The DC Diaries: Life Between two Bushes

Speaking of which ....

2005-06-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

Speaking of Watergate and Kennedys, I used to work as a personal trainer in the rather crappy gym located within the Watergate complex back in Fall 2001. One of the famous gym patrons at the time was Sargeant Shriver. We also had several other famous Washingtonians, in the political arena and otherwise. Thus earning DC the name "Hollywood for Ugly People", in my opinion.

My fellow alumni

2005-06-15T05:53:00.000-07:00

So, the newly revealed Deep Throat (Mark Felt) turns out to be a graduate of the George Washington University, having received his bachelor of laws in 1940. Iwonder what it has been like for him at reunions (if he went) the last 30 years, when people ask what he has been up to since they last saw him? Hmmmmm ......

Another famous GW alumna is Jackie Kennedy Onassis, whom the university named a dormitory after her after she died in 1994. He bachelor's degree can be seen at the Kennedy Library and Museum in Quincy, Massachusetts (along with her preserved wedding gown, jewelery, and much other Kennedy paraphernalia.)

When and Where? 9:30!

2005-05-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

The 9:30 Club in DC just celebrated its 25th anniversary. The name is very clever -- all the main acts of the music shows started at 9:30 pm, and its original address was 930 F Street, NW (it since relocated to V Street.)

I saw Blues Traveler there in May 2001. That was one great show! John Popper had lost a lot of weight since playing at AU in 1993. The band also all came out wearing those ski caps with "FBI" and "CIA" on them, which street vendors sell to tourists down by the Smithsonians.

Tax Day helpers!

2005-04-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Tax Day!

I remember in DC on Tax Day in the late 1990s, the postal workers at the Friendship Heights post office on Wisconsin Avenue, NW would stand outside and take people's stamped envelopes of tax returns for them as they drove by in their cars.

ever more esteemed journalism

2005-04-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to my graduate school The George Washington University's newspaper

www.gwhatchet.com

Enjoy!

Favorite neighborhood

2005-04-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

I Love Georgetown, the DC neighborhood surrounding the university of the same name.

Georgetown was formed in 1751 on the banks of the Potomac River. It originally existed as a separate town with whom Washignton traded, but as urban sprawl took over, the town was annexed to Washington in 1871.

Attractions in the area -- besides the shopping, bars, restaurants and nightclubs -- include the Old Stone House which is a free museum preserved just as it was in 1751; the C&O Canal, where you can take a barge ride pulled by mules (yes, people actually do this, it is such a smelly ride); the Exorcist steps -- that long stone flight of steps which the priest fell down in the 1973 movie), and the spires of Georgetown University.

Bars I went to in January:

Mie & Yu on M Street (a very beautiful Morroccan-inspired restaurant)

Modern on M Street (I recall this used to be the sports bar "Champions", where I went to a party the night before Clinton's first inauguration in 1993. It's 12 years later, right before Bush's 2nd inauguration, and I end up at the same bar.)

Blue Gin on Wisconsin Avenue (which used to be SportsFans, where we had weekly reports of Marines getting into fights.)

www.georgetowndc.com

Cherry blossom time!

2005-04-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

The poodle trees known as the cherry trees (originally a gift from Japan) are now in bloom! These fluffy pink and white blossoms typically last only a few weeks at a time. There is an entire festival that surrounds them, attracting tourists galore to Washington's famed Smithsonian Mall, paticularly the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson Memorial. The festival includes a parade with "Cherry Blossom Princesses'" selected for each state and territory.

My freshman year (1991-1992), my floor in AU's Hughes Hall held an outing that involved renting paddle boats on the Tidal Basin during this time. It was a beautiful fun event!

In recent years (the 2000s), there was concern because a rampant beaver was chewing the trees. He was caught and released elsewhere.

A little-known fact: there is a row of gorgeous blooming cherry trees down Nebraska Avenue, NW near The American University. It is outside the Japanese Embassy.

Nice and neat

2005-03-29T10:40:00.000-08:00

If you are ever in DC and you see a homeless person with exceptionally neat nails and/or shoes, that is a Secret Service agent under cover.

It made a whole lot of sense to me one day because I was wondering why a homeless person was sleeping right next to the entrance of the Smithsonian's Museum of American History (a government property) while it was open to the public without its security guards saying a word.

Favorite train station - Union Station

2005-02-17T09:09:00.000-08:00

One of the first places I ever toured in DC -- and which remained a favorite through subsequent years -- is Union Station.

Union Station
50 Massachusetts Avenue, NE
Metro: Union Station

This refurbished train station is a work of art in itself. It is immortalized in the 1939 Jimmy Stewart "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", when Stewart's character arrives by train and sees the Capitol Building outside. The recently-departed Ronald Reagan once said that was the scene that inspired him to pursue politics.

Check out the station's Great Hall (available for charity balls and the like), which boasts real gold on its ceilings. Also of note are the statues of male soldiers ---they used to stand in all their glory but the addition of shields in front of them now renders a PG-rating. And you can't see it, no matter how much you crane your neck. Many have tried and failed.

The station also has several nice shops, a movie theater (which doubles as a church on Sunday mornings) and an international food court. And access to the subway, Amtrak and MARC trains into Maryland.

Bus story 1

2005-02-11T10:58:00.000-08:00

I rode the bus a lot in 2000, as my work at that time required me to go into a lot of neighborhoods that were not served by a subway station (Metro being the name of the subway in DC.)

I remember one time some woman stood next to the bus driver as he was driving, no less, and kept giving him hugs, and he would smack her away with one hand. The other hand was on the steering wheel.

Glad safety is such a priority!!! (sarcasm)

Favorie Mexican restaurants

2005-02-02T11:07:00.000-08:00

Guapo's Mexican Cantina
4515 Wisconsin Ave, NW
Metro: Tenleytown - AU

Great Mexican food here! Especially the margaritas!!

2004-12-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

I was once at the Borders in Metro Center on my lunch hour in 2001 (while temping for the American Association for the Advancement of Science nearby) when someone approached me from behind. I thought one of the Borders employees was finally going to kick me out for never buying anything.

"Excuse me," said this guy who wasn't bad-looking. "May I take you out?"

"Sure, but I am almost at the end of my lunch hour," I said.

"OK, let's go to the cafe in here."

so I went with him, he bought me coffee and I gave him my phone number. He asked me "So, how old are you --- 24?"

I said "I'm 27." Then, because I know I look younger than I actually am, said "Did you want me to be 24?"

He shrugged and said "As long as you are over 18."

I only went out with the guy once a week later. But he proceeded to call me for the next 3 years -- including when I moved to Massachusetts (I was listed and frankly have an unusual name) --- until he was sent to the Ukraine as part of his job last year.

In the beginning, he never left his phone number but kept calling. I got his phone number after 2 years, but had no intention to call him. He amused me greatly when he did call (and yes, he tended towards the X-rated when he called) but I would laugh at him and ask him if he talked to his mother with that mouth. That would usually snap him out of whatever revereie he was in!

I found out only last year that he had lied to me about his last name! I did ask WHY his parents named his brother "Will Williamson" -- sounded dumb and lazy to me. Turns out their last name is "Brady", as in "Bunch". Whatever!!!

I once told him he was the world's laziest stalker. Seriously, what is the point?

I now pity the women with whom he comes into contact in the Ukraine.

Best on-going play in DC

2004-12-21T11:08:00.000-08:00

Shear Madness, which plays at the Kennedy Center in the Foggy Bottom neighbborhood (close to the George Washington University). It is a "whodunit" set in a Georgetown hair salon in the 1980s, and the neighbor upstairs is murdered. Throughout the first act, there are all sorts of clues that point to any one of the main characters seen in the hair salon.

At intermission, the audience gets to vote on who the murderer is. The second act features the actor playing out a logical ending for that character to be revealed as the murderer. The play is different every time you see it!

White House Fellowship Opportunity

2004-12-20T11:35:00.000-08:00

PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION ON WHITE HOUSE FELLOWSHIPS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2005-2006 CLASS

http://www.whitehouse.gov/fellows/news/20040907.html

WASHINGTON, September 7, 2004 - The White House today announced that the President's Commission on White House Fellowships now is accepting applications for the 2005 - 2006 Class of Fellows. Applications are available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/fellows/about/apply.html.

Completed applications must be postmarked by February 1, 2005 and sent to:

White House Fellows Program c/o O.P.M. - Sheila Coates
1900 E Street, NW, Room B431
Washington, D.C. 20415
Phone for express mail: 202-606-1818

Applicants are encouraged to check the program website prior to mailing the application for any potential changes to the mailing instructions.

Founded in 1964, the White House Fellows Program is one of America's most prestigious programs for leadership and public service. White House Fellowships offer exceptional young men and women first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the Federal government. White House Fellows typically spend a year working as full-time, paid special assistants to senior White House Staff, the Vice President, Cabinet Secretaries and other top-ranking government officials.

Fellows also participate in an education program consisting of roundtable discussions with renowned leaders from the private and public sectors, and trips to study U.S. policy in action both domestically and internationally.

In return for the privilege of participating in the Fellowship year, Fellows are expected to repay the privilege by contributing to the Nation as future leaders. Selection as a White House Fellow is highly competitive and based on a record of remarkable professional achievement early in one's career, evidence of leadership potential, a proven commitment to public service, and the knowledge and skills necessary to contribute successfully at the highest levels of the Federal government.

Fellowships are awarded strictly on a non-partisan basis.

Happy New Year/Birthday!

2004-12-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

One of the best New Year's I spent was in 1995 with a friend at the Tastee Diner in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Jan 1, 1996 was our waitress' birthday, so the other staff brought her a cupcake with a candle on it at midnight.

A Hymn to Him

2004-12-17T13:36:00.000-08:00

I used to see this one Asian-American man on the Orange line of the Metro (subway system) fairly often. He would enter the car, say "Excuse me!" and sing from his hymn book. The say "Thank you!" and get off the next stop, moving on to the next car. He never once asked for money.

He riles a lot of people but not me -- and I'm Muslim! I read in an online chat on www.washingtonpost.com that he was sighted again today!

Sing on, Orange Line Man! You rock!!!

Konichi-wa!

2004-12-14T14:29:00.000-08:00

My cousin in England is taking a trip to Japan! Very exciting!

In 1996, when I lived in Washington, DC, I took a year of Japanese language lessons at -- of all places -- the US department of Agriculture. They have an entire renowned graduate school in there, and not just in how to farm. You can take courses in foreign languages, computer science, hard sciences and a variety of other subjects. You can even see the Washington Monument from the windows of your classroom.

Benkyoo o shimasu! (Let's go study!)

Something interesting I learned is, the verb "to vomit" is "Bush o shimasu". It literally means "to do a Bush" i.e. when Bush the Elder vomited at a Japanese banquet. This is immprtalized in a Simpsons episode when George Bush is fighting with Homer Simpson and declares "I'll ruin you like a Japanese banquet!"

The National Geographic Society

2004-12-13T11:45:00.000-08:00

One thing I really miss about DC is, when working in the downtown area in 1999, I was able to visit the free exhibits at the National Geographic Society (located at 17th and M Streets, NW). I often went with my friend JLH (we had met during our first week at AU and are still friends to this day.)

One of the exhibits that we enjoyed most was about Ernnest Shackleton, who sailed on his ship Endurance to Antarctica with 27 men in the winter of 1914-1915. They sailed with lots of cute dogs and the cook's cat. It was amusing that the cook was named Chippy and his cat was "Mrs. Chippy". Hmmm ....

While in Antarctica, the Endurance sank. The men were trapped in the most desolate freezing part of the world. Shackleton kept morale up (ands the men warm) by organizing soccer games. But it was evident they needed help.

Thus, he and a few others sailed 800 miles in a lifeboat to South Georgia Island and returned with help. Amazingly, all the men had survived in the meantime (they ate their pet dogs and the cat. The exhibit said that Chippy mourned his cat for the rest of his days.)

found this on the Internet today

2004-12-08T11:49:00.000-08:00

JESUS SAVES! But wouldn't it be better if he had invested? * Men's restroom, American University. Washington, D.C.

Kinko's with the NAFTA touch

2004-12-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

Whenever I needed something copied or bound etc while in grad school at George Washington University, I always went to this one Kinko's on M Street next to the Mexican Embassy. It was easy to find due to the Mexican flag flying right outside.

We are really all the same

2004-12-03T13:18:00.000-08:00

Once in the spring of 2000, in his last year of the presidency, I caught a glimpse of Bill Clinton. Despite living in DC throughout his entire administration, this was the only time I saw him in person outside of a scheduled public event.

I was on my lunch break from my mind-numbing job at a rather annoying non-profit, and I was walking in the Farragut Square area downtown (sort of like DC's business district). The DCPD came and blocked off the side streets leading to Connecticut Avenue, and instructing the pedestrians to stay on the sidewalks, in order to keep Connecticut Avenue absolutely clear.

This is known in the area as the preparation for the Presidential cavalcade, when the towncars carrying the President, other officials and the Secret Service throughout the city on business. It can stop traffic for several minutes. In addition, there are snipers on the rooftops of buildings on that route in case anyone gets any ideas.

The cars drove past and I caught a glimpse of Clinton through the shaded windows of his car. He had his chin rested on one hand and was gazing pensively out the window.

I remember thinking that, at that precise moment in time, the President and I felt the same way about our respective jobs.

Speakers I have known

2004-12-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

As stated before, I attended The American University, Class of 1995. Our commencement speakers were:

Queen Noor of Jordan and Charles Guggenheim

I graduated from the School of Public Health at George Washington University in 2000. Our speakers were:

Madeline Albright and John Wolfensohn (president of the World Bank).

My GW graduation took place on the Elipse in front of the White House and thus people were allowed to peaceably protest our speakers with picket signs. As a result, the speeches were geared more towards defending their platforms than inspiring graduates in their chosen field. I remember a few graduates wrote messages to Wolfensohn on their hats and stood with their backs to him during his speech.

My dad seemed to take far more video footage of protestors than of me actually graduating. That's OK -- I think I can remember it.

We can wrap anything!

2004-12-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

During 1996, I was a hostess and then a waitress for the now-defunct American Cafe, a chain restaurant in the DC region. My particular restaurant was in the Northeast section of Capitol Hill, about a block away from Union Station and the Houses of the Senate. In fact, during the government shutdown in the winter of 1995, when they had no operating cafeteria, some Hill workers called in a lunch order to us and my boss and I walked over a few boxes of sandwiches to the Hart Senate Office Building.

I always encouraged my customers to order what they would like and I would wrap anything leftover to take home. People would often be surprised and say they hadn't thought of that -- and always took me up on the offer. A lot of food, time and money was saved that way. As I told them, we can wrap ANYTHING! In fact, I once wrapped two sundaes to go. The fact that the menu billed the dessert as "the world's messiest sundae" meant I couldn't possibly get it wrong. :^)

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

2004-08-11T10:31:00.000-07:00

That is French for "Let the good times roll!" and a very good motto to have when visiting Lulu's Club Mardi Gras at 22nd & M Street, NW off of Dupont Circle, where my friends and I had many a bon temps.

Besides the usual dancing and cavorting, Lulu's also offered karaoke. For several years in the mid-nineties, we would see this one cute guy (name unknown) consistently perform Pearl Jam's song "Jeremy". Here are the lyrics:

"Jeremy"

at home
drawing pictures
of mountain tops
with him on top

lemon yellow sun
arms raised in a V
dead lay in pools of maroon below

daddy didn't give attention
to the fact that mommy didn't care
king jeremy the wicked
ruled his world

Jeremy spoke in class today
Jeremy spoke in class today

clearly I remember
pickin' on the boy
seemed a harmless little fuck

but we unleashed a lion
gnashed his teeth
and bit the recess lady's breast
how could I forget

he hit me with a surprise left
my jaw left hurtin
dropped wide open
just like the day
like the day I heard

daddy didn't give affection
and the boy was something mommy wouldn't wear
king Jeremy the wicked
ruled his world

Jeremy spoke in class today
Jeremy spoke in class today

try to forget this...try to erase this...from the blackboard.

Top-notch journalism!!!

2004-08-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

Just kidding!!! But here is a link to AU's esteemed publication, The Eagle!

http://www.theeagleonline.com/

Because you really care!

Setting the scene

2004-08-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

So, as mentioned before, I attended the illustrious American University in Washington, DC. www.american.edu As one guest speaker to AU said, "I bet a lot of other schools are pissed off that you got this name!"

Anyway, The American University is so named because it is chartered by an Act of The United States Congress (1893). However, they didn't break ground on the campus until 1896 and students did not actually enroll until 1925. So to do their patriotic duty, AU lent its grounds to the War Department during WWI for training and chemical testing and again during WWII for bomb defusing training. I can recall that in 1993, a bomb squad had to be called in to examine what was suspected to be a leftover munition (although there were never any live bombs on campus. Emphasis, I suppose, on the word "live.")

At any rate, my colleagues in the class of 1995 included the following notables, to whom I will give props but no names: the adopted daughter of King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan (as a result, Queen Noor was our commencement speaker), the founder of www.blackboard.com who at the age of 30 is fabulously rich and sits on AU's Board of Trustees, and a dominatrix who put herself through school by escorting DC notables and then published a memoir called "I Was A Teenage Dominatrix", which won the Best Sex Book Award a few years ago.

GO, AU!

American Woman - Stay Away from Me!

2004-07-31T22:06:00.000-07:00

I moved to Washington, DC on August 19, 1991, during the administration of George Bush the Elder and away on April 29, 2002, during that of George "Dubya" Bush. I attended The American University (class of 1995) at 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW and earned a degree in print journalism -- specifically to bring you this blog!!

A lot of things happened during the Clinton Administration, or, as I like to call it, life between two bushes. These are those stories.