answer has always been no. I haven't really started looking yet. If you asked me on the phone tonight, I would still have the same answer, HOWEVER, tonight there would be a caveat. Ah, yes…a caveat. What might said caveat be, one might ask. (Assuming one was so inclined). Well…
I was having lunch at work today with Sara, the senior person at the DC office, and Jen, one of her friends from RTKL (the architecture firm we share office space with). Anyway. The conversation turns to how Jen is having a difficult time because her current room mate is moving out, and she is having a hard time finding someone to replace her. After more talking, Sara makes the joke that, “Hey, Mike is looking for a place; he could move in with you.” We all laughed a little bit.
Now let me back up a moment. Earlier today I was driving through a really cool area of DC with Sara on our way back from a site visit (US Postal Service Distribution Hub for DC, pretty cool and possibly worth a whole blog). I was saying, “See it would be cool if I could find a basement apartment in one of these row houses, but I probably couldn’t afford it.” Sara said, “Yeah, probably not. That burnt out shell over there, probably half a million to buy. They are doing a lot of renovation in this area.” That pretty much ended my thoughts about that.
Which brings me back to that lunch conversation. After getting a good laugh in. We started talking some more. I asked her where her place was and she said that it was a basement apartment in a row house. “That’s very interesting,” said I. “Where is it?””About 15 minutes walk from the office,” said she.”Interesting…,” repeated I.
So anyway, the amount that I would pay for fully furnished place with a living room dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms bedroom, and (I believe) laundry room, would be the same as what I would pay by myself for an efficiency place without a laundry area. Plus I would be in a cool little basement apartment in a sweet location.
Any way, it’s something to keep in mind as I start thinking about where I’m going to live in the next couple months. She is having a Napoleon Dynamite party at her place this Saturday, so I’m thinking about going and seeing the place.
That is that.
P.S. Enjoy the complete dearth of ridiculous pseudo-philosophical rambling? Well don’t get use to it! I reserve the right to wax philosophically all I want, even if everyone stops reading half way through!
I was having lunch at work today with Sara, the senior person at the DC office, and Jen, one of her friends from RTKL (the architecture firm we share office space with). Anyway. The conversation turns to how Jen is having a difficult time because her current room mate is moving out, and she is having a hard time finding someone to replace her. After more talking, Sara makes the joke that, “Hey, Mike is looking for a place; he could move in with you.” We all laughed a little bit.
Now let me back up a moment. Earlier today I was driving through a really cool area of DC with Sara on our way back from a site visit (US Postal Service Distribution Hub for DC, pretty cool and possibly worth a whole blog). I was saying, “See it would be cool if I could find a basement apartment in one of these row houses, but I probably couldn’t afford it.” Sara said, “Yeah, probably not. That burnt out shell over there, probably half a million to buy. They are doing a lot of renovation in this area.” That pretty much ended my thoughts about that.
Which brings me back to that lunch conversation. After getting a good laugh in. We started talking some more. I asked her where her place was and she said that it was a basement apartment in a row house. “That’s very interesting,” said I. “Where is it?””About 15 minutes walk from the office,” said she.”Interesting…,” repeated I.
So anyway, the amount that I would pay for fully furnished place with a living room dining room, kitchen, two bedrooms bedroom, and (I believe) laundry room, would be the same as what I would pay by myself for an efficiency place without a laundry area. Plus I would be in a cool little basement apartment in a sweet location.
Any way, it’s something to keep in mind as I start thinking about where I’m going to live in the next couple months. She is having a Napoleon Dynamite party at her place this Saturday, so I’m thinking about going and seeing the place.
That is that.
P.S. Enjoy the complete dearth of ridiculous pseudo-philosophical rambling? Well don’t get use to it! I reserve the right to wax philosophically all I want, even if everyone stops reading half way through!
Monday, March 07, 2005
At Dupont in March
The weather was pretty nice today.
Just north of where I work is Dupont Circle. Five streets run into this roundabout resulting in ten spokes radiating out. Between each is a wedge shaped building, similar to that iconic one in Times Square. In the center of the circle is a plaza. There are two concentric circles of benches surrounding the plaza. Between the first and second circle of benches is a grassy area with trees for shade. Today there were people lying on the grass eating lunch and a preschool class was playing there. The area between the second circle and the center of the plaza is radial pavement. At the middle of the circle is a fountain about 50 feet across. At the center of this fountain is a sculpted column, perhaps 8’ in diameter at the base and 5’ at the shaft. The shaft of the column is sculpted to display 3 female forms. Above the shaft is a shallow dish, maybe 12’ in diameter, over the edge of which water will run when it is warmer.
There is no water in the fountain because it is supposed to freeze tomorrow. Today though several kinds are running around inside the basin. A guy in jeans is lying on the ledge of the basin with his legs crossed. Some girls are sitting on the fountain steps eating and talking. One is sitting, criss-cross facing the other who is sitting with her legs hanging down the ledge, facing towards me and the outside of the circle. Many more people sit around the circle, either on the ledge, the stairs or just the pavement. Even more are cutting through on their way to or from lunch.
The two guys sitting next to me are listening to classic rock on a transistor radio. They are not wearing the typical business attire or hip college dress. Both are wearing old jeans and tattered shirts. One has a pair of black boots. The first guy here was complaining that someone went through his bag last night. The other blows some cigarette smoke and says, “I couldn’t watch it all night, I had to sleep sometime.”
The twenty-something who just sat down across from me is wearing a bright red miniskirt, light blue shirt and sunglasses lifted up against the dark bangs on her forehead. The tone of her pre-spring skin contrasted against the bright summer clothes and dark hair is quite striking. I’m starting to remember what I like about summer. Orange soda in a glass bottle and a red purse sit next to her. She casually reads a magazine while she using a pair of dark chopsticks to pick at the sushi she brought with her.
I ate lunch at Dupont Circle today, and it was nice to have such beautiful weather.
Just north of where I work is Dupont Circle. Five streets run into this roundabout resulting in ten spokes radiating out. Between each is a wedge shaped building, similar to that iconic one in Times Square. In the center of the circle is a plaza. There are two concentric circles of benches surrounding the plaza. Between the first and second circle of benches is a grassy area with trees for shade. Today there were people lying on the grass eating lunch and a preschool class was playing there. The area between the second circle and the center of the plaza is radial pavement. At the middle of the circle is a fountain about 50 feet across. At the center of this fountain is a sculpted column, perhaps 8’ in diameter at the base and 5’ at the shaft. The shaft of the column is sculpted to display 3 female forms. Above the shaft is a shallow dish, maybe 12’ in diameter, over the edge of which water will run when it is warmer.
There is no water in the fountain because it is supposed to freeze tomorrow. Today though several kinds are running around inside the basin. A guy in jeans is lying on the ledge of the basin with his legs crossed. Some girls are sitting on the fountain steps eating and talking. One is sitting, criss-cross facing the other who is sitting with her legs hanging down the ledge, facing towards me and the outside of the circle. Many more people sit around the circle, either on the ledge, the stairs or just the pavement. Even more are cutting through on their way to or from lunch.
The two guys sitting next to me are listening to classic rock on a transistor radio. They are not wearing the typical business attire or hip college dress. Both are wearing old jeans and tattered shirts. One has a pair of black boots. The first guy here was complaining that someone went through his bag last night. The other blows some cigarette smoke and says, “I couldn’t watch it all night, I had to sleep sometime.”
The twenty-something who just sat down across from me is wearing a bright red miniskirt, light blue shirt and sunglasses lifted up against the dark bangs on her forehead. The tone of her pre-spring skin contrasted against the bright summer clothes and dark hair is quite striking. I’m starting to remember what I like about summer. Orange soda in a glass bottle and a red purse sit next to her. She casually reads a magazine while she using a pair of dark chopsticks to pick at the sushi she brought with her.
I ate lunch at Dupont Circle today, and it was nice to have such beautiful weather.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
Drinkin' drink, Tastin' fruit
It's 8:02am, March 2nd, 2005, 32F outside. The sky is clear save for sparse wispy clouds. It's somewhere in between the rich blue of summer, and the sickly gray of mid-winter. Despite the chilly temperature outside the cafe window 9" away, I can feel the sun on my elbow. Sipping on a peppermint tea, I'm writing my first real update blog in awhile.
For those I haven't had a chance to talk to lately, I am still living with the Milsters. I plan to start looking for apartments sometime Mid-March or April. What else? I got a new bike, Cannondale - Adventure 400, and am looking forward to some good riding weather. I have been reading Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit which I will be finished with by Thursday. I bought Walden to start during some quite time this weekend. The only show I was watching regularly ended last week, Project Runway. If they have a second season of it (and you are into either fashion or design) you should check it out. Music wise, I have been listening to Modest Mouse a lot lately, though I just got Over the Rhine, Ohio, and am looking forward to sitting down and listing to that some evening. I'd also like to check out this Bright Eyes chap everyone seems to be kibitzing about.
I suppose if I ramble too much it becomes overtly selfindulgent so I’ll leave you with someone else’s words. This was on this morning’s Celestial Seasonings tea bag tag:
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit.” – Henry David Thoreau
For those I haven't had a chance to talk to lately, I am still living with the Milsters. I plan to start looking for apartments sometime Mid-March or April. What else? I got a new bike, Cannondale - Adventure 400, and am looking forward to some good riding weather. I have been reading Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit which I will be finished with by Thursday. I bought Walden to start during some quite time this weekend. The only show I was watching regularly ended last week, Project Runway. If they have a second season of it (and you are into either fashion or design) you should check it out. Music wise, I have been listening to Modest Mouse a lot lately, though I just got Over the Rhine, Ohio, and am looking forward to sitting down and listing to that some evening. I'd also like to check out this Bright Eyes chap everyone seems to be kibitzing about.
I suppose if I ramble too much it becomes overtly selfindulgent so I’ll leave you with someone else’s words. This was on this morning’s Celestial Seasonings tea bag tag:
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit.” – Henry David Thoreau
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