BrockLi Soup

This weekend was even better than the last, and I think I’m OK with that trend.

Clerks 2 came out Friday, and we got a crew together to see it at Gallery Place. Fadó is just a couple blocks down from the theater, so after the movie, we sauntered on down there for a rowdy evening of drinking, hollering, singing along with the tunes they were playing, singing along with the tunes we were playing, and discussing the biological makeup of human genitalia (we met a biology teacher).

While there, we discussed plans to have a BBQ here Saturday evening, and I came home from the grocery store last night to find a dozen loud people in my living room. Some more folks came over, and we got to hollering back and forth with the people below us (who were also throwing a BBQ and enjoying their balcony), so we went down there and I spent some time discussing politics and sports with a couple guys from Germany.

Today was lazy as a Sunday can be. I spent some time at the gym, finished some stuff for work, and did a little reading, but mostly just lounged around. I get a wide variety of movies from Netflix and a lot of times I get them in the mail and think, “Why the hell did I rent this?” These movies are saved for Sunday afternoons like this one, unless I find a good one on TV (previously: King Arthur, Sweet Home Alabama, and Miss Congeniality 2). This week I opted for Chick Flick and Ice Cream Sunday Afternoon Extravaganza, which included How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days and some Ben & Jerry’s mint something something. It was girly and relaxing and don’t you judge me because I just might make it a weekly event. You’re welcome to join me next week for Sleepless in Seattle and Cold Stone.

Seriously, the best nights start without even the illusion of plans.

We decided to go out for a celebratory (not celibatory) dinner last night, so Matt picked the Half Moon BBQ up in Silver Spring. It took us like an hour and a half to get up there via Metro, but it was totally worth it. We all got pulled pork, which was fantastic, and a couple baskets of thick, fresh-cut fries. The place was awesome: there’s about 8 booths, and 15 or 20 stools at the bar - the only spots available when we got there. It was probably the most laid-back place I’ve ever eaten (especially by DC standards), which was perfect because things tend to get rowdy when you put Jym, Matt, Schmitty and myself in the same room. The lady waiting on us was probably in her fifties and seemed like the kind of person my mom might hang out with, but she was totally chill - she wandered in and out of our conversation, dropping stories and bar recommendations where they fit. At one point, we were sitting there chatting when she set a beer down in front of Jym and I. Neither of us had ordered one, so we both kind of gave each other this look. The next time she walked by, she leaned in to tell us to keep our mouths shut because her boss was there, but the last round was on her.

We got talking about movies and decided to hit the midnight showing of Boondock Saints at The Drafthouse, but stopped in Chinatown on the way because we wanted Guinness-brownie sundaes at Fado (and after a few rounds at Half Moon and a 20-minute Metro ride, Jym and I really needed to pee). Sarah tried to join us there, but didn’t make it until we were leaving (whoops). We didn’t know this on the way in, but George Mason was playing at the MCI Center, so we rode the Metro back with a few hundred cheering fans on their way back to Fairfax.

After getting the car, making it back to Matt’s place, switching cars and seeing Jym off, we made it to the Drafthouse just in time to find out they were playing Capote, even though we thought it would be Boondocks and their website says 24 Hours on Craigslist.

Even though we didn’t get to see the movie, the night was fantastic. We’ll definitely be going back to Half Moon, but we can’t take many people - I don’t think they have tables for more than 4 people, and it’s tough to carry on a conversation if you’re all lined up at the bar. Fado is always great, and the Metro ride back was fun even if the Mason kids wouldn’t join in for Bohemian Rhapsody. I like this city more and more every week.

Before I even moved down to VA, I had plans for this past Saturday night. Risa got everyone together for a Capitals game and took care of tickets and all that, because she’s totally awesome that way. A bunch of people went to the Smithsonian in the afternoon; I wanted to go, but I was waiting on a delivery and the cable guy, so I didn’t make it. I caught up with everyone in time for dinner and drinks at Fadó, an Irish pub just a couple blocks from the MCI Center.

I parked at Pentagon City and took the Metro into DC, and as I’m standing there in the train, I notice a guy with a big Army-style duffel bag. He was looking down, writing letters, but I thought, “That guy looks like Eric without any hair.” Then it occurred to me that Eric was doing Marine office’s training, and probably didn’t have any hair. And THEN it occurred to me that he was supposed to be in DC sometime soon, but I wasn’t convinced it was him till he finished writing, stood up, and said, “How’s it going, Brock?” as if he expected to find me there all along.

We ran into Michelle and wxs before we made it out of the metro station, which was lucky, since we were going the wrong way. Fadó was probably the best pub I’ve ever been in, and the food was great. The game was pretty good, though there was almost more action in the stands than on the ice - after a couple periods of drinking, them hockey fans get downright rowdy.

As we were walking from the pub to the game, I realized how much I like living in a city. Buffalo and Rochester are both pretty dead, and I didn’t spend much time downtown when I was in Pittsburgh. But I love having a lot of people around, I love being able to hop on the metro and go all over the city, and I love that we could have a few drinks and then wander merrily down the street, laughing and talking. There’s so much to do here.

That, and I’ve seen guys riding every day I’ve been down here. With such little snow, you can ride almost year-round, if you’re got the right gear. I’ve been keeping an eye on Craigslist, and it looks like I could get myself a decent cruiser in the $3-4000 range. Of course, if I had $4000, I should spend it on a newer car, but bikes get better mileage so I think I could justify it.