I was at some friends' house helping them drink a couple bottles of wine. Later, while I was walking home dreaming about the giant slice of pizza I was going to buy in Adams-Morgan. About four blocks from the fire I smelt burning plastic. The smell got stronger and I ran down the street after the firetrucks.
No one was seriously injured. I overheard one of the firemen saying that someone had a couple broken ribs, that's it. They had the flames out in a matter of minutes. But there was one guy there who was pretty traumatized. Everything he had was burnt up in the fire.
[Yuck! I wish the greasy pizza I ate at Pizza Mart had burnt up in the fire.]
The snowy weather left a lot of workers at home. The weather caused the cancelation of schools in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. The snow only enhanced a visit to Layfeyette Square made by a bus of Chinese tourists looking at the White House.
I was upset that both the classes I had today were cancelled.
This is Adam, a security guard at the Corcoran College. I talk with him and say hello when I go into the school. Adam came here from Egypt as a political refugee. I joked (hardly) that recently the U.S. itself has it's share of political prisoners. Adam is a good guy nonetheless, and having lived here a number of years he will soon be a U.S. Citizen.
Increase Activity for Warmth
The flock of pigeons in Mt. Pleasant is much more active in the cold weather. I might be more active in the winter sometimes. It's nicer to walk in cold weather because there's less people on the sidewalk.
[Went to the Black Cat music venue tonight to see The Frequency and M.M.R. Decent bands if you're looking to rock with awkward sophistication.]
When I got back from the holidays I noticed that they had put a fence up around the White House. I thought it might have something to do with the Iowa Polls. No reason. Then I thought it might have something to do with the State of the Union Address. Today, an honestly nice Secret Service guy said it was just road work. Well of course there's going to be a facade to the whole operation. Road-worker "guests" from Bush's Immigrant Worker Plan.
I had my second class of the semester today, Video Art for the Visual Artist. Another winner.
This Dead-headed Woodpecker was the first picture I took today. It looks mighty beautiful for a dead bird. And boring. However, what was not boring was my first Action/Sports Photography class tonight. Our professor shoots sports for the Washington Times. It was the best first day of any class I can remember. There are some very interesting techniques in sports photography. I learned a lot in just the first class. And I don't even care about the sports aspect, just the action. Sad thing is, after the email I recieved from my advisor today, I might be forced to drop the rest of the semester (Like this woodpecker dropped out of the sky) because of the personal problems I'll have linked with being treated unfairly and like crap.
My computer has been on the blink. I haven't been able to run Photoshop for almost 2 months. My Instant Messanger went down a couple days ago. And my internet has been acting funny so I haven't been able to check my email the past couple days. Today, my first day of classes this semester, I checked my email. Yesterday, (aka the day before the first day of the semester) the Chair of Photography sent me an email. He was asking me to drop my studio lighting class ... after I have not only invested the $20,000 a semester to go to school, but also the recent Ebay purchase of over $1000 in studio lighting equipment specifically for the class! Upsetting. Very upsetting. It would just be starting off on the wrong foot. I'd have to take a semester off and think about how serious this learning institution actually was towards my education.
Didn't do much today. One of those days that feels negative as far as accomplishments. Usually I do something to satisfy my feelings of achievement. Who knows?
The Secret of Life? ... It's there in the smoke. This is an aluminium pitcher of dry ice and hot water. Great for parties.
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The first time I became interested in Martin Luther King was the first year I noticed I occasionally got my birthday off from school because of him. Now I'm an adult and I still haven't read a biography of him yet. However, on Martin Luther King Day there is a compassion in my heart for a great leader.
I imagine the household on my block that keeps a picture of Dr. King on their porch year-round also feel some compassion for him. The Catholic Church should make him a saint.
(A Representative of Another Kingdom)
Took a ride to the mall. My friend Andrew bought a venus fly trap. The girl at the plant shop said if the plant doesn't catch enough flies you can feed it pieces of beef or chicken every couple weeks.
This is a tunnel in Rock Creek Park by the National Zoo. The Smithsonian Institute started buying land for the zoo in the 1880s. Around 1920 they purchased an African American cemetery that this tunnel now bores through. Supposedly the bodies were removed before the last $1000 was paid for the land. (It's more fun to imagine some remains remain.)
[I bet there are a lot of people who like walking through cemeteries at night. It's like going to see a scary movie only cheaper. Or you could watch a scary movie and then walk through the cemetery. Cheap fun.]
I convinced some friends to go see the new Hobbit movie (aka Troll Movie). Seeing it doesn't make anyone a geek. Awesome movie, but I was just as happy to see the forces of good conquor evil as I was to urinate after 3 hours. After the movie I stopped by the Blue Room to see my buddy Solomon spin hip tracks. Watched all the people from Virginia dance around. A blind guy stepped on my foot and I made a joke. The usual.
[I got my new jacket in the mail today, a present from my Mom and brother. To a pedestrian a jacket is similar to a car.]
