Guess who this is…

Yes, the day of ghouls and goblins is fast approaching, and I’m looking for costume ideas now - the first party is this Saturday!

What would crazy Wayan wear? I’m always in for a thinking man’s costume, one that takes a moment to figure out. Say a black shirt covered with Easter peeps = a chick magnet. Or a lumberjack outfit with a milk carton sporting a “Where’s my blue ox?” ad = Paul Bunyan.

Yet, I don’t like costumes that require hours of prep or makeup. Mummies and zombies are way too annoying three hours or six drinks into the night. Also, supermodels like costumes that make a man look good - or at least fun.

So, whaddya say DC - what should Wayan be? If I pick your idea to wear, a Metroblogging DC t-shirt will go your way.

The 2005 NBA draft just got done and over with. Yes, on a Tuesday night. When you didn’t really notice. But you coule be excused for that. In a previous post, I made some observations and pseudo-predictions.

Kwame Brown has yet to be traded, Pops Mensah-Bonso withdrew from the draft to back to GWU and former Maryland star-turned-pariah John Gilchrist better start writing up his resume. However, the night is still young and once the trading period is officially opened, we may start hearing some rumors of the former boy wonder getting shipped out of here.

Few of the mock drafts I saw (and I only saw a few) had Ike Diogu of Arizona State going in the top 10. Which exactly where he went, ahead of Sean May, as I predicted, so pardon me as I enjoy my little moment.

Where Les Boulez really surprised me was in violating my numero uno prediction that anyone who had anything in common with boy wonder Kwame Brown would never receive any consideration. With their second round pick, they drafted a 6-11 prep star, Andray Blatche. An inch shy of 7-feet and out of high school, much like boy wonder Kwame Brown. What is surprising is that Blatche was projected to be a top-20 pick, so he could still turn out to be a steal for the Wiz.

Also, ESPN had mentioned that the Celtics were taking a long hard look at him. The Celtics were to pick immediately after the Wizards, so perhaps this was a little swipe-the-leprechauns-lucky-charms move while they weren’t looking. Only time will tell.

One the other hand, Kwame Brown ought to know that there’s only room enough in this town for one prep school center, and it ain’t looking like it’s going to be him!

Office drones of downtown DC - unite! Get outside now!

I just returned from an early lunch and it’s an amazingly gorgeous day - warm, breezy, perfect. I escaped my drab cube and splurged on sushi, taking it over to one of my favorite downtown spots, Pershing Park.

Sitting in the shade next to the bizarre block of a waterfall is pure bliss. When there’s a strong breeze a lovely cooling spritz of water touches you gently. Ahhh…. nice.

I love that park. At 11:45am there was no one there but an occasional confused tourist (”who the heck is Pershing?”), a little girl in a candy-colored sundress feeding chips to the ducks, and a suit smoking a pipe. Let’s not forget the dragonflies skimming the water. The pond changes color throughout the season (it’s even an ice rink in the winter), and is now rather like pea soup. Some might find that algae taint gross, but I love its emerald intensity. Just wait until the lilac trees surrounding the water bloom and their hot pink petals fall in, making retro prep hues.

I was soooo relaxed… sushi shock…. gentle breeze….
birds tweeting…. Damn the office!! Why did I have to come back??

Hey, it’s a Friday afternoon, summer in DC -
why not skip out early today?
Who’s with me?!?

The NBA Draft Lottery was conducted last night. You may have missed it while you got up to get more cheet-os during halftime of a thrilling Suns-Spurs game.

Milwaukee pulled an upset to land the rights to the first pick. As for Les Boulez, don’t bother searching for their draft choices, they traded away their first round pick. This years pick landed in Denver after going through Orlando. So until I receive confirmation of contradictory information, I am assuming that it was part of the deal that landed us Brendan Haywood.

Since all the action is going to be around the second round choice (likely to be an unknown European leadfoot), I can predict the following. Heck, I’ll call it an unparalleled success of they can just do a few things, is all I’m asking for :-

1. Les Boulez will not draft any one of the 12 prep schoolers on the early entry list. So don’t bother showing up for any individual workouts in the district. Even if you have a note from your Mommy. Actually, a note from your psychiatrist may be of better use. You have Kwame Brown to thank for that one.

2. In three of the last four years, the Wizards have enjoyed near unprecedented fan support. Two of those years, a certain Wizards jersey had the number 23 on it. The fourth year saw an amazing playoff run that injected life into a flailing franchise that was otherwise being compared to the Clippers. Which means that in the odd year of this present run, the only bright spot for most fans was to catch sight of local college legends Juan Dixon and Steve Blake. Both of whose contracts are up and who may not be back. Therefore, Brandon Bowman and John “Knucklehead” Gilchrist need not hold their breath for the hometown bail-out. Pops Mensah-Bonsu on the other hand, well he’ll get a good look. A REAL good look.

3. Kwame Brown is being actively shopped around as we speak. Don’t be surprised if a few draft choices get packaged into the deal. This is one year however, when I fully expect Washington to come away with someone else’s draft choices. Unlike previous years when you could count on the Wizards to have the tricks played on them, anything north of the towelboy would be a Washington heist.

4. Speaking of Kwame Brown, a straight-up trade for a top ten pick wouldn’t be a bad idea. Should that be the case, look for a solid post player to feature on Washington’s draft board. Between you and me, I like Ike Diogu of Arizona State, but all things considered I don’t see him dropping past 10, if not the 15. You could be forgiven for thinking that Sean May of the recently crowned National Champions North Carolina would be a sexier pick, but Diogu has been a beast during his three years in Tempe, putting up solid numbers while you were struggling to stay awake for Leno.

There are only so many things I can guarantee at this point. Kwame Brown will be traded out of here, and unless a first round, mid to late lottery pick shows up in return, you can pass this one up. Chances are you’ll never remember the name of the second round pick by mid-July anyway.