Via the WashCycle, word is that BikeDC is a go!  At the end of September, a 17-(car-free)mile ride through Washington, DC.  See the sights of Embassy Row, Cathedral, and Capitol Hill, and take a spin with the local cycling team at RFK.    Check it out!

Freer Gallery of Art Originally uploaded by ultra-K

One of the things I love most about living in DC is the film festivals.

If you’re in the mood for a little Chinese before the Olympics kick off, head over to the 13th Annual Made in Hong Kong Film Festival at the Freer Gallery. Tonight’s film, “The Postmodern Life of My Aunt,” will screen in the Meyer Auditorium at 7 pm.

If you miss this showing, the movie repeats on Sunday,  August 3 at 2:00 pm.

Tickets are free, but seating is limited. Up to two tickets per person are distributed one hour before show time.

For those of you looking for answers, tomorrow afternoon Jane MacLaren Walsh will be available to talk about the Natural History Museum’s crystal skull on temporary display in the “Science in the News” case.

At noon, the documentary “Legend of the Crystal Skulls” will screen in the Baird Auditorium on the ground level of the museum. When the lights come up, Walsh will be available for what should be a very interestinga session of questions and answers

While the event is free, seating is first come, first serve.

The crystal skull is on display in the ground level of the Natural History Museum through September 1st. The museum is open until 7:30 pm daily thru the Labor Day weekend.

baby tomatoes @ dupont farmer’s market
Originally uploaded by gingher

Discouraged by the slim pickings at your local Safeway and Giant? Worried about FDA warnings about Salmonella contamination of fruits and vegetables? Don’t want to spend more than $1 per orange at Whole Foods?

Support local growers and buy your produce at one of DC’s many farmer’s markets this weekend.

Saturday 8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Adam’s Morgan
18th Street and Columbia Road, NW

Saturday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Chevy Chase
Broad Road and Northampton Street, NW

Saturday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Heritage Park
Division Avenue and Foote Streets, NE

Saturday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
U Street
14th and U Streets, NW

Saturday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Mount Pleasant
Lamont Park

Saturday and Sunday 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
Eastern Market
7th and C Streets, SE

Sunday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Dupont Circle
20th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, NW

Warfare today mirrors its state during Shakespeare’s time. Science delivered a period of transformation. As technology improved with the introduction of gun powder and the musket, the role of the armored knight and his physical strength lost its military usefulness.

Most of the custom made armor reflect the look of contemporary fashion. While these breast plates and helmets protected the wearer, they also served as vehicles for establishing social status and as a reminder of familial ties.

You can see these old suits in “Now Thrive the Amorers: Arms and Armor in Shakespeare” that runs thru September 9, 2008. The Higgins Armory Museum, the only museum dedicated to armor in the western hemisphere, lends from its collection of military treatises, fencing manuals, gilded arms and etched armor.

Three quarter armor, coats of arms, broad swords and rapiers line the walls of the Folger Great Hall. A free cell phone audio tour provides additional information on family ties, the day’s fashion trends, and Renaissance battle strategies.

Address:
201 East Capitol Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003
Get directions »

Yesterday, when leaving the noontime showing of The Dark Knight at the Uptown Theatre, a friend and I noticed the queue for the next showing.  Eager Batman fans braved the muggy heat, winding all the way round the corner and up the hill on Newark Street NW.   I was already nearly crippled by nostalgia; the first Batman film opened on the day before I graduated from high school, and I waited in just such a line for hours on end.  My friend, however, was thinking back on more recent times.  She remarked that it put her in mind of the lines we’d stood in over the years.  Various Star Wars films, Independence Day, the all-day Lord of the Rings marathon.   We always want to sit on the right side of the balcony, and time our arrival at the theatre (queuing as needed) accordingly.  I can’t think of a better place to see movies (epics, action, sci-fi) in all their larger-than-life glory.  If only it had digital projection…What are your favorite Uptown experiences? 

Perfect for a hot summer day (it’s supposed to get up to 92) — go get your free slurpee today at your nearest 7-Eleven!

Yesterday I rolled out my new electric bike for a new regimen of (fair-weather) bike commuting, and thoroughly enjoyed it.  But, what a day to choose.  It turned out that a young cyclist was struck and killed by a garbage truck in a tragic, but textbook, “right-hook” collision.  According to the Post, no charges have yet been filed, but the driver and cyclist were both identified in the paper’s coverage.  The Washington Area Bicyclist Association is having a memorial today, and hopefully the MPD will be following up as well. 

D.C. Assistant Police Chief Patrick Burke said that he used to commute to work on his bike along the street where Swanson was killed. With rising gas prices, he said he expects to see more cyclists and pedestrians in the streets.”It’s imperative that drivers are cognizant of this and that we all share the road,” Burke said.         

I’m thankful that most of my commute is trail-based - nary a garbage truck in sight.

Three years ago, I found Metblogs and it was a great home for me. I had so much to say, so much sass to get out, and this haphazard family gave me the opportunity to express myself in 1,187 posts and too many comments to count.

In that verbosity, I honed my blogging craft. I learned how to illuminate, motivate, and when needed, aggravate readers to effect change. Sometimes that change was small, Innocent Children followers may now know a bit more about Uganda, and other times I was humbled by the power of online rabble rousing; Free Our Streets is a case in point.

Now, I’ve gown in my blogging to be the publisher of OLPC News, a recognized leader in commentary on the One Laptop Per Child program. For me, OLPC News eclipsed Metblogs right about when Leslie Stall interviewed me on 60 Minutes. From then on, Metblogs was a low priority in my life.

And with this post, I’ll be exiting Metblogs. First, I’m joining the crew of We Love DC, in their new endeavor. Join us for the joy and conversation. Next, I have a radical change in my own life, one that will definitely rock my world:

Street traffic is cordoned off and pedestrians are being kept away. The World Bank and surrounding facilities have instituted a “shelter in place” policy. It seems to be centered around the Edward R. Murrow Park across from the World Bank. Traffic is diverted down 19th and 17th, no cross traffic down I or Pennsylvania or up 18th is moving. Please avoid the area.