getting closer...

to our trip.

as i may have mentioned in a couple posts, lois and i are going to the nation's capital for three nights on the 13th. she's never been there and it has been about eight years since i was there last.

it's funny that the main reason for the trip is not for the monuments/museums/national zoo.

no.

we're actually going because my favorite group, Swing Out Sister, is playing at a club in nearby Alexandria, VA. i've been such a fiend for their music since the first time i saw one of their videos (Waiting Game) on VH1...in 1989. unfortunately, in the past 20 years, SOS (as they're affectionately abbreviated) has toured the states twice (in '94 and '97) AND only in a handful of cities.

lois and i did catch their last american tour about eight years ago in San Fran, when they were supporting their release of Shapes and Patterns. that show was magical. it was just after my 27th b-day, at a place called Bimbo's 365. the place was jam packed. we grabbed a teeny table in the back and ended up leaving it for the dance floor. while we were in town, we got to eat some of our favorite cuisines, Burmese and Afghani. ever had either? Burmese food is kinda like Thai with chinese and indian influences. unfortunately, there are no Burmese restaurants in Colorado. as for Afghani food, it's middle eastern with some Persian (iran) and indian thrown in. think slightly sweet (persian) with stewy (indian). there is one Afghani restaurant in the metro area, Kabob House (in Aurora). it's not as good as Helmand in SF, but it's 1300 miles closer ;)

now, on this trip, we're gonna see SOS for my 35th b-day and eat ethnic. Along with NYC, Chicago, and San Fran, DC is one of the best cities to cure almost any ethnic food craving. just hanging out in the Adams Morgan district will do the trick. who needs to go to Georgetown/Foggy Bottom? there's good cheap ethnic in that area BUT the majority of the embassy houses lie in Adams Morgan. where else can you walk a block and see thai, ethiopian, lebanese, (el) salvadoran, spanish, italian, argentine, cuban...u name it. supposedly, there are cambodian and azerbaijani places too; something i'll have to investigate.

we even changed our accomodations on a whim. originally, we had reservations at the stinky ol' Econolodge in Arlington (near the Pentagon). good because of its proximity to the Birchmere (where SOS is playing)...and the free airport shuttle...and the continental bkfst. (read: sugar donuts and shitty machine dispensed 'juice')...and the shuttle to the Pentagon Metro station. $95/night. sometimes ya gotta pay for convenience...

nah.

we changed our minds and ended up reserving a room at the Channel Inn instead. closer to the main attractions, view of the Potomac instead of the highway, and we won't have to worry about scheduling our shuttle to get to a metro stop since there's a stop a few blocks away. okay...no airport shuttle...no stale donut or carcinogenic juice...and $139/night. sometimes ya gotta pay for comfort ;)

and dammit, it's gonna be my birfday. with all the crap going on with the uveitis, i deserve some stress free sumpin'!

ahhh, it's nice to finally pointlessly rant again. it has been so long since my blog had ANY content...