Things People Say in Public

In my last post, I mentioned a conversation I overheard and one insightful commenter said that people really don't care what comes out of their mouths in public. Well, I just overheard another interesting conversation while on the red line last night.

Young Woman (to her friend): You know what my boyfriend told me, "it seem like you ain't got no teeth." He is so pressed. He's been calling me like ten times a day.

Friend: Really?

Young Woman: Yeah. I had no idea what a difference that makes in a relationship.

I wonder what she could have been talking about. Hmmm.... And ideas?

Chocolate Heaven

Being a chocoholic and hearing so much about the new chocolate bar ACKC (Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections) on 14th St., I had to try out the place. The amazing artwork on the tables and walls is the work of co-owner Eric Nelson.

After a few minutes inside this delightful little chocolate bar, I was thinking to myself: is DC the new San Francisco? While some might call the decor loud and gaudy, I would say it's a very happy place to be. And when I say happy, I also mean gay. In the words of Assistant Manager Delando, "we wanted to make sure this place was as gay as it could be. Like a drag queen threw up!"
At the table next to me were two openly gay men talking about gentrification. One of them had recently moved to Shaw. He mentioned that his block had become completed gay-owned in the last year but that it was still very "ghetto". He seemed very concerned about all the litter produced by the surrounding neighbors and feared that his dog would choke on all the chicken bones that had been tossed to the ground. My favorite comment from this same guy: "I didn't become a Republican until I moved to Shaw." Interesting.
Even that annoyingly offensive conversation didn't affect how much enjoyment I got from my blissfully delicious hot chocolate. The hours are good too so you can get your chocolate fix in the morning or at night. Stop in and tell Delando that City Girl said hello!

In Bruges - and Elsewhere

Megan and I attended a screening the other night of the movie "In Bruges" with Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes at E Street Cinema. I've known for some time now that I'm not a movie person and often have a hard time describing a movie to someone after I've seen it. I think it's because I just get distracted and start thinking about things that have nothing to do with the film itself.
I started thinking about: how beautiful Bruges is and why I've never been to Europe; why there were no members of the press in the many "press seats" which forced Megan and I to sit way too close to the screen; what qualifies one to be a member of the press; how the word 'fuck' sounds so much better with a British accent; if Colin Farrell purposefully grew a unibrow for the film; and how thirsty I had become for a good Belgian beer because there seemed to be beer drinking in every scene.

Given my last thought, I headed to The Reef in Adams Morgan which has great Belgian beers on tap. I had the Winter Koninck and pretended I was in Bruges for a while. I tried to tell the bartender what the movie is about but all I could think to say was that it's about a couple of hitmen with a conscious which just sounds like an oxymoron. It gets released next month. Cheers!

Night Out at Lima for a Good Cause

I never need a reason to go out any night of the week. But on Tuesday, January 29th, there will be a very good reason to eat, drink, and be merry at Lima Restaurant and Lounge as they host the Lima for Lupus charity event. From 5:30 pm to 10:00 pm, 20% of the sales of your check in the dining room will go directly to the Greater Washington, DC chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America.

I learned more about the event the other night when I met up with marketing and public relations extraordinaire Traci Allen of Traci Allen Inc. at Lima. Traci is a veteran of the hospitality industry and has done everything from restaurant management to event promotion and currently owns an entertainment company, Elite Level Entertainment, that promotes and manages musical artists. Believe me, I have no idea how she does it all!

I had only been to Lima once, really late at night. I realized the other night how much I like the place. With three distinct levels of lounging, dinner, and dancing plus an outdoor heated patio, Lima is the ultimate destination spot. And the food is incredible. The empanadas are the best I've ever had! I will certainly be at Lima next Tuesday to help raise money to fight lupus.

AT&T Sucks!!!

I just spent this great holiday morning which honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the phone screaming at AT&T about my wireless service. Or, I should say lack of service over the past two days. I am still dumbfounded over this situation.
For whatever reason they suspected possible tampering with my account, the fraud department was alerted, and they suspended my account. This happened on Saturday. I only know this because their customer service department was closed and I was forced to metro out to the nearest store still open after 6pm. The store personnel could do nothing for me but give me a number to call on Monday. First of all, if a fraud issue was suspected, shouldn't the customer be notified before the phone gets suspended?! Second of all, what cell phone company's customer service department is NOT open 24 hours?! Apparently, AT&T's customer service line is only open until 8:30pm Monday-Friday, closes at 5:30pm on Saturday and is closed on Sunday! That is absurd.
So, as I am told this morning, suspending an account when fraud is suspected is their policy and supposedly they make every effort to contact the customer. The customer service agent claimed that someone called me but I hung up. Ah, so that was the garbled, computer-generated voice message I got on Saturday that sounded like a telemarketing call. That is NOT an effort at calling the customer! Ok, sorry for all the exclamation points but what City Girl can go without a phone all weekend? And I recently switched cell phone companies but now I'm starting to regret it. The resolution? A $120 credit and an apology. Whatever! If you were unable to reach City Girl DC this weekend, I encourage you to complain to AT&T by calling: 1-800-331-0500.

Enough with the bitching. I will be celebrating my civil rights by starting the night at Duffy's which offers 10 beers for $1 each every Monday from 4 to 11:30pm. Ok, these are not high quality craft brews being offered: Schlitz, Genesee, Milwaukee's Best, Busch, Natty Light, Natty Boh, Schaefer. There's just something about cheap beer in a can that makes me feel good. Reminds me of all my factory working uncles. Cheers and happy MLK Day!

Duffy's
2106 Vermont Ave NW
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 265-3413

Fun in Chinatown

One of the funny things about DC is that there are more chain/American restaurants in Chinatown than Chinese restaurants. One of them is Ruby Tuesday. Ordinarily I would not even think about going to this place but I decided to use a coupon I got in the mail and check out the newly renovated location. My impression of Ruby Tuesday (as with Friday's, Applebee's, Olive Garden, etc.) is bad food, loud teenagers, and suburban families. And since we're talking about Chinatown, I would also have to add in clueless tourists.
So, I figured I would grab a safe appetizer and beer and head out elsewhere on 7th street. While the place looks much better, I thought it was odd that they needed to have an obvious police officer at the door. By the time I left, I realized why: a large group of underagers came in and tried to order drinks, a woman whose date walked out on her realized she was being stalked by him as he peered through the window, and after a woman decided to pay her bill with a check, she was detained by the officer in a corner of the restaurant and had her picture taken so she would not be allowed to return.
It wasn't all bad. I do recall being entertained by a Joe Pesci look-a-like bartender. His best line of the night was after seeing me apply chapstick: "I like to see my wife taking care of her lips." Awww, how sweet!?

The Wizards: Big Sweaty Men

I am by no means a sports fanatic or even knowledgeable about sports at all. You know - rules, regulations, statistics and all that - not me. But I love some basketball. What red-blooded, heterosexual female can't understand a love for professional basketball. So, I've been watching and keeping up with the NBA since trying to finish a dissertation and needing a good distracting hobby. It is: big, sweaty, assertive, men at their best.
So, I was happy to watch the Washington Wizards this past Saturday and Monday amazingly beat the number one ranked Boston Celtics twice. They took down the big dogs. They've come a long way. Ultimately, I don't think they will beat the Celtics come playoff time but... I'm proud of them. I am actually cheering for the very sexy Kevin Garnett. I mean come on. This dude deserves a championship ring as hard as he has worked over the years. And I've never been attracted to Caron Butler until last night. He was looking good! My only question now is how I can get courtside seats to a game.

Sex Nazi

I have decided that in 2008 I will be the Sex Nazi, kind of like the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld - "no sex for you"! Why? Well, I am totally sick of guys calling me after midnight, calling me on a Friday or Saturday night just to see what I'm doing, married/separated guys or other unavailable men, guys who can't hang out because they have to "be with their child on the weekend" like some kind of reconnaissance mission, men who think "coming over" is a date, or any other man looking for a quick roll in the hay.
And especially no sex granted to those who chose not to call and say happy new year. Absolutely not. There will be no excuses, exceptions, or forgiveness rules. Just come correct. Is that too hard to ask? No. Like metro, just keep it moving!

Cashmere Mafia

As I posted on IMDB.com, I don't see ABC's new show Cashmere Mafia lasting very long. I don't watch much TV and don't even have cable anymore but I thought I would tune in to see what it had to offer. It's just not all that interesting and definitely no where near a Sex and the City. What made SATC good was the presentation of issues that have never been addressed on TV. I mean come on, funky spunk! Ok, while I understand that this is an ABC show and not HBO, it could still be interesting. This show feels old and stale. And the women don't seem confident or believable as friends. Yes, the clothes are great thanks to Patricia Field, but that's about it. Some of the writing actually seems silly, especially the title - who came up with Cashmere Mafia? What viewers have been missing since SATC are provocative issues that engage people and get them to think. Hasn't the guilty working mother thing been done already? The cheating spouse? Who cares? I want to see something new.

What Every Woman Needs in 2008: Raheem DeVaughn

Anyone who knows me is well aware of my love for live music, particularly local artists, and Raheem DeVaughn is my all-time favorite. I have been following his career since I moved to DC in 2001 and as others have said, he is definitely the hardest working man in the business. And one of the most passionate, humble, talented, underappreciated, versatile artists as well. I can remember shows in small clubs where he personally introduced his mother and recognized her for his success. Gotta love a man who loves his Moma!

So, I was absolutely ecstatic when I heard he was finally getting his props by being nominated for a Grammy in the male R&B vocal performance category for his new single, "Woman". The show will air next month on Feb. 10th and I just hope they air Raheem accepting his award (because I just know he will win!). If you haven't heard the song yet, check it out on his web site, TheLoveExperience.com. It is a beautiful anthem to women everywhere. His album,

Love Behind the Melody will hit stores next week on Tuesday, January 15th. I will be one of the first in line for it.

In the meantime, there will be a listening party DJ'd by another local favorite, W. Ellington Felton at Marvin on 14th and U Streets tonight.

Damn Damn Damn!

As a buckeye, all I can say is: damn, damn, damn! Not again. Last year it was Florida, this year LSU.
But I'm not giving up. Just like the romance I rekindled tonight after the game. He was a rollover from last year but may just be worth it. Who knows. I'll keep you posted.

Go Buckeyes!

A great way to start the new year off would be for my alma mater to win the BCS National Championship game this year. I talked so much smack last year that I had to eat my words. And then Ohio State had the nerve to lose to Florida in basketball as well!

I'm generally not a football fan but what's better than a testosterone filled room of guys watching college football and drinking beer? My only questions are: where am I going to watch the game and what should I wear? I don't wear sweats in public so I will not be out in my old ratty OSU sweatshirt. I must have some scarlet and gray somewhere in my closet.

I hear Rhino Bar is the place for OSU fans but I'm also considering Old Dominion because it's huge, TVs everywhere, and can't beat the beer selection. I'm no psychic but I have a feeling Brutus will be very happy this year. Hopefully I won't be eating my words!

Men: 2007 Year-End Review

This year has been an interesting one when it comes to men. Probably one of the most diverse ever. Kind of like a bowl of mixed nuts. I was going to do a more comprehensive year-end review but decided to just do a quick re-cap. I mean really, it's New Year's Eve! Who needs to go too far back down memory lane? Here we go:

· Brooding musician - divorce bitterness and a rollover from last year
· Outrageously arrogant workaholic chef - no time for dating but time for sex?
· Corporate guy from Utah or Idaho or I don't know, one of those boxy states - traveled way too much for work. I need attention.
· Text message guy - really hot but way too immature for a 30-something. Even tried to have text message sex!
· 25 year old guy - very sweet but I felt like a pedophile
· 40-something Caribbean guy - another bitter divorced dude who just couldn't stop his argumentative talk to save his life
· Old Mr. DJ - good grief! Not even worth a description. After three years of being jerked around you would think I would have gotten it. My number one New Year's resolution is to stay away from this one for good.

Lookout 2008, City Girl is going to demand better men! Happy New Year everybody!