As Long As We're Being Honest...

As Long As We're Being Honest...
My coblogger has erupted back onto the blogging scene, pulling me out of nonblogging slumber, with an insightful examination of drivers' annoyance toward bikers.

Good. Because I'll tell you, when I'm on my bike, following the laws on the road, I hope I annoy as many drivers as possible.

Part of it is retaliation. When a convertible speeds dangerously close past me, just to stop at the red light, I truly hope the sight of me slowly biking my way past him to the light gets his blood pressure skyrocketing. When a bus driver plays leapfrog with me, swerving around on my left just to stop short in front of me at a stop, I hope she gets angry with me when I get in front of her in the middle of the right lane (as I have the right to do if necessary to my safety).

(I don't go out of my way to be a d**k to drivers. I don't want them to get so mad as to try and kill me. Just following the laws is enough to peeve them, but I do try and get out of the way of madmen.)

Part of it is awareness. If drivers are annoyed at me on my bike now, there's the chance that they'll be more aware of bikers in the future. They might not like it, but too bad. As Hatandcoat pointed out, the law says we share the road. And if that means that cars have to go 15 mph in a 35 mph zone, good. I'm glad to slow the a-holes down.

Drivers' first reaction to me might be annoyance across the board, but, even though I relish their annoyance, I hope my sensible biking scores some points for me and fellow bikers. I'm with drivers on the scofflaw-biker disdain. When a biker zips past me through a red light, I think, "What are you doing?" I hope that drivers see me on the road, get annoyed, but then realize that I'm just trying to follow the rules.

Also, Hatandcoat, you really shouldn't be driving in the city. Don't you know DC is driver-unfriendly? Of course, I'm not opposed to you driving when you're taking me home at midnight in a torrential downpour. But when it doesn't benefit ME, please refrain from getting behind the wheel. Your blood pressure will thank me.

There's, like, no shame in the occasional repost?

I know Aak will at least appreciate the shirt in this clip (note, Mos Def hosts the show, hahaha...http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/02/17/69-mos-def/):



Gf sent me this clip because I love the scene in Family Guy so much (I couldn't find the embed code): http://www.trilulilu.ro/mihai_m/1e6ed8ca92ff06?video_google_com.

Counterpoint

I have a confession to make, though it will make an enemy of my co-blogger: I hate sharing the road with bikers.

I see why I must share the road with them. I see that it is the law. I agree with it. I plan on buying a bike and making it my transportation. I'm on board in principle.

But say I'm traveling uphill behind a biker on a narrow road:

1) Oh my GOD, I don't have the patience for it. Every human alive hates being stuck behind old people - probably other old people too. Same deal here, though I know people who will tell me in this situation that I need to learn patience and respect. Whatever, my blood pressure sky rockets when I have to go 15 mph in a 35 zone, and that's not going to change.

2) I feel like I'm on the brink of vehicular manslaughter if I turn 1 degree to the side. I want this man in his spandex beside me to live a full, long life, but if I hit a pothole then nick his back tire it's over. The situation puts me on edge and I find myself getting mad at the biker. I talk myself down but I can't help it. When I do finally pass him I gun the engine because I don't know how much time I'll have.

Then, when I'm at the light and I see a him creeping up in my rear view mirror, the whole time I'm thinking "go, go, go!!! Don't let him catch up!" Then if there's a little bit of stop and go for a while, then it's: "he's in my blind spot, oh wait, no he isn't - oh wait, he - oh, he's next to me, oh, blind spot...DAMN BIKERS!!!"

I'm sorry, Aak, if this post offends you. But, hey, if you can't speak from your heart in your own blog where can you? ;)

Tennessee Williams in a Bar.

Go see it.

We're Going Streaking!

I was walking to the Rosslyn Metro station the other day. It was raining. I was on the phone, so my vision was pointed slightly downward (it prob. would've been anyway), and I didn't see the woman fall on the ground in front of me. I almost tripped over her at the corner of Wilson and Lynn.

"Are you okay? Would you like some help?" I said.

"NO!" She snapped.

Then the same response to the nearby building security guard and I thought, ok maybe she's embarrassed or self reliant. I leave her alone and go to cross Wilson.

I look back about halfway and look that she has started crossing Lynn and fell again about halfway through. She looked frustrated and upset, and I figured maybe it had to do with her ankle length dress tripping her. She got up, walked to the curb, dropped her umbrella and started taking off her shirt.

She struggled with it for second, got it off, then undid her bra. Then the skirt. Then the underwear. She left her stuff all in a pile and started across the street waving angrily. When she got to the island in the middle of Wilson she grabbed a low hanging tree branch and threw the flowers.

I would say that over 100 people saw her do all this because when she disappeared around the corner from my view, she ran toward the metro stop.

Weird experience.

A Crazy Idea?

A Crazy Idea?
Riding this morning, I remembered that recently DC was soliciting suggestions as to what to do with their stimulus money. (I can't find the link right now, and I''m not sure they're still taking.) Of course I wrote in saying we should have more bike lanes and expanded mass transit. Now I'm thinking that the two could be even more related than anybody's tried to make them.

Why not build an elevated bike trail on top of the above-ground Metro lines?

I'm mainly thinking of the Red Line from Silver Spring to Union Station here. It's a section of town that is far from the Crescent Trail and that could use some more healthy people going through it. Yes, there are a few bike lanes woven through the grid around there, but bike lanes are unsafe compared to dedicated bike trails, even elevated ones.

Here's how it works, how it would be safe, and how it makes money: make the bike trail above the Red Line only accessible at Metro stations. Charge a high one-time fee for each bike that people want to use on it (and this will tie into DC's push for bicycle registration) OR supply rental bikes at major hubs. Also charge a flat $0.50 fee every time a cyclist enters the Red Trail. This charge would necessitate having a Smartrip that was also registered.

The charges should not ever be increased, because there'd be very little cost to maintain what will essentially be a cover for the train. The excessive registration would be to help Metro get over the fact that people could theoretically stay on the Red Trail all day, with access to the rail possible (though unlikely, due to the elevation and the side-railing that Metro would put up).

I understand it might be difficult to construct, and I would never want Metro to go through with it if it would shut down the Red Line to do it. But how cool would a Red Trail be?

(I don't know about the name, though. Sounds a little... Cold-War-ish?)

On the Trails: Custis, Crescent, Georgetown Branch

On the Trails
Today I woke up in Falls Church. Don't ask me how I got there (although under duress I might let slip it had something to do with Go).

I decided to bike back to Silver Spring, so I went the most even-sloped way I know: Custis Trail to Capital Crescent Trail to Georgetown Branch Trail. I predicted it would take me over two hours, but it actually took just under 2.

It's really just so nice to take trails the whole way. No traffic. No death hills. Green and blooming stuff around you.

Actually, there was a fair amount of bike traffic on the Custis and the Crescent. None on the Georgetown Branch. Why is that? Is it because it's unpaved and people don't want to get their road bikes all bent? Maybe.

On my ride I noticed that the torn-up part of the Crescent had been fixed. You know, the part on the hill, just south of the park where you cross into Montgomery County? The one that had a gravel side-path for three years or so while we waited for somebody to finish it? Well, it took over three years, but it's done. Now that's efficiency.

I enjoyed my ride so much, I had a crazy idea...

Sakana: A Good Alternative to Sushi Taro?

Sakana: A Good Alternative to Sushi Taro?
Since Sushi Taro did not open in time for my birthday, we went instead to Sakana.

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Sakana is best with the Japanese food other than sushi, but their sushi is still decent.

Their appetizers are what really get me. I like the spinach dish at any time of year, but I like their tofu dish in the summer. I've also had their nabeyaki udon (noodles in a clear broth with seafood etc) and it's really nice on cold days.

Today we had sushi, and it seemed better than normal today. The spicy tuna was better than usual. The yellowtail with scallions roll was subpar somehow, like there wasn't enough fish or flavor, or both. The green caterpillar roll was overpriced for what you got; a $10.95 roll is supposed to be a huge maki, but instead they just loaded a regular-sized roll with too much avocado. The unagi was great, though, and the nigiri tuna and salmon were good for the price.

I really like Sakana's take on tempura sushi: rectangular-pressed blocks with crunch on top and in the middle. We had both the veggie tempura roll and the sakana sushi tempura roll (which I think was shrimp). Really good texture, no oiliness, and just enough shrimp to the rice to make it feel worth it.

It's too bad about Sakana's service. Although today there was a dude with a teapot and water pitcher going around, on other days (when it's just the middle-aged woman) our drinks haven't usually stayed full. Also, better order everything you want right away. It'll take a while for your (sushi) order to come, but once it does, the waitstaff doesn't look out for a second round of orders.

So, while Sushi Taro's rebuilding, I suggest Sakana for a cheapish alternative where you can also partake in other Japanese items. This is only if you're committed to dining in Dupont Circle, though; there are better places, but they're more expensive.

(By all means, don't go to Uni for sushi! It's just down the road on P Street, but it's terrible!)

Sushi Taro Updates Website, Prolongs Sushi-Shaped Hole in My Life

Sushi Taro Updates Website, Prolongs Sushi-Shaped Hole in My Life
For those not in the know, Sushi Taro (17th & P NW, above the CVS) was the best place to get sushi in DC. While other places might have had more expensive, exotic fish, and still others had a more sophisticated, bistoesque feel, Sushi Taro had the best fish for the price. Even forgetting about price, the sushi and sashimi there really was fantastic.

Sushi Taro closed for renovation around New Year's. Their website was wiped away to simply say "Sushi Taro restaurant is closed for a complete renovation until early March, 2009. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this."

Early March, I thought? Perfect! My birthday is in late March. We might be able to restart the tradition my friends and I had of going to Sushi Taro for birthday lunches.

Sadly, Sushi Taro changed the word "early" to "late" on their website, dashing my hopes and dreams.

Chariots For Hire, kstreet lounge, and Manny & Olga's

Last night I went to a birthday party for two of my friends. It wasn't really my scene, but it was great hanging out with good people.

We started out on a party bus, courtesy of Chariots For Hire. (Please note, H&C, that Chariots For Hire capitalizes the "F" in its own business name.)

It wasn't quite what I had pictured. I had pictured a double-decker bus with an open top, a staircase, and a fully-stocked bar. Yes, what I had pictured was probably impossible. This is what we got:

Except instead of cheesy Chariots of Fire music, we listened to a mix ranging on the scale from M.I.A. to Hanson, but staying mostly on the M.I.A. side, thankfully. The TV screens played Fast Times at Ridgemont High for the first two hours and Wanted for the second. A couple of times the laser hit me in the eye.

The bus was basically a city bus with comfy benches. The 35-person limit is a real limit; we had 34 and were cramped.

As I looked around at my friends drinking, I thought, why a bus? We were cramped, we were jostled, it was difficult to get drinks if you weren't sitting up front, the music was a little loud, and we weren't even going anywhere far away. But the discomfort and the cheesiness were all part of the fun. Besides, being driven while drunk to the Lincoln Memorial at night was something that was pretty special.

Our first stop, before the Memorial, was kstreet lounge (Note, H&C, that they don't use capital letters in their name, and they don't put a space after the "k".)

I'd never been, so I was interested in what it was like. Because of some special through the bus, we didn't have to wait very long to get in.

Inside, it's about what you'd expect for a clubby kind of place. Loud music, bad remixes (the Losing My Religion cover remix was particularly terrible), and lots of people on a Saturday night. And a lot of ladies.

From 10 to 12 on alternating Saturdays (?), ladies drink free. Seriously, there were a lot of drunk women up in that joint. I wasn't really looking for anyone, just standing in one place talking to the group I was with, and I had two encounters. The first one splashed her drink on my arm. She was very sorry, and talked with me for a bit, but she was the sluttiest-dressed girl within visual range, so I was kinda uninterested.

The second girl reached out and grabbed my arm for support while she put on her shoes, then pulled me into a little bit of dancing with her. She asked "Are you single" as the first thing she said to me. I replied I was. It turns out we have a mutual acquaintence, so I might be seeing more of her... actually, probably not; too busy studying.

kstreet lounge was pretty boring for me after a while. I don't like shouting to talk, so I was disinclined to talk, which is pretty much the only thing I do at bars. We got back on the bus and went to the Lincoln Memorial.

Ever tried to get a bunch of drunk people together for a group photo? Kinda hard to do.

At the end of the night, I was screwed by daylight savings time. I had thought that Metro would be running when I got off the bus at 2:00 am. Except there was no 2:00 am. My cell phone totally skipped that hour, stranding me in DC.

So I went back to one of my friend's houses and ordered some Manny & Olga's cheesesteak. I must say, I love that everything in Adams Morgan stays open until ridiculous hours. Especially Manny & Olga's. Their cheesesteak is the worst-for-you-slash-best cheap cheesesteak in town. Added benefit: they stay open until FIVE A.M.! Slight disadvantage: they're very unreliable, time-wise and order-wise. But hey, that's okay.

I woke up the next morning and found that someone had drunk my left contact (which I'd left in a plastic cup in the bathroom). I went home with one seeing eye and didn't eat until 3pm today.

Coraline

I saw Coraline in 3-D Thursday night at the Gallery Place theater.

(Side review: Before the show, I had Thai Chili's stir-fried duck with bamboo shoots--quite tasty, but not as spicy as described. My compatriot had some sort of noodle-in-yellow-curry dish that tasted a bit like curry laksa, but not as good as the curry laksa at my favorite asian restaurant in DC, Malaysian Kopitiam.)

I read the book by Neil Gaiman. It's a children's book, yes, but there's always been an element of children's fantasy in Gaiman's work, so tthat was fine. I remember liking it but being far from loving it. Call me too growed-up.

I was excited to see Coraline the movie, because it looked creepy and creative. Plus I wanted to check out the 3-D stuff.

First, I wasn't prepared to pay $12.00 for the 3-D effect (and that's with my student discount). You don't even get to keep the glasses for the extra three bucks; you're encouraged to recycle them after the show.

Then the ads. I really detest the fact that they were pimping 12-year-old media so hard. After showing a bunch of ads for a boy-band-ish new movie, a kid's reality show, and Conan O'Brien (was that for the parents or the kids?), they recapped all the ads they'd just showed us.

Then the previews for other movies in 3-D. The Tim Burton one, called "9," looks boring and not really 3-D-ish. I can't remember the second one. But the third was kind of exciting and kind of "huh? A CG remake of an anime?" It was a teaser for Astro Boy.

And finally, the movie itself. Coraline's very pretty in parts, and creepy and disturbing in some ways, but... not creepy and disturbing enough.

Gaiman's story is creepy itself. A girl finds out that she has an Other Mother, who wants her to come live with her in her wonderful world. All she has to do... is give up her eyes and sew buttons into her sockets instead. Lotsa creepiness in that.

The movie was... It was too pretty to be creepy. It was too perfectly executed to inspire nightmares. Thanks to advances in technology, the stop-motion technique is really just a put-on; there's no need for jerkiness in the figures. Everything moved smoothly. Too smoothly.

You've heard of the Uncanny Valley, right? There's this place in the continuum from C3P0 to Commander Data where we get the shivers. Or at least we Americans do; the Japanese, on the other hand...

L'androïde Geminoid
by jeanrem

When I went to see Coraline, I wanted to take a stroll in the Uncanny Valley. I wanted to see twitchiness, almost-humanness, oddness. I'm not a horror kind of guy, but I do like creepy. Coraline the 3-D movie isn't creepy. It's cute. And cute is kind of nice but also kind of boring.

The deuce of it is, there's almost no point in watching Coraline at home without 3-D glasses. The effects are dazzling, when they're used well. I would've been upset had I not seen it in 3-D. I might've walked out, were it not for that cool feature.

Oh, there was a good part in the story. It had to do with dogs.

Right On, Ride-On

I have to salute the Ride-On bus drivers who drive south on Colesville Road.

In downtown Silver Spring, I have to cross Colesville at a certain point on my commute. I could go out of my way to go to a light to cross, but that adds 5-7 minutes no matter what. And there's no reason I should have to go to a light. (Except sanity?)

In the morning, I can usually get straight across. For some reason, there is a lull every few minutes in the AM. But between 3:00 and 8:00 PM, it's quite scary. Them northward-living folks wants to get themselves home a-sap. Southbound lanes aren't great, either. I normally have to make a right, get into the leftmost lane, and make a left the next block over.

(Yep, plenty of brakes screech behind me, and I've gotten the horn a couple of times, but ehh, I'm over it.)

I've noticed, though, that, when no one else is coming except the Ride-On bus, the bus will stop for me to make my left turn. There's no reason for it to do this except to help me out. this has happened THREE times.

Thanks, Ride-On drivers, for not giving in to the usual bus-bike mutual-hatred. If I could ever figure out your circuits, I'd ride on you with pleasure.

Sligo Creek Trail Condition: Gaseous

A woman walked towards me on the trail. As I got closer, she said "There's gas leaking up ahead."

I had no response to that except, "What?"

"There's a gas leak," she said. "Maybe you should be careful."

I slowed down, took that in, and said, "Okay."

Now behind me, the woman said "I don't know who to call..."

That's the trouble with the Sligo Creek Trail, isn't it? You just don't know who to call about such things.

The gas leak was at the playground before Riggs Road, where I'd been buffetted by the wind before. Natural gas, coming from what looked like a hole in the ground covered with two sheets of plywood.

Butt Dialing

Last night I saw this commercial and it totally touches on something that I hate:



I pocket dial people all the frickin' time. It's beyond me why some a-hole thought it was a good idea to put an easy to depress audio mode button on the side of my phone then program my audio mode so that it will start choosing people from my phone list whose names spoken aloud apparently sound like the rustling of cloth. Such names include my friend's ex girlfriend. Not awkward at all. I totally forgot that I programmed her name because we were all meeting for a movie once or something.

Hmm, maybe they make the free phones that I get with my subscriptions annoying like that on purpose. Eventually I'll get sick of it and buy an expensive ass blackberry or something, right?

Thai Tanic Has a Good Location

I really want to like Thai Tanic. It's in such a good location. It's central to a lot of good places. And the food is pretty good. It's just... not that awesome.

Tonight, I ordered from the House Special section: the Thai Tanic Star. It was minced chicken, shrimp, some sort of fishpaste fried cakes, peppers and broccoli. It had three stars next to it, meaning on the mild, hot, and fire scale, it would be fire.

The Thai Tanic Star was very tasty, but it was not spicy at all. I was very disappointed. I had wanted to burn my tastebuds off. I figured that the waitress had looked at me and thought, "White guy can't handle it."

I had some of my date's pad thai, and I admit it was the tastiest pad thai I've had in at least two years. Then again, I like spicy food, so I almost never eat pad thai when at a thai restaurant. But Thai Tanic's pad thai was sweet but not too sweet, peanutty but not too peanutty, and with the mung bean sprouts on the side it felt very light.

Another plus for Thai Tanic is the size of the soda glasses. You'll pretty much get a gallon of coke all to yourself.

But, after we paid the check, the waitresss kept hovering. We were still letting our food settle (we both had eaten too much), and so we were settling into talking. Then the hostess came over and said, "Can I clear table?"

We looked at each other, then back to the hostess, who said, "Sorry, there's so many people, waiting..." blah blah blah she kicked us out. Sure, it's Saturday, and sure, there was a line, but, really? Really? You're going to kick out customers who just finished? We hadn't even been sitting long after paying the bill; tops, 6 minutes.

Thai Tanic... I'll probably be back, since the food's decent and the locale is great, but man, don't kick me out again.

Sligo Creek Trail Condition: Ill-Mannered Winds

This morning, I chose to believe my weather reports rather than my own senses.

Weather reports: "It's not raining outside."
Senses: "It looks wet. It feels wet. And a bunch of concentrated wetnesses are landing on your body."
Brain: "It's just moisture in the air."
Reality: "It's raining."

I am against biking in the rain or even wet conditions. March last year I fell, scratched half my face, and concussed myself due to wet cement. So it was out of character for me to continue biking, once reality had shouted in my ears that it was indeed raining.

Still, I've learned other things from my fall than just to avoid the rain. I've learned not to go too fast down steep hills. And I've learned to stay on the street, not the sidewalk (you'd think the sidewalk would be safer, but you'd be wrong; not enough traction and too much chance of skidding after hitting a deep crack). I got to UMD without incident.

On the way back, I skirted the horse manure that was still there and weaved around the larger glass shards. When I got to an open area of the trail (before Riggs), I was pretty much immobilized by the wind. It was crazy. I was panting just to go a few feet.

Once I passed Riggs Road, the wind wasn't much of an issue. Pedestrians and other bikes were.

I think I'm going to change up my passing etiquette. I'm a shouter. Instead of ringing my bell, I prefer to raise my voice and say "Passing on the left!" For some reason, I think it's nicer to say something rather than make a loud metal PING and expect someone to get out of the way.

But today, nobody knew how to walk on the trail. Everybody was walking on the left side. I ended up sounding like an idiot:

"PASSING ON THE LEF... or right?"

With the third person (an old woman with a dog), I just said "PASSING." That made me sound less an idiot and more a prick.

Even some bikers were getting in on the left-side-craziness. A man with a baby in an attached seat on the bike was biking between his two pre-teen and teenaged sons. They were on the left. Also, they acted confused when I said something to pass them. The father apologized to me as I passed him; I said "that's okay."

Really, it was okay. I don't really get mad at these things. I just wonder if it's best just to use the bell instead of my vocal cords.

Snuggie Hate

In solidarity with my long-reclusive coblogger, I post this video.

Do Not Buy A Snuggie

For my girlfriend's birthday I bought her a Snuggie. Now that she has it, it's a great, comfy, wonderful thing to have. But I should have ordered a similar product like the slanket or just hand made something or just had her put her bathrobe on backward like Jay Leno apparently jokes.

The website was straighforward and easy to use - a little too easy. I put in my order, chose the burgundy color, entered my credit card # and my phone number, then proceeded to the check out. The next page it took me to was deliberately unclear as to what it was telling me. It seemed to me that it was an order confirmation page and on the bottom of the page was a gigantic light blue button that said "yes" and a much smaller light gray "no" button. I clicked yes and in doing so was duped into buying a second order! Immediately it took me to the same page to try to get more out of me. I caught on after being duped once, then after clicking no it took me to another page that tried to sell another product. Then another and another.

The order was buy one get one free so now I have FOUR of those things!!!

Of course, their customer service line did not pick up, claiming "heavy call volume due to the holiday season," (At the end of January!?), and my emails to them were sent back.

But perhaps the most annoying thing was that they seem to have sold my phone number to some annoying people. For the weeks following my order there was some phone number that called me literally 3x/day minimum. I picked up the phone maybe twice and nobody answered. I googled the number and found message boards of people who regret buying snuggies who had the same problem. Apparently people call from that number and offer gift cards from Wal-Mart or other rewards that are somehow scams. I blocked that number and just two days ago some salesman called me from a new number offering me some exciting awards that I'm eligible for. Ugh. Now I might have to change my number or keep blocking new ones.

Do not buy a snuggie.

Sligo Creek Trail Condition: Crappy

Anyone else annoyed by the big piles of horse manure on the Northwest Branch trail around University Blvd? Anyone? Anyone?

(Oh, darn. I quoted Ben Stein. I promised myself I wouldn't do that any more after seeing Expelled.)

Finding a Replacement

Roommate is moving out, so I am in the process of picking a new one. After interview I think 9 people I have 6 that I could very easily see myself living with. I leave the experience with 1) a very positive view of the people living in the DC area, and 2) genuinely sad that I have to say no to a bunch of them.

The experience for me has been decidedly better than Aak's was. I don't have a list of moronic things people have told me. We just chatted about hobbies, interests, backgrounds, etc. I did have some people write me Aak's list item #5 "I'll absolutely pay on time," and they got the cold shoulder. Now comes the part where whoever I choose turns out to have unpleasant habits like peeing in the potted plants.

I want to do a stint now as a hiring manager somewhere because I liked interviewing people so much.