Ok, so it's cold outsite. A little vindy. But meine schnauzer in himmel, are people not supposed to hang out outside at all after November 1st? Every store, even the Homo Depot, has removed and shipped away all patio furnishings... no extruded plastic deck chairs, no little tables... Ah well. I settled, last night after work, for two plastic folding chairs, the kind you see by the hundreds or thousands at public ceremonies and whatnot, and two largish Rubbermaid storage bins to serve as little tables to hold drinks and ashtrays. I am not certain how much use all this will get as the weather services promise a frigid weekend for Marathon, but no doubt people will at least enjoy the sun while it's outbundled up in coats and bankies, prolly.
Also bought a new, bigger toolbox, so I can feel butch. So far, no dice.
Lord Dan the Former and I had tentative plans to eat and/or drink last night, so I called him from Homo Depot and he picked me and my new stuff up there. We went for Korean food in Annandale, which was damnfine (I've never in my life eated so much stuff I couldn't identify); followed by a brief detour to see (kinda "see" = lit in highbeams) The Awakening, the odd statue of an enormous man coming out of the ground, at Hain's Point on the Potomac (I had never seen it; didn't know, e.g., that it included a knee; thought it would be scarier than it is); thence to The Saloon at U and 12th, whose establishment is uncommonly bossy: first of all, multiple signs and the menu tell you that there is NO STANDING in this bar (as opposed to the Brito-European models it's supposedly fashioned after, at which almost everybody really does stand at the bar rather than sitting on stools). There are limits on the number of various types of beers you can have. The menu insists on ONE CHECK/ONE CREDIT CARD, and requests that you do not order beer and food at the same time. I ended up being all mother-may-I with the server, who must have been used to doling out permissions. He was, I'm sure, the only black person in the place the entire time we were there: the crowd was not just all white, but all PALE white. (Our server was also-also very beautiful and stylishly dressed. Yes, I flirted with the help once again. What can I say?)
Frankly, I don't like the attitude of the place, but the selection of Belgian and Belgian-style ales is such that one puts up with quite a lot of bossiness.
Dan's partner Roy joined us for a sammich late in the evening. Dan and I chatted about Cheese Lord business (he resigned his tenorship only last week and so has plenty opinions to unload) and various elements of popular culture. Got home and to bed relatively early.
Also bought a new, bigger toolbox, so I can feel butch. So far, no dice.
Lord Dan the Former and I had tentative plans to eat and/or drink last night, so I called him from Homo Depot and he picked me and my new stuff up there. We went for Korean food in Annandale, which was damnfine (I've never in my life eated so much stuff I couldn't identify); followed by a brief detour to see (kinda "see" = lit in highbeams) The Awakening, the odd statue of an enormous man coming out of the ground, at Hain's Point on the Potomac (I had never seen it; didn't know, e.g., that it included a knee; thought it would be scarier than it is); thence to The Saloon at U and 12th, whose establishment is uncommonly bossy: first of all, multiple signs and the menu tell you that there is NO STANDING in this bar (as opposed to the Brito-European models it's supposedly fashioned after, at which almost everybody really does stand at the bar rather than sitting on stools). There are limits on the number of various types of beers you can have. The menu insists on ONE CHECK/ONE CREDIT CARD, and requests that you do not order beer and food at the same time. I ended up being all mother-may-I with the server, who must have been used to doling out permissions. He was, I'm sure, the only black person in the place the entire time we were there: the crowd was not just all white, but all PALE white. (Our server was also-also very beautiful and stylishly dressed. Yes, I flirted with the help once again. What can I say?)
Frankly, I don't like the attitude of the place, but the selection of Belgian and Belgian-style ales is such that one puts up with quite a lot of bossiness.
Dan's partner Roy joined us for a sammich late in the evening. Dan and I chatted about Cheese Lord business (he resigned his tenorship only last week and so has plenty opinions to unload) and various elements of popular culture. Got home and to bed relatively early.