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As I've lost weight, my waist size has decreased from a 34 to under a 30, and all my belts are now too long. I ran over to Macy's at Metro Center on my lunch hour and bought what I thought was the perfect belt: unlike regular belts, it has holes that go around the entire thing rather than having just a few. I figured the infinitely-adjustable feature would be a good quality to have in case I lose more weight, or gain some weight back, and it's much easier to fine-tune with holes less than a centimeter apart. I was so proud of myself, I changed belts right in the office and wore it around the rest of the day. I did think it was a little thick and chunky in profile, but otherwise I was very pleased with my purchase.
Shortly after I arrived home that evening, my wife noticed I was wearing the belt. Sweetly, she never has an unkind word for any of my un-stylish, ill-fitting clothes, but the belt must have really been over the line. She came right out with it, and said the belt was ugly. She may have used the word "hideous" in addition to "ugly." From the shoddy, overly bright brass plated buckle, to the lumpy, thick, cheapo leather, and the profusion of holes, I now concede that it's ugly. I struck out again - this is why I hate clothes shopping. Maybe I'll sell it on Craigslist!?
- Mood:chagrined
- Mood:
stressed
The bad news is I just realized that when I reach my goal weight, I'll have to go out and buy a whole bunch of new clothes, especially pants. Anyone who knows me realizes I'd rather stand on a box all day, attached to wires, wearing a hood, than go shopping for clothes. My wardrobe is bad enough as it is, but at least everything fits OK. Perhaps I can find some pants at Target? Do they sell stuff like that? Can anyone recommend a good tailor for alterations? I hate dealing with anything remotely connected to clothes - I wish we humans all just wore drab uniforms or burlap sacks every day.
- Mood:
embarrassed
For the past two years in a row, J and I have gone downtown the day after Thanksgiving, and done some holiday shopping in the various museum gift shops. I guess it's becoming a bit of a tradition. It's much more relaxing than fighting the crowds in the shopping malls and big box stores. This year, we started off in the new Kogod Courtyard at the Reynolds Center, then went to the excellent giftshop at the National Building Museum. With all the architecture and urban planning books there, I'm like a kid in a candy store there. Then we hit the National Gallery of Art's giftshop, which was crowded, but J managed to find several items for her relatives there despite the chaos. We continued on to the National Air & Space Museum, where we took in the new America by Air exhibit before striking out in their giftshop.
By that point we were tired, cold, and wanted to go home, but we stopped at Macy's (the former Hecht's) by Metro Center and picked up a sweater for my mother-in-law there. It was refreshingly uncrowded, with almost a relaxed atmosphere. We finished up and were able to do all of our non-online holiday shopping downtown, without using the car, worrying about parking or traffic. I heartily endorse shopping in the old downtown retail core; besides Macy's, there's also American Apparel, Banana Republic, Zara, H&M, West Elm, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Jos. A. Bank for all your shopping needs. Fight sprawl - shop DC!
- Mood:accomplished
The other day, we walked through the just-opened West Elm store in the old Woodward & Lothrop Building, which will be a nice complement to the growing retail presence in the area. The best thing about it is they preserved some of the architectural flourishes of the old Woodies department store. The old staircase and railing were there, some of the ornate column capitals, and the wall by the elevator bank looked familiar. I was an occasional customer at Woodies from 1991 to 1995, when they closed for good, and I miss the grand old department store, so am glad to see the space coming back to life.
When we went out for drinks the other day with S, she invited us over to her place in Petworth for dinner tonight. It was awesome! We drove there, since it's pretty far from the Petworth Metro station, and got a space right in front. S rents an apartment in a beautiful old brick house, which comes with a friendly black and white cat named M. I'd describe M as aggressively affectionate, energetic, and cute. It made for such a shocking comparison with M-kitty, who if she was a human would resemble Amy Winehouse or Karen Carpenter, despite eating constantly.
Dinner was a delicious salad with avocado, and bruschetta with melted brie on top, accompanied by a red wine from Virginia that we liked a lot. For dessert, we brought Cowvin Cookies and "Noreos" from Sticky Fingers vegan bakery. Afterwards, we chatted, and played a little air hockey. Thanks so much S! You really perked up our spirits tonight. We enjoyed the visit and will reciprocate as soon as things settle down here.
- Mood:
refreshed
The children's book shopping expeditions of the previous week inspired J and I to venture to the National Building Museum and its wonderful gift shop. They have tons of great toys, books and assorted gizmos for children, including the nicest sets of architectural building blocks I've ever seen. I also found a beautifully illustrated children's book on the glories of the late, great Penn Station (Old Penn Station, by William Low), and its unfortunate demolition. It would make a perfect gift for the junior historic preservationist in the family. We'll come back around holiday shopping time. And G, they have a whole section of green design and living books. For adults, there are books galore, and a surprising amount of sleekly designed kitchen wares.
The rest of the museum was nice, too, I've been there several times over the years. I love the massive old pile of bricks, with the wraparound frieze, soaring atrium inside, giant faux-marble columns, and ample natural light. To me, it is no less representative of Washington architecture than the Capitol or White House, yet few tourists seek it out. There are only a couple of similar spaces in the city, where you pause on entering, and for a split second almost expect to see whiskered men in tophats and 19th century garb walking around.
For dinner we grilled up some tuna burgers from Trader Joe's, and also grilled orange pepper slices, zucchini, and eggplant. It was good, though the tuna burgers stuck to the grill a bit, and it required a little elbow grease to clean.
- Mood: cheerful
- Mood:
hot
- Mood: frustrated
I received the following comment on my blog entry regarding Ellwood Thompson's, and thought I'd repost it as a standalone entry:
Subject: Ellwood Thompsons Natural Market
Dear Mr. T.
Ellwood Thompson's has been overwhelmed with support from Columbia Heights residents as well as others in DC's other outstanding communities. Thank you all very much! An update in our search is that we are currently very interested in the DC USA development nearing completion on 14th Ave. We encourage any support that the neighborhood's interested residents can provide??
We would like to explain our store concept a little clearer since there have been a lot of comparisons to other Natural Markets in the area. Ellwood Thompson's is a full-service Natural/Organic Market that does not sell any products that contain artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. Our products contain no hydrogenated oils, parabens, high fructose corn syrup or transfats.
The store is approximately 15,000 SF and we're stewards of local farming and merchants (often working directly with the farm). Quality is top priority and sampling is encouraged. We have a full-service meat case (free-range varieties) as well as a deli case/hot bar and a health and beauty section. I hope this information is helpful in providing a snapshot of what Ellwood's has to offer Columbia Heights. For additional information, please visit our soon-to-be redesigned website at http://www.ellwoodthompsons.com
Many thanks,
Ryan Youngman CEO,
Ellwood Thompson's
Good to hear from you, Ryan, and will continue to spread the word about your store. DCUSA still has plenty of space I believe, since the Whole Foods deal fell through. If you open up there, you'll do well, and since it is directly on top of a Metro station, and in the middle of a dense residential neighborhood, it will have a minimal carbon footprint. We hope you do open in Columbia Heights!
- Mood: good
From the blog posting:
Ellwood Thompson's Local Market operates a full service grocery store in Richmond, VA. They are recently focusing on the Columbia Heights area because they like the diversity and density of the area and believe that people in this area of DC would appreciate the unique experience of their concept. Ellwood Thompson's is committed to supporting local farmers, manufactures and other local merchants. ET would gladly sponsor local farmers markets. Additionally they have a strong commitment to the environment and ideally would like to be in a "Leeds" certified or "Green" concept building. They welcome any comments from you, my readers.
Their website is www.ellwoodthompsons.com
The topic is being discussed on the Columbia Heights neighborhood message board here.
- Mood: surprised
- Mood:tired but good
- Mood: content
It may sound crazy, but I think I was ripped off on eBay! I use Gillette Mach 3 Turbo razor blades, ridiculous name and all, and I can't stand paying nearly $2 per blade at CVS. That is, when they even have them in stock. I thought I was clever when I bought them in bulk on eBay from some guy who was selling them in lots of 50 for $40. They arrived in a timely fashion, looked good, so I left positive feedback.
I used them for the first time the other day, when my old supply gave out. Something was very wrong - they were ripping my face apart. It felt like I was using a cheese grater instead of hi-tech razor blades. I tried a refill from another pack, with the same result. Upon close examination with a magnifying glass, the only difference I can see is that the little rivets that hold the blades to the plastic housing are slightly smaller than on the legit refills. I wonder if they're some kind of counterfeit or knock-off? You live, you learn - next time I'll just suck it up and pay to get the real McCoy from CVS.
- Mood: annoyed
The grill was easy to set up, place on the stand, and hook up the small (14.1 oz.) propane tank. It fits on the balcony with plenty of room to spare, and the accessories don't take up much room in the kitchen. We fired it up tonight and successfully grilled a couple of test hot dogs; I know, unhealthy, but everyone I asked for advice suggested hot dogs as a test subject. We intend to use the grill for healthier fare, eventually, asparagus, peppers, portobello mushrooms, free-range chicken from whole foods, and those expensive locally-raised meats they sell at the farmer's market. We don't eat a lot of meat, but if we're going to, we try to select meat from animals that were raised somewhat humanely (uhm, aside from the mystery meat in the hot dogs), and with fish we avoid the obviously endangered species like swordfish, Chilean Sea Bass, etc. Corn on the cob might be good grilled. Can you toast marshmallows on a gas grill?
The best thing about the grill will be keeping the heat of cooking outside in the summer. When we use the gas stove or oven, it heats up the whole place, which strains the AC and seems a pointless use of resources. Now, we can cook more and eat out less during the summer months.
- Mood:
hyper
- Mood: embarrassed
The usual Sunday morning coffee get-together with M was postponed to Monday this week, since it was a holiday. We also invited current neighbors A and L. I was glad they could come, they're a very nice couple and excellent neighbors.
Later in the day, J and I took a long walk down to Dupont Circle and back, a total of almost 4 miles. It was hot and humid, but we cooled off in Anne Taylor Loft, where J did some shopping and I sat in the thoughtfully provided "man chair." While sitting, I scoped out the clothes and decided that if I was a woman, I'd shop definitely shop there, for part of my wardrobe. Too bad they don't have a men's equivalent store; "Man Taylor Loft?" Shopping for clothes stresses me out so much, I can't stand it.
The people watching in Dupont Circle itself was good on Monday. There was a singer/guitar-player performing who wasn't half bad, tons of cute dogs as usual, a guy wearing a kilt, someone doing yoga, and tourists on Segways. I could have sat there for hours just watching the fountain and all the people walking by. I wish Columbia Heights had a similar hangout, but maybe the land in front of the Park triangle building will eventually serve the same purpose.
I wanted to take the bus or Metro home, but J offered to buy me dessert at Rita's Water Ice if we walked back, so I sucked it up and tagged along. My reward was a blueberry ice, with real blueberries in it, and a dollop of vanilla frozen custard on top. It was delicious, and the perfect end to a relaxing weekend. Well, relaxing aside from the cat throwing up twice, then hissing at me and badly scratching my hand.
- Mood:busy
The bathrooms are just inside the main entrance, all the way to the left down a short hallway. I was expecting a barely servicable men's room, but it was actually clean and comfortable. The walls were covered in Southwest-looking terra cotta tiles, with actual decorative borders and designs. There was both an air dryer AND paper towels. The mirror wasn't shattered or covered with graffiti. Everything worked, and I knew the minute I walked in I wanted to mention it here (but let's keep it clean now that the secret is out!).
In contrast, the worst grocery store bathroom I've ever used was the one in the SW Waterfront Safeway. It closely resembled the dank hellhole where much of the horror film Saw took place. Well, maybe it wasn't THAT bad, but I sure didn't leave that one feeling clean and refreshed. Then again, I had no choice, I was in Southwest, the quadrant of no public bathrooms, or retail at all for that matter.
Thanks to Wonkette for the mention:
http://wonkette.com/politics/metro-secti
- Mood: impressed
So, yesterday I went to the site, accompanied by G in the role of photographic adviser. I was all excited about using my new camera in the field, but when G whipped out her big SLR camera, I had a serious case of telephoto lense envy. Her camera is MUCH bigger than mine. If you stretch out your arms in bear-hug fashion, that's G's camera; if you take your thumb and hold it about an inch from your index finger, that's my camera in comparison. Anyway, we took some good pictures of The Awakening and other nearby sites (on Flickr, as usual) and walked around a little, dodging fishing poles, hooks, and dead and dying fish on the walkway. It was windy, cool, and almost felt like the ocean down by the wide confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers.
On the way back uptown, we did some shopping on 14th Street; Pulp, Garden District, and ate a late lunch (mmm, panini) at Mayorga where we ran into my neighbor B. It was the second time I went there Sunday, since M, E and I had our usual coffee meetup there earlier in the day. I can't help it, the coffee is good, the architecture is wonderful, and it's right around the corner.
- Mood:artistic
While J was shopping, I met M at Mayorga for coffee and a bagel. We had a nice chat, and the coffee and bagel really hit the spot. The employees there are very nice and helpful, so I have high hopes for the place. M has been suffering from allergies this spring so far, so maybe the rain will wash some of the pollen away.
Tonight, assuming it starts raining, we'll catch dinner somewhere close to home, and after that our weekly Netflix DVD awaits. Then, tomorrow morning we'll again tackle the tax problem, and J is going to go to the gym for a nice, dry indoor run on the treadmill. I'm planning to experiment with the new camera indoors, until the storm blows over.
- Mood: bored
- Mood:
tired
