Wednesday, April 29, 2009

School Elections, Again

On Monday, we had a speech. Wegot to see what these candidates were. No candid togas, though. Some spoke with the eloquence of Obama, and some spoke downright like Bush. as usual, they gave us each 5 minutes of pander. Please, we are not electing a social chair! Four teams arranged like cliques, almost: superjocks (who played the more well-advertised sport), the wrestlers, the people just like us folk, and the people who dressed to make a statement- red suit-jacket on one, and all-black for the other. Student power, the prettiest pander ever. This year voting was online, and, as it turns out, pretty reliable- no double-votes. As a social experiment, the jocks won, even though they were not the best speakers, nor the most pandering to the student body. However, following his brother's lead, they did go out and do meet-and-greet, as well as the 'survey'.

All this makes me want to get into this whirlwind of constituents, dirty laundry, and promises of better school dances in next year's cycle.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Neo-Luddites

That article. It's been on the wall for over a week, and I'm speechless (in a bad way) over it. Protesters, strange bedfellows and Sysmantec. A measly but important post : Somebody write something.

A luddite is one against technology, especially cotton mills.
So I'll think about it next time I see it.

Nevertheless, it was hot,hot,hot. Almost makes one believe in global warning. When was the last time we've had a record cold day? So It was so hot hot hot that in 10 minutes my chocolate melted.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

DMV Rant, #2

So I got up at 6:30am today to beat everyone else to the DMV. I mean, I got up at 6am anyway because of whatever reason I don't know. So I get to the place 45 minutes early. There are two people ahead of me. 8:00am, 15 minutes to opening, a line forms and stretched pretty far. So it goes sort of smoothly. By 8:45 I had (barely) passed the new + updated test- 10 more questions and an 80% minimum grade (up from 75%)- all since the last time I visited- the lady next to me did not. Ouch.
After a while of waiting and thinking smiles for the picture, I had the vision test. Pretty simple and straightforward. I read the two columns of numbers with flying ease. "Read the third column", growled the impassable dmv'er. There was a third column!? So I read to the best of my ability. The I got handed an eye exam form for my optometrist. I do not have vision issues. I can see what a traffic light is being across the river. Last time I checked, I had better than perfect vision in one eye, and dmv-acceptable in the other- even when the tin can eye testing thing used by non-specialists say that I don't. If I didn't have to go to orchestra, I would have had a chat with the manager about seeing well enough.

Friday, April 24, 2009

DMV Rant, #1

It's been a long while (at least for me) since our last post. So I'm here to rant about the DMV.
So it was Tuesday, and I was on a break between two parts of a test. Since it was my first opportunity that I had to try to get a Learner's Permit. So I went. The line was not too bad, actually. Butthere was a complication. Proof of residency did not include your daddy's utility bill if only mommy was with you, or your HOA statement that said your parents were not two random strangers to each other. He was on lunch break, and I had to go. Postpone.

But I must say that they were giving a plan B. Not the meanest DMV people. Yet they had much bigger problems. As the only DC DMV that processed foreign applications (being Georgetown and everything), handling proof of residency shouldn't be an issue compared to seeing if a Madagascar License (if one existed) was at par with America.
So then I found out the Georgetown DMV's new hours- Open on Saturday. SO I'll try tomorrow.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Pepys

The resident blogger, except from about 400 years ago. Recorded many great English events through the Reformation and the Great Fire in London.

I wouldn't have known that he had ever been if it had not been for a faithful reader to point out that "I may be the Pepys of our time".

More on him later come tomorrow and May's JMAG.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Ferrari Freeway

Seeing a Ferrari stopped at a stoplight and accelerating to 30mph only slightly faster than everyone else looked sort of sad. So I decided that there needed to be a place for a supercar to use its speed in a practical purpose. So from DC-NY, for example. Those roads are crowded, railroads still take 3 hours minimum, and planes involve time at the airport. So a nice, straight roadway for cars rolling at over 150mph would be nice. DC-NY in an hour and a half. But, of course, the proposition would be expensive. To have a safe road, there would have to be a pretty large shoulder for steering errors. That's a lot of space for only a few cars. So then I thought, a high speed railroad could do that in one quarter of the space. The rest of the world does, but America is just a little different...

Friday, April 17, 2009

Considered 16

A little chilly for a great game of outdoor Capture the Flag, then, it really heated up. Every April 17th, warmer than the 14th.

OK, so I got my Library of Congress card. Somehow, I thought I could get down from Brookland to Capitol South in 1/2 of an hour. Not possible. So therefore, I'd have to give the trip a little more time- like 15 minutes more. After a long run with a heavy pack, I got on the train for 3 stops- then took a 6 block walk. This is supposedly faster than riding 24 blocks out of the way to Metro Center. Sweaty, but made it 5 minutes short of the 4:30 deadline. Getting the card was a simple matter- fill out a simple form, and- government photos- I looked organic, and not done up. Well.

To avoid an innumerable amount of punches, I kept it on the lowdown. Anyway, anyone who really cared about govong me punches would have asked or done research.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Lost and Found

National Harbor- the environmentalist's nightmare- please arrive by car or limo, or cruise ship. But bowing to the county, limited-stop bus service was provided from Southern Avenue to the resort. For those who don't know the area, this is a lipspeak for the resort workers and mass transit advocates. So what I did not know was how 'rough' Southern Avenue was, or at least according to what I saw. Hoodlums staring gaped-mouth to the station manager's booth, then hurdling over a lowish gate to evade payment. Time constraints- it was almost dark outside- had us have the desire to take a $16 boat trip to our local ferry stop in Georgetown. But the last one left at 5:10pm. It was 7pm. But the time flew anyway, having fun in the glass elevators.


So on the way back home, along comes a train marked Yellow and Greenbelt. Silly train. We got on a train. As it headed deeper into the suburbs, the riders were more clean cut, and we happened across a young woman reading a book- a relieving sight.Suitland!? I didn't remember passing by there on the way to Southern Avenue. Then it hit. We were on the wrong train. From that platform at Southern Avenue, it turned out that the goofy mixuped sign did display where we wanted to go. I and Little Brother did not read the platform signs one bit. So, remembering the Dietrich Bonhoeffer quote about trains from my planner, "If you board the wrong train, it is useless to run along the corridor in the opposite direction". So in the 13-minute layover, we got to see train cars disconnected. A loud, subtle movement separated the cars. It was not that bad after all.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Egg Drop, I

I know I should get twitter if I want to do this, but egg drop tomorrow. I did my first full height drop from a bridge this afternoon, and it made a complete mess. When it hit the ground, I could see yolk flying from the vessel. Not a 30-point survival. Checking only confirmed these results. Indeed, it was such a terrific crash that shell pierced the bag. That's how it spurted. Dooo. Because of the damage, I couldn't infer a thing except that- I have to redesign this ship. So I did, and a much safer vessel protected the egg at 10 feet. Let's see at 20 feet before turning the craft in to the eggsperimenter.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Holy Saturday

I almost forgot what a rain shower was. Anyway, one came today as part of the ritual to of wiping away the Cherry Blossom flowers. Despite this rain, there were sill busloads of tourists in and around the mall. After seeing some of the Smithsonian art galleries- Asian and African collections (I tell you some art has meaning, and some does not at all), I saw Daddy's sprucy office with a key- can't believe plants live better in there than at home. And since it was 2pm, it was lunchtime. Chinatown Wok was the first choice; however, on weekends, the entrees are double the weekday price. $13.95 for an Americanized Chinese dish worth $7.? No way. Seeing the better deal at authentic Full Kee, there was a long wait to get in. So the only way to go is...hop on an 80 bus creeping up behind you and go grocery shopping. You can really get a lot of delicious grocery food for $40. So, then the day falls back into doldrum. Not too bad for a 3rd day of vacation, especially one that's wet and wet.

As the idiom goes:
April showers bring May flowers.
Except I don't like high pollen count days in May and June.
But I like summer vacation.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

A Technical Note: Good Friday

JangooMag- the place for everything that doesn't belong on this blog, which is not much. Nevertheless, the winner is in the monthly details. jangoomag.webs.com

As a reminder, tomorrow is Good Friday. If you are a meaty person, enjoy yourself now. While I'm not pressing any religious belief on you, I must say that some people take their beliefs to the general public. Short words: Don't forget to not order meat tomorrow.

Little Brother did this by mistake somewhere in Alabama (although not on Good Friday), and there was a legitimate ordeal about what had happened.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The twittiest thing today

Raise income tax on everyone making over 40,000 a year.

Luckily, it's a city quasi state thing brought up by an urban district (Zone 1) councilman, the infamous Jim Graham. Now this is twitty, because it's relatively easy to change where you pay for income tax. If not, there's a nice house across the street with a lower income tax-says the logical Jack Evans (Zone 2) of Georgetown.

Mr. Graham always making the news.
Sorry for being so political :)

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Not quite warm

A Beautiful Mind, a great movie. Since I haven't finished watching it (I see tomorrow as a feasible day to do so), I won't write a whole review. But It got me thinking: Commies putting codes in American magazines like Life and Vanity Fair? I doubt it- only Newsweek. And the radium diode- it may have perplexed some, but it makes total sense. The implant reads the decay of the radioactive element, and when that number, visible only under blacklight, is typed into the keypad- the simple computer verifies that number. Neat security tool. Just wondering if those tiny 7-bar displays existed back then.

So- I'm just waiting for Easter- the final divider to the end of the school year. Amazing. Yet I can't believe it's April on account of that brisk air...

Saturday, April 4, 2009

From Italy and Japan

Since i had nothing planned for this morning, I decided to go see the cherry blossoms on and near The Mall. It seemed like a fine day to do so, as the namesake festival was in full swing. Well, that and me and at least 50,000 other people, as i think it was. But I found my space to photograph the blossoms and tulips (Morning star in February, Daffodils in March and Tulips in April) and film the seagulls and pigeons. Oh, and it was mad windy. Great kite flying day. And I'm sure tomorrow will be like today, if I'm correct.

It was almost a perfect day- I had a little sore throat this morning from last night. Yes, Goergetown Visitation's Masqueraders put on "Crazy for You". NOt to give away the Gershwin story, but its about a banker who wants to sing and dance. Great large production, must have taken lots of blood sweat and tears to put on. In fact, it was a full house, and GV even sold standing room tickets. Sorry if I'm being a whistleblower, but. Anyway, it was unabridged, ran about 3 hours. That, I'm not used to- St. A's has a tendency to shave the dance scenes to save some time. But great show. Ends tomorrow.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

AFD 2009

National News

A California based company has build a new freeway, known to some as "DC's Third Beltway". The road cuts through parts of Loundon and Fairfax counties in Virgina, and the Maryland counties of Montgomery and Howard.There is direct correlation, claims advocate for the poor Melissa Pauvre. These four counties are on the top-ten richest counties list. Not just that, she claims, but the company wishes to charge $50 per car to use the new road.

Now talk about Lexus Lanes. Company owner Mr. Alfredo claims that this is just an example of the free market. "If there is a need,people will use it. Now 50 dollars is much smaller than most speeding tickets, and I remind everyone that there is no speed limit on this road. Using this road is like buying a Lambourgini or a Ferrari. It's mostly for show. Anyway, it's a small luxury for these tough economic times." Mr. Zhou, a Potomac, MD resident who had part of his yard taken away by eminent domain, was asked in an Asian language what he felt about this road. HE replied in a way that resembled "Ching-Chong". It was later reported that he disapproved of this "evil devil".

So, if you want to use these lanes, Mr. Alfredo recommended following the signs with a suitcase of money on them. Or, as he added, "to follow the Lexus ahead of you".

International News

The Iranian government has condemned the Model United Nations program. For those who do not know, students play roles as representatives from countries assigned to them, and often consume much Starbucks in the process. This came after a closing ceremony video was released showing a delegate representing Iran admitting that he was a "fat, ignorant, intolerant, drunk pig at a recent conference in Saginaw, MI. The Iranian representative said that he "did not drink, and has no resemblance to an American pig such as that boy". The boy has issued an apology by proclaiming that he will never run in his life, so he can't say "I ran".