Attack of the Killer Vegetables and Other Meat Mishaps

So. It’s done. 31 days as a vegetarian. I did not turn green. No plants sprouted from my head.

May Goal: Go vegetarian for 31 days. No meat. No eggs. No fish. No joke.

Result: Success.

I didn’t quite do it over 31 consecutive days. There were two ‘meat mishaps’ – if you will – but I did do two extra days as penance. I’ll explain.

Why did I do it?

Living in the USA, I have that luxury (#firstworldproblems). I know a few people who are vegetarian and even some vegans. I’ve had to organize workshops or conferences with food options that accommodate all preferences. I’ve traveled with (or overheard) people as they tried to navigate the cultural resistance or lack of comprehension with the not of eating meat. I was curious what it would be like. Simple as that.

What did I learn?

Lesson 1: Starting out you feel more tired than usual. It gets better but never really goes away (granted it was only one month).

Lesson 2: The vegetarian options at most restaurants are at best 10-15% of the whole menu. Aside from salads, this is often in the form of a veggie burger or a sandwich. Food trucks tend to have 4-7 main dish options and almost all trucks have at least 1-2 vegetarian dishes. A slightly better ratio than restaurants.

Lesson 3: I didn’t lose any weight, but I wasn’t trying to either. I ate with my usual voracity. If anything, I ate more just to sample different things.

Lesson 4: People would ask ‘Why are you doing this?’ Then their eyes glaze over and they say ‘Good luck with that.’ There’s a bit of dismissive and condescending attitude out there…

Lesson 5: I won’t stay vegetarian, but I can get on board with eating less meat. I don’t need meat every meal.

Lesson 6: Good vegetarian recipes abound. Yet, there is still something wrong with any dish that has pretensions of meat. I’m looking at you veggie sausages, veggie burger patties, seitan ribs and veggie meatloaf. Don’t do it.

Lesson 7: The only true temptation to slip off the lofty perch of vegetarianism is in a social setting where they keep bringing more and more appetizers to share – all with meat. All scents and enticements. Your only solace is to camp out by the lonely veggie tray and protect the cauliflower and slim carrot sticks from the circling buzzards not content with their meat fix. Outside of that, it’s easy to choose the veggie options from a menu.

Lesson 8: The first day I ate cake during our office’s weekly tea time. There were probably eggs in it. After that I didn’t worry too much about baked goods. I ate cake again. The spirit of the goal was not to eat omelets, balut or other eggs prepared in any multitude of ways. One egg in my cake? I’ll live.

Meat Mishap #1

For lunch around day 10, I ordered the veggie dish from an Ethiopian food truck (Fojol Bros of Benethiopia). When I got back to the office, I discovered they had given me beef! I was hungry, the food trucks were gone by then and I don’t waste food, especially meat. I ate it. End of story.

Meat Mishap #2

During the European Union Embassies’ Open House I went to the Czech Republic Embassy. I purchased the food and beer tasting. Someone handed me a bowl of goulash (guláš). I devoured it. Twenty minutes later I remembered I was trying to be vegetarian. Oh well.

Things I ate

• Veggie sandwiches (from Sidamo’s, Toscano and Taylor)
• Pizzas (four cheese and margherita)
• Grilled cheese sandwiches (mostly homemade)
• Quesadillas (mostly homemade)
• Veggie chili
• Veggie red curry
• Salads (mostly homemade)
• Veggies over rice Indian style
• Nut hemp burger, garlic kale, jerk eggplant, spinach sea relish and more (raw food)
• Hummus with pita chips
• Veggie ramen/veggie dumplings (Toki Underground) – Pause here and go get you some of this. Do it!
• Cook at home meals (Thai cuisine)

Khepra’s Raw Food

Indian veggies on rice

Brie and blackberry grilled cheese (I made this!)

Don’t veg out!

Mucho por Junio: Taco Binge

Since I spent the month of May avoiding meat, which included missing out on Cinco de Mayo tacos, and since there are a bevy of new Mexican restaurants opening on Capitol Hill*, I decided to make my random June goal all about meat. Well, more specifically whatever meat is inside a taco.

June Goal: Try as many different tacos as possible.

This means lots of Taco Tuesdays. Lots of Mexican restaurants. Lots of food trucks. And lots of home cooked tacos.

For the record, I’m not going to eat tacos every day.

Got any must try recommendations?

Let’s get a taco.

*New Capitol Hill Mexican restaurants: Sol Mexican Grill (open), Chupacabra Taqueria (open), District Taco on Penn Ave (open), Impala Cantina y Taqueria (coming soon) and Chicken Tortilla (coming soon).

Blogging Made Easy or Your Money Back

An odd thing happened at work. Someone thought my advice and experience in blogging was useful and should be shared with others. I, of course, was mortified.

Has anybody actually read my blog? I thought not.

It felt like when you wave to someone who’s calling out to you, only to realize too late they are talking to the person behind you. Embarrassing to say the least. So when I got the Skype message on my laptop with the request, I immediately looked behind me. Yet, no one was lurking, ready to be a real blogger.

Oh no. It’s me they want.

I immediately booked a flight to Timbuktu, Mali and chucked all my electronic devices. If they want me to say something, anything, they’re going to have to find me first!

Going incognito in Mali has its fashion drawbacks. Plus the camels are surly and it scorches to 118 Fahrenheit on a good day! (At least so in 2007 when I first went).

Mali fashion (circa 2007)

‘I don’t like bloggers, you.’

Who needs that. So I stayed.

Eventually I could not resist the technology temptation, so I dusted off the iPhone and placed the laptop back in its precarious position on my desk. After checking email and Facebook and Twitter and Yammer, I was out of excuses so I perused the Skype chats. The question remained.

‘Would I chat about my experience in blogging and give any tips to potential bloggers?’

I could just imagine all the real social media and blogging gurus tweeting and posting in consternation at the preposterous nature of such an undertaking!

That’s really what inspired me. Defying expectations. Taking the path less trodden.

So I deemed the request worthy of a ‘yes’. Woe to those standing in my path.

Sarcasm aside (never), here is a summary. Not likely to be that new or exciting. Use it. Abuse it. Muse it.

 

Tips for blogging

…know the reason you are writing.

…know who is likely to read it.

…define what you mean by ‘success’. This can change over time.

…have a schedule. Keep it.

…be persistent.

…be interesting. Or funny. Or provocative. If you are bored…so are we.

…let it fester before publishing.

…use ‘clever’ titles.

 

Some ‘clever’ titles (my most viewed posts)

1. Don’t Look Down and Other Reasons to Wet Your Pants
2. Blue Blazes, President Hoover, and a Skinny Dipping World Record
3. The Joy of Food Porn
4. Colombia in Pictures (sometimes not so clever works too…)

 

How to stay motivated?

Keep your goal in mind. (Did you achieve it? Can it change?)

Give encouragement to others. (One ounce of feedback is motivating.)

Sense of accomplishment. (From crafting something useful or interesting or funny.)

But no one reads my blog! No one leaves comments! I quit! (You can’t build a pyramid with only five stones – blog posts)

 

Where do you draw the line on what to share?

Remember the audience.

Not everything that happens (in your life) is interesting. (Your Mom isn’t the only one reading this. Hi Mom!)

Will it get you in trouble? Stir up some controversy? (If it is work related, does it match your corporate philosophy?)

 

Some pointed Q&A

Why are blogs important internal communication tools?

You can have a quicker production schedule (outside the formal communication channels currently available).

You can involve more people with minimal effort. One person can post and edit on behalf of many contributors or a team of people can post individually on topics in their area of expertise.

You can set the ‘tone’. Other formal communication pieces (like newsletters or an intranet news site) have their own editors and style.

 

What makes a good post?

It’s about something you care about.

It’s about something your readers care about.

It elicits a reaction and people share it. It’s provocative. It’s humorous. It’s poignant.

 

How can you get leaders to regularly post or contribute to a blog? Especially if they say no one reads it.

If a leader started a blog and no one reads it, has it had a chance to find interested readers? Has it been promoted or made known to those people? If yes, and still no one reads it, maybe it’s time to reconsider the purpose. Maybe they need to find a different way to communicate. Blogging is not the solution for everyone.

To get leaders to maintain or contribute to a blog, first you need someone who is already motivated to do it. If they are on the fence or regularly don’t have time, it will hard to maintain and they will give up quicker.

Second, give them a reasonable schedule. Like once a month. Maybe you could have one blog from multiple leaders, each providing a post once a month, but the net result is new posts coming weekly or more frequently.

Third, make it easier for them. For example, make their sole task to write a 300 word treatise on widgets. Then you do all the work of editing, adding photos or graphics, posting and promoting.

That’s all folks.

Your refund is in the mail.

 

Here is the presentation: Blogging Made Easy

I’d share the recording, but talk about boring!

Something Coachella This Way Comes

I stormed the second weekend of the 2013 Coachella Music and Arts Festival (Indio, CA) last April. They couldn’t contain me, but they sure did try.

Check this space for all available knowledge on this topic. During the three days of rays, desert heat attire, libations, wind turbines, epic tunes and the artfully weird, I managed to partake in 25 different concert sets. 17 of those were acts I saw for the first time.

Here is my complete run down, a list of ‘Highs’, ‘Lows’ and ‘Regrets’ and some photo bombs! Listen up!

Friday’s concerts

1. Poliçia (6 songs)
2. Stars (5 songs)
3. Metric (full set)
4. Of Monsters and Men (full set)
5. Palma Violets (5 songs)
6. Sparks (full set)
7. Beach House (3 songs)
8. Yeah Yeah Yeahs (full set)
9. Band of Horses (6 songs)
10. The Stone Roses (full set)
11. Foals (6 songs)
12. blur (8 songs)

Saturday’s concerts

1. Vintage Trouble (5 songs)
2. The Savages (full set)
3. Dropkick Murphy’s (full set)
4. Violent Femmes (full set)
5. The Make-Up (full set)
6. Hot Chip (full set)
7. The Postal Service (full set)
8. Franz Ferdinand (full set)
9. Phoenix (full set)

Sunday’s concerts

1. The Lumineers (8 songs)
2. Joris Voorn – DJ Set (2 songs)
3. Maya Jane Coles -DJ Set (2 songs)
4. Tame Impala (5 songs)
5. Vampire Weekend (full set)
6. OMD (full set)

Highs

• Metric, Phoenix, Of Monsters and Men, blur, Vampire Weekend, Hot Chip, Dropkick Murphy’s
• Strange art and exhibits. Notably the giant moving snail and a recycling T. Rex.
• Concertgoers were presented with a quaint speakeasy to wile away precious minutes out of the sun. It came complete with dueling pianos, Red Bull sponsorship, staff and bartenders dressed as if we were living in 1923, a wall screen displaying tweets from the twits using the #speakeasy hash tag (like me), and a password to get in (hint: Dances with Bulls).
• You could choose from three beer gardens. Two nestled the main stage – giving you ample opportunity to nurse your brew and vibe the music.

Lows

• Heineken and Red Bull took on the major sponsor duties. This meant Red Bull was plentiful (gross) and the ONLY BEER AVAILABLE WAS HEINEKEN!!! Sorry for shouting, but I’m still vexed by that.
• The giant snail went right up to the front of the stage before Of Monsters of Men and completely blocked the stage for half the crowd. Until it finally crawled away. Stupid snail.
• Concert fatigue. There is a point in a day, when you’ve had it with music. That happened a couple of times, but I endured.

Three acts I most wanted to see pre-Coachella

1. Metric
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3. Postal Service

Five acts to check out post-Coachella

1. Beach House
2. Savages
3. Tame Impala
4. Poliçia
5. Palma Violets

Pleasantly Surprised

• Hot Chip: I’ve seen them once before and I only like a few of their songs. It wasn’t a show I was targeting to see, but they were full of energy and really got the crowd dancing. More so than many other acts.
• Poliçia: I saw her at the Firefly Music Festival last year, but that show was nothing memorable. Glad I gave her a second chance. Playing in a smaller space and me being up close changed my perception. It also didn’t hurt she was the first act I saw at Coachella and had my full attention.

Slightly Disappointed

• Yeah Yeah Yeahs: I enjoyed their show, but I was lukewarm on the new songs (need to listen to the new album) and it didn’t ‘live up’ to my pre-show hype. Good. Not great.
• Band of Horses: I like a number of their songs. But never really had a sense of how they performed live. The lead singer was more like a goofy redneck trucker and didn’t endear me to their live show. They kept interrupting during one of my favorite songs by them (The Great Salt Lake), but my other favorite (Laredo) was spot on.
• The Stone Roses: They seemed bored. Like me. (Interestingly enough, all three of these shows happened consecutively early Friday evening…while the best shows I saw happened earlier that afternoon…is my attitude a factor?)

Regrets

• That I didn’t see Tegan and Sara as they played against blur.
• That I didn’t check out Sigur Rios as they played against Phoenix.
• That it took too long in the security line on Sunday (one too many intimate pat downs of the family jewels) so I missed Grimes.

Analysis

A good time. Lots of great bands and artists. Would I do it again? Yes. But given the expense, it would have to be another stellar line-up.

Photos

Welcome to Coachella

Map of the world

Power!

Signings

Poliçia

Recycling T-Rex

Vintage Trouble

Crazy snail

Metric

Heineken Dome

Get out of the way!

Of Monsters and Men

No drugs

Me! A twit, tweeting!

Main stage

Do Lab

Out

Reflections, Ruminations and Results

All you need to know - April was a success. Unfortunately for you, I never end my posts so abruptly or concisely.

April Goal: Do a bunch of random things in multiples of five.

Result: Success!

Things I committed to

1. Five hikes of over five miles - Yes I did!
2. Run five times over 5,555 feet – Yes I did!
3. Attend five concert sets of five songs or more – Yes I did!
4. Play in five sports games/matches (softball and volleyball) – Yes I did!
5. Watch five movies (In honor of Roger Ebert) – Yes I did!

Things I added

1. Unlock five Foursquare badges – Yes I did!
2. Drink five new beers – Yes I did!

Reflections

None at this time, thanks for asking.

Ruminations

I’m weird.

Results

Five hikes of over five miles – I did hikes of 5, 5, 13, 15 and 31 miles. Total = 5 hikes (69 miles)

Run five times over 5,555 feet – I ran 1.25, 1.50, 1.50, 2 and 1.50. Total = 5 runs (7.75 miles)

Attend five concert sets of five songs or more – Stay tuned for a full report on the Coachella Music and Arts Festival. Total = 25 concert sets

Play in five sports games/matches (softball and volleyball) – I played in three volleyball matches and three softball games. Total = 6 matches/games

Watch five movies (In honor of Roger Ebert) – I watched Red Dawn (2012), Swing Time, Girl Rising, Life of Pi and The Dark Knight Rises. Total = 5 movies

Unlock five new Foursquare badges – I unlocked the Fixer Upper, Schmear, AT&T Final Four Fanatic 2013, 4sqDay 2013 and Coachella 2013 badges. Total = 5 badges

Five new beers – I started using the app UNTAPPD to track beers I’ve tried. Total = 15 new beers

peace and merriment and to all a good night

Summer Movies and Other Excuses to Make Out in the Back Row

Summer is here! I wish you were beautiful.

Like clockwork, Entertainment Weekly sent me their annual ‘Summer Movie Preview’. It’s a good summer for science fiction. Special effects. Mayhem. Crude jokes. A new Star Trek movie. A new Superman movie. There will be lots of action, but little of that will happen in the back row of the theater. Let’s shine a light on all the hubbub.

Last year I saw 10/10 from my ‘yes’ list, 5/8 from my ‘maybe’ list and a mere 2/8 from my ‘no’ list (boredom on a plane…). So this year…

Make it so! (I will see)

1. Star Trek Into Darkness
2. Iron Man 3
3. Man of Steel
4. World War Z
5. Monsters University
6. The Wolverine
7. Elysium
8. The Internship

Engage. Warp 1. (I may see)

1. The Great Gatsby
2. The Hangover Part III
3. Now You See Me
4. The Heat
5. After Earth
6. The Lone Ranger
7. R.I.P.D
8. The World’s End
9. Kick-Ass 2
10. 2 Guns
11. This Is The End
12. Only God Forgives

Red Alert! Fire all phasers! (I won’t see)

1. Fast & Furious 6
2. White House Down
3. The Bling Ring
4. Grown Ups 2
5. The Smurfs 2
6. The Mortal Instruments
7. Austenland

Spit out those Jujubes and pucker up!

31 for May: Days Vegetarian

This month I decided to go a little crazy…and try being a vegetarian for a short stint. This is a good month, as I don’t have any international trips scheduled (with food temptation).

I often make things at home that don’t have meat, but I almost never order veggie at a restaurant. Should be interesting and even a bit challenging. I may end up just eating a lot of cereal.

May Goal = Go vegetarian for 31 days. No meat. No eggs. No fish. No joke.

Since this month is about food (or the lack of certain foods), I may try cooking more. Share any good vegetarian recipes you have. Now!

Stay nourished.

 

 

Random iPod Playlist: Coachella 2013

In honor of my recent trip to Indio, California for the 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, here is a random playlist from many of the bands and artists I saw.

Coachella Playlist

1. Nobody Told Me – Vintage Trouble
2. Last of the Summer Wine – Palma Violets
3. Heads Will Roll – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
4. Sick Muse – Metric
5. She Will – Savages
6. Lay Your Cards Out – Poliçia
7. Laredo – Band of Horses
8. Such Great Heights – The Postal Service
9. Don’t Tear Us Apart – Dropkick Murphy’s
10. Over and Over – Hot Chip
11. Gone Daddy Gone – Violent Femmes
12. No You Girls – Franz Ferdinand
13. Love Spreads – The Stone Roses
14. There’s No Other Way – blur
15. Mountain Sound – Of Monsters and Men
16. Stubborn Love – The Lumineers
17. Enola Gay – OMD
18. Elephant – Tame Impala
19. Fixed – Stars
20. Walcott – Vampire Weekend

Encore

1. 1901 – Phoenix

Five for April: Everything

Since I have a busy month coming up and lack any ability to focus on one thing at a time, my goal for April is in multiples of five.

This month I travel to Southern California for the Coachella Music Festival. I partake in the One Day Hike (50K hike). And spring volleyball and softball both start. Also, Major League Baseball is back. Go M’s! Go Nats!

Goal: Do a bunch of random things in multiples of five.

These are the goals in fives I’ll commit to:

1. Five hikes of over five miles (I can do it!)
2. Run five times over 5,555 feet (Oh boy…)
3. Attend five concert sets of five songs or more (Easy while at Coachella)
4. Play in five sports games/matches (Softball and volleyball)
5. Watch five movies (In honor of Roger Ebert)

There could be others…

Stay classy.

____

Results from March

Goal: Run or hike 109 miles in March.

Final stats:

• Hike = 101.15
• Run = 0

Total = 101.15

Result: Fail.

Observations:

• I didn’t reach the goal, but I was close.
• I successfully hiked a lot. With hikes of 10.5, 12 and 16 miles, I did a good number of long ones. I also did a number of 5 to 7 mile hikes.
• I broke in my new hiking boots and figured out what I would wear during the One Day Hike.
• I did not run even once. It’s like trying to floss again, it’s easy to skip.

peace

Shuttering This Blog Due To Egregious Plagiarism

Dear Readers

I have a confession to make. My last post was pure plagiarism. At best I added a word here or there but otherwise I copied it word for word from the comments of hardworking spambots trying to get ahead in this world. I stole their hard work and made it my own, reaping almost $0 and two extra clicks to my blog. Spambots everywhere have already expressed their outrage to millions of innocent bloggers. Servers have already begun to crash in the Republic of Elbonia.

From a moral standpoint, I’m not sure I can be forgiven. But that’s neither here nor there. The Arbiters of Plagiarism, Rights, Information and Libel* and the Fellows for Online Orthodoxy and Legitimacy**  have found me out and are putting in place the initial steps to close A Random Journey down. Forever.

This may be my last post, depending on how cooperative I am in the process.

To my six readers: thank you for your clicks and your seventeen seconds of attention each year. You will be missed.

It’s been random. Be well.

Editor, A Random Journey

—–

P.S. I won’t go quietly.

—–

* The Arbiters of Plagiarism, Rights, Information and Libel (APRIL) are a non-profit pyramid scheme.

** The Fellows for Online Orthodoxy and Legitimacy (FOOL) are currently accepting applications.

To Finally Thank You For More Pleasurable Instances With Regard To This Condition

Dear Spambot

Thank you for your 62,000 thoughtfully composed and helpful comments to my blog. Great stuff.

I was very happy to find you last comment. I had intended to compose you that very small observation to finally thank you very much again for those extraordinary comments you have featured at this time. It was so pretty generous with spambots like you to grant publicly all that most of us could possibly have offered for sale for an e book in making some profit on their own, particularly seeing that you might have done it if you ever wanted.

Those ideas as well acted as the easy way to recognize that someone else have the same desire similar to my personal own to find out many more with regard to this condition. I believe there are some more pleasurable instances in the future for many who give comments.

I wanted to thanks for your time for this wonderful comment!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you weblog comment.

Up Yours Truly

Editor, A Random Journey

Shocking Statistics and Other Reasons to Hide Under the Bed

The crack Kuma Consulting firm is hard at work again. To crank out relevant facts and knowledge nuggets about me and position them into random and potentially meaningless statistics. Designed to give me a 1.4 second endorphin rush to the brain as a reward for reaching a certain age.

Statistic #1: My age has improved over time, and has now reached the 40 digit mark as of March 18.

Statistic #2: That equals 14,600 days, 350,400 hours, 21,024,000 minutes and a Shamrock Shake.

Statistic #3: 14 of those years were as a Russian spy hiding in your midst. It seems strange to reveal that here, but I haven’t been paid (in vodka) in years, so it’s kind of their fault.

Statistic #4: 32 of those minutes were Googled for Stats #2 and #3. 31 of those were lingered on other famous Russian spies (Maria Sharapova and Catherine the Great, to name but a few).

Statistic #5: 3,607 of those days were enjoyed with a specific wiener dog jumping on my lap or licking my face.

Statistic #6: 511 of those days were traveled in random countries (that are not the USA).

Statistic #7: 38,000 (roughly) of those hours were worked for the man.

Statistic #8: 47,127 emails exist in my work account.

Statistic #9: 116,800 (roughly) of those hours were slept.

Statistic #10: 29 of those years were lived in Washington State. 9 in Washington, D.C.. 2 in California.

Statistic #11: 3 of those minutes since I last checked Facebook.

Statistic #12: 6 of those years were blogged about.

Statistic #13: 88 people have stooped to following my antics on Twitter. 49 have followed this blog on WordPress.*

Statistic #14: 44 of those minutes were wasted trying to get Kuma Consulting to crunch numbers faster to write this post.

Statistic #15: 14 statistics preceded this one.

Happy birthday! To me!

*You followers are awesome. Don’t prove me wrong.

Green With Envy

Today’s post is brought to you by the color green. And the letter G. And the Irish. And other random things.

It’s St. Patrick’s Day. Inspiration has hit me in the form of green. Okay, okay, inspiration didn’t hit me, but I’m still going to post a random selection of photos.

Green Crown – London

Green Noodles – Bangkok

Green Kayak – California

Green Roll – Klamath River

Green Park – Northampton, UK

Green Lizard – Bangkok

Green Dragon – Northampton, UK

Green Rice – Philippines

Green Candy

Green Trail – Virginia

Green Waffle – Bangkok

Green Bonzai Tree – DC

Green Warning – England

Green Japanese Garden – San Francisco

I do not like green eggs and ham. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

The Best Non-Required Christmas Letter 2012 (Robust Edition)

Happy Holidays. I hope you had a (insert hyperbole here) year. Wait, you say, isn’t the time to give season greetings past?!?! It’s well into 2013 and we have better things to do.

To that I say, this letter has been strategically timed to arrive at the exact moment you least want it but most need it. This has nothing to do with procrastination nor laziness on my part. All part of the plan. Enough pleasantries.

Seven years ago (2006) the first Christmas letter snuck under your tree (mistletoe?) and regaled all that would listen with a smug, self-centered yet snarky update of my year. The holiday greeting card equivalent of fruitcake. No one wants it, but everyone keeps looking at it wondering who will be the first to take a bite. The subsequent four years didn’t get any better. If anything, I baked a fruitier cake with each passing year. Last year I took a sabbatical (approved word for lazy). This year will be different. It has to be. Fruitcake goes bad eventually.

Let’s journey together and reminisce about (a robust) 2012. I alphabetized this letter so it would be easier to skip ahead to letter Z and get back to your regularly scheduled program. I added some color to make the blurbs more festive. They need it.

Arch - As in the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. I attended an extravagant wedding in Biehle, Missouri (1-1/2 hours south of St. Louis). The wedding combined both Catholic and Hindu traditions into one unique (but long!) ceremony. Then a bottomless bar and food at the family ‘house’ (with two lakes, woods, a tree fort, a tractor museum, a train for kids and a ‘gazebo’ – read: small house overlooking a lake) made for a fine reception. Oh and I did go to the top of the Gateway Arch on the way to the airport.

Bangkok - I keep finding myself here. What to do? Ascend to the rooftop bars and restaurants (Sirocco, Above 11, Long Table and more) for breathtaking city views, food and drink? Okay. Cruise on the Chao Praya river, gliding past Wat Arun, the Grand Palace and more temples while feasting buffet-style, snapping blurry photos and dancing? Check. A foot massage? Why not. Eat the delicious and spicy food – whether on the street or in a restaurant? Yeah. Hit the Chatuchak Weekend Market and get lost among the 5,000 stalls and shops? Sure. Try a VIP movie experience of Argo? You’re welcome, Ben. Hoist pints of Singha and Chang beers? Done. And done.

Cabins - A cabin needs a name. I gravitated to an assortment of cabins this year. Whether it overlooked the Columbia River Gorge (The Cabin in Mosier), or nestled two miles into the woods of Northern Virginia (Myron Glaser Cabin), or was replete with Christmas tree and decorations only minutes drive from Washington’s White Pass Ski Resort (Mountain Mist Chalet), or kept the Northern California summer nights and frogs at bay (Manzanita Cabin), I was there.

Derecho – Like a low blow to the groin, the storm known as a derecho hit Washington, D.C. in June with furious determination. Not even Hurricane Sandy matched its destructive force (I speak only of DC). Crazy winds. Downed trees. Crushed cars. Flying trash cans. That type of day.

Extra Innings - For those in the know (by now…maybe you?), I am questing to see a baseball game in every Major League ballpark. Marlins Park (Miami), Citi Field (New York), O.2 Coliseum (Oakland) and AT&T Park (San Francisco) all claimed my cash and attention this year. Only nine stadiums left.

Firefly – Dover, Delaware gave us the first annual Firefly Music Festival in July. With headliners like Jack White, The Killers and The Black Keys, this had a fierce cacophony of rock and roll that a seven nation army couldn’t hold back. Three days of bands, beer, food and camping. And after a short respite to the beach to re-charge, more bands and beer.

Goals (Random) - I was bored one day. Hard to imagine, but so. I concocted a plan to do a new ‘random goal’ each month. I went 5-2 (success/failure) in the seven months I did it. Then the ideas dried up and I woke as if from a dream…with a tattoo of a wiener dog on my ankle. Or was that just a real wiener dog nosing my ankle to go outside and stop messing around? See the Goals.

Halloumi - Enter any restaurant in Cyprus and chances are you will find fried cheese (halloumi) on the menu. Order it. That’s the best advice I can give you. Besides gorging on cheese, I explored the beaches of Larnaca and Limassol and wandered the city of Nicosia with the help of a local. I avoided crossing into the Turkish side of the country because I feared there would be no halloumi.

Infiltrator - Let’s call my sister an ‘infiltrator’ after visiting DC for the first time in May. I made her ride the Capital Bikeshare bikes all over the city and tag along to two softball games. We visited many places and other things happened. It ended well. She survived to tell the tale. I hope.

Jazz (All That) – A weekend in New York should include a baseball game, a jazz concert, more live music, bar crawling, and a wander about to see such sights as the Empire State Building, the new 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero, and Central Park. Also, don’t forget to meander the warrens and streets of Chelsea, Brooklyn, SoHo and Midtown. Eat as much as possible. Maybe some Italian? Or Korean? Or Thai? Doesn’t matter, just eat it and enjoy.

Kayaking - For one week I learned how to white water kayak (in the middle of nowhere Northern California). Our river time was on the Klamath River, but the Otter Bar Lodge Kayak School rested next to the Salmon River. After a long day on the river, there was time to snorkel with the grown and fingerling salmon, cliff jump from dizzying heights, eat amazing food, imbibe homemade margaritas and play Settlers of Catan. Then back on the water. No time to rest.

Lists – Every year I make a bunch of lists to commemorate my best in movies, books, sports and music. They are popular with the ‘me’ set. You can read them too, but it’s better if you just get this letter over and do something fun.

Miami - I hopped down to South Beach in Miami for a weekend. Mission: See a baseball game in the Marlins’ new stadium, eat lots of Cuban food and generally make a nuisance of myself. What happens in South Beach, stays in Vegas…oops, that’s not right…let’s just say, I succeeded.

No more! - Is this never-ending Christmas letter finished yet? Nope. Twelve letters in the alphabet to go…brace yourself.

One Day Hike – A minor hike done in a single day. Okay, it’s actually 50 kilometers (or 31.1 miles), but who’s complaining? I finished this mostly flat trek in just over 9 hours. Intact. Yet not without pain.

Paris (Gay) - Cue traditional French music…opening scene: an American (me) climbing the Eiffel Tower. Wandering aimlessly in the maze that is the Louvre. Walking about the city, capturing photographic evidence of the Arc de Triomphe and other famous landmarks. Floating gracefully down the Seine river (boat included).  Nibbling $4 macaroons and chewing cheese and butter baguettes. Taking in the bustle and toy sailboats of the Jardin de Luxembourg. Closing scene: a bewildered American in a wine and cheese infused stupor, slumped at a sidewalk café, never to leave. Music fades…

Quad biking - My work has a hard time avoiding the Lukenya Getaway for meetings. It’s secluded, and far outside of the city limits of Nairobi, Kenya. There are actual wild animals roaming around – giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, gazelles and more – that you can see as you jog or walk down the dirt roads nearby. One day we took some quad bikes for a spin in the bush. At least one person (not me) crashed into a tree…

Running - My favorite use of running is to escape a mother bear protecting its cub. My second favorite use is to not run at all. Sadly, I didn’t get to use it for either purpose this year. I did run the Semper Fi 5K and a number of other 5Ks on my own. I also tried running more in general (to my chagrin), often running along the National Mall to the Lincoln Memorial. The beauty of the Mall at night makes it hard to complain. But I will.

Sommelier - I had quite a time gallivanting about for tastings and tours at wineries in California, Washington and Oregon. I toured Napa Valley for the first time, hitting such wineries as: Rutherford Ranch Winery, V. Sattui Winery, Franciscan Oakville Estates and Andretti Winery before hopping on the ferry back to San Francisco. I also hit a few wineries in Washington state near Leavenworth: Wedge Mountain Winery, Cascadia Winery and Icicle Ridge Winery.

Tea (Improper) - In England, I improperly raised my pinky finger while drinking a spot of tea. The Brits gave me a wide berth. Yet when I wasn’t drinking tea, I jaunted about London just before the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee (celebrating 60 years as the Queen!) started. I also spent some time in the (robust) towns of Northampton and Woking, enjoying such places as the Racecourse and the War of the Worlds statue.

UDub (Alumni) - I played three sports with our University of Washington Alumni – DC chapter in the Capital Alumni Network (CAN). Flag football, volleyball and softball. Our flag football team did well, advancing to the third round of the playoffs. Our volleyball team did okay but with our softball team – let’s just say, we had fun. I was also voted to be the ‘Sports Chair’ on our DC Alumni chapter board. We also played volleyball during spring, summer AND fall with the Metro Sports League. I did not receive any varsity letters…sniff.

Victory (Sweet) - The Seattle Seahawks had quite a year. For the first time since I moved to Washington, D.C., I was able to attend more than one game. I saw three games at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. They won all three, including a terrific beat down of the eventual Super Bowl losers, San Francisco 49ers (42-13). I left hoarse, while riding my high horse. 

Whirlyball - A weekend trip to Toronto to honor the dearly departed from bachelorhood (also known as a stag party in Canadian parlance) saw four rousing rounds of whirlyball (like lacrosse but on bumper cars – look it up), Japanese izakaya and a jovial amount of adult beverages. Back to whirlyball…my team won all four rounds!

Xenophile – I travel a fair bit (if you skipped to end of this letter, just take my word for it) and mostly I enjoy it. Here are some stats from 2012: Countries visited = 6. US states visited = 9. Flight segments =35. Airports =21. Time away from home – 2-1/2 months (roughly). Cavity searches = 0.

Yosemite – Car camping is all the rage. Just don’t do it in Yosemite National Park. The Park Rangers will find you. And shine the bright light of reality in your face. And then boot you from the park. After spending a night in my car (outside the park), I persisted the next morning and hiked the High Sierra Loop Trail, where I took magical photos of Vernal and Nevada falls, as well as Half Dome, Liberty Cap and anything else that got in my way. Magical in the robustest sense of the word. 

Zymurgy – I don’t always drink beer, but when I do I prefer…wait a second…I do always drink beer! Except when at a winery. Or in Paris. This year I enjoyed many types of beer at many places. For example, at the first Living Social Beer Fest in DC. All you can drink in three hours from twenty-five breweries (each offering 2-3 selections). I also visited the following breweries: Deschutes (OR), Lost Coast (CA), 21st Amendment (CA), Triple Rock (CA) and Magnolia (CA). Burp.

End transmission.

Bonus: My Favorite Blog Posts of the Year (so you can re-read them, of course)

1. Paris in Photos and Other Moveable Feasts 
2. Yosemite National Park Survival Tips
3. Keep on Food Truckin’
4. 25 for May: Firsts (In Hindsight)
5. D.C., Which Photographs Well
6. Reflections, and Other Reasons Mom Washed Out My Mouth With Soap

109 for March: Miles Hiking and Running

I need to start training for the 50 kilometer One Day Hike (April 27) and the five kilometer Semper Fi race (May 18), so what better incentive then to give myself a goal for March? And make it public, so I can’t ignore it?

March Goal = Run and hike 109 total miles in 31 days.

That works out to about 3.5 miles per day, though I will need to do a range of long hikes to build up to 31.1 miles. I also need to break in my new, lighter hiking boots and cross-trainers.

It’s been awhile since I ran, so that will be loads of fun.

Get off the couch!

Five Random Quotes: There’s No Crying In Baseball

‘There are only two seasons – winter and Baseball.’ – Bill Veeck

The baseball/softball season is just around the corner! Let’s get off to a good start this year with some baseball themed quotes:

‘Baseball was, is and always will be to me the best game in the world.’ – Babe Ruth

‘Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday’s success or put its failures behind and start over again. That’s the way life is, with a new game every day, and that’s the way baseball is.’ – Bob Feller

‘I’ve never questioned the integrity of an umpire. Their eyesight, yes.’ -  Leo Durocher

‘Hating the New York Yankees is as American as apple pie, unwed mothers and cheating on your income tax.’ - Mike Royko

 

‘A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.’ - Earl Wilson

 

Bonus for Mariners fans!

 

‘Get out the rye bread and mustard grandma, cause it’s GRAND SALAMI TIME!’ – Dave Neihaus (RIP)

peace

 

‘It ain’t over ’til it’s over.’ -  Yogi Berra

 

But this post is.

Is That An Oscar In Your Pants…

I got 6 out of 11 picks correct! Better than below average!

…or are you just ready for Sunday, February 24th? Featuring the 85th Annual Academy Awards ceremony hosted by Seth MacFarlane, of course! Expect nothing. Give everything.

I’m here to boldly predict the winners. In less than half the categories. That’s all I can handle.

Yet, if I prove 100% accurate, I deserve my statue in the US Capitol Building. Well, at least a burning effigy in the parking lot.

Best Picture – I saw five of these movies. Therefore, I know the result.

• Amour
• Argo (Actual Winner)
• Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Django Unchained
• Les Misérables
• Life of Pi
• Lincoln (Winner!)
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Zero Dark Thirty

 

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Mr. President, take a bow.

• Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)
• Denzel Washington (Flight)
• Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
• Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables)
• Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) (Winner!)

 

Best Actor in a Supporting Role – The irascible one shall prevail.

• Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln) (Winner!)
• Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
• Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook)
• Alan Arkin (Argo)
• Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) (Actual Winner)

 

Best Actress in a Leading Role – Not the Hunger Games! Or Lincoln for a change!

• Naomi Watts (The Impossible)
• Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
• Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
• Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) (Winner!)
• Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

 

Best Actress in a Supporting Role – I dreamed a dream. And it was all about Anne Hathaway.

• Amy Adams (The Master)
• Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)
• Helen Hunt (The Sessions)
• Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables) (Winner!)
• Sally Field (Lincoln)

 

Adapted Screenplay – ‘Argo f*** yourself!’ Argo wins because Ben Affeck doesn’t!

• Argo (Chris Terrio) (Winner!)
• Silver Linings Playbook (David O. Russell)
• Lincoln (Tony Kushner)
• Life of Pi (David Magee)
• Beasts of the Southern Wild (Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin)

 

Original Screenplay – Something tells me I don’t know what I’m doing, so let me pick…

• Amour (Michael Haneke) (Winner!)
• Zero Dark Thirty (Mark Boal)
• Moonrise Kingdom (Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola)
• Flight (John Gatins)
• Django Unchained (Quentin Tarantino) (Actual Winner)

Best Animated Feature Film – Going against my programming, sorry Pixar.

• Brave (Actual Winner)
• Wreck-It Ralph (Winner!)
• The Pirates! Band of Misfits
• ParaNorman
• Frankenweenie

 

Best Director - Four score and seven years ago…Ben Affleck wasn’t nominated.

• Michael Haneke (Amour)
• David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)
• Steven Spielberg (Lincoln) (Winner!)
• Ang Lee (Life of Pi) (Actual Winner)
• Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

Cinematogaphy – Tiger blood and being lost at sea – and no Charlie Sheen? Winning!

• Anna Karenina
• Skyfall
• Lincoln
• Life of Pi (Winner!)
• Django Unchained

Best Foreign Language Film - When you’re nominated for Best Picture and don’t win, you win this.

• Amour (Austria) (Winner!)
• War Witch (Canada)
• A Royal Affair (Denmark)
• No (Chile)
• Kon-Tiki (Norway)

Stay shaken, not stirred.

What Is Disappointment?

Biting into a fresh chocolate chip cookie, only to realize it’s oatmeal raisin.

Being a Seattle sports fan.

A forecast of 3-4 inches of snow and school closure, then peeking out the frosty morning window to a scant dusting of snow.

Warm beer.

Over planning every minute of a trip. (To wit, often the best parts are the surprises.)

The middle seat on an international flight.

When the computer warns of an automatic restart in five minutes with 10 minutes left of the Homeland episode.

Not getting any new notifications on Facebook.

The fate of Omar Little in The Wire.

Missing out on something because you are out-of-town.

Someone switching off the song you really want to hear.

Heavy rain when all you want is a walk.

A full plate of brussels sprouts.

Airline food packaged in a white box. Contents – a napkin, a packet of mustard and a bloated bag of mostly air potato chips.

Reaching the end of this post.

Just a box of potato chips!

Ready, Set, 50 Kilometers!

Last April I trekked (trudged?) my way through the One Day Hike (ODH) on the C & O Canal Towpath. It comes in two forms. Either 100 kilometers (62.2 miles) or a more respectable 50 kilometers (31.1 miles). I choose the latter.

The 2013 One Day Hike takes place on Saturday, April 27. Registration begins on February 1.

I’m game for round two. I’ll stick with the 50 kilometer hike, thank you very much.

Who wants to hike 31.1 miles with me?

Let’s spy on last year’s ODH. Step gingerly if you blister easily.

Hiking 31.1 miles in one day - You can’t just decide to hike that far on a whim. You need to have ‘trained’ by hiking long distances. The furthest I hiked in preparation was 16 miles. Despite that, the biggest issues are not stamina. I could have gone further. One issue is using the same motion and muscles repeatedly for hours on end. The terrain is flat, so there is no variation for going uphill or downhill. It leads to cramps and aches and protesting muscles not happy with the extra abuse. If you don’t train those muscles to accept that wear and tear, you won’t make it. Another issue is things rubbing together (like clothes to skin). Let’s just say there were some interestingly raw areas on my body. And painful for days afterwards. I’ve heard worse stories from the 62.2 mile hike. Things only your proctologist should know about.

The trail – You start at White’s Ferry (for the 50K) and follow the C & O Canal Towpath all the way up to Harper’s Ferry. Then you keep going. Hike through the town and go uphill for the last 1-1/2 miles (truly brutal). It ends at the Bolivar Community Center. After eating the food prepared by volunteers, we returned to Harper’s Ferry (hitched a ride) and stayed at a hostel for the night.

Volunteers - ODH is a well-organized and well-oiled event. There are tons of helpful volunteers, some that have contributed from the beginning (the first 100K was in 1974). The volunteers help you register, they hand out trail snacks (yummy) or water, make sandwiches and soup, provide first aid, care for blisters (yes), patrol the trail looking for people who are hurting or in need of water, record when you arrive and leave the rest stations (they track your total time and ranking), make chili and other foodstuffs for the end of the hike meal, and much more! Thanks volunteers, you are awesome.

Rest stations - There were four rest stations peppered along the trail (roughly 6-7 miles apart). Each station had different snack, food and water options. The first station had sandwiches. Another one had coffee and soup. There were chairs for relaxing. Portable johns nearby. Each one also had a first aid tent, including someone there to manage your foot blister situation. I didn’t get any blisters, but I did use some preventive moleskin on key foot hotspots. Talk about roughing it!

My time – It’s not a race, but it’s nice to see your pace and time at the end. Start time was 10:00am. I finished at 8:25pm. Take out over an hour spent at the different rest stations, and it took me around 9 hours.

Photos

One Day You Could Be Hiking

Let’s Begin

Only 29 miles to go…

Rest station with volunteers

Rest Station

Find the path

A hostel bed to pass out in

11 Best Movies of 2012 (and 5 worst)

I saw 62 movies in 2012. Woo me.

Not all of them were released in 2012. Including many on this list.

Here’s a look at the best movies I saw. And worst. Woo you.

Best

11. 21 Jump Street – I expected it to be bad. I was pleasantly surprised. Certainly among the best adaptations of a TV show in recent years. Look for the cameo near the end.

10. Warrior – Not as good as The Fighter, which got more attention, but a well done flick about brothers getting a second chance. Watch it.

9. A Separation – Last year’s Best Foreign Language film winner from Iran is about how small mistakes turn life on its head.

8. Moneyball – Except the part about where the Oakland A’s overtake the Seattle Mariners in the Major League Baseball standings in 2002, this is a gripping look at how Billy Bean’s (Brad Pitt) A’s managed to make the playoffs with no money and little big name talent. As a Mariners fan, this was a frustrating season. As a baseball fan, you will enjoy this insider look at the game.

7. Skyfall – 007′s return to form after a long delay and a poor entry in The Quantum of Solace. This looks back on where Bond grew-up, briefly, and gives Javier Bardem a chance to bring the ‘Bond villain’ back after a few forgettable ones. It also serves as a house cleaning to allow fresh blood to come in and take over key roles in future films. Oh and there is Bond humor!

6. Django Unchained – Brutal. Quentin Tarantino really packs in the brutality of slavery and the violence of bounty hunting. Although the movie is a bit long, I enjoyed the interplay between Jamie Foxx’s newly freed slave and Christoph Waltz’s bounty hunter. And then there is Leonardo DiCaprio’s slaver/plantation owner. Ruthless and sadistic.

5. Drive – Ryan Gosling drives a car and gets chased. Sleek.

4. The Dark Knight Rises – Not as good as The Dark Knight but nearly as tense and thrilling.

3. Argo – Ben Affleck’s take on how six Americans escaped from Iran after militants overran the Embassy and took hostages is harrowing, funny, suspenseful and true. He should get an Oscar nod for directing and the movie will be on the Best Picture list. Neither will win (see #1).

2. The Artist – Last year’s Oscar winner for Best Picture, this pays homage to the silent area of movies and is worth your time. The dog! The radiant laugh of Bérénice Bejo! Jean Dujardin!

1. Lincoln – Yes. Only an upset of epic proportions would prevent Daniel Day-Lewis from winning the Oscar for Best Actor and Lincoln from winning Best Picture. Steven Spielberg has a strong chance to win Best Director, but I think Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty may also pull out a win.

Worst

5. Rock of Ages – I usually like Tom Cruise. Not this time. I saw the musical in London. It was fine for nostalgia’s sake, but skip the movie entirely and go straight to the soundtrack.

4. The Dictator – All the unfunny parts were in the trailer. I did watch on a plane…hoping anything funny would happen as I whilst away the hours. Anything at all. Non-Spoiler Alert: Nada.

3. John Carter – Hahahahahahahaha. Nice try Disney. Go back to making sequels of The Love Bug and leave poor Taylor Kitsch alone.

2. Nashville – How this hot mess got on AFI’s Top 100 Greatest Movies will forever remain a mystery. So tedious, I almost painted the ceiling so I could stop counting tiles and watch it dry instead. Let me reiterate. If you want your kids to behave, threaten them with this. Instant angels. I guarantee it.

1. The Tree of Life – If there is ever a case for not watching another movie ever, this is it. I. Do. Not. Like. This. Jeremy. I. Am.

Get a life! Save a tree!

Bold Predictions for 2013

In 2013, I predict that I will…

…go river rafting. It’s been awhile.

…read four ‘classic novels’. You know War and Peace and the like.

…turn a certain age.

…play some tennis.

…run in two races. Like a 5K, 8K or other.

…go to three new major league baseball stadiums. Thinking of Boston and Pittsburgh to start.

…visit a new state (not the state of denial, but one of those US States) and a new country.

…explore Washington, D.C. more. Even though I’ve seen a lot, there is always something new to discover.

…publish more blog posts than last year (45 is the number to reach).

…do something crazy.

________________

Let’s look at how I fared from my 2012 list:

Success rate: 7/11

…go skydiving. Groupon cancelled the reservations…and still hasn’t given a refund. Stupid. I didn’t go.

…cook more. If this means more tacos…yes! Otherwise, fail.

…go to five new major league baseball stadiums. I went to four new stadiums! I’ll call that success.

…go hiking at least 10 times. Yes, including a 31.1 mile beast hike.

…watch The Wire (TV show). I finished the first four seasons and started the fifth and final season. That is success. BTW – Great show. Watch it.

…explore more (like visit a new country or National Park). Yes, I explored a lot. I went to France for the first time and Yosemite National Park for the first time.

…write more. Push. I wrote. Can’t say it was significantly ‘more’…

…go kayaking. Yes, I did a week-long kayaking class on the Klamath River in California.

…finish watching the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Movies. Fail. I had nine left to watch…and only watched three. The remaining movies aren’t that appealing. BTW – Nashville is terrible.

…play volleyball. Indeed. Extra success. I played four seasons (Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall). Our Summer team won the Summer Rec Championship in the Metro Sports League.

…witness the end of the world (the Mayan 2012 version). Yes. Since it was never a thing, I witnessed exactly what should have happened. Nothing.

2012: A Sport By Any Other Name Would Not Smell As Sweaty

Welcome to a round-up of my favorite sports teams.

I rank the success of each team’s season and how many shots I needed to survive the ups and downs. At the end I also include teams that I played on this year.

Seattle Mariners (ML B – baseball)

The Mariners finished 75-87. Better than last year, but still not good. The only really noteworthy news was the trade of Ichiro Suzuki to the New York Yankees. I’m bummed (especially since it’s the hated Yankees) but hopefully he’s happy and can be productive at the end of his career. At a Mariners-Orioles game in Baltimore, I scrambled for a Dustin Ackley foul ball. First ball I’ve ever got at a game!

Success Indicator: 4/10. Whiskey shots: 3

Seattle Seahawks (NFL – football)

After some strange losses (and a controversial win against Green Bay) early in the season, the Seahawks have found their stride. They’ve rattled off 5 consecutive wins. They outscored their opponents 150-30 in three consecutive games. Second best in the history of the NFL. They are 11-5 and the #5 seed in the playoffs with good momentum. With the emergence of Russell Wilson as the starting quarterback (and maybe Rookie of Year?) and one of the best defenses, it looks like an exciting playoff run is in store. I also got to attend three games in Seattle, including the 42-13 schellacking of the 49ers.

Success Indicator: 8/10. (10 if they win the Super Bowl) Whiskey shots: 0

University of Washington Huskies (College football)

The Huskies treaded water this year. They had a couple good upset victories (Stanford and Oregon St.) but also had some serious head scratching losses (blown-out by Arizona and an overtime loss to WSU, among others). They lost to the teams they should have, but got crushed. With a 7-5 regular season, they got a bid to the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl against Boise St. Not the best bowl, but better than nothing. It was a close game, but the referees gifted the Broncos a first down and Boise St. won 28-26 on a field goal at the end. Then as usual, Keith Price threw a terrible interception to seal the win for Boise St. Overall, a disappointing season.

Success Indicator: 6/10. Whiskey shots: 4 (1 for the season and 3 for Couging it against the WSU Cougers.)

Seattle Sounders FC (MLS – soccer)

The Sounders were among the best teams in the league this season. They finished 15-8-11 (56 points). They went to their fourth consecutive US Open Cup tournament final, but lost on penalty kicks to Sporting Kansas City. They won their first playoff series (home and away games) in the MLS (1-0 aggregate goals against Real Salt Lake) but then lost 2-4 aggregate to the eventual champions, Los Angeles Galaxy. Finally, they kicked butt in the CONCACAF Champions League tournament. They finished the group stage at 4-0 (12 points) and moved on to the eight team knock-out stage, which starts again in March 2013. Go Sounders!

Success Indicator: 8/10. Whiskey shots: 2 (for losing to the LA Galaxy)

 

Other teams I follow:

Washington Nationals (MLB – baseball)

The Nationals were amazing this year (98-64). Best season ever and a playoff berth. But they lost the most crushing, crappy game in history…Game 5 of the NL Division Series against St. Louis Cardinals. Drew Storen gave up 4 runs in the top of the 9th and the Nats fall 9-7 (St. Louis wins series 3-2). Worst. Baseball. Game. Ever. Stephen Strasburg was amazing in 2012. Bryce Harper was great in his MLB debut. The Nationals will be an exciting team in 2013.

Success Indicator: 8/10. Whiskey shots: 4 (1 for each run in Game 5)

University of Washington Huskies (College basketball – men’s and women’s)

The men’s team were the regular season champions of PAC-12 (24-11) but failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. WTF? Instead they went to the NIT and lost by 1 point to Minnesota in the semi-finals.

The women’s team finished 20-14 (8-10 in the PAC-12).

Success Indicator: 5/10

Chelsea Blues (English Premier League – soccer)

The 2011-2012 Chelsea team (64 points) finished 6th in the Premier League. Not good for them and out of the Champions League qualifying for 2013. BUT.. they won the 2012 Champions League!!! So should get an automatic bid to next year’s tournament. Go Blue!

Success Indicator: 8/10. Whiskey shots: 2 (for 6th place)

Washington Capitals (NHL – hockey)

The Capitals had 92 points for the 2011-2012 season. They lost in the second round of the playoffs to the New York Rangers. With the NHL locked-out this season, not much to look forward to.

Success Indicator: 6/10. Whiskey shots: 2 (1 for losing in the playoffs and 1 for the lock-out)

DC United (MLS – soccer)

DC United finished 17-10-7 (58 points). They won in the first round of the playoffs but lost to Houston 2-4 aggregate in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Success Indicator: 7/10. Whiskey shots: 0 (Enough drinking for one day)

Other teams I play on:

DC Chapter  – University of Washington Alumni (Capital Alumni Network - co-ed flag football)

The third season for the DC Dawgs flag football team was a good one. We finished 6-4 in the regular season (and all of the losses were close games that could have gone either way). Then we won the first two playoff games to reach the Sweet 16 of the CAN tournament. But we lost to last year’s champion, Michigan, in the third round.

Success Indicator: 7/10.

DC Chapter  – University of Washington Alumni (Capital Alumni Network - co-ed volleyball)

The DC Dawgs played our first CAN volleyball season in 2012. We finished 3-5 in the regular season. We lost to the eventual champions, Delaware, in the first round of the playoffs.

DC Chapter  – University of Washington Alumni (Capital Alumni Network - co-ed softball)

The DC Dawgs also played our first CAN softball season in 2012. It was a learning year. We finished 1-13 and went 0-3 in the group stage of the playoffs. Next year we will definitely win much more.

DC Dawgs (Metro Sports League – co-ed volleyball)

I also played in Spring, Summer and Fall volleyball leagues. We came in 2nd in Spring and won the championship in Summer!

__________

Finally, I was voted to be the Sports Chair of the UW Alumni – DC chapter Board. That means I continue to organize the flag football and volleyball teams and act as point of contact for new sports we play.

Peace and may the sports be with you.

50 Random Albums: A 2012 Retrospective

We all survived the Mayan end of days relatively unscathed. I didn’t sit on my laurels waiting for the fiery end, I rocked all year. This is my music story for 2012 and I’m sticking to it.

I added 50 new albums to my library. I attended 26 concerts (or more specifically 61 music sets). I went to the first annual Firefly Music Festival in Delaware. I listened to music while running. While hiking. And everywhere in between. Enough small talk.

Top Albums Listened to in 2012*

1. ‘My Head Is An Animal’ by Of Monsters And Men
2. ‘Synthetica’ by Metric
3. ‘Electra Heart’ by Marina and the Diamonds
4. ‘III’ by Shiny Toy Guns
5. ‘Human Again’ by Inrid Michaelson
6. ‘Walk The Moon’ by Walk The Moon
7. ‘Passive Me, Aggresive You’ by The Naked and Famous
8. ‘Bodyparts’ by Dragonette
9. ‘King Animal’ by Soundgarden – They are back! Not their best album, but certainly worthy.
10. ‘Some Nights’ by fun.

Honorable mentions: ‘Velociraptor!’ by Kasabian, ‘Start the Revolution Without Me’ by Kaiser Chiefs, ‘Anxiety’ by Ladyhawke

*Does not have to have been released in 2012.

Bonus #1: Top Concerts of 2012

1. The Black Keys (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
2. Kaiser Chiefs (9:30 Club)
3. Shiny Toy Guns (Rock and Roll Hotel)
4. The Killers at Firefly Music Festival Day 2 (Dover Downs)
5. Of Monsters And Men (The Filmore)
6. Kasabian (9:30 Club)

 

Bonus #2: Most Listened to Songs in 2012 (According to iTunes)

1. ‘Little Talks’ by Of Monsters And Men (42)
2. ‘Do It Now’ by Ingrid Michaelson
3. ‘Young Blood’ by The Naked and Famous
4. ‘Gold On The Ceiling’ by The Black Keys
5. ‘Some Nights’ by fun.
6. ‘Anna Sun’ by Walk the Moon
7. ‘You Can Call Me Al’ by Paul Simon
8. ‘Petition’ by Tennis
9. ‘Days Are Forgotten’ by Kasabian
10. ‘Comeback Kid’ by Sleigh Bells
11. ‘Oh My God’ by Kaiser Chiefs
12. ‘Taken For A Fool’ by The Strokes
13. ‘The Wanderlust’ by Metric
14. ‘Fading Listening’ by Shiny Toy Guns
15. ‘Cinema’ by Benny Benassi
16. ‘No Light, No Light’ by Florence + The Machine
17. ‘Slow and Steady’ by Of Monsters And Men
18. ‘Mountain Sound’ by Of Monsters And Men
19. ‘Tongue Tied’ by Grouplove
20. ‘Synthetica’ by Metric
21. ‘Blood Brothers’ by Ingrid Michaelson
22. ‘Radioactive’ by Marina And The Diamonds
23. ‘I Will Wait’ by Mumford & Sons
24. ‘How To Be A Heartbreaker’ by Marina And The Diamonds
25. ‘Lonely Boy’ by The Black Keys (19)

Bonus #3: All Albums Acquired in 2012

1. ‘Graceland’ by Paul Simon
2. ‘All of You’ by Colbie Caillat
3. ‘Transatlanticism’ by Death Cab for Cutie
4. ‘Third’ by Portishead
5. ‘Passive Me, Aggresive You’ by The Naked and Famous
6. ‘Human Again’ by Inrid Michaelson
7. ‘Velociraptor!’ by Kasabian
8. ‘Reign of Terror’ by Sleigh Bells
9. ‘A Guide To Love, Loss & Desparation’ by The Wombats
10. ‘A Different Kind of Truth’ by Van Halen
11. ‘Employment’ by Kaiser Chiefs
12. ‘Sounds From Nowheresville’ by The Ting Tings
13. ‘Galore’ by Dragonette
14. ‘Young & Old’ by Tennis
15. ‘My Head Is An Animal’ by Of Monsters And Men
16. ‘Little Broken Hearts’ by Norah Jones
17. ‘Start the Revolution Without Me’ by Kaiser Chiefs
18. ‘Some Nights’ by fun.
19. ‘Rubber Factory’ by The Black Keys
20. ‘Neck of the Woods’ by Silversun Pickups
21. ‘Sam’s Town’ by The Killers
22. ‘First Impressions of Earth’ by The Strokes
23. ‘Synthetica’ by Metric
24. ‘Walk The Moon’ by Walk The Moon
25. ‘Blunderbluss’ by Jack White
26. ‘Never Trust a Happy Song’ by Grouplove
27. ‘Palomimo’ by Trampled By Turtles
28. ‘Future This’ by The Big Pink
29. ‘Magic Potion’ by The Black Keys
30. ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunitic’ by Kasabian
31. ‘Pala’ by Friendly Fires
32. ‘MDNA’ by Madonna
33. ‘Night Work’ by Scissor Sisters
34. ‘Rabbits On the Run’ by Vanessa Carlton
35. ‘I’m With You’ by Red Hot Chili Peppers
36. ‘Anxiety’ by Ladyhawke
37. ‘Electra Heart’ by Marina and the Diamonds
38. ‘Battle Born’ by The Killers
39. ‘Babel’ by Mumford & Sons
40. ‘III’ by Shiny Toy Guns
41. ‘Mirage Rock’ by Band of Horses
42. ‘Hot Fuss’ by The Killers
43. ‘Bodyparts’ by Dragonette
44. ‘The Family Jewels’ by Marina and the Diamonds
45. ‘Former Lives’ by Benjamin Gibbard
46. ‘¡Uno!’ by Green Day
47. ‘¡Dos!’ by Green Day
48. ‘King Animal’ by Soundgarden
49. ‘Coexist’ by The xx
50. ‘Empire’ by Kasabian

Rock on!

Five Random Books: Don’t Judge 2012 By Its Cover

Not much reading happened in 2012. By me. I’m sure others read more.

So begins my annual year-in-review. Let’s start with books.

I spent the time doing plenty of non-reading activities - like playing sports, trying to run, catching up on some TV shows or traveling.

There were a few good books from what I did read, so let’s look at those.

5. This Is A Book (Demetri Martin, 2012) – A random collection of humorous musings and dry wit. When you’re not laughing you will be smiling. If you’re not already familiar with Martin’s deadpan delivery and clever observations, get that way.

4. Nightwoods (Charles Frazier, 2011) – A women living in the woods suddenly has to take care of her troubled niece and nephew after her sister is killed. Someone from the children’s past comes looking for something they have hidden. Lock the door.

3. The Leopard (Jo Nesbø, 2012) – Harry Hole is a detective.  Jo Nesbø likes to write crime thrillers about Harry. Trading somewhat off the popularity of the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series (as both authors are from Scandinavia – Norway and Sweden), these Harry Hole novels are good in their own right and don’t really need the comparison. If you like crime and mystery novels, you will like this.

2. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card, 1994) – A Nebula Award winner, and now a movie with Harrison Ford in 2013, this tale of a boy whose genius is prized by the military. They want to train him as a military commander to defeat the alien buggers that invaded three generations ago and are coming back. With a surprising twist ending and a relatively short read, you don’t want to miss this story. I also read the sequel, Speaker for the Dead - set 3,000 years after the events of Ender and looks at conflict with a different alien race. Every bit as good. 

1. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (Susan Cain, 2012) – A great look at how the extrovert ideal has become such a part of our culture that we don’t even stop to realize that it’s the introverts that are just as likely to be good leaders and innovators (in fact, more likely). You don’t have to believe me, just read the book. It will also help you to better relate to your friends, family and colleagues.

Read long and prosper.

Firefly Music Festival 2012

The first annual Firefly Music Festival took place from July 20-22, 2012 in Dover, Delaware. I was there.

I saw 18 sets in three days. 10 of the artists were for the first time, most notable - Jack White and The Killers. There were four stages that rotated acts, so there were always two shows going on at once.

Here, with minimal restraint, is what went down.

The Good

1) The Killers, Black Keys, Jack White, Walk the Moon, CAKE and Grouplove

2) The Brewery - A beer garden that served Dogfish Head beers for $8, including one made for this festival, the Firefly Ale. I was partial to the 9% ABV Midas Touch.

3) Towers Beach - We needed a break after two days of music, so on Sunday morning we drove just south of Dewey Beach for a swim and a few rounds of cards in the sand. Afterwards we had fish tacos at El Dorado. Tasty.

4) The weather – It was overcast the entire time, but no real rain. Only a misting here and there. I expected to be hot and bothered and get some serious sun on my pale skin. This was perfect.

5) Seven Nation Army – After Jack White’s Friday night performance, everyone hummed the refrain from ‘Seven Nation Army’ as we walked through the woods to the exit. Even better, everyone did it again after The Killers’ show on Saturday.

The Bad

1) The Felice Brothers

2) The phone recharging stations – A good idea, but they didn’t have enough ports to keep up with the demand. The generator feeding the power was seriously overloaded. 45 minutes to get 15% more power? Bah humbug.

3) Camping – The three nights in a tent itself wasn’t so bad. But the campsites were tiny and packed together like monkeys in a barrel. One of the workers was so clueless he almost gave away half of our site to park more cars. Luckily someone with sense came by and told him to stand down.

4) Hammock Hangout – Could be a good idea but way too small. And who knows where the people using the hammocks have been…

The Ugly

1) Glamping – $1000 for 3 nights of pampered camping? We saw no one partaking. It looked like the barracks of a Civil War army. Minus the horses. And the soldiers.

Friday

1. The Wallflowers - A live version of ‘One Headlight’ to kick us off. ‘She always had a pretty face’.
2. OK Go – A decent set. They even broke out their treadmills during their hit song ‘Here It Goes Again’.
3. Walk The Moon – These guys are good. This was the second time I’ve seen them in 2012 and among the top five performances of the festival.
4. Silversun Pickups – This guys are a bit of Smashing Pumpkins-lite, which I like. Good show.
5. Jack White – After a bit of sound trouble with the first few songs, they fixed it and Jack crushed us with his guitar riffs. A seven nation army could NOT hold him back. 

Saturday

1. Imagine Dragons - I had not heard these guys before this, but enjoyed the songs and will definitely check them out.
2. The Felice Brothers – Ugh. Hated it.
3. Grouplove - By far and away the most enthusiastic band of the whole festival. ‘Tongue Tied’ really got the crowd pumped up for the rest of the day.
4. Young the Giant - I was looking forward to seeing these guys at the 9:30 Club earlier in the year - that show was just okay. This show was kind of boring after the energy of Grouplove.
5. CAKE – In a haze of weed and flower girls dancing, CAKE went the distance. And it was good.
6. Trampled by Turtles – Was starting to get antsy so probably didn’t give this my full attention. But I was not bowled over.
7. Modest Mouse – They rocked hard. Not my thing though.
8. The Killers – The best show of the festival. In addition to the great music, they had the most extensive light show and stage act (with fireworks!).

Sunday

1. Mariachi El Bronx – Entertaining.
2. Fitz and the Tantrums – Starting to lose my attention. Too much music. I wasn’t in to it.
3. Death Cab for Cutie – Good but not the best performance I’ve seen by them.
4. The Flaming Lips - The most eccentric and biggest spectacle of the festival. Wayne Coyne crowd surfed in a human hamster ball (of course). Stage singers dressed up like the Wizard of Oz characters (hello Dorothy!). Confetti. Beach balls. Although it was entertaining, I’m not a huge fan of the music.
5. The Black Keys - The second time I saw them in 2012. The first time at Merriweather Post Pavilion was better, but this was definitely among the best sets of the festival and a good way to end.

Welcome to Firefly

Have a brew

Grouplove

The Lawn Stage

Teeming hordes

The beach

No waves today

Flaming Lips Exploding

Human hamster ball

The Black Keys

Group shot #

peace

# Photo courtesy of Mike O’Brien

Marlins, A’s, Giants and Mets

In 2012, I visited four new Major League Baseball stadiums. My quest to see a game in all MLB stadiums is progressing nicely. Only nine more to go.

Here is the run-down.

Marlins Park (Miami, Florida) – Home of the Miami Marlins

Highs

• The focus on local, Cuban food. Tasty.
• The Bobblehead Museum was a different twist. Featuring many smiling, nodding players from each team.
• We saw R.A. Dickey (Mets), the eventual NL Cy Young award winner, pitch and dominate the Marlins, 9-3.

Lows

• Good grief, the Marlins’ new logo and art deco color scheme are the worst in sports (well, after the University of Oregon and some NBA teams).
• As a stadium with a retractable roof (because it is so hot all the time), it is quite dark and the interior is not that interesting.
• In the outfield is a mechanical jumping dolphin diorama that goes off when the Marlins hit a home run. They didn’t.

Verdict: As the newest MLB stadium, it is not very good.

O.co Coliseum (Oakland, California) – Home of the Oakland Athletics

Highs

• I sat in a section with old-timer baseball fans reminiscing about this and that. Without sports commentators to listen to, this made for a good baseball history diversion.
• The pulled pork nachos in a green helmet were solid.

Lows

• This is in the middle of nowhere, south of Oakland. The only reason a visitor would go anywhere near is they are visiting every MLB ballpark.
• The dreary, soul-less parking lots surrounding the stadium.
• The old school stadium from the 1960′s.

Verdict: Somehow not as bad as I expected, but Oakland needs to raze this beast from the ’60′s and build a new stadium.

AT&T Park (San Francisco, California) – Home of the San Francisco Giants

Highs

• The Giants were in the thick of the playoff race in late August, so the atmosphere was electric as they battled the Atlanta Braves for a 5-2 victory.
• With the view of the surrounding San Francisco Bay and a crisp summer evening, it is not a bad way to spend the evening.
• The stadium itself feels cozy and has a unique charm that other newer stadiums have tried to capture, but failed. I liked all the brick walls and the facade.
• Getting to the stadium via street trolleys was interesting and you are literally downtown after the game with everywhere to go.

Lows

• Not much really.

Verdict: Among the top 2-3 stadiums I’ve visited so far. Well worth the visit. Go.

Citi Field (New York, New Y0rk) – Home of the New York Mets

Highs

• The inside has a bridge motif (after New York’s many bridges). There is one pedestrian bridge called Shea Bridge in the right outfield section that is meant to resemble Hell Gate Bridge and is a nice vantage point to catch some of the game. The inside also sort of reminded me of Safeco Field in Seattle (which is good).
• They have a Shake Shack. The line was too long so I had Blue Smoke BBQ instead.
• There is a Home Run Apple in centerfield. When the Mets hit a homerun it pops up in full red glory.
• R.A. Dickey (him again?) pitched and won his 20th game which probably sealed his Cy Young victory.

Lows

• The 7 train takes almost an hour to get there from Manhattan.
• There is no bars or restaurants nearby to go to after the game (that I could see).
• This was the last Mets game of the season. Since they were not good, there wasn’t much fan energy and many empty seats.

Verdict: I liked this stadium much better than Yankee Stadium. A good stadium but it takes a long time to get to.

Photo gallery

Bobblehead Museum at Marlins Park

Seattle bobbleheads

Ugly

Homerun Dolphin

O.co Coliseum

This little piggy

Nachos in a helment

AT&T Park

View of the Bay

Willie Mays Gate

Citi Field – New York Mets

Citi Field

Home Run Apple

Under the Influence of Eggnog

Merry Christmas! Chug plenty of eggnog and find a sprig of mistletoe to wait under. Give and be joyous. Enjoy family and friends. Be at peace.

With the pleasantries over, I have been remiss. Remiss in finishing what I started.

Throughout 2012, I have started to write numerous blog posts on many topics. I just never finished them. My list of ‘draft posts’ is overpowering my ‘published posts’.

I was too busy. They are too big in scope. I have too much to say. I need to organize the photos. I wasn’t in the mood. I didn’t have the right inspiration in the last third of the post. I was traveling. I don’t like what I wrote. I was under the influence of eggnog and other adult beverages.

I can give any number of excuses, but what’s done is done.

I have two weeks of vacation and a mood. So in addition to my normal ‘highlights of the year’ posts (on such diverse topics as Sports, Music, Books and Movies), I hope to finish many of these incomplete works. And, yes, post them.

Peace and merriment to you and yours

From A Random Journey  

Yosemite National Park Survival Tips

You’ve decided to visit Yosemite National Park. Good choice. You may be smarter than you look.

But to that point, why are you reading this blog post? There are libraries and servers and wikipedias filled with much more useful information on Yosemite.

As long as you’re here…

Survival Tip 1: Plan ahead

Do research and make a plan before you go. Pick the right season when water is still cascading over the famous waterfalls and Mirror Lake is not Sand Meadows. Or you could take my approach: arrive at San Francisco airport, rent a car, drive many hours, pay the fee, explore the Yosemite Valley visitor grocery store, buy snacks, pour over maps, make hiking plans and look for a place to sleep. But make sure you know in advance that there is…

Survival Tip 2: No car camping in the park

I did know that. I wanted to test the theory. Car camping is the fancy way of saying ‘sleeping in your car without paying for a campsite’. Within minutes of parking away from the grocery store parking lot, a Park Ranger was shining a flashlight in my face and ‘encouraging’ me to get out of Dodge. He wasn’t rude, but he wasn’t particularly nice either. Probably because he has to deal with my kind far too often. So, if you learn nothing else today…don’t try to car camp in Yosemite. They will find you.

Survival Tip 3: Go early!

Because I had to drive 25 minutes out of the park and ‘car camp’ on the side of the road, I was highly motivated to avoid sleeping in the driver’s seat for long. The best advice I can give you about Yosemite (if you want to hike), is to go early. I was back in the park and buying coffee by 6:30am and on the trail by 7:00am. I cannot stress this enough. GO EARLY! Why, you ask? Because starting around 11:00am or noon, the apocalypse starts. Slow walkers, dilly-dallyers, shufflers, idlers and their ilk. No, not zombies, but families. Extended families. And whole family trees all descend on the park at once.

When there are but a few people out hiking, this is one of the most beautiful places you can imagine. You can really find the tranquility of nature. If you are a hiker or just enjoy nature, then you know what I mean.

Survival Tip 4: Park and use the shuttle

Yosemite has a very efficient shuttle bus system. You park and then find one of 21 hop-on hop-off stops in the Yosemite Valley region. I explored much of this area after a 8.5 mile hike on the High Sierra Loop Trail. I witnessed every angle of Vernal and Nevada falls.

Then I took the bus a couple stops over and hiked a mile to Mirror Lake, which was completely dry…then the bus took me to Yosemite Falls, which had almost no water falling…it did allow me to pick my way over massive boulders all the way up to the base and dip my feet in the pools of water.

Next time I want to climb to the top of Half Dome and explore some of the other regions of the park. I’d suggest going earlier than August.

Survival Tip 5: Take a camera

So you can capture the moment. Like this…

Vernal Fall, Yosemite National Park

Nevada Fall

Liberty Cap and Nevada Fall

Half Dome and Liberty Cap

Half Dome

Mirror Lake – minus the water

Yosemite Falls – minus the water

Keeping cool

Perfect Balance

Three Brothers

El Capitan

Shadow leaf

peace

The Cabin In The Woods

A walk in the woods? A night in a stone cabin with no electricity? S’mores, adult beverages and too much food? Three roaring fires? A few rounds of Catchphrase?

These are the things that a weekend make.

A mere two-mile hike along the Appalachian Trail and you arrive at the Myron Glaser Cabin. Optional evening Sasquatch hunt included.

Don’t take my word for it.

This way

There it is

The cabin

From the backyard: Nice deck

Pause for a comfort break…

…but make it quick!

Wood stove

Plenty of tools

To the loft

To fire or not to fire?

Fire!

(missing photos)

Group shot 1 #

Group shot 2 #

 

peace

# Photos with # are courtesy of Ashley Edwards

Keep On Keeping On (Foodtruck Style)

‘Continue to give, continue to live, for what you know is right.’ – Curtis Mayfield

Ever since my original post about food trucks in March (Keep on Food Truckin’), I’ve kept the lunch torch burning roughly once a week at these ever-moving food slingers. I circle these wagons at the Massachusetts Ave and North Capitol St watering hole, near Union Station.

I also descended upon the monthly Truckaroo fest in July (at the Fairgrounds near Nationals Park) and Trucko de Mayo (in the RFK Stadium parking lot) where the options were boundless.

I’ve now been to over 40 food trucks in DC. Since there are probably still over 100 in existence, I’m a long way from tasting all of them. There are plenty of good ones. See the list below. Those in blue are the ones I recommend most. As such, many of the others are still recommended.

Also have a peek at some fresh food truck porn.

Tapas Truck

Surfside – Fish Tacos

Floridano

Mass and North Capitol

DC Crepes

Basil Thyme – Lasagne

Amorini Panini

Tops American – Sausage with Bacon

Tops American – Italian Sausage

Cajunator – Po’ boy

Fried Shrimp Tapas

Fire & Rice – Bibimbap

Lobster Roll

Red Hook Lobster Pound DC

Chupacabra – Tacos

What the Pho? – Banh mi sandwich

Tropic Taste

Afghan Meals

Sate Indonesian

Mayur Kabab House

Best Mexican Burritos and Tortas – Tacos

1. DC Crepes
2. Pepe Food Truck (José Andrés) - More expensive than it needs to be but so good.
3. Cajunators
4. Surfside - Fish tacos! All day!
5. Big Cheese
6. The Orange Cow – Cookies and Cream ice cream…
7. Sol Mexican Grill
8. Mojo Truck
9. Cirque Cuisine
10. Tapas Truck – Tasty small bites. Try them all, but especially the fried shrimp and the corn fritters.
11. Ball or Nothing – I would like to try this one again. The meatball sandwich had sprouts (?)…and by the time I got around to eating it, was cold.
12. Mayur Kabab House
13. Something Stuffed
14. Fire & Rice - The tasty Korean bibimbap went down great with a fried egg on top.
15. El Foridano
16. Tropic Taste
17. PORC (Purveyors of Rolling Cuisine) – The BBQ Pork sandwich was good.
18. Red Hook Lobster Pound DC – Okay, I had this. The Lobster Roll was fine, but I’m just not a lobster guy. Especially at the low, low price of $15.
19. Carmen’s Italian Ice
20. Sate Indonesian Food – Great chicken cubes on a stick and corn fritters.
21. What the Pho? – The name says it all.
22. Best Mexican Burritos & Tortas – I kind of agree with their assessment.
23. Korengy – Good Korean food.
24. Amorini Panini Truck
25. Fresh Afghan Meals
26. Yellow Vender
27. Tops American Food Company - Amazing hot dogs. Italian sausage. Yes. Sausage with bacon and red peppers. Yes. Good. Yes.
28. Chick-fil-A Food Truck – It’s Chick-fil-A!!! In DC!

Eat it!

Five Random Quotes: Election

‘I’m not a member of any organized political party, I’m a Democrat!’ ― Will Rodgers

With all the Election Day hubbub, let’s have a peek at some quotes that may stir you up, motivate or just plain make you angry. Happy voting.

‘A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.’ ― James Freeman Clarke

‘Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.’ ― Abraham Lincoln

‘The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.’ ― Winston Churchill

‘A vote is like a rifle: it’s usefulness depends on the character of the user.’ ― Theodore Roosevelt

‘The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work and then they get elected and prove it.’ ― P.J. O’ Rourke

Bonus!

‘A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won’t cross the street to vote in a national election.’ ― Bill Vaughan

The Road Not Taken

I posted 13 new offerings in my photo collection of paths of ‘The World’. Such places as Yosemite National Park, Arlington National Cemetery, San Francisco, Napa Valley, Cyprus, England and more.

Someone pointed out that this collection reminded them of the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost.

Indeed. What paths can I yet take? The day is young.

Sandy, You’re a Fine Girl…

...what a good wife you would be.' - from Brandy by Looking Glass

With Hurricane Sandy’s wrath only hours or minutes away from my doorstep, I thought, ‘Hmmm, what’s missing from all the frantic tweets, Facebook rants, blog posts, news updates, farewell texts and all else?’ If you’re thinking like I’m thinking, ‘my voice’ is the correct answer.

I still have power and WiFi, so I shan’t stay silent. I will sit on this couch, with a wiener dog trying to wiggle into a position where I’m constantly petting him, and blog out some observations.

No promises. No guarantees. Just words.

We had Hurricane Irene come calling last year in August. But she underwhelmed in her D.C. date and could barely muster a decent goodnight kiss.

Then we had Mr. Derecho Storm gut punch D.C. this past June for looking at his mesoscale convective system the wrong way. It did not end well for the trees, the power, the cars or anyone really. We are still smarting.

These both being preceded by two hefty snowstorms dubbed ‘Snowpocalypse’ and ‘Snowrmageddon’ in back-to-back winters. The city went into hibernation for days.

If Hurricane Sandy is anything like Mr. Derecho, we are in big trouble. If it’s anything like Irene, we are overreacting just a tad. I suspect it will be somewhere in between.

Provided I survive and the power doesn’t go out permanently, I’m sure I can regale those of you that don’t live in the area with tales of remarkable survival. If you’re here and live through it, I’m sure Facebook will be all a twitter with your cleverly insightful status remarks.

Now is the driving rain before the storm. The wind is picking up. The wiener dog is more insistent. It is here that I must leave you.

Stay alive.

44 for October: Miles Running

My random goal for October is to run 44 miles.

I’ve done two monthly goals this year for total miles (March – 170 miles, and July – 230 miles) that combined running, biking and hiking. See below for a recap of July.

Now it’s time to focus on just one activity.

Why running?

Because I hate running in general, but it does get me in better shape to do other things. Like flag football. Or volleyball. Or hiking. Or biking. Or watching football on the TV with a beer(s) and a heaping pile of nacho(s). Oh wait, I’m already pretty good at that.

Why 44?

a) I like that number. 4 is my favorite number. And two 4′s is better than one.

b) It’s more than I’ve run in any given month thus far. It’s a goal that I have to work for.

I may try running an 8K race sometime this month. Know one in DC?

 

Update on July, August, September goals

September – I was too busy.

One for August: Vacation

Success, I took a two-week vacation in California. I’m sure details will be forthcoming…

230 for July: Miles (Part Two)

Success! I completed 230.25 total miles in July. It took a bit of effort and perseverance to reach the goal, as I traveled two weekends where I didn’t do much. I was able to make the final push on the last two days, racking up marathon like numbers (26.50 miles) to eek out a victory.

Stats:

• Biking – 144.90
• Hiking - 56.65
• Running – 26.7

Totals – 230.25 miles 

Lessons:

• I would have preferred a ratio more in favor of hiking and running, but these are much more time intensive. Bike riding was an easier way to rack up miles, especially on the last two days.
• When it’s hot (and I mean 104 degree hot), running or hiking is a bad idea. Bad. Idea.
• My new favorite drink of all time is Starbucks Tazo Shaken Iced Passion Tea (add trademark somewhere in there). It’s a cold life-saving gulp of goodness after hiking and baking 10 miles in the oppressive heat.
• You cannot beat running on the National Mall at night in the glow of some of the greatest monuments in the USA.
• There are a lot of good places to hike, run and bike in and near DC (said Mall, Alexandria, along the Potomac River, Yards Park, other local parks, Teddy Roosevelt Island, Georgetown and many more).
• Tracking miles is an art and a science. I continue to use RunKeeper for most of it. When my phone battery dies, I use the alignment of the stars and the curvature of the Earth.
• I listen to a lot of music this way. In July I especially listened to Kasabian, The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, The Black Keys and Walk the Moon.

See all the ‘random goals’ from 2012.

Alexandria, VA

City Sidewalk

Cage match

Potomac River

Yards Park

River walking

I Promised You Roses…

…but I’m giving you skunk cabbage. Breathe deeply.

That’s right, I promised to write about all kinds of adventures, instead I’m writing about television shows. I need to practice first. To get back into fine form.*

 

It’s the start of the Fall TV season. I’m nothing if not timely.*

 

This season is the swan song for many of my favorite shows. One I lament. The others had their day in the sun and they can go in peace.

 

There is also a bevy of new shows I might check out.

 

*This is likely sarcasm.

Last Season Swan Song

Breaking Bad – Brilliant show and the fifth and final season will be amazing. Every minute of this show is a case study in becoming a villain. With the obvious plotline that prevents this show from continuing indefinitely, it’s good it can end on a high note.

Fringe – Say it isn’t so! Sad to see this show end after only five seasons. I’m glad it has a final 13 episodes to provide closure, rather than simply being canceled.

The Office – A great show that slowly eroded. Now in the 9th and final season, that’s two years too long. Thank you Micheal and Dwight for making our own office work environment seem reasonable.

30 Rock – A show that is brilliant, funny and did all it needed to do. Thanks TGS, we want to go to there. And we did.

New Shows – Might Have Potential

Arrow – Superhero alert! Green Arrow meets television. It looks interesting.

Revolution – The next big event Sci-Fi serialized drama. I’m always going to bite on these…but the track record is not good. For example, V (terrible and gone), Terra Nova (not great and gone), FlashForward (good but gone), Caprica (brilliant but gone).

Vegas – Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis. In the 60′s. In a certain city.

 

Returning Shows I’m Excited For

The Walking Dead – The real threat is not the zombies, but the people at odds living and surviving.

Homeland – Just great.

Community – Let the zaniness begin! Funniest show on TV. The writers are willing to try anything and the cast does a brilliant job of putting all the meta-meta themes and pop culture references together into something that is wild and crazy and fun.

Sad, But True

It’s sad I haven’t had time to write anything recently. My brain is so bursting with ideas, I have random words leaking out and dribbling down my chin. I’m so full of (word deleted)*, I can barely stand still, let alone think clearly.

I need to divulge the copious quantities of (deleted)* onto this blank canvas. Opuses need to be composed. Snapshots of singular moments need to be shared. Witty banter needs to be deployed, then redacted, then surged. Observations of questionable value need to be tested against the Socrates method. Art must imitate life. This is your fair warning to run and hide. Sad, but true, it won’t end well for anyone.

I was traveling for a month. California, Washington state and Thailand. Then in the first nine days back to Washington, D.C., I hit three concerts (read reviews – Ladyhawke, Dragonette and Bloc Party); organised my flag football team plus played one game and refereed another; organised my volleyball team plus played one match; attempted to jog more; started the new fantasy football season; AND worked crazy amounts.

And it’s still crazy. Attending a wedding in St. Louis, then in New York for a long weekend (to see the Mets) and then back to Thailand for a week. And more flag football. And more volleyball. And just everything. Viewing parties of the Washington Huskies football team. Watching the Seattle Seahawks. Oh and I have to use my Groupon for skydiving soon.

But I do have lots of posts coming. The question is when? Or is the question why? I never remember.

Maybe I could write a little something about Cyprus? The Firefly Music Festival? River kayaking? Food trucks? California? Let me ruminate on it…

Yours Truly
A Random Journey

* I removed the word ‘content‘ out of respect to my more sensitive readers. Most of whom won’t reach the end of this blog post and therefore will never know what they missed.

One for August: Vacation

My random goal for August is very simple. To go on vacation.

Two weeks worth. That seems like enough of a goal for this month.

What will I do?

Take a week-long white water river kayaking course in the middle of nowhere northern California.

Explore and eat my way through San Francisco.

Sip my way through Napa Valley.

Trek about Yosemite National Park.

Catch baseball games at AT&T Park (SF) and the O.o Coliseum (Oakland).

Peace

A Lesson in Failure

My random goal in June was to write (and post) nine blog entries. I failed. I posted only five in June.

Read them again for the first time:

1. 230 For July: Miles (Part Two)
2. Storm Aftermath
3. Five Random Quotes: Creative Thinking
4. 25 For May: Firsts (In Hindsight)
5. Paris in Photos and Other Moveable Feasts

So why did I fail?

I did draft other posts, I really did. I couldn’t find the willpower or time to finish them.

In takes more time beyond what I acknowledge in my head to create something. Whether that is something worth sharing or not is beside the point. For that, I need even more time.

If there are photos…more time. If there is value in it…more time. If there is something funny to say…more time. If I want to use fancy words…less time (since I rarely do even a smattering of research, words that I have no clue of their meaning somehow sneak into my zeugmatic vocabulary).

I traveled some in June, preventing me from focusing on the goal at hand. I spent more time doing, than reflecting and writing. A common trend that is forever repeating itself.

Lesson for the day: Time is not on my side.

170 For March: Miles

Happy Leap Day. I’m starting an ingenious plan to give myself random goals each month for the rest of 2012.

In theory, these goals will ‘make me a better person’. If that is possible. I wager it is not. They will also be hard (insane) enough to provide a challenge or make me want to quit halfway through.

I created a new tab on this blog called ‘Random Goals’ to track progress. Go there now. Or don’t.

The first random goal is to run, bike or hike 170 miles in the month of March. That’s 273.6 K for you un-American types.

That may not seem like a lot if you ride in the Tour de France and whiz up and down 130 miles of mountains one day and do it again the next. Or if you like to run 6.5 Boston marathons in a single month. Or if you like doing 11 15-mile hikes in a row.

That averages out to 5.5 miles per day. If you still find this is too slight of a goal, please join me. Try it yourself. Just do it.

Moral of the story:

March Goal = Run, bike or hike 170 miles in 31 days

Follow progress under ‘Random Goals’ tab.

Stay classy. And give goal ideas for future months…

Content Is King and Other Smartassery

Content IS king. Let’s not mince words.

That’s why I can confidently say that this blog is to content what a court jester is to a king. It is much like a clown rehearsing for his squirting flower bit on the street corner.

A Random Journey’s content is largely influenced by the composition of my brain. This is its first fatal flaw.

 

Its second fatal flaw is being so damn random. Is there a point to it? No, I can assure you, there is not. If I ever try to convince you that it has a point, ignore me. Call my bluff. The point is, there is no point.*

 

Its third fatal flaw is that I don’t get paid to write it. So my motivation is pretty suspect. Actually, I have no motivation. Sometimes I like to look at the miniscule readership stats. They inevitably crush my miniscule ego. But that only happens every three minutes.

 

Its final fatal flaw is that it has too much competition. Content may be king, but it’s also pervasive. You cannot move an inch on the interwebs without being buried in content. We are overrun with content. Sure you may want to be selective, but you have too many interests. You want to be in the know, so you have to add more channels. Follow more people. Ingest more YouTubage. Skim more blogs. So why skim this one? Exactly.

 

Hence we come full circle. I only say that because now I feel dizzy.

 

What did we learn today? Just this: If you value content, you’ve come to the wrong place. If you want to be squirted in the face by a flower, well…

 

* Did you read this sentence? I thought not.

The Future Is Now – Again

I didn’t learn my lesson. The huge stack of tickets I once had, has inflated to an impressive, insurmountable size. Too late for an intervention.

I have a huge stack of event tickets sitting on my desk…it’s sort of ridiculous how many things coming up I’ve already bought tickets for. I may need an intervention.

2/24 – Jim Gaffigan stand-up at the Warner Theatre – done!

3/9 – The Kaiser Chiefs concert at 9:30 Club – done! Read a review.

3/11 – Young the Giant concert at 9:30 Club – done!

3/20 – Kasabian concert at 9:30 Club – done! Read a review.

3/21 – Spring outdoor volleyball league starts – it did and we won 2-1!

3/24 – National Shamrockfest at RFK Stadium – done!

3/27 – Sleigh Bells concert at 9:30 Club (rescheduled from 2/16) – done! Read a review.

4/7 – Seattle Sounders FC vs DC United match – done! Sadly it was a 0-0 draw.

4/12 – The Ting Tings concert at 9:30 Club – done! Read a review.

4/20 – Capital Alumni Network (CAN) softball season starts for UW – it did and we lost in extra innings 16-15 (8). But we came back from 6 runs down in the bottom of the 7th inning!

4/21 – DC Food Truck and Beerfest at Kastles Stadium at the Wharf – done! Burp. Mmmmm…fish tacos and beer!

4/23 – Wombats at 9:30 Club – done! Read a review.

4/28 – One Day Hike (50 K) on C & O Canal Towpath

5/12 – Game at Miami Marlins new stadium

5/18 – Black Keys at Merriweather Post Pavillion

6/23 – Skydiving

6/27 – Norah Jones at Wolftrap

6/30 – Running in the Semper Fi 5K race

7/20-22 – Firefly Music Festival ????

8/12-18 – Seven day White Water Kayaking Course (in California)

8/22 – Game at Oakland A’s stadium

8/23 – Game at San Francisco Giants stadium

9/8 - Game at New York Mets stadium (rain check because of last year’s Hurricane Irene)

What else do I need to do?

Attend a bunch of Washington Nationals games?

Check out Coldplay on 7/8?

Five Random Quotes: No Truth But the Truth

Let’s lead off our exploration of truth with a little nugget from Stephen Colbert ‘I can’t prove it, but I can say it.‘

Quotes!

Speak the truth, but leave immediately afterward. – Slovenian Proverb

Believe those who are seeking truth, doubt those who find it. - Andre Gide

Most truths are so naked that people feel sorry for them and cover them up, at least a little bit. - Edward R. Murrow

It is always good policy to tell the truth unless of course you are an exceptionally good liar. - Jerome K. Jerome

When a thing is funny, search it for a hidden truth. – George Bernard Shaw

Bonus!

If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything. – Mark Twain

Bold Predictions for 2012

In 2012, I predict that I will…

…go skydiving.

…cook more.

…go to five new major league baseball stadiums.

…go hiking at least 10 times.

…watch The Wire (TV show).

…explore more (like visit a new country or National Park).

…write more.

…go kayaking.

…finish watching the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Movies.

…play volleyball.

…witness the end of the world (the Mayan 2012 version).

Let’s look at how I fared from my 2011 list:

Success rate: 6/10

…travel to Croatia. Nope, didn’t make it. Should have gone.

…take in the national pastime at four new major league baseball stadiums. Ahhh, sadly I went to just one new stadium, the Angels Stadium in Anaheim.

…hang around in a hammock. Quite. Maybe too much.

…go scuba diving. I don’t have a good track record so far…didn’t do this either.

…start using Twitter. YES! Finally, something I did. I started both work and personal Twitter feeds.

…go river rafting. YES!  I got wet white water rafting on the Mae Tang River near Chiang Mai, Thailand.

…make things happen. Sure, why not? Who’s going to fact check…

…read more books. Yes, I read many, many books.

…run, walk, bike and hike more. Yes, yes, yes and no. I started running. I walked. And I biked a lot. I only managed three hikes.

…be the one your mother warned you about. I was too good. Your mother probably liked me.

Five Random Books: 2011 Book Learning Tour

My goal this past year was to read more books than previous years.

I succeeded. In honor of my complete success, I share the best eight books I read in 2011, instead of a mere five. Those extra three are free. You’re welcome.

8. The Snowman (Jo Nesbø, 2011) – I’ve started reading these mysteries from Norway. The protaganist, Harry Hole, hunts a serial killer. So far all of the books I’ve read in this series are good, but this is the best one.

7. The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking (Roger Martin, 2007) – Something you must read.

6. Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II (Mitchell Zuckoff, 2011) – Entertaining and worthy of your time, but lacks the real drama and suspense of another WWII tale (see #2).

5. First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently (Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman, 1999) – If you are not prone to reading, break your rule and start reading this.

4. Out of Captivity: Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle (Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell, and Tom Howes, 2010) – The unbelievable story, as told by each of the three survivors, of persevering over five years as prisoners of the FARC.

3. The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins, 2010) – Now being made into a movie, this is the first in a trilogy about a future where children get forced to compete in a gladiator style death match. Only one can survive.

2. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (Laura Hillenbrand, 2010) – Simply an amazing story about an Olympic runner turned airman, whose plane crashes on a routine mission over the Pacific Ocean. Stranded for 47 days on a life raft, only to fall into the hands of the Japanese and held as a prisoner of war for over two years. Talk about the worst luck. Epic.

1. A Game of Thrones (Fire and Ice Series Book 1) (George R.R. Martin, 1996) – With all the hubbub from the new HBO TV series Game of Thrones, I thought it prudent to start reading this epic series (now five tomes strong). Brilliant. Deep. HUGE cast of characters. I’ve gotten through the first three novels. They’re only between 900-1200 pages each. Light reading for sure. Start reading and never sleep again.

May you participate in zero book burnings in 2012. Even if the world ends.

Columbia River Gorge Posing for the Camera

Take a gander at some photos from the Oregon side of the Columbia.

A view from the cabin

The Cabin

The Deck

More shots from the deck

Ridgeline view

Duck hunting?

No ducks...

Probably scared away

Duck prints? Hmmmm

Nope! Beaver

11 Best Movies of 2011 (and 5 worst)

2011 was probably my record low in total movies watched. I staggered around enough to see 53 movies.  One of my 2011 goals was to read more. I succeeded, but at the expense of movies. Some of the good movies I saw this year were released in late 2010, so the list probably reads a little like last year’s Oscar race.

Best

11. Cowboys & Aliens – James Bond and Indiana Jones fight invading aliens! Better than expected.

10. The Secret in Their Eyes – Murder mystery from Argentina. The rest is a secret.

9. Limitless – I just want to take that mind-expanding drug. Maybe I’ll stop forgetting things. What was I saying?

8. Hall Pass - A decent year for comedies. This was among the better options. And who doesn’t hit Applebee’s to pick up women?

7. Cave of Forgotten Dreams - A fascinating look at the Chauvet caves in France. where the oldest known cave paintings are found. Werner Herzog gets in there, which is off-limits to all of us peons, shows the paintings in all their glory and adds in a bit of philosophizing for effect. 

6. X-Men: First Class - An epic load of comic book adaptions hit the big screen in 2011. The ones I saw were all serviceable (thankfully I missed The Green Hornet). The origin story of Magneto and Professor X was the best one, over such tent poles as Capitan America, The Green Lantern and Thor. Thor was a close second.

5. 127 Hours – Watching someone go through the mental process of deciding to cut off his hand to survive is disturbing. A cautionary tale for all adventure seekers.

4. Crazy, Stupid, Love. - An exploration of what it means to be in love. Heartbreak, joy, redemption.

3. The Fighter - Mark Wahlberg – good. Christian Bale – great.

2. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - The Hollywood version with Daniel Craig and Mara Rooney. Remaking foreign language films is always a dicey proposition, because most of the time, why bother? But this is still a great story, and the remake is well done. My only complaint was the opening credits. Why the weird black, stylized James Bond-like sequence that didn’t have any relevance to the movie?

1. The King’s Speech – This won the 2010 Best Picture, but I didn’t see it until 2011. You already know it was good. If you didn’t see it, you probably thought Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked should have been on this list.

Worst

5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Complicated and pointless. And boring. Even hot mermaids couldn’t lure me under this sea. 

4. The Black Swan – What is this? Awful.

3. Winter’s Bone – Winter can keep its bone, thank you very much.

2. Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - As a kid, this was my favorite book from the Chronicles of Narnia. Now watching the crisp, unreal visuals of the ship, the wooden acting, and the zero moments where I cared about any of the characters, I want to punch someone…

1. Sucker Punch – My eyeballs still need a scrubbing after watching this stupid turd squish before my eyes.

Capital Hill Restaurants 2011

2011 saw the opening of many new restaurants in the Capital Hill area. Ramen. Burgers. Shawarmas. Cajun. Pho. Pretentious drinks. And much more. Below I rank the new ones I visited throughout the year.

My continuing goal is to eat at all the restaurants on or near Capital Hill. I define this as anything south of H St NE, west of 15th NE/SE, north of I St SE, and east of 1st St NE/SE. This is a big area, and includes such destinations as Barracks Row (8th St SE between D and I Sts), Eastern Market (7th St SE between Pennsylvania Ave and Independence Ave), the Atlas District (H St NE between 9th and 15th Sts) and much more.

Check out the map here: Capital Hill and Surrounding Areas.

Obviously the task doesn’t get easier when new places keep opening left and right. 2012 is already shaping up to be a big year as well. On the horizon: Boundary Road, Sweet Charleston’s, Sol Mexican Grill and much, much more.

Location key: (H) = H St NE, (A) = The Atlas District, (B) = Barrack’s Row, (C) = Capital Hill other, (E) = Eastern Market, (U) = Union Station

19. Khan’s BBQ (H) – The food is fine as a Mongolian BBQ stir-fry, but I don’t like the set-up nor the atmosphere.

18. DC3 (B) - Now serving trendy hot dog concoctions. I probably wouldn’t order the same dog again and I wasn’t enamored with the other options.

17. Inspire Bar-B-Q (H) - Good pulled-pork BBQ and sides courtesy of Groupon. I think the space is too small, even for a walk-up counter, and the staff was friendly but apparently still learning what to do. Will try again.

16. Church & State (A) – I’m not a big fan of pretentious drinks (e.g. those that cost more than $12) and that is about all you can get here. If you want to take a date for a drink before having dinner in the Atlas District, this is your place. It is small and intimate.

15. Red Palace (A) – Combines the old Red & Black and Palace of Wonders into one venue with a decent size concert venue upstairs.

14. Pho Bar & Grille (A) - Really good dumplings and decent pho (based on my limited experience with pho), but they can’t figure out how to serve people. The first time I went, it must certainly rank as one of the most annoying ordering experiences ever.

13. Bojangles (U) – Good fried chicken!

12. Marvelous Pizza (H) – A new late night pizza joint on H St. You can also order egg rolls with your slice.

11. Shawafel (A) – Good shawarmas. Didn’t have the falafel.

10. Impala Tacos (A) – Tacos served in the winter at the Philadelphia Water Ice counter (since it’s closed for the season, why not serve tacos?). I hear they are developing a permanent place for this on H street.

9. Bullfeathers of Capital Hill (C) – This place completely remodeled and is nice space and good food.

8. Tru Orleans (H) -  A New Orleans themed restaurant. Have the catfish reuben and Hurricane slushies.

7. Smith Commons (A) – Three levels with couches and patios. A nice place for a drink upstairs. The one time I ate there, the fish and chips were not what you might expect but still not bad. 

6. Chipotle (U) – The old lunch stand-by. Meat and beans and cheese rolled up in a tortilla. When they have the A team serving, the line zips along.

5. Pound the Hill (E) – A new coffee shop near Eastern Market. They make their mochas with Nutella…mmmm.

4. The Big Board (H) – A small bar a mere two blocks from my house that serves good burgers (try the Chicago Fire) that tries to sell its beers by giving discounts (shown on The Board) to the most popular selling options. Not sure that the concept works yet and they need to get better beer.

3. Senart’s Oyster and Chop House (B) – Didn’t have the oysters. A nice looking building and interior. The menu was a bit pricey, but the Beer Battered Cod Sandwich was the right price.

2. The Queen Vic (A) – Styled as a British pub, it has good, traditional British fare (have the Sunday roast!) and is a fine place to watch a game with a pint of cider in hand.

1. Toki Underground (A) – Excellent ramen noodles and tasty dumplings in a small kitschy space filled with anime figurines and skateboards for footrests. It only seats 20 people at a time, so it seems to always be busy.

Bonus: Biergarten Haus Roof Deck (A) – Though Biergarten Haus is not new in 2011, expanding the capacity of the already largest restaurant in the area by 1/3, it makes for a formidable beer swilling and German food noshing destination.

63 Random Albums: A 2011 Retrospective

Another year, another cacophony of music options. Much of it was good.

I added 63 new albums to my library. I attended 18 concerts. I got a new iPhone and haven’t had to use my iPod Touch in months. Although, I didn’t listen to as much music this year as last. Let’s explore some lists. You know I like lists.

Top Albums Listened to in 2011*

1. “Brothers” by The Black Keys,
2. “Wasting Light” by Foo Fighters,
3. “Codes and Keys” by Death Cab For Cutie,
4. “Angles” by The Strokes,
5. “Young the Giant” by Young the Giant,
6. “Something to Die For” by The Sounds,
7. “Body Talk” by Robyn,
8. “Ceremonials’ by Florence + The Machine,
9. “21″ by Adele,
10. “Wounded Rhymes” by Lykke Li,

* Does not have to have been released in 2011.

Bonus #1: Top Concerts of 2011

1. Sara Bareilles (Ram’s Head Live)
2. Mumford & Sons (Merriweather Post Pavilion)
3. Soundgarden (Patriot Center)
4. Foo Fighters (Verizon Center)
5. Death Cab for Cutie (Merriweather Post Pavilion)

Bonus #2: Most Listened to Songs in 2011*

1. ‘Let the Rain’ – Sara Bareilles (N/A)*
2. ‘Tighten Up’ – The Black Keys
3. ‘You Are A Tourist’ – Death Cab for Cutie
4. ‘Under Cover Of Darkness’ – The Strokes
5. ‘My Body’ – Young the Giant
6. ‘Ain’t No Talking’ – The Pipettes
7. ‘These Days’ – Foo Fighters
8. ‘Dance With the Devil’ – The Sounds
9. ‘Howlin’ For You’ – The Black Keys
10. ‘Paradise’ – Coldplay
11. ‘Dancing On My Own’ – Robyn
12. ‘England’ – The National
13. ‘The Writer’ – Ellie Goulding
14. ‘Codes And Keys’ – Death Cab for Cutie
15. ‘Back & Forth’ – Foo Fighters
16. ‘Cough Syrup’ – Young the Giant
17. ‘Tokyo’ – Wombats
18. ‘Rolling In the Deep’ – Adele
19. ‘Conversation 16′ – The National
20. ‘Make Some Noise’ – Beastie Boys
21. ‘Austere’ – The Joy Formidable
22. ‘Laredo’ – Band of Horses
23. ‘Ruby’ – Kaiser Chiefs
24. ‘Only If For A Night’ – Florence + The Machine
25. ‘I Follow Rivers’ – Lykke Li

*My home computer died, so I lost all the iTunes song stats about midway through the year. So this list is more the 2nd half of the year and a guess at some songs.

Bonus #3: All Albums Acquired in 2011

1. “Brothers” by The Black Keys,
2. “Under the Blacklight” by Rilo Kiley,
3. “Adore” by The Smashing Pumpkins,
4. “Siamese Dream” by The Smashing Pumpkins,
5. “Heligoland” by Massive Attack,
6. “Everybody” by Ingrid Michaelson,
7. “The Chair In the Doorway” by Living Colour,
8. “Hello” by Tristan Prettyman,
9. “Winter of Mixed Drinks” by Frightened Rabbit,
10. “Elephant” by The White Stripes,
11. “Showroom of Compassion” by Cake,
12. “Cease to Begin” by Band of Horses,
13. “A Brief History of Love” by The Big Pink,
14. “Are We All Forgotten EP” by Paper Route,
15. “Tourist History” by Two Door Cinema Club,
16. “In Ghost Colours” by Cut  Copy,
17. “The Big Come Up” by The Black Keys,
18. “Citrus” by Asobe Sesku,
19. “Portishead” by Portishead,
20. “Need You Now” by Lady Antebellum,
21. “Full Moon Fever” by Tom Petty,
22. “Willy and the Poor Boys” by Creedence Clearwater Revival,
23. “Lights” by Ellie Goulding,
24. “III/IV” by Ryan Adams,
25. “Young the Giant” by Young the Giant,
26. “Wounded Rhymes” by Lykke Li,
27. “Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?” by Metric,
28. “Something to Die For” by The Sounds,
29. “Angles” by The Strokes,
30. “Earth vs The Pipettes” by The Pipettes,
31. “The Big Roar” by The Joy Formidable,
32. “Crystal Castles” by Crystal Castles,
33. “21″ by Adele,
34. “Little Plastic Castle” by Ani Difranco,
35. “The Lady Killer” by Cee Lo Green,
36. “The Fall” by Gorillaz,
37. “Awesome As F**k” by Green Day,
38. “Kiss Each Other Clean” by Iron & Wine,
39. “Yours Truly, Angry Mob” by Kaiser Chiefs,
40. “Tiger Suit” by KT Tunstall,
41. “Hands” by Little Boots,
42. “Alphabetical” by Phoenix,
43. “Greatest Hits…So Far” by Pink,
44. “Body Talk” by Robyn,
45. “Safari Disco Club” by Yelle,
46. “Move Like This” by The Cars,
47. “Codes and Keys” by Death Cab For Cutie,
48. “Hot Sauce Communication Part Two” by Beastie Boys,
49. “Pop Up” by Yelle,
50. “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry,
51. “Torches” by Foster the People,
52. “Wasting Light” by Foo Fighters,
53. “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse,
54. “So Jealous” by Tegan & Sara,
55. “The White Stripes” by The White Stripes,
56. “Come Around Sundown” by Kings of Leon,
57. “Zonoscope” by Cut Copy,
58. “No Wow” by The Kills,
59. “The Wombats proudly present…This Modern Glitch’ by The Wombats,
60. “Mylo Xyloto’ by Coldplay,
61. “Ceremonials’ by Florence + The Machine,
62. “El Camino” by The Black Keys,
63. “Live on I-5″ by Soundgarden,

Rolling in the Hampstead Heath

Whenever you visit England, it’s good to have a goal. Maybe you want to get a glimpse of the Queen. Maybe you want to eat a heaping plate of bubble and squeak. Maybe you want to frolic in the fountains of Trafalger Square. Maybe you simply want to get rapped in the cakehole by a bobby brandishing a truncheon after a ruck with a pack of hooligans who have lost the plot. Whatever the goal, make it count. Make it your own.

My goal was to have cream tea. Simple. Elegant. Sophisticated. I failed (sort of). Let’s find out why.

After soaking up the British culture in Newport Pagnell for a week doing work, I hopped on a train to London. The plan: spend a few days, see some places I hadn’t been to, eat some proper British food and down a pint or three.

The first full day was to meet up with friends and explore Hampstead in North London.

Fenton House - after a late lunch off the high street of Hampstead, we peeked into a historic house (turned museum) with a large garden and orchid. The owner had collected harpsichords and clavichords like they were going out of style. Actually they were, because do you even know what a harpsichord is?

The house was also full of paintings and other such things that accumulate in old houses over hundreds of years. A small deck on the top floor overlooked downtown London. The garden and orchid were quite nice for a stroll. Cream tea sightings = 0.

Hampstead Heath - you could call it a massive park full of rolling fields of grass and shrubbery, clear lakes, and walking paths lined with weeping willows. Or you could call it heath. Either way, after cavorting on an oddly fallen tree and using the heathland as my stage for a Julie Andrews (a la The Sound of Music) impression, we spied a singular looking mansion in the distance. Luring us. Beckoning us. Tea or not to tea.

Kenwood House & Estate – a set location for the movie Notting Hill (which is not that impressive unless you like Hugh Grant), this gigantic house is surrounded by more idyllic lawns, pathways and lakes.

The house itself boasts an imperial number of paintings and other things snobby, rich people revel in. Such as ballrooms and candlesticks and beauties in gowns and beasts in ruffled suits. After wandering about the museum part aimlessly; maybe perusing the china and baubles, gazing at the portraits of stuffy, unamused people and admiring the art with snobby aloofness; one could be tempted to visit the garden café on the ground level. Maybe something teaish or creamish will be on offer.

Walking along the outside, you soon come to a stone gateway and stairs. The sign on the inside of the gateway says ’Flask Walk’. My kind of place. You take the stairs down and then walk to the café and the large, spacious outdoor seating areas. This place must have cream tea. It’s gonna happen!

The café boasted a British line-up of options. I darted between the various refrigerated displays…seeking, searching. I spied a scone and suddenly stopped. Cut in half with jam and some light, frothy cream (not clotted) inside. Arrggghhhh! So close, but not proper cream tea at all! I bought one anyway, cursing under my breath. I ate it but my quest was in shambles. Time to move on.

Rose Hill – it was time to head over for some evening activities and our lengthy walk passed through Rose Hill, with a nice view of the London Zoo and other things. As the evening dusk began to settle, we continued our quest to…

Camden Town - where we learned upon arrival at the first bar that Amy Winehouse was dead. Her house was mere blocks away. We could have walked over. But that just seemed way too depressing, so we headed over to Hawley Arms Pub, where she was a regular, and had a number of pints that totaled more than one. Some may have been in her honor.

Tea requiem - other things happened in London, that’s another story, but my quest for cream tea did come full circle, in a surprising way. As I was waiting in Heathrow Airport to board my flight home to DC, the customer service desk announced my name. I walked up and they proceeded to upgrade me to FIRST CLASS for FREE. Yes, read that again. Because that’s how I roll. With a cheesy grin on my face, I tested all the various doodads and whatchamacallits and entertainment options that make up the 5% of the plane my lavish seat occupied. Then shortly after take off, the flight attendant brought me…wait for it…CREAM TEA! Warm scones, strawberry jam, clotted cream and a spot of tea.

The End

Happy harpsichord

A Fenton rose by any other name...

Fenton House Garden

Apple Orchid

 

London, there it is

Heath 2

Hampstead Heath

That looks like some heath over there

Oops, it fell down

Take a walk on the wild side

Not Cream Tea

View from Rose Hill

Camden Town

Three Years, 132 Posts and Not a Rash of Wit

Today is special. Really special.It’s the 11th day of November (being the 11th month), in the 2011th year after that Jesus guy was born (actually he was probably born around 2 BC or so …so it really should be like 2009). Also, for you numerous Chinese readers, it is the year of the tenderly cooked and elegantly seasoned Rabbit, in the 4709th year since some dynasty or other began.

In other news, today marks the 3-Year Anniversary of this A Random Journey blog. Woo. Or more accurately, it’s a future National holiday. A day to go down in infamy. A day to replace Veteran’s Day.

I hired the crack research team, Kuma Consulting, to do some trending analysis and feed me the stats about this blog I most want to believe.

Random Stats

1) Total posts: 132

2) Total posts with an audience benefit ratio of +/- 20%: Three

3) Total posts about wieners: Nine (88% of those included the word ’dog’)

4) Total posts posted in the presence of an adult beverage: 103 (48% of those as a direct result of)

5) Total posts about nothing: Zero (the legal department recommended falsifying this stat to avoid being by sued by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld)

6) Love connections made by reading this blog: Data withheld (the legal department asks for your cute interns to call in to arrange for an info swapping meet and greet)

7) Total number of people impacted by this blog: Six (apology letters are already in the mail)

8 ) Number of random music playlists: Nine

9) Minutes wasted by readers searching for valuable nuggets of content in this blog: Varied results

10) Number of posts featured on ‘Freshly Pressed’ (on the WordPress.com homepage): One

11) Number of @ARandomJourney Twitter tweets: 199

12) Most posts under one category: 49 (Category: Travel)

13) Google ranking when you type in ‘A Random Journey’: #1

Here’s a pie chart to give the appearance of evidence-based data:

Official Pie Chart