lazy sunday
Sundays in the district are always interesting to me for some strange reason. They’re absolutely delightful. It’s almost as if the air has changed from the normal busy, political atmosphere, and gentle breezes have flown in from unexpected directions.
One of my favorite parts of Sunday is people-watching, of course. On Sundays, you get to see an array of fashion no matter where you are. I make an assumption as to their specific whereabouts, but African Americans in the district are always dressed to a ‘T.’ Beautiful colors wrapped in layers of original African dress—head garments, draping materials, and ornamentation to keep it all together. I love to see these church attenders after services. It makes the landscape so much more delicate and beautiful.
The other favorite is the sweet rest that seems to take on every person around. They may be up and out and about, but Sundays seem to be all about enjoying the day here. And, it all comes together with brunch. Brunch is a completely different experience here than in the South (which of course, hardly uses the phrase… why only have 2 meals, when you can have 3 full ones!). Perhaps brunch is just a complicated term used only to express how late we wish to sleep in, or an excuse to have one day of the week as abnormal as the rest—an end to monotony maybe? I’m not sure what the draw is to brunch, but it’s there. And, sadly enough, I’ve been swept in by its sweet enticement.
I like my Sundays the way they are. And, I like the different atmosphere. I think I’ll stick with my new Sundays here…
With that, I suppose I announce my true feelings for this city: I falling head over heels for its appeal.
the SEC in DC
I can’t lie to say that I was more than thrilled to find out that Alabama was playing on CBS this week, and I would be able to actually watch them play for the first time this season (all other games have been on Pay-Per-View). This opportunity would halfway fulfill what it is to truly be a Bama fan out of pocket from all that is near and dear to his or her heart. There is nothing like gameday in Tuscaloosa… nothing at all.
Today, though, Alabama took on foreign territory, taking on Arkansas in Fayetteville. If you’ve never been to Fayetteville, it’s a ride that I’m thankful to have only taken once in my lifetime, and hope to never take again. It’s possibly one of the worst roadtrips to ever take, dreadful you might say. The stadium full of strangely similar red painted faces that could be confused for Bama fans. But the yelling, ‘woo, pig, sooie,’ over and over again while they show off the hideous razorback hog in a cage around the track surrounding the field grew old. The last time I was there, I only felt annoyed by the constant cries of Hog fans.
And, today, Alabama played just as they did when I visited Fayetteville years ago. Both teams played agressively but both Bama teams (from then and today) had one key player that simply failed to do his job. I know that there are off-days for people and players. But sometimes there is simple failure. Years ago, it was our quarterback, and today, it was our placekicker. He missed not one, not two, not three, but four opportune times to help Bama clinch a safer victory over the Hogs.
I’m saddened because this game would’ve given the Tide the chance to be known as a team to be reckoned with. But, we now have no satisfactory kicker, as Tiffin was the replacement for Christensen, who is injured. Not only that, the team played foolishly. In one night, they accumulated as many penalties in one game as they had in the season up to tonight’s game. And, it showed, as Bama fell to the Hogs 24-23.
Today was a hard loss. With the heartache that comes after 2 overtimes, and seeing your victory destroyed by a repetitious kick that should never be missed, my heart will still bleed crimson… but today I feel a little blue. I sincerely hope this is not a sign as to how the rest of the season will go.
k street goodbye
Today I took my last daily walk down K Street. I said goodbye to the job that got me to Washington, and as I moved down the street with my box of belongings in tow, I think hopefully of what my offer will bring—an invitation into the world of political affairs. My move to DC has somewhat been justified.
I will miss the charms of K Street: the offices of lobbyists and endless political drama, street vendors setting up and taking down shop and I went to and from work, and the countless cafes and restaurants that line the busy, crowded street. And I’ll miss the summer when tourists get stuck on K street trying to find the White House, and block the sidewalks of flustered employees trying to make another dollar. But, I’ll never forget the refusal of homeless persons I’ve encountered that would rather have a buck than a sandwich by stating they didn’t eat red meat, when in fact the sandwich was ham. The biggest thing I’ll miss: not having to transfer on the Metro to get to work.
There are a few things that I will not miss… slick sidewalks when it rains, wondering why there isn’t a J Street, congested traffic, the absence of available parking, parking garages that blatantly rob you in front of your own eyes, and deciphering whether the street you’re on is Connecticut or 17th Street when around Farragut Park.
If K Street has taught me anything, it is that every man is an island, and it is a dog eat dog world. To me, the world of DC is wrapped in the complexities of K Street, but it isn’t so. There is an entire world left awaiting to be unveiled.
And on Monday, I’ll get that chance… on the other side of the city.
populism, part deux
Alabama has had its fair share of populist politics. Back in the days of Alabama Governor James E. "Big Jim" Folsom, the people of Alabama had different democrats for which to vote. Populism was one such slice of the democratic pie, and it reigned in North Alabama. Why? In North Alabama, they had a quite enormous grudge against the Black Belt for a slew of wrongs (among which are the Civil War and secession from the U.S., the 1901 Constitution, and the state's economic structure, just to name a few). Populism is just one of the few tactics used successfully by Alabama politicians, no matter what side of the fence you're on. And, Big Jim Folsom knew how to work the crowd… Big Jim could bring in people from every background imaginable. The tobacco-gummed rednecks would file right in beside the mink-wrapped society women as they listened to his plea to clean out the state house from politics as usual. He even brought a mop and bucket up for props, and engaged the crowds with his pointed suds that would change the climate in Alabama. And, he did well, despite a governor-restrained state constitution. He paved more roads than many governors since, and caused people to care about what was going on down in Montgomery. His own tactics ended up defeating him, though as George Wallace used them to play up the race card and squash Folsom in the 1962 gubernatorial election. And, strangely enough, sons of the Folsoms and Wallaces are battling out some of the same politics as they were in the 50s and 60s:
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Democrat Jim Folsom Jr.'s first television campaign ad in the lieutenant governor's race casts Folsom as a friend to the "little guy" and takes a veiled shot at his Republican opponent's Mountain Brook connections. Folsom and GOP nominee Luther Strange face off in the Nov. 7 election. Folsom, a former governor and lieutenant governor, is returning to politics after spending 12 years in the bond business. "I've got two great kids, three dogs and four shotguns," Folsom of Cullman County says in the 30-second biographical TV spot. "I go to church every Sunday and never have played tennis at the Mountain Brook club – I'd rather be hunting." Strange, a lobbyist and Birmingham attorney who lives in Mountain Brook, did not immediately return phone and e-mail messages to his office Wednesday for comment on the Folsom ads. A second ad touts Folsom's job creation credentials. A woman concludes the ad by calling Folsom "the little guy's big friend," a play on his 6-foot-4 height and a nod to his populist father, the late Gov. James "Big Jim" Folsom, known as "the little man's big friend" during his two terms in office. Information from: Press-Register, http://www.al.com/mobileregister
I can't help but chuckle… part of his campaign ad was that he had 2 great kids, 3 dogs and 4 guns. That's definitely Alabama for you. In the primary, George Wallace, Jr. lost out to Luther Strange. It might be interesting for the state if a democratic lieutenant governor takes seat under incumbent (and sure to be re-elected) republican governor (Bob Riley).
randomosities
I’m behind in my news… but a couple of things really stood out yesterday and this weekend.
First of all, the news that the Pope is apologetic for his comments is baffling to me. The basis of Catholic hierarchy depends on the Pope’s infallibility. If he ‘regrets’ his comments, they were mistakenly made, which makes the Pope’s infallibility a fallacy.
UPDATE: Many are saying that the Pope is apologizing too much for his comments…
Last weekend was the DC Labor Film Fest at the AFI, in celebration of Labor Day. They showed ‘Office Space’ on the big screen, and gave out shirts, pieces of flare, Initech mugs and mouse pads. Labor is a celebrated idea in this country… One of the buildings along the Metro has been branded: “Unions: The Folks Who Brought You the Weekend.” It’s fabulous stuff. How well do you know the history of the Labor Movement?
This weekend, a fabulous Op-Ed showed up in the Washington Post. It discussed the danger of the post-Putin Russia. If anyone bothered to notice, things are getting a little more communistic than it’s been in the past few years.
Alabama native Charles Barkley is spouting at the mouth again… and it seems he’s losing his republican ways, or so he says.
Finally, if you missed it last night, former President Bill Clinton appeared on the Daily Show, and gave props to his newest initiative as an ex-president. I become more and more impressed with Clinton the longer he’s out of office. He was a great president, and is now showing the world even more that he knows his stuff.
croc hunter
As Sassy has shared with me, here’s an interesting take on just how Steve Irwin might have died.
preview fest
A night at the movies has brought about excitement for a few films that are due soon in a theatre near you…
- Man of the Year: “Politicians are a lot like diapers… They should be changed often and for the same reason.” With a movie like this on the horizon, I’m preparing a new bumper sticker for my car: Jon Stewart for President in ’08!
- All the King’s Men: I absolutely can’t wait for this one… it is one of my favorite books (and I don’t read fiction), and it’s semi-historical and loosely-based on the life of Huey Long. Words can’t describe how great I think this movie will be. It’s Southern politics hitting the big time!
- Flags of Our Fathers: While it’s directed by Clint Eastwood and I’m not so sure about that fact, I am thrilled that they’re making a movie about “the photo” that shook the nation from Iwo Jima. Just like many war movies before, this one will be a requirement for my “History Majors Critique the Movies” syllabus.
- Babel: It has a hint of “The Constant Gardner” but, still looks incredibly interesting. But, it also has a hint of “Crash,” so I guess we’ll see. Brad Pitt in a semi-political/semi-indie film should be something new, I suppose.
- Bobby: I’m sure I’ll see this one, and end up buying it on DVD as well. It has such a great cast (with the exception of Lindsay Lohan), and it’s the story of an exemplary historical figure, RFK. I wonder what the world would be like if he or his brother were never assassinated… it could be such a better place, I imagine.
- The Invisible: I absolutely can’t imagine why I really want to see this, except the plot has left me intrigued: in order for the boy to live, he has to solve the mystery of his own murder.
- Children of Men: Another political thriller, I’m guessing… but, it will definitely be on my list to see. Who knows, this movie could be the foretelling of our future.
A review of “The Last Kiss” is coming probably tomorrow… I’m still processing a lot of it… but, great movie.
review: the black dahlia
I was afraid of this… The previews were so exhilirating. I was so excited to see it. And then, this week, the reviews started pouring in… In spite of what I had heard, I had to experience it for myself and see if it could be true. I mean, it had Scarlett Johansson, how could it go wrong?
Boy, did it ever…
The movie had a good story line in the absolute basics of it all. However, the overly dramatic acting to portray the 1920s copper movie just about killed it. I mean, people were laughing at how cheesy it was… during the movie. I even caught a chuckle a few times. Simply stated, they just tried way too hard in this one.
The title and the previews are misleading… You think you’ll walk into a movie that is about how they got the case, and tried to catch the murderer of the Betty Short. But the majority of the context isn’t even about it. It follows a subplot too closely instead of maintaining the integrity of the film.
I also have a problem with distortion of historical ideas. Yes, Elizabeth Short was murdered… she was known as the Black Dahlia. But, this movie (originally a novel put into screenplay) convoluted fact into fiction and created a monster that will only confuse and perplex anyone who sees it.
So, save yourself the $9.50 plus concessions and wait for the DVD if you must absolutely see it. It’s hardly the movie I expected it to be. My rating*: boo.
*Rating system is based on a three-tier scale: boo, eh, and yay. No thumbs up or down here…
the amazing commute
I cannot tell a lie. I love being a commuter… as long as it doesn’t involve me driving a car into a city full of brake lights and traffic signals. Also, I really don’t want to deal with pedestrians like me, who walk the streets like I own them. But, that’s just the mass transit snob speaking from within.
I’m a visual obsessive person. I love to watch… anything, really. People, landscapes, waves at the beach… I can sit for hours and just watch. If there is one thing that I truly learned when I was in college, it’s that I am a visually oriented person. When I’m taking a test, or trying to remember something I saw, you would notice that I look up… it’s like I think I can see into my brain. But, I’m trying to remember how it looked on paper. And, it can be a great thing! It can also be the worst possible scenario for people.
So, worst case scenario: I can walk into a room and notice anything off center or out of the ordinary almost immediately. If I’m walking into my own personal spaces, I can tell if something isn’t like I left it (which is why many of my roommate situations haven’t worked well). Some call it obsessive-compulsiveness… I just like to think of them as tendencies.
But, in a best case scenario, I learn from what I see. Everyday on the Metro, I experience life… reality… and not on the latest television show, where everyone is trying to get their 15 minutes of fame. It gets ugly sometimes, but overall, it’s amazing to see what I do. Call me the optimist. But it’s the little things along the trip that make it worthwhile.
Take for example: graffiti. One of my favorite pieces of “art” is at the Brookland-Catholic University stop on the Metro. In simple spray-painted words, poetry comes alive: “Don’t call me a vandal. I just like to paint. This is my creative addiction. I just want your Metro ride to be fun!” Who knew that graffiti artists weren’t just in it for themselves. 
Another graffiti pieces says, “Bush hates Borf.” In all actuality, it’s true, or probably true. In Washington, DC, Borf has become the poster child for the liberal, radical bohemian rebel (he has his own freakin’ Wikipedia page). Protests have formed in honor of this guy, and people have gathered to back his art. It’s funny how one phrase can become such a political argument… or the simplest idea.
I must admit, I’m addicted to my line. It’s a nice ride… and not as noisy as some of the others. And, as silly as it probably sounds, I still love riding the trains, whenever and wherever… it’s always a chance to take in the scenery.
feeling all music-like
Patty Griffin has to be one of the greatest singer/songwriters I’ve ever experienced. I just can’t get over her music. She can make any song her own… even if it isn’t hers. Her version of “Moon River” is absolutely beautiful and haunting at the same time. But, one of my favorites has to be “Let Him Fly.” The lyrics are incredible…
Ain’t no talkin’ to this man
Ain’t no pretty other side
Ain’t no way to understand the stupid words of pride
It would take an acrobat, and I already tried all that so
I’m gonna let him flyThings can move at such a pace
The second hand just waved goodbye
You know the light has left his face
But you can’t recall just where or why
So there was really nothing to it
I just went and cut right through it
I said I’m gonna let him flyThere’s no mercy in a live wire
No rest at all in freedom
Of the choices we are given it’s no choice at all
The proof is in the fire
You touch before it moves away
But you must always know how long to stay and when to goAnd there ain’t no talkin to this man
He’s been tryin to tell me so
It took awhile to understand the beauty of just letting go
Cause it would take an acrobat, I already tried all that
I’m gonna let him fly
I’m gonna let him fly
I’m gonna let him fly
From Living With Ghosts
©1996 One Big Love Music/Chrome Dog Music (ASCAP)
