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Date Night: Strong Language and Strobe Lights

September 23, 2012 by momindcity 2 Comments

About a month ago Dave bought tickets to a play. I know– way to take some initiative, right?! The play was called Black Watch and the tickets were for this weekend.

If you know anything about military history (I do not), then you probably know that Black Watch is Scottish infantry regiment of historical significance. Let’s just say I was less than amused when I found that out. Yay, a war play (*eye roll*). But I kept a positive attitude and didn’t complain (much).

On Saturday night, I got all dressed up, Dave put on a clean shirt (don’t worry, he still wore sneakers and jeans), and we headed to Chinatown. The Shakespeare Theater is beautiful; not sure how I’ve managed to pass it a zillion times without noticing.

It turns out Black Watch is about a group of Scottish soldiers who deployed to Iraq during the recent war. The production is launching it’s second international tour and Washington, DC is the first stop. This is the sign that greets you when you get to the theater:

theater sign — Gotta love a welcome like this

I looked at Dave, batted my eyelashes, and said, “you had me at strong language and strobe lights.” Little did I know, Scottish people bring strong language to a whole ‘nother level. Thirty seconds in, I had already heard the c-word(!) twice. And it only got ~~worse~~ better from there. Pro tip: bring a flask and make it a drinking game. The play itself was excellent, but I have to admit that part of the entertainment included watching all the stuffy old theater folks’ eyes widen at the uniquely Scottish profanity. As for the strobe lights, nobody had a seizure….

No cameras allowed, but I managed to sneak this picture of us. I know, I’m such a rebel:

Other highlights of Black Watch included: penis pranks, bar fights and lots of football (soccer) references that I didn’t understand. Yet somehow, by the end, I was moved to tears as the bagpipes played and the Black Watch went into battle for the last time. It’s a powerful play that captures the spirit of the modern soldier to a tee. Reminded me a lot of my years in Jacksonville, North Carolina, home of Camp Lejeune and the military bar where I picked up my husband.

Black Watch was excellent, but wouldn’t have been my choice. I guess this is what I get for telling Dave to take the lead on date night. Next time it’ll be all pedicures and bargain shopping.

Reflecting Pool Opens: Still Not Reflecting

September 1, 2012 by momindcity 3 Comments

Big news today, ladies and gentlemen: the reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial reopened today.

Since this $34 million renovation happened just a few miles from home, I figured we should go check it out. At 34-mil I was expecting a reflecting pool that not only reflected but made me look 20 pounds thinner.

Dave and I dragged the girls into the muggy morning air for a 1.54 mile (tracking every step while tying to lose these pounds) walk around the National Mall. Of course, we stopped to get coffee at Ebeneezer’s (our favorite spot) on the way. Dave ordered our drinks and spent the rest of the morning making fun of me for my medium, skim, two pump, vanilla latte. “Are you sure you don’t want soy? Small latte in a large cup, perhaps? Half Splenda have regular sugar?” He believes there should be a two variable limit on coffee orders. I clearly disagree.

The girls were so excited about the reflecting pool that they started running as soon as we got out of the car. When when we arrived, I wanted to take their pictures. “No! I want to go to the reflecting pool!” I told them we were already there. “But I can’t see myself in the water!” Um yeah… pretty much. It seems 34 million dollars couldn’t quite solve that problem.

Don’t get me wrong, it was… nice. I mean… it’s the National Mall so it’s not going to be a dump. But besides the missing construction workers, tractors and fencing, I didn’t notice much of a difference. Something else I noticed: there was goose poop everywhere. It surrounded the entire reflecting pool. If you ask me, this whole project could have been done for 1 million, leaving an extra 33 mil for a pooper scooper. But what do I know?

It’s a cool spot regardless. Site of Martin Luther King’s “I Had a Dream” speech and Jen-nay’s dramatic wade through the water toward Forrest Gump. So much history.

The new walkway around the pool was a nice addition. And I’m glad the water isn’t as deep now, because one of these girls will surely fall in at some point.

In summary, the reflecting pool renovation was just “a’ight.” But I’m sure the tourists will impressed.

The Fresh Beats at Wolf Trap: Put Your Rockstar Jackets On

August 28, 2012 by momindcity 4 Comments

We had a great day. It was a super way… to spend …some time together.

Yes, I was singing those words as I typed them. And if your kids (or you?!) watch the Fresh Beat Band, you probably read them in song.

My girls are obsessed with the Fresh Beats. Not only is the Fresh Beat Band their favorite show, but they even told the teachers at camp to call them Marina and Kiki. The teachers actually believed those were their middle names, because they were so serious about it.

When we found out their tour had a stop in our area, we bought tickets immediately. Somehow me managed to keep it a secret until today, when we pulled Lira out of school early to go to the 3 o’ clock show at Wolf Trap. Side note: why would they perform on the second day of school? I know Virginia schools shaven’t started yet, so I’m calling this DC Public School discrimination, and I won’t stand for it! The NoVA soccer moms must not want to mingle with my grimy, city children….

Kiki, Marina, Twist and Shout put their rockstar jackets on and rocked the Wolf Trap Pavilion in a way it has never been rocked before. A few thoughts and observations:

1. The parents like this band at least as much as the kids.

2. Twist was not wearing the same outfit that he wears on TV. If you’re going to wear the same outfit through hundreds of episodes, why change it for the live show?
3. Wolf Trap looks really nice with it’s wooden construction, but don’t be fooled. Run your hand across the railings and you’ll end up with a hand full of splinters. Just ask Lira.

splintergate — Moments before Splinter-gate

4. They teach the whole “encore” thing at an early age. I’ve never understood encores. Why not just play all of your songs instead of pretending you’re done and coming back to sing your top hits? Dave was screaming “we want more! we want more!” while everyone else shouted “Fresh Beat Band! Fresh Beat Band!”
5. Two 30-minute sets with a 15 minute intermission is long enough. Trust me.
6. Lawn seats might be the way to go. We splurged for the “Loge” seats, whatever the hell that means. I was surprised to see that we didn’t have our own private lodge. Not really. But what’s a “loge” Do you know?

7. Prepare for tantrums when your child figures out they can’t jump over the ledge and on to the stage with their favorite band. Zana is definitely a crowd-surfer in the making. Is crowd surfing even still cool?

8. The new Marina is hotter than the old one, according to Dave.
9. “Twist’s rap flow is up there with Jay Z, Dilla and Snoop.”— Dave’s friend Marc Wear, who was also at the show with his family.
10. Tired parents with cranky kids will run your ass over in the parking lot. This may be a Nick Jr. crowd, but they drive like they’re leaving a Megadeath concert and heading for the bar.

“A great day” might be headed your way too. The Fresh Beats are touring the country through mid-November. See them at your own risk. And prepare to “go bananas… na-na-na-na-na-na-let’s go bananas!”

The Best Mall Visits are After Hours

August 26, 2012 by momindcity 4 Comments

It was a rainy Sunday in the city, which means we were going stir crazy. As you may have noticed, our family is not so good at sitting around the house. I wasn’t really up for another puddle splashing trip to the park. So what to do…

Grocery run… done.
Frozen yogurt trip…done.

And suddenly it was 4 o’clock and we needed an idea. Dave decided to take us somewhere his dad used to take him on rainy days: Crystal City! (?!) If you live here, you know that the underground shops there are the most pointless excuse for a mall that has ever existed. It’s a series of stores and restaurants under high-rise buildings, mostly occupied by defense contractors. There aren’t any stores you’d actually want to go to (besides the As Seen on TV store… that’s worth a trip). But it doesn’t matter anyway, because everything’s closed on weekends. The girls were less than enthusiastic about the whole idea, but when we let them bring coloring books they were okay.

We parked (for free-yay) in the underground garage. The place was empty besides the security guard and a few people staying in connecting hotels. As soon as we got there, it was clear that Dave’s idea was pure genius. There were long hallways where the girls could sprint to their hearts content.

I’m guessing the whole thing is about a half-mile long and they ran from one end to the other and back. Not once did I tell them to slow down, stop screaming, or watch out. I didn’t have to! They crawled under stairwells, harassed Ronald McDonald and even sat down to color for a few minutes.

under the stairs — On the floor and I didn’t stop ’em

Before heading back to the car, we stopped at the fountains across the street. Since we didn’t have any pennies for wishes, Lira did the only other thing that people do at fountains: she practiced her “fashion poses.”

We did get caught in a downpour on our way to the car, but it was all worth it. The girls were happy, worn out and only slightly disappointed that Starbucks was closed and they couldn’t get hot chocolate.

Oh Crystal City, you sneaky surprise you. We will be back…

Tuesday Night, Kid’s Night

August 21, 2012 by momindcity 2 Comments

Living far away from family and friends is hard, but being in D.C. is really the best-case scenario. It’s a place people travel to and through, so we always have a steady stream of visitors. Tonight, it was my brother. Thanks to a business layover, we got to spend the evening with him.

Fortunately, he’s not high maintenance so when we suggested going to kids night at one of our local hang-outs he was all for it. We got to Mr. Henry’s around 6, which is about as late as you want to get there on kid’s night. The place is packed with Capitol Hill families there to enjoy a meal without worrying about the fact that their kids are crawling under the table, throwing crayons or spilling their drinks; everyone’s kids are doing the same thing! The wait staff is reaching saint-hood status with their smiling faces and relaxed demeanor. Kids eat free and there are cartoons playing and lawn chairs set up by the tv in the bar area; you barely even have to look at your children, much less talk to them!

Like many of the old restaurant/bars on Pennsylvania Ave, Mr. Henry’s is a little dumpy, but it does have a history: in 1968, the original owner hired Roberta Flack (I know you know “Killing Me Softly”) to sing at the pub. At the time, she was a local music teacher looking to get out of the classroom and start performing. I’d rather watch Roberta, but free mac n’ cheese will do.

Before saying goodbye to my brother, we stopped by one of my personal favorites, Pitango Gelato.

All I can say about this is “omnomnom.” You can get whatever you want, but if you don’t get nocciola (hazelnut) and pistachio, you’re making a mistake. Dave tried cardamom and fell in love, but he’s weird.

Then it was a quick ring-around-the rosie in the rain and a rainbow spotting to top off the evening.

What did you do with your Tuesday night?