Midnight Oil

Surprise, surprise. The Natinals sign Steven Strasburg. If the Nats have a winning record for August, I may become a true believer. Haven't been to a game this year. Yet. Maybe we'll get to see Strasburg in September?

Academy Awards

Mr. and Mrs. Distco love Anne Hathaway.

Zola Pre-theatre Dinner

The Distcos' waitress at Zola garnered positive marks out of sheer preparation and earnestness. She knew her job academically--by the book, let's say. You know the type. For example, she brought the Distcos black napkins (which most area restaurants neglect to do without prompting), accompanied by a rote, lengthy explanation of the reasons. When asked about an item on the menu, she screwed her gaze at the ceiling, slowly reciting the ingredients previously memorized.

None of this is very noteworthy. Unfortunately, neither was the food. Mr. Distco's skate wing came saturated with what had to have been liquid smoke. Well-cooked, but with a flavor appropriate for a Texas brisket, perhaps, but much too heavy for a delicate seafood dish. Mrs. Distco's mushroom crepe recalled no impression but "heaviness" when asked. The desserts were a high point. The Distcos will recommend both the Key Lime Cheesecake and the Pumpkin Pecan Roll.

On leaving, the bar caught Mrs. Distco's eye. Looks fashionable and comfortable. A couple of well-made Grey Goose martinis ensured that the Distcos likely will return for happy hour at least.

The Dog in the Manger

The Distcos braced themselves for a challenging night last week. The Shakespeare Theatre Company--staging The Dog in the Manger by Lope de Vega. That is, Spanish playwright Lope de Vega, contemporary of ol' Bill Shakespeare himself.

Yikes, right? Shakespeare can be tough enough. Sixteenth-Century dialogue, Sixteenth-Century plots. But now take away the Shakespeare, and what's left? Suffice it to say, Mr. Distco was preparing for the stage equivalent of sitting through a night of Salieri. Sabes?

But soft! What sounds from yonder stage breaks? Modern English! Turns out, when you translate Sixteenth-Century Spanish plays, you can translate them into Twenty-First-Century English! Sweet.

Very entertaining. Slapstick (!) at times (in a mostly good way). And as usual for STC, great performances from the cast.

Welcome Back, Ford's

The Distcos spent Wednesday evening with his kick-ass-ness the Prez, Mrs. Prez, Sidney Poitier, James Earl Jones, Katie Couric, and Kelsey Grammar. So, you know, just a typical Wednesday evening.

Ford's Theatre celebrated its reopening with a gala the likes of which our not-so-humble nation's humble little capital rarely sees.

Mr. Distco got to walk the red carpet behind George Lucas, waiting as Mr. Jar Jar held up traffic glamming it up for the paparazzi.

One highlight: Jeffrey Wright reading words of Lincoln. Now officially Mr. Distco's vote for most underrated actor.

Another highlight: Sidney Poitier handing off a torch of sorts to our trailblazing Commander in Chief.

One lowlight: The silly ginormous copy of the Gettysburg address given to Obama.

Final highlight: Dr. Stephen Ledbetter hosting the whole shindig. The episode of The Outer Limits with killer nanobots nearly led Mr. Distco to a career in biomedical engineering. Maybe the only counteracting force was the biomedical engineering professor at Mr. Distco's alma mater. Well, the biomedical engineering professor and her indecipherable English.

Dinner after the gala at the National Portrait Gallery was great. The new center courtyard area makes for quite an event space.

Yelp updates

New Yelp reviews. Check it out:

Bistro D'Oc
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Chinatown Express
Florida Avenue Grill
Thai X-ing
Grand Slam Sports Bar (Hyatt)
Waffle Shop

Obviously I'm bored on a Saturday. So?

Inauguration Weekend, Pt. The End

Mr. Distco is so over inauguration by now, but he realizes that he left a "to be continued ..." on his blog. So for the sake of closure: this post. Inauguration was crazy, but not nearly as crazy as was expected here in the District. Mr. and Mrs. Distco spent the weekend in their ivory towers away from the crowds, which was a mistake. Swearing in on the Distco's roof. Parade from the Willard. The Distcos had enviable views the whole time, but regretted not being a part of the mass of humanity on the mall.















Now let's see what our nation's first genuinely cool president (sorry Bill) can do.