Washington's Guitar Shop

The Washington Post just published a piece on Washington's Guitar Shop, located above Fuddrucker's on Connecticut Avenue. I have a special appreciation for this shop since it is where I purchased my first (and only) acoustic guitar.

The shop is just as the article describes it; cluttered with guitars and a little dusty, but that's all part of its charm. I had no idea that famous guitar players (e.g. Jimi Hendrix) and various bands stopped by this "Washington institution" on their way through town.

I found that the staff was really enthusiastic, even as I described my complete and total lack of guitar experience and they outfitted me with an excellent beginner guitar which I still play on today - I've been meaning to head back and upgrade.

If you're a guitar enthusiast in the DC area, you should stop in and check it out.

History of April Fools

I often wonder how some of our more non-traditional holidays came to be. Specifically those that don't seem to have any religious ties such as Groundhog Day or April Fool's.

According to various online resources, the history of April Fool's Day is linked to the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar and the confusion that ensued as a result of poor methods of communication in ye olde times. When the calendar was switched, New Years was moved from the first week of April to January 1st. Those who refused to acknowledge the change, or didn't learn about it were considered fools - evolving over time to our modern day April Fool's.

Just thought you'd like to know.

Dreaded Daylight Savings Time

Ah, the Cherry Blossom's are blooming, the birds are chirping and the sun is still out by the time you leave the office, but this weekend daylight savings will rear its semi-ugly head.

While it means that we'll be enjoying more hours of sunshine and happiness, it also means that we'll lose an hour of sleep this Sunday. To a marathon sleeper such as myself, this is a tragedy.

I honestly think that if I didn't have to eat or go to the bathroom - I would sleep all day. In a perfect world, I would mostly do just that. Medical professionals have a couple of tips to ensure that people ease their way into daylight savings time. I think i'm just going to sleep as much as I can before I have to spring forward.

Billboard Top 10 from 10 Years Ago

The following songs were topping the Billboard charts this week in 1996:

1) Celine Dion: "Because You Loved Me" - I wasn't so much of fan of this, or any Celine hits for that matter.

2) The Tony Rich Project: "Nobody Knows" - My little teeny bopper ears loved this song; the video was hot too.

3) Brandy: "Sittin' Up in My Room" - Not bad, but not as good as "The Boy is Mine" with Monica.

4) R. Kelly: "Down Low (Nobody has to Know)"- I didn't really know what the song meant when I heard it...then I saw the video and it became clear.

5) Mary J. Blige: "Not Gon' Cry"

6) Alanis Morissette : "Ironic" - Ugh

7) Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men: "One Sweet Day" - Loved...LOVED this song. My sisters were huge Mariah fans, so I listened to it a lot growing up; she may have been married to that crazy music exec, but at least she wasn't out of her mind...yet.

8) Everything But the Girl: "Missing" - Loved this song when it came out...still do, go figure.

9) Gin Blossoms: "Till I hear it From You" - Good tune

10) D'Angelo: "Lady" - ??

How Geeky Are You?

According to Newsweek's latest online survey, i'm "headed to geekdom." That's right, I scored a 40 out of 60 on the geek scale. I guess there are worse things in life...

I've been acutely aware of my increasing geekiness the last couple of months. I'm obsessed with being informed, having my finger on the pulse, embracing technology...whatever you want to call it. In marketing terms, i'm trying to go from "laggard" to "early adopter."

Not only do I listen to NPR everyday, but I subscribe to their podcasts for programs that I miss while i'm at work. I'm in the process of teaching myself how to use Dreamweaver and learn html code, I work on crossword puzzles like it's my job, I read two major newspapers every morning and subscribe to numerous blogs...the list goes on and on.

I wouldn't have been caught dead doing most of these things a couple of months ago, but I find myself surrounded by bright, young, intelligent and tech savvy people everyday - and i'm determined to keep up and establish myself among them - and if that means that I have to channel my inner geek; so be it.

Federal Govt. Looks to Sewage for Answers

This mornings WaPo reports that Fairfax County is participating in the Federal Governments program to test drug use. Ok, great - let's find out how many coke heads are running amok over in Fairfax. I'd hazard a guess and say that their are plenty, both in Fairfax and beyond. The Federal Government isn't interested in rough estimates however, and wants to get a more complete picture of the overall misuse of illegal substances. So where are they looking for these answers?....your toilet.

Well, your sewage to be more exact:

"Earlier this month, the county agreed to participate in a White House pilot program to analyze wastewater from communities throughout the Potomac River Basin for the urinary byproducts of cocaine."

The Feds borrowed this lovely idea from Europe, where testing of the Po River Basin yielded surprising results on the useage of drugs (specifically cocaine).

Here's the thing - I don't think the Feds need to waste time, money and other resources taking samples of crap to prove that we've got a drug problem in the U.S. Although the image of a bunch of Feds wading through a sea of crap Shawshank Redemption style makes me laugh a little.

Health Secrets of the Stones

During this years SuperBowl halftime show, I found myself waiting for the Rolling Stones (a.ka. Strolling Bones) to spontaneously combust (see mockumentary Spinal Tap). I mean, how in the hell are they still rocking their asses off in their late 50's and 60's??

I was surprised to come across a WebMD article that examines the health and fitness of The Stones and how they can still put on one hell of a show despite their age.

Fact: The distance Mick Jagger struts and sprints in a typical stadium show = 12 miles!!

Basically it comes down to the fact that even if you've partied your ass off, you can still make up for it later in life if you haven't already caused yourself irreversible damage. That, and the best physical trainers money can buy doesn't hurt.

Now I don't feel so bad about the past couple of binge weekends i've been on.

I can't get nooo...satisfaction.....

Sisterhood of the Travelling Joke T-Shirt

I'm always a little bit behind fashion trends, and I think the popularity of joke t-shirts (e.g. "I went to Philly for the crack") has eclipsed, but I still love reading the obscure pop culture references or vintage logos that people have been sporting for the last couple of years. District Tees is an online retailer that sells some pretty funny DC themed shirts - "I'm late because I ride the Red Line..." I mean, come on - that's pretty funny.

The problem that I have with these shirts is that once you've worn them out a couple of times, the novelty wears off...and more people catch on so your shirt isn't all that original anymore (how many "Vote for Pedro" shirts have you seen...I rest my case). In order to maintain a constantly fresh joke t-shirt wardrobe, you would have to camp out at Urban Outfitters when they unload their inventory - and lets be honest - Urban is a rip off. That's why i'm proposing the Sisterhood of the Travelling Joke T-Shirt.

The premise is that you buy a few Joke T's and wear them out to the bars, etc. until the novelty wears off. Then, you trade them with friends in other cities (assuming they wear approx. the same size t-shirt). Even better - send them off with a couple of choice stories that relate to wearing the shirt..."I won a flip cup championship while wearing this shirt..." or "I lost this shirt while playing strip poker and found it under the couch a week later..." You get the idea. It's a money saver, and I think it would be damn fun.

Be Cool, Eat a Rita's

"Everybody want to be cool/everybody wants to be happy/everybody wants to put a smile on their face - real fruit, real fresh- the ice is Rita's"

It was already a balmy 60 degrees before I left the house this morning, and while I was getting ready to leave I saw a report on Rita's, a franchise which offers "ices, cones, shakes and other cool stuff." GLORIOUS!

Back in the dirty jeerz - we used to buy the hell out of this stuff. When I was younger (before Rita's hit the scene) we used to beg my mom to stop by the Seven Eleven on the way home from the beach to buy us all Slurpees. We usually succeeded (mom had a sweet tooth for the Coke flavored Slurpee) - ah, the glory days.

Rita's became popular right around the time that I was old enough to drive (or at least get rides from older friends), but not yet old enough to do anything "cool" like go to the bars, etc. Rita's became the destination/hangout for nightly hooligan antics. We used to buy a couple Italian Ices and drive down the road - lobbing them at the local 'hoods riding their bikes with their friends on the handlebars. It was great fun.

Aside from being the perfect thing to pelt locals with, Rita's Ices are fantastic! I've tried my share of Italian Ices, but nothing compares to Rita's Italian Ice and Custard....oh, sweet mother of god - it's that good.

The first Rita's Ice of year marks the onset of spring. I'm not sure how long this beautiful weather is going to hold out, but I think I might just head on over and pick one up...bikers beware!

Remembering Ed Emberly's Books

I recently came across a reference to Ed Emberly in an article that I was reading. Emberly is a children's author and wrote books such as "Make a World" in which he illustrated simple ways to draw various objects. I was mesmorized by this book when I was a little kid because it opened up the world of drawing to me. Granted, the book showed very basic ways to draw simple objects, but as an unartistic kid - I felt like I could draw anything.

I used to spend hours flipping through the book and making pictures with my colored pencils. I haven't thought about this book in ages, and thought that maybe some of you remember it too. I almost want to go out this weekend and see if I can find it. I think it would improve my Pictionary and Cranium skills greatly.

Condiment Connoisseur

I have this problem where I actually use food as a vehicle for condiments. As I dove into my Cheessteak this afternoon (which the deli calls a steak and cheese...blasphemy!) I realized that I was enjoying the ketchup a little more than the actual sandwich.

People are funny about their condiments. For example, i've come across many who will only use Heinz ketchup for their burgers. I'm not really brand loyal to any particular condiment (I like Hunt's ketchup just as much), but condiments in general are a must have for my meals. Wouldn't it be awesome if you could size a person up by the condiments they put on their hotdogs? For me it's a mixture of ketchup, mustard, and sweet relish...like I said, I have a problem.

I also go through condiment phases. When I was younger, it was ketchup. In college I went through ranch dressing like nobodies business. Now, I have a serious addiction to horseradish - I put it on everything. My favorite is a mixture of horeseradish and ketchup which yields a sort of poor man's cocktail sauce. My dad used to spread it on fresh crab meat and ritz crackers...yum! It is now the reason that Arby's is my favorite fast food joint - who else liberally dispenses horseradish with their meals?

If you're looking for an awesome way to spice up your sandwiches, I seriously recommend any of the condiments in Woeblers Sandwich Pal line. They are excellent, although sometimes hard to find.

Hokusai Exhibit @ Sackler Gallery

I've never been as excited about an art exhibit as I am to see the Hokusai exhibit that's opening this weekend at the Sackler Gallery. I can't remember being this pumped about an "art outing" since my first visit to the Gugenheim Museum in NYC (although I was going more for the architecture of the building than the art inside). Architectue has always appealed to me more than oil on canvas, but there's something about Hokusai's "Great Wave Off Kanagawa" (see above) that i've always been drawn to.

I love any art involving sea life and the ocean and what I like about the "Great Wave" is the mix of rich blue color along with the almost cartoon - like quality of the scene. I have a poster of "Great Wave" hanging in my room, but I can't wait to get a closer look at the original. I didn't realize that Hokusai's career spans almost 70 years and that his art is more recognized in the West than in his native Japan. Also, he used woodcut relief (the oldest form of printmaking) to create many of his works - I had no idea! More to follow on the exhibit after I actually see it!!!

Florida's Got the Good Lyrics

I just got back from a weekend trip to Ft. Lauderdale and while I was jammin' to the radio in the rental - I realized that a lot of the songs that get airplay up here are radio edits with totally different lyrics. What gives? Why can they play the original version in Ft. Lauderdale, but they won't play it in DC? I'm guessing it has something to do with those two huge white buildings down the road...

Before I left to go to Florida, I heard this song on the radio with the lyrics "i'm in love with a dancer..." I don't know anymore lyrics to it, because that's about all they say in the song - yes, it's probably worse than the Black Eyed Peas "My Humps" song. So i'm in a little bodega by the beach and they're playing the same awful tune to "I'm in love with a stripper." Can we not say stripper on the radio here?

Same thing happened again when Sean Paul's "We Be Burnin" came on the radio. So the DC lyrics go "recognize it, we pimpin' as we ride it." And the Florida lyrics go "recognize it, they should legalize it." Ok, so a song about legalizing marijuana probably wouldn't go over so well in our nations capital i'm guessing.

Who knew?

Also, this strange phenomena has been happening lately where i'm scanning through the radio and hear an a song that I haven't heard in years...then later that day i'll hear it again, and again the following day - then it dissapears again into a musical abyss. Do all the DJ's get together and pick some one hit wonder from years ago and agree to play it for three days straight?

I think I listen to the radio too much.