A belated cheers to everyone who came out to the moody Blue Room Wednesday night for Medusa Promotions’ “It’s No Good” all-Depeche Mode party.

It was a full house, with energetic dancers and a fun ambiance. I camped out in the cosy loft, catching up with old friends, nursing a few appletinis, and watching everyone dance their hot asses off.

Special kudos to brilliant DJs Medusa and Strange. You might think that with only one band represented it would get monotonous, but the music was fresh and vibrant the whole night. That’s great spinning!

Their next event at Blue Room is an all-Cure night on Wednesday, March 29 - I’ll be there, singing “kiss me kiss me kiss me”…

Sorry Capitals fans, but the Russians just couldn’t get the job done against the
Czech Republic. Final score: 3-0. Hey, the kid’s only 20 years old and already deserves his stardom. I sense plenty of Stanley Cup rings and other accolades in his future.

Maybe they should have Iron medals for 4th place. Okay, that’s not funny.

Go Sweden! (If you look at the roster and know I’m a Red Wings fan you’ll understand). The Finns are tough though, it should be a great finals game tomorrow.

I’ve seen some bizarre bizarre things here on the Metro. I’ve seen Hymn Singing Guy, I’ve seen Naked People, I’ve seen a lot of stuff, but by no means have I seen it all. In today’s Post, there’s a great section of Metro stories cut into various vignettes.

I was new into town when I was invited out to a beer tasting at the Brickskellar after work one night. I left my car at Van Dorn and we all went out drinking. The beer was great and the company even better. We left the beer tasting at 11pm and caught one of the last blue line trains back toward Van Dorn. My cousin started to look a bit green long about Pentagon City, and when we hit Braddock Road he went streaming out of the door, got sick immediately into the nearest trash can, and ran back in and caught the train before it pulled out.

I swear, that driver waited for him to finish being sick before closing those doors, and to think day, I am absolutely grateful.

What’s your Metro story?

Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein and Google Co-Founder and President of Technology Sergey Brin today announced the launch of a pilot program to make holdings of the National Archives available for free online.

Included are:

• WW II newsreels
• NASA documentaries
• National Parks from the ’30s

More at the Google press release.

Tags: washington, dc, film, archives, google

First Chicken. Then Egg.

No, First Egg, Then Chicken!

First we get the land for the stadium, then we get the lease…

Instead, this time it’s First we get the lease for the stadium, then we get the land.

Yet another setback for the Nationals this week as the deal for the land involved in the eminent domain dispute has been put on hold until the ballpark lease is signed and taken care of. Are we ever going to get a stadium?

old school @ dulles

Yes childrens, our premier international airport still relies on ancient 1960′s technology – the bus – to get folks to Gate C.

The other gates are serviced by new-fangled moving sidewalks but Gate C, where United and my flight to San Francisco are, is still old school. Anyone know when we might get the 21st century to Dulles Gate C?

Jason Cosper and Sean Bonner

Originally uploaded by tjbax.

Metroblogging DC wishes a very happy birthday to one of our two favorite corporate overlords, Sean Bonner! He’s pictured here being taunted with the camera of Friend-of-Metroblogging Jason Cosper.

Many happy returns, and stuff.

New LNG Bus

While others might anagram it ME ROT, Metro says it’s finally ready to give Metrobus some loving. Yes, you read that right, Metrobus, the service so neglected that even WMATA board members call it the “poor stepchild” to Metrorail. Anyone who rides the bus as much as I knows it’s not a poor stepchild, it’s the poor bastard stepchild to Metrorail.

Now WMATA says its gonna give Metrobus some loving. Board Chairman Gladys Mack has pledged to make 2006 “the Year of the Metrobus” and the board seems to be backing up her words with action. To quote from WMATA’s press release:

As part of the proposed fiscal 2007 budget, Metro is proposing to save $2.4 million by eliminating 28 late night Friday and Saturday Metrobus routes, 11 weekday and weekend Metrobus routes, and re-investing the $2.4 million on selected bus routes to improve service reliability and reduce crowding.

Metro also wants to spend $2 million on additional relief for crowded buses to cut down bus bunching and improve on-time performance. An additional $3.6 million is needed to enhance bus service along major corridors including breaking up long unreliable routes, creating skip stop service, increasing spacing between downtown bus routes and providing improved traffic and parking management with assistance from local governments.

Maybe its just a coincidence, but I think I’m seeing the first physical signs of that change in attitude – new LNG-powered buses circling NoVA and downtown DC routes. Check out the photo at right. Sleek and sexy, eh?

In a fit of insanity it seems Brit Gene Cowan has decided to do an anagram of all the DC Metro stations. After checking out his work, where he has creations like those below, I’d like to know what he’s drinking. It’s sure not the vodka gimlet I ask for!

• McPherson Square = Cohn Sperm Square
• Cleveland Park = VCR Kelp and Ale
• Friendship Heights = Ripened Fish Thighs
• Arlington County = Nocturnal Toying

Thanks BoingBoing!

I couldn’t get into the city early enough to make the Washington Project for the Arts/Corcoran opening in Georgetown for “Wall Snatchers.” I did go in for the 9:30 post-opening event described thusly.

9:30 pm TONIGHT (February 23, after Opening Reception) – Projection artist fi5e will be projecting his “graffiti analysis” interactive video at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. (500 17th Street, NW)

Unfortunately the only thing going on in front of 500 17th last night was a visual demonstration that it takes three cruisers, four cops and about 40 minutes to do a traffic stop on what seemed to be a violation of driving while underage. At least I assume that’s the case, since near the end of the experience one cop left with the very young-looking man in the back seat of his cruiser and an older gentleman arrived and was allowed to move the car around the corner and park it.

Of course that doesn’t mean the car wasn’t tossed multiple times by each cop. Judging from all the talking the kid was doing nobody had ever directed him to Flex Your Rights or informed him of his right to remain silent and decline police searches. Since he still got taken away cuffed in the back of a police car he may have now learned that no matter what they tell you, flapping your gums and letting them search your vehicle isn’t going to get you released.

The actual event, once I walked all the way around the back of the Corcoran and found it, was great. I’ll be posting my review and photos of it – along with some of my interview with fi5e – shortly.

And if you’re wondering, yeah, I did think to myself “geez, I hope that’s not the artist…” when I saw the stop.