The Passenger

I finally wandered into The Passenger this past weekend. It's been on my to-do list since it opened recently. I've been longing for a real neighborhood bar in Shaw and was hoping Passenger would fit the bill.
I went early after meeting with a client and was one of a just a handful of people. That didn't last long but while it did, I had the full attention of the staff and those incredibly cute owners, the Brown brothers. Both Tom and Derek made drinks for me that were amazing. Who needs a cocktail list when you've got skilled cocktail craftsmen? My drinks were like adventures in a glass. I've never even heard of chocolate bitters and I would never expect this ingredient to go well with gin. The atmosphere is pretty cool too - no TVs, cozy, and intimate. Makes me think of a modern day saloon. I ran into all sorts of people I know and ended up staying way too long. I probably should have had the kimchi hot dog to soak up some of the booze. I ended up missing the celebration of Repeal Day the next day but I hear it was great.
One other thing I love is The Passenger's slogan, "God save the District." This little place is definitely saving the District from mediocre cocktails.

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The Result of Transgressions

I got this pic in a forwarded email. I have a feeling it's making the rounds. Funny, but seriously, why do men get married when they know they're going to cheat? Staying single seems so much easier.

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Reality DC Starring The Sa-LIARS

As much as I hate giving these people anymore attention, now that I've come out of a leftover turkey-eating coma, I just had to vent. The party crashing Salahi psychos personify all that's wrong with DC - incessant social climbers who stretch the truth to appear more important than they are and think politicians are celebrities. One of my personal favorites is a guy I went out with who told me he was patent attorney but turned out to be a docket clerk. He's now known as 'fake attorney guy' to my friends. In most other cities, this guy would've have no problem with his job title. But this is DC. And this WH crashing incident has race and class written all over it - also consistent with the huge social and economic disparities in this city. If this couple had been Tyrone and Shaniqua from Southeast DC, they never would have gotten into the White House. I almost feel sorry for these people...but I don't. How delusional can you be? They were also kicked out of a Congressional Black Caucus dinner in September after sneaking in through the kitchen. I mean come on, Wedding Crashers was funny, but that was a movie. Maybe if they were in their 20's it would be a funny but these 40-something people should know better. But then, I guess not. They're being given validation by Bravo and this whole reality subculture. And it seems that's the whole premise of reality TV - this blurred line between reality and fiction. I think we should start calling it fantasy TV. When you think about it, the Salahis are perfect for the Real Housewives because it seems nothing they do is real, just like the cast of the existing shows. They're a bunch of delusional, fame-seeking people with fabricated lives who often have sketchy, and sometimes criminal pasts. As we now know, the couple has several civil suits pending against them. Maybe we'll be getting footage of them in court when the show airs. Or, maybe coverage of the Salahis and the Bravo camera crew being kicked out of more events they weren't invited to. My theory is that the wife is the mastermind behind the whole operation. Her failed attempt at being a model has made her obsessed with getting in the media anyway she can. They probably know every alley entrance to every kitchen where high-profile political and social events take place in the city. Makes you feel real secure, doesn't it?

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Post-Thanksgiving Day Rant

Seems like every holiday I have the same issues. I've probably mentioned before how the holidays and all their hoopla annoy me. I just don't see the point in blindly following traditions that don't make any sense. I mean really, people do things during the holidays that they would never do any other time of the year just because that's what they've always done or that's just what people are expected to do. So once again, here's my roundup of holiday behaviors I don't get and/or get on my nerves:

• Getting up at 3am or camping out at a store to get some item you probably don't need that badly anyway. Consumer brainwashing.
• Sending out mass HAPPY HOLIDAY texts to people you no longer talk to and including women you've ended relationships with on a bad note. Clean up your contacts people!
• Visiting relatives you never see even though you've been living in the same city with them for years. Don't pretend we know each other only on a holiday.
• Giving out food to the homeless. Ok, this is nice but what are they going to eat for the rest of the year? How about a job.
• Cooking a whole turkey. Or, for that matter, cooking from scratch. Maybe if we did more of this throughout the year, some of these awful fast food chains would go out of business.
• Eating at 4pm. Who decided holiday dinners should take place this early?
• Treating people like freaks if they decide to spend a holiday like every other day of the year. If I want to stay home in my pajamas watching old episodes of Top Chef, order pizza, and drink beer all day, why not? No, I'm not just being difficult (as my mother would say) and no, that doesn't make me the sad, pathetic single girl. It's just my choice.

So, what did I do this Thanksgiving? Well, I did end up visiting relatives I never see any other time of the year and it was fun. But the point is, why not do this ANY time of the year? And don't even get me started on how this makes no sense when it comes to traveling long distance. As someone who went to school for years in another state from where my family lived, I have horror stories about traveling during the holidays.
But I can say that with all the people out of town during the holidays, going out in DC is a whole lot nicer.

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Random Thoughts: American Music Awards

I can't remember the last time I sat through an entire awards show on TV but last night I watched all of the American Music Awards. Well, ok, I did do a lot of flipping to other channels. It was just one of those stay at home, catch up with all of your out-of-town friends and family nights. And I was literally on the phone for hours. I did a good job of multi-tasking though: texting, IM'ing, emailing, and even tweeting (which I am very new to). After the show was over I was on the phone with my California friend Janell who was watching the show. She didn't see some of the things I saw, which I didn't understand until today when I learned that several things were edited out for the West Coast audience. And this kicks off my first thought:

• So the big question today is whether or not Adam Lambert's performance was lewd and inappropriate. I would say so, especially for network TV. But the more important issue is that his singing was really bad, which is ridiculous for someone who came in second place on a singing competition show.
• Similarly, embarrassing, but not a big deal that J-Lo fell while performing. The more important issue is that she's still trying to make music when she can't sing.
• I have a feeling Jermaine Jackson is rather enjoying his moment in the spotlight now that Michael is gone. What's up with his strange plastic hair and who in their right mind would name their child Jermajesty?
• Paula Abdul needs to fire her stylist.
• Good to know that was a fake tattoo on Rihanna's neck and chest during her performance. Only wish I had the body for a strappy bondage jumpsuit - not that I would wear it, of course. Does anybody know if Chris Brown was there?
• It seems obvious now that Whitney Houston will never sound the way she used to. But as my friend Leah pointed out, it was a touching performance.
• We can always tell when Janet Jackson is not on tour. As Janell pointed out, she was in "her big girl pants" last night. Just wasn't a good look.
• As many have speculated, Carrie Underwood's dress looked a lot like a dress from Carol Hannah's final collection on Project Runway. Hopefully she designed it and is having success in the fashion industry.
• Has Kate Hudson ever heard of double-sided tape?
• Overall, great show. I absolutely loved the over the top costumes and performances.

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