This morning I felt a wave of nostalgia as I watched the yellow-slickered crossing guard shepherd little kids in their uniforms across the street to Garrison Elementary. As usual I was waiting for the bus, sighing at the prospect of another dreary day at work. Maybe it was the contrast between the guard’s maternally bright smile and the gloomy overcast skies, but it’s funny how you can feel nostalgia for school where once you felt apprehensive dread…

Good luck this year, kids!

(and for someone as ZPG as me to say that, you know I’m suffering from serious sentimentality overload!)

There are all kinds of regional sandwiches- the cheesesteak, the Primanti’s sammich (pictured here), the po’ boy, assorted varieties of barbecue between bread, etc.

We were pondering last night (between rounds of an entirely too long pub quiz) that there is no real sandwich culture in DC. Our culinary options are man- some celebrity chef whose name escapes me once said that while there are more restaurants per capita in New York City, DC has more different kinds of food than almost anywhere else. But they tend toward either the diverse and ethnic, or the paid-for-by-lobbyists.

Meanwhile, my trip to Primanti’s in my hometown this weekend has left me pining for a good sandwich. Suggestions?

The levee has been breached in New Orleans and the city is under water. Biloxi, MS is covered in water, mud, and debris. Dozens of people have lost their lives and thousands have likely lost their homes.

But the worst we’re going to see here is some severe storms tonight and tomorrow. So it’s time to pony up to help, people. The Post provides a handy list of organizations in need of money for Katrina relief.

So if a tree falls in a city, and everyone sees it, does it get removed?

I’m not sure as there’s a tree down on my block around McPherson Square and its now turning brown its been there so long. Knocked down during a motherboard-burning storm in July, its sat on the sidewalk outside my building since, slowing going green to brown.

After alerting my office to the tree, we started a pool to see when it will be removed. We’ve had to keep adding to the pool since each of our expected removed dates have come and gone. Its now up to $125.

You have an idea when it might go? I could use more beer + lime + ice money.

Yeah, you read that right, forget the usual 80′s Night, or even Punk Night, marked by Bananarama or Black Flag, we’re talking Glam Metal Karaoke and I’m channeling all kinds of Motley Crew and Quiet Riot just thinking about it.

Tuesday nights, the Reef‘s first floor bar (you didn’t know they had one I bet) whips out the karaoke machine and dials up drunken singing to the best of Twisted Sister, Poison, Bon Jovi, and their glam metal cohorts. The Reef’s usual great beers on tap, in addition to $2 pints of Miller High Life and $5 Grey Goose Vodka drink specials are supplied, mandatory air guitar and big hair are not.

Just remember, no repeats allowed and the last song of the night better be a Scorpions’ “Rock You Like A Hurricane” tribute to New Orleans.

Update
Glam Metal Karakoe is really called Twister Sister Karaoke.

Ever since Meetup.com went for-pay, the world’s been short a good way to handle good group meetings, but no longer. As of today, Upcoming.org supports groups!

Go join our Upcoming.org group!

We’ll be having a Happy Hour next week that once it’s scheduled will go into the group. We hope to see all our readers there!

If you want to follow what Katrina is doing now, check out MetroBlogging New Orleans where insane idiots brave souls are riding out the storm & posting about it in real time. While I salute their dedication, I wouldn’t be one of them.

Back in the day, I worked on the clean-up crew for Hurricane Andrew, the most recent Category 5 hurricane to hit America. In doing so, I saw some wild-ass shit that Mother Nature can do when she’s all twisted up. Boats miles inshore but perfectly intact, cars in trees, trees yanked out by the roots, and whole houses reduced to splinters.

If I were a NOLA resident, I’d be somewhere in Texas or Georgia now, sipping beers and planning on a very long and restfull vacation before heading back to the madness of post-Hurricane rebuilding. Instead I’m at work in DC, so all I can do is say:

NOLA, good luck & we’re praying for ya.

While Hurricane Katrina is gonna beat the hell out of New Orleans, with massive flooding and 175 MPH winds (good luck Big Easy!), don’t think we’re gonna be spared her fury.

She may not be like last year’s Hurricane Francis fucking up your weekend, but Katrina will be a force to reckon with.

Looking at NOAA’s wind predictions and strike probability chart, I’m gonna say that Wednesday will be a wet and soggy one for us here in DC.

Wet, soggy, and windy. I’m sure I’ll be out of water again and PEPCO will be keeping you in the dark. Stock up now, so you’ll not be faced with the Bling Bling Giant stampede on Wednesday.

So last night was the national rock, paper, scissors championship and it was held early evening at Club Five. The turnout was pretty good, and there were real ref’s and everything. The crowd got really into it. I didn’t register or play, but I had a great time ruiting on random people I met while I was there. The winner got $1,000 bucks, so people took it semi-seriously. Unfortunately once the contest was over, they started the base a pumpin’ and the crowd mix changed pretty . . . a good time was had by all.

It’s late, I’m drunk, and where in the hell is a bathroom in the Metro station? I mean, really, why aren’t there bathrooms down here. A man has to pee and the options are few on the Metro.

If I didn’t have to wait 17+ minutes for the next train, it wouldn’t be so bad. If the elevators weren’t so slow, I could escape faster. Yet, this is not my luck. I am here, in the Metro, stuck. And now, hopping on one foot with the need to pee!

Damn, I wish I were on a swank Thai train.