President Obama visited my favorite place in Del Ray this weekend, The Dairy Godmother. I usually go here multiple times per week during the summer, and its only a five minute walk from my house. Mark usually goes with me begrudgingly because the line is so long, so I’m not sure if the Obama visit (which will no doubt make the line very, very long) is going to make him eager to continue to accompany me.

Anyway, I think its very cool that Obama went here.

My favorite Dairy Godmother flavor? Caramel Heath Bar. Yum…

New Tori to enjoy — “Welcome to England.”  I am really looking forward to this album (to be released May 19).

Listen:

And, the fantastic site Here In My Head.com took a stab at deciphering the lyrics:

do a dance for me
baby it is laced ___ up on me
don’t want to go on
let the liquid take off what you won’t

you’ve been down before
boy and i like this
i’m in quicksand
i am sinking fast

perfect, heal it
’cause your other half has got himself
a devil’s excess

welcome to england, he said
welcome to my world

you better bring your own sun, sweet girl
you gotta bring your own sun
don’t you forget your…
bring your own sun
just enough for everyone

heels on, go on
bang a tango but do not get tangled
who can stay strong
when they only give us lies to lean on

when your heart explodes
is it deathly cold
you must let the colors violate the
blackness, the rest
a magic world in parallel
so leave your daily hell

welcome to england, he said
welcome to my world

it’s not a question, if i care
fight by your side
and we’ll stand
anything but
but i forgot
that you said, girl
if you come…

you better bring your own sun, sweet girl
you gotta bring your own sun
don’t you forget your…
bring your own sun
just enough for everyone

welcome to england
welcome to england

I receive many e-mail updates from my elected officials — this one just came from Jim Moran, Congressman, 8th District of Virginia:

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Data Released
At my request, data outlining the number of troops discharged under the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy for January 2009 was released today. These were the last soldiers to be discharged under DADT by the Bush Administration. At a time when our military’s readiness is strained to the breaking point from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Armed Forces continue to discharge vital service members under an outdated, outmoded policy. Our allies in Great Britain, Israel, Germany, France and many other nations have overcome this issue, facing no adverse consequences from lifting bans focused on soldiers’ sexual orientation. Polls also show the American people overwhelmingly support repealing this policy.

Included in the 11 specialists discharged include a human intelligence collector, a military police officer, four infantry personnel, a health care specialist, a motor transport operator and a water treatment specialist. I plan to continue releasing this information each month until “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is repealed.

Major kudos to Congressman Moran for demanding this information. True patriots will fight for the repeal of this — we can’t afford the loss of quality servicemembers over such a huge non-issue.

The AP article can be found here.

Finally.

According to ew.com, Curb Your Enthusiasm is coming back for its 7th season. I’ve waited so long to hear this wonderful news!

I abolutely treasure you.

In very exciting news, my friends (and, conveniently, neighbors), Holly and Besim are expecting their first child this February.   In honor of his (it’s a boy!) arrival, I made the baby the Li’l Monkey Afghan and Baby Hat from the Stich ‘n Bitch crochet book, The Happy Hooker.

The hardest part about this pattern was changing colors all the time and keeping track of all of the different squares.  But it was really fun to make and I’m really pleased with how it turned out.

Hopefully the newest addition to our neighborhood will like it too.  It was made with a lot of love.

Li'l Monkey Baby Afghan

Li'l Monkey Baby Hat

Monday night I went to DuPont Circle to metaphorically “sage the White House” with comedian Kate Clinton.   When we got there at around 5 p.m. the crowds were already starting to pour in.  Rainbow flags and Bush protesters filled the circle, music filled the air, and various tents were proped up to solicit support for x and y causes.  Not surprisingly, there was also a big inflatable Bush, complete with flight suit and extra long Pinnochio nose.  Surrounding the “doll” was a mountain of shoes that people were invited to throw at him, literally giving Bush the boot.

Kate Clinton was great — the crowd brought a lot of sage with them and although it was a little intense to be around so much sage going all at once (woah!), it was a really great experience.  As one, we celebrated purifying D.C. in preparation for the incoming administration.  It just felt amazing for that moment to finally be upon us.

Jenn and Gemma at the show.

It’s hard to believe that the inauguration has actually come and gone.  I did a lot of inaugural activities, starting with the We Are One concert at the Lincoln Memorial.   The highlight of the concert was Garth Brooks singing American Pie and Shout — it was so much fun.  The crowd was incredibly energized.  Nothing short of electric.  We were extremely cold and it was exhausting standing in a packed crowd for so long, but it was definitely worth it.  After the show we grabbed a bite at Au Bon Pain and waited for the crowds to fizzle out before metro ride home.

Bruce Springsteen

Gemma trying to see.

The family returns January 18.

As if the Inauguration isn’t enough excitement for this weekend, Big Love returns for its third season this Sunday night.

I attempted to snag the trailer from HBO’s Web site, but apparently Time/Warner doesn’t like anyone else promoting their shows.  That being said, the trailer looks really good.

I have high hopes for this season.  Season 2 was just so-so.  Some storylines were excellent, while others just fell flat.

Big Love premieres Sunday, January 18 at 9 p.m. EST.

Hello, 2009!

It’s really exciting being in D.C. during this moment in history.  The entire city is buzzing.  Yesterday my husband drove me to work (traffic was horrendous!) and we saw some of the construction/preparations going on at the National Mall:

A view of the Mall January 15, 2009.

Here you can kinda see the Capitol behind the scaffolding.

I have never seen so many portable toilets in all of my life! They look quite funny surrounding the Washington Monument.

This weekned I am going to try to do as many inaugural activities as possible. Sunday is the free concert at the Lincoln Memorial, Monday is Kate Clinton’s “Sage-ing of the White House.”  And, of course, Tuesday is the Big Day.

I remember when it was announced that Bush was the projected winner in 2000.  I felt defeated.  I was 19 and in my sophomore year of college, and had stayed up watching the returns with my dear, dear Republican friend, Katie.  After the networks called it for Bush, I called it a night.  I walked back to my dorm room and prepared for bed.  Then Katie called me and said, “They called it too early.  They’re not sure if Bush won Florida.”  My hope returned, briefly, until Katherine Harris certified the vote in December.  I remember thinking that the storm clouds were gathering, and that it was getting dark.  I was sad.

And now I sit here eight years later, typing this at my desk in the heart of Washington, D.C.   It feels good to be here to watch the sun come out again.