Stage Debut

Grandma P got up on the stage at TOWN. Story to follow

100 Friends

I am very excited to see that with my latest friend, Austin, I now have 100 Facebook Peeps. If you aren't my friend on Facebook yet, friend me. If you don't have a Facebook account, sign up. It is stupid, yes, but a fun way to keep in touch. Judge not. Everyone is doing it, even my aunts and uncles. Thankfully there are very robust privacy settings so they are categorized to see only my most basic info. They'd ask too many questions if they saw everything and probably die if they read the blog.

Shock Walk

I worked from home today and went to Logan Circle for lunch. The disbelief on my face when I walked past her bedroom window and saw this solicitation!

Hunka Hunka

Wow - definitely worth the watch after B. Scott's commentary as she shows part two of her "interview" with ex-soap star and British born model, Marcus Patrick. He's delicious, but it isn't x rated.

Movies, Food & Friends

We finished playing Revolutionary War Tourist and spent much of the afternoon relaxing at the house. We might have gone through the sangria, but I'm awake again at 6 AM so it must not have been very potent. Perhaps I was just enjoying a new form of moderation.

While Merritt was cooking the buffalo blue chicken burgers for dinner, I moved the people and the dogs out to photograph the picture perfect deck as the sun set. The setting was worthy of Architectural Digest; Urban Townhome Living!

In the evening we rearranged Merritt's family room which is being transformed into a fab contemporary lounge. After configuring the 50 inch flat screen with the diva home theater sound system, Dreamgirls provided the entertainment! It's a great movie and even better with Merritt there to explain all of the references from the 60s. Despite my rejected attempts to paint a funky 70's style silhouette of Merritt on his own lounge wall, we definitely helped start the room transformation (should have given him more gin.)

Sunday Funday: Phoenixville, PA

After touring a good part of Valley Forge, taking in the historic sites and the wildlife, we have settled onto the deck for boxed sangria and peas & carrots (hapi snacks hot wasabi peas & kraft Macaroni & Cheese Crackers.) We couldn't resist 5 liters of sangria for $12.45, but we did have to doctor it up.

Here's some of the wildlife from Valley Forge








Here we are at the Arch

Valley Forge

We stopped at the Washington Memorial Chapel at Valley Forge. I took another page from the book of Boston Steamer.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

This was perhaps the most poorly planned holiday weekend ever. I declined multiple graduation/birthday invitations. My cousin's wedding was the top choice, but my daughter decided she didn't want to go with less than 2 weeks notice. Four Ohio friends made plans to visit and then canceled at the last minute. With a one day notice, I didn't have time to rearrange travel to NY or OH for the things I originally should have done.

SALVATION! My friend Merritt and I were chatting and discovered his weekend plans also fell through; we decided to relax the weekend away in Phoenixville. Timmy worked Saturday and we arrived last night for a chill evening. We shopped downtown at Hipster Home; just wait till you see the 'accessories' I've purchased for the Joan Crawford night! The evening ended with a group meal preparation in his gourmet kitchen.

After a few martinis, we went to bed early for a Saturday. While everyone else is still sleeping, my insomnia forced me up at 5:30 this morning. Today's agenda is very loose which generally cultivates the most fun. I'm especially looking forward to our ethnic breakfast plans! Hopefully I'll remember to mobile blog the adventures...it's turning into a fabulous holiday weekend after all!

Old Post Updates...Remember the half marathon? I also received the video and added it to the finish line post. Click over and take a peek if you need a good laugh.

Save The Date - Ben's Chili Bowl Turns 50

Ben's Chili Bowl turns 50 this fall! The excerpt below was taken from a Washington Informer article where Joseph Young writes about the exciting things planned for the celebration! In addition, the new Ben's II (next door to the original location) will open that same weekend! How fantastic, a bar where one can enjoy both a chili smoke and a beer!

Ben’s 50th anniversary gala will be held at the historic Lincoln Theatre Aug. 21. Comedian-activist Bill Cosby will serve as Master of Ceremony.

“It will just be a celebratory night to celebrate mom and dad and the legacy of Ben’s Chili Bowl,” Nizam Ali said.

On Aug. 22, U Street will be closed and there will be musical performances and dancing in the street. On Aug. 24, there also will be a concert at the 9:30 Club. More can be learned about the history and legacy of Ben’s from their book, “Ben’s Chili Bowl: 50 Years of a Washington, D.C. Landmark,” which will be on sale Aug. 18 at area bookstores. The book is on pre-sale now at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.comBooks.

For all the latest details, click over to the anniversary pages at BensChiliBowl.com Thanks to Candy for sending me the article!

Where the earth rotates

While Big Tom prepares for our third car bomb and Young Kevin catches up, I am....well wasting precious time taking pictures.

Happy Birthday Girl!

Don't send a lame Birthday Card.
Try JibJab Sendables!

Sorry this is not an "actual" birthday card, but I wanted to select one that several of us could participate in. Hope your birthday is swell!

Divas Outdoors

From the Real Affirmations Website:

Hillwood Estate Museum & Gardens, Metro Weekly, and One In Ten present DIVAS OUTDOORS: Summer Camp at its very best, classic films under the stars, picnic spread contests, Joan Crawford lookalike contest:


We already reserved tickets for Friday, June 13th, to see Strait Jacket. Buy your tickets now at 202.686.5807 if you want to join! The entire series looks awesome!

Long and Thin

Capri fun. I might have selected the wrong smokes

Working hard for the money

She's not dead...just getting a mani-pedi with me after lunch

The new Annies Upstairs

She waves to her peoples below with the serenity and grace of a Peterbilt.

Annies Steakhouse

We are having a nice lunch at Annies

Fun with Alice & the peeps

Sunday Funday

St Sophias

Guess who's first again this year.

Update: In fact, RJ finally made his virgin mobile blogging post. We love the Greek Festival! During the festival last Fall, they stopped selling wine by the bottle. This Spring festival, they lost their liquor license completely. Bummer, but we still had a good time.

Momma is a strong woman

...so Iris tried to take her mom home, but she insisted on going herself. She made a new friend, Wendy. Apparently this is ok because she has her addy on a bar nap

Happy Early Birthday Robert

A fantastic birthday dinner and a little candle for Mary at Rosemary's Thyme. Fun times with a great friend!

Fun times at the zoo

Iris (pictured left) and her mother, Alice, invited me for an afternoon at the zoo.

Desperate times

This dude totally has a jumbo slice in his bag

Red Suit

We might have stopped for Kostume karaoke after movie night. This cat showed up in his own costume to sing Benny & the Jets. fun times

Happy Anniversary Dad

This is a day of celebration! My Dad had his cancerous kidney removed 10 years ago today and has been cancer free ever since. The first five years were spent in fearful anticipation of the results every six months. The last five years have required annual tests. From this point forward, he only has to do bi-annual testing since he has been officially cancer free for 10 years. Click on the logo above to donate if you like.

I love my Dad.

Seriously?

They seriously have guitar hero set up on a big screen on the smoking patio...and Pitchers are still only 5 dollars

Is Your "Betty" Ready?

...this is unbelievable. If you don't have time to watch the brief Leno clip above, click over to the Betty Beauty links below and find out what the hype is all about. I am particularly fond of the Charmcils to shape your Betty and the Bridal Betty in Malibu Blue when you want your "something special" to be the "something blue" on your wedding day. I don't know about you, but I'm going with Fun Betty for my birthday weekend.

Mother's Day Finale

Mother's Day is finally over. It was a long, fun, rain filled day. Here's a brief synopsis.

8:30 AM - Get up and ready!

10:00 AM - Pick up Mom & Dad for Church. The sermon was about Charlatan preachers selling "Prosperity Gospel." Actually a decent perspective on it.

11:55 AM - Arrive at Bob Evans with 17 family members. Who goes to a restaurant, that doesn't take reservations, with 17 people on Mother's Day? We divided and conquered. Eli's family of 7 took one area, Esther's family of 5 took another (they scored Grandma,) and my baby Bro, Keith, and I sat with my parents.

12:00 PM - The Sheriff's Department responds to a 9-1-1 call at my parent's house. Apparently the lightning storm took out a telephone pole back the road and knocked out their landline. During the madness, their phone mysteriously dialed 9-1-1, but nobody was home. The neighbor, James, contacted my brother via cell phone to see if anyone was in the house when nobody answered the door. Not sure why they didn't just walk in...I doubt the door was even locked.

3:30 PM - Hang out with Steve & Lisa and meet her new pets, Smelia & Mimmick. They are rather shy and a-scared of the humans right now, but unbelievably adorable. If it wasn't rainy and gross, I would have tried to play with them, but they were all wet.

6:00 PM - Pick up my Mom from a Tupperware party / Bridal Shower for my cousin's fiance. I guess it is the latest trend to have parties and buy things for the bride instead of bringing useless gifts. I was judged by my Aunts for showing up at a girls only party, but I had to collect Mom or she would have been there all night. Yes, I did buy two items of Tupperware for myself; none for the bride...I wasn't invited.

7:30 PM - Cookout at Steve & Lisa's house. We had a great meal and then settled by the fireplace for some casual conversation. Dad and Moose were tired and apparently a little bored as we posed for the picture above. Lisa must have taken 30 shots, but we had the giggles like we were 12 years old and couldn't get a good posed one. This one makes me smile.

The most notable conversation revolved around Keith's relationship prospects. Mom apparently has a good one for him, but he didn't "do anything with the last one she introduced him to," so she's not sure how she should introduce him to this one. We had to explain that, no matter how perfect a girl may be, it is never cool for a Mom to play matchmaker. Keith offered to go back and "do something" with the last one if that was all Mom expected. I'm not certain she got it, but the rest of us were howling.

Happy Mother's Day

I should have saved Friday's post about my friend Ja and her mommy adventures for today. Since I didn't, I dug through the archives and found this rare photo from 2002 of Cynthia and Dalia. I think it may have been the only time our mothers were actually together.

Cynthia with her cursing and Dalia with her Jesus...they don't exactly go together like Jack & Coke.

Regardless...Happy Mother's Day to all who are, were, or aspire to be mothers to their chirrens, their pets, or even their friends!

Memory and Laughter

I know my chimney friends will think this is a child in training for life on U Street. In reality, it is a pic from my friend Ja's blog. She has taken time off work to be a full-time mommy and started blogging the details of their adventures.

I absolutely love it; she reminds me of all the quirky little things my baby girl did as a child. I wish 'blogging' was available and common back then because she had many blog worthy moments in her days.

If you would like to read about Ho Cakes, and generally useless happenings on U Street, keep scrolling down my pages. If you want a good wholesome smile, pop over to The Postlewait's and check out my friend and her kids! In this picture, for example, her baby girl is "talking to the toilet" as if it was entirely normal. In another post, she can't understand why Nina won't open the door to the van - you have to read it; reminds me of Rita Jean talking to the Neverlost module in the 'Gator on our last road trip. I love the innocent antics of chirrens and hers are especially adorable.

Hoe Cake

Ho's got to eat too

Duffarific

Have you picked up the latest issue of On Tap Magazine? There is a full page article titled, "On The Cheap; Happy Hour at Duffy's" about Duffy's Irish Restaurant & Pub!

Nice Publicity Andy!

Cinco de lockdown

Today was completely useless; thankfully I was pre-scheduled off work for a recovery day. Tomorrow I will resume living like a grown up person and will not pretend to be 12. While tempted with the fun that can be had on el Cinco de Mayo, 24 hours with my pillow are required. I've been up long enough to hydrate and re-fuel. Time to return to my horizontal recovery.

Voluminous Something

We might be going to work

Vol 2 chapter ?

Happy Cinco De Mayo dancing happy time at the place the earth rotates

Vol 2 Chapter 6

It's a fast bus...

Vol 2 Chapter 5

Yup...p-rat

Vol 2 Chapter 4

Both tims are missing

Vol 2 Chapter 3

We're at Solly's too

Vol 2 chapter 2

Vol 2 Chapter 1

The second part of today's daylight drinking starts now

Can u believe the sun be up?

Oops...might Be morning and we might need cash to pay

Trying

Apparently RJ isn't is his special place...yet

Is this the place?

Interesting...wish the Big Jackey Cafe was open

Part 12

Our new friend (i mean taxi driver) is taking us to the after hours chinese restaurant in china town cuz we need some late night treats. See this meter? I feel this might cost more than zones? Not sure...of this or much

Wrong Tim?

They say...all's well that ends well. Apparently Too Tall Tom and I ended up in the bed together...again.

Time to start Sunday Funday!

Act five?

Who can say? YK says he has no limits, but I believe I've thested this hypothesis and it be false

Part III

This is how we roll with Travman. Why am I in Adams Morgan? Oh yeah...bonding with Jym and speaking anime