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February 24, 2006
Showin' Some Love for the 202
There are a lot of blogs that complain about Washington, be it about the politics or about the city itself. Hell, I even link to some of them. But I think it's high time someone pointed out all the kick ass things about this city.
1. The Nationals
Who would've thought the Expos would bring such fun to the nation's capital? When they were first announced last year, I became quite excited. And while the Red Sox remain #1 in my heart, this group of young ruffians have indeed made a very compelling case to earn my affection. And while the team may have no owner, and an idiot for a General Manger - I will still follow them passionately. And root for them...as long as they're not playing the Red Sox.
2. The Metro
Yes it has problems. Yes it has delays. Yes they always seem to be doing trackwork. Yes it needs at least another track on every line in the system. But nonetheless, The Metro is the best way to get around DC. Never have to fight for parking, and still relatively cheap. Now if we can just add a new line that goes from Dulles, through Georgetown, and down M Street...
3. The Brickskeller
4 Words: Hand Drawn Cask Ale. Thousands of beers in the bottle. I readily admit that I am a beer snob, and there's very few things I enjoy more than Beer. In fact that's what makes baseball so great - the game AND beer! But Brickskeller is the only place in town you can grab a seat and drink a Dogfish Head, Fuller's London Pride, Baltica Classic, Reissdorf Kolsch, and Kirin Ichiban. It's like reenacting World War II in your stomach! Just keep the He'Brew away from the Weinstephaner.
4. U Street
You walk down U Street and you feel yourself immersed in culture. I often find myself thinking "Wow, Ella & Duke walked these streets too..." In a city full of history and culture, it's great to have an area not traditionally known for national politics, even though it was a cradle of the Civil Rights movement. And while the Jazz clubs may now be much more scarce, there's so much history and culture it's hard to ignore. Which leads us to...
5. Ben's Chili Bowl
The ultimate American Comfort Food. Half Smokes are the greatest invention ever. And when you sit there, you ask yourself if you're sitting where MLK once chowed down.
6. The Mall at Night
Long after the tourists have gone home for the night, there's no better way to simmer off a Brickskeller induced beer buzz than a walk along the Mall with friends or a "friend". The Lincoln Memorial transforms from a monument to a silent & solemn temple to Democracy. Walking down the street seeing the Capitol Dome gives you goose bumps. The raw emotion of the World War II memorial under the stars, dimly lit with fountains. I'm told I need to hit the FDR late one evening - I will probably do this once I move to Pentagon City (next week!)
So what do you think? What do you like about Washington? It's time to get a discussion going here!
Posted by MikeSager at 4:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 22, 2006
Your Governor is Showing
Gratuitous Warner shot. He's the man.
Posted by MikeSager at 6:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 20, 2006
It's Alive!
After a few weeks of false starts, quite a few beers, and a penchant for stylesheet mischief - we finally got it all perty and whatnot. Ladies and gentleman, all five of you who read this shall now checkout...
May death come swiftly to her enemies.
Posted by MikeSager at 9:01 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 19, 2006
Memo to those on the Left of Me
I just got home from a party one of my good friends threw - and just like any DC party, it was full of people with opinions. One of the things that came up with some of the old-school friends who are not involved with DC politics is the third party cry hasn't yet been put peacefully to rest. I am now going to address some of the frequent cries I hear from those to the left of me.
Section 1: Third Parties
Welcome to America. We're a Constitutional Representative Democracy. We are NOT a Parliamentary system. The system we're in was constructed for two parties - if three parties were going to be viable here, we would've seen it happen a LONG time ago. Parliamentary systems allow for many niche parties because all the little parties join forces to form coalitions where they all throw out what they believe in order to reach some kind of consensus that nobody is ever quite happy with. And every MP votes lockstep with their party, following the orders of the whip. Think of it as if there were a Tom Delay running every party. A fractured party system will place MORE power into the hands of a few elites, not less.
If third parties were going to work here, don't you think that perhaps there'd still be a Free Soil Party? How well did the Bull Moose work out? When was the last Federalist candidate for President? (Rufus T. King, 1840). Were you aware that Whigs used to mean more than what's sitting on top of Bob Ehrlich's head?
We have two parties because we have two large and inclusive parties. Both parties represent a wide interest - how else would free market capitalists align themselves with holy rollers? Last I checked, the SEC didn't open session with snake holding, nor did Pentecoastal churches lay off their staff to show a 1% increase in quarterly growth.
Section 2: Corporations
I am sick and tired of hearing about how "the Corporations" are destroying everything. Or perhaps "the establishment". "The Man". It's time to put down the Rage Against the Machine record and start looking at the reality of the world we live in. Corporations are business, and the business of America is business. Business is apolitical - a business doesn't care about who's in office - all that matters is that said business is profitable.
I am going to put the following sentence in bold to emphasis my point. Here goes:
THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MAKING MONEY
Get that? That's because there is NOTHING wrong with making money. Money is good - I like making money. Money may be traded for goods and services. I work hard for my money. Does that mean that those who make more shouldn't pay more taxes? No! Does that mean that we should give massive handouts to the wealthiest 1% of our country in the form of tax breaks that then force the cutting of social programs that benefit everyone else? NO! If you make money, you should pay taxes. But you should still make money! Please - make money!
I'm not saying that aren't evil companies, far from it. There are plenty of businesses that treat their employees like shit, sell rotten products to the consumer, and endanger the public. These companies should be dealt with, through legal channels and regulation. But the next time you decry the opening of that Starbucks, remember that even the part time Baristas are being paid a fair wage and receiving health insurance. Consumers can punish and reward in the marketplace, and for those occasions where the transgressions are behind the scenes then we should have government step in. Let the workers unionize! But for the love of G-d, STOP ACTING AS IF MAKING MONEY IS EVIL - IT'S NOT AND SAYING IT IS MAKES YOU SOUND LIKE AN OUT OF TOUCH MORON!
Section 3: Trade
We have a trade deficit. We need to catch up here stateside so that we are less effected by international climate.
But at the same time, there's something very important to realize about global trade:
YOU DON'T BLOW UP THE GUY WHO REPEATEDLY GIVES YOU MONEY
Why? Because it's bad business! If you kill your customers, you don't have any more money - and then you can't buy ice cream. And let's face it - EVERYONE LIKES ICE CREAM. See my point? This is the single place where our huge deficit creates some benefit for us (though I would still like to see it go away). Right now, China owns a MASSIVE amount of our trillions of dollar debt. They bought it up to get interest payments. If China lobbed a Nuke at us, do you really think they'd be able to turn around and collect on that? All of sudden - they're out trillions of dollars! If everyone benefits in some fashion, then the trade relation is maintained and peace follows. There are issues to be addressed - especially when it comes to losing American jobs overseas, but the basic argument remains. Why do you have such a problem with trade? Trade breeds peace! If we're buying flags, apple pie, and motherhood from China - what possible reason would they have for blowing us up?
So what needs to happen? How do we fix this?
Well if you believe in equal rights for all races, genders, religions, and orientations - get involved. Vote, Volunteer, Donate. If you believe in getting your interests heard by those in power - Vote, Volunteer, Donate. If you think that what you believe matters - Vote, Volunteer, Donate. The only way to make a change is to be involved - espousing "fuck the system" is going to accomplish nothing, and continue to hand the ball over to the side that doesn't represent you. We win by listening TO voters, not talking AT them.
Posted by MikeSager at 2:53 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 12, 2006
Dick Cheney, in the Woods, with the Shotgun
The following are all the jokes I've come up with thus far in response to Vice President Cheney shooting his hunting partner.
1. What do Dick Cheney and Aaron Burr have in common?
2. Shortly before the accident, President Bush was overheard saying "You're a heckuva shot, Dick!"
3. Guns don't harm people, Vice Presidents harm people.
4. John Paul Stevens is very glad that he turned down his invitation.
I was trying to come up with a Dan Quayle joke, but it wasn't happening.
UPDATE 2-13-06 @ 18:00
My apologies to Daffy Duck...
We here at Carpetblogger have acquired a transcript of the conversation that lead up to the accident in which Cheney shot one of his donors. My question now is will the Secret Service still allow Cheney to carry a gun?
Harry: VEEP SEASON!
Cheney: LAWYER SEASON!
Harry: VEEP SEASON!
Cheney: VEEP SEASON!
Harry: LAWYER SEASON!
BOOM!
Posted by MikeSager at 6:14 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 8, 2006
Axis of Looney
Headline on CNN Today:
"Bush Urges End to Cartoon Violence"
Next he will come out against Human-Cartoon Hybrids.
Posted by MikeSager at 11:10 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 7, 2006
Of Apartment Hunts & Musical Endeavours
I did something tonight I haven't done in a long time (no VABelle, I'm not referring to fucking up your computer). As I got home tonight, I felt the need to pull out my guitar. Every once in a while, the mood strikes me and I reach for my beloved instrument. I've been in and out of bands with this glittery Epiphone Les Paul, always hanging at my side. I bought it at a little guitar shop in Orlando, and it's been my trusty axe ever since. It even stuck around as I bought and then sold a few months later a shiny Epi Gold Top that I used while I was in Severance and In the Honor of Thieves.
I've recently found myself lamenting more and more that my Marshall half-stack, the amplifier that I dreamed of owning as a high schooler playing in my friend's garage, has gone completely unused for the last 2 years or so with the exception of an audition here and there. I need to play with some people again.
The first thing I noticed as I picked up the mahogany fingerboard was that the strings felt much rougher on my fingertips than they used to - a few years of sporadic (and that's being generous) playing has completely atrophied my thick calluses. I listen to some of the recordings I made with Severance (which were simply rehersal tapes) I can hear how I used to play - how my fingers used to fly and I could groove with the best of them. It's not that I'm old - it's just that I'm out of practice. And as I flipped through myspace tonight, I found that Kate has put together a new version of the project - which I think is great (she never liked my material or style anyways). But it's served as motivation - I need to play again.
The first step was to restring the Les Paul. I was concerned that after years of sitting in it's case only to be played occasionally that removing the strings was going to snap the neck or do something terrible. But quite the contrary, it took to new strings wonderfully. I even dusted underneath the fingerboard a little bit. And of course, since it is 2 am - I couldn't really sit and play. But tomorrow.
Speaking of not being able to be loud, it looks like I've found an apartment, barring some unforseen circumstance. Riverhouse at Pentagon City seems to be the locale of choice - 14th floor, and I can see the Lincoln Memorial from my window. It'll be perfect for the CD release party.
Posted by MikeSager at 2:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 3, 2006
Some Jokes are WAY too Meta...
Look what you made me do! I had to add a whole separate section, dedicated to T-Shirt blogging! Imagine that - blogging about T-Shirts? What will they think of next! Perhaps a musical about the common house cat, or the King of Siam?
Sorry Mr. Burns.
Anyhoo...
So I ordered yet another t-shirt. This one is a meta joke that nobody seems to appreciate. Everyone has seen the pun state shirts - Getting Lucky in Kentucky, Missouri Loves Company, or South Korea's Got Seoul. Well - I ordered a shirt so unironic that it's completely...well..
Apparently you can buy Irony on E-Bay, at least according to Ad-Words.
But where was I? Right!
I ordered a shirt. It's so beautiful in it's simple, straightforwardness. It's completely unironic.
That's right - Virginia. Admitted to Statehood in...wait a second.
Admitted to Statehood? We're a commonwealth! Dammit! It is ironic! GAH!!!!
Posted by MikeSager at 7:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 2, 2006
Another Filing, Apartment Hunting, Back to School
I've been meaning to write, but I got caught up with yet another filing deadline. But now that's done, so life can slowly return to some semblance of normality.
In the mean time, I've been apartment hunting. This has not been an easy prospect. I'm finally in a position where I can really afford to have my own place and have a little cushion to sit on - not a bad place to be at all. And yet, every apartment I seem to find myself interested in is either unavailable - or suddenly becomes unavailable! Like this one in Pentagon City - I talked to them last week, and they told me to call them on Wednesday to setup a time to see one of their efficiencies - I did just that, and they had already rented the place. Now I'm not going to rent a place without seeing it first - but still, THAT'S CRAZY! And unnecessary. Euch. Well - I shall find myself somewhere good, hopefully sooner rather than later.
I've also finally started school again, after what was essentially a 4 year absence. It feels good to be back. I'm carefully finding my footing - but I feel good that many of the people in my class are older. It's not as if I'm in a room full of freshman who are in awe of the fact that I can buy beer!
I do wish I had something more profound to say. I'm sure I'll think of something soon - after all, baseball season is right around the corner.
Posted by MikeSager at 11:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack