De-construction

With land at a premium here in DC, real estate, especially commercial real estate, is very expensive. But what do you do when you've got a 40 year old building that's sitting on some valuable property?

Well you de-construct it. And that's the best word I can use to describe it. You just don't tear it down, you don't blow it up, you de-construct it.

At 18th and I, they wrapped this building in that weird green permeable cloth and slowly tore down the building from the inside, all the way down to a big hole in the ground. At L and 20th, they aren't using the green cloth, and they aren't taking it down to the ground. They are just taking it down to the concrete foundation, so the building is still there, well it's skeleton is atleast. And they will build a new a building using that same foundation. At K and 18, they are slowly carving the building up using a big backhoe excavator. It's fascinating, while the building is empty, the backhoe is just scraping a huge chunk of the concrete, metal pipes, etc out of the foundation, like someone taking a knife to a piece of cheese.

Yep, I'm back. Some weird weeks lately. More if I feel like it.

Metro or Sauna?

So I had to take my car into the shop. I'm hearing this weird noise and I don't want to put off getting it looked at. I'm gone next week, and then when I get back Mom arrives on that Wednesday in preparation for the surgery. And I don't want to have her driving my car if there's a problem. So anyways, I take the car to the shop and then I catch the metro from East Falls Church into Rosslyn.

Okay, I'm not normally a metro person. I usually drive because I have to go to meetings at random times to places that are not metro accessible. And taking a cab is not an option. So I'm not used to the swarms of people trying to pile into the metro car at 7AM. It's kind of odd. And kind of bad since there is no AC. After about 20 minutes, it became clear who thought deodorant and cologne was option. Yes, what a wonderful melange of smells to enjoy. But I make it to Rosslyn without hurling.

Meeting at the puzzle palace this afternoon. Walk from my office to the Metro, starting to feel the sweat build up. Get into the metro, again, no AC. Not as crowded, but still hot. I was definitely sweating up a storm by the time I found refuge in the AC of the puzzle palace. The ride back was just as enjoyable.

When I get back to my office, I find out that the shop doesn't hear the noises I'm hearing. And no, these aren't voices in my head. I had other people in my car and they were asking WTF. So they want to keep my car overnight. Not sure why, but the thought of a long metro ride back out to East Falls Church does not appeal to me.

So I walk back up the hill to the metro to go home. Again, the metro has no AC. Plus now it stops randomly in the middle of the tubes. Not once, but several time. I'm wearing my laptop backpack and I can feel it start to melt into my back. I finally escape the metro and then walk the 7 blocks home.

When I get home, I have to peel my dress shirt off my body. Just totally disgusting. And I get to look forward to using it again tomorrow. I'm not sure I could do this every day. I think I'd have to wear shorts or something and bring a change of clothes with me.

Better Know A District!

Well, despite my attempts to keep track of Stephen Colbert's 427 part series called "Better Know a District", it looks like I need to take a step back and see what I really know about my District.

On Thursday I had to go see my endocrine-surgeon at the Washington Hospital Center. Umm, the what? I didn't even know it existed. I'm good with the Georgetown Hospital, Sibley Hospital, and George Washington Hospital. And yes I'm vaguely aware that Howard University has a Hospital, but WHC? First I'd heard of it. So I leave work and I drive up into North DC. Wow, this is no longer the Shire. And I'm kind of fascinated by the different neighborhoods that I wander through due to a bad combination of Google Maps and road construction. But once I make it up there, I realize that the WHC is just part of a HUGE hospital complex to include the VA Hospital, plus some other ones. It was very impressive. But a pain to navigate, much less find parking.

My appointment with my Dr went fine. I'm going to wait to go under the knife until I get back from my various vacations planned for this summer. I'm not going to let a little thing like cancer stop me from my gay and fabulous vacations lined up for this summer. So that's good. Plus that gives me time to arrange for Mom's visit etc. So that's all good.

The funny thing is that it took me an hour to get from my office to WHC. When I left, I asked for directions home and it took me about 10 minutes. So weird. And I'm still amazed that I didn't even know WHC existed. I live about 99% of my life in a strange 5 square miles that includes both Dupont and Rosslyn. And for me to leave my little comfortable section of DC is quite uncommon. But I do need to get out more and see more of the District. But that would require me to have a life, and that's a different discussion for a different day!

Slaughter on Tenth Avenue!

So last night I went to the Kennedy Center to see the ballet. One of my Navy friends who works at the White House got us some tickets. And not just tickets, but tickets for the Presidential Box. So when the President is out of town (he's currently doing the G8 thing trying to sabotage any real climate change initiatives), they are up for grabs by White House folks. So she got a total of 4 and invited me to come. Well of course my plan to leave work at 5PM is just pipe dream, and I'm cursing the traffic in DC at 630PM as I'm trying to get home. I was supposed to be at the Kennedy Center, at 645PM, in a suit. I get home, throw on a dark blue sports coat that sort of matches the dark blue pants I'm wearing and race to catch a cab. Only 15 minutes late I arrive sweating like a pig. So attractive. The ladies (all Navy Officers) are all dressed to the nines. So we make our way up to the second floor where we are quickly stopped by an usher. Access to this level is very restricted. And then our tickets have to be checked again before the open the red velvet rope (!) to let us enter the Presidential Box. Let's just say it's very nice. A little sitting room for you to have some pre-show drinks. The Navy runs the Presidential Mess so it's fully stocked with little splits of champagne, sodas, water, peanuts, and candies. So we proceed to kick back some of the champagne. It was pretty nice.

Well the show starts and we've got the first 4 seats in the box. There's a couple who has joined us also, but they are in the second row of seats. The first ballet is Scottish Symphony or some such thing and while the ballerinas are in tights and tutus, the bellerinos (?) are in pseudo traditional Scottish garb to include kilts. Well with all of the spinning, it was clear that they were not truly going Scottish. Which I think is a good thing. I'm thinking going commando and doing ballet is an accident waiting to happen. So the first dance ends and we go back to our sitting room for more champs and all of the girls are talking about the dancer who fell. And I'm like, someone fell? Well the other couple comes in and sure enough the woman makes a comment about the falling dancer and the husband is just like me, "Someone fell?" So apparently us guys just didn't get it.

There were two more dances and then the finale, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. I'm sorry, but what kind of name is that!! Anyways it's sort of an American ballet piece set in prohibition and it's all about a gangster who's supposed to shoot the lead dancer. It was very flapper/vaudeville-ish. Complete with jazz hands! But funny. Of course by the time it was over, I was more than balleted out. So I came home and promptly crashed!

Anyways, it was fun and definitely a Washington experience.

Home Again!

It felt great to drive home this evening through my secret path through downtown in the warm spring air. Well, maybe not warm, but cool with a hint of warmness. Plus you could just barely make out the humidity hanging in the air illuminated by the street lights beneath the almost foggy sky. I loved it. And I was so glad to be home.

My trip to Omaha, yes Omaha, was not fun. The work portion of it was okay, the rest? Not so much. Flight hassles, hotel hassles, you name it. Loved the Holiday Inn Express with my fabulous view of the highway. In Nebraska! Don't get me started. Or the fact that I sort of made a comment about how dinner at Hooters wasn't exactly my thing, and then all I heard was how everyone was bummed about not going to dinner at Hooters. Are you FRAKKIN KIDDING ME!!!! If Hooters is considered fine dining, then I've surely been to hell, and thankfully escaped. More flight delays and hassles getting back today. I spent some quality time at Eppley Field, that's the Omaha airport. Not sure why it's not called the Omaha Regional Airport, or something like that, but whatever. The fine dining options consisted of cheese curds and A&W burgers. Oh, and needless to say I've fallen off the diet wagon and bounced three time. It all started with the fresh baked chocolate chip cookies that Midwest Express serves on their flights. And then it went downhill from there.

Anyways, trapped at Eppley Field by bad weather and more plane hassles, I had plenty of opportunity to get my pop culture fix. And in case you are wondering, here are the headlines:

Star: Hollywood Nannies Tell ALL
People: Angelina's New Son!
Us Weekly: Inside Katie's Prison
In Touch: The Killer Is . . . . (which I think is about Anna Nicole)

Just shoot me.

Anyways, I'm just SO glad to be back from America's heartland and home, sweet home!!

Winter Blues

So ironically enough, in mid January I set the date for my Winter Blues Party. January and February are kind of dreary, and throw in Valentine's Day for the singles crowd, and it's just downright depressing. So that's why I thought I Winter Blues party would be fun. Dress in blue, drink blue drinks, and toast to an early spring. And it was fun. The key? White Cranberry juice with blue food coloring! I think we went through 2 1/2 big bottles of Grey Goose. And it was a small crowd. Probably no more than 10. But the gays can drink. Anyways, I woke up with a small hangover, looked out the window, and said an ugly word. SNOW! Ugh.

After church I decided to walk down to the mall and take some pics. So here you go!