Hill Rat

Monday, February 20, 2012

One of These Days . . .

. . . I'm gonna start posting on the regular again, I swear.

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Handsome Devil

I woke up early this morning. My bedroom was mostly dark, but some light managed to sneak in from the street lamp between the panels of window coverings. There was just enough light to outline one side of the cherubic face of my little boy as I put my hand on this chest and felt his heart beating there fast, steady, and strong.

As I looked at him, ran my fingers lightly over his cheeks, and pressed my face against his I thought about the awesome responsibility of raising this boy. This child came into the world a blank slate. All that it is written on him, both good & bad, comes from my hand at this point.

I think I'm doing OK so far.

Saturday, February 05, 2011

Here I Go Again

I'm putting myself on the clock again. I just dropped SkateRat off at a birthday party at Pump It Up and shot over to Chick-Fil-A and now I'm settled in at the Starbuck's across the parking lot ready to write.

First of all, the folks at Pump it Up are screwing the pooch by not having a coffee shop/bar attached to their place. Why let me and the money I just spent walk out of their business? There are also three other parents from the same party here too, it seems like they're missing out on strong revenue stream.

Anyway, rugby is getting ready to start back up soon. I'm trying to learn from the mistakes I made last year as a rookie coach, but I'm also kind of dreading the physical effort and emotional investment that coaching and playing for my team requires.

Last season when I was pissed off and disappointed in the team and my own inability to motivate them, "The Sandwich" (one of my players) counseled me to not it take it so seriously. It was solid advice, but ultimately it fell on deaf ears because that's just not me. I have to give up too much to play rugby, ask my family for too much to support me to not be hurt & distraught (yes, distraught) when I felt like my team quit on me.

I believe that I have it in me to be an amazing coach, but I doubt that I will reach my full potential as a coach staying with my own club. That's a thought which leads me to uncomfortable place: when and how will I stop being an active member of my own club? My club has been such a big part of my life for so many years I can't really imagine my life without those fools.

There it is, another crash & burn ending. But I did squeeze out another post.

I

Thursday, January 27, 2011

BabyRat No More

I decided on something a few weeks ago that I'm going to share with you now.

Since I started this blog almost five years ago I've referred to my oldest child as "BabyRat." When I dubbed her BabyRat it was a fitting title/Nom d' Blog, but she's almost six years old now and, while still given to frequent crying, is not a baby in any way, shape, or form. My daughter has blossomed into a kind, thoughtful, loving, beautiful, strong, tough, fearless, funny, adventurous, whip smart little kid.

She's such an amazing kid, watching her start to develop her own preferences and style is really fun to watch. Of course there's a massive element of self-congratulations in all of this because I'm the one who has her singing Cat Power and Lauryn Hill.

Anyway, she got a skateboard for Christmas this year and immediately asked me to take her to the Konkrete Jungle [Writer's Note: Totally got sidetracked updating shit in FourSquare instead of writing, now watch this crash & burn ending] when we got back from spending Christmas in Houston. Immediately it hit me that her new appallation should be SkateRat.

What could be more perfect to capture this kid's steez and fit in with the weird schtick I've come up with for myself in this blog?

Later.

Type your summary hereType rest of the post here

So Much Fail

Fuck, I'm not even coming close to posting once a week! It's just like school, I want to do it and do it well, but instead of just getting things done I procrastinate thinking to myself, "I still have time." The difference is that now instead of getting sidetracked by an opportunity to waste an afternoon/evening/night/semester bumping around maxin' & relaxin', smokin' & jokin', drinkin' & stinkin', my attempts to write are brought low by a whole different set of circumstances. Although these days I have quite a bit more to show for my missed deadlines than I did back then.

Rather than thinking I'm going to pop off with something epic, I'm just gonna put myself on the clock and force myself to write. One hour, one cup of coffee, one blog post.

I have to wonder if I just need the drama of a deadline to write because I did pretty good with my attempt to post everyday for a month. I guess it doesn't matter, I've identified another part of the problem (procrastination) and figured out a way to deal with it. So now what we're going to have here today is the contents of my mind late afternoon on a Thursday.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Why This Blog Sucks, Part 15

Dude, I suck so bad at blogging now! I mean, I already ID'd the problem six months ago but I've largely been unable and unwilling to do anything about it.

When I say "this blog sucks" it's not that I think that I suck or my writing sucks, in fact I'm pretty cocky about my ability to communicate in writing. But compare what you see here to the kind of portal to writing, research, thoughts, and opinions that a good blog should be like Ta-Nehisi Coates' spot at the Atlantic or something more gonzo and irreverent like Stinque and it's hard to conclude anything other this blog sucks. The blogosphere demands content and I have failed that challenge miserably over the last year and a half or so.

More soon . . .

Friday, January 07, 2011

Resolved

I was going to make a bunch of resolutions this year. Start exercising in the morning again, cut down on the booze, deal with unpleasant situations in a mature & direct way, all the usual bullshit we say we're going to do. But the one promise to myself that I must keep is to start writing again. One blog post per week MINIMUM.

I'm not going to give myself a minimum number of words to write because I know that I can force myself to type until I've reached whatever arbitrary limit I set and I'll end up kind of just . . . trailing off instead of finishing my thoughts.

I already know that my "go to" topic for a quick post will be recipes and food. Food is the new hotness these days and I'm 'bout it, 'bout it too. Everyone's talking about food; Mrs. Obama is up on food's tip, food in the schools, DC Healthy Schools Act. Food, it's everywhere you want to be.

Since WifeRat and I got together nine years ago I've been cooking more and better food. And for the last 6-9 months I would say that I've really been "feeling my flavor." Everything I do in the kitchen is just a little bit sharper, a little bit better & tastier these days. When I dice an onion now, the pieces are uniform. My temperature on meat & fish is getting close to perfect. I seem to be able to avoid typical home cook kitchen disasters either through careful preparation or simply having the confidence to try something to save the dish.

It's a nice feeling, having command of your kitchen. The freedom to start branching out into making new recipes and new types of food is almost like being able to fly. We started eating a lot of Indian food over the last 12-18 months and now I've started making it at home. I make a pretty good potato & cauliflower curry, but the thing that real makes the crowd go wild is my palak paneer. My newest challenge is to stop paying $10 for paneer cheese and start making it myself.

Food occupies a central place in our household, we have a beautiful open kitchen that's the heart of our home. In consultation with the rest of the family, usually I'll plan a week's worth of meals and then take the kids with me to the grocery store to do the shopping. I'm happy to trade off whatever drama & stress (minimal IMHO) taking two kids to the grocery store entails to ensure that I always have food I want (in the quantities I require) to eat in the house.

Since I like to cook in a clean kitchen, I also serve as the de facto scullery maid in our home. I feel like Sisyphus with the constant loading and unloading of the dishwasher. Most days it's the first thing I do when I get up in the morning and the last thing I do before I go to bed at night.

I actually enjoy cleaning the kitchen, scrubbing the counters and stove after doing the dishes and then wiping them down is like a form of meditation for me. It's a way for me to show my family how much I love them each and every day and connects me to the lessons my parents and grandparents taught me about how to live.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Tweet from @TokeOfTheTown

End Times? Pat Robertson Endorses Marijuana Legalization http://bit.ly/foBCsf

Saturday, October 30, 2010

No Connectivity

Crowd at #rally4sanity is stunnigly white. 1person said, "You'd never
know DC is Choclate City." The Roots r here #thingswhitepoeoplelike

Can't hit Twitter from Safari or Echofon on this damn iPhone. Shows
full bars but no love.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Twitter Killed My Blog

Srsly, I'm a fkin tard talking in 140 characters a clip even when I don't need to.

Friday, February 05, 2010

Community NIght

BabyRat (BR) started at a DCPS on Capitol Hill this past Fall. I didn't really have time to write about it (or anything else) because the LittlestRat (LR) has been keeping us pretty busy. Work has been busier for me too, now that I'm back to working for a small company where I have to wear a couple of different hats. I've also been up to my ass in meetings, events, work days, celebrations, and "Community Nights" at BR's new school.

I don't know what's normal, but since BR started at DCPS I've probably averaged about one evening (or some kind of off the schedule daytime event) a week at her school. One of the recurring obligations is "Community Night."

Community Nights are run and sponsored by a local DC organization called Turning the Page a/k/a TTP. The first time TTP had a community night I looked at it as opportunity to go hang out at the school, meet some of the other parents, and soak up a free meal. They did a great job of marketing the event, we were contacted by a sponsor family that encouraged us to attend, they put a reminder sticker on the kids clothes that day, and we were made to feel very welcome.

I hadn't realized that after eating, the parents and the kids would separate and the parents were going to group sessions. During this session, we were given a book to take home and discussed the importance of reading to young children and some tips & techniques to engage kids in reading. It was good information, but nothing that I didn't already know and had been doing for a few years to boot.

So as the semester goes on they're having these Community Nights like every other week! Wanting to be an active and supportive parent, I attend the second community night despite the middling food and rudimentary child care lesson being delivered. The third community night is an author visit and reading, along with some samples of vegan food (the topic of the book). BabyRat is all hyped up because there is going to be a special guest so, again, I feel like I have to attend.

I know that being a parent isn't always easy or fun, I wanted to be a father and I took on these obligations and responsibilities of my own free will. So on one level I feel like I should just STFU and keep doing my part to be a responsible parent by attending every meeting or gathering where they'll have me at BR's school. At the same time, I can't help wondering if the resources being put into these community nights couldn't be being used more effectively.

I'm not writing this to denigrate or mock the efforts of the very earnest and fresh-faced (OK, maybe a little mocking) young volunteers. Quite the opposite, I think the concept is great but it could be executed a little better.

Last week we talked about nutrition, but we had a meal of store bought lasagna & mushy french fries for dinner that evening. So already there's a disconnect between what we're talking about and what we're actually doing. A demonstration where they showed how a hot breakfast of oatmeal (the real stuff, bought in bulk) with a piece of fruit compares with Pop Tarts economically and nutritionally or show how you can turn $10-15 worth of groceries (what you might spend on a fast food meal) into a nutritious dinner would be a better way to spend our time.

One of the things we (the parents & group leaders) talked about was how getting kids involved in cooking opened them up to trying new foods. Sometimes kids will surprise you, like BabyRat prefers the stalks of broccoli to the crowns. I would have never figured that out if I hadn't had BabyRat there with me while I was trimming the broccoli one night and she asked to taste the stalk.

I don't want this to turn into a critical rant, so I'll stop with the suggestions right here. Despite my misgivings, I'll continue to participate in Community Nights as long as they continue to have them because they are, on balance, a good thing.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Fwd: open for blizzarding!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mark
Date: Sat, Jan 30, 2010 at 4:39 PM
Subject: open for blizzarding!

Jimmy Valentine's and Little Miss Whiskey's is open on time tonight.

$5 for shot of rail whiskey and either a Mickey's (JV's) or a Stroh's (LMW) all nighty night..

thank you for your support

www.littlemisswhiskeys.com

Friday, January 22, 2010

Water Main Break

I got an e-mail from WifeRat about 4pm telling me the water was out at home. Thankfully the problem wasn't in our place or building, but there is a water main break one block over from us. When I called home to check in there were already repair folks on the scene and I could hear heavy machinery and children in the background.

When I got home, I took BabyRat out to see what all the hub-bub was about. I grabbed the new camera I gave WR for her birthday and took a few pictures.

Apparently the water main break on Florida Ave NE is related to what's going on on my block. A one man band reporter/cameraman chomped on a stogie while he explained that there was a problem with a 36-inch line on my block and that caused problem with 6, 8, and 12 water lines heading north towards Florida.

I don't know much else, but it's 1:44am, my water is back on with strong pressure, and they've got a massive hole dug at the corner of 11th & E Sts NE. Strange observation, WASA left tags on all the doors in the neighborhood advising us of a problem but when BR and I went out to take a look WASA was no where to be found, it was all Flippo trucks and DCFD.

UPDATE:

Pictures of the hole at the corner of 11th & E Sts NE

Monday, October 12, 2009

Requiem for the Death Star

There has been mad drama at Death Star, Inc. (DSI) over the last couple of months. Again, we found ourselves embroiled in contract drama that finally culminated in me and several co-workers (including my boss) leaving for a smaller company. It was a good three year run with DSI but I'm excited to go to work for a smaller company where my experience, skills, and connections will be provide me and my employer greater value.

I'll be doing the same job by day at the Department of Stupidity and add some company responsibilities in the areas of proposal writing, marketing, and business development. I started out in the contractor game doing tech support and I've been attempting to run away from that field at full speed since then, so this is a move I've been trying to make for a while. Even though this will certainly mean I'll actually have to work kind of hard for the first time in years, I'm also a bit excited about work.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Drinks With a Monkey

So last Wednesday I got a text from NylonThread informing me that DCist was having its 5th birthday party at the H St Country Club and invited me to come on down. I ended up being able to make it down there and, trying to make the best of a short night out, I immediately pounded a Jim Beam & Coke. For whatever reason, I wasn't finding the mixed drink satisfying so on my next round I asked for a shot of Beam and a beer. As I'm picking up my drink, I see something floating in it and it turns out there about a half dozen fruit flies in my shot. I inform the bartender, she immediately cracks open a fresh bottle and replaces the shot.

Not too long after that, Guns & Roses starts playing on the juke box and I take that as my cue to take Monkeyrotica, NylonThread, and IMGoph down to Little Miss Whiskey's Golden Dollar (Sorry Mark). I get my check and I'm flabbergasted to find that I was charged for the shot with the flies in it. I ask the bartender about it and she says, "Well I gave you a new shot" as if somehow that excuses her from serving me a drink with bugs in it.

Now I worked in a few bars and restaurants back in the day and the solemn promise I made to myself when I left that behind was that I was never going to be one of those assholes that talked a bunch of smack about working in the industry and proceeded to tip %15 or be an obnoxious douche who felt the need to correct every waiter and bartender on the finer points of service. So when this dipshit bartender acted like she was doing me a favor by replacing an insect-laden drink I let the shit ride, gave her a %20 tip and headed downstairs.

Problem was I couldn't let the shit go, so while I'm waiting for everyone else to get ready to break out, I quickly outlined the story to the guy working the door and asked him his opinion. He seemed to agree with me, but he called a manager over. So I tell her the story too. At this point I'm paid up, I don't want another drink and I don't even want my money back; I just want to get the fuck out there and go to a place that appreciates my patronage a little bit more. Well this fuckstick manager gives me a bunch of nut roll about how "in the industry" if a mistake is made and they make it right it's perfectly OK to charge the customer and she was actually correct about that. It is OK to charge a customer for a corrected mistake, but doing so doesn't usually win you any loyal customers.

I actually wasn't going to write about this incident. It's a little too close to a "I'm a blogger, fear my poison pen" tantrum for my liking, but the shit didn't sit well with me. The bartender and manager's reactions tell me that the folks staffing the place don't have a good grasp on what their job is or how to do it. I received only the most perfunctory apology and neither the bartender nor the manager made any mention of appreciating my business or hoping that I would come back so they could knock my socks off next time.

I dunno if it's just that the places I bartended I had more autonomy or what, but I would have NEVER charged someone for a mistake like that and depending on the surrounding situation may have just comped the whole check. While discussing this with Monkey and the crew down the street, he made the point that margins are thin on H St. and HSCC is generally populated by douches trucking in from 'burbs in a futile attempt to be edgy and cool. In that context it actually makes sense to hold the line on giving out free drinks. The last thing you want is for the word on the street to be that you're an easy mark for a couple of free drinks for some Tucker Max wannabes from Arlington.

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Are You Ready for Some Football?

I'm not quite sure how this happened, but for the first time in several years I feel like I have some kind of idea what's going on in the NFL. I didn't realize this until last weekend when I found myself making a convincing argument that the Raiders are going to the playoffs this season. Am I a deluded lifelong fan of the Silver & Black? Yes, but that doesn't mean that I'm wrong. Keep reading to find out why the Raiders are going to finish above .500, make the playoffs, and could take the AFC West.

The Raider's O-Line is a big question mark going into this season, but they signed a couple of guys this off season to create some competition for the tackle spots. Barnes is a devastating run blocker who cleared huge holes for the Jaguars rushing attack last season. Henderson showed a little something late in the season in 2008 and can provide Raider's QB JaMarcus Russell the time he needs to get the ball downfield. Robert Gallery didn't become the anchor of the line at left tackle that he was predicted to be, but is well on his way to becoming a Pro Bowl caliber guard.

The Raider's troika of running backs Justin Fargas, Darren McFadden, and Michael Bush will provide the necessary depth in the backfield to weather the punishment of a 16 game season. I'm predicting that McFadden lives up to the flashes of brilliance he showed last year and will rush for 1400 yards this season. Remember, you heard it here first.

Rather than regurgitate what has been written elsewhere about the Raider wide outs, I'll just give you a link to the bleacherreport breakdown. Teams are going to have pick their poison this season, stack the box to slow down the Raiders' running game and let JaMarcus go deep on that ass or commit to stopping the passing game and let the three headed monster of McFadden, Fargas, and Bush run buck-motherfucking-wild.

The Raiders' defense has some players, but has yet to come together as a cohesive unit. The big story right now is the addition of Richard Seymour to the defensive front. That is, assuming he plays for the Raiders this season.

The real deal though is that the AFC West is weak and whack. The Chargers won the division last season with an 8-8 record, LT has peaked as a premier NFL running back, he's getting long in the tooth and brittle and the Chargers weren't even sure they wanted him back this season. Merriman can't seem to stay out of the headlines; popped for steroid use in 2006 and now he's caught a charge for choking a 90 pound woman. Add in Rivers' bloated contract, the ham-fisted GM-ing of AJ Smith, and Norv Turner as head coach and that doesn't sound like a winning team.

As for the rest of the West the Chiefs are terrible and the Broncos are starting Kyle Orton at quarterback. This is a division that is ripe for the picking.

Saturday, September 05, 2009

Real Pizza on the Hill Finally?

Earlier this week I heard one of the patrons at Peregrine asking some dude when the pizza joint (in the spot formerly occupied by Ben & Jerry's on 7th St SE) is opening up. The reply was that they were going to be opening some time next week. I was rolling by the place today and saw this sign up in the window.

7th Hill Pizza also had their sign up

But perhaps more important than all of that, they seem to have all of their administrative ducks in a row too.

I am waiting for this opening with bated breath, in the hopes that my days of trucking out to Valentino's for a decent pie are over.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

The Littlest Rat

At 1:12pm on July 6, 2009 our family became complete when we were joined by the Littlest Rat. LR weighed in at 10 pounds 12 ounces and when he was born the midwife told WifeRat, "Congratulations, you just gave birth to a two month old!!"

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks. If you saw my last blog post, that was sent from Jimmy Valentine's Lonely Hearts Club after I had taken the family to Ocean City for a day trip to the beach. Why go all the way to Ocean City when North Beach/Chesapeake Beach is less than an hour away? Well, WifeRat needed to get to the ocean while she was pregnant. A couple of months ago I had promised her we would get to the ocean before the baby was born and I had to, as BabyRat would say, "Keep it a promise."

The next weekend was the 4th of July. So naturally there was a cookout (organized by others in the building), fireworks, and much excitement. WR only made a brief appearance, just long enough for everyone to gawk at her big belly, before retreating back to air conditioned comfort.

I'm also happy to report that on the 4th of July we met a new babysitter! BabySitterRat is 16 and her and BR are in love with each other, they spent a good portion of the late afternoon/early evening on the 4th playing together and seem to be a perfect match. When I asked BabySitterRat's parents about her working for us, her Dad asked me, "Does your child ever hear the N-word in your house?" I was stunned and didn't know what to say, mostly because I drop the N-bomb all the time around the house*.

So I'm standing there giving this guy a blank look going, "Humina, humina, humina," when he breaks into a broad smile and says, "I meant the word 'no'." He goes on to explain that BSR had been taking care of some kid, told him he couldn't do something, and the parents came home and gave her a raft of shit for "disciplining" their child. At this point he got involved and told BSR's former employers they were idiots and decided that after that incident he needed to find out where people's heads were at before he allowed his daughter to work for them. Seeing as how I'm the kind of guy who wanted to talk to him *before* I hired his daughter to look after my kid, I don't think we'll have any problems.

Finally, the Monday after the 4th of July, WifeRat woke me up and informed me that she was in labor while weeping tears of joy. We hugged excitedly and cheered our good fortune that I could just take BR to school while she delivered the baby before I went back to sleep. I was buffeted by twin feelings of panic and calm as BR and I had a fairly normal 7am start to a school day. The morning started so normal (with the exception of calling the mid-wife and birth assistant) that the original plan was for me to stop for coffee after I dropped BR at school.

By the time I actually left to take BR to school, WifeRat reported that her contractions had started coming fast & furious. When BabyRat was born WR went into labor about the same time (4am-ish) and we didn't even go to the birth center until 2pm, but it was pretty clear that the LittlestRat was coming and coming quickly. WifeRat talked on the phone to Go To Girl while I ran BR to school real quick.

I won't get into all the details of the birth, but I must confess that I did fall asleep for about 25 minutes towards the end of the birth while holding one of WifeRat's leg aloft. What I will say is how awesome our midwife and birth assistant were through out the whole birth experience, I can't imagine that we could have had two more thoughtful, kind, encouraging, and professional women attending LR's birth. They were truly amazing and I will spend the rest of my life being grateful to them for helping my wife bring my son into the world.

*I find it most hilarious to address my Irish/German/Norwegian wife who hails from North Dakota as, "Nigga." Of course WifeRat doesn't find it nearly as funny as I do, but sometimes she'll let out a titter of amusement in spite of herself.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

I used Shazam to discover All The Things I Look For by Dennis Ferrer

Hi,

I've just used Shazam to discover All The Things I Look For by Dennis Ferrer. I thought you might like this track.

If you have Shazam on your iPhone or iPod touch, tap here to add this Tag to your list. To get Shazam on your iPhone or iPod touch visit the App Store.

Shazam is free to download and use, so check it out.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Nigaz For Life

Over at Stinque they say, "If it smells, we're on it" and they didn't miss this rather hilarious story. Of course I tweeted that shit and now I'm posting a link to the BBC story here on my blog just in case anyone missed it.

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