McSweeneyesque Event That I Forgot to Tell You About

Sorry to be MIA, folks - I've got a nasty cold and it's kept me from doing all kinds of things, including cleaning my house, getting work done, and blogging. Meant to tell you about an event last night at the Warehouse Theater, called the F.W. Thomas Literary Variety Show. It sounded interesting, if a little forced (forced quirkiness/hipness, that is...I got that impression mostly from this article in the Post). Did anyone reading this attend? If so, please tell us what it was like... and hey, soon I'll get back to telling you guys about things BEFORE they happen.... ;)

P.S. Here's McSweeney's if the title of this post means nothing to you.

More Wonkage

I've been wonked again, this time for a passing note that I'd rather work from the Rockville library than from Tryst. Hmm. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, see my "I've Been Wonked" post from the other day.)

On a related note, there was an article in the Post today about how Tony Williams is trying to get funding for a new downtown library approved in his last days in office. Opponents charge that the money should go to neighborhood libraries instead. I don't know the ins and outs of the issue well enough to take a side. Also, I just took a sleeping pill (hoping it overrides the nasty cold symptoms), so if I don't stop writing now, I will probably start revealing state secrets or somesuch.

Good night.

Library Love

I'm in the new Rockville, MD library, and I can't remember the last time I was in such a beautifully designed space. It feels more like a concert hall than like any library I've ever been to. Credit apparently goes to Grimm & Parker Architects in Bethesda, MD, who are responsible for the building's architecture and interior design.

My happy sensory experience started in the parking garage, where the walls by the elevator were painted a vibrant orangey red, instantly lifting my spirits (I'm susceptible like that). Inside, the space is all clean, modern lines -- open, airy, but warm and welcoming, too, with a sort of buttery glow, thanks to the color palette and lighting design. You can see a few photos of the library on the Grimm & Parker Web site.

It is truly a sight to behold, and I wish there was something like it in DC. (I'd telecommute from here over Tryst any day.)

What One Night at the Birchmere Has to do With Crayons, Dubya and Ken Burns

'Went to see Alejandro Escovedo at the Birchmere last night (thank you, Dave and Emily!) and enjoyed a wonderful surprise in the form of opening act Sometymes Why, pictured above, whose stripped down music and pretty blend of voices you can sample here.

I especially liked the intense solos by Aoife O'Donovan, and "Hush Child" and "Crayola" sung by Kristin Andreassen (the latter is on her new solo album, which you can sample on her MySpace page...special fact: she used to live around here, working full time for the Footworks Percussive Dance Ensemble).

In researching the band online, I found out that they were apparently featured in a recent New York Times article on the "bold, new string-band aesthetic" (reference: Boston Herald). I'm not quite sure what this means, exactly, but I'm sure it will mean something to some of you. :)

Alejandro was great, too, but played pretty much the same set, and told the same stories, as he did a year ago, when I saw him at the Birchmere for the first time. Yes, we know Dubya has you on his iPod! I marveled that the musicians could be (seem?) so incredibly into the music they were playing, when it seems they play pretty much the same set of songs at show after show. But when they hit one of those crescendos -- man oh man...

Oh, one more special fact: Ruth Unger, the third member of Sometymes Why, is daughter of Jay Ungar, a fiddler who wrote Ashokan Farewell, which many of us know from Ken Burns' Civil War. And I used to work at PBS. Whoah.

District of Ladies' Cheap Art Sale

Tomorrow (Saturday, 12/9) from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m at La Casa in Mount Pleasant (3166 Mount Pleasant Street - short walk from the Columbia Heights metro).

Half of the proceeds will help survivors of domestic violence.

More details on the event, and the intriguingly-named group of artists, from washingtonpost.com and Craigslist.

Playing the blue guitar

I love this poem. I love the image of a man with a blue guitar, I love the idea that his blue guitar creates a new reality. Let's all find a way to play the blue guitar.

The man bent over his guitar,
A shearsman of sorts. The day was green.

They said, "You have a blue guitar,
You do not play things as they are."

The man replied, "Things as they are
Are changed upon the blue guitar."

-from "The Man With the Blue Guitar"
by Wallace Stevens

Read more of the poem here, on the Web site of the professor who first introduced me to it (and who, incidentally, forced me to learn HTML, despite my ardent protestations; and here I am...).

I've Been Wonked

Wow, somehow yesterday's brief post on the latest shows from Washington Improv Theater caught the attention of the folks over at Wonkette. For those of you who may not know, Wonkette is a very popular D.C. gossip blog, and a link from them usually means a big traffic spike.

Note to self: fruitcake jokes work.

Laugh, dammit.

Laugh out the stress of the holiday season with "Seasonal Disorder," Washington Improv Theater's latest run of shows...two of which (JINX and The Shower) feature yours truly.

Shows are Thursday (yes, including tonight) through Sunday, all month long.

Get more info, and buy tickets, at washingtonimprovtheater.com.

(Or, stay home and nibble at fruitcake you don't even like, and wonder where the year has gone. Whichever you prefer.)

;)

3 Local Photographers:Open Studio Art Sale

Open Studio Art Sale

When: Sunday, December 10, 2 p.m.

Where: 2800 Wisconsin Ave., NW, #707, Washington, DC

Who: Matt Achhammer, Alexandra Silverthorne, and Robert Walton*

*Read a post on Robert and Team Wet Dog from the Creative DC archives. I'm a huge fan of Robert's photos of Mount Pleasant, a sample of which is featured above.

Adams Morgan Shout-out

A little shout-out to my 'hood, aka I don't have much time to post and this info was all sitting in an email in my inbox. :)

"First Tuesdays" in Adams Morgan

Starting today (quick! get thee to 18th Street!), enjoy shopping and eating discounts in Adams Morgan on the first Tuesday of the month, thanks to organizational efforts by Adams Morgan Main Street. Food and drink for 2 for $25 (plus tax) at participating restaurants, which include Perry's, Chloe, Left Bank, and L'Enfant. Plus, 10-30% discounts and participating retailers, such as Shake Your Booty, Toro Mata Art & Furnishings, DeVinos, and Meeps Vintage.

Fancy Schmancy Wine Tasting / Fundraiser

Sample 5 whites and 5 reds (how equitable), and enjoy a discussion with wine experts, courtesy of DeVinos. This event will be held at the new Spoiled Rotten doggy boutique (2206 18th St. NW) on Tuesday, December 12, from 7-9pm. Pay $25 at the door (cash or check) or through Paypal in advance; proceeds support Adams Morgan Main Street.

Toodles.

The Biology of Creativity

More fodder for our ongoing discussion re: what exactly creativity really is, from NPR's Studio 360:

"Discover what modern biology can tell us about creativity. We wonder if there's truth in the stereotype of the mad genius. A professor explains how she maps the location of creativity within the brain. While a neuroscientist finds out we can learn a lot from an orchestra of elephants..."
-The Studio 360 Web site

Fascinating stuff... check it out.

Tempering Excess

Last night I went to my first holiday party of the season and came home feeling that familiar seasonal feeling of overindulgence. Then I woke up this morning and turned on the heat and thought about those who can't. December is a time when excess seems to be at every turn, and it's an opportunity to be creative about how we temper that excess with service to our community and the world at large.

Here are some ideas. Please share others by adding a comment below.

1. Be mindful of where you spend your holiday shopping dollars. Try to support socially responsible merchants, and those who donate a portion of their profits to a cause of importance to you. I also try to invest in local communities by supporting local, independent businesses whenever possible - for example, consider supporting independent booksellers by purchasing books through powellbooks.com.

2. Make financial contributions to charities whose work you support. Give whatever you can, whether it's $10 or $1000. Brainstorm ways you can shave money off your expenses this month and channel the savings into donations - skip a meal out, brew coffee at home instead of buying it, sell household items you don't use on Craigslist. Make home-made gifts for family and friends.

3. Donate your time to causes you care about. Search volunteermatch.org to find local organizations' specific needs. I know December is a busy time, but think creatively about how you can find time to help out - if you order gifts for friends online, does that free up a Saturday afternoon?

4. Conserve energy. Take public transportation. Unplug Christmas lights and electrical appliances when you aren't actively using them. Buy wrapping paper made from recycled paper.Get digital thermostats and program them to decrease temperatures when you're out at work and in the middle of the night. The Web site for An Inconvenient Truth offers additional conservation tips, as does our very own Pepco.

I know it's cliche to focus on giving in December - the season of guilt, right? I understand that, but why not use the guilt as a tool to jumpstart practicing habits like these? There's no time like the present.