"I suppose there are people who can pass up free guacamole, but they're either allergic to avocado or too joyless to live."— Frank Bruni

Thursday, March 31, 2011

PAUL bakery...

...is coming to DC in May (per Eater DC)! I'm looking forward to enjoying all the baked goods at their US flagship store. I'm also quite surprised that said flagship store will be in DC.

so timely...

...is this article about woodworking classes for kids from the Times! ...and so related to my last post about appreciating pre-mobile media-social media pasttimes. It's not surprising that wood shop class is on its last legs, but it is sad. With the dwindling presence of such educational opportunities, common sense and basic skills and knowledge are also dwindling. This may explain some of the stupid things I see everyday...like people forgetting to turn on their lights when driving in bad weather or at night.

the hipster in me - a post laced with generalizations

Oh no...did you read that heading right?! G has long known my aversion to social media and mobile technology (is it contradictory I have a blogger account?). After reading this article in the Times, I felt a strange sort of comfort knowing that there were youngish people (tricenarians and younger) who still appreciate low-tech things like typewriters. I bet this crowd is similar to the crowd that still appreciates rotary phones, takes an interest in farming, buys vintage, prefers low-tech toys over electronic ones, or like the article says, knits or keeps bees.

What do these people all have in common?! I will go out on a limb and propose that they're all hipsters, if not in the full sense of the word, then to some extent. And the fact that I too appreciate all those things makes me like them (to some extent). YUCK! I also like going to wineries for cheese and wine, appreciate the stylings and modern-mixed-with-classic design of West Elm and Room and Board furniture, and yeah, I do shop at Whole Foods - does that make me a yuppie too? Double YUCK! Although I'd like to think that choosing a career in public health makes me immune to such labels, I still fit many of the attributes of a yuppie, as described in the yuppie wiki page, such as "enjoying the cultural attractions of sophisticated urban life and thought," but I am NOT out of touch with the hardships and concerns of those less fortunate than me. I also have been shopping at Trader Joes and farmers markets before yo mama was born. I also knit in college before hipsters started selling their knit goods on etsy.

My point? I was a hipster and a yuppie by the age of 12 in 1993 - a time when I spent many hours listening to slow jams, SWV and David Benoit and all his smooth jazz friends while thinking about sports and boys and how awkward I was.

Perhaps my excellent foresight has something to do with my early coolness. I have a pretty good track record of calling things (e.g. after all his man-whoring, I called Tiger Woods as being 'done'. I also called this: people's driving habits and style are directly reflected in the way they drive shopping carts.) I was way ahead of my time. Strange kid - but way ahead of my time. Maybe hot pink flower-patterned jumpsuits will finally catch on.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

DC tops cities for restaurant expansion

How timely! http://www.nrn.com/article/10-strongest-retail-markets
This is good news for the area's explosion of food-related social media outlets...all of which I've looked into for employment opps. The dream lives on...

crowded brain

So many things to write about, so little time! Here's an abridged list:
- new blogger mistakes (lack of focus, inconsistent postings, ignoring SEO strategies)
- foursquare? the feast?
- Eater DC has finally gone live.
- Why didn't I know about Ruth Bourdain??? ...maybe that's why I didn't get hired by Eater.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

new fav words

buvette
soignee
confute

my letter to my church

Hello,
I've been an occasional parishioner at St Matt's for years now. While looking on the parish website for enlightening Lenten activities, I noticed the '40 Days for Life' posting. I haven't always agreed on the church's stand on certain issues, nor have I disagreed on all of them either, but I find this activity to be cockamamie.
Rather than harass Planned Parenthood patrons who 1)are not going to PP for fun, 2)who face difficult life situations and decisions, 3) may be going to PP for reasons other than abortion, why not go to the NRA and pray outside their offices? Many MANY more lives are lost senselessly from gun violence, particularly in DC.
Planned Parenthood provides affordable STD testing, primary care and preventive health services. They provide health education services. It's well known that DC has the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the nation, particularly among young African American girls and women. If the chuch is so 'pro-life', why shun PP, an organization that provides life-saving services and educational programs to such an at-risk population?
Please reconsider your focus. As Catholics, we should not judge others, especially those who are already in a difficult place in their lives.
Sincerely,
ellen

Monday, March 07, 2011

lenten reflections

...place-holder posting for future thoughts about what I will be doing during Lent for Lent.

weekend

Awesome weekend. Now for a flush of my brain of the weekend's festivities:
Virgil's BBQ
Whiskey Tavern (oh lovely spicy backs)
L'asso
Uniqlo
Shoegasm
Eataly
High Line
Chelsea Market (Jacques Torres)
Spain
Cienfuegos
Jo's
456 Shanghai

...a weekend filled with inter- and intra-personal reflection. More later!