Tom and I went to see The Killers at the Patriot Center last night. They were awesome- glitzed up stage show, great performance, blah-blah-blah they were the headliners and of course they were great. That’s not what I’m here to talk about, and I’m sure Tom will tell you all about it later.

What you NEED TO KNOW is that the middle act (not the lackluster Red Romance) was a Japanese Beatles cover band. The Silver Beats have clearly been working on their impressions of the Beatles for a long, long time, but it paid off- they sound uncannily like John, Paul, George, and Ringo, and got more love than any unknown opening act I’ve ever seen. The best part was that they looked like they were having as much fun as the Beatles themselves were on their first US tour. And of course, it’s always nice when the opening act is playing songs you can sing along to.

I’d pay just to see these guys. You should too. I think they’re headed straight back to Tokyo when they get done with The Killers, so if you find yourself there, be sure to hit the Cavern Club and check them out.

(photo courtesy The Silver Beats)

I feel like I’m becoming the resident restaurant reviewer for Metblogs, at least when it comes to Dupont Circle. Last week I wrote about a refreshing new restaurant, Circa of Dupont, which makes me miss the old tenant (Wrap Works) like I miss mullet haircuts. Uh, no, I don’t miss them at all.

Well on the other side of the food spectrum, a new but familiar face has popped up. That’s right, Five Guys. Right next door to the Cosi at Connecticut and R, this place came out of nowhere. Their space is a little tight on seating, but if you’re craving a good dose of grease, this is the place for you and your appetite.

I remember when I first ate at Five Guys, the Georgetown location to be exact, I was NOT impressed. I’d read reviews and heard people say how amazing their burgers are. But my first impression was that their food was greasy and bland. I mean the paper bag that the fries came in was soaked through with grease spots. As Borat would say, “Niiice!” Since then, I’ve come to enjoy their burgers and fries. They’re freshly made, you order them with the toppings that you want, and the fries are fried in peanut oil, not some animal lard like the other fast food chains.

So what say you? Is Five Guys overrated grease, or the best damn burger in town?

Ugh. I feel fatter just writing about this.

Back at the beginning of April, I wondered Why Did Keith A. Washington Still Have a Gun?! when he threatened a real estate appraiser with a second police-issued gun after shooting two furniture delivery men, killing one, with his first police-issued gun, and trying to cover up the whole thing with a fake robbery call to PG police.

Keith “I’ll Spam Ya” Washington?

In the comments section, “Concerned Citizen” came to Washington’s defense with an unsubstantiated claim that

“Mr. King is not certified or licensed to do Home Appraisal it is speculated by authorities that he was merely trying to portray himself as a victim and colluded with others to sue Mr. Washington,

It also appears that the whole thing was fabricated by Mr. King……The attorney General of Md posted on their website the following information about Mr. King…..”

Now it seems that “Dave” posted the same rant on another site questioning Washington’s abuse of authority, resorting to personal attacks on the site owner who questioned “Dave” more than I.

Not to stop there, “Dave/Concerned Citizen” then apparently went to a third site that also calls him a danger to society. There, he was joined by “Susan” who claims to be his wife but just happens to have a uncanny similar use of too many periods:

Washington was jumped by them while his wife and daughter ran from their home screaming watching there husband and father being almost killed by two strangers…..My husband says that they had committed 4 or 5 previous burglaries before the encounter with Washington…….I that case Washington deserves a medal…how did people get it so wrong

Now I don’t know about you, but I smell blog spam. This “Dave/Concerned Citizen/Susan” sounds too much like a Keith A. Washington trying desperately to clear his name, one blog at a time.

I hope he has plenty of time to fulfill that Quixotic goal, from a gun-free jail cell.

Photo by DC Metroblogger

Riding home tonight, my third night in my new hood, I noticed a funky fresh parking method in Petworth.

Like in Philly, folks around here park in the middle of the street. Median parking may not be legal but it is efficient.

Everyone likes rock star parking and this way everyone gets a spot next to home.

Where did you park tonight? Was it this convenient?

This Saturday marks the 14th annual Hands On DC Schools event, where thousands of volunteers descend on DC schools, organized into teams by the Hands on DC group. Since 1994, over 26,000 volunteers have worked to make DC Schools a better place. If you want to help, and you know you do, be sure to drop them a note at volunteer at handsondc dot org and let them know.

Rebuilding DC’s schools is more than just setting up accountability structures, it’s also about making the school buildings habitable and comfortable, and Hands On DC is looking to help with that. Get out and help this weekend. The weather’s going to be nice and Spring-like, and you could really lend a hand, I promise.

Major thanks to Frank who pointed this out to us. Remember, if you’ve got news on a DC event, feel free to hit the Suggest a Story button.

I can’t, off the top of my head, think of a more peaceful and awesome space than the Main Reading Room at the Library of Congress. Since I picked up my Ultimate Library Card, I’ve only been there just a handful of times, but each time I go, I am absolutely astounded by the amazing resource that it is. Now, though, the Librarians of Congress are taking their game public via their new weblog called “Light and Liberty Go Together.”

The reason for blogging? Well, it’s the best of any that I’ve ever read:

If you are reading this, then chances are you have some sense of how the legacies of Morse and those who came before him and since have transformed our daily lives. It is an inescapable fact that the Internet is redefining at an accelerating rate how we get information and interact.

The Library of Congress was producing electronic content long before the Web even existed, so it’s fitting today that we become one of a (surprisingly) small handful of federal agencies with a bona fide blog.

Welcome, Library of Congress, and congratulations on your first 207 years.

photo courtesy of the State of MD

While running out for lunch today – where I had TacoSoylent Bell for the first time in years and remembered why I don’t eat there – I heard a brief bit on the Kojo Nnamdi show about MD’s abandoned property program. Like all states, MD has to deal with abandoned accounts and physical property in some way. They ceased doing auctions on the courthouse steps – which comptroller Peter Franchot says had poor turnout – and switched to Ebay. You can see the various things up for auction that people have left in safety deposit boxes here.

None of it really blows my skirt up personally but it looks like there might be some decent deals.

Whilst it’s certainly no Taste of Georgetown, the 20th Annual Taste of Arlington will be held on 20 May, 2007, which for all you calendar deficient is on a Saturday.

Taste tickets are now available online through 17th May. Tickets are available in books of 6 and may be purchased for $20 in advance (there’s $1 surcharge per book), or for $25 on the day of the festival. Purchase two books of tickets prior to 1 May and receive one free. Looking at the participating restaurants, it appears that this year will be better than last, and judging by those chocolate covered strawberries, I think I’ll need at least four books.

Photo Credit: Flickeritte Cindy Li

With the return of the awesome weather this week, we were also greeted with the return of the tree pollens that make my life an exercise in continual misery. The last few days, I feel as if there’s been a grenade of snot detonated inside my sinuses, and no amount of Zyrtec, Claritin and Ricola Cough Drops can make up for the differential. My blue car is now a light green car, thanks to all the pollen, and the rain we’re supposed to get can’t get here soon enough.

In the meanwhile, I’ll be hiding indoors, looking out at the beautiful weather, and considering amputating my own head.

So lo and behold, due to a new job, I find myself stuck in the morning traffic along the George Washington Parkway southbound on a regular basis, and while crossing the last Spout Run overpass before diving down below the Key Bridge, I find the odd plastic bag material “X”’s in the grass on the left and pass the bridge, on the right.

I’m not sure if they are a prank or something else more menacing, or just a clever way of testing Google Maps resolution. Maybe it’s an art project, or where the not to target the space based lasers, maybe an odd group game of tic-tac-toe, or maybe just something clever to see how long it takes somebody to blog about it? Suffice it to say, I ask you, loyal Metblog reader, to fancy an opinion as to what these crosses may be.