10:30-ish // Eddy’s awake before I am, something that never happened at the beach. Now is groggy-sleep time, the TV is on am I’ve opened the curtains to reveal the brightness outside. The city looks bright but a little hazy and looks warm enough to wear shorts outside.

12:11 // Time to leave the hotel. The bits are at Astro having diner food and after a nice long shower, it’s time to join them. Maybe we’ll check out the High Line today?

12:16 // Ah, the sidewalks.

1:16 // After a brief walk thru the park, we’re now at Tavern On The Green, having bloodys/screwdrivers. Feels good.

3:49 // We’ve walked and walked. Now we’re thru The Bowery, thru Chinatown and down near (what I believe is) City Hall and to the Brooklyn Bridge. We’re going to walk halfway across the bridge and then back. Then back to Canal and then I need to drop by and see John at Record Runner. He’s got the new a-ha and a video bootleg of DD’s Songbook sessions they did last year (?). Also on order for (unfortunately) next week of the Rio release that contains all original 1982 mixes and demos, an the 1981 Hammerstein concert DVD. I wish they would have cone out this week so they’d be waiting but oh well.

10:30 // Record Runner purchases secured! I’ve put two more upcoming DD purchases: the Rio Masters DVD which came out in the spring and the Hammerstein DVD. John was able to give me the advance copy of the Rio re-release which isn’t officially available until Tuesday.

We reconvened at Gym Bar with Scott & Mikey who drove up from DC today. Dinner reservations were secured at Landmarc in Tribeca. Back to the hotel for another street gyro (nothing to eat all day) and then a nap and showers.

12:33 // Grilled skirt steak salad on watercress with roasted peppers, gorgonzola cheese and chimichuri vinaigrette.

4:27 // Back at the hotel room now. After dinner we went to Rawhide which was boring. Between us all there was a battle to where we’re going to go next. Half of us wanted to The Eagle and half wanted to go to double-headed Disco at Nowhere. It was raining and cans were sparse so once we made a commitment we needed to stick to it. Instead, we looked in a guide and found that Barracuda was only a couple of blocks away so we walked there and spent the remainder of the evening there. Logan Hardcore was performing in the back and we had a fun time having cocktails and hanging there, meeting people and watching the show. No street-vendor gyros tonight, time for sleep!

5:09 // Goodnight.

The Real World DC cast was at JRs today, accompanied by an obtrusive camera crew. Do they really think they’re going to capture good footage in a crowded bar when they can’t secure any audio?

I love the “where are they?” from the director at 1:16 and also when he tries to block my recording by moving his hand up and down at 1:30, like they have private domain in a public place. Douchebags.

While enjoying the H St Festival today I spotted two members of the Real World DC cast shopping and being pretty boring. Even the crew seemed bored with it all. When the two girls went inside the shop, they all plopped down and started texting and calling people, not even bothering to follow them inside to film them.

Let’s see…

I still can’t hear about of my left ear after Eddy’s drunken/birthday/hello greeting. I’ve been hydrogen peroxiding it all weekend long, and while it’s tickly and bubbly it still hasn’t solved the problem. I’m afraid I’m going to have to put my no insurance/Medicaid to the test soon and actually go and see a doctor. Is it ironic that a cancelled beach trip with a deaf friend this weekend is the same time that I can’t hear?

This week I’m starting M–F half-days at my “volunteer” job. Best thing about it is that it’s only five blocks away. I haven’t even ridden the bike there, it’s quite enjoyable just to walk through the neighborhood. It takes about two iPod songs. Things I’ve noticed while walking that I never saw before on the bike or in a car: There is a house on 14th that has an entire porch covering made out of a wisteria tree. I’ll take a pic this week and add it here. Also, there is a grate/manhole cover on C that still has the ladder in it leading down to the catacombs. Whether the workers left it there or it’s non-removable is unknown.

After my last round of the blandest marinara sauce ever, I’ve redeemed myself with yesterday’s batch. While I didn’t have some of my fave/regular ingredients, I pulled it out with an eye-measured mix of ground cayenne red pepper, epazote, ground red chipotle, ground mustard, oregano and adobo seasoning. And the cans of diced tomatoes also had some jalapeños in them. And S&P, of course.

I’m going to see if I can barrel through a re-watch of Season 1 and 2 of Mad Men before the 3rd Season premiere on August 16. Since I don’t have AMC, luckily iTunes has S3 available for next-day downloads. That is something I’ll spend $20 on.

Useless trivia: Kristy McNichol’s name was spelled “Kristie” during the pilot credits of Family. When I was a kid in the 70s, I had a box full of notecards that listed the 555-xxxx phone numbers of television characters that I had collected over the years. I had the numbers of the Brady’s and Jaime Sommers, those that I can remember. Now you can just find them here.

If you don’t already know, MTV’s The Real World has started filming here in DC. MTV has also started airing the RW Cancun so the DC chapter will probably air early next year. rumor has it they’re going to film until Thanksgiving, which would mean a solid four months of footage.

The house is at 20th & S, NW. You can’t miss it at night, it’s lit up like the daytime and during the daytime I’m sure there are camera crews everywhere. Local residents of that intersection aren’t necessarily thrilled with the media and personal interest onslaught that has taken up camp in their neighborhood. And I can’t say I really blame them, seeing as these interlopers will have no vested interest in their neighborhood and, relying on past RW chapters, will end up vomiting, pissing, fighting and all those other things 20-year-olds with starry eyes will do. The Anti Real World DC’s (new) blog is here.

Last night I was out with an out-of-town friend at Black Cat and told her about the RWDC and she wanted to go by the house. I thought it would be fun to piss off some of the cast members, as it appears to be the new fun thing to do in DC this summer. So we did.

It was late, around last call, so I was hoping some of the cast would stumble around the corner and then we could yell things at them to disrupt their filming (this is the de facto act to commit I’ve heard, as then they will have to edit out the audio of “Real World sucks!”). But the security detail in the truck across the street looked pretty relaxed so we surmised they were all already inside shooting pool or making daquiris or whatever they do. We did notice some movement in the glazed-over windows, but it looked mainly to be the crew.

We chatted with  security for a while but they weren’t budging on giving us any info. All of a sudden, there was movement the front door. Two of the cast members came out to eat their late night take-out on the front steps. So I hurried over to snap some pictures and one of the narcissist started cowering with his head down, as if he didn’t want any limelight. Um, dude, you’ve got cameras following you for the next four months. It’s a little too early in the game to be shying away from the cameras so soon. They had glowstick bracelets on, so they had been out partying somewhere that evening. Needless to say, after a few minutes of heavy sighing they packed up their styrofoam packs and went back inside.

It was a fun bit of fun but I’m really dreading the time they invade a restaurant or bar or some other venue that I’m at because I’ve heard the camera crews are pretty pushy and rude. Anything that gets the shot, right guys?

A while back I received notice that the Stimulus Package was being put into effect, raising my weekly unemployment benefit as well as upping my monthly food stamp payment as well. Every little bit helps, right?

Then I received noticed from the Department of Human Services that my food stamp benefits were scheduled to be terminated, with June being my last beneficiary month, but that I could come in and get them extended for another six months. That’s what I’m doing this morning.

7:43 I’m on the red line Metro, opting to take the train instead of bus/long walk since it’s supposed to be pretty warm today. Quite a difference from the cold and rainy day in January, when I was last here.

7:55 I’m here now corraling in the waiting room. They do seem to be calling people a little faster this time, although I know that’s pobably no indication of how quickly I will be processed. And only two screaming/crying kids!

8:08 Being here is kind of like being at the DMV: lots of waiting with fellow humans that you probably would ever encounter elsewhere in your life circles.

8:44 Name called to fill out paperwork. Then wait again for appt with case worker.

9:52 Coming up on the two-hour mark and these chairs are not comfortable at all. There is a man that came in and took off his shoes, no socks. He grabs a towel from his bag and wipes his feet off. He puts on brand new athletic socks and puts his sneakers back on. He is also carrying another, nicer pair, of sneakers in his bag. Now he’s putting on a yellow tie, yet he’s wearing a tshirt.

10:30 They’re putting The Wiz on the TV!

10:52 Well that was a fucking waste of time. Now they’re saying I need to show all this different paperwork that wasn’t needed before. Which means now I’ve got to get in touch w/ the H8ST8 to get proof of unemployment payments with them, as well as proof of lease (neither of which was necessary before). I think it all depends on who you get waiting on you and what kind of mood they’re in.

Tonight I’m helping to make pizzas at Melba’s house. We’re going to throw on some delish toppings, have a drink or three and watch the 2-hour season premiere of ANTM. After being inundated with obsessed cycle reruns, the new drinking game does not consist of a placemat. It’s like the classic Bob Newhart drinking game, where anytime a character says “Hi Bob” the viewers drink. In this updated game, anytime someone says “competition”, take a drink. Fierce is out, competition is in.

Our planned menu:

Garden Party
Mozzarella
Parmesan
Fresh Basil
Tomato Sauce

Snow Day Pizza
Garlic
Olive Oil
Parmesan
Mozzarella
Coarse Salt
[Fresh Basil]

Pig Roast Pizza
Pepperoni
Sausage Bacon
Garlic
Red Pepper Flakes
Mushrooms
Tomato Sauce
Mozzarella

Don’t they sound yummy? We’re going to throw in a fresh spinach salad in there, too. While topping-shopping at Safeway, I did pick up some items for own consumption, not intended for tonight’s yumfest.

Purchase: $27.54
EBT Card Balance: $36.30
Club Card Savings: $5.24 (16% of purchase)

UPDATE: Melba and I turnt those pizzas out! It’s hard to pick a favorite, all three were so good. And were pretty economical to make (especially compared to delivery) and there was enough for leftovers for tomorrow to boot!

My friend Shawn posted this to Facebook a while back and I had to go back and back and back in his posts to find it. Since it’s Saturday night, here it is. Apologies for the commercial before the clip.

UPDATE: The rerun SNL episode with NPH aired last night! Talk about timing.

I think I’ve discovered the soundtrack to the present (un)employment events in my life, something that I will realize years from now, when the song plays and it instantly brings me back to this time. It’s not the type of music that I would normally listen to, but I’ve been streaming the debut album, Hide Nothing, from the artist’s website since first seeing his video that fellow blogger and pubcrawl buddy JoeMyGod posted a couple of days ago and I can’t get enough of it.

The artist’s name is Matt Alber and his website is here.  

End of the World is about lovers’ relationship falling apart, Matt saying he penned the autobiographical song five years ago while riding the San Francisco MUNI. The utterly romantic video reveals another side, with an ending of hope and promise.

From Matt’s blog:

“I wrote this song almost 5 years ago in San Francisco—most of it on the #30 Stockton MUNI bus en route to my performing job in a musical revue… The biggest love of my life had fallen out of love with me because he thought I had fallen out of love with him. This was the saddest thing that had happened in my life romantically to date. The song was a real attempt to reconcile with someone who meant very much to me.”

UPDATE: Matt’s Mad Men co-star is Zak Barnett.
photo credit Paul Noblin