Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas!

This is my one year old nephew's tree! There's also a giant one in the mansion, but he picked this live one from the tree farm! You should see the little fella burning around the house on the Radio Flyer Tricycle that Santa left!

Despite a little pre-arrival monkey drama, it was an excellent Christmas Eve with my family. I'm now getting ready to head home to the District! Let's hope the snow currently falling in the mountains and the storm headed to our fine city doesn't leave me stranded along the way.

Merry Christmas to you and your Chimney from the family farm!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

To tree, or not to tree?

I had BIG plans last year!  The theme color was red; I purchased several new ornaments and enough sequined and sparkly fabric to cover all the throw pillows red.  This is apparently the only (blurry) picture I took of the tree since I only blogged a pic of one ornament.  I ultimately ran out of time and didn't sew the pillows.  These crafty projects always sound like a great idea but take longer than I'd like.  For example, I finished the hat and ONE leg warmer for my friend's 40th Birthday party in 2007.  The other...it's about 3 inches long.  I suppose she could use it as a bracelet and keep one leg warm at a time?

I have no motivation this year, not even enough to start decorating.  Is that terrible?  Is it necessary to do it every year?  I just don't feel like traveling across the city to the storage bin and dragging everything out.  Decorating alone takes 4 trips total for set up and tear down.  I think I'll be a scrooge for 2010.

Other news...The movie night page is updated.  We're still missing several historical details.  If you have any recollection of the film and/or food from the missing dates, please let me know!

Happy Holidays!

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

ChiDogo's

So far so good! We did the World AIDS Day vigil, the fundraiser, then drank out way back to U Street and ended up here! I'm excited! Chicago style dog & fried pickles!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Richmond Road Trip

Our great friend Stacey moved to Richmond last year. We miss her and threw together a surprise Richmond Road Trip! She about fell out when 7 Chimneys from DC strolled into Ellwood Cafe! Five months of secret planning paid off!

Now let's check out what this city has to offer!

Warrior Dash 2010

Early this year I learned about Warrior Dash in one of my running magazines.  It sounded like a great adventure so last month we loaded up Bernadette and met a bunch of friends in rural PA for a day of beer drinking and mud slinging.  Yes, we are THAT butch! 
Many of our cheerleaders committed to participation next year!  There are details at the bottom of this post if you also want to join!  Now that I'm posting it here, nobody can whine that they weren't invited...
The day was unusually warm for October.  After a series of runs, climbs over military equipment, ropes, hay, swamps, and a variety of other obstacles, it was time to slither through mud under barbed wire.  We saw one person stand up too early and literally slice open her face.  Gross,
The fire jump wasn't very large, but it was a) HOT, b) my eyes were covered in mud from the mud slithering so I couldn't see where to jump, and c) it was the very last obstacle so I was tired...
The best part of the day?  People watching.  Wet, hot, sweaty, muddy, muscled, tattooed, men watching to be exact.  Delicious.  For others it was the beer, but I only had one since my duties included the role of Shirley Jones
Many participants donated their shoes at the end of the race.  They will be cleaned and shipped to a place where, well I guess where people don't have shoes?  It was a great idea, but I should have carried flip-flops in my bag because the gravel drive tore up my feet.

At the end of the day, several of us continued our road trip to Havre De Grace, MD for a night of relaxation and fun.  We started with delicious Manhattans prepared by the owner of The Vandiver Inn, clearly the best accommodations available in this quaint little town.  Well...truthfully, it started with a long hot shower to transform back to reality!  We then enjoyed treats at The Vineyard Wine Bar while waiting for a table at Laurrapin Grille.  Who knew one would need reservations on a sleepy Fall weekend in a little waterfront town?  The wait was worth it!  Live music, sustainable, locally grown food and a beverage or two...

Most importantly, click here to sign up for May 21, 2011 in Mechanicsville, MD!  Several of us are shooting for the 1 PM wave.  Prices go up the longer you wait so you should do it now!  Don't forget, many of the 2010 events sold out far in advance of dash day.

Living Vicariously

I started blogging again so I could share all of my exciting fitness adventures...or rather...so I could win fancy prizes from DC Rainmaker who actually participates in exciting physical activities!  I'll post about Warrior Dash next, but unfortunately that's the extent of my summer 2010 physical fitness!

Seriously, if you haven't read his blog, it is great!  I'm just a casual runner, I rarely swim, and my bike is (hopefully) locked in the basement.  I haven't actually ridden it since 2009 (or was that 2008?)  Hmmm.  Regardless, click over for a chance to win his November Forerunner Giveaway or to just check out the site!

Cheers!

Sunday, November 07, 2010

Hello Judy

RJ may not be here, but the posse ended up at Restaurant Judy. Security next door is trying to get us over to check out the Ethiopian Booty, but there's still no booty at the Judy!

Friday, November 05, 2010

I Like Pie

October went out with a BANG!  So many friends visited our DC trailer that there hasn't been any time to post.  I'll try to add a few more details in the coming days.  A highlight was attending the DC High Heel Race!  I'm posting this picture to remind everyone about Food & Friends' annual Slice of Life Pie Sale.  This beautiful (and very natural) woman was promoting Food & Friends at the race.  Don't delay...the pie sale only runs through November 18th!

My pictures aren't the greatest, but here's some links to other blogs that had more extensive coverage!

  • My friend, Taco Grande, was excited to write about his impressions of the race.
  • DCist compiled several photos!
  • MetroWeekly has the most comprehensive photo & video coverage.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Eartha made the list!



Here's an advertisement for my newest toy.  I absolutely love Eartha. She's a 2011 Honda CR-Z EX  and takes me back to the late 80's & early 90's when I owned both a CRX and later a CRX-SI.  In fact, yesterday, I might have flashed back to 20+ years ago and blared Vanilla Ice and Janet Jackson all the way home from work.  Frightening, yes, but it sure made me smile (and probably several other commuters watching me rap in rush hour traffic!) The new CR-Z went on sale in the USA on August 24th but Eartha moved into our garage early on August 20th!  Connections Baby!

Despite all the hullabaloo about the CR-Z being impractical, not green enough, not fast enough, and essentially not a CRX, it is possibly one of the most fun vehicles I've owned.  It is exciting to see Cars.com included it, along with several other past wheels, on the Top 10 Fun to Drive cars.  Here's some other lists with cars from my past...

Cars.Com - Top 10 Fun to Drive Cars
Mazda Miata
Honda CR-Z
Mini Cooper
Mazda CX-9 (we had a CX-7, but it's close)

Car Talk - The Ultimate Gay & Lesbian Cars
Saab 900
Mazda Miata
Jeep Wrangler
VW Beetle


Fenuxe - Top 7: Gayest Cars
Mini Cooper
Mazda Miata
VW Beetle
Subaru Wagon (Yes, I was a lesbian in college with my canary yellow wagon)

Gaywheels.com - Ten Most Researched Rides
VW Beetle
Mercedes C-Class

Summary; the gay and sporty cars end up in our garage!  In fact, many of these have been here more than once (Even the Subaru Wagon; Timmy & I both had one in the early 90s.)  I should put together a car family tree...we've owned over 30 cars between the two of us.  Hard to believe since we're only 26!  I wonder if I should tell my Sister about this?

Sunday, October 24, 2010

RepubliCorp

Buying Democracy one race at a time...



Thanks to the folks over at MoveOn.org for putting up this site.  Check out Republicorp.us and be sure to like them on Facebook

I'm not ready!

It was a shopping catch up day for us. I'm not surprised, and I do understand, but I'm just not ready for Holiday decorations.  At least Macy's is subtle for now.
We started at Pentagon City Mall; had to leave DC for shoes.  Did you know DSW will reissue expired reward certificates if you call the 800 number?  We went in search of The Body Shop for skin care products and accidentally walked into Bath & Body Works.  Why can't I remember which products are where?  Shopping ended at Forever 21 where I stocked up on more age inappropriate clothing.  I know...at least I'm not wearing Affliction or Ed Hardy...

The shopping day ended at our own Cohi Target where a full selection of groceries is now available.  Convenient, perhaps, but I'm fairly certain we'll stick to Harris Teeter unless we happen to need a few food items when we're on a Target run.  It's kind of like full service light.

Congrats to DC Special Friend, Sister Disco, Tasty T, Eddie, and few other friends who finished the Army Ten-Miler this AM.  Despite being registered, my Summer fitness routine, or lack thereof, left me grossly unprepared to run the 10 miles.  Mid-Atlantic Warrior Dash nearly killed me and that was only three.  The objective is to stop smoking again (I made it 8 mos. the last time) and get my mileage on.

Now it's time for a mini Sunday Funday.  Where are my peeps?  Oh...I'll just go check the Twitter!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Is this thing on?

Photo from Taco-Adventures Picasa Album
Hi kids! Just thought I'd check in and see what's going on in the blogger world.  Unfortunately, It seems few of my friends are posting anything these days.  I do love Twitter and Facebook, but sort of miss composing the occasional post.  What do you think?  Will anybody read this?  Is this thing on? 

It's a busy week with my friend Taco in town.  He's well on his way into a 12 month couch surfing journey across the lower 48 states.  Make sure you check out his Facebook Fan Page and follow his Taco Adventures Blog for even more detail!  His Mia is a very good friend of mine and may be in a city near you seeking a sofa soon!

We're looking forward to the High Heel Race on Tuesday and the March to Keep Fear Alive & Rally to Restore Sanity this weekend when even more friends arrive to camp out at this trailer in the sky.  Oh...then there's Halloween!

Let's see if this is just a one day fad or if I really come back to the blogging world!

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Twitter is better

Friends - I just don't have time to put together the number of words required for a blog post worth follow me on Twitter @JasonDC

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Bon Voyage!

Chimney Fall Cat celebrates her 40th with 14 of her closest friends!
Considering the weather forecast for the District, looks like she
picked a good weekend to set sail headed South from Miami!

Disco Queens

My j-o-b holiday party was disco themed this year. We rocked it!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Morning Kids!

I haven't written an actual blog post in some time.  Looks like 2010 is going to be a great year!  Here it is January and we are hosting our third weekend of house guests to DC.  Welcome Erin & Holly from CMH!  We kicked off the weekend with Timmy's famous enchiladas, some booze at Polly's cafe, and the obligatory tourist visit to Adams Morgan where the girls sang their hearts out at Karaoke.  Fun Times!

The calendar is filling up quickly and I'm very excited about it.  This is exactly why we live where we live and how we live.  I wonder if people will still come if we settle down to the mid-century home of our dreams? Will it happen this year?  Let's just pray we don't end up too far out in the burbs where social lives can go to die.  Surely we wouldn't let that happen?  Regardless, that's a hint...if you live far away and like the convenience of our U Street location for a getaway, this might be the last year to do it.  Our guest room is always open!

So enough about me, now about me; I celebrated yesterday.  January 28 marked the official five month anniversary since I quit smoking.  This is significant because that's where I gave up in 2008.  Honestly, that time around, I was smoking on the weekends in month four, but I always say I quit smoking one time for 5 months...now I really did.  This time it is somehow different.  Over the five month period, I've allowed myself the occasional hit of someone else's cigarette every few weeks and it's routinely disgusting to me.  This is exactly how I want it to feel.  I fell off the wagon one night at about month three and chain smoked three cigarettes.  This was an excellent alternative to jumping in front of the 14th Street bus, which is what I really wanted to do that night.  I announced to the world that I failed, borrowed a fist fool of cigarettes, and smoked 'em up.  I fully expected to be a smoker the next morning, but when I woke up that Saturday, I just didn't have any desire to smoke.  THANK JEEBUS!  Fortunately for all my smoking friends, I do love the second hand smoke so I don't have to be the bitter and judgy ex-smoker and I still get to take passive smoke breaks with my friends!  Mostly I just watch everyone's purses and cell phones while they leave me in the bar.  I'm really OK with this.  The next step is to stop taking the Chantix so I can sleep for more than 3 hours at a time and stop killing people in my dreams.  Fun.

Some of us are reliving our youth as we cling to the images of DC's Real World on MTV.  It's so strange that we have friends as old as the series and most of them just don't get the fascination with the show.  Yes, I stalked them during filming.  Yes, I follow their every tweet.  Yes, I was at Nellies for the episode 1 viewing party.  Yes, Yes, Yes.  I'll admit to it all and I'll be sure to tell the world if a piece of the back of my t-shirt makes it on the air.  I'm too old and un-pretty to have been asked to sign a waiver so my face certainly won't air, but there's that little tiny chance that I'll get my .5 seconds of fame on the Real World.  Stay tuned.  If you can't bear to watch, at least read the Georgetown University Blog where they rank the cast members.  My beloved gaybie, Michael, didn't get much air time this week, but the blog will show you just how adolescent the show is.  It's deliciously horrible!

There are some new additions to the world.  Baby Lisa is having another baby in 2010.  Now, it isn't what you're thinking; Baby B isn't getting a brother.  She started a blog to document how she is Surviving the Simple Life!  With just a few posts in, I can tell it will be a must read and have already added it to my Google Reader.  I hope she has some Google Analytics linked up to that thing so she can see how many hits she gets.  Her tagline sums it up perfectly, "30 something teacher, wife and new mother continues to adjust to a life she never pictured for herself. She trades her vision of a city lifestyle for life on the farm with her husband."  Oh, and Sister Disco got a baby of her own, a dog named Zulu, after moving in with the boys.  How they live with all those pets and a Vergie up in that trailer is beyond me.  They must go through a handle of Jack every day! Finally, Jay over at Kill the Goat is blogging again!  You must check out how she follows the doctor's most recent medical advice!

I better bounce off here and get my arse to work.  I got up early with the intention of working early and here I sit writing.  I gots kids in my trailer that want to experience H Street tonight!  There's a new mid-century themed bar, Toyland, having a soft opening this weekend.  I got to check it out before it becomes popular with the bridge and tunnel types.

While my blog is so frequently silent these days, I do keep an online presence.  If you're interested, follow JasonDC on Twitter where I spew the random nothingness that is my life.  Happy Friday Kids!

Friday, January 01, 2010

Quality Programming

We are kicking off 2010 with a bowl of ice cream and looking for some
quality programming. I couldn't resist posting this option on HBO
Latino. Interesting.

BTW...I'm over four months as a non-smoker; perhaps this will stick?
Go Go Resolution!