Tonight!

Local legend, class of '99 Prom King* and "Best All Around" dream boat Reed Dibeler will be strumming his way into my heart and yours tonight at Clyde's** in Georgetown, with the unparalleled guitar stylings of Mr. Jon Lee. Those of you that claim to have better things to do are lying. Come drink a beer and develop a crush, or a man crush, on two of the area's finest and most talented gentlemen.

*Cough*and my prom date*cough

**An establishment that now has gift coins!

Update: The stupid hott dance moves in this video belong to Reed. Are you sold yet?

New Office Promo! OMG!

I don't want your life!

During a scintillating game of IM 20 Questions

the g: okay lets see.

the g: is it... gum?

me: no

me: would you consider gum a main course?

the g: you dont know my life.

What wrong?

Dear Internet --

What wrong with you today? Gmail, myspace, facebook -- yr all sick or somethin. Get well soon, I'm lost without you.

And because it's delicious

Because the ingredients haven't run out yet, and I haven't be to the grocery store*, an embarrassingly large chunk of my diet recently has consisted of: baguette crackers spread with cream cheese, chopped kalamata olives, and crumbled blue cheese. I write this as I fantasize about going home, and eating that. Again. Sometime in the (hopefully not too distant), post-deadline future.


*They're finally starting to build the new Giant near my house! Praise be!

"Them Inuits Is Some Crazy @&*$#!s!"

• Yesterday: season 1 of Felicity (so awesome, so awkward), house cleaning, Stardust, dinner/wheel of fortune @ j. paul's, more Felicity. So basically, totally kickass.
  
• "Obviously, as a country, we are basically midway through a headlong leap into the void."
• Kevin Dunlap has a badge. He uses it to get out of tickets and pick up chicks. You heard it here 19th.
  
• Dan Crenshaw sent me the greatest birthday card in the history of the world, is still atop my list of favorite human beings.
  
• Everybody coming together this weekend to celebrate Jon's life was amazing. So many people, so much love. And funerals at Arlington National Cemetery are really something.
  
• New Rock Church of Fire: they smell bad, but they sure do bring the fun. And the lead singer of Mas Y Mas makes a mean late night pasta fra diavolo.
  
• Brew At The Zoo: overwhelming, but fun. And get there on time, or else you get a red solo cup instead of a commemorative mug.
• Honey Baked Ham store = awesome lunch spot.
  
• Best "in bed" fortune of all time: "Do not give up; the beginning is always the hardest."
• My mom's love life is so much cooler than mine. Mainly cause she actually has one, but, she and her new boyfriend go on dates to Dr. Dremos, Bangkok Blues, JV's, the drive in movies, etc. This weekend they rented Snakes On A Plane. WTF?
  

New Phone!

The tyrannical reign of my old, crappy, text message and call withholding phone is over! I've gotten a fancy new LG enV with a keyboard inside and everything. But here's the catch: apparently not all of my #'s transfered over from the old piece of crap phone. So if you call me or text me, could you indicate who you are por favor? Thanks.

BLT

Is a great restaurant. Dad took Jenna and I there for my bday to enjoy oysters, Jonah's crabs, steak, veggies, an amazing spinach salad, and the greatest dessert of all time. Peanut butter + chocolate really might be man's greatest creation. Deliver it in mousse form and serve with banana ice cream? Brilliant.

Oh, and

If anybody wishes to drink a birthday beer with me and enjoy some delicious rock n roll, I'll be at the Velvet Lounge (after Brew at the Zoo, of course), enjoying some New Rock Church of Fire this evening.

Umpteenth Spoon-related post

A personal note from Britt Daniel is possibly the awesomest thing to wake up to on your birthday.

Also, Sommer: so hot right now.

Why Gavin's still the love of my life

Substitute ball kicking with cock punching and I think we've got some blog-endorseable advice on our hands.

Noboa99: you know what would work
Noboa99: you give him the come hither look
Noboa99: then kick him in the balls
Noboa99: from what i remember you've got pretty good bedroom eyes and that would toally work

Party!

My birthday party.... involved way too many drinks, so precise details are slightly hard to remember, but, I do know that a lot of super awesome friends came -- some who I actually talked to, some who I bounced around too much and didn't (sorry Jenna, Sam, DCist friends), and I had a ton of fun. Which may not have been evident when I dipped out around 1:30 with Alyssa and Sommer... the beer, it moved me. It moved me to the black cat where I turned down shots from galaxy hut staffers, which they were displeased with, but probably aided my health today quite a bit. But back to the actual party. I'm pretty sure I had only 4 conversations last night, over and over again with whoever would listen to me yammer about the following topics:

1. How hilarious Superbad is and how everyone needs to see it. NOW!
2. How fancy the bartender and everything he does and is was.
   
3. Jason Campbell's knee.
4. BOYS!
   

Also, Drew took some awesome pictures (which I told anyone who would listen to me that he would, because "Drew's an excellent photographer." I was big on Bridget Jones-style details about people last night). After gallavanting around the greater D.C. area (or at least, portions of north west), The Hotel Sommer welcomed Alyssa and I, and even included butterscotch rice krispie treats before bed, and something to wear over my dress so I wasn't sporting sequins while walking around the city on Sunday morning. Hollar!

In summation, I had a great time, despite my social ADD, and thank you very much to all of you that came out to help me celebrate 26 long years of life.

Stinker & Tinker: Computer Geniuses

I left my laptop open last night and the cats did a LOT of stuff online! They IMed lots of people, they opened all sorts of winows, and somehow, navigated here:

http://www.supportresort.net/

More on my awesome birthday party later.

Attention Spoon Fans

No more 9:30 shows:

Spoon has agreed to play on The Shins bill at Merriweather Post Pavilion on October 22, so the 9:30 Club shows have been cancelled.
Because you showed your allegiance by buying your tickets so early, they want to treat you right - you have some choices here:

1 - trade in your ticket for a GA Pit or Reserved pavilion ticket (a
$45 value), for only ten more dollars. You can do it in advance thru the 9:30 Club or Merriweather box office.

2 - present your ticket to Merriweather on October 22 for a lawn seat (a $30) value) - no exchange or extra effort necessary.

3 - Ask for a refund.

Think about what you'd like to do, and well get back to you Monday with more details about how to proceed. Just know that we've got seats and pit spots held for you!

Rest In Peace

This is surely not the most fitting medium for a memorial. But I feel that I need to honor my friend's memory in some way. Jon Forde, a lifelong wonderful friend to many, a beloved son, a sergeant in the national guard and true love to Brandy Carter, has passed away. Recently called back to duty, Jon was stationed on a base here in the states when he contracted meningitis. A fast and aggressive disease, Jon passed away while en route to a hospital. More details of what happened are here. Nothing I say can possibly due justice to the shock and sadness we're all feeling over this loss. Dying so young is never fair, but given the time he spent in combat knowingly risking his life, this type of completely unexpected illness is truly unjust. Jon was brave. Jon was gallant (a word he always cringed when I used it to describe him, no matter how accurate). Jon loved good beer, punk rock, 80s movies, Joey and Brandy. Jon's family has a swimming pool in their back yard. Jon was one of the sweetest most genuine people I've had the pleasure of knowing and I'm going to miss him more than words can say. So here's to your memory, my friend. You'll never be forgotten.

UPDATE: Jon's obituary (with details on funeral services) is here. It should be in this Sunday's Washington Post.

We's smarter than you is

Check it

Mom's Meatloaf

I just made my mom's meatloaf recipe, and dang this is good stuff! I realize in some circles it's considered sacrilege to share such a recipe, but I'm fairly certain that my mom would want anybody to be able to enjoy this super easy and delicious meal. And it's not like I'm giving away her cobbler recipe.

Preheat oven to 350

1 lb thawed ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp or less salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp celery salt (i didn't have any and i didn't think it hindered the recipe any)
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp basil (i used fresh from my garden, but dried is fine)
1 tsp horseradish
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp sage (same comment as basil)
1/4-1/2 cup catsup
1 egg
2 handfuls quick quaker oats
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs heinz or other steak sauce plus 1/4 cup for topping
I didn't have steak sauce, so I substituted worcestershire in the mix, and a mix of heinz chili sauce and ketchup for the topping

Mix ingredients in, as listed, with a fork or clean hands until well mixed. Pat into a firm ball or loaf and place in loaf pan. Pat it out to fit the pan. (If loaf is not firm enough to work easily, add more oats.) Spread 1/4 cup steak sauce over top with back of spoon. Cook at 350 for one hour.

Good News

Whatever the crap is wrong with me might be some sort of bacterial infection, which the antibiotics she gave me will clear up lickity split. But, in her humble opinion, it's probably mono, which they can't do anything about. Buh bye!

Don't you know it's almost my birthday?

Oh hello, feeling like total crap out of absolutely nowhere. Where'd you come from? I'd like you to leave me alone asap please. There are happy hours and parties and science and lions and tigers waiting to celebrate my birth quite soon. So, um... would you mind? I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Update: Seriously? Fever? Chills? Acheyness? WTF, body? *grumblegrumble, feelingsorryforself, grumble*

Update 2: So other coworkers are experiencing the exact same thing. I'm going to jump to the only logical conclusion: we're victims of germ warfare. Or apparently heat exhaustion? Though it doesn't seem likely cause I haven't spent extensive time outside. But that sounds exactly like what's happening to me. On the bright side maybe that means it'll all be over tomorrow?

Update 3: OK this is totally weird. I'm not 100% yet, but the crazy fever/chills/aches seem to have dissipated after a few hours of intense napping under a million blankets. This was a truly bizarre experience.

A Guide To Getting My Attention

In my role at DCist, I receive an awful lot of press releases. A really, terrible, awful lot. It amazes me how many of them are practically useless. Here's a little guide to how to make a press release that might actually get paid attention to.

Do

• Include your band's name and the relevant information (date of show/album release/whatever) in the subject line
• Get to the point early on. "My band, The Amandakins, is playing the Black Cat on September 21."
  
• Give me about one paragraph of biographical information. I'm not going to cut and paste from your press release if I write about you, so you don't have to give me a novel. Just tell me who you are and get it over with.
  
• LINKS! Don't make me google you.
  
• A personal note is nice sometimes. Such as including my name or the name of my pub instead of a mass emailing. Nice but not necessary.
  
• Have a funny name. I swear the PR/management industry attracts the strangest-named people I've ever encountered. And you can bet I'm going to remember Creamer and Sarah Fantastic for a lot longer than I am somebody else. Not that you have a lot of control over that, but it helps.
  
• Remember me if we email frequently. If you're sending me releases every week and then I write you back about something, don't ask who I am. I'm replying to an email you sent me.
  

Don't

• Be gimmicky. A sense of humor is ok, but if I have to read through three paragraphs of some long joke tangent to get to the point of what you're saying, I'm just not going to. That's what instant messenger and my friends' blogs are for.
• Be too weirdly personal. Some PR people feel the need to take on a "hey girlfriend!" tone. It's just weird. I don't know you. Save the OMGs and weekend stories for people that could potentially put your face and name together.
  
• Be vague in the email itself. As I mentioned earlier, you have to tell me why I should be reading this right up front. If I get an email that says, "information about upcoming dc show" and has a word doc attached, I will not open it.
  
• Attach enormous pictures. Just tell me they're available upon request. Or ya know, have a website. I can find them there, thanks.
  
• Send them too far in advance (I've received a few recently for events in November and December) or too close (day before your show), unless you're planning on following up/are following up.
  
• Don't follow up a million times. Two emails on one topic is about the max I can tollerate. If you have a team sending out daily updates about an upcoming show, I will start to hate you and your band on annoyance alone.
  

OK that pretty much covers it. Happy press-gathering!

Not what I was expecting

When I woke up today, I didn't think I'd receive an invitation to be part of a double dutch team. But I did. And so now I am officially a member of Mitchell West's Jump Rope Team.*


*If anybody out there actually knows how to double dutch, we could use your help.

Why yes, I am

My life coach poses the question, "are you seeing spoon @ 930 in october now that you and britt daniels are bffffff?"

Yes. Both nights. CatAn claimed my extra ticket for the 22nd, but one remains for the 23rd. Who wants to spoon?

My weekend, in a series of unexplained, unrelated, incoherent thoughts

• "Joe you gotta come over here and do me!", shouted my the always hilarious Allison Frey. What was it that Joe just had to come over and do? Why, race her in ice luging, of course!
  
• Ice luge lead me to memories of the great Da Sluge Party of 2001 where I got the greatest pick up line of all time: (walking past a frat house full of people I'd later become friends with) "What's your name?" "Amanda." "Is the last name Wow?"
• DCist staff party: who knew foodies were so skilled in the ways of shotgunning beers?
• Black Cat staff: I did not sneak into your bar. Do not yell at me when you don't properly staff the front door and check my ID. That is not my fault.
  
• Becoming Jane: part awesome sniffly chick flick, part majorly meh. But that dude is still totally dreamy in a British sort of way.
  
• Note: Hobart Street is really, really, really long. If you're going to a party on Irving, do not park on Hobart. Especially when you're carrying a case of beer, 4 bottles of liquor, a bag of ice and a bag of groceries. And it's 100 degrees out. Unless you look totally hot when you're sweaty, in which case, go for it!
• Dos Gringos: weirdest restaurant experience I've had in a really, really long time. When they set the plastic tiger down on mine and Tony's table without explanation, that's when things really went off the rails. And if you're out of eggs, how do you even make a fritata? With fruit and stovetop, apparently.
  
• An excellent substitute for a ping pong ball when looking desperately for something to play beer pong with: champaign cork.
  
• Why do Nico and John love rubbing girls' faces in their pecs so, so much?
  
• My friends are awesome at drinking beer. Everywhere we went this weekend, we thought the amount of beer brought to be completely insurmountable. NOT SO. Not ever.
  
• Thanks for being born, Coleman. And Dave Clark.
  
• Liz, I know London's gonna be really sweet and all, but don't go, k?
  
• Step 1: Read this. Step 2: Laugh.
  

Lions and Tigers and Beers, Oh My!

I love the zoo, and apparently, the zoo loves me. They scheduled the coolest event possible on my birthday. I will be there. Join us, won't you?

!@#*)*%!@@$!!!!!!!!!!)(*#%_()**!_

At the Virgin Festival this weekend, I got the distinct pleasure of interviewing one of my very favorite bands, Spoon. I totally touched Britt Daniel! My right hand is now that much awesomer. Check out my exchange with BD and Jim Eno over at DCist.

Dear Mom

I had a good childhood. Really, I did. Privileged, lots of love, great friends, family, vacations, idyllic suburban setting, trips to the swimming pool, gigantic Christmas trees, fun babysitters, a skip it, moon shoes, dogs namedFritz and Bobo, cats named Punkin and Corky, and much, much more.

But there's one thing -- the one thing! -- that's always made me feel slighted when I look back on it. Why mom, why, did you have to take away my Snoop Sno-Cone maker? Sure it made a god awful mess, but I loved that thing. I loved it so much. My love for frozen sugary treats lives on to this day. I didn't understand it at the time and I still don't understand it today. Why did you take my favorite thing away from me, your only child, your good child who had curly blonde hair and was so cute?

I may never understand your reasoning, but at least, finally, I can get retribution. They're back on the market, mom. Me and my brand spankin' new Snoopy Sno-Cone maker are heading to your house to make a delicious, big old revenge-filled mess.

Love,
Me