this concerns all of us

“Do you ever think it’s their community’s problem and that they should solve it?” the DCPS 5th grade teacher asked me. I dug in deep, trying to figure out how to summarize everything I think about race and crime and community and justice, but her attention had already shifted to the Jersey Shore casting call lining up to talk to her. When I’m ignored at bars I usually just feel sad. Tonight, I’m disappointed.

you know what this ad really needs more of…?

I don’t really have time to blog tonight so I needed a photo that pretty much speaks for itself.  I settled on this hilarious pic I shot on the metro.

fixed, but not like a dog is

After visiting the Newseum today I wandered over to Adams Morgan to look at some fixed gear bicycles.  City Bikes, a small bike store which Chad the bartender from The Iron Horse recommended to me, had a Specialized Roll in stock.  After a short but exciting test ride I really wanted to buy it (in fact, almost did), but I think I might have to wait until I get my first paycheck.  That will give me plenty of time to gauge how my back is doing, get comfortable in my living situation, and get my helmet/lights/lock sent out to me.  I’ll also feel less guilty about spending cash on something that I don’t need for commuting.

All of my pics are trapped on my camera because my upload cord won’t arrive for a few more days, but here’s something interesting: there are no Chinese people in DC Chinatown.  There are Chinese signs, a big faux Chinese gate, but…no Chinese people.  Seriously, I was like the only one.  This next observation may or may not be related, but it was the cleanest Chinatown I’ve ever seen.

I’ll write more about the Newseum when I get the pics.  In short, it was emotionally moving and thoroughly fascinating.

time travel

It’s 11:11a here, and it’s only 8:11a in California and 10:11a in Chicago.

I am in the future.  Awesome.

Pitance is a total slut and spent the whole night in bed with me even though we’d just met.  He likes to lick me and his tongue feels spiky, almost like a rasp.

I walked into the bathroom this morning and out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw a giant cigarette.  I thought, “damn I know Frenchies love to smoke, but this is just ridicul-

oh wait.  That’s a tampon.”

Capital capers

I’m in Washington DC!  The weather here is fantastic and the area I’m living in (Tenleytown, near American University) is quiet and thoroughly suburban.  It reminds me Evanston, IL; the streets are straight, the houses are all made of red brick, it’s quiet, and there are a lot of trees.  I’ve only been here long enough to walk the few blocks to grab dinner, but already the pleasant summer breeze was a welcome change from the Bay’s cold evenings.

I have 3-4 housemates, but my most interesting one is Pitance (the name is French like my housemates, and it’s pronounced pee-t-ahn-ss).  He is super friendly, likes to be pet, and is already passed out on my bed, which I’m pretty sure is actually his bed.  Here he is trying to say hi to my mom on Skype but failing.  He is awesome.

red velvet

This is my favorite photo from my weekend in LA.  The whole cockpit has a flowing, liquid quality that is emphasized by the deep red paint, the very simple switchgear, and the generous but understated use of gloss on the steering wheel and gauges.  Notice how the cowl and the dash face flow together; the beautiful double curve shape is molded from one piece of fiberglass.

LA liveblog

9:40 am. Sister’s dorm room, Saxon Suites, UCLA. I’ve been up for 40 minutes and all I’ve done is check google reader on my phone, check fkn on my phone, and update this blog on my phone. I love technology but kind of wish I had a 3gs. Going to go to the Peterson Automotive Museum today, but first, coffee at the coffee bean.

11:08 am. Arrived in k town to drop off friend’s bike. Friend’s friend is a really cool women’s studies grad student at ucla. Still haven’t had coffee.

12:09 pm. Friend’s friend offered me some really excellent Intelligensia coffee, had a great chat about POC issues and women’s issues. Cool wall decoration too (pic). Heading out to forage for food and visit the Petersen auto museum.

12:33 pm. Found the Petersen Auto Museum and a pub for lunch. This museum looks awesome, I’m feeling giddy as a schoolboy on Christmas. I wish you could see the smile on my face right now. Oh wait, you can:

12:49 pm. Made the mistake of asking for a hoppy beer at an Irish pub. Bartender corrected my mistake and served me a Killkenny cream and a burger. Life is good.

5:00pm. Just got back from the Petersen Auto Museum. Saw lots of awesome cars there, including one of the original Speed Racer Mach 5’s, Elvis Presley’s DeTomaso Pantera, a Ford Edsel, an Amphicar (both the Amphi and the Edsel were part of the “What were they thinking?” exhibit that is currently featured), tons of Model A hot rods, some midget racers, and much, much more. Here’s a small sampling of photos:

7:34 pm. Woke up from a loong nap. Me and sis are planning dinner + Iron Man 2 tonight. Nothing new to photograph, so here’s a picture of Snowball from last night. We dropped her off at Mr. and Mrs. Nice’s for the summer last night 😦

8:59 pm. Drove down Sunset through Beverly Hills to Hollywood. Witnessed a whole new kind of rich: I’ve seen 3-4 Rolls Phantoms, a dozen Bentleys, and a large smattering of Astons, Ferraris, and lambos. Surprisingly less love for the 911 here. Caught this aero’d out Mini near the Arclight Cinema, where we’re watching Iron Man 2 tonight.

9:15pm. Eating at BoHo with a shipwreck ipa and the best sis ever.

12:07 pm. Watched and enjoyed Iron Man 2. It isn’t as effortless as the first one, but still very fun. The LA crowd was tough and didn’t laugh much. Scarjo was hot, but Pepper <3.

pacific pondering

Tonight’s post is shortened courtesy of How to Train Your Dragon.  It’s a good movie with a little bit in it for everyone.  I recommend it.  It was better than Up which, as far as Pixar films go, didn’t really do it for me.

I am beginning to miss the open road.  I’m sad I had to cancel the Winter Escape earlier this year, but now that my back problems will soon be behind me (you know what I mean), the prospect of another solo adventure grows in the distance.

My MRI report described my lumbar spine area as being “beautiful.”  Take that skin deep.

2009 in Review Part 3 – Perry’s wedding and The Great Escape

Every twenty-something year old will tell you that there comes a time in your life when your friends start getting married in droves.  That did not happen to me in 2009, but I did have the great joy and honor of being a part of Perry and Aki’s wedding.

I would describe the wonderful wedding, but most of you readers were probably there.  If you were not and you want a description of the wedding, go ahead and imagine all the typical descriptions of a successful wedding: the bride looked beautiful, the venue was fantastic, etc etc.  I want to talk about the bachelor party, or rather, how I felt during the bachelor party.

Great Escape Episode 5: Grand Canyon

Although my trip was two months ago, I’ve decided to finish the videos that chronicle the epic journey.  (There will probably be a epilogue episode after this one.)  At the end of Episode 4, I had just gone to sleep at the historic Parry Lodge in Kanab, UT, 60 miles north of the Grand Canyon.  For those that don’t remember what happened in the last episode, I’ve embedded Episode 4 underneath Episode 5.  You can find the earlier episodes on my Youtube channel.  Enjoy.