The Washington Business Journal reports that an investment group comprised of several key players (including Kevin Payne, D.C. United president and MLS co-founder, and John Hendricks, Founder of the Women’s United Soccer Association and the Washington Freedom) have entered into a bid to reduce Philip Anschutz’s current MLS team monopoly to three.

Would a new management team, and a new stadium make United the team to beat?

Read more – [*]

On the front door of the Starbucks at 15th and I:

Blame the Weatherman, Not Us
Starbucks is closed due to inclement weather

I think its time to head for the hills, damn the umbrellas and galoshes.

I took a long drive to Philly on Monday night in order to exhibit at the Manayunk Arts Fest this weekend and on the way there my darling girlfriend and I had a driving question – what’s the difference between a solid white line marking and a double solid line marking? Checking the Virginia driver’s manual confirmed what we thought about the solid single white line: lane changes are discouraged, but not prohibited. No mention of double white lines, but then again we saw them in Maryland – in Fort McHenry Tunnel, to be exact – so perhaps the MD driver’s handbook is the place to check.

Well, I came up with a goose egg on that one too, but not before noticing something annoying. I opened up the PDF and searched for “white line” and got no results. Okay, “white” then. Zip. Hmm. “Yellow” was also zero, as was a word I could see in front of me on the page I was looking at. They’ve published the handbook with no search ability at all. Hope you want to read it front to back, not find something specific.

Anyway – anyone have a definitive answer on the double white line? I assumed it meant lane change prohibited but it would be nice to have a canonical answer…

From the Metro Chat with Dan Tangherlini:

Dan Tangherlini: Our problem was NOT a lack of pumps or pumping equipment – our problem was where to put the water!

NEWSFLASH: Federal Triangle is OPEN. (as of 12:15)

Major props to Tangherlini for taking the chat on a day when I’ve heard of 3 hour metro commutes that resembled Lord of the Flies. When can we expect the Interim to drop, Dan?

Update: The System is fully operational, not unlike the Death Star. All we need is a pesky rebel rainstorm now…

Have something to say about your morning commute on Metro today? Metro’s Interim Metro General Manager Dan Tangherlini is chatting on washingtonpost.com right now.

“Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.”

Lying in bed, tossing and turning from the rain and the thunder and the lightning. Through the cacophony of sounds you make out the most insidious of them all.

“Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.”

Yes indeed, your 110-year-old house has begun to leak, water oozing through plaster cracks, in the kitchen, in the dining room, in the bedroom. Everywhere it can seep in. Racing around with bowls and old t-shirts and towels, like a mad Dutch dervish, desperate to find them all, until you give up and head back to bed, defeated by nature.

“Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.”

On and on it goes, for hours. No sleep for the homeowner of a Victorian house last night. None at all.

It was ten years ago today that lil’ miss jet-set boarded a plane bound for Logan for what was set to be a summer of traveling around the U.S. prior to starting two years of A-Level hell. Ten years later, I’m still here, having never returned from my ten years of one big, long holiday.

I really appreciate the powers that be unleashing a hell of a light show in celebration of my ten years in this wonderful country, but really guys, this weather, contrary to popular belief, does not make me homesick for my native England.

Enough with the bloody waterworks already!

Much like mail carriers, recruiters don’t get much of a break when the weather is crappy and has screwed up transportation around town. We’re expected to report as normal. After all, someone has to be at the office to make phone calls like these:

“Hi, this is Tiffany from [major international staffing firm]. We’ve got a talent scheduled to be out there with you today in your creative department… Yeah, Joe will be a little late this morning. He lives in a basement apartment… yep, it flooded last night. So as soon as he’s done moving all his stuff up off the floor, he’ll be in. Thanks!”

Hope you’re all staying dry and getting your power back.

On Saturday, Adrianna Sgarlata was crowned “Miss Arlington Virginia”. Sgarlata is a graduate student at George Mason University (music), and ran on a platform of “behaving respectfully and valuing others.” Personally, I think she could have just run on those eyes. More of Adrianna here.

UPDATE: Note to self: enroll in a reading comprehension course. Sglarlata *was* Miss Arlington and won the Miss Virginia pageant.

I’ve long been on record as preferring HOT (toll) lanes to HOV (occupancy) lanes – but putting that aside – one thing that struck me was how hard the traffic gods had pushed for special treatment for hybrid vehicles, by giving them a pass to the HOV lanes. (In fact, a good friend who commutes from Chantilly to Crystal City bought one just to save 30 minutes each way)

Well – looks like that’s coming to an end. “Starting July 1st, hybrids purchased after June 30th will not be exempt from car pool rules on Interstates 95 and 395.” And current hybrid owners get to keep using the lanes till next year.