Brad Pitt Has Your Secret Shit: Rolling DC

politics and prose for history/politics/current events, fiction, genre stuff, just hanging out - the cafe is nice

for art/theory/philosophy/weirdness, my favorite bookstore in the area: bridge street books, georgetown. it's pretty small and there's no chairs or cafe or anything, but it's great

busboys & poets for progressive politics/history/current events

there's a pretty good used bookstore in old town alexandria on king st just a few blocks from the metro
and another worth visiting in adams morgan on 18th street, not far from tryst

i miss vertigo books..

and another worth visiting in adams morgan on 18th street, not far from tryst

ya <3 <3 <3 so much idle times

kramerbooks (just north of dupont on conn)

I think this was the place I walked by. It looked nice from the outside but I guess there wasn't much depth to the collection.

I can always get the book online (and probably cheaper), but where's the fun in that?

there's a pretty good used bookstore in old town alexandria on king st just a few blocks from the metro

This is where I planned to go today but circumstances didn't favour the trek. If the weather is nice tomorrow I'll walk to the metro and drop in on my way.

Kramerbooks is kind of a 'scene' but that's ok. I like their pop psychology stuff. Not the 'how to change your life' stuff, which they have too much of - the 'hard-to-understand end of the popular science market stuff.

btw on that subject i'm reading james gleick's "the information" and it totally fucking rules

I am not-starting Antonio Damasio's Self Comes to Mind. That's because I've just discovered Philip Roth and I'm still into it - it might get a bit overwhelming soon though.

related: how google dominates us, by james gleick

oh dear philip roth

yah that's an awesome piece imo

Kramerbooks is a bookstore/cafe that doesn't do a very good job of either, but it's a neighborhood institution. Pretty good beers.

(btw i wasn't shitting on philip roth necessarily -- he is a remarkable writer, if not a man i can even imagine being married to) /claire bloom

I'm really just looking for that Thirty Years War book that spawned the poll thread. It reminded me that I made a note to get it a few years ago. It isn't obscure or anything, so it shouldn't be that hard to get, but it's also not something that any ol' Barnes and Noble will necessarily stock. It feels like something the Politics and Prose place should have, if I can make it that far north.

ha i didn't see the thread but i did see the ta-nehisi coates posts that likely prompted it

i just got it out of the library and it is pretty awesome, and not least because cvw was 28 when it was published. she wrote lovely sentences.

28?? fuuuck. i'll have to get it soon and read it fast, that way I can tell myself that I still have 5 months to accomplish something similar before I'm 29.

it is also thoroughly footnoted with references to books in every european language possible, leading certain history majors to mild despair

that's fine. i never look at the footnotes, i just need them to be there to add academic credibility.

xp yeah, trying not to think about Roth himself... Didn't an ilxor write a doctoral dissertation on Roth?

So that was an earthquake? TBH it reminded me of when I worked in an office in SW right next to the railroad tracks.

usgs just upgraded it to a 5.9

newbie DC earthquake question: will this affect metro availability today?

top trending earthquake-related topic: what about ME?

they're testing out track lines now

As a result of a 5.8 magnitude earthquake in the Washington, DC area:

As of 1:59 p.m., all trains are operating at 15 mph.
Metro personnel are conducting track inspections of the entire rail system.
There are no reported customer injuries at this time.
Customers should expect significant delays on Metrorail until further notice due to the reduced operating speed.

News release issued at 2:34 pm, August 23, 2011.

met a neighbour outside the building afterward. he started preaching to me about alternative perspectives on the Bible. he seemed like a dude tbh.

guy right outside my building was jamming on his trumpet and his tip bucket said "jesus" on it

SO bailed from work (because everyone else at his office did) and is heading home to start an earthquake party.

Which apparently involves planked salmon.

damn hipster salmon with their planking

good luck commuters. so glad i didn't go on my book trek today.

Oh hai it appears I am released to work from home for the rest of the day, if I so desire.

I do so desire, thankyouverymuch!

came home w laptop bc they hadn't done our bldg inspection yet and there was some definite stairwell damage. 45ish min to go like 4 miles. worst was the line to get out if parking garage.

Fed. govt. sent me home today from Baileys Crossroads/Falls Church. It was quite a tremor here. I had just voted in the Democratic primary here and the quake felt strong in South Arlington/Fairlington.

bricks fell very close to sister's car! luckily they missed.

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/299403_10150248737458414_508198413_7295733_1474225_n.jpg

Any Hurricane Irene predictions? Should we panic?

Guys does anyone wanna come to cleveland park sometime and, like, drink beers and stuff?

I mean I'm sitting on the front porch right now so come on by, I'm making quiche for dinner.

i do! sometime... leaving for saratoga soon, though.

Should we panic?

should probably rush to the safeway for bottled water and tp just in case

Would totally hang out in Cleveland Park. Might be hanging out in the library there on Saturday. Is it a good place to study? Also I have a Groupon to Tackle Box.

It's not until Saturday, right? I was planning on my crazy trip up to Van Ness tomorrow.

CP Library is an OK place to study, but the new Tenley Library is even better for that, methinks. . . then you can walk down to Tackle Box and stop by my place on the way to have a drink! Weather may be shitty, though--I think the action is supposed to start Sat. afternoon.

Thanks for the tip, it does look good and would love to drop in and see the new place, will email you....

So apparently, weather is supposed to be beautiful for a week after the storm, due to science?

Please do e-mail! Want to catch up with the locals, for sure.

Yay SCIENCE if it makes for nice weather.

guys I'm kind of scared now. my impression of hurricane effects before we left town were that it wouldn't be so bad, but by now my hood's list serve has alerted me that with Isabel, every basement flooded with many feet if water and cars were totaled. mine is there and our basement unit is jam packed. :(

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ssurge/risk/index.shtml?gm

I dunno where you live offhand, but these storm surge risk maps give a pretty good idea of what parts of DC are likely to get flooded, and by how much.

2011-08-27 7:17 PM EDT 3.30 feet High Tide
2011-08-28 2:14 AM EDT 0.43 feet Low Tide
2011-08-28 7:35 AM EDT 3.66 feet High Tide

By the sounds of things, though, we may escape the worst of the additional effects of a high tide when the storm's really bad late Saturday night - at that point it should be off the Outer Banks.

(at 7pm saturday it should be off the outer banks, i mean)

But they're still predicting lots of rain here Saturday night through Sunday morning

apparently my neighborhood is the lowest point in fairfax county. insurance lady said car would be covered, but I am still really nervous.

Some of you may have heard about the Tar Sands protests at the White House, running every day from Aug 20th - Sept. 3rd. 322 arrests have been made so far.

The media coverage is starting to pick up steam:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2011/08/tar-sands-xl-keystone-pipeline-protest.html
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/08/why-far-off-canadian-tar-sands-have-become-a-make-or-break-issue-for-obama-with-enviros.php?ref=fpb
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/61837.html#ixzz1W4D5RzZZ

If any of you are willing to join me on Sept. 3rd, here's a pretty detailed account of what you're in for:

http://www.tarsandsaction.org/adam-maynard-we-shall-overcome-tar-sands/
http://www.tarsandsaction.org/update-from-legal-support-team/

"Processing once we arrived at the jailhouse was relatively painless. One by one they snapped off our plastic cuffs and led us to a long table staffed with officers who had us fill out paperwork for our release. Because of the low severity of our crime – we were charged with failure to obey a lawful order (aka get off the sidewalk) – and the benevolence of the Park Police, we were granted a “post and forfeit” release. Under these terms we could pay a $100 fine instead of staying overnight in jail and arranging a date in court. Thankfully we were instructed to have cash on us beforehand, and we were all out of police custody by 2:00 or so. Not so bad considering arrests had started around 11:30. I also want to make a point of saying that the DC Park Police were courteous and professional throughout the process, and I hope they spend my $100 wisely."

After being relative assholes on the first day (the Park Police decided to try to deter future protesters by holding them for 2 days overnight in jail), all of the protesters are now getting charged with "Failure to Obey" (a traffic charge less than a misdemeanor) and a "post and forfeit" release, which entails a $100 fine and an immediate release.

Sept. 3rd is the last day of the protests, and will probably have the most people and the most coverage. If any of you want to kick it in the paddywagon with me for an hour or so on the 3rd I'd welcome your company. Or, of course, if you can make it on any other day, even just to register your support (no arrest/fine), please do.

So the worst winds and rain are gonna be at 2 am tonight(Saturday night/Sunday morning)?