Osteria

Ate at Osteria last night. The menu on their website is outdated, but I had some kind of tomato/goat cheese starter and some pasta with tomatoes and a lemon-raspberry charlotte. I was a bit disappointed with my choices, but that is life. Dessert was an A and so was the company. And yes, I should have had pizza and ravioli. Oh, well.

Michigan tomorrow!

Best of What to Listen To...

I am now a user of Spotify, and a happy one, too. I get to stream music all day long--whether it's Bon Iver or Cave Singers or Liam Finn or My Morning Jacket.  Love this. It will keep music fresh as long as I'm willing to keep it fresh and lively.

What else do I listen to/stream to? Still love All Songs Considered/NPR Music, and it's the source for discovering new tunes lately.  And it's streamed concerts cannot be beat.   XPN is good as well. Paste will stream a new CD occasionally.  Spinner's listening party is good for catching the latest releases like Release the Sunbird or even Roxette's greatest hits. Spin is becoming a good source for album previews like Feist and its free downloads.  Also, Popcandy also mentions some good new bands, too.

I'm toying with a newish blog, focused on music. Thoughts?

Amy Winehouse: RIP

Amy Winehouse was found dead today at 27.

Such a talent, such a voice, and such a troubled soul. I don't think anyone is surprised by the news, because there was always an inevitability to it. "Tears Dry On My Own" is still one of my favorite songs. And that husky, jazzy. bluesy voice will live on.

The Spinning Runner

It's the spinning runner!! More background here. And here. Oh man he is awesome!! Cedric is the man!

He always brings a smile to my face and he is in shape. What an inspirational guy. Many I've been looking for info on his backstory.

Ode to Old Media

I've bade farewell to Paste in print and WOXY on this blog. And I said an earlier farewell when Borders closed across the street.  And now all Borders will close, so sadly.

I am as guilty as anyone in terms of buying from Amazon or other online vendors.  But I will miss the ability to cross the street, and immediately be able to page through a new book or a new magazine or to pick up an actual CD. I am not a Kindle convert--and even if I do become one day--nothing will ever compare to the feeling of flipping through an actual book.

And Borders did contribute to the death of the bookstore, when its big box tendencies really did crowd out smaller competitors.  Remember Trover's?  Remember B Dalton's? And Waldenbooks? At least Kramerbooks and Books a Million remain, but I could never really get into the latter.

I am struggling to think of that book and music store that used to be up near Dupont Circle...oh what was it called? It was a local chain. [Update: Olsson's!!!]

I guess we still have Barnes & Noble. But I fear one day, they will go away, too. RIP Borders.

Workouts Lately

I've been working to regain my running mojo lately, and I had a pretty good 7.5 mile run on Saturday morning, to and from the Lincoln Memorial.  First one like that in a while.  Unfortunately, with triple digit temps ready to strike, I doubt I'm going to be doing much outdoor running come up. Strictly the treadmill, particularly if it's going to be much above 80 degrees at 7am. Ugh. Only part of summer I dislike. The longest daylight of the year is also wasted on the hottest days of the year. But we have another Army Ten Miler to train for, so we have to get going on that.

I do feel like I've somewhat broken out of that running slump I was in a few months ago.  I think having moved helped. I shave a new routine run down pat which has added some freshness.  Hopefully I'll be able to do more Lincoln runs as temps eventually get cooler.

Dinner with Friends

We had dinner with S&S last night for some shrimp monica, alcohol, and peanut buttery brownies. It was a fun evening with lots of laughter, including tears from laughter, old stories of Georgetown days, venting about lapsed friendships, and the usual stuff. It was nice to go out on a Wednesday night, when we weren't caring about work for awhile, and someone else could cook for us.  We bought a bought of Elu and shared that. Wine plus friends plus richly delectable pasta usually equals a good time, right?

It was a beautiful day and it's almost five o'clock...can we go home yet?

The Greater Journey

I just finished reading David McCullough's latest superb book, The Greater Journey.  I was a skeptic, at first, but the more I read, the more I got into this terrific read of mostly short biographical sketches of various writers, authors, doctors, artists, and public officials who spent time in Paris during the 19th century.  My favorites were Elihu Washbourne and his role as Ambassador to France during the Franco-Prussian War; the tale of Samuel Morse's Gallery of the Louvre (now in DC!); the tales of early medical students; Mary Surratt and her tortured family; Augustus Saint-Gaudens, particularly his wife Gussie and the sculpture process of so many Civil War leaders; Charles Sumner respite to Europe after his stabbing on the floor of Congress; John Singer Sargent's controversial paintings; and well, many, many others.  McCullough is such a gifted writer and I wish it would not be such a long wait til the next one. I really wasn't sure how much I'd get into a book so focused on art, not a great interest of mine, but his way of weaving tales into a larger fabric of 19th Century Paris made me dying to visit. Someday, perhaps...

Tuesday Tunes

I'm anticipating the new Beirut and I like the new Eleanor Friedberger, including the opening track of Last Summer. Good stuff.

Steve bought tickets to see the Naked & the Famous at the 9:30 Club in October.  Now if I could just talk into some more local shows...one thing at a time.

Hay Adams Wedding

We attended what likely will be the only wedding of 2011 this past weekend, which as at Holy Trinity and Hay Adams. Lovely wedding, with way more alcohol and food than we needed--oysters, shrimp, crabs, salmon, duck, tempura shrimp, salad with crab, fillet mignon and delectable fried chicken, dessert. Lots of drinks with G&T's and wine and cosmo's. Lots of good stuff. Not so much dancing, but most guests lingered outside on the L shaped balcony overlooking the white house and the Jefferson Memorial. I had never been up there, and it really was an incredible view.  We could see Old Town Alexandria's 4th of July fireworks from a distance. Just a magical night.

Last Shuttle Launch

A few minutes ago I tuned into the last shuttle launch. It's the end of an era, or as the quote on CNN's page says, the shuttle begins the "sentimental journey into history." I was not around during the Apollo era, but I imagine similar sentiments existed then, after the last moon launch.  For those of us Gen X'ers who all recall the Challenger's devastating explosion, the shuttle launch is something that is fresh in our minds as something that has always been around. We visited Nasa back in 1986, I believe, when we took the family trip to Florida. It was so soon after the disaster. The Columbia disaster also resonates as a tragedy. Though I think I recall President Reagan's words more clearly:

The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future, and we'll continue to follow them.

I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program. And what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don't hide our space program. We don't keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That's the way freedom is, and we wouldn't change it for a minute.

We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue.

The Cold War was not so subtle then; his call for freedom and exploration, with the crafting of Peggy Noonan's speech writing skills, makes this one of the best presidential speeches of all time. He honored the space program, and hopefully, further adventures will continue. 

Restaurants of Note

Last night I went with Liz to the Columbia Room for their much anticipated cocktail tasting menu. It was superb (though pricey). We enjoyed a champagne-esque vintage punch, then something with cherry and rye whiskey, and I finished it up with a gin fizz which apparently had egg white. Very good, all three. We had a little nut/craisin type tasting plate, which was great, but it would have been nice to have a more substantial bite since that was obviously dinner. But best of all was good girly talk conversation, over carefully crafted, meticulous cocktails at a quiet bar.

And then last week, Jenny and I met at Lincoln. We enjoyed several glasses of wine. I really enjoyed their seasonal menu of artisanal breads with a butternut squash, ricotta, and hazelnut spread; roasted heirloom eggplant with goat cheese and honey; and heirloom tomato risotto.  We also split a watermelon salad with feta. I'd definitely go back, though it was SO loud inside. We did eat outside.  It was just reviewed by Tom so the timing was great.

Americana Music

I've been a fan of Romantica, Deer Tick, Dawes, Middle Brother, Delta Spirit, Justin Townes Earle, etc. for a while. I'm not sure I'd group them as "American music," per se, but they aren't quite country and they aren't rock. Maybe Southern rock? That's not really true, either. They are gritty tunes, great tunes with solid songwriting and music.

I'm listening to William Elliott Whitmore today, and I discovered him on Paste. He certainly fits in this category. He's playing at the Red Palace on July 24...perhaps I can convince someone to go?

Fourth of July and Detroit

We spent out first holiday at 625 last night, celebrating the Fourth of July with friends and fireworks and fajitas. The after-party was just as much fun as the party, with crazy fireworks going off in all directions for both the pre- and post-show, not to mention the drinks afterward. It was a good night, and I hope there are more to come.

The show was a bit reminiscent of Detroit and the fireworks at McGregor we always left town for. Ah, Detroit. Here's an interesting piece on youngsters moving back to the city.