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October 27, 2003
McFadden's
When you enter an Irish bar there are certain things you expect. Guinness on tap, a relaxed atmosphere, pub grub, Irish and folk music, people unwinding and getting drunk.
When you enter McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon in Foggy Bottom, you get a strange trip into a surreal world of... Well, I'm not really sure of what.
The first thing that looks out of place are the burly bouncers. Now, I've seen these guys out here during the weekdays as I walk past, and I always wondered why the need for bouncers at an Irish pub. Now I know.
Downstairs we went. To the bar, where guys who appear to be younger than some socks I own proceed to tell me that they are out of Guinness. Let me repeat that line, with the added knowledge that this is happening at 7.30 pm on a Friday night: "Sorry, we're out of Guinness". I mean, honestly, could you not look far enough ahead to the weekend and order some?
So, settling for Foggy Bottom Ale, I took a look around. Obviously, I was the oldest person there. Our group of three probably had more education than everyone else there too. Ahh, college bars, how lovely.
The place, which only opened in March, looks like it still isn't finished. The bar area has no finished floor, just a concrete pad. There looks to be light fixtures still not installed. And braces for television sets go without the televisions. Maybe it is the hip thing to do.
They do have a menu, with some odd items on it for an Irish place. But the burger I got was actually quite tasty, despite not being medium-rare like I asked. Food will not be a reason to come here. Watching much younger women dancing and prancing to damn good 80s music might be.
A bouncer came up to me and asked me to remove my Guinness cap. I mean, the guy explained himself by saying they have a dress code. At an Irish pub? All I can say is get your heads out of your asses, guys. Really.
At one point, we did Jagermeister shots. That's right, in the spirit of "if you can't beat them, join them" I had two shots for the first time in a decade. I can honestly say that I still enjoyed the Jager... But I did not feel any younger, just drunk.
Turns out, I'm not the only one who thinks this place is a little much.
McFadden's Restaurant and Saloon
2401 Pennsylvania Ave
Foggy Bottom
Posted by Samer at 09:21 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 19, 2003
Chopper
Well, that was fun.
A helicopter has been flying very very low overhead for the last hour or so. How low? Low enough for me to be concerned that he might hit the top of my 13 story building. Low enough for me to call the cops after the fourth pass.
According to the Arlington Police Department, the chopper belongs to the Department of Energy and is part of the National Nuclear Security Administration. Apparently, at the behest of the Pentagon, they are doing a radiological survey of the Pentagon and surrounding Arlington County.
According to the police officer I spoke to, they will be flying between 150 and 300 feet, and will be doing so until around four o'clock. It seems they have gotten a number of calls about this, as she had a paper to read from.
Wish they would have put the info up on the website.
Posted by Samer at 03:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Crash and Burn
I bought two albums yesterday from iTMS. I got Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced" and Nicola Conte's "Jet Sounds Revisited".
During the download of "Jet Sounds", my computer froze. I restarted, all the while cursing the thought that I might have to spend the next hour on the phone with Apple trying to get my music.
I restarted iTunes and clicked on the shopping cart to see what I had purchased. Sure enough, it showed only the songs that had completed the download. I then selected "Advanced -> Check for Purchased Music" from the menu and it instantly started to download the missing files.
Fantastic work Apple.
Posted by Samer at 03:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
iPod, iTunes and Apple
Apparently hell has frozen over and Apple is writing software for Windows. iTunes is now available for Windows. If you buy music online, and you think all the other online stores suck, well it is time for you to check out iTunes Music Store.
Some new features in the latest version of iTunes include: the ability to import a CD so that when you listen to it in an iPod there are no gaps between the songs; the ability to copy a link to the music store. Those two are enough to get me to upgrade.
The iTMS also has some improvements: playlists of the stars; gift certificates; allowance. They've also added the Dead and some Stones. Overall a very good upgrade.
For the iPod, Apple has introduced some third party hardware that has long been overdue. The new Belkin microphone and card reader might be reason enough for me to sell my old iPod and buy a new one.
The card reader is especially cool as it allows you to dump pictures from your flash memory cards into the iPod so you can reuse them. I think that if past rumors about a color screen iPod coming out in January are true, then this picture feature will be much used.
Posted by Samer at 02:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 11, 2003
News and Technology
News spreads so fast today. Bad news doubly so.
When my grandma passed away yesterday, I first found out by an SMS to my phone from my aunt in Beirut. That was quickly followed by an e-mail from my father telling me the plans had all been made.
This morning I woke up and went to the An Nahar newspaper, published in Beirut. There, I could read the obituary placed for her (at right).
Ten years ago, none of this would have happened. I would have gotten a phone call. Maybe. The phones being what they are from Beirut, it is likely I would have heard about her passing through a cousin or someone else. They, in turn, might have heard about it from others or been the one person lucky enough to get a call from Beirut.
Technology helps those of us separated by miles and miles to keep in touch and to keep informed. Even when the news is bad.
Posted by Samer at 04:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
October 10, 2003
Teta
My grandmother, my mom's mother, passed away today. She was old and had lived a full life, and I hope that she is resting a long way away from the pain of old age and a failing body.
She was a wonderful woman, my teta. She always was happy to see us, to spoil us.
I remember going to her house as a kid and spending the night. We'd wake up in the morning and go across the street to get some milk and eggs. Fresh from the farm and delivered to the heart of Beirut before we even woke up. A fantastic breakfast.
Being around her meant being well fed. She could cook like a dream. Fantastic Lebanese food, seemingly made from anything available. She was tireless in the kitchen. You had to eat, for not eating was not an option. She would feed us as if she knew that our parents were withholding meals.
It was always a joy to see her when she would visit us in Kuwait. I loved her stories, her way with us, her mannerisms and everything. She would sit on the balcony and enjoy her arguileh, smoking a wonderful honeyed tobacco.
But these last few months have not been easy. Constantly in and out of hospitals, she eventually succumbed. I talked to her last Sunday. She was out of the hospital again, and she sounded good and full of life. But, in a way, I'm glad she does not have to suffer anymore.
I'm going to miss her, my wonderful teta. She was a fighter, she never gave up. She taught me a lot. I hope I can make her proud some day.
Goodbye sweet teta. Goodbye.
Posted by Samer at 09:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 09, 2003
Moonrise
Let me paint you a picture:
Walking across the Key Bridge from Georgetown to Rosslyn. I'm walking on the side where traffic is headed into Virginia. I'm looking out over the Potomac at aircraft coming down their flight path toward the airport.
I look across the lanes of barely moving traffic. The Washington Monument stands guard over the landscape. The Kennedy Center is there, as is the Watergate. And between them and the Georgetown Waterfront is this bright yellowish orange ball. Big. Wonderfully silent and just hanging there.
I can sort of see where people thought the moon was made of cheese.
Posted by Samer at 11:53 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
October 05, 2003
Austrian Air
My grandma was in the hospital last week and my folks, who were visiting me, decided they needed to get back to Beirut as soon as possible.
They had flown here on Austrian Air through Vienna. They called the airline on Tuesday and explained the situation to them.
They were told to call back the next day. They were booked to depart October 8, because that was the first available flight. But they were told to head out to the airport anyway and they would be placed on priority standby.
I got a call from the gate agent for Austrian telling me that they had made it on board. They arrived safely in Beirut.
The amazing thing is how kind the Austrian Air staff were to my folks. Not only did they give them priority standby, and they called me to tell me that they had departed, but they put them in first class.
This, my friends, is what customer service is all about. Thank you Austrian Air.
Posted by Samer at 10:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A Chill Is In The Air
It is downright cold this morning. Forty-something degrees.
Wonderful really. Makes you feel alive.
Nothing like sleeping with the windows open and hiding under your comforter.
Posted by Samer at 09:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack