moonlog

Photo

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:35:09 -0500

My friend was convinced we should stake out a position inside...

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:23:00 -0500

My friend was convinced we should stake out a position inside the fountain (frozen over). Organizers had alluded to a northern and southern faction, but I couldn’t convince her how vulnerable we’d be in what would obviously be a freeforall before the horn went off ten minutes ahead of schedule. Mayhem ensued (as in the video).

After a while, the fountain just got too brutal so we withdraw to the inner bench line, which had the nonpacked fresh snow for “friendly” ammo. But once you’re no longer in the thick of the ice fight, you realize the pattern.

The center was the target of barbarian invasions. People on the outskirts looked on, lobbing indiscriminate snow balls. People from the inner benches gather into ad hoc factions and charged the fountain in disorganized waves. The center antagonizes anyone not in the center.

If your party penetrated the fountain, you became indistuishable, frigidly friendless, and eventually replaced by another generation.

And it just went on and on like a metaphor for the futility of war.

Video

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:23:59 -0500

Photo

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:09:48 -0500

Photo

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:10:04 -0500

"It’s likely that you’ll have to pay for parking more, but in doing so you will pay for..."

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:57:41 -0500

“It’s likely that you’ll have to pay for parking more, but in doing so you will pay for what you use, not for what you don’t use. And that will influence your decisions about how you travel and where you live and it’s likely you’ll be better off.”

- Some Guy, explaining why parking shouldn’t be free (i.e. subsidized by the government) in an 8-minute video based on Doug Shoup’s The High Cost of Free Parking. The video’s kinda like a Cliff Notes-version and as such it isn’t exactly riveting and/or funny. But it’s not exactly easy explaining how free parking is so counter productive.

ericaaaaa: So, with Ken’s help, I poured soy sauce into my bowl...

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:29:00 -0500

ericaaaaa:

So, with Ken’s help, I poured soy sauce into my bowl of eggs and scrambled them as usual. The result? Subtly salty and delicious. We didn’t eat them on rice, but they were awesome and I’m dreaming of other possibilities. Topped with scallions? Some sort of Pan-Asian omelet? Or maybe it’s not something to be messed with, as the simplicity is what makes it great.

I love omurice. Image search and get hungry.

"Next, will we see a story with a lede like, ‘Parents who prefer not to know about the lead..."

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:16:23 -0500

“Next, will we see a story with a lede like, ‘Parents who prefer not to know about the lead content in toys their children put in their mouths might be frustrated by a new product safety initiative from the Obama administration’?”

- David Alpert, at war with lazy, and in this case, quite whiny media. (Good thing he doesn’t read me.)

Switch to Mac parody (I think). I miss Macs. “I’m...

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 10:23:00 -0500

Switch to Mac parody (I think). I miss Macs.

“I’m on a TANDOM FIXIE…64-bit…”

ㅋㅋ

"As Vermonters scoop out bowls of Ben and Jerry’s to celebrate their civil unions, out in Utah..."

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 09:47:27 -0500

“As Vermonters scoop out bowls of Ben and Jerry’s to celebrate their civil unions, out in Utah they’re breeding new conservatives by the minivan load.”

- Chris Stirewalt, on the GOP’s apparent demographic boost come 2010.

Next Caller: Barry from D.C.

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:05:51 -0500

Next Caller: Barry from D.C.:

“Barry from D.C.” calls WTOP with concerns about traffic in Northern Virginia. Outgoing Gov. Tim Kaine’s initial reaction (OMG) and the WTOP host’s nod (“Yes, the man is who he says he is!”) are priceless. That said, Kaine is chairman of the Democratic National Committee, so the guy should be used to getting calls from Barry.

gina: How Fanboys See Operating Systems — Global Nerdy

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:30:19 -0500

gina:

How Fanboys See Operating Systems — Global Nerdy

Snow Like It's 1983

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:10:00 -0500

The National Weather Service says:

Saturday: Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 30. North wind around 17 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 7 to 11 inches possible.

That’s the highest prediction for snow I’ve seen in many years. I realize the northern folk are just smirking, but snow inches below the Mason-Dixon have to be converted, like dog years.

Plus, the NWS usually either cries wolf (and it barely snows) or it underestimates what turns out to be a major weather event, so I’m expecting more than a foot. That’s like 1980s-era weather (or maybe I was just much shorter then).

I haven’t used the old-fashioned magnetic-strip fare media...

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:06:00 -0500

I haven’t used the old-fashioned magnetic-strip fare media in years so I forget they exist, have pandas, and are kinda pretty.

D.C. Set to Legalize Gay Marriage

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:05:00 -0500

Council member Marion Barry, as quoted in today’s Post:

This must be a proud day for you, David, Mr. Graham. Just as it was a proud day for me when the voting rights bill was passed in 1965. But this is a democracy, and I reserve the right to disagree.

The District of Columbia looks like it’s about to join the gay-marriage boat with Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. As if we needed another example of how segregated the District is, two council members from across the Anacostia opposed the measure. Gay rights are like a battlefield for class warfare. Or are they a casualty?

"How many people, right at this moment, are stuck in traffic on their way to ride a stationary..."

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:40:06 -0500

“How many people, right at this moment, are stuck in traffic on their way to ride a stationary bicycle in a health club?”

- Rep. Earl Blumenauer at a panel discussion last week.

Build them!

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:30:08 -0500

Build them!

Stream of Self-Consciousness in Panera

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:13:00 -0500

These could be Twitter posts, but if I compile them in one post like this, they’re easier to skip!

The longer I draft a blog entry, the less likely I will publish. I either go overboard, get muddled, or lose interest. See (or don’t see!) my drafts folders on every account — overflowing
I came here ostensibly to Get Something Done and have done almost nothing other than read Wikipedia.
Panera is weird in that I feel guilty for not disliking it more. But the libraries switched to recession hours and I will not pay for wireless internet. Independent coffee shops — you don’t work because you all went out of business, are too far away, or I would feel guilty mooching the megabytes.
I keep telling myself I’m going to use GWU’s library because I know their (ridiculous) password. But it’s a long way to go just to read Wikipedia.
I gave in to a club card here because, well, I’m not even trying to fight it anymore. I’ve tried to avoid coming here for so long. Now they have me.
Panera and Cosi are in the same class — the corporate/coffeeshop/sandwiches/soups/salads/better-vegetarian-food-than-Chipotle-or-Subway/offer-carrots-and-fruit-as-optional-sides chains. Cosi’s more restaurant-oriented and urban-located. Panera is stronger in the suburbs, more conductive to wi-fi campers, and incidentally now restricts internet to 30 minutes during the peak lunch period 11:30pm to 1:30pm.
I ordered soup in a bread bowl and absent-mindedly chose a baguette for the side. Bread overdose.
I am wearing SmartWool socks but my blood can’t get enough heat down there worth insulating. I’m sitting in a modified lotus (toes behind knees) to compensate, which I do way too much. This does not bode well for the next three months.
I need to set up a productivity-oriented “workstation” that isn’t my bed — some place that says LET’S GET TO IT and not LETS SLEEP AND/OR READ WIKIPEDIA. That way, I won’t have to come to places like here just to read Wikipedia.

An 1897 proposal to turn West Potomac Park into a 2,200-acre...

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:07:00 -0500

An 1897 proposal to turn West Potomac Park into a 2,200-acre walkable relief map of the United States.

Notice how, after the Spanish-American War, Cuba (and Mexico!) were part of the country. I guess they would have had to reshape Roosevelt Island as Alaska and float something in the middle of the river as Hawaii.

We, the Counties and Municipalities of the National Capital Region...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:56:10 -0500

We, the Counties and Municipalities of the National Capital Region...:

If you need an excuse to get away from [insert-your-own-adjective] family this week, sit down and read about this compact. If you don’t live in the area, you might want to find your region’s equivalent, and if there isn’t, you should start pestering people till there is.

Comments are due by the end of the month.