My Oyster

Dinner at Home with Family...

Washington is a city where it can be both easy and hard to find where you fit.  It's a very transitory city - people coming and going from around the world as they do a stint in DC and check that box off their career path.  For that reason - and many others, it's important to find friends and loved ones to call your own.  To tether you a bit in the big city.

A few of my own came over for dinner tonight.  We used Chirag's return from a 6 month work assignment in India as a good excuse to get together.  Sister Suz and Grant along with a handful of wonderful friends.  I love the fact that the group represents such diverse backgrounds and experiences but we all share some common values and interests.  And we just enjoy each other.

We had three lasagnas - including a tasty vegan one.  Drinks and desserts too.  I even made a little DVD slide show of the trip that Subodh, Chirag, and I made to visit my parents in Maine last fall - to see the leaves - in the mountains and on the coast.

More pics below.

David, Dr. David, and Chirag

Michael, Atul, and Jared

Michael being coquettish

Today was my first acupuncture treatment...

I liked it. 

I have to admit, I was a bit nervous.  Despite the fact that my acupuncturist is a friend and we had done an in-depth intake discussion last weekend, I was noticeably anxious.  I really don't like needles.

I am trying out acupuncture for a couple reasons.  I am hoping it will help with some specific physical ailments - but more-so because I like the idea of balancing one's spiritual energy - or Qi.

Qi is a fundamental concept of traditional Chinese culture. It is believed to be part of every living thing that exists, as a kind of “life force” or “spiritual energy.”

Traditional Chinese medicine asserts that the body has natural patterns of Qi that circulate in channels or meridians.  Symptoms of various illnesses (not just physical) are often believed to be the product of disrupted, blocked, or unbalanced Qi movement through the body's meridians, as well as deficiencies or imbalances of Qi In the organs.

Acupuncture uses small diameter metal needles inserted into the skin and underlying tissues to reroute or balance Qi.

So today I was there for about 90 minutes.  Much of that time was prep - taking my pulse(s) - I think there are six different ones in Chinese medicine.  Also marking and being sure of where to insert the needles.  Where they go depends on what the treatment actually is. 

Today, my treatment was an initial cleansing of sorts.  Getting rid of junk (physical, mental, spiritual, etc. - I think) I have picked up over the years.  Sort of cleaning up and building a foundation for more and different treatments to come. 

I had several (6-7) needles in today for about 20 minutes.  In my stomach, thighs, ankles, and chest.  It wasn't painful - but I did feel it when the needles were inserted. When one needle was stuck in my thigh, I jumped and shrieked a bit.  It didn't hurt, but the sensation startled me.  I was told it was the needle hitting some Qi.

I have to say, during the 20 minutes I felt a LOT of sensations - particularly in my legs and stomach.  I was just focusing on my breathing - kinda meditating.  I am pretty convinced that my Qi was affected - both by what I felt while the needles were in and how I felt after - very calm.  happy.   I also went straight to my Chisel class at the gym and for the first time, my knees did not ache.

So I will pay attention to how I am feeling over the next couple days and go in for a different kind of needle treatment on Saturday morning.  Stay tuned.

First Day of School in DC...

And across the street at Cardozo High School it was quite a scene to watch.  For an avid people watcher like me, having a couple balconies across the street from the school is too much fun.

It started early - by 6:30 or 7:00, the teachers started arriving.  They all had bags of stuff in both hands.  Supplies?  Gifts for the kids?  I couldn't figure out what they were all hauling.  I did notice that they all looked young.  Where were all the seasoned teachers - like my mother and her pals.

By 8ish the kids started arriving.  Sauntering mostly.  None seemed all that eager to get onto campus.  Parents were dropping off their kids.  Even grandparents were dropping off kids.  I don't think I saw one bus.  I guess they all live really close by. 

I was having fun watching the kids re-uniting after the summer.  It was also a bit of a hoot checking out the back-to-school fashions.  Lots of jeans.  Lots of black t-shirts.  As I was checking out the fashions, I found myself remembering how excited I always was at the end of summer to go "back to school shopping" with my mother and get some new school clothes.

Amazingly, I didn't take any pics today.   I did find this picture of my first day of school.  It was in very rural Rangeley, Maine.  Certainly not Columbia Heights - as you can tell by the large lake at the end of our street and well, by my outfit also.  I did look eager to start the next 21 years of education. 

I guess I still do get a bit excited on the first day of school.

The "Talents" of My Older Brother...

Mike is a school teacher in Maine.  A very good one.  By all accounts, that is perhaps his greatest talent.  But not his only one. 

Since Mike is a teacher, he tends to have a good deal of free time in the summer.  But rather than just fritter it away, Mike chooses to hone his craft (and make some extra cash). 

Mike is a very talented performance artist.  Some of the local restaurants and bars pay him to perform periodically.  He emcees the Queer Poetry Slam at Papa Joe's.  He has done some crooning at Hazel Green's Bottom.  And of course "Grand Wizard Mike" is the Howard Johnson's favorite deejay for its very popular 70s metal night - the last Saturday of the month.

However,  I think where Mike really nails it and gives his central Maine following just what they are looking for is when he dances at Slates (now Slates Outdoors since the fire).  Here is a little video clip from his "End of Summer" Tea Dance performance last night. 

Enjoy.  Make sure your speakers are on...

Oh. My. God.

OutlineBookcase3QF6.jpg, originally uploaded by dcjay64.

That was painful.  I ordered four of these Outline Bookcases from CB2.  They are for my "Zen" room.  Where I hope to go to read and relax in a warm, peaceful space.

Well, hopefully these bookcases will look and function more peacefully now that they are assembled.  It was not a peaceful process getting them together.  I think I swore regularly throughout the 3.5 hours it took Jean and I to put them together.  Why must this be so difficult?  Or maybe its just difficult for me.  I am so lucky I had help.

So now I have four of these across one wall of the Zen Room.  Tomorrow the fun part - unpacking my books finally...

Acupuncture...

I think I am ready to try it.  I have had an interest for some time.  I like the holistic approach of treating not just the current aches and pains (and I have many) but striving more for overall health and wellness - mind, body, and spirit.

Today I sat down with a friend who is training to practice acupuncture at a local school.  She is now in her residency and so can practice with supervision by some very experienced teachers.  We had a nice chat at Busboys and Poets.   I could start as soon as tomorrow, if she has an opening.

I am looking forward to exploring acupuncture a bit and seeing how it fits with trying to change from a reactive approach to health (i.e. getting a prescription every time I get sick) to a more preventative and holistic approach to good health.  And my employer covers these types of alternative medicines, which is awesome. 

Woodies Becomes West Elm...

Woodward & Lothrop, originally uploaded by Bill on Capitol Hill.

Today my coffee break adventure was a short walk over to a new store in downtown DC.

One of the most distinctive buildings in downtown DC - the beautiful and old Woodies building - has a new a new tenant.  The West Elm furniture store opened up this week in the old Woodward & Lothrop - AKA Woodies - building.

I walked over to the new West Elm because when I called to see if they had a bookshelf I wanted I was put on perpetual hold while they searched the stock room.  When the clearly new and ever-so-lightly trained staffer returned to the phone, he proudly announced that they did in fact have the dresser I was looking for.  At that point I said thanks and just walked over.  I did eventually get the shelf.  But they really didn't make it easy.

West Elm  is sharing the Old Woodies with H&M - which moved into an opposite corner several years.  I think Madame Tussaud's is coming soon to another corner of the Old Woodies.  Ugh.  The fact that the one Woodies building is large enough (a full city block squared) to be sliced up for multiple new stores kinda demonstrates just how big a presence the local department store was, at one time, in American cities.

But enough on the death and rebirth of the American inner city.  That and my secret passion for urban economies may be the topic for future post.

My New Header..

Sean came over for dinner tonight and we had a lot of catching up to do, so I am running out of time today to post to the blog.  I guess now is a good time to formally roll out my new blog header.

You can see it above. 

The picture is from a family (Ma, Daryl, Suz & Grant) trip to Italy.  It is actually the view from the hotel room in Rome on the morning of the last day of our trip.  Everyone else had left for the airport very early that morning.  I was on a separate flight later in the day, so I had the whole morning to kill by myself.  It was actually a bit melancholy for me.  We had spent so much time together in Paris, Venice, Florence, and Rome and I think I was missing the family dynamic and energy.  It was unusual and very special that we were all traveling together. 

Once everyone else had left, I found myself just wanting to get on my flight as well.  Even though I only had several hours alone there in Rome that morning and even though I have traveled the world by myself, I actually didn't want to be there any longer.  By myself.  That day.  I wanted to end the trip with my family and keep the feeling of our family trip completely intact.  I wanted all of my memories of that trip to Rome to be memories with them.  Our shared memories.

So the pic in my new header is from that morning.  I got out of bed in an empty and still and quiet apartment and looked out the window.  This was the view from my bedroom.  I love the warm colors of the buildings against the puffy white clouds and blue sky.  I like how the rainbow peace sign is kind of hidden there at the bottom - like the little surprise in a cracker jacks box.  The buildings, while interesting to me, are really not all that significant.  But if you stick your head out the window and look to the left, you can see the Vatican walls.  It was a great spot.

The picture has a lot of personal meaning to me and I liked the composition and it is symbolic of the world being my oyster, so I chose it for my header. 

Two Wheels (and two legs) in Rock Creek Park...

Today Vijay and I biked 25 miles then ran another 3 miles.  We are training for a triathlon next month at Bethany Beach.  1 mile swim, 25 miles cycling, and 3 miles running - all give or take I think.  I have never done one before but Vijay inspired me to give it a shot.

We did the training this morning in Rock Creek Park.  It's a real gem.  The main section of the park has 1754 acres (7 km²) along the Rock Creek Valley — more than twice the size of Central Park in New York City.  It is great on weekends for all kinds of sports.  I will have to do a post on this one day. 

We started the ride and run at Pierce Mill.  The Mill, pictured below, is a beautiful old building and - well a mill too - right on the creek.  It was built sometime in the late 1700s or early 1800s.  More info on Pierce Mill here.

UPDATED with new video: Chinatown DC...For A Movie...

Back to Chinatown tonight for another movie.  I think the Gallery Place Cinema is my favorite mainstream movie theater in DC.  I can easily metro there and the neighborhood is fun again.  By Contrast, last night I went to the Georgetown Cinema (Death at a Funeral - eh, good but I was expecting more) and nearly ran over about 15 crazy teen/college pedestrians trying to get out of the parking garage.  Escaping the neighborhood by car was not much more fun.  Never again. 

Tonight it was a new film - Super Bad.  It was very good.  I laughed out loud.  A lot.  I was bent over laughing half of the time and slapping Daryl's arm with glee the other half.  I am a sucker for slapstick and bawdy humor.  This had it all but smartly done.  Oh, to be a teen again!  The theater was packed - a good sign as it is opening weekend.

Daryl and I metro-ed down to see the show and get some dinner.  We were in a rush to get to the show and so we ate at some bad tex/mex fast food chain.  California Burrito or something like that.  Not so pleasant.  Lots of tourists.  Lots of loud kids.

Here is a video capturing some of dinner.

More snaps from our night downtown...

U Street Metro Station with the Duke Ellington mural

Daryl goofing off in the station.  For the camera.  At my request.

On the train.

I don't ride the subway often at all anymore.  I really prefer the bus - and these pics pretty much show why.  First, there is nothing to see out the window but darkness.  Very boring.  And second, look at the riders.  Very sedate.  No interaction.  Kinda snoozy compared to the always exciting Metrobus!  I think there is a fight every day on my bus-ride to work.  You don't get that on the subway. 

Give me the bus anyday!