This is Dave Smooth (aka "Nose Ring Dave") with Rick "Rude" taking a little breather from the crowd at tonight's Fine Art Photo opening. Their nick names may be similar to those of professional wrestlers, but I assure you they are not. Although they do share the wrestling persona. Dave's project consisted of photographs of peoples' scars (one of them mine) and Rick displayed simulated-antiquated Cold War spy document photos (none of them mine). ... Tonight I also enjoyed the Fine Arts and Graphic Design openings. The feeling of the Fine Arts show made me think of exhibits I've seen at the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh, which is also my favorite museum. I don't count on much these days, but on Thursdays I know I can count on good art and free wine at the Corcoran Gallery.
This is Jen. She is my ex-girlfriend. She works at Swing's, the coffee shop I hang out in. My friend Andrew runs the place. He gave her the job after we broke up. (Some friend!) Me and Jen still get along. I am happy that she will soon be officially graduating from Georgetown University. She is really smart with no common sense. She is a really nice person. Almost ... No, everyday I ask her for an iced coffee. Here she is getting me an ices coffee today. Hey, that use to be my skivvy shirt! Weird.
I looked for a job today. I am going to check out another lead tomorrow. It seems like things are starting to stand still.
Worst than a man who rides his bike on the sidewalk, I made a terrible judgment error on a paper I turned in over a month ago. To say the least I didn't put the effort into it that I should have. Worse, I have lost self-respect and the respect of my instructor. I haven't got my bike out yet this year because I'm afraid I'll ride it on the sidewalk and become a hypocrite.
Some organizers say the number of protestors today reached over 1 million. The Metropolitan Police released the more conservative estimate of 800,000 protestors. I went to the Ellipse, the park between the White House and the Washington Monument. There was a picket line that could possibly have reached over a hundred thousand people. It was an amazing site. In the future I imagine they'll have booths set up offering free abortions. I wish they had food vendors too.
March for Abortion Doctors' Jobs
I saw these two abortion doctors marching past the Washington Monument and asked their names. The woman was stand-offish and then just said, "No." I understood why later. It's a touchy thing being an abortion doctor. A lot of folks don't like them. I don't think I could have one as a friend ... It would be weird. Who do they hang out with? Undertakers and embalmers?
Two schools in Annapolis, the Naval Academy and St. John's had a croquet tournament today. It is a unique annual festival welcoming the summer. They tell me St. John's wins the match every year. Much later tonight I went to the 9:30 Club with some friends but I had a headache and decided to go home. I was expecting to relax but my neighbors are partying. At least they're normal people.
Today I went with Kat to try the iced-coffee at Caribou Coffee. It's definitely not as good as the coffee at Swing's. It tasted like watery instant coffee, Kat agreed. But, she said Caribou has an awesome air conditioner ... and they did. Kat is from Boston and goes to the Corcoran for fine arts. Behind her in this photo is the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery, formerly the Corcoran Gallery.
These are my friends Maris and Andrew. We went to Haydee's Salvadorian Resturant tonight for some heartburn. I am still burping. My buddy Andrew had to leave the table after a few bites to get some Tums from 7-eleven. We went and saw a show at the 9:30 Club, Sleater-Kinney. They were a pretty rocking girl-band. But there is a big difference between music fueled by testosterone and music fueled by estrogen.
I walked past the new World Bank Building construction site today. I talked to a carpenter, some brick masons and a nice security guard lady with a pink helmet. When I think back I remember the common things that I discuss at construction sites. The building under construction, weather, mishaps and near-mishaps, union and non-union, how much the tower crane operators make (I hear approx. $40/hr.), are all the subjects of conversation. I walked down to the National Mall with some other students from school and threw the Frisbee and sat in the shade trees near the Smithsonian. Later, Stereolab played at the 9:30 Club and it was a great show.
This is my friend and former instructor Casey. I went over to his house for the first time today. It seems like a great place. Much better than my place. I thought I wouldn't mind living in a basement apartment ... now I feel like I live in a cave. Casey has high-speed internet, unlike myself. It was on the blink though while I was there. "Isn't that always how it happens," said Casey. I showed him the internet forecast on my cell phone. The weather was great today.
I had to re-shot some studio photos at school. I ate a trout sandwich on my walk to school. Much later on today I realized I left my new credit card in Baltimore, and cancelled it. I first noticed its disapearrance when, after eating with my friends Andrew and Maris, the bill came. It may be more embarassing than having your credit card rejected. Other than that I've been walking around with a headache all day. I took this picture of a flower in a front yard on Capitol Hill.
Hello friends, tonight was a great night out. It was the first night I saw one of my favorite bands, Q and not U play outside of D.C. Yes, Maris carted us to Baltimore's Ottobar in her Explorer. Decahedron was another great District band whom I had previously not been informed of. The night started great ... I even had a girlfriend, Adrianne, for part of the show. After the show while we were leaving I got into so sort of a fight. My knuckles are bleeding and my forearm is sore ... but at least it's not my head. Thanks to my friend Andrew who backed me up against the ruthlessness of late-night Baltimore. Jen and Maris ... sorry for the occurance. Goodnight and good weekend!
I went to see the National Guard recruiter today. It looks like it may be a good opportunity. It's something I'll have to think about a little longer. They advertise a minimmum $8,000 bonus on the internet. Unfortunately they have ran out of bonus money and stopped offering bonuses a few months ago. The National Guard Armory is a huge building ... big enough to have Ringling Bros. Circus in last weekend. During my tour I noticed the basement still smelt like elephant crap. After the recruiter I went downtown to get some work done before my class started. All the chairs in that classroom look comfortable, looks are deciving. They are the most uncomfortable chairs in the school. I should have grabbed a chair off of the caterer going up the Corcoran Gallery's front steps.
I woke up at 6:30 am. I was downtown by 8 am. It was a great day, nice and rainy. In the afternoon it stopped raining. I needed something to eat. My former professor, Casey Smith suggested Naan and Beyond Indian Cuisine, 1710 L Street NW. He claimed "cheap eats." I met him at Swing's Coffee Shop and we were gone. I ate as much as I could, and then complained about the strange chicken pieces I found in it. I guess this place doesn't know what pieces of chicken people like to eat. I would go back, but I'd stick to the vegan stuff. We had a good sports photo class tonight. Our guest speaker was Washington Post photographer John McDonald. It was a great presentation. I was soo ready to get home tonight I unbuckled my belt as I turned the corner to walk down my street. I guess that would be nearly equivalent to taking your shoes off when you get on the bus after a long day.
There are many ways to get around D.C. When it is raining and I am going more than a mile I prefer to take the bus. Today I took the bus to the Corcoran Campus H St Library and applied for a variety of photographic internships and summer jobs. Aside from that I did two favors that both involved photography. I am also researching the pros and cons of joining the Army National Guard. I just wish there were no such thing as the Nazi ... I mean Patriot Act. If I get an internship, chances are I'll need reliable transportation. If I join the military, they provide the transportation ... but to where?
I had a class early in the morning today. It was raining at 7am and it's still raining now. After class I went outside to Kareem's hot dog cart on New York and 17th St NW. Kareem was doing what everyone feels like doing on a rainy monday, taking a nap. Hot dog vendors are nice people ... but after a while you start to feel suspicious of them. Are they trying to kill me with that food?! Here is a poem I wrote about Kareem's cart;
good food right outside
can't eat it all the time though
it's bad for my insides
I got a bus headed downtown today. Arrived too late to meet a friend from class at the studio. I developed some film instead. All of the film that was in my flat file turned out black. The two sheets of 4x5 I developed for a classmate which turned out perfect. After that hung out with a couple friends who live by the school in Foggy Bottom. When I left there I bought two 99 cent cheeseburgers from McDonald's and ate the second one on the wrong bus. I got on the 32 instead of the 42. I got off a couple blocks later. Called another friend and stopped by his place to watch some television. Played a couple video games and started my walk home. On the way I followed some drunken punks around. They were yelling and trying to cause trouble. I thought I might get some good pictures ... no. Then Solomon and Susan saw me and gave me a ride home. Easter was filled with victories and defeats.
This is my friend Jen and her Parents Diane and Bob. They drove down here from Upstate New York to visit Jen for Easter. If you live in the District you become prepared to have more visitors than just your parents. I've had my share of visitors. You become a private tour guide. It's fun. One of the problems you might run into while guiding your own tour around D.C. is what to do at night if your guests don't partake in the tom foolery that surrounds drinking alcohol. In two years I have come up with four answers to this question -- movies, coffee, bookstore, or sleep. Tonight Jen was visiting Mount Pleasant with her parents so I met them at Haydee's Salvadorian Cuisine. Quirky atmosphere, the food is decent and always hardy. The only real drawbacks are it's a little too authentic and the slow service. It took four requests to finally get the check.
Here at the corner of K St. and Connecticut NW scooter people risk their lives several times a day. But I really like the idea that people are zooming around on these things that don't even have to have an inspection. You don't even need a license or insurance! It would be cool if more people had them. There are a few people who give scooter people everywhere a bad name ... and since I don't have a scooter I'm not one of them.
I finally finished the last chapter of Technopoly by Neil Postman today. It's a great book ... now I start skimming The Age Of Spiritual Machines by Ray Kurzweil. Great books about how technology changed civilization and the way modern people think. Postman is very witty in his writing. He jokes about the ironic issues of civilization and uses epiphanies as their punch lines. In Postman's book he says that painting is nearly three times as old as writing. That means a picture was worth a thousand words long before their were even words!
I thought I might take some pictures of people working at night. I saw a group of construction workers waiting for a lift up the side of a building around 20th and K Streets NW. I walked over to them and asked one guy if he was working the night shift. "From 9 to 5 in the morning," he replied. The I said, pointing at the elevator, "I bet that's kind of scary going up in that?" "Yeah, it is."
Less-Than Skeletal Elevator
Marvin and Jose are brick masons that work the night shift. They work the night shift because of the high traffic of K St. At night it's less likely that pedestrians will be hit by falling bricks.
This is All Souls Unitarian Church and tonight's full Moon. All Souls is one of three churches and a Masonic Temple that stands near the intersections of 16th St and Columbia Rd NW. Of all the grand structures at the corner this may be the oldest. Founded as the First Unitarian Church in 1821 it celebrated its first ceremony June 9, 1822 under the Rev. Robert Little. The bell use to be sounded for a variety of reasons including a local fire alarm. However, in 1859 the bell was sounded publicly for the last time mourning the hanging of abolitionist John Brown.
My friend and webmaster Jen and I went to Chu's Cafe, a chinese place on Prospect St in Georgetown specializing in "healthy Chinese food." We went there after Jen helped me put my portfolio up on this site. The portions are small, but cheap. And it is probably the best Chinese food you're going to get in the District. This is a picture of the ginger tea that comes in big glass mugs. It's very tastey but the floating ginger pieces get annoying.
Dan poses for a picture near the White House on 17th St NW. He is an artist who graduated from the Corcoran. He's also the manager of an online football team.
Tonight's Forcast: Dark
It's been raining for a few days now. It's still getting dark at night.
John Sack was a great and creative writer. He had a personal style of storytelling that was truely unique. I had the pleasure of meeting him while he was covering the activities of an old unit of mine in the North Arabian Sea. He later met up with us in Kandahar. I had a lot of time to talk to him on the ship and in Kandahar. When he got back to the states his health suddenly declined. This past holiday season I had the chance to visit him several times while I was in San Francisco. I am greatful that he had the time to spend with me and considered me a friend. Towards the end he told me he was in a lot of pain and would welcome death ... I know he's in a much more comfortable place now. And pieces of him will live on in everyone lucky enough to have met him. {obituary}
This is a freight train crossing the trestle from Washington, D.C. to Alexandria, Va. I took this picture earlier today from the Yellow Line Metro. I was on my way back from National Airport seeing off my friends Karl and James. They are headed back to the sun of Florida.
The Famed 42 Route
This is the 42 bus. It starts in Mount Pleasant, goes through Adams-Morgan and Dupont, and straight through the majority of downtown. This is the bus I ride most often.
