Best of Washington

As a single girl in DC, you just need to be reminded sometimes why you live in a city: so humid in the summer that you could choke, where the cost of living is so high you've considered buying shoes from Payless and/or prostituting yourself, where the gay men seem to be outnumbering straight men by 5 to 1, where roaches the size of your foot roam the streets when it's hot, where it's hard find a good meal after 10pm...OK, I'll stop because I really do love DC! And what better way to be reminded than at the Best of Washington Party hosted by the Washingtonian magazine. With a ton of the best restaurants and an open bar, you're sure to remember by the end of the night what keeps you here.

Where: The National Building Museum, 440 G Street, NW
When: Tuesday, July 8, 2008, 7-10pm
Tickets: $95, $125 for VIP

A Good Laugh

Laughter really is good medicine. I was just jolted out of a pity party after spending the past two days with great friends who always give me new insight, even if indirectly. Yeah, I may be broke and still searching for love and meaningful gigs that pay well enough and yada, yada, but what's the point in being down? I watched the last game of the NBA Finals at my friend Jared's and celebrated late into the night with pizza and beer over the Celtics winning the championship. We always have these playful debates over who has it worse in the dating game - men or women. He always claims that the problem with women is that they don't know what they want and can't recognize a good guy. Yeah, whatever! Lol
Then, I got a call from Pam yesterday just as I was going to call her, to see if she had eaten dinner yet. As it turned out, I had the perfect vegetarian side to her delicious spicy chicken dish. We had dinner then sat on her stoop with a bottle of wine. She told me the funniest story and agreed to let me share it on my blog. Well, here goes. Pam spent the weekend with friends in Annapolis. After a day of shopping and sightseeing, hitting the hotel bar was mandatory. Seeing as though Annapolis is quite Navy friendly, it is no surprise that Pam met a sailor. After several drinks and last call, the party moved upstairs where more drinking ensued. While everyone was enjoying the lovely accommodations at this chain hotel, Pam and the sailor took quite a liking for each other and moved to the bathroom for privacy. No one knows exactly when this happened (not even Pam), but sometime after the party left and Pam's roommate was asleep, she and the sailor have such wild sex straddled on the toilet that the tank breaks! This is not known until Pam wakes up, the sailor is gone, and she gets a call from the hotel that there is water leaking from her room to the room below. I could not stop laughing! And the only thing I could think to say was, "Well, that was a convenient location because you usually have to pee after sex, right?"

And I thank the universe for giving me the climate-perfect day. Why can't DC be like this every day?

Weekend @ Chez Moi

Do you ever go through periods of time where you have no physical or mental energy to go out and socialize? Well, as hard as it is to believe, I do occasionally. Like this weekend, even with the weather being so nice. I had an overwhelming desire to just stay home, cook, sleep, surf the net, watch TV, and think - not in that order. I was basically a homebody all weekend. Oh wait, not the entire weekend. I did go out on Friday for a late night snack and drinks at Kramer's with an old guy friend, but this was not very memorable. If I answer the phone when he calls it means that I'm bored and he's been out all night and is on his way home to the burbs but is looking for company and a nightcap. And I did venture out to the grocery store for a paper and a few ingredients to make a lentil curry (picture not mine but my dish looked very similar) I saw online. I absolutely love videos that accompany recipes! I was introduced to "domestic goddess" Anjum Anand by the DC food blog WhereInDC. Her lentil curry recipe seemed like something I could do and I love strong flavors. Chopping up vegetables and watching things simmer and saute, turned out to be very relaxing. With a side of rice and a handful of cilantro, this turned out really well. While at Giant, I also picked up a Malbec on sale. Lucky me, as it turned out that this is a great wine to pair with spicy Indian flavors. Good food, wine, and repeats of crime dramas (I'm beginning to love Without a Trace) can often be the best weekend of all. I even resisted the temptation to respond to the after midnight text from a random guy on Saturday night.

The Heat Is On

It is truly hot in good old DC and it's not even summer yet. According to the Washington Post, we're supposed to cross a record high today. While I don't need any reason at all to head to my neighborhood bar for a beer, there is even more reason right now. I am one of those unfortunate DC residents who lives in an old brick building that is hot as hell and did not come with AC. I do have a window unit, but does it really cool down the entire place? Not so much. Especially the bathroom which makes it very difficult for a girl to get ready for a night out when she can't stop sweating. So, when I can actually make it out of the door looking halfway decent, why not use up someone else's AC? I am also one of those people without cable. I have been coping with fuzzy TV for the past two years. Yes, it does suck when I want to see things like Project Runway, What Not To Wear, Top Chef, and of course NBA games, but other than that, who cares? So, during playoff season you know where to find me: a bar with big screen TVs. And right now is crucial. While I could check out the NBA Finals on my fuzzy screen, I refuse. As I've mentioned before, big, gorgeous, sweaty men need to be viewed in all of their glory.
But of course, hanging out at the sports bar does come with a few problems. I am really sick of the tired question, "So, you're into sports?" Guys don't ask other guys this question. Yeah, you couldn't pay me to sit through a football game but I love basketball and not just for the eye candy. I do love the game. Then there's this problem: the guy who buys you a drink, engages in conversation, hands you his card, asks you out, and finally places his left hand - clearly bearing a ring - on the bar. It has happened many times before so I should be used to it, but this time I found it extra funny. After I asked a couple of questions about his wife, he said to me: "Why do you keep asking about the W." The what? Yes, he refers to his wife as the 'W'. Sweet.

Romance Lives?

Like most women, after seeing the Sex and the City movie, I am still talking about it. Being reunited with the girls, the clothes, the shoes, the relationships with men... It really was great but it left me with a lot of questions. I couldn't quite figure out what was bugging me until now. There was not one but two weddings in this movie. Both of these weddings seemed to be based on this: if you give the guy long enough, eventually he will come around and realize you're the one. As SATC fans know, the last line from Mr. Big in the series was, "Carrie, you're the one." While I still don't want to give much away, (even though if you haven't seen the movie by now, what the hell are you waiting for you!) this just seems to be an idea I found running through the script as well as this undying belief that "love" will conquer all.
Then, this weekend while having dinner at a very nice restaurant, I witness something that I've only seen on TV and in film. A very cute, well-dressed couple who appeared to be in their mid to late twenties were having dessert and all of a sudden the woman lets out a scream. It becomes obvious why when the guy gets up and kneels down on one knee. He proposes and of course, she starts to cry. I notice that she spends the rest of the night on her cell phone, probably telling her friends and family about it and planning the wedding. Call me jaded, cynical, bitter, whatever, but all I could do was wonder how long this union would last.
Sorry, but my date tonight was so bad that I'm considering joining a nunnery. We met at Proof. The food was great but absolutely no connection or conversation. His main pastime? Playstation. And yes, he is over 25. I mentioned that I forgot to bring my umbrella and he jokingly (or so I thought) said that he hoped I wouldn't get rained on. I walked to the restaurant, and he drove. His car was actually parked two blocks away in the Gallery Place garage. As we were leaving, I stood by the door watching the rain and not once did he offer a ride or to pull up and drop me at home which is only a few blocks away. What did he say? "Give me a call sometime." Yes, romance lives and eventually men will come around. Right.