the bold & the biographical

No matter how old I get, I don't think I'll ever get over the rush of excitement that accompanies the first day of school!

Well, ok... so I'm not technically matriculating anywhere, but my 10-week online fiction workshop started today, & I. Am. STOKED!!

First assignment: Submit a bio, 500 words or less. Given that we're immersed in a virtual classroom, it's a logical exercise to foster a sense of community (blah blah educational buzzword blah).

day 1 :: dog is my co-pilot

Well, today was the big day. Up and at 'em at 5 a.m., and out on the open road by 6. Lindy and I waved goodbye to the District...


...and set out on the first leg of our journey.

on the eve of the adventure...

View Larger Map

Behold, the roadmap to my roadtrip!

Well, the gist of it, at any rate.

Just waiting for some pals to arrive and help me load the U-Haul trailer (I plan to reward them with dinner and drinks), then it's off to watch Wall*E at Casa de Lewis, and then bedtime so I can hit the road at about 5 a.m. tomorrow.

I just hope this nasty headcold has discipated by then...

recession proof

Get it? :)

It's officially official: I've been laid off (although I volunteered to be (long story)). Friday 20 February is my last day, and then preparations for my long-awaited reverse roadtrip kick into high gear (yeah, it's only been about 18 months, but that's a long time for me to live anywhere, let alone on the wrong coast).

You didn't think that all that talk about a newly unemployed 20-something was hypothetical, did you?

housing hypotheticals

Just wrote a new blog post for work and thought at least the first half was worth sharing here.

This seems like it should hardly come as a shock, but newsflash! from Seeking Alpha: Home prices have increased more rapidly than rents, it's significantly cheaper to rent than to buy (not even taking into account the costs of taxes and insurance (albeit also not factoring in that mortgage interest is tax deductible, I'll give you that)). Conclusion: Financially, there is no motivation to buy a home aside from price appreciation. Thus, in a market where homes are depreciating in value (i.e. the current one (in fact, the Wall Street Journal reports that price declines accelerated in 4Q2008)), it is illogical to buy a home.

back in action, take 2

Well, I started the recent impromptu California trip post, I guess I might as well finish it, right?

So from SFO, where I was picked up by my sister, mom, and grandma, we went to P.F. Chang's in Pleasanton—across the street from where I used to work, incidentally—at which point I attempted to teach my mom and hers how to use chopsticks...

This endeavor would ultimately fail. No great surprise there.

back in action

It's weird to think that this was the start to my inaugural weekend: Cocktails at Halo, complete with red, white, and blue ambient lighting. Good friends, good drinks, followed by good food, followed by math jokes on chalkboards (integral of e to the power of x, anyone?)...

Sadly, the fun-filled weekend was destined to be short lived.

Actually, what I found while taking out trash pre-night-out-on-the-town should have clued me in to what was to eventually follow:

Yeah... Not a pretty picture by any stretch of the imagination. I only hope the little guy had expired before the gate closed (if that doesn't make sense, don't ask... trust me, you'll be better off).

At any rate, my fun night out on the town was on the happier side of a punctuating phone call I'd rather not go in to at the moment. Suffice it to say, that call led to a last-minute flight reservation, a 5 a.m. trek to the Dupont Circle Metro station...

...some quality reading time spent at a practically deserted gate...

...a window seat...

...which was awesome. The screaming baby sitting directly behind me? Not so much...

...some fantastic astronautically inspired artwork throughout SFO...

...complete with some bitching robots (I'm a sucker for robots (they're the new pirates, you know))...

...and that's all I really feel like getting in to at the moment. Maybe I'll talk about it more later on. Then again, maybe I won't.

Not like it really matters either way.

fallen soldier, revisited

When first we met, our once proud street sign, which had raised high the roof beam of parking regulations for carpenters, Zone 2 District residents, and visitors alike, lay limp and ineffectual beside a small pile of busted brick—disrupted earth in the wake of a rude de-rooting of natural flora.

And now, joined by his disgarded xmas tree brethren. Scrap metal and firewood that will never realize their innate potential.

Triple sadness.

behold what obama hath wrought

It begins...

Don't get me wrong: I'm all for DC state rights, DC congressional representation, the DC quarter... and all things DC, really. I love this city. It's my home away from home.

Literally.

And I'm all for Obama and just as excited as the next guy. As far as I'm concerned, Jan. 20 can't get here quickly enough! It's the day I've spent the last 8 years waiting for.

But lately, things seem to be getting more than a little out of hand.

Could it be the $7,000 inaugural apartment rentals on craigslist? Or Pepsi's painfully transparent "Yes You Can" ads?

Nope. That's just capitalism at work. Greed, Opportunism, and Co-Opting = The American Way, right?

Is it the weekend gossip buzz surrounding our Commander in Chief-to-be and Mayor Adrian Fenty hitting up Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street?



Nah, that's just bad ass. Especially since the man paid for his hot dog (yes, DC residents, I'm well aware that it's called a half-smoke, or whatever, but a hot dog is a hot dog is a hot dog (except when it's a Polish sausage)).

The fact that all bridges connecting DC to Arlington will be shut down for vehicular traffic, and residential parking for much of the District is assured to be a 4-day horrorfest?

Well, yes, that undeniably sucks. But it's bureaucracy at its best (or evil worst (you say tomato...)), and therefore not at all surprising.

How about the Ikea mock Oval Office being set up in Union Station?

Hmm... not that strange, all things considered, but when you factor in the mock motorcade complete with furniture strapped to a limo and some Suburbans? Yeah, we're definitely getting warmer...

Oh, and on top of that, Inauguration Day is on Twitter and Facebook?!??

Yes. Most definitely out of hand.

on your knees

See the stick figure sticker on the door handle? I keep finding this guy everywhere. I first noticed him on the Thomas Circle street sign, back in September 2007:


Never really gave it much thought, other than the fact that it reminds me of some of the album art from OK Computer, so I like it.

But recently, it keeps popping up. Like out in front of the 7-11.


Radiohead resemblance aside, I don't get it.

What are you trying to tell me, stick figure man?

obey old school

It'd been an awfully long time since I'd seen an o.g. "Andre the Giant Has a Posse," and not one of the everybody-and-their-mother knock offs that have followed in its wake. While I'm more of a fan of Fairey's mixed media work, it's nice to remember his roots—especially now that he's got his Esquire cover.

As for Mad Decent, you can check it out here and here. Diplo's worth a listen. Besides, you have to love a fellow dinosaur lover.

fallen soldier

Sadness.

from dc to disney

I'm sure you're well aware, but Benjamin Franklin is the only non-U.S. President to grace our currency... and they decided to slap his face on the $100 bill. That makes my heart smile.

So does this:




Oh, Disney, how far you've fallen...

Ah well, at least we've got Pixar!

P.S. If you or someone else in your life happen to be a Benjamin Franklin fan, you must click here now. I mean it. That's an order, soldier.

obey omnipresence

I think one of my favorite things about living in DC is the fact that Shepard Fairey's stuff is everywhere, sometimes tucked away on the back of a street sign on a cheap black & white sticker a la Kinkos, sometimes plastered as an urban alley mural, but always there just waiting for someone to stop and take notice.

Don't ask me what's up with the "Art Rat" squirrel in Mickey Mouse ears... Gotta love a mixed metaphor.

And it's not as if I didn't notice his stuff in the other places I've lived—the East Bay is more than a little fond of its Obey Giant stickers—but the comparative volume here is somewhat overwhelming. Kind of like how Berkeley is the only place I've found Trystero muted post-horn tags. I'm sure you can find them in just about every city if you look hard enough, but strongly doubt the frequency is really comparable.



Just finished reading Born Standing Up by Steve Martin yesterday, so this one jumped out at me. It was interesting to hear about the transition from the Summer of Love to the 1970s. Given the atrocities and horror of our first national conflict for the television age, combined with the failure death of Flower Power, is it any wonder that hippies gave way to the "Me" Decade?

But it's nice to see the imagery being appropriated for today's "unwinnable war(s)."

Speaking of appropriate...


After being inundated with depressing headline after depressing headline for so long it feels like the sky was always falling, this got a good laugh out of me—albeit a bittersweet one, but hey, these days I'll take what I can get. And the irony is oh-so-delicious ("no cents," read "sense").

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I hope to one day meet Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson...

...so's I can kick him in the crotch.

'twas the night before xmas...

Looks like someone decided to spread some holiday cheer.

Can't exactly say much of it rubbed off on me, but it did put a smile on my face.

Some more seasonal merriment...

A window display at a greenhouse / shop about a block and a half from my place.


Ye Old Post Office.


Complete with some pre-inaugural preparations.




The view from Pennsylvania Avenue.


The National Menorah.


For the Pagans in the crowd.


And everyone's favorite reindeer with my favorite misfit toy.


Happy Christmakwanzikah, kids!

hep to the jive

If you have the chance to check out Eric Lewis, I strongly suggest that you do.

DCist tipped me off to the fact that he was playing at HR-57, so I talked to my fellow California transplant Sean, and we decided to check it out.

First things first, the joint takes its name from House Resolution 57, passed in 1987, which established jazz as a valuable American artform. Legislation worth remembering, who knew?

Second: Jazz Club + BYOB = Too Hip For Words.

And completing the trifecta, it's all about the atmosphere. Exposed brick, cozy candlelit tables tucked away in darkened corners, it's got a speakeasy vibe that's unlike any venue I've ever seen. Love it.

As if that weren't enough to make a night of it, the music... totally mind-blowing. The first set started with an improvisational interpretation of "Clocks" by Coldplay—a song I've never liked, and yet, by some auditory miracle, suddenly I found myself falling in love.

And that was just the beginning.

From there, things got progressively more intense, from the violinist soloing so furiously he snapped the catgut of his bow to Lewis banging out notes on the piano's strings. You couldn't ask for a more electric, high-energy performance. I easily call it one of my favorite East Coast moments.

Definitely worth more than the price of admission.

shopping is a feeling

Ask David Bryne if you don't get it.

Meanwhile, I'm still trying to process Obama's inaugural opening prayer pick. And I'm failing to do so. Which is fine by me, because it's not something I want to move past.

Because it's wrong.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, go google it and educate yourself.

So much for a "brand new bright Obama day," ugh, so disappointing...



Here's some of what I plan to have blaring at full volume in my headphones to drown out the opening prayer on inauguration day:







"You don't have the balls to be a queer."

Amen, Ben Weasel. Amen.

if i wanted to write about myself in the third person, i would have developed a god complex.

So, I'm incredibly fortunate that my friend Melinda is the editor of an awesome luxury lifestyle/dwelling consumer magazine, Las Vegas Home + Design, and wonder of wonders, she actually lets me freelance for her.

However! The caveat is that sometimes she wants to also run my "quirky bio" on her contributors page.

Which means I have to write about myself.

Which = Not So Awesome.

And the upcoming issue is one of those times. So I took a stab at it...

As often as she daydreams about a return to the West Coast, Lisa Brown has recently determined that she made her way to the nation's capital for a reason: Namely, to be present for the inauguration of Barack Obama. It's the first moment of history in her lifetime of which she's found herself genuinely ecstatic to be a part. And if you happen to find yourself in the District Jan. 19, keep an eye out for her celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in style, sipping a beverage of the alcoholic variety on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The verdict?

Rejected. Color me surprised.*

Take 2:

When she's not juggling editorial deadlines, which is next-door to never, Lisa Brown spends her time capturing random snapshots with her trusty camera and explaining obscure novels to strangers. Her steadfast companion and partner in crime is a chocolate lab / border collie mix named Lindy (tip o' the hat to Charles Lindbergh and his eponymous variation of swing dance). Unfortunately, the canine in question is somewhat agoraphobic,** which makes morning and evening walks something of a production.

Still waiting to see if that one cuts the mustard...


*If you do not immediately notice the sarcasm that is literally dripping off that sentence, you do not know me. At all.

**No lie. True story.

big up, lil' buddha

Yeah, I don't know either.

'tis the season

It's 10 days 'til X-Mas Eve, and DC's decked the proverbial halls in twinkling lights and pine trees. Blissfully, I think I've only heard holiday music a grand total of 3 times thus far... which is pretty remarkable, considering the onslaught typically begins about the day after Halloween.

However, this...



Not ok.

He scares me...