Going out with a BAM!

Well folks, this is the last post of the 2011 year with CAPSLove, and I know you know what that means: it’s going to be extra amazing and special. We’re going out with a BAM! And who better to BAM us out than with Bam Margera  chef Emeril! First off is this awesome video where he appears with Elmo and some friends.

Did you see something odd there? I’ll give you a hint: pause that video around 0:39 seconds. No? nothing unusual? Let me help you out:

Looks to me, like we’ve got ourselves a pizza-face on our hands here. I know what you’re thinking: what on earth are we going to do with an unintentional pizza face?? I’m glad you asked. First, I want you to take that picture and use it to create whatever message you desire.I’m got a fantastic homage to Mr. Bill going below:

Yup, the possibilities are endless. Thanks to that signature, “BAM” of Emeril and to Elmo and his unintentionally creative/awesome pals, we can now properly close out 2011. Happy New Years and I’ll see y’all in 2012!

A Vegetarian Mix Up

Every year my co-workers and I are treated to a fancy lunch paid by my boss. It’s something I look forward to every year. We either do it for Thanksgiving or the winter holidays, and today was out annual paid for lunch for the holidays. The small group of the five of us headed over to Gordon Biersch in Chinatown to imbibe in the fancy food and beer that they serve up.

I walk by the restaurant/brewery almost daily and was just talking about the joint with a friend a few weeks ago, so I was pretty pumped. On G.B.’s website, I had noticed a vegetarian menu, which was pretty cool that they were so accommodating. (I’ve decided that for the month of December, and maybe longer, I’m going what I’ve called, Buffalo Wing-aterian; i.e: the only meat I will allow myself to eat are buffalo wings!) But when we got to our seats, I didn’t see the vegetarian menu out, and I was too shy to ask for one, so I figured I could just find something off the normal menu.

It came down to two dishes I was deciding over: lobster or salmon? The idea of a ginger rice seemed delectable, but the lobster would probably be more “lunch-like” and promising. So I went with the “Lobster Burger.” I must not have read the description correctly, because when my food came, I was thoroughly surprised. So surprised even, that when the waiter brought it out, I initially turned it away, since it didn’t look like what I had pictured it being. I should have just turned it back, because what I got ended up being a jumbo beef burger with a few measly pieces of lobster on top. For some reason, I thought I was ordering a lobster sandwich, and it was just called a “burger” for reasons unknown. (Yes, I thought it was odd, when they asked me how I’d like it cooked, but again, I assumed they were referring to the lobster, sort of like how you can get tuna cooked differently. Obviously, I don’t eat out enough. Maybe  I’m not as much a foodie as I had hoped I was.)

My lunch became compromised of the addicting garlic fries.

I was tempted to send it back, but it was my mistake that I misunderstood the menu/didn’t actually read the description, so I delved into the rest of the food on the plate. I eagerly gulped up the few small tidbits of lobster, and then created an odd sandwich of garlic fries, ketchup, lettuce, and tomato on the burger buns. Not the most delicious substitute, but thankfully our appetizer and the delicious beer I had (Hefeweizen) had proved substantial.

When the waiter came to clear our plates, I had to somehow explain that the reason a perfectly good slab of meat was left alone on my plate was because I mistakenly ordered wrong. It was pretty embarrassing but our waiter apologized profusely and offered to get me a crab cake instead. I had already missed the opportunity to send my dish back and had eaten everything else, so I turned down the generous offer. I was also surprisingly full- though maybe I was just overwhelmed with embarrassment. Thankfully, a co-worker offered to take my burger home to her daughter or dog, so the food wasn’t wasted.

I just felt so incredibly silly. I had been looking forward to this paid lunch for months, and when the time came, I basically ended up having a beer, french fries, and two burger buns. That’s not really what I call a meal worth the wait and the money, but at least the beer was especially delicious! I joked that I should have just had beer for lunch and that that would have been cheaper and more promising. Oh well, I guess that means I should just go back and better read the menu next time!

Brooks Laich Winks For The Ladies

Everyone loves the Caps’ forward and team heartthrob, Brooks Laich. So today I’m sharing with you, a beautiful little tidbit of Brooks. Brought to you from the fine folks at Comcast Sportsnet and spotted on a recent post by Russian Machine Never Breaks (RMNB), there is a fine, fine video of Brooks and teammate Joel Ward wishing everyone a merry Christmas. The video is short and sweet and shows the two rehearsing their message before finally getting it right. One more excuse to watch Brooks in his “underroos” is fine with me, but my favorite part is his super cute wink at the end:

My, my, my, what a wink. And Joel Ward’s harmless almost-smile isn’t too shabby either. You can find the fantastic video here and make sure to save that link- I’m sure you’ll want to re-watch it many times. Thanks guys, for the thoroughly entertaining few minutes. I know I’m satisfied.

TFLW 52

This is the 52nd week I have done “Thoughts From Last Week,” so this should be my one-year anniversary of this CAPSLove installment. But it’s not, as I haven’t kept up with it for 52 consecutive weeks. Instead, this can just act as a faux anniversary. Rather, this is the final TFLW of the 2011 year. It’s been swell y’all. Here goes nothing…

——

Reasons (pertaining to technology) as to why I could be classified as a Hipster:

• my TV screen is the same size/smaller than my laptop screen (roughly 15-17″?)
• not only do I own a VCR, but I use it regularly
• I also regularly use a portable CD player as a means to listen to music.
• I recently brought to my apartment, my record player and extensive record collection. While other people are getting iPhones and iPads for the holidays, I’m looking into trying to get my antiquated technology to work.

I’m seeing The Muppet Movie and (so far) I’m the oldest non-parent person in the theatre. Now that takes talent.

I think it’s funny that Christians are celebrating the birthday of a Jew. Because that’s what Christmas is really all about, no?

Why can’t you really say, “Happy Christmas,” but saying “Merry Christmas” is the way to go? Why can Christmas only be merry and not happy? Is ‘happy’ not good enough?

I read the first three chapters of, Uncle Tom’s Cabin and I was surprised how I couldn’t put the book down. I’ve never read the book before, but I feel like if I were to read it in public, I’d have to get a book jacket or something since the book is so controversial.

Best New Years movie ever: The Hudsucker Proxy.

You know, for kids!

 

Street Art: “A Visual Gift”

It seems like Penn Quarter is quietly becoming the new hot spot for street art sightings. It’s surprising because this little neighborhood is always changing its appearance and is currently going through some remodeling in terms of new business coming in. Over the past few weeks, I’ve already seen some pretty cool street art budding along the streets, so it’s cool to see a consistent flow of new pieces popping up.

Today, I’m featuring a piece I saw at the beginning of the week. Drawing on the Postal Service’s address stickers is popular, probably one reason being, because they are a free medium. As I was walking down on 7th St., I couldn’t help noticing this bright design, gracing the side of the future Wagamama. I love the bright colors used and the playful amorphous design shown. The warm colors stand out in these (supposed) colder months. I also like that you can see that this piece was obviously drawn using markers/pens, a very accessible drawing medium, unlike some street art pieces done with spray paint or a printing process. This piece is like a visual gift for the eye, not dealing with any (obvious) message or reference. How delightful!

The “Non-Love Song” Song of the Day: Holiday Edition

It’s another much needed edition of the “Non-Love Song” Song of the Day. I don’t know about you folk, but I like to think of this as a sort of “therapy” for my life. What do you have to turn to when your friends are all getting married/pregnant/dating/etc? Why, you turn to CAPSLove of course, for your next helping of songs that have nothing to do with all of that. Because let’s face it, some of the best music has nothing to do with love, and that’s how I like it.

One of the only good things about the various winter holiday music is that it rarely has anything to do with love. Maybe it’s a wholesome kind of “everyone should love one another” love, but I don’t necessarily include that in the love songs genre. A song about a reindeer with a red nose has nothing to do with love. As song about a spinning top that is made out of clay also has nothing to do with love. So as much as I may not prefer to hear the never-ending melodies this time of year that help to celebrate the winter-time holidays, it could be worse. They could be love songs.

So here are some of the best versions of Non-Love Songs that relate to the holidays. First up is “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” by none other than one of my favorite groups, The Temptations. I love this version: it’s got soul, it’s got funk, and it’s something you can dance to, rather than hear some squeaky kids sing. This cover should be substituted for every other version you will hear on the radio. It’s great.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Pudge.

Next up is probably the greatest version of “I Have A Little Dreidel” that has ever been done. This song is done to the tune of, “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me,” and because I know you just won’t believe it, you should definitely give it a listen. I love that these are two completely different songs, but that someone figured out how to get them to work together. This song too, has soul and it’s unique and I’m pretty sure that from now on, this is the tune to which I will sing the well-known song.

Wow, this is bad.

So next time you decide to listen to your favorite non-denominational holiday music, I advise you to choose wisely and pick a song that has nothing to do with love. Sure, it might not be difficult, but those love songs can hide well amongst the holiday cheer. No thanks, lovey dovey songs, I’m fine rocking out to the rest of the mix!

The Least Popular Man On The Caps

Many of the players on the Washington Capitals are well loved and pretty popular among the fans. Some of the most popular guys seem to be Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green, Brooks Laich, Mike Knuble, Nicklas Backstrom, and the dynamic duo of John Carlson + Karl Alzner. I think it’s great that there are so many popular Caps players on the team, and that’s just naming a few. But here’s a question for you: which current Caps player is the least likeable/has the smallest fan base?

Now don’t get me wrong- I love all of the Capitals. But many people can see that fans flock to the coolest guy, the best player, the newest face, the most crazy personality. It’s no secret that attracting fans is something of a silly popularity contest. It shouldn’t be, but let’s face it- at least in the professional sports world, that’s how things tend to work.

I’m pretty sure that at one point the least interesting man on the team was D.J. King (a.k.a: my former favorite Cap). But tough guy King doesn’t play with the Caps anymore, so he’s out of the running. So instead, I’m nominating the following four (and still awesome) Caps players for the Least Popular Man On The Team. Maybe this will get the word out that these guys need a growing fan base too!

Troy Brouwer

First up is Troy Brouwer. Sure, he might be scoring goals this year, but this new face to the team, hasn’t seemed to get many fans this season. This 26 year old’s beady eyes and itty bitty teeth may not be what many fans find glorious to look at, but if we can all just look past this guy’s piercing physique, I think we can all agree that Brouwer’s crashing hits and sneaky goals are what really matters to the Caps team.

Joel Ward

Joel Ward seems to be left out of everyone’s list of cool players on the team. I don’t know what it is about this 31 year old, but he strikes me as the strong, silent type. Perhaps it’s the Western Conference (Ward’s former home) that the Caps don’t play much against, that adds to this guy’s mystery. I’m not even going to say his lack of popularity if because he’s one of the few black players, because Donald Brashear was hugely popular when he played in D.C., so that hypothesis is out of the question. Come on now, Joel’s worth another shot.

Roman Hamrlik

This third guy is also new to the Caps for the 2011-12 season. Roman Hamrlik is the second oldest on the Caps team (falling by two years to Knuble) at 37. I’m going to guess that Roman’s age is what’s keeping fans from being attracted to him, but frankly that’s just agism right there and it shouldn’t be decided like that. I’m hoping Roman will get more ice time because maybe all he needs is more exposure.

Jeff Schultz

I hate to admit this, but it kind of took me a while to find a good picture of Schultzy. (Thanks, Scarlet Caps!) Schultz’s lack of popularity on the team is kind of odd, since he’s been with the team for a while. Yet, for some reason, he doesn’t seem to garner many fans. “Double Nickel” (as he’s sometimes referred to, for his number is 55) is the Caps’ tallest player coming in at 6’6″ and is a pretty consistent defenseman. This 25 year old is still young and building his hockey career, but I think more fans need to take a second look at this tall glass of water.

So those four men are my nominations for player who needs to come out at the end with “Most Improved” in the team’s popularity contest. It’s sad, I know, but it’s also kind of true. I think D.C.’s fans really need to branch out and learn about some of the quieter, lesser-known guys on the team! I hope this posting will get the word out that there are some other Caps guys who need some lovin’ too!

I’m Sorry- I’m Not Going To Apologize

I’m having the following absolutely insane conversation with a friend right now. Because it is one of the most absurd conversations, I am more than pleased to share it. My friends are crazy.

Matt: Like seriously are we done? You didn’t even call me back.

Me: No, I’ve been crazy busy. What! I texted and called you last night.

Matt: Well you can crazy-busy it right out of my life.

Me: That’s ok. I don’t need to do xmas with your family anyways.

Matt: I thought it was implied that you were uninvited.

Me: Ok. Your loss.

Matt: Your loss.

. . . . .

Matt: Well, are you going to apologize? Or are we just gonna sit in this awkward silence?

Me: …I should apologize for what? For calling you back and being busy?

Matt: it’s called saying, “I’m sorry.”

Me: I know. But what should I be sorry for?

Matt: Just be sorry for once in your life.

Me: For the sake of being sorry? I don’t think it works that way.

Matt: You know what you did and so does Jesus.

Me: No. I know that you’re a drama queen, but here’s what I’ll do for you-

I’m sorry Matt, but I’m not going to say “sorry” for something I didn’t do. Saying sorry for the sake of saying sorry doesn’t work. Sorry!

 Matt: That’s all you had to say.

Is that not the most ridiculous conversation you’ve ever read? I know it is for me. And the fact that my friend even accepted my non-apology as an apology just takes the cake. It is as if my friend was only interested in seeing me say the word, “sorry;” but not to actually use its meaning. Seriously, what a weird concept!

TFLW 51

Sorry for the short edition this week but apparently when I start my work rather late in the day, my blogging just gets pushed further as well. But I figured that something short and sweet would be better than nothing at all. So below are some Hipsters/Metro/Pokemon-inspired Thoughts From Last Week. If I didn’t know better (I don’t), I’d day that that is a pretty fantastic combination right there! Enjoy!

——

Hipsters might be living in and migrating to Columbia Heights, but they’re hanging out in the area they originated in D.C: Chinatown.

If it’s a debate over which most customers prefer: a Metro train stalling on the tracks while waiting for a train in front of it to leave the station versus inching forward and then stopping abruptly every few seconds, I’m sure everyone would prefer the former.

Everyone always complains about how Dupont Circle has the longest Metro escalator, but I think Rosslyn’s is longer.

Omg they’re playing a song from the Pokemon movie soundtrack at the bar I’m at for kickball and I LOVE that I recognized it from that!

Street Art: Janky, Batman, and I Rock

It’s Street Art Friday! And I have some pretty amazing samples of street art and graffiti to share with you this week. Today’s posting is unique because it features three very different styles of street art, but all of which are pretty rad. They can’t get much more different: we have stickers, a flier, and paint as for mediums. Styles range from the comic book-looking to the child-like hand drawings. The only thing tying these all together is that all three images use only a black and white color palette. Let’s take a look-see, shall we?

First are a couple of stickers by an artist I assume is named “JANKY.” (Hi back!) These pieces speak playful messages to the viewer and are very self-aware of themselves. The first, “JANKY made me” depicts a young figure that is slightly androgynous-looking. The figure has their wrists bound together and is shown in an awkward position. The second figure is simply wearing a large puffy jacket and holding a sign. The comic-book stylings of these figures stand out to the viewer and work well with the combination of the bold lettering.

Next up is a simple flier with a humorous but simple message. We see the well known figure of Batman, with the text, “Believe in me plz,” implying to the viewer that Batman isn’t a real person. But even though the popular super hero may not be accepted as being real or successful (the question of whether we should “believe” is not specific in to what it is referring to), he is petitioning for himself to be recognized. The child-like drawing and abbreviated spelling/text-speak immediately grabbed my attention: I wanted to know what this flier was from and who created it.

So while the first two photos were taken last Saturday in Friendship Heights, I can’t remember the exact location of this third image. On the back of this stop sign we see a number of different tags, stickers, and drawings, but my absolute favorite is the graffiti image of the figure with the words, “I ROCK.” Yes you do, cute little person-figure. I love that this artist chose what looks like kid proclaiming how cool they are, as the subject for their graffiti. It’s simple, lovable style captivated me right away. And it delights with with a positive message. You rock, kiddo! I hope to see more graffiti like this that is so awesome.