Reading Lately

With several hours flying and hanging out in an airport ahead of me, I'm going to have some time reading. I've picked up Melanie Kirkpatrick's Escape from North Korea and Robert Kaplan's The Revenge of Geography.  I have also started re-reading (well, finishing) The Tempting of America. I think I read that in 2001? I found an old airline stub from Phoenix. Maybe that was when I was in Colorado? How strange and long ago that was.

I haven't read much since I finished Gone Girl. I did finish In the Garden of Beasts in my recent New York and Milwaukee travels, after starting it in Africa. Both thrilling, captivating reads.

Sadness

Yesterday morning, the baby panda passed away at the national zoo. Not even a week old. It appears she may have had a problem with her liver.

In terms of earth-shattering, horrible news, this wasn't the worst. The Ambassador to Libya's murder was sad. Torrey Smith's brother's death was sad. This was just...sadness.

This world can be too much sometimes, and a baby animal's birth and the joy it brings lit up the screen in DC last week. It was a bipartisan moment of joy in a bitter presidential campaign. A moment we all can agree that we are happy about.

Sadness. RIP Baby Panda. We wish we could have met  you.

Is It Time To Go Yet?

So yeah, I am ready to get out of here. What I am looking forward to this weekend...

Target and Grocery shopping.
Working out.
Suit shopping.
Cooking.
Reading magazines.
Watching football.

Sense a theme? Next week will be busy because of Chicago. But this weekend, not so much. And it only gets busier from here....

True Love

These pictures have been everywhere, but they need to be noted here. I can say a lot of things about mushiness, love, bravery, and honor, but really, those pictures just speak for themselves.

The Weekend III: The Race

Steve ran his first half-marathon and rocked it yesterday...the Navy Five Miler and Air Force Half. It was not at all crowded. He finished in 1:52:26, for 8:35/average. Wow. He finished in the top 30% of finishers, which was impressive in a half with a lot of serious, military athletes. He has the bug!

I did the Navy Five Miler, which was my best race in a little while, after some rather lackluster earlier attempts. I finished in 42:49, for an 8:34 average. It was good for 7th place, out of 146, in my age group. Top 5%, I will take it! About the top 21%. Again, I will take it. Much better than the 10Ks, and my speed was decent. Maybe I could have been a little faster, but I will take being competitive in my age group anytime.

Weekend Part II: H Street Festival

Wow. That's all I can say. If estimates of 65,000-70,000 are to be believed, and I do, that was one hell of a street party. We blow Adams Morgan Day away, absolutely. I've never seen crowds like that, and it was nearly impossible to move down the street. The sun was hot and we all got some color, so staying out for more than a couple of hours wasn't feasible when you could not move around much and the lines were so long. Next week, I think they need to extend it down to 6th or 7th, at least, to give folks some breathing room.  And I have no doubt they could fill that street space.

All of the credit goes to the organizers, to the fantastic music--I was impressed by the Michelle Raymond Band, to the food, to the new restaurant previews like Newsom,  to the entertainment, to the vendors and stands representing everything from the fabulous Union Market to information about the trolley.  It was utterly amazing.

If the worst criticism is that it was too crowded, well, that says a lot. Til next year!

Weekend Part I: Springsteen

So much to say about the weekend. We started with a fantastic Bruce Springsteen show on Friday night. Yeah, maybe it was not his best ever show, but we were blow away. Look at the crowd! And we were way up, in Section 318.  The music set list is here. He started with "Prove it All Night," and the he did, for nearly 3 1/2 hours. "Hungry Heart" was fantastic; he came into the crowd people loved it. We really enjoyed some of his newer tracks like "Death to my Hometown," "Shackled and Drawn," "We Take Care of our Own," and the Irish inspired "American Land."  Highlights included, of course, his encore songs of "Thunder Road" and "Born to Run."  "Dancing in the Dark" got everyone dancing, as did his Detroit Motown hits. "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" featured his tribute to Clarence Clemons, which featured a touching moment of silence.

It was one of the best concerts we've been too, I think. Just rousing, fun, and fantastic music.  Credit goes to the E Street Band.  They put on one hell of a show. When we were leaving, some guy said this was their 58th concert. Twice a year since about 1979, give or take. Wow. He's been in the music business longer than we've been alive, since the early 1970s. Springsteen was big in the 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, and now today. And he remains as relevant as ever. It certainly was a bucket list concert, and we'd certainly go again.

Busy Busy Weekend

Springsteen. H Street Festival. Maybe a Navy race.

Yikes.

After a quick trip to Milwaukee, it is good to be home. But I certainly can use some relaxation time, which is not likely this weekend. That being said, a sunny day and festivities on H Street are my highlight. And a concert on a nice, early Fall-esque evening.  So here's to the weekend!

And finding out if we will have a nice or nephew!

Disgusted

The bombing that killed our US Ambassador in Libya was a hideous, disgusting act of cowardice, explicitly designed to attack our country on the anniversary of 9/11.  Just because the media forgot the anniversary, it does not mean the terrorists did. The attack was planned and certainly with the cooperation of al Qaeda.

And yeah, all of the media cares about is Mitt Romney's supposedly bungled response. Unbelievable. Because Obama never questioned George W. Bush's conduct in the war against terrorism, did he? Oh, wait...the war on terror is over? Come again?

It is unfortunate, and that is putting it mildly, that foreign policy has been put on the backburner recently. In light of the murder of an ambassador, a president who can't be bothered with attending daily intelligence briefings during the anniversary week of the worst terrorist attack in our country's history, and in light of continued protests in the Middle East, well, I hope that is reevaluated. And soon. And the blathering about Romney's response needs to end. A response I entirely agree with, by the way. Especially this:

America will not tolerate attacks against our citizens and against our embassies. We’ll defend also our constitutional rights of speech and assembly and religion.

It makes all of this ridiculousness over contraception even more absurd. I should have told that to the Planned Parenthood lackeys outside Starbucks.

9/11 Amnesia?

The media seems to have gone past the 11th anniversary of 9/11. The Washington Post doesn't really have any coverage. Neither does National Review, though Weekly Standard has posted several pieces. And the New York Times ponders how to cover these anniversaries? The shift is away from comprehensive coverage, and not it is personal moments of remembrance.

I've written before about 9/11, where I was and how I remember it. What I remember so much about the morning was the blue sky and the perfect, perfect September weather. Like it is today: blue and mild and sunny and warm.  Like September 11.

We remember Barbara and all of those others, the victims and survivors and those who left behind. And even if the Washington Post doesn't see this as a front page story today, they won't forget and we won't forget. Let the Chicago teacher's strike, the election, NFL football, etc. take the headlines. Drudge's simple cover photo of the carnage of the World Trade Center is all you need.  And I realize that the generation of kids in high school were no more than 6, or 3, on that day, but they will never forget, either.

I saw a little plane flying today on my walk to work. Flying high out of DCA.

God bless America. Today and always.

And if you read one thing today, read this. 

Five Things I Am Looking Forward to this Weekend

Wine with friends on Saturday, just celebrating at home.

Getting my haircut.

Getting into at least two good workouts.

Getting rid of this nasty June-esque humidity.

And spending all day on Sunday on the couch and watching football.

Today

Remarkably, the book is officially out. And oh yeah, Kramerbooks is selling it.

And we're back to football...finally football...Cowboys vs. Giants. Tonight. 8:30 p.m.

And so it begins.

H Street History

I love the idea of this historical walking tour through my neighborhood of H Street. The history of the 600 block of H, near the old Safeway and where the riots waged, near the historical black churches and the old barbershops, near the old Ourisman Chevrolet, is particularly fascinating.With Union Market reopening, the neighborhood grows even more fascinating by the day.