My employer like many has a United Way drive every year. Although I like to give, I always wonder how each charity direct their money. The cynic in me theorizes that a big portion goes to an exec that adds little value.
The people at Charity Navigator obviously had similiar concerns and more drive to do something about the matter.
Check out the good, the bad and the ugly.
Some of my favorites are First Book and the DC Central Kitchen.
After a very poor experience at Majestic Cafe, my old favorite spot for nice Friday dinners, I am looking for a new favorite. Any suggestions? 2941 Restaurant would be a front runner, but it is a little too pricey.
On the way home from Union Station yesterday, I got stranded at Metro Center Station for about 40 minutes waiting for Metro to clear a disabled train from the line near Falls Church. I could spend the whole day ranting about Metro’s design flaws, and why it takes the WMATA 40 minutes to move a disabled train less than one stop to the closest pull off area, but I won’t.
Instead I just want to say that once the trains started running again I saw Metro area residents at their best in the crowded train trying to get home. People actual talked and joked about the situation with strangers on the metro. On a normal day people don’t even make eye contact with strangers on the Metro. People did their best to let people out of the train, and let everyone get the best hand hold possible. Not that I am looking forward to the next time it takes me two hours to get home or find myself crammed into a tin tube with my 200 closest friends, but it was more pleasant than it could have been.
In good news other than having to buy a new SmartTrip Card, I forgot the other one in yesterday’s shirt’s pocket, this morning’s commute was flawless. A train waiting for me at Vienna and Metro Center gets me out to Union Station in 42 Minutes.
Pulitzer Prize winner Art Buchwald, best known for his regular column in the Washington Post, has been writing about his experiences since deciding against dialysis and checking himself into a hospice to wait for the end. They are insightful, funny, and sad. Take a minute to check them out.
Way back on NYE (aka December 31st), Chris, James, Katherine, and I went back up to the Flying Barrel to bottle our newly created beer. Bottling is a relatively simple proces which involves transfering the beer from the fermenting bucket to the bottling bucket with a racking cane. Then the final specific gravity is measured, and a simple formula is used to compute the alcohol content of each beer.
The results are:
James’ Guiness-like Stout 4%
Chris’ Mocha Stout 6.1%
Katherine’s Hefeweizen 5.3%
Randy’s Extra Hoppy Pale Ale 7.3%
Once the once you know how many of each beers you need to get your buzz on, you add a bit of corn sugar to the bottling bucket, fill each bottle and cap them. Then the last step is to wait, then wait a bit more, and then wait even more. One week after bottling we still have more waiting until the beer is fully carbonated and ready to drink.
Katherine and I bought some 3/4 inch round sticker to label each of our beers, hers have paw prints, mine have flowers (for the hops!). Now once they hit the fridge we will know which beer we are about to drink.
I got tired of waiting and sampled one of Katherine’s beer. It is good, but will be better in another two weeks.
Yesterday, I defied the brewing gods and made beer. I guess technically I made wort, and right now a colony of yeast is slowly turning it into beer.
It all started when Katherine saw a Washington Post article about DC Metro brew-on-premises establishments. The prices at Shenandoah Brewing were ridiculous so we made an appointment at The Flying Barrel Frederick, MD. The have a beginners special that allows you to brew 5 gallons (2 cases) of beer for seventy-five bucks. After a bit of confusion for each of us in finding a good recipe, Chris, James, Katherine, and I boiled, measured, ground, mashed, sponged, measured some more, stirred, boiled again, hopped, strained, added yeast, measured a bit more, and capped off the fermenter. Then we sampled some beer another customer brought in, and went home empty handed while the yeast (hopefully) went to work. In two to three weeks we can bottle, and two weeks after that we can finally drink our beer. Katherine made Hefeweizen, James made a dark Guinessy brew, Chris went for a Chocolate Stout, and I went for an Extra Hoppy Pale Ale.
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It is currently 27 Degrees F and I am on my way out to go hiking. If you don’t hear from me in twelve hours let the authorities know to look for two human shaped blocks of ice near Fountainhead Park.
James and I continued our exploration of the Bull Run - Occoquan Trail this weekend. The trail starts at the Bull Run Regional Park, and continues to the town of Occoquan. Last week we started at the Bull Run Marina, and walked towards Occoquan for three and a half miles, discovering a dead squirrel in the process. This section of the trail is over rolling hills, and is moderately challenging is you are as out of shape as I am. This week we started at the Route 28 access point and walked down stream (towards Occoquan) for around three miles. This section is a bit easier, and we discovered the foreleg of a dear that had been gnawed and split for the marrow by an animal at least the size of a labrodor. For some reason there seems to be a lot of death on the trail, perhaps vengeful ghosts from the Civil War. A plaque at the Route 28 access point to the trail displays a map of the Battle of First Mannassas including a depiction of where Cocke was protecting Ball’s Ford. A two mile walk from Route 28 there are the remains of a Civil War Artillery Battery, the picture above shows James defiling this treasure of our past. It is very cool looking, and in pretty good condition compared to some of the ruins on Maryland Heights. To be fair, from the direction we approached, there is not a sign identifying the Artillery Battery.
We are planning on continuing to explore the trail, and if you want more information on the Trail check out the PATC destination guide.
Once I have accumulated a decent number of pictures I will put them up in the gallery, and hopefully James will post the pictures he took of the dead squirrel and deer leg.
This Monday, we dressed Murray up as a Bumblebee and Katherine carved a pumpkin to celebrate Halloween. After talking with the neigbors we were expecting between 50 and 100 kids. We had 5 lbs of candy and I rationed it carefully to the first couple of kids. Of course with all of that preparation we only had 15-20 kids, so if anyone wants some candy we still have plenty. More pictures can be found in the gallery.
This weekend we went to an open house three houses down, and chated with one of our neighbors about how much we enjoy the neighborhood, and the sturdiness of our 1970’s homes. Then she let me in on the following rumor that had been being passed from neighbor to neighbor for the past 8-9 years. The story goes something like this:
Chris the former owner of our house only paid $55K for the house because the sellers were very motivated and wanted to unload it is as quickly as possible. When Chris moved in there was a gross black stain on the carpet, so she had it replaced. After a year or so the black stain returned, and couldn’t be cleaned away. She then found out that one of the previous owners had died in that spot (perhaps by foul play).
I don’t believe it, and know for a fact that Chris paid more than 55K for the house. However, I am interested enough to dig up the names of previous owners and do a bit of research.
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