As those who are close to me know, and those who check this blog periodically have noticed, I'm pretty much stopped writing for the past couple months. Please bear with me on this one. There are numerous reasons as to why:

1. I've moved halfway across the country to a city I should've probably been in all along. Chicago. Yes, back to the Midwest; back to what I hated for SO many years of my life, back to the ever-changing weather, back to the flat lands, the flyover states. I know all this and it was a very tough decision to make. I've realized, I'm from the Midwest. I tried out the east coast - as much as you can say DC is the east coast - and... well... it just wasn't for me. Don't get me wrong. I loved living in DC. I met some incredibly talented people which made my decision to leave much harder than I expected. But, in my heart, I knew it was the right move.
   
   For the time being, I'm working with the wonderful people at Elevate Studios, who have even given me a warm, cuddly fleece to survive this weather. They do some great work for some even better clients from what I've gathered. Plus, I now join the mass-transit-taking-to-work public! That's right. No more driving 1.4 miles to work (yes, I honestly DROVE that everyday). I'm in Wrigleyville now, about 4 blocks from Wrigley (baseball, w00t!) and 2 blocks from the beach (summer, w00t!). I have a nice little back patio that'll be AWESOME in the warm weather for BBQs (Note: I'm not giving out my ACTUAL address because, chances are, if you're going to be coming over for a BBQ this summer you already have it. If you don't have my address and want to come over for a BBQ email me and I've sure we can be friends. I love to BBQ!).
2. Onto my second point, this blog. Ugh... I launched it about a half year ago with no ado. Since, I've found it tough to feel my way through this "blogosphere." I've been rehashing other stories, blogging about nothing of ANY importance (is it any coincidence the most popular page on this site is How to Iron a Dress Shirt ?) and just basically polluting the internet because I can. No real helpful information. I was a part of this over-saturation of content. I wasn't helping anyone with this site. I wasn't making thought provoking insights, wasn't making cutting reviews, wasn't retelling great stories of my life. It's been bugging me for six months until I could finally figure out my solution: My life goes here, design articles go there, no critiques of ANYTHING unless they are thoroughly thought out and edited. Extremely simple right? Well it took me half a year to figure it out.
3. Due to her complaining, my Alexis will no longer be refered to as "The Girl." Just go with me on this and know when I say Alexis I mean "My Girl(friend)"...
4. I'll be Flickring pics of the new apartment as soon as Ikea decides to send me my new furniture. So stay tuned...

One thing I wish I could more is read. The books on my reading list are piling up. I just can't find enough time to sit down and finish one. Currently I'm "reading" four... with two more to pick up when I can. Half of those are programming books to aid in my Ruby on Rails education. The other half are what I read after I wake up from being put to sleep by the first three. This system I have going right now just isn't working after this weekend.

I told myself Thursday night, "OK Addam, you'll read the OO Programing book this weekend. Let's get to chapter seven (I was on two) and I'll have a fully accomplished weekend." So what happened? The weather in DC finally decides to be nice so I want to spend time outside. Which leads to not reading and doing adventurous things outside. I'm still on chapter two. Ugh... Might be time to rethink this reading list idea and stick to ONE book at a time.

It's been a little busy around here lately, with many little thoughts - none requiring a post on their own - floating around. So I decided to lump them all together.

1. Saturday morning we started a new routine. Adit, Alisa and I went on a nice little canoe trip out on the Potomac. "Addam was out on the Potomac?!" you ask, surprised. Ummm... yeah. It was just as dirty and nasty as I had expected. Still smelled just as gross as everyday when I leave work. Yet, I had fun. In fact, I think we're going out again this weekend.
2. The other day, I bought the Ben Folds iTunes Originals CD, which, in and of itself, isn't so amazing. What is amazing, to me however, is the fact that the whole reason I bought it was the iTunes New Music Tuesday podcast. I was listening to the podcast, heard he had a iTunes Original CD out there, clicked the album art, clicked purchase and it was downloading... my checkbook $12 lighter. It took me a grand total of two - count 'em TWO - clicks and I had the CD after hearing the ad that is iTunes New Music Tuesday. That's user interaction at it's finest.
3. Last night, Juliana and I were privy to an advance screening of the new Jodi Foster movie, Flightplan. To be honest, I'd seen maybe one or two previews for it. It looked good but not something I would've seen on my own volition. But she had a free extra ticket and who am I to turn down a free anything? So ANYWAYS, I was pleasantly surprised. The plot of the movie was very interesting. It is a tense thiller as the press so often likes to say now, but the ending was a bit lackluster. I'd hate to give it away so I won't go into further detail. Here's how I judge a movie: After seeing it, would I pay the $10, knowing what I know now, to see it? My answer to this movie is for sure.
4. Saturday I was driving back from dinner when my phone rang. It was Eric. It went a little something like this:
   Me: Yo dude...
   Eric: Hey. What's up?
   Me: Not too much. Coming home from dinner. How are you doing?
   Eric: Ahhh, pretty good. So I've got some news. It not really too imporant.
   Me: Yeah? What's up?
   Eric: Well, I'm getting married.
   Me: Ummmm... whaaaaaa?
   Eric: Yeah, I asked Heather last night.
   Me: Ummmmm.... whaaaa?
   Eric: What are you not understanding idiot?
   Me: Wow. Well congrats dude! That's pretty effin sweet.
   And so it is. Many congratualtions and celebrations to Eric and Heather. It's only been like 6 and a half years. It's about effin time actually. Geez... So this means "Vegas Bachelor Party 2" will need to be planned. Let's hope this doesn't turn into another "Vegas No Bachelor Bachelor Party" like last year.
5. I think I've decided what my biggest pet peeve is about living here in DC. I visit Virgina fairly often. This means I'm crossing the Key Bridge a fair amount. Back and forth. So here's what I hate. When I'm coming back into the District and the car in front of me - always in the left hand lane, always going at a blazing speed of 10MPH crossing the bridge - decides at the last minute to cut over and make a RIGHT 5 feet before the bridge ends, causing me to get stuck at the "longest light ever" and setting me back 5 minutes because this idiot has no idea where they are going. It happens EVERYTIME. I'm not kidding. Tourists or cars with out of state plates get a free pass, but you people with District and VIrgina plates, you've GOT to know the bridge dead ends right? Just no excuse.

And on that note, I'm done. Hope everyone has a nice night, whatever night you're reading this.

What happens when it's 12.35 in the A-M and you've lost two championships in the past 5 hours? Throw in 6 Sam Adams' and you have this post.

Losing our softball game was a bad omen. As I talked to Plumb on the way back to my car, I distintly remember saying "Let's hope this isn't a bad omen." See, not even an hour earlier Inphonic lost their second game of the season. First loss in over 2 months. But this time it was in the playoffs. To the team we've pubicly called a "C U Next Tuesday" to their faces (that's for you Love!), which lead to a bench clearing battle. We lost. And bad. A mercy. 17-4. I'll probably remember that score forever. It was the worst lost I've ever been a part of. We got beat in every sense of the word. Disappointing is the only way to describe it. Afterwarrds, I figured "What the hell? We're still got the Pistons?"

Well, Adit and I met Plumb, Craig and Alian at the bar (J Paul's to be exact) and witnessed the second half of my "Oh. For. Two." today. All around a piss poor night. And there's still Friday to look forward to. My one silver lining, Plumb is here... in DC. And I'm drunk. Enjoy your Friday!

(Oh yeah, and Titus is back in Michigan today. Where am I? Here in DC... Eric, Coté, and Howell... GET THAT KID DRUNK! Heather's orders...)

Well, it's summer here in DC officially. Time to crank up the A/C and rid yourself of that muggy swamp feeling that seems to linger around this city (Hummm... wonder why that is). The temperature may be only 83 degrees outside but throw in the humidity and it feels like it's about 158. No joke. The Fox 5 weather guy said that. I think...

Anyways, I'm sitting here making a few updates and tweaks to the "newly" revealed wasseldesign site, listening to Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Sevens cd's with the window open (A/C kicking though) and I've come to realize there isn't anything better than a warm Sunday afternoon spent outside with a little jazz (real jazz, not soft jazz 98.3) softly soundtracking the day. Which is just another reason to love jazz.

After scarfing down some great brunch tapas, we headed over to the National Gallery today to check out one of the final weekends of the Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmarte exhibit (Tloose Latrek to everyone named Alisa).

After sweltering in the humid DC summer, we arrived at our air-conditioned palace to wait in a 10 minute entrance line. I only mention this because, once through, the first seven or so rooms were like a frat party gone bad. First, there were WAY too many people. This hindered my enjoyment of the artwork greatly. I couldn't move freely back and forth between pieces without have to turn sideways and squeeze by 15 or 20 people. Once the pushing was over, I got to stand 10 feet away from the painting and admire from afar. Some works are meant to be enjoyed further away but not Lautrec's. Secondly, because of the aforemention crowd, the rooms were hot and loud. Just unplesant overall. Luckily, by the time we hit his posters and such, the crowd had thinned out and I really got to get close to some of the work. I have to say, Lautrec really did own his lines. They moved in nearly all of his works. Some of his figure drawings reminded me of the late Al Hirschfeld, my favorite illustrator. His sketches and drawings stood apart from the others on display. They were fluid and used the line sparingly. Quite impressive. The ending room, with a circus theme, felt thrown together and really didn't match the rest of the show, leaving me with puzzled walking out of it.

Overall, I'd give the exhibit a B, just because I felt it focused more on Montmatre, which granted was half the show, than the primary figurehead of Lautrec. His work stood beyond any others — and there was a Picasso Blue Period piece so that's saying something. I, personally, would have enjoyed more of his work posters and typographic prowless. But again, that is coming from someone who is a type junkie and designer... but that's a minor compalint.

One side note (this is for you Alisa). Afterwards, we headed out to a festival happening on Pennsylvania. From inside the gallery we could see the tents thrown up. Alisa asked what it was, Adit answered with "I can read a First Aid sign," and I quickly pronouned it the First Aid Festival 2005. Which was semi-right. Well, no... it wasn't right at all. It was actually the Phillipines Festival, full of lots of delicious looking food. None of which any of us could sample. Whoops...

Last night, we attended a 7-3 Nats win at the "beeeutiful" RFK. It was my first trip to the landed spaceship and, after attending, realize why the new, open staduims (like Camden Yards and my very own Comerica Park) are the new wave of ballparks rather than these multi-purpose facilities. But that's a whole different rant... I digress.

Pre game was "linner" at a Caribbean place in Ballston. I've never had never had Caribbean food before - except for having food in the actual Caribbean - and was a tad weary of what it consisted of beforehand. When I asked what made Caribbean food Caribbean food, the exact response was "It's basically banana leaves wrapped around meat. With some fish on the side." WHAT?! First, there was a lot of meat on the menu. As in only one veg dish. Being with two vegitarians, they were creative. Our waiter was suprisingly tollerent of my naviety and gladly steered us in the direction of the best dishes. I can say the mojitos there were some of the best I've had. The food was amazing. What makes if Caribbean? As far as I could tell, it was the light uses of coconut, fruity sauces, fish, fish and more fish, and color. EXTREMELY colorful. It was delicious and I highly recommend it to anyone. There literally is something there for anyone.

Next up, a 40-minute Metro ride to RFK. Upon arrival, we have to wait in the will call line BECAUSE THEIR DOT MATRIX PRINTER HAD BROKEN DOWN! Really? You're using a printer from 1984 and it broke down?! I guess these things happen when you haven't had baseball for 35 years. The game was great, as the Nationals pulled away in the 7th leaving the Marlins out to see (see what I did there?!).

Dr. Dremo's was the after game bar of choice. I was the only one of the 5 of us who had ever been there before. Talk about not knowing what you were in for. After one flirting session - not involving me - we made our way downstairs and to the sand covered patio. Numerous beer pong games were happening, as every few minutes we'd need to dodge a stay shot or two. Yes, bar patrons were THAT drunk. After saying our hi's to a few people, we headed back upstairs where the amazing Elvi were holding a karoke session for the ages. Ellyn immediately scours the song books and 10 minutes later returns with the perfect song. R-E-S-P-E-C-T! We struggle though 3 or 4 songs - highlighted by probably the WORST perfomace I've ever see ("That was AWESOME!") - and Ellyn's number is called. She jumps up and literally rocks the place. Best. Performance. Ever. Maybe it was that 7th beer,,, but I think she was just that good. The rest of the night was a bit of a blur but I ended up in my own bed in the morning and that's always a good thing...