Hello Cupcake!

Our friend Doug is in town and with the new influx of cupcake stores in DC we've decided to do a daily cupcake tour. There are seven main storefronts, but up to 16 tested in the Washington Post's cupcake wars. Hopefully, we'll get to sample at least five in order to get the best "scientific sample."

First, I'll just say, it's hard to go wrong with a cupcake, so I'll try to keep in mind that a cupcake is better than no cupcake at all. Our first stop was Hello Cupcake in Dupont Circle.

From past experience at this establishment, the frustrating thing here is they don't have all their flavors every day, so ones that I really like aren't always available. But variety is the spice of life and I was tricked into getting 8 cupcakes instead of 6 because there were a lot to try. By far the winner of the 8 cupcakes was the peanut butter and chocolate combo. Runners up include the lemon tart and chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting. The general consensus was stay away from the buttered rum. I prefer the a bit of a moister cupcake, but as said before a cupake or two is always better than none.

Five Guys for the Philippines

While I was finishing some Christmas shopping yesterday I stopped by a local hamburger joint in DC called Five Guys. On their message board I saw some fellow Filipinos must have stopped by and also enjoyed their burgers.

A quick primer on some tagalog words that you see:

mabuhay: pronounced ma-boo-high is generally translated at "welcome"

pinoy: pronounced p-noy is used to refer to Filipinos in general or a Filipino boy--as opposed to pinay, which is the feminine version. In the past it has been pejorative, but now it is more mainstream.

salamat: prounounced sa-la-mat means "thank you"

Christmas Cheer

We had a nice Sunday evening with peppermint bark, eggnog and putting up our little 4.5 foot tree. It's funny to think I bought this tree at CVS six years ago for $20 (it's prelighted too!) and it's still with us.

pointless post

I really like my bike. A lot. Although this morning it was a bit chilly on my way to work. Need to get some gloves.

So anyway...I realized that the picture I had previously posted of the bike is wrong. The old picture is the 2008 model. Mine is the 2009. Here is the beauty:

mancation

Last week a few friends and I went on a hiking trip to Zion National Park. Friday I met Doug and Ryan at the airport in Las Vegas and after a stop at In-n-Out we were on the road to Zion. We had the pleasure of being graced by the presence of Jeremy Iman who met up with us at our hotel in Springdale right outside the park. After having a snack and a couple local beers - particularly enjoyed the Polygamy Porter (with the slogan, "Why have just one?") - we saw a large deer/elk-like animal crossing the dark street. Three of us thought it was neat and went about our way. When Iman saw it, his natural reaction was to start chasing it. Luckily for him he didn't catch it, as it would have been painful to be on the business end of its substantial antlers.

Saturday morning Doug's friend Corey met us and we set out for the first hike, Angels Landing. This is a popular hike in ZNP but also claims the unofficial distinction as being the most deadly NPS hike in the U.S. Angels Landing looks like a giant 1,500 foot tall fin in the middle of a 3,000 foot canyon. The last half mile of the ascent is amazing as hiking ends and scrambling begins on the exposed spine, 1,500 feet above the floor. Fortunately the Civilian Conservation Corps installed chains to allow hikers to hold on to something, otherwise I wouldn't have made it. When I saw the spine, which sadly I couldn't adequately capture with a picture, I was nervous. Not that it was easy, but it didn't seem as bad as it looked. Focusing so much on footing for the next few steps made it easy to forget the bigger picture that one bad move and you are falling to the valley floor.

The next day we set out early in the morning to have the day's trail to ourselves. We drove to the north end of the valley and set out for Observation Point, which sits on the east rim. After a few hours, what seemed like one hundred switchbacks, an incident in which a few deer decided to run past Ryan and Doug on the four foot wide trail perched on the edge of a 2,000+ foot drop off, we made it to the top. The view was was so nice it looked fake and we had the rim all to ourselves for a good 20 minutes thanks to our early start. Not sure if it was the solitude or the varied terrain, but it was my favorite hike of the trip. Unfortunately, after the knee-killing hike back down Iman and Corey had to return to their homes and the real world.

Monday Doug, Ryan, and I woke up hoping the rain that had started when we finished Observation Point and lasted through the night had ended as we planned on spending our last day in the park hiking the Narrows, a river hike in the Virgin River. If there is too much rain rangers close the river to hikers due the risk of a flood. On our way in a ranger told us it was open but that "there were safer places to be". Luckily it didn't rain and we were fine. The water was around 45 degrees, so we had to rent dry pants, neoprene socks, and canyoneering shoes. An hour and a half into the hike we made it to Wall Street, an area where the canyon walls squeezes the river to only ten or fifteen feet wide with the walls towering 1000+ feet above. I've never done a river hike before, but it was surreal. First, we were hiking through the seemingly calm river that created the entire park over tens of thousands of years. Second, the windy river made it seem like we were in the world's largest maze as you could see straight up but only solid rock to the sides.

After a slice of bumbleberry pie, a Springdale specialty, we left Zion and headed to Vegas for a night of muted debauchery to close out the trip. We walked around the strip, went in to a few new hotels I hadn't seen, and had dinner at a place at Palazzo that claimed to be a restaurant/nightclub/bathhouse. It was a restaurant - the food was good - and a club, but sadly it wasn't an actual bathhouse. I tried my best to stay out all night, but a combination of a couple beers, sore muscles, and not a plethora of sleep the previous few mights led to a somewhat early night, for Vegas standards at least.

The next day we all had to go to the airport and the mancation came to a close. It was a great trip. The park was wonderful, it was great to spend time with good friends, several of us realized we are closet McGruder fans. Pretty outstanding. Pics

BIG NEWS!

No, not the first African-American president! Google Street view just launched for DC. The picture is right outside our apartment. Put in our address and explore our neighborhood. You can find the my yoga studio on 12th Street just off of U Street. Ben Chili Bowl at 13th and U Street. Or check out Cake Love on 15th and U Street.

Waiting at the polls

It took nearly 2 and a half hours for me to vote today, but I am glad I participated in this historic election. My experience was a bit different that Chris's. I was--for lack of a better word--verklempt throughout most of it as a number of seniors struggled to make their way to the voting booths and talked about how proud they were to vote and didn't mind standing. Just hearing how excited people were and also how they thought long lines were a sign that Americans were taking this seriously. It was really a nice patriotic moment.

laughing at the polls

Yesterday I performed my civic duty and voted in-person absentee in DC since I am now in Missouri to help the good guys win this important swing state. Just like in other parts of the country, turnout appeared to be higher than expected in DC. When I arrived a half hour before the polls opened, a lot of people were already in line and I waited about an hour before being able to case my vote. Luckily I was entertained by one of the workers.

The setup was to have everyone line up down a long hallway. By the time the polls opened the line was fairly long - at least 100 deep. To help seniors a room was set up for the old folks to sit so that they didn't have to stand too long. The hilarious part was how they identified who could go into the room. Obviously it is a touchy situation to try to figure out who is technically a senior citizen. A lot of 60 year olds could probably pass for 70 and vice versa. However, hazarding a guess would have been a lot better than what one of the election officials did: he asked everyone who entered the hallway if they were a senior citizen.

Sadly I was only in line for about ten minutes of this, but it was pure bliss. Reactions to the question were priceless, particularly those who didn't appear to be within 20 years of being eligible to join the AARP. I thought one guy, who maybe looked like he was 35 tops, was going to punch the worker.

While I didn't love standing in line for over an hour, thanks DC elections official, for making part my wait to vote pretty entertaining.

One year down

(Looks like Chris beat me with a post, but I’ll add my own version.) I have been happily married for a year! We celebrated by exchanging gifts and going out to eat at Central—a restaurant we’ve been dying to go to before it even opened. I got Chris hiking boots for his upcoming “man-cation” at Zion National Park. Chris gave me some chocolates and a featherbed for our mattress. Not quite the traditional paper, but who follow tradition nowadays?

The famous chef of Citronelle, Michel Richard, opened up Central for the bourgeoisie of D.C. Unfortunately, we are not even in the bourgeoisie class and will only eat at a place like that on special occasions. Central was the winner of the James Beard award last year, which is pretty outstanding considering it was in its first year.

I love French food—provincial not frou-frou—so I was thrilled at the opportunity to try out Central. You can check out our flickr page for pics of the French onion soup, cheese puffs, ribeye, cassoulet and dessert. It was a delicious meal and a perfect evening.

As I look back at the year, I have to say I equate Chris to be my own Fitzwilliam Darcy or more recent, Mark Darcy, after my own encounter with a Wickham or Daniel Cleaver. So, who wouldn’t be happy to be the Mistress of Pemberly—although our “estate” is only 750 square feet? In my mind, I’m living my favorite fairy tale.

it has been a year

Yesterday we celebrated our first wedding anniversary. We went out to dinner at Central, a restaurant Lelaine has wanted to go to for a while. It did not disappoint. My highlight was the candy bar dessert, which I believe is also served at Citronelle. It is like a Kit Kat, only significantly better and served with wonderful ice cream.

It is tough to believe it has been a year. Time has flown by. Congrats to us, and particularly to Lelaine for putting up with her husband for an entire year!

Sooo-weeee

Yesterday, we took decided to go with some friends to the country for some apple-picking and wine tasting. Just a bit more than an hour drive can take you away from the city and into Virginia's pretty farm and wine country.

We went to the local agribusiness of the year, Great Country Farms. We didn't realize that October is late for apple-picking in Virginia and children under 10 are required--not really, but we were pretty sure we were the only adults there without kids. However, we had a great time eating apple dumplings and watching one of my favorite animals run during the Pig Races.

Before we left, we went across the street and up a steep hill to Bluemont Vineyards. We got a free tasting with our entrance fee to Great Country Farms. Bluemont is a brand new vineyard in the burgeoning Virginia wine country and needs to grow a bit, but had a great views and a good Norton wine. In fact, I am a little sad I didn't purchase a bottle there.


Although, we left with no apples and no wine, it was a great day and just what we needed to celebrate fall. Check out our photostream at our flickr page for more photos.

tigers

The Chiefs terribleness this year has been mitigated by my happiness on Saturdays. Chiefs get decimated by Carolina? Its ok, Mizzou smoked Nebraska the day before. At least that is how I justified things...until last night.

Mizzou lost. I couldn't even speak for about half and hour after the game. This was made worse by the fact that while I was watching my team in the bedroom, Lelaine is screaming at the TV in the living room while celebrating UF beating #4 LSU.

I knew Okie State would be tough, but we probably would have won had any aspect of the team played well. It is tough to beat a ranked opponent when your defense takes many plays off (as a Chiefs fan I am quite used to this), your QB uncharacteristically throws three interceptions (although tough to blame him on the first one since it bounced off Alexander's chest), and your special teams misses two FGs and your stud punt returner can't get it going.

Since I have never liked him, I will blame the loss on Coach Pinkel. Don't get me wrong, under Pinkel our team has improved immensely. I never would have dreamed of being ranked so high this year and last. The fact that I am so upset after one loss speaks to the success he has brought. My freshman year we were something like 5-6 and it was our best season in ten years. Now I'm mad at losing to a team ranked #17. Pinkel does a lot of things right, particularly recruiting. But common sense escapes him. He makes two basic mistakes that prohibit a good team from being great.

First, and something my friends know I complain about approximately 50 times a game, is that he has created an offense designed to score a lot of points and jump out to an early lead, but his system doesn't know how to maintain the lead against a good opponent. What does every other team do when they have a lead? Run the ball. Other than last year's Cotton Bowl, what can Mizzou not do against good teams? Run the ball because every play is from deep shotgun. The RB doesn't get the ball with a running start and has to go from standing still with the ball to seven yards just to break even. Maybe it would help if we had a play where the QB lined up under center. Pinkel's refusal to be able to run the ball when we need it is particularly problematic in goal line situations, like last night's opening drive when we had to kick a FG from the one. Figure out a couple passing and a couple running plays to use when you are within three yards of the end zone. That keeps things simple for the offense and forces the defense to stay on its toes. Daniel might be short, but he is certainly capable of lining up under center, reading the D, dropping back and finding a receiver. If Corby Jones could do it, Daniel can.

Second, Pinkel is as stuborn as Bush about changing strategy. He can't make adjustments. If something doesn't work, and it is clear it won't work, most teams will tweak their gameplan either on the fly or at halftime. Mizzou? We do the same thing over and over. Our DBs unable to cover receivers? Don't try to change coverage schemes, just continue to get burned. For Okie State's last touchdown last night, they had two receivers standing next to each other, relatively open for the fact that they were thirty yards downfield and standing right next to each other in the end zone. Completely ridiculous. Mizzou is always a better first half team. When was the last time Mizzou had a come from behind victory? I can think of one since Pinkel started, the Independence Bowl in 2005 when Brad Smith decided he wasn't losing to South Carolina. Compare that to how many times we nearly blow a big lead because we go into a game with one plan and stick to it, no matter what the opposition is doing. Last year alone the Tigers gave up a ton of late points to Illinois and Kansas but held on. Against Oklahoma both games last year we were either winning or tied in the third quarter but ended up having the Sooners pull away. In previous seasons I remember blanking OSU in the first half, only for them to storm back and beat us in the second half; choking a 21 point lead to KSU in Columbia circa 2003; the Sun Bowl against Oregon State a couple years ago; as well as several others.

Bill Simmons, the ESPN Sports Guy, talks about how each team needs a VP of Common Sense. Mizzou would be a lot better with one. There is still time to make things better. Next week we play at Texas, who I expect to be the #1 team when the rankings come out tonight. Beat them in Austin, much easier said than done but still possible, and all of the sudden we might be the best one loss team. But until we make changes, particularly figuring out how to run the ball with a short field, we won't be able to beat top notch teams. This is something every top team can do, but Pinkel has made not effort to figure it out.

I'm probably wrong when I tell people Pinkel is a terrible and will wind up at Hickman if he wants to stay in Columbia, but he definitely makes mistakes almost no other coaches do. Maybe he just needs a "Coaching for Dummies" book. Lets hope that this ends up being the worst game of the year. I would hate to have to post something else about two of my other pet peeves of his - trick plays against horrible teams that lead to not being able to use them when you need to and never getting your team to beat someone they shouldn't.

No wonder we are in a mess!

In these uncertain financial times, I was nearly floored when I received a credit offer from Washington Mutual for up to $30,000! I don't have the best credit in the world, so it's crazy to think that I would be on a list for anything like that especially with the way the economy is going. Kind of makes you think, the banks may not really be learning from their mistakes!

The Right Stuff

I have no shame in admitting that I am nostalgia addict--I often OD on it like Iona (if you get the reference post a comment!) so when New Kids on the Block announced they were going on tour, it was meant for someone like me.

From 1988 until 1993 I don't think there was a space on my bedroom wall that didn't have New Kids on it. I would fall asleep to New Kids on my walkman, had the trading cards, tshirts, videos and my cousin Valerie and I knew every step of their concert routine. Joey McIntyre was my favorite.

I was lucky and got to a concert the summer before 6th grade with my cousin, Bean, but I had to look at the jumbo-tron just to see what was going on (as an aside: I got glasses later that year). So, a little girl promised herself when she grew up she would see the New Kids up close. Fast forward 18 years and the New Kids on the Block reunion tour. I'll spare you the long story about getting the tickets, but the conclusion is floor seats, section 1, row Z!!!!!

The best part was in the middle of the concert after hearing several screams behind us, I see them all on a small rotating stage 10 feet away! (Picture below) It was so awesome to see them so close! The best part--I keep saying that phrase--was after 3 or 4 songs they ran back to the stage right behind my seats and I got to touch Joey's hand (and Jon's...). I actually had the though that I shouldn't wash my right hand any more.*Sigh*


I was worried that I would think the songs were silly now, but I still knew every word and sang a long. I realized how much fun it is to actually go to a concert when you like the band--I am usually tagging along to some band Chris likes. And let me just say, that there is just something about guys singing and dancing together that is just hot. Maybe it's also because they opened up with a song where Joey says "I'll be your boyfriend.." and I thought he was talking to me, but it was the best concert EVER.

Another part I really liked was feeling like the guys were up on stage just having a good time and grateful (not in a desperate way) for a chance to live the dream all over again. Plus the audience was really into it. There were so many girls with home-made tshirts with bubble paint and iron on photos. Girls with crimped hair and the old t-shirts from the 90s. Not one of us was embarrassed to be at the New Kids concert. And let me just say, the arena was packed. I don't think it was technicallly sold out, but I couldn't point to an empty seat in the house.


I took over a hundred photos and the one thing that is embarassing is the number of photos of Joe McIntrye. I hope Chris isn't too jealous. I do have to say the New Kids stylist should get a bonus, because all the guys look better than before particularly Danny and Jon. And out of no where, my fellow-concert goer, Ha, and I agree that Donnie still has it and emerged as a bit of a leader.

Are we a steroetype?

Not to steal the hubby's thunder with a back-to-back post, but I just read this post on CampusProgress and had to repost on our blog. It nearly describes Chris and I to a "T." We've proudly chose the neighborhoods of Adams Morgan and now U street because of the "bridge and tunnel" crowd that constantly invade Adams Morgan. We now call our once favorite Mexican place "the Applebees of 18th street" with haughty disdain. We live on the green line and I can't live without DCist. And most recently, we've bought a bike from City Bikes.

Below is the blurb that caught my eye and I've pasted below the synoposis, but feel free to read the entire post. For the record, we do try to hang out with the other side, but that friend is very busy. While in grad school, my first few years, we definitely hung out with the other side, but just by mere proximity and where you end up working, yes, we pretty much only hang out with Dems.

On a side note, the article is written by a reporter at one of my new favorite Hill papers Politico. (And it has nothing to do with the fact that I was once quoted in the paper).

...unless you work at a bi-partisan law firm, reside in the environs of Capitol Hill, or go out drinking in Adams Morgan, you might never meet someone from the "other America" during your time in Washington, D.C. You will probably work, sleep, eat, drink, and party with folks who are more or less just like you.

If you’re a member of the hippie or hipster left

You live in: Columbia Heights, Logan Circle, Mount Pleasant, Shaw, or U Street

Your metro line is: Green

You work for: the Democratic National Committee, the Service Employees International Union, The Urban Institute, or the National Resources Defense Council

You drink at:

· The Black Cat, a dive bar on 14^th Street known for hosting Indie Rock bands

· The Wonderland Ballroom, a dive bar in Columbia Heights, known for hosting Hip-Hop and Soul DJs

· Townhouse Tavern, a dive bar in Dupont Circle known for hosting gatherings of internet activists and bloggers

· The Raven in Mount Pleasant, a dive bar known for its bizarre local characters and cheap domestic beers

Your website for local nightlife: DCist.

You went to college at a place like: Yale, the University of Michigan, or Oberlin

You Think Adams Morgan is: Played out and over-run by the “bridge and tunnel” crowd

You see Movies at: E Street Landmark Cinema, specializing in artsy and foreign features

The magazine placed on your coffee table to make you look urbane and sophisticated is: The New York Review of Books

You eat out at:

· Rice, a non-traditional Thai restaurant on 14th street

· Vegetate, a non-traditional vegetarian restaurant in Shaw

· Red Rocks, a gourmet thin-curst pizza restaurant in Columbia Heights

And you buy your clothes at: vintage stores or boutiques on U Street

When you settle down you’ll move to: Takoma Park or Silver Spring, MD

And you’ll drive: a Suburu

But for now you drive: one of those retro bicycles from City Bikes in Adams Morgan

If you’re a member of the preppy right

You live in: Alexandria, Arlington, Georgetown, or Glover Park

Your Metro line is: Orange or Blue, if you take the metro at all

You drink at:

· Smith Point, a dive bar on Wisconsin Ave in Georgetown known for hosting the Bush twins

· Whitlow’s on Wilson, a classic-throwback kitsch bar and diner in Arlington

Your website for local nightlife: Late Night Shots, so members-only you need a login

You work for: the Republican National Committee, the Family Research Council, Booz Allen Hamilton, or National Association of Manufacturers

You went to college at a place like: George Mason, Southern Methodist or University of Georgia

You eat at:

· Old Glory, the traditional Southern barbecue restaurant on M Street in Georgetown

· Town Hall, a fancy bar on Wisconsin Ave in Glover Park, with an impressive menu containing not a single vegetarian entree

You Think Adams Morgan is: Still kind of sketchy

You see Movies at: AMC Loews in Georgetown, specializing in major Hollywood blockbusters

The magazine placed on your coffee table to make you look urbane and sophisticated is: The Economist

And you buy your clothes at: the Pentagon City Mall or Tyson’s Corner

When you settle down you’ll move to: McLean or Falls Church, VA

And you’ll drive: an SUV

But for now you drive: an SUV

Ben Adler is the former editor of Campus Progress and a staff writer at Politico.

the basement of the alamo

Several months ago I thought about buying a bike. There were many reasons to do it, but one kind of big one why I hesitated: I wasn't sure if I could ride. Several years ago I borrowed by cousin Lee's bike in Vail for a brief ride. That adage about riding a bike didn't hold true - it was as though it was my first time riding. I could barely even turn the handlebars. When I finally got on the road I think my uncle Bob passed me going the other way, but I couldn't really tell because I was so concentrated on staying upright and on the road in front of me I couldn't look to the side. Pretty embarrassing.

Lelaine has even been talking about renting bikes and going for a ride for quite some time, but every time I came up with another excuse for why not. We were going to take out the bikes at the bed and breakfast we stayed at in Chincoteague over July 4, but decided to hit the beach instead.

So for several months I had the idea in my head but didn't take any action. But then one day I signed up for the free bike program at work and took one out to get lunch. Surprisingly, I didn't hurt myself and even enjoyed it. Despite the fact that the bike was baby blue with a bell and basket, I was hooked. The next day I went to Capital Hill Bikes and City Bikes, tested a few out, and made the big purchase. A lovely pewter and black 2009 Jamis Citizen 2.0 hybrid. That is it above and to the right.

The world of cycling is fascinating. First, bikes come in more than one size besides mens, womens, and kids, something I was completely unaware of. For my hybrid, I am a size 20.5. Second, choosing a lock is more complicated than trying to figure out some of the details of the bailout...I mean rescue...bill at work. I ended up with both a U-lock and a cable to secure both the frame/rear tire and the seat. Why do I need to keep my seat, or "saddle" in bike-speak, locked? Because I got the greatest seat in the world. It is huge. Two times bigger than most seats, which is good since I have twice the butt as most. And it has its own suspension system. It is the Rolls Royce of saddles, at least for people who want comfort.

I picked it up from the store this evening - it took a while to get the specific one I wanted in the right color from the wearhouse and assemble it , added some lights for safety, and took it out for a little ride tonight, but then it started raining so I headed in. Will likely go out for a longer ride this weekend. Lance Armstrong, I will go ahead and put you on notice now.

Anyone know from where I stole the title of the post? Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Curtis stole Pee Wee's bike and told him it was in the basement of the Alamo. Little did Pee Wee know, there is no basement in the Alamo.

A little bit of comfort

I've had a very difficult week--so difficult that I can't even really write about it. However, there are always bits of images that provide comfort.

Growing up, my family proudly distinguished their household as a Filipino household because of the custom of taking of your shoes upon entering someone's house. Some even go as far as to have a bunch of sinelas or slippers for you to walk around the house.

At my uncle's house over the weekend, this tradition was displayed prominently in the entry-way. Even my cousin Maya would take time when she saw someone come in and try to put sinelas on someone's feet as they were taking off their shoes. Every time I walked in the house I had to smile at the pile of shoes and was comforted by the familiar surroundings.

thanks Dad

Last night we went to the Nats-Padres game. The team from the left coast won in the 14th inning. Luckily for us, my dad gave us tickets in a suite and we were quite comfortable for the five hour game. As you can see from the picture, attendance was light towards the end.

In what I can only hope is the beginning of a great number of comparisons, I likes this box a little more than the one in Philadelphia earlier this year. The inside area was similar, but Nats Park gets bonus points for the seats. In Philly they just had regular seats. At NP our seats were leather and had a high back, which was very nice during pitching changes in the 12th inning.

Other than the final score, it was a great night to be at the game. The weather had cooled off to the 60s and the sky was clear. The game went on so long they had two President's races - Teddy didn't win either - and we heard reports they were giving away free food downstairs, although we weren't about to mingle with the common folk on the other levels. And our seats were great.

Cocktails for Change

For all my Democratic friends out there, I need your help! I am on the host committee for an Obama fundraiser and need your help to raise money. It is a nice low-dollar fundraiser that you don't need a six figure salary to attend. Plus you can do you part as well as hang out to watch the debate. If you can't come to the fundraiser please still consider contributing.

Use this link to RSVP and in the comments section please include my name “Lelaine Bigelow.”

Quote of the Day

Inspired by one of my favorite blogs EavesdropDC, I am instituting a new topic that hopefully will fulfill our mission of giving some insight into our lives as well as making you laugh your a%* off.

Today's quote is from Chris: "Honey, you know I am not good with colors."

We ordered new bed sheets and I let Chris pick out the color. Surprisingly he chose the color willow, which he thought was gray. I think most others would guess that it resembles sea foam, sage or for the lay folk, light green. He was surprised at the color of the sheets when they arrived today and I asked him what he expected and he said gray. I then asked the question, what would you expect if it was called steel and he said rust or brown. An exasperated "what?" followed and then our quote of the day "Honey, you know I am not good with colors."

I must also tell one of my favorite wedding stories. This took place at our first florist appointment in Pensacola. I will admit it was at 9am, so a bit early to be someplace when you are "on vacation." It's been about a half hour into the appointment and I've been describing the colors and flowers I like. The official wedding colors were wine, blush and gold, but sometimes the word "berry" was used as a substitute for wine. So, again, a half hour into the appointment after much discussion between the florist and me, Chris wakes up and says "When you say berry, what do you mean? Blueberry, strawberry, raspberry?" Next comes me putting my hands in my face and shaking my head. I think he might have figured out color berry it is now.

I hope you like the new topic. It should be funny.

Good-bye Summer!

I made a little good-bye to summer dessert with the last bit of good summer fruit: peaches and blueberries. As always, this is a Nigella recipe slightly modified to suit Chris's tastes. My photography skills literally need some sharpening, but it's not eggs for dessert it is peach melba. Poached peaches (in simple syrup), Gifford's vanilla ice cream and a blueberry sauce. I still hope to make a peach pie, but my time may get the best of me.

My next post may have to be about apple or pumpkin picking. My fall goal is to make homemade applesauce, but that's not as photogenic. Any ideas for great fall eats and photos?

Labor Day Weekend with the Todds

We had some great company over Labor Day weekend. It's hard to believe it was a week ago (clearly I've been busy at work). Heather and Allen came to visit and we did what we do best: eat and veg out.

It's actually quite obvious with the pictures that we did a lot of things surrounding food. So much so that I was far too focused on it to even get pictures of the food! Here's a quick run-down of food-related activities

Friday: Lelaine and Heather have lunch at Luna's. At night the Bigelows, the Todds and Manhoff minus one go out to eat at Two Amys.

Saturday: Boys go golfing. Lelaine and Heather go to Le Pan Quotidien for brunch and walk/shop around Georgetown. After much browsing and a bit of buying Lelaine and Heather go to Bodega for a few tapas and cava sangria. Yum. The boys come back and we eat a light dinner at El Sol. SURPRISE!!! We hit Duffy's Irish Pub for Allen's surprise 30th birthday party with more food.

Sunday: Logan Tavern brunch. So good, but we all leave a bit wanting more food. Interesting. Then we go to the new Nats stadium and have more food. After the Nats win, we head to Sam's roofdeck for crabs. Later on Heather and Lelaine go to Mr. Yogato for frozen yogurt and fruit.

Monday: We fast for our meat feast to come...Fogo de Chao for lunch. A bit comatose afterwords, but we manage to get Allen and Heather to the airport on time.

I feel like there should be commentary about how restaurants have caused society to revolve around them and obesity, mainly mine, is to blame somewhere after this post, but that kind of thing is a part of the family business, so I shall encourage it.

Click on our flickr link (Lelaine and Chris's photos) to the left to see our few photos.

True DC Style

We started this blog to communicate with our family and friends who don't live near us about our daily lives in our nation's capital. I think most would agree, that we are in a unique city with a lifeblood of politics. That makes certain activities around here seem weird.

A good example of the DC's political focus and quirky nature shines through during the elections. While most people beyond the beltway are barely registering the conventions we are monitoring it with CIA-like scrutiny. For example, the Washingtonian, a magazine for DC locals, has posted where you can go around the city to watch Obama's acceptance speech this evening. Yes, socializing centers around a political event such as a speech. I mean really, if I weren't in this industry and of course, without the entire history making portion of it all, this would rank #1 as B-O-R-I-N-G. If you want to know what trumps that, people do the same thing every year during the State of the Union.

All I can say to conclude is that we must have converted over to the DC side because in true DC style we are hosting a few friends over to watch the speech.

The "Big" 30 Party Pictures

Here are a few pictures from last week's 30th birthday week. A couple are from eating at Rustico on the actual birthday and rest are from the party on the roof. My favorite is pictured on the left.

It was fun week celebrating Chris's 30th, but the one question I was asked a lot was, "What are you doing for your 30th?" The answer is I am too tired to even think about it. However, if I were to hazard a guess it may have two words: New Orleans. Stay tuned!

It's so unfair!

You know how you come up with this brilliant idea and think if I only had the money to see it through? Well, that is me right now. I have proudly inherited a portion of my mom's ability to cook and have fooled enough people into thinking it's good. So, I get the "why don't you opening a restaurant/start a catering business" question a lot. I reply with that's too stressful and I don't want people putting my food under a microscope. I don't think of myself as some iron chef kind of cook, but rather good at following directions in cookbooks. So in a city where people crave unique flavors and the next hottest thing I would gravely be inept.

However, I have always thought if I ever did open a restaurant it would be small space below our fictional apartment and the few tables would be filled with random people enjoying a particular menu for the evening with an even variety of choices. I saw it like a dinner party in someone's house. Now the NY Times has a story about "The Anti-Restaurant" and people doing something similar and it's gaining ground! Now, I don't think I'd be hacking up meat like the first guy, but charging folks to eat dinner in our apartment is exactly the kind of thing I would love. Ugh. I guess this is a lesson in going after something you believe in. Unfortunately, the "aha" moments are few and far between.

The Beer List

In anticipation of the big 30th birthday party, we are publishing the "30 Favorite Beers List." True to Chris's style we have an excel spreadsheet. Don't count because you may need some Reaganomics to get exactly 30.

Tips

If you want to branch out here are a few things to keep in mind while sampling.

1. You aren’t going to like everything, so don’t worry if a particular style isn’t your cup of tea. And there will be sufficient Bud Light if you want to work up enough liquid courage to try something new.
2. Head is good. Begin by pouring a little beer down the side of your glass like you would at a keg party and then pour directly in the middle to cause at least a finger’s worth of head. Nothing is wrong with a foam mustache.
3. Smell and look at the color before you drink.
4. Let the beer warm for a minute. You want your beer to be cold, but not ice cold. The only companies that advertise ice cold beer are those that want to numb your taste buds.
5. Double fist. It is a lot easier to identify what you like when you take a sip of one then a sip of another.

Wheat Ales	# of 12oz.
Allagash White	4
Bells Oberon	14
Brooklyn Weisse Beer	2
Paulaner Hefe	1
Fruit Ales and Lambics
Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale	2
Lindemans Peche Lambic	2
de Boomgaard Framboise Lambic	2
Lagers
Bohemia	6
Bud Light	24
Efes Pilsner	6
Heineken Light	14
Paulaner Oktoberfest-Marzen	14
Rogue Dead Guy Ale	1
Sam Adams Black Lager	1
Sam Adams Light	1
Victory Prima Pils	8
Belgian Delegation
Chimay Premeiere Dubbel	4
Victory Golden Monkey Tripel	6
Pale Ales, IPAs, Amber Ales, and ESBs
Anderson Valley Boont ESB	2
Bear Republic Racer 5 IPA	2
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA	6
Harpoon IPA	1
Smuttynose Shoals Pale Ale	2
Stone IPA	6
Troegs Pale Ale	2
Troegs Hopback Amber Ale	1
Brown Ales
Rogue Hazelnut Brown Ale	4
Hook and Ladder Backdraft Brown	2
Porters and Stouts
Sierra Nevada Porter	2
Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout	6
Rogue Chocolate Stout	4
Stone Imperial Russian Stout	2

30

My first thought on the morning I turned 30 was that I was sore. I will just assume it has more to do with the fact that I had a long workout last night than the fact that I am now an old man and my body is breaking down. In the end it was nothing that a little stretching couldn't fix. While stretching I was watching Olympic table tennis. One of the competitors plays in the equivalent of a double-A league in China. Who knew there was minor league table tennis anywhere?

Today is going to be a good day. After watching table tennis I went to a diner near work for breakfast and had chocolate chip pancakes. One thing I like about the place is that they leave the syrup in the Aunt Jemima container. I like Aunt Jemima. Tonight Lelaine is taking me to Rustico, a pizza place in Alexandria. I'm looking forward to it. And my office always has cake for people on their birthday, which is very nice. I'm also looking forward to this weekend when my mom and dad are coming into town - unfortunately Matt can't make it due to work (Lelaine wanted to call a GE lobbyist and yell at him) but Matt Vega can, so at least one Matt will be there - and Lelaine is throwing a big party Saturday night. It is a going to be a banner week.

Many people have asked how I feel about turning 30. I understand why. It is kind of the thing to say, like when you fly somewhere and after you land someone asks how your flight was. Of course it was ok. If it weren't you would see the results on the news. And if I wasn't "ok with turning 30", would I really want to talk about it? Anyway, I feel fine...maybe even indifferent...about turning 30.

Part of it is probably because I'm not the type of person who worries about age, at least I don't right now. It might be different if I was born in the 14th century and life expectancy was in the 40s while you tried to dodge the black plague, but luckily times have changed. The biggest life altering event that happens today is that in the gym on the ellipitcal machine I now move down the list to the 30-39 age group when looking at my target heart rate. And this is a good thing, because according to the chart I can exert myself less and still qualify for the "fat burn"! [Yes, I realize this is incorrect, but I think it is funny.]

The other part, as in most things I can think of, is best explained through a Pearl Jam song, or in this case just a small part of the song. The other night, EV played I am Mine, which includes these lines:

I know I was born and I know I will die
The in between is mine
I am mine

My in between is great. I have a wonderful family, great friends, good health, and a job that I enjoy. Life is good. If you are reading this, there is a 99% chance you are part of the wonderful family or great group of friends (the other 1% typed in the wrong url). So thank you very much for making my life enjoyable to the point where turning 30 isn't a bad thing. It is pretty much like any other day, only with chocolate chip pancakes, cake, pizza, and parties to look forward to. I couldn't have made it here without you, particularly if your name is Lelaine, Marcia, Chris, Matt, or last name is or was Vaughan, Pinkerton, Moore, etc. Thanks again.

sometimes i speak of nothing at all

Last night Kellie, Isaac and I went to see Eddie Vedder. I've never seen him solo before and it was quite an experience. The eleven Pearl Jam shows I have be to have all been at large venues. The type of show where you are pretty confident you damaged your hearing when all is said and done.

This was different. It was at the Warner Theater downtown. Most of the "performances" there are filled with an audience that dresses to the nines. The walls are ornate and painted gold. There is a huge crystal chandalier in the middle. It only seats 1700 or so. And the place was built for sound.

EV sounded amazing. We were up in the balcony but a couple times I closed my eyes and it sounded like he was playing in my living room. You know when you are listening to music as you go to sleep and you enter the state between consciousness and sleep where instead of just hearing the music it seems to be incorporated in your thoughts? It sounded like that. It was awesome.

He played a mix of songs, ranging from the Into the Wild soundtrack he wrote, covers and PJ songs. Just him and his guitar, mandolin, and harmonica. It was the most unique show I have been to. A lot of chatter between songs, ranging from political talk to him saying how he hung out at the 9:30 Club earlier in the day (it is right across the street from our apartment!) to listen to a bunch of little kids bands.

Highlights for me were Sometimes, a PJ song I have never heard live. The title of this post comes from a line in the song. Elderly Woman Behind a Counter in a Small Town was great. EV said it was time for the 7th inning stretch and he asked everyone to stand up and sing. At the beginning of the show he requested that everyone take advantage of the theater's fancy seats and sit down for the show. The second to last song he did is Arc, which is just him chanting and written after the PJ Roskilde show when nine fans died in 2000.

Unlike all PJ shows, EV has had a very strict no taping or cameras policy for the audience. This is kind of a bummer, but he had people filming last night, which I assume means they will release the show as a DVD. This would be a great thing.

Big thanks to Kellie for getting tickets. As you may know, even after recruiting many of you to help me try to get 10 Club tickets for their sale I came up empty handed. The day of the general sale, Kellie managed to score tickets from Ticketmaster. Thank you so much for your fast clicks of the mouse.

More Jersey Adventures

Work took me to Jersey on Friday. I'll spare you the details of the trip which proved Murphy's law and just say when you are in a County law library and a man pees in a chair you are not having a good day.

I did add another tick on the Diners, Drive-ins and Dives tour. I ate at the Tick Tock Diner in Clifton, NJ. For some reason, it's hard to get good corned beef and hash consistently around DC, but I must say the Tick Tock Diner delivers--and a huge portion. On a sweet note, you might think that I had two kinds of toast in this picture, when one plate is in fact toasted pound cake! Brilliant.

It is embarrassing to admit this, but I even went back to the diner for dinner before I left. I wanted to go to White Hanna (also on triple D)for hamburgers, but my iPhone was in desperate need of charging and I needed it to find the turnpike. Plus it was the only other place I could find with the paper directions I printed out. If you look at the picture, you'll see that the hamburger places was tiny.

For round 2 I enjoyed the diner classic meatloaf. It was a very good meatloaf, but what blew me away was the portion size. For about $15 you get a salad, two side and FOUR slices of meatloaf. Needless to say I took some home as well as a couple of cannolis for Mr. Big and piece of chocolate mousse cake for me.

Eeeck, Eeeck, Eeeck

At 2 a.m. this morning we woke up to the horrific sounds of our fire alarm. Although, we are sleepy now, looking back you just have to laugh.

First, by pure instinct Chris gets up and starts pounding the smoke alarm presumably to the off button. Apparently, his first thought was I was cooking and somehow set off the alarm. In his defense, our smoke alarm goes off at the mere whiff of steam, so it is something we deal with during our waking hours.

Once I tell Chris it is not the smoke alarm and it’s the fire alarm, he instantly turns into serious Chris. He says something to the effect of, “OK. Make sure you are dressed to go outside, grab your things so we can immediately evacuate.” It was like a military order and carried such force, I actually did so (I actually checked very quickly the hall for smoke first) despite my slight inclination to just try and ignore the deafening sound and go back to sleep.

We evacuate along with many of our neighbors and unsafely just hang out in front of the building. There are a few smarter folk that cross the street and sit on that side, but it really just seemed like a lot of work.

Unceremoniously, the fire truck arrives a few minutes later. I am disappointed because I could have walked to the fire department and woken them up and gotten them to our building faster than whatever signal they got to respond. The fire department can’t be more than 500 yards away—we know because we hear them respond to many calls throughout the day.

Fortunately, there is no dramatic ending except for we all go back inside after the firemen turn off our alarm and try to go back to bed.

jersey shore

We spent the first week of August at the Jersey shore with my fam. We had been looking forward to the trip for a long time and it was nice to go to the beach for a week. My family used to go there fairly regularly, but we hadn't been in 12 years, so it had been a while.

Saturday we drove to Philadelphia and picked Matt up at the airport. We were then off for an obligatory cheesesteak - chose Ishkabibbles on South St - before driving down to Sea Isle City where we met up with my mom, dad, Glo, Justin, Jared, Tiffany, four year old Kylee, and not-quite-one-year-old Taylor (aka the 7am alarm clock). We were in a nice new house right on the beach. While there we also saw my aunt Sonnie, Brenda, and cousins Kim, Ron, Drew, Helen, Josh, and Peter from Philadelphia.

The water was a little chilly at first, apparently the water in southern New Jersey has been near record lows all year, but the weather was perfect. It made for several great days on the beach, including me and Kylee racing several times - her dad told her of my legendary speed and the wonderful races we used to have (I only pushed Kylee down once), trying but not having the patience to build sand castles, whooping my dad in body surfing - he had some excuse about not having championship level waves to work with, and Lelaine, Justin, and me trying and failing miserably to use a skim board.

One night we went up to Atlantic City and ate at Bobby Flay's steakhouse at the Borgata. It was one of the best steaks I have had and made better by winning $100 playing craps and blackjack later on at Caesar's. In fact, of the five gamblers, three of us - my dad, Justin, and me - won, with only Lelaine and my mom donating money to the casino.

Lelaine was happy to be able to eat seafood several times throughout the trip. One night my dad bought a bunch of crabs and clams and steamed them back at the ranch, which made Justin and Lelaine very happy. Lelaine spent the rest of the time wondering why, based on the number of restaurants, everyone from Philadelphia and NJ only eats hoagies, cheesesteaks, and pizza, finished off with ice cream. One day we drove down near Cape May to go to a buffalo wing establishment that my co-worker Jean, an expert on wings, thinks is the best place on earth. It was a good recommendation.

Another afternoon we went to the boardwalk in Ocean City and had pizza at Mac's. My brother and I loved going there when we were younger and it didn't disappoint. It was a greasy as I remember it and the crust fantastic. Kylee went on a few rides, including one with Unc (short for Uncle Jared) that scared the bejesus out of her. While in Ocean City Jared made a return visit to A La Mode, an ice cream place he went to every day for two weeks the last time we went to the shore.

One night my dad convinced Lelaine, Matt, Justin, Jared, and me to go to McNutly's, a bar a few blocks from our house, for what he claimed was a big Wii bowling tournament. Not sure if McNutly's gets a super early crowd or if it just reflects the state of nightlife in Sea Isle City, but there were about five other people in the bar and we were the only ones in the "tournament". My dad entertained everyone in attendance with his bowling prowess, complete with a leg kick in his follow-through. He somehow did pretty well, but not good enough to beat me.

On Saturday we got up and drove back to Philly. My dad gave most of the group a tour of the city, including the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Ben Franklin's grave, the Betsy Ross house, and the not-quite-as-famous Bigelow house where he grew up. Since we had seen that stuff a time or seven, Lelaine and I took Matt to Ikea to dine on sweedish meatballs and shop for furniture.

Saturday night we went to a Phillies game. Their team is playing great - currently in first place - and it was nice to go to a game in a nice new stadium with a sellout, something that doesn't occur outside of opening day for the Royals or Nats. My dad managed to score a suite behind home plate, complete with hot dogs, sliders, buffalo wing wontons, cheesesteak eggrolls, crabcakes, chicken kabobs, probably some other stuff I can't think of, and desserts. Kylee got her mom, dad, and grandmother to take her to a novelty stand. When they came back they looked like they had been Phillies fans for life, complete with a hats, tshirts, and even a Philly Phanatic doll. The Phillies won the game - I'm two for two at the stadium (went to a game there in 2006 the afternoon before a Pearl Jam show) so the team should hire me to go to their games.

Sunday morning everyone went to the airport and Lelaine and I went to a diner we had seen in Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. It was a great breakfast and way to end our trip, particularly the largest cream puff I have ever seen that I bought to snack on during the drive back down to DC.

This morning we woke up and went to work. The first morning back to work always reaffirms what a great time you had on vacation. Instead of waking up, seeing the whole fam, and strolling down to the beach, I walked to the metro and sat at my desk all day. We are already looking forward to a possible trip next year.

Here's the link to our Jersey shore pics on our flickr page.

i love that red meat

A recent trend in DC has been gourmet burgers. This trend = me happy. Here is a brief report on two relatively new spots.

A couple weeks ago we went to Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington. Ray's as in Ray's the Steaks and Ray's the Classics, my favorite steakhouses in the area. They opened the burger place in the same strip mall at RtS and I assume they get a lot of business from people who can't get in that night.

It was probably the best burger my mouth has gotten its lips around. I had mine blackened with several thick slices of aged Vermont cheddar and roasted garlic cooked to their recommended temperature, a warm red center. The patty was at least a half pound and when I had to go to the back to use their ATM (it was even a no fee ATM) I saw someone taking a giant tray of meet to the grinder. The only possible improvement on the burger would be to get a bigger bun. The bread is good, but the size and juiciness of the burger more or less obliterate the poor bun. The corn on the cob and watermelon that come with all meals were nice touches. As were the multiple options of bottled root beer a couple on draft along with frosty mugs.

Today I went to another new spot, Good Stuff on the hill. Good Stuff was recently opened by one of the finalists on a recent season of Top Chef. Spike is either naturally gifted in marketing or the Top Chef people gave him some pointers because there has been a lot of buzz. I tried to go the day it opened but there was a line down the sidewalk at least 30 people deep. A couple weeks ago I tried to go for dinner after being in the office a little later than normal but there was still a line down Penn Ave. at 9:30pm. Our friends Kellie and Isaac live a couple blocks away and managed to get in one day. They enjoyed their food but said the line was a gimmick - they allow few inside to make it look like the place is busier than it is - and it was costly. I concur.

The burger was cooked well, and by well I mean nice and pink on the inside. It wasn't too big - easily could have gone for a double - but not too small if you get fries. I went for the seasoned fries with rosemary and thyme, but unfortunately the only seasoning you could taste was pepper. Not bad, but not great. The highlight was the toasted marshmellow shake. Overall I liked the food, but not the $15 bill (I could eat about 30 PB&J's, my normal lunch, for that) or the slow service. I waited 10+ minutes just to order and there were only a couple people ahead of me when I was there around 3pm. Couldn't image how slow it would be at 1pm.

It is interesting to compare the two places since they are so different. RHB doesn't have any advertising, they don't even have a sign outside or a website, and they clearly didn't spend more than fifteen minutes decorating. The lines are supposedly always long, but they have people walking through the line to take your order and give it to the kitchen so that your food is almost ready by the time you pay. Everything other than the food seems like an afterthought for a chef who just wanted to give his steak customers a fast-food option and ended up opening the best burger joint around where $10 gets you more food than most can eat.

Granted I read an article that pretty much said this, but GS is clearly the first in what Spike or his investors hope is a very profitable franchise. They created hype by getting a sort-of-celebrity chef to open a place and making people line up outside to draw attention when the place is supposedly half empty on the inside. When you walk in there is giant picture of Spike with a story about his grandfather would serve burgers on was paper out on his patio. While it certainly might be true, the look of the place leads you to believe it was what the focus group advised they go with.

Don't get me wrong, GS is good, but I wouldn't say it tops Five Guys, the gold standard of DC-area burgers. While I will probably return to both, Spike should learn something from Michael Landrum.

Splish, Splash

A bit of scary weather tonight. There was a flash flood on our street. We saw garbage cans floating by and water above our sidewalk. Thankfully, it only lasted less than 10 minutes and all the cars and people walking by seemed to be traveling along safely. I knew I should have bought those wellies!