As a general rule, I try not to use this place to inflict my own personal joys upon the readership. But this coverage of a book about vinegar is just too much to pass up. Vinegar is near and dear to me. It is half of my favorite crisp flavor. It is the word my dear (English) grandmother thought she could make understandable to Germans by simply saying it louder (Grandma, I know it’s too late, but the word you’re looking for is “essig“.). And it’s the substance that occupies a sizeable percentage of my kitchen cabinets.
Month: November 2007 Page 2 of 3
| What: | Lawyers’ march for the rule of law in Pakistan |
| When: | 11:30 am, Wednesday, November 14 |
| Where: | Meet at Plaza of Madison Building of the Law Library of Congress
(101 Independence Avenue SE) before walking to the Supreme Court |
| Attire: | Black suit |
Photo courtesy orionoir.
Stopped by the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse tonight for the Lunafest. Hosted by Team Luna Chix DC, Lunafest is:
 a national traveling festival of films by . . . for . . . about women.
Lunafest runs from October-March, in that time it is shown by more than 100 venues nationwide and is seen by over 20,000 viewers, each ticket sold raises money for Breast Cancer Fund and local nonprofit organizations.
The films were pretty good, and the speaker (I really regret that I can’t recall her name) was more than inspiring. A breast-cancer survivor and Ironman veteran, she spoke about the causes and effects of breast cancer in a more frank way than I’ve ever heard anyone talk about it. I wish more people would have been there to hear it.
The concept of the Lunafest is really something. It is, essentially, a turnkey film festival fundraiser. Lunafest provides the centerpiece – 10 film shorts. You provide the venue and select the local charity to benefit. The Breast Cancer Fund and the local charity receive the proceeds. Luna (maker of Lunabars), of course, gets the credit for facilitating all of this (and, frankly, deserves it). I *really* like this idea.
Check out the calendar to see if Lunafest is coming your way (really, the films are great, and they’re *everywhere*). If you’re feeling motivated, consider hosting one.
Okay, $16 million! Nope, I see $20 million, from the lady in the bad hat! Do I hear $25 million? Anyone?
~
WashCycle (one of the most consistently informative of local cycling sites, btw) brings us up to date on the goings on at the last Bicycle Advisory Committee meeting.
~
A nicely done article on resources for fixing your broken gadgets.  A few years ago, I realized that the gadgets I already owned did what I needed them to (for the most part), and I stopped being the person with the newest whatever (much to the surprise of my friends, it seems.) Since many of these things appear to be built for a year or two of useful life, max, I’ve found myself using many of the listed resources. Check it out.
~
As we move through life, I think we mostly achieve or drop our dreams. Rarely do we find new ones. But I think I just did.
I found out about Mortified: Angst Written too late to go to last night’s show at H.R. 57. I only found out about it when listening to Kojo’s show, and by the time I got in front of a computer to order tickets, they were sold out.* Which is probably a good thing.
What am I talking about? I’m talking about Mortified, an ongoing performance piece which describes itself as:
a comic excavation of adolescent artifacts (journals, letters, poems, lyrics, home movies, stories and more) as shared by their original authors before total strangers.
Yes, people go through their old stuff from high school, pick out the most embarrassing of it, and are brave enough to get up on stage as adults reading their teenage words. If being at the show is anything like listening to the radio interview, it’s probably as painful as it sounds. In a good way. I think.
Anyway, they’re still touring. Check out the links, and consider hitting a show near you. It might not be for everyone, but I think some of us would really appreciate it (hi, Beth!).
*I rather unexpectedly ended up at Anthony Bourdain’s appearance. I’m somewhat appalled that I paid to go to what was essentially an extended book signing, but it was terribly entertaining.  C’mon, anyone who jokes about being able to “drop a charging Rachael Ray at 100 yards” is worth at least a few dollars. On the other side, I wanted at least 50 cents back for the lame-assed vegetarian jokes (there are much *much* better vegetarian jokes to be made).
House Democrats “narrowly managed to avert a bruising debate on a proposal to impeach Dick Cheney“.
Seriously? They passed up an opportunity to espouse the many reasons Dick Cheney has proven himself unfit for office?
Their ineptitude knows no bounds, it seems. I’ve got more respect for shady used car salesmen, at this point.
Here’s my way way out on a limb prediction – Arlington’s offices will all be filled with Democrats tomorrow.
Shocker.
Actually, the results will answer a few interesting (to me, anyway) questions –
1) In Arlington, we’ve got a pretty solid and decent liberal government in place. Which means that we can afford to experiment a bit. Will that result in more votes for the Republican (Mike McMenamin) or the Green Party guy (Josh Ruebner)?
2) What will be the extent of the undervote, if any, for Frank O’Leary?
3) Will Paul Ferguson crush Mark Kelly by an “ouch” margin, or will it go all the way to “daayum”?
You can learn about anything on the Internet.