Today we saw golf ball-sized hail in some parts of DC. I peeked my head out of Swing's Coffee Shop and saw these loyal customers and some brave Fairfax County school bus driver braving the hail on 17th St NW. These folks didn't actually come into the shop, but a regular wadded in and ordered a cup ... then realized he had forgotten his wallet. He gave the shop a verbal IOU and the sale was settled with the old form of credit, trust. It's nice to see human compassion in these modern days of iced coffee.
A long lost friend Paul is back in town. He came here to go to college and when he graduated he moved back to Costa Rica. We met Paul at "The Big Hunt" on Connecticut Ave. Aside from the "good ol' days" the main topic of conversation was how Paul recently broke his arm while surfing in Nicaragua. I had forgotten that Paul surfed. One thing I do remember about hanging out with Paul is that 10 out of 10 times I'll wake up with a hangover.
I went to watch the pre-season game tonight at my friends' place. Another friend Theo (pronounced Tao) showed up to watch the game. Theo knew I was actually there more for Maris's hot wings and less for the game. Theo wonders why I am not into football much, but especially the Redskins. "You like DC don't you?! I mean, look at your website ... full of DC," he added. I do find it exciting that Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs has come out of retirement to take control of the team he took to the Super Bowl four times, winning three.
It seemed like I had moved out of Mount Pleasant during a period when another layer of gentrification was spread over the neighborhood. It has become a bit different place over the past year. But some things don't change so fast, like its Latino and especially Salvadorian culture. My friend Brandon wanted to know if I knew an inexpensive Salvadorian eatery up in Mount Pleasant. I took him to El Polo Sabroso on Mount Pleasant Street. They have the best chicken sandwiches and rotisserie chicken in DC. The summer might be the best time to eat in Mount Pleasant because after lunch you can get a shaved ice. They shave the ice off a giant block in the center of the cart. The flavoring is mixed with condensed milk to make it even sweeter.
I stayed at home all day moving my belongings around and figuring out what I need to buy. I have been surviving off a wedge of garlic jack cheese and a variety box of crackers. Tomorrow I have to go to my old apartment and pick up some minor things and throw away a pile of unwanted things I left there. Something I'm glad I brought with me was my very archaic "negative projector." I used it to project this negative I found in one of the Corcoran College's photo labs. It appears to be a caucasian American of possibly "biker/trailer-park culture" sporting the facial hair of a "Chinese wise man."
I moved out of my basement apartment today. (A literal hole in the ground.) I now live in a nice apartment building with lots of windows. The move was pretty easy too ... used the freight elevator.
I haven't left my house once today. I have been packing my belongings in boxes all day. It's near midnight and I'm ready to sleep. Me and my friend Andrew (who has a drivers' license) pick up the UHaul at 8am. I think my stuff is actually going to fill one of the two rooms in my new apartment. Time to start simplifying.
Tonight me and my good friends went to the Black Cat to see Seattle's The Building Press on the "Backstage." They were outstanding ... the best band I've ever went to see on a whim. And they were just the opening band. The main act came out with a Dell laptop and three dudes ... Dells suck and the dudes were nerds (and instrument-less) so we left.
This is my friend Rocky's barber shop in the Mills Building on 17th and G Sts NW. He is currently remodeling his shop. I was taking some pictures for a Glencoe text called Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. I talked with Rocky for a while about his business. He said he might be looking for a new barber. He specified "barber and not hair stylist." Someone who could talk about sports would be good too. And he said he would like to find a white barber to increase the diversity of the shop. He said white barbers are a rarity in the District. If you go there looking for a job remember to use the door that says "use other door," for some reason the "other door" is always locked.
This is an illustrative photo that I took today. These are my friends Wynonah and John. John is a lawyer and his wife Wynonah works at M. E. Swing's Coffee Shop. They agreed to help me with my photo assignment. I really like this picture, but I'm not quite sure it will illustrate the type of "obsessive love" the publisher is looking for.
I was doing some research for a photo and one of the DVDs recommended to me by the man at Video Americain was Ichi the Killer. Never watch this movie also known as Koroshiya 1, it is the most repulsive thing you could ever do. It may as well have been a movie about building a giant blender to put people in. Yuck! But I found the best Chinese restaurant in DC ... Blue Diamond Chinese. Next time I'll get the Sesame Chicken minus the demented Japanese horror film.
