Kerry versus Bush, Bush versus Kerry, Cheney versus Edwards, the DNC, the RNC, the BLT, the Whopper with Cheese…blah blah blah…
It’s time that Americans start taking politics into their own hands. No, I don’t mean going to the polls and actually voting – puh-lease, that’s far too passe. I mean something far more American, far more capitalist, far more sNeAky…
Trading shares of politicians like you would trade stocks…
POLITISTOCK IS BACK!
After it’s success in 2000, the creators (who happen to be chums of mine) have reintroduced www.politistock.com, the on-line political game where you buy and sell shares of politicians like you would your own stock (i.e., I’m going to sell 100 shares of Kerry at $15 a share). By playing the political market, you can influence the elections they way politicians have been doing so for years! WITH MONEY!
Well, you don’t actually play with real money (this is a game after all), but you do get to make trades, sell short, be subject to margin calls, participate in IPO’s (Initial Politician Offering), follow the market news, influence elections and claim bragging rights to the on-line game that, in 2000, was featured in the Wall Street Journal, and on MSNBC, CNN and other reputable news outfits.
I’ll take 50 shares of Marion Barry for $10 a crack pipe…

I apologize for not posting this sooner, but I’ve just been informed that Fado’s has started hosting Texas hold ’em poker tournaments every Wednesday. This is in addition to Fado’s Monday night pub trivia and the various soccer (sorry, “football”) and rugby matches Fado broadcasts via satellite from across the pond. Thank you, Fado, for being a continual source of fun!
Anyway, here’s the link if you need it:
http://www.fadoirishpub.com/fado_promotions.php?city=washington
“You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table. There’ll be time enough for counting when the dealin’s done.”

This morning’s Washington Post has the results of a new poll that say DC is better than Northern Virginia for a new baseball team. To me, this is like saying “Sun rises in the East again” or “water is, in fact, wet.” For a season and change I commuted to Baltimore after work, sitting in hideous traffic, waiting to get to the ballpark, only to miss the lineups and part of the first innings. I couldn’t do it. It was awful. Now we’re thinking about putting a team at the end of the Dulles Toll Road? Are you out of your mind? If you thought DTR traffic was bad before, this’ll only make it worse. Hell, there’s no Metro out there!
Bring the team to DC. Let them play at RFK while you build a new downtown Stadium at New York Ave. It will be glorious. We’ll have yet another craptacular DC sports team!

savor the days before labor day. summer is coming to a close and the week before labor day is probably by far one of the laziest, quietest weeks you’ll come across in dc. according to american management association’s 2004 summer vacation plans survey, 28% of respondents plan to take more vacation days this summer than they did in 2003.

so what happens next? on september 7th, the school year begins! consequently: the beltway becomes a nightmare; 50 & 66 will be at a standstill; 28 & 270 — complete gridlock. and you’re forced to sit for hours and watch the lovely dc foliage turn into various shades of red, brown, orange and yellow.

so be prepared: i) set your dial to npr, sign-up for xm radio, or pack your favorite tunes / books-on-tape; ii) bring emergency snacks and iii) go ahead and buy that lovely little sports car w/ plush leather seats you’ve been oh-so-craving…

on top of it all, isn’t autumn also road construction season? actually, seems like the construction schedule gives no regard for the seasons. sigh.

After spending months and months compiling it, the City Paper’s new on-line restaurant guide is finally here!
http://restaurants.washingtoncitypaper.com/
Bon Appetite!

If you’re a Democrat living with a Republican, or vice versa, you can now save $3 when you order a Domino’s pizza with “half one topping and half another topping” in D.C., Maryland, or Virginia. (Leave it to the Post’s “Reliable Source” to find a deal like this.) According to the article, “The campaign, which runs through Sept. 19, is aimed at students, but other households can make their case. As for Ralph Nader supporters, they’ll have to order vegetarian toppings and hope for the best.”

I thought that when the television show “Ally McBeal” went away, so would the concept of unisex bathrooms. Not so fast. The new and improved Cafe Asia on 17th and I is keeping the glory of the unisex bathroom alive.
I only share this with you so that you’re not caught off guard if you happen to be at Cafe Asia and, eh-hem, need to excuse yourself. I was caught off guard and it wasn’t pretty. By “caught off guard”, I mean I went into the bathroom not knowing that it was unisex, saw a gentleman washing his hands at the sink, ran back to my table to tell my friends that, omg, there’s a man in the bathroom(!!!), took a deep breath and ventured back in to win the gold medal at my first ever unisex bathroom Olympics.
Post script. The existence of the unisex bathroom at Cafe Asia does not take away from the fact that they have $1 sushi appetizers during happy hour.

Looking for something last-minute to do tonight? Ralphie May is doing two shows tonight at the DC Improv, at 8 PM and 10:30 PM. Some $17 tickets are still available. You’ll remember Ralphie as the big guy who was almost last season’s Last Comic Standing on NBC.
And if you go to the 10:30 show, Tom and I will see you there!

It has been said that trends move in cycles. A constant revolution of “in” then “out” then back “in” again. I am beginning to think that’s true. Happily a trend in music I really love is slowly sneaking its way back “in” and tonight we get a nice dose of it.
I’m talking about Shoegazer music of course. That beautiful wall of noise that was perfected by the British in the late 80’s and seemed to all but disappear with the emergence of Brit-Pop in the mid-90’s. Luckily this music has survived and is steadily making its way back into Indie kids’ favor. A whole slew of great underground American shoegazer bands are popping up, one of them right in our own backyard.
Tonight DC shoegazer heroes, Alcian Blue, are having a few of their out-of-state buddies over for a kick ass showcase of new Shoegazer bands.
Bands: Alcian Blue, Drone Dimension, The Out Circuit and Pistel & Stamen
Doors at 9PM at The Warehouse Next Door – 1021 7th Street NW

If neither of those concerts appeal to you then maybe rednecks smashing each other with cars is more of your kind of thing. Every August at the Montgomery County Fair they hold the R&R Demoliton Derby. It’s a great time complete with Corndogs, Funnel Cakes and amatuer drivers trying to kill each other with beater cars of yesteryear! And wouldn’t you know it, tonight is the night.
The fair is a short drive out of the city and the Derby costs a couple of bucks. Click here for directions
Or if you don’t want the Mad Max action but still want the Corn Dogs you can go to the Arlington County Fair which runs thru the weekend.