MOJO HD

If your one of the 30% of American households with a high-definition television, and your receiving those glorious HD channels, you should be familiar with MOJO. A free, dedicated HD channel that blasts out mostly original, unscripted programming, all content in high definition 1080i format and 5.1 audio! More so than any other channel, their content is jaw-dropping in clarity and definition. One of the great reasons to consider the switch to the HD way of life.

a bus stop poster promoting the upcoming broadcast of the movies on Spike TV.

Oyster Po' Boy at Bread Line

If your from D.C. and you haven't heard of Bread Line, it's like being from Orlando and not have heard of Mickey. Usually packed by White House staffers, they've been flat-out called the best sandwich makers in Washington D.C., oh, and their small industrial-like bread factory cranks out some pretty good bread too. Sandwiches like soft shell crab, the Cuban on Thursdays are the talk of the place, and from what I've read, EVERYONES favorite egg salad sandwich.

Today for me, the Oyster Po' Boy. Six huge pieces of fried oysters, very good, two were a little soggy,..I don't know what that means,..the other four or so, crispy. A very tasty, spicy remoulade, a little too heavy on the Bermuda onion. All sitting on a layer of seasoned, vinegar marinated cabbage. It was good they carved out the middle of the bun, or were looking at me falling out of my chair and collapsing, leaving me with food in my mouth and convulsing. This Po' Boy was tasty but seemed a little over complicated with flavors taking away from the prize, the oysters. I'm not daunted though, they're know for great sandwiches and am looking forward to trying them all.

Bread Line • 1751 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington DC a202.822.8900

Banh Mi at Song Que

My pork meatball Banh Mi sandwich at Song Que in Eden Center, Falls Church Va. There are plenty of shops in there selling these signature Vietnamese sandwiches, but everyone knows that "The Song" is the place for the best. And yes, it does beat out a very good sandwich at Banh Mi DC (3103-C Graham Rd., Falls Church). Here the baguette and the crisp veggies are fresh but are a standard. But the pork meatball filling was so delicate and sweet, along with the light, creamy pate dressing made it the best Banh Mi I've had,..really. The mouth was definitely happy here. Their wide variety of frozen Bubble Tea's are also very popular, did not see anyone there without one, I had the melon and it kicked ass.

The owner also told me I missed chef Anthony Bourdain by a couple of days, he and his No Reservations crew stopped in exclusively for sandwiches, and taped a segment that will feature the restaurant for an episode airing in about 3 months.

Song Que • 6773 Wilson Blvd., Falls Church, Va a703.536.7900

FLYING RODENT

Ha ha ha ha ha ha haha haHa haHa ha Ha Ha
Just saw it, I thought Heath Ledgers Joker in The Dark Knight was more than I expected. His version of the Joker is the meanest, coolest, clearly the freshest comic book movie villain I've ever seen. Watching him, I was going back and forth thinking about what would of been, or the accolades he would of experienced from this. It's a bittersweet feeling, no doubt.

we've all seen him a hundred times. he's my guy on the internet, he's crashed.
he has broken through the level of content not known by us homo sapiens.
he is "passed-out corgi".

Gustav Klimt

" Klimt became one of the founding members and president of the Wiener Sezession in 1897. The group's goals were to provide exhibitions for unconventional young artists, to bring the best foreign artists works to Vienna, and to publish its own magazine to showcase members' work. The group declared no manifesto and did not set out to encourage any particular style - Naturalists, Realists, and Symbolists all coexisted. "

The innovative and timeless turn-of the century art of painter Gustav Klimt.

"Tree Of Life", Stoclet Frieze, c. 1909

iklimt
capitol of culture -bbc

HippieFest 2008

The second annual rock-revival HippieFest '08 will be making a stop here at Wolf Trap on July 30, 2008. So go on down and become a hippie for the day. Some of the line-up will be The Turtles, Country Joe McDonald, Badfinger, Iron Butterfly, Eric Burden, Melanie... The line-up will vary from stop to stop. They'll be a full line of flower power paraphernalia available for sale such as tie-dye T-shirts, caps, skirts, caps, bags, stickers and posters.

Wolf Trap Center For The Performing Arts aPURCHASE TICKETS

If someone asks you "give me one good reason I should watch the LPGA" you can say Natalie Gulbis.

Good Stuff Eatery

Spike Mendelsohn cracked the top 5 on the brilliant Top Chef on Bravo. I've watched the last two seasons religiously, and happen to think it's the most purposeful show on all of television. So it was pretty cool to see him slinging the grub today at his Good Stuff Eatery. With local ties and with his family, he's opened a burger joint in Capitol Hill. He's also our newest Caps fan.

Their beef is organic, he uses Vermont cheddar, Ruby tomatoes, dairy fresh cheese, home-made ice cream and shakes, and salads are on the menu served with cornbread. With the new restaurant buzz, I waited 45 min. to order my burger, I was gonna get something light but I said screw it, I waited all this time I needed satisfaction, the "Spikes 5 Napkin" (Vermont cheddar, Applewood bacon, egg, on toasted Brioche), with onion rings, (pictured in the cup), with various dipping sauces that are available. The entire meal with drink, $13.

The burger was rich, lovin the egg, not as greasy as it looks in the pic, the patty was alittle undercooked, the seasoned bacon and cheese helped it along, with the light Brioche. The Vidalia onion rings,..more like petals, were crispy in parts and soggy and undone in others,..it means well but it needs work,...or the resaturant needs time to recover from the massive lines resulting in backed up orders in the kitchen. They have interesting specialty burgers on the menu, one with Daikon and carrots, will have to try another time,..like in two months when the lines are gone.

The place is clean, cool, trendy, distressed wood along with chrome features, the music is cranked, looking forward to going back when it's not so hurried for the customers and their crew.

Good Stuff Eatery • 303 Pennsylvania Ave. SE., D.C. a202.543.8222

Taqueria Nacionale

James Beard Award winner Ann Cashion's Taqueria Nacionale in Capitol Hill. A strictly carry-out joint, tough to find, (sits next to her upscale Johnny's Half Shell). Here I tried two out of her four signature tacos, the beef carnita and the fish taco. Simple flavors and good! Very similar in prep and taste of all the roadside taco stands I've visited in southern California and Rosarita and Ensenada Mexico.

The beef taco, grilled steak, chopped onion, cilantro, done. The fish taco, Alaskan pollack, cabbage and a light creme salsa. I've read complaints about the "2 thick tortillas" it comes on but every authentic taco I've had out west have them this way. These tacos are alittle over 2 bucks apiece, not bad. I had two but three would of completely satisfied me. You can also take as many small containers of their 3 killer homemade salsa's as you like. Didn't try their horchata (a very common almondy milk drink) but I did have one of their aguas frescas drinks, I chose the watermelon over the sweet mango and orange. Open Monday through Friday for breakfast and lunch.

Taqueria Nacionale • 400 N. Capitol St., NW D.C. a202.737.7070

Baked & Wired vs. Georgetown Cupcake

Baked & Wired

Georgetown Cupcake

The two D.C. heavyweights. No hype or build up, for what it's worth let's just taste the things and pick a winner.

B&W: pictured clockwise • Carrot Cake - a super miniature version, a very, very fluffy semi-sweet icing, moist cake • Coconut - a very rich icing, light coconut flavor, super moist cake • Chocolate - great creamy milk chocolate icing, flavorful but crumbly cake

GC: • Key Lime - Best of the 6, perfect sweet to tart icing, fluffy cake • Red Velvet - icing is a sophisticated cream cheese/buttery flavor, a somewhat dry cake • Chocolate Ganache - a deep dark chocolate flavor, thin layer of ganache, semi-moist cake

I'm not really big on sweets but first I have to say all 6 of these cupcakes were OUT OF THIS WORLD. I was ready to like Baked & Wired because of so many positive reviews but I have to be honest and in my completely novice opinion, on this day I gotta go with Georgetown Cupcake. The Key Lime destroyed. Look at it, so smug.

Baked & Wired •1052 Thomas Jefferson St., NW D.C. a202.333.2500
Georgetown Cupcake •1209 Potomac St., NW D.C. a202.333.8448

Capitol Hill Books

Morton "Jim" Toole: "....so do you think you got it? The most important thing to do is.... not to panic. If you need to make a decision,....make it. Now I'm going to lunch." he barks out, turning over the reigns of his store to a wide-eyed staffer. Then a quick friendly wink at a customer and he's out the door in his lime green Bermuda shorts.

He is the elderly owner of Capitol Hill Books, near Eastern Market in Washington DC, a brownstone turned new and used book store. If you're not into a book store with very tight quarters or mounds and mounds of books that teeter and looks as if there about to fall on you, this isn't the place for you.

Every city would love and cherish a store like this, a maze of books stacked to the ceiling with corridors often two feet wide. The foreign language section is in the bathroom, autobiography's fill a closet and spill out into the hall. There are bare bulbs to chandeliers to light the way, and classical music is piped in from every corner of the place. They sell novels to encyclopedias to trade publications to first editions and rare books. Every nook and cranny of the property has stacks of books, often eliciting snickers from customers because of it's fantastically organized clutter. Worth a visit. And they have free wine and cheese on the second Saturday of the month starting at 4pm.

Capitol Hill Books. 657 C St. SE • Washington DC • a202.544.1621

Mandu

Mandu (Korean for dumpling) is a Korean restaurant on 18th St. NW D.C. This is my second visit, and again it does a great job. Located in the trendy district of Dupont Circle, and just south of Adams Morgan. The streets are pretty busy, theres always a hungry crowd here and I heard they can pack it in for dinner. Long-time Virginia native & owner-chef Yesoon Lee and her son seeks to introduce casual/upscale Korean fare to downtown.
I've tried the Bi-Bim-Bap, a traditional Korean dish that incorporates fresh vegetables with rice. Here it's a winner. This dish can always be used to gage the freshness of a multitude of the restaurants ingredients, because it contains just that. This time around I ducked in for a quick beer and some apps. I had the pork and beef Mandu $5, and the DooBu (pan-seared tofu with egg) $4. (my meal today pictured above for 9 bucks.) I have to tell you, very delish, very good portions, the sesame/scallion soy dipping sauce tasted very genuine, it hit the spot with a cold Sapporo. I grew up weened on these dishes and everything I taste will be compared to my mothers brilliant cooking, and I have to admit, I can strongly recommend the flavors here in the three dishes I've tried. But next time I'll try the Bulgoki, and if it's not up to par??, I'll burn this pompous Kimchi stand to the ground. Mandu has a very small menu, which I think is a good thing here, and the waiters I've had are very young, laid back and very, very knowledgeable of the dishes. The place is small, it's fun/chic, and the prices are great for the District.

,$$$$$ ,20 min lunch wait
Mandu. 1085 18th St. NW • Washington DC • a202.588.1540

Paprika

Just caught my third viewing of Satoshi Kons ... PAPRIKA. The director of the epic Tokyo Godfathers. It's a tough one to grasp, but it's brilliant. It's worth at least one look because you've never seen anything like it.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

A War Memorial

I had alittle time today the weather was bright and warm, I wanted to spend some time and enjoy Washington D.C. without even thinking about where specifically to go. The west end of the National Mall was where I was drawn to. As I got onto Constitution Ave., an always coveted parking space opened up right away, I parked, got out and knew immediately I was in the neighborhood of the few of the most important war memorials in the country. If you've ever been here there is a familiar winding path that starts at Constitution Ave. and leads to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. A minute walk and I was descending down that familiar marble walk with the names of the fallen soldiers opening up in front of me, an on-going ocean of names.

And as anyone will tell you who have visited this site, each name seemed great, and important. Focusing in on any one of the names on that wall was moving. And as quick as lightning I realized today, in the unfortunate time when we inevitably construct future war memorials, there can only be one way for us to honor our soldiers killed in wartime. Display their names. I cannot speak for family and relatives who have suffered loss. But to me, sculptures and gardens, fountains and concrete structures moves me less than to read one name, and another name, of a soldier who lost their life fighting. If a soldier is killed in a war past this day, today, and we honor him in memorial, to know his name is to know his life.

shite!

the cat shit on the carpet again!

but this isn't shit. huh??! it's "catnip poop"! sewn with multi-colored yarn, treated with catnip. my guys love'em. or it's probably love until two days from now, when they pass them up like they never existed, like all the other toys. anyway, there a gas!, they look pretty real, their perfectly mis-shapened, their made by the 14 year old daughter of a local artist. she is one of the artists involved with the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. if your looking to purchase these for christmas, i don't know what the supply would be, or if there are more available. i've e-m a couple of artists and will try to track her down. please check back, i'll change this post if they are available.

"Yetti"

This is Yetti, "he loves to stomp and yell! no one knows why he is always mad.." owlyshadowpuppets make these great shadow puppets from heavy matboard, most are constructed with wires and button hinges to make their appendages move. This one is mine, with a pull of a wire chord, it's arms move from his side all the way to fully extended. I've seen children drawn to these, it's the simplicity of it, hand operated,..and who doesn't love playful monsters and creatures, and familiar characters in large projected shadow. They also sell a large cloth stage imprint for your own shadow puppet play. Owl. Robot. Mermaid.

Crafty Bastards

JUNE 28th, It's here again, the now bi-annual festival of the Crafty Bastards in Silver Spring Md. Crafty Bastards Arts and Crafts Fair 2008. Please see the vendors this year HERE.

bright-lights littlecity


sewingstars


ucstudios

ROUXBE

Gotta love this one, great content, tons of Big HD vids of instructional cooking. Sign up takes seconds, download for iPod, it's ad-free, Rouxbe Cooking School launching this month, top notch tips and advice, and forums. The whole thing sings, and it looks beautiful. ROUXBE.

l.a. crews

PingMags article on L.A. Graffiti


also see 50mm los angeles

Attman's Delicatessen

Attman's Deli in Baltimore is one of the few still left standing in the heart of the city's "Corned Beef Row". A real New York Jewish Delicatessen right there in Baltimore, and it's been there for almost a century and it's still there, waiting for all of us to come by. So definitely make a trip up there if your into thick piles of pink, dripping, steaming, fatty, tender, corned beef on rye....."Corned Beef, Mustard, Rye, Period".... And with a GIANT, tart pickle..."You want it green or well done?....
Their hot dogs are classic, heaping with kraut, melted mozzarella, topped with jewish bologna. Liverwurst, tongue, matzo, lox, homemade knishes, it's all there, a dizzying array of glorious jewish fare with only the tenth of the tourists of Seventh Ave. Oh and "The Best Reuben In Baltimore". The place is cramped, it's loud, getting a table is like winning the lottery, But the corned beef is buttery, mouth-watering heaven.

,$$$$$
,15 Min Lunch Wait
Attman's Delicatessen
1019 E. Lombard St.
Baltimore Md
410.563.2666
f 410.563.0222

Eamonn's

Oh by the way,
this is not a British chipper, or any other chipper,
this is our chipper,
if yis don't like it... hump off.

yeah, Hump Off!...Eamonn's at King St. Alexandria, is the first Irish fish and chip house I've ever heard of in this area, so no brainer, it's all about the fish! The place is small, and it fills up fast, it opened at noon and in 5 min. it was filled up! I started my meal standing up. Huge cod fillet! Thick! Light beer batter coating, sea salt, great grub. Thick square cut strands of potato they call their chips,..tasty, semi-soggy, but who really cares that much about the chips. Wanted to try their famous prawns but it's a daily thing so was not on the menu this day. They have 7 signature sauces, tried 3, killer Tartar, recommend the Chesapeake & the Kitty O'Shea. .50 each. All chased with a pint of Guiness. Will be back for the prawns. Oh and they have a ton of Irish chips, chocolate and candy for sale,..all Irish junk food, it's pretty cool.

, $$$$$ , 15 Min Lunch Wait
Eamonn's 728 King St. Alexandria Va. 703.299.8384

Mia's

If you've had pizza at 2 Amy's, The Italian Store, or Pizzeria Paradiso, you gotta try Mia's right? I hauled my ass all the way out to Bethesda to try Melissa Ballingers pie. It was worth it, I had their Margherita, their classic staple, went straight to the heart. Soft, thin, light and airy crust, tomatoes straight from San Marzano Italy, and Buffalo mozzarella, cooked in a wood fire oven. You can see the oven from the street, the things blazing too. Ultra laid back atmosphere, has the feel of airy Santa Monica casual eatery, right there in the cozy art district of Bethesda. They got alot of pizza choices, great wine, and their Meatball Sliders are killer.

, $$$$$ , 15 Min Lunch Wait
Mia's 4926 Cordell Ave. Bethesda, Md 301.718.6427

FIFA World Cup 2010

Two down, two to go, very looking forward to the next international throw-down, FIFA World Cup 2010. See FIFA.com
The Italians are the favorites again, Ghanaians are still pissed, about the "shafting " from the officials, as they should be, the clubs from Argentina, Korea, Germany, Denmark are already pricking up ears around the world, and for the first time in World Cup history, the country of Brazil will be represented! Cant wait for the fans, the booze, the goals, the international camaraderie, the fans, the booze, the Brazilian women, the goals,.and the goals. It's not a sports tournament for your local city, against a another rival city, it's YOU against the world. 2010 FIFA World Cup.



World Cup Compiliation/Highlights - The most amazing videos are a click away

Don't let the eye fool you, PLEASE LOOK CAREFULLY, first make sure your monitor is correctly color-calibrated. View this aquatic image carefully, take your time and see if you can correctly spot the No-Talent.

The HAPPENING

"HELLO,..EXACTLY!" Yes, saw The HAPPENING, or The Crappening, I like to call it..get it? And when I was in the middle of viewing this hideous disaster, I was thinkin to myself, what the hell is.........HAPPENING? to me,.... what the hell,.... is HAPPENING?,.... to me.. in this god-forsaken movie. What was HAPPENING was clinical depression, it was the most definitive act of a ten dollar bill wasted that I will ever experience. I was dying to know what was HAPPENING in the theatre next door.
I'm a huge fan of M Night Shamaloo, but this.. I have never seen a movie where every actor in it acted like they did not want to be there. And the charm of Zoey Deschanel...non-existent in this one. I dont even feel like getting into the whole premise of a movie where plants feel "oppressed" and then take it out on humans. Avoid this one, wait for the dvd, and when I say that, I mean wait until it comes out on DVD and then knock over the display.

HBO Documentary Film Series

HBO has finally put their somewhat sporadic presentations of their often well produced documentary films into one recognizable package!! It's called the HBO Documentary Film Series. It premiered on Monday June 9th and will present a new feature every Monday at 9pm until August 25th. If you love docs as much as I do then it's pretty much like the circus coming to town. Check your local listings for the repeat scheduling. Please see the Complete Schedule Here.

Mark Rylance

Mark Rylance's acceptance speech from the 2008 Tony Awards, for Best Actor in a play in a leading role for Boeing Boeing.

Action Park

I first heard of Action Park from a message board I go to that's based in NY and has alot of members from New Jersey. There was a thread on it that reminisced about this amusement park in Vernon Township New Jersey that the locals used to frequent because it was the most convenient place to have fun in the summer. The topic of the thread was completely about how this facility was a haven for employee negligence and poorly designed, unsafe rides. I thought it was a joke, until I checked it out.
The doctors at local hospitals named the park "Traction Park", "Accident Park", "Class Action Park". It eventually closed due to repeat violations and personal injury lawsuits. Cuts, scraps, bruises, broken bones, near drownings, were a daily occurance..hilarious or sad??

• In 1980, a 19-year-old park employee was killed on the alpine slide. His car jumped the track and his head struck a rock.
• In 1982, a 15-year-old boy drowned in the Wave Pool.
• A week later, a 27-year-old man from Long Island was electrocuted after falling out of his kayak on The Kayak Experience.
• In 1984, a man died of a heart attack supposedly caused by cold water in the pool beneath the Tarzan Swing (the drained Tarzan Swing pool is pictured above, courtesy of Abandoned But Not Forgotten.)
• Later that year, an 18-year-old from Brooklyn drowned in the Wave Pool.
• In 1987, another 18-year-old drowned in the Wave Pool.

Action Park shut its doors in 1996, and has since reopened as Mountain Creek Water park, with an increased emphasis on safety. So far, no deaths have been reported.

Katie

a dog: "you feed me and give me shelter, you must be a god."
a cat: "you feed me and give me shelter, I must be a god."

This is my cat Katie. She'll be 6 in August. The longest 6 years of my life. I got her at 5 weeks. She could barely see, she just got separated from one of 6 brothers, and if I wasn't gonna take her some 70 year old woman would of gotten her. If I could tell her.."one more screw up and it's straight to aunt Mamie!"... I would. My living situation keeps me from having a dog, and I wanted a companion, and I got one in spades. Katie is the coolest, but you can throw her into the "shy cat" category, but,.. as soon as a guest leaves, for her, it's celebrate Gray Cat Day, everyday.

A couple weird things, she hides from thunder, but will stand next to a loud vacuum cleaner. She begs for scraps but when offered, will literally trot away from it. She often sleeps belly up,.. 4 legs up. She loves baths. She'll only drink very cold water. She's cool, she looks good, she's smart, and there ain't a single thing you can put past her. And I love her to death.