Good and Bad

So until the bad football meltdowns and the unfortunately spill onto the laptop, it had been a pretty good weekend.

We started out having drinks and pulled pork sandwiches at Standard, which was this small outdoor biergartenon 14th street. The food was really, really good. Then we went to the 9:30 Club to see the Naked and the Famous. The concert was ok...the opening act of the Chain Gang of 1974 was almost better.  The N&F mostly just performed theirs songs as they were on the album without a heck of a lot of change.  No crowd banter. And it was so damn loud, my ears were ringing. We liked the show, but both came away wishing we had been able to experience more of the band's personality.  The music is fun and upbeat and dance-able, but that was it. Something was missing.

The Fanfarlo concert was much better, we thought. Double Ghost opened, and this Brooklyn band and they played this music/image computer/technological sound that was very unique. The crowd was certainly puzzled by it, but in retrospect it was a good complement to the Fanfarlo show.  Fanfarlo was almost everything that N&F was not--it was understated, with some crowd back & forth, and they performed changed-up versions of all of their older stuff. Their new material was woven into the set, and it looks very promising. The crowd certainly wanted to hear old favorites like Harold T. Wilkins, the Finish Line, and the Walls are Tumbling, and it was not disappointed. Their songs were shorter, it seemed like, too. I was glad to get a preview of the new album. The Red Palace is such a great venue. It's intimate and you get real music fans there. Going out the Saturday of Halloween weekend was fun, too.

Future President

No doubt that Paul Ryan is going to be a candidate for president someday. Unfortunately, it won't be next year. But his words make so much sense: 

The president, he said, has made a shift in his appeal to the electorate. "Instead of appealing to the hope and optimism that were hallmarks of his first campaign, he has launched his second campaign by preying on the emotions of fear, envy and resentment."

But Republicans, in their desire to defend free economic activity, shouldn't be snookered by unthinking fealty to big business. They should never defend—they should actively oppose—the kind of economic activity that has contributed so heavily to the crisis. Here Mr. Ryan slammed "corporate welfare and crony capitalism."

"Why have we extended an endless supply of taxpayer credit to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, instead of demanding that their government guarantee be wound down and their taxpayer subsidies ended?" Why are tax dollars being wasted on bankrupt, politically connected solar energy firms like Solyndra? "Why is Washington wasting your money on entrenched agribusiness?"

Rather than raise taxes on individuals, we should "lower the amount of government spending the wealthy now receive." The "true sources of inequity in this country," he continued, are "corporate welfare that enriches the powerful, and empty promises that betray the powerless." The real class warfare that threatens us is "a class of bureaucrats and connected crony capitalists trying to rise above the rest of us, call the shots, rig the rules, and preserve their place atop society."

Bye Bye Blackberry

After two and a half years of mostly frustration, I am awaiting the arrival today of my new iphone 4s.  Which at 3:15 pm is still on a Fed Ex truck, apparently. Goodbye to wordmole, brickbreaker, stale applications, a draining battery, a water stained screen, and keys you have to pound into press.  Hello to cool aps, probably another mediocre battery, siri, music, and a touchscreen. I will certainly miss the keyboard, but that will be about it. Let's pray the transition goes smoothly, and hurray to new phones!

Weekend with the In-Laws

We enjoyed a very busy weekend with family. It was much needed.

Thursday we headed out to our favorite restaurant, the Atlas Room, which once again did not disappoint.  We shared these delicious slices of lamb bacon, along with the dark meat chicken flatbread and lamb, along with the pumpkin cake.  And cocktails, of course, including my clover club.

Friday we ventured out to Virginia wine country, starting with a pit stop at the Dogfish Head Brewery for a terrific flounder sandwich. We went to Rappahannock, and we most enjoyed the Viognier and the Cabernet Franc.  They then recommended we head over to Chester Gap which had an amazing view of the Shenandoah Valley.

The highlights Saturday were lots and lots of mussels at Brasserie Beck, dinner at  Philomena's, and then Les Miserables. The Kennedy Center is always awesome to go to. I largely agree with the reviews that the show itself was a bit frantic and rushed, particularly in the beginning.  The sets were amazing, and almost film-like, particularly when Jean Valjean is in the tunnels.  The leads were great, although it was the Javert understudy who was featured. Reviewing the story synopsis beforehand was helpful, although in general I thought the play was clear and you could hear the lyrics--luckily the orchestra didn't drown out the (very loud) performers.

I was grateful for the long weekend, the time with family and my  husband, the chance to get away from everything when the next few weeks will be hectic. And soon it will be Thanksgiving!!

Occupy What?

I've been walking past Camp Occupy DC every day this week on the way to work. These people truly are pointless. They have miserable signs written on cardboard, they appear completely ignorant when it comes to economic and fiscal policy, and espouse largely incoherent philosophies that ultimately come down to the "Me, Me, Me" sentiment of Gen Y.  It is astonishing that they blame the nameless, faceless "Wall Street" as the villain when government policies which they have voted for created the "everyone needs a house and it's your fault if I can't pay for it" culture. There is no individual responsibility in this movement. It is completely about blaming and absolving themselves of all fault.

True, many people are unemployed through no fault of their own.  Friends we know are pacing the pavement, informational interviewing, and working to find an opportunity.  They aren't camped out for weeks on end in parks, eating free food and trashing their environment.  They aren't expecting a hand-out or blaming anyone.

The unfavorable tea party comparisons are particularly egregious.  Every tea party rally in DC has consisted of courteous, polite everyday Americans who have left the parks as clean as when they arrived.  They were grassroots before "Occupy Whatever" even existed.  Too bad their lessons won't be adopted by the campers in McPherson Square. Two weeks or so and counting there. Ugh.

What Am I Enjoying lately

Ha Ha Tonka.
Fantasy Football.
My new haircut.
Wine.
Detroit sports. Even after the Lions and Tigers lost.
Frasier reruns.
My new Banana Republic button down and my Ann Taylor jeans.
Goat cheese and arugula.

Hellhole No?

This is an amusing list of when you know your city is a hellhole. True, the city sells homes for one dollar. And yes, illiteracy is rampant. And yeah, this is a long list of Detroit's problems.

AT LEAST the Tigers are still in the playoffs.  And at least the Lions still have a chance to go 6-0 (almost wrote 0-6...yeah, that has been far too common in recent years).  At least we have the Wings and a fantastic Michigan State-Michigan Wolverines football game to anticipate.

At least.

Occupy a Prison Cell

All of the DC Occupy protesters have set up tents only a couple of blocks from our office. They were parading down K street yesterday, all 100 or so of them.

My favorite from a recent poll of some of these idiots:

Rank yourself on the following Scale of Liberalism:.
Not liberal at all: 6
Liberal but fairly mainstream (i.e., Barack Obama): 3
Strongly liberal (i.e., Paul Krugman): 12
Fed up with Democrats, believe country needs overhaul (i.e., Ralph Nader): 41
Convinced the U.S. government is no better than, say, Al Qaeda (i.e., Noam Chomsky): 34

Yes, this is EXACTLY like the tea party!!!!

Happy Birthday

My baby brother turns 32 today.  We're getting so old....and the Tigers play this afternoon, down 2 games to 1.  One memory I have of his fifth birthday is the Tigers winning the 1984 World Series. That was the first and most memorable sports championship that I recall.  We were so excited about it, wearing our small "Bless You Boys" t-shirts and having spirit day at school.  That championship was at a time when Detroit was wallowing again in despair, with crime rates up and only a few weeks before the infamous Devil's Night arson-palooza. 

But I will always associate that victory with Paul's birthday. It was October, and we had the family celebration. Mom made a cake, and grandma and grandpa and grandpa Joe and Leigh Ann and Charlie and Diana were probably there, too. Our small little family.  Has it really been over twenty years since those celebrations? I remember that was a day to celebrate.

I can't believe he is 32. I remember when he was born, too, and I remember his baptism. I can't believe I remember a time before he was born, but I really can't remember much without him. I'm lucky to have such great brothers, and sisters-in-law, too.

Emotional Night in the D

Detroit Lions are on Monday Night Football, first MNF in the city of Detroit since 1974.  Tigers are battling in extra innings. Wow, the emotions are running high. I don't think anyone who has a drop of Detroit blood in them is unaffected by tonight.  No, sports don't cure a city.  They are a medication, they are an antidote, they are healing for a city whose scars run wild.  And no, in some ways, the outcome does not matter so much.  God do we want them to win.  But we also want to care about something more meaningful.

Barry Sanders runs on the field.  They say that Eminem, Kid Rock, and Bob Seger--legends of the Detroit music scene--are at the game and sharing a box together. 

They are drinking Megatron Juice.  For Calvin Johnson.  For the fans of the city.  Yeah, it is an emotional night. So much anticipation.  So much gratitude that the city is back in the beautiful spotlight.  So much excitement.  And so much hope.  Obama can take a lesson from this.

So as I type this, maybe things won't turn out the way we want them to.  Hopefully they will, because I can't imagine this level of hope and anticipation anywhere else.  But at least we leave knowing there is a chance.  And maybe there are times when it is an honor just to be at the table.  Sometimes, though, the significance of being at the tables pales in comparison to enjoying.

Detroit soul.  And the crowd roars.  Made in Detroit, for the first time in a decade. 

Army Ten Miler III

So I did not beat my time from last year, though I finished only about 42 seconds slower. And a minute slower than Mr. Speedy. But it was a good race, I felt good at the end of it.  And any pace that is below 8:30 is pretty darn good, I think. It was a sunny day, and definitely warmer than last year.  And I guess it is a 10 miler PR for being in the 35-39 age bracket.

I made my now infamously delicious shrimp scampi pasta for dinner the night before. And had a bagel for breakfast. Running with gatorade: not a good idea, and I don't recommend it. I need to stick to water. I barely drank anything, though I did consume a few gu's. And one nasty side effect...an icky blister on my middle left toe. I guess it's the shoes, ugh.  But I was happy, overall.  Victory!

Gun / Net Overall Gender Div  10K Split   Gun Time   Net Time   Pace   1:27:24  /  1:24:06    5116/21914   1050/9645   170/1752   0:52:23   1:27:24   1:24:06   8:24

More Good News for Detroit?

Today, the WSJ notes that things are getting better for Detroit. Sports, lowering unemployment. Things have bottomed out.  And things will improve. Go Tigers!!!!!!

Goooo Tigers and Lions and Wings!!!

Tigers beat Yankees.  And Lions go on MNF.  U-M and Michigan State football both doing well.  And Hockeytown is back on the ice.

Good times for Detroit sports.

And hopefully not temporarily.

Detroit will come to life if it is so lucky to get a World Series winner or an NFL team in the playoffs.  Sports has always driven the city. It is a hockeytown, a football town, and a baseball town.

RIP Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs died last night.

My ipod is one of my favorite possessions, and I cannot even imagine the last 5+ years of listening to music without it. And I might be getting an iphone soon.  And we all know how much my nephew loves his ipad. 

Great American innovators are fewer and farther between at these times.  The legacy he leaves will likely leave new discoveries amongst his Apple colleagues, but he is irreplaceable.  RIP.

Celebrating German Unity

On Monday, Steve was invited to a celebration at the German embassy commemorating the 21st anniversary of German reunification.  We had no idea that it was such a massive event--over 2,000 guests, ample food, and a bar including a great German draft beer. There were speeches and videos. Eric Holder--whom has been much in the news as of late due to the "Fast and Furious ATF" scandal-gate--offered some remarks.

These embassy events are such a contrast to the rather staid lawyer events I'm usually attending. It reminds me that there is an entirely different Washington that exists away from K Street.  A Society Washington, an old school Washington, a DC where there are a different form of celebrity that might make the pages of the Washingtonian.  We were honored to have attended, particularly celebrating something as momentous as this.  I remember the Cold War and that glorious night when the Wall came down.  And now it's been over twenty years since the two halves became whole. Who would have thought it?

Just Say No

Chris Christie joins Jeb Bush and Paul Ryan on the growing list of Republicans who won't take on Obama. I am not happy about this. I am officially without a candidate. I guess I am a reluctant Romney supporter, only because it is him or Perry.  Maybe I should root for Herman Cain, who at least shows some semblance of a spine.

I care about the economy, the courts, and foreign policy. And I also care about electability. I am not sure anyone really thoroughly meets all of my criteria. 

Weekend

We went to Atlas Room on Friday night and had another terrific dinner there. We always do. Short rib ravioli, lamb two ways, and a pork loin were all delicious. The pumpkin cake dessert we shared was so good. Best desert yet, I think. We will be back in a few weeks with Steve's folks.

The rest of the weekend we relaxed, watched football, and took it easy.  I was feeling a little under the weather Saturday night; must be the dramatic change of weather from Spring to Autumn. Lions won a nail-biter comeback over the 'Boys, and the Tigers evened their series against the Yankees. Game 3 tonight with Verlander!!