Freaky Friday: The Day The Earth Moved

August 23, 2011 I was at a conference at the Marriott Hotel at Woodley Park*, mid afternoon, there was this distant rumbling sound, the room went quiet, and the sound got louder, then the room started to shake. There was construction going on next door, and I wondered for a moment if the excavation was collapsing. One of the speakers was from California, she dove under a table. I held onto a picture frame that was shaking so hard I thought would fall off of the wall. It lasted less than a minute. It was an earthquake. The biggest one in recent history in the Washington DC area. 

Everyone was moved outside, about half an hour later the hotel announced that it was safe to go back inside. Most people did, a few refused to do so. One group told the hotel to ship their bags, and took a taxi to the airport. A few minutes later it was announced that the conference was adjourning early.  I walked a couple of blocks, and found a Capital Bikeshare Bike, and started my journey home. The subway had reopened, but with a very-slow speed restriction. The wait to get into a station in the city stretched down the block. I rode out of the city. By the time I got to Crystal City, in Arlington, I was able to get on a train to my home station. Good thing, as BikeShare had not extended service to Alexandria at that time. 

The photo above was take a couple of months later, as I was riding across the Mall on my way to L'Enfant plaza to catch the train home. 

The Washington Monument was closed after the earthquake. It needed a careful inspection, not easy to do. They put out a call for structural engineers, who were skilled mountain climbers and under 150 pounds. They squeezed out through windows, secured ropes and meticulously inspected the outside of the monument. Ultimately the monument was surrounded by scaffolding for a few months. Then later, closed for replacement of the elevators, the rails the elevators ride on were twisted in ways that could not be unkinked causing frequent  malfunctions. 

The photo above was a once in a lifetime moment, being in the right time at the right time. Kind of like being in DC when an earthquake shakes the world. 

* the Marriott Hotel closed a few years ago, was torn down and replaced by apartments. 

Thursday Ramble: Gone Wrong

About 35 years ago, I was at a Home Builders Association banquet at the Hyatt Regency at Lake Buena Vista, in Florida. It was elegant, and we were all telling one another how great we were. Some idiot decided to present all of the awards before dinner was served. Of course the bar was open. As the time wore on, and the speeches become more slurred, it started to be obvious that this was a mistake.  Cell phones you could put in your pocket were relatively rare, but a few people in the room had them. The table behind us pulled one out, called and had Pizza delivered. They were drunk and tired of waiting for dinner to be served. Needless to say the evening had gone wrong. 

Something else that has gone terribly wrong is "fast food." I don't like to eat in my car, I stopped doing that when I started driving nicer cars, and when I slowed the pace of life realizing that I needed to take time to stop and taste the french fries along the way. The problem with fast food today, besides the food, is the service, especially if you are not going through the drive through. The drive through gets priority out of the kitchen, and those of us standing inside waiting, wait longer, and longer, and longer. I have seen people go through the drive through, and then bring the order into the McDonald's to eat, because it is faster than ordering at the counter. McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's have destroyed the in restaurant experience, by focusing on the drive through, and yet they continue to build indoor dining spaces. Fast food has struggled, and for me, a big part of it, is they have focused so much on the drive through, that it is no longer fast to go inside. Fast food didn't go wrong by selling fast food, they have gone wrong, by neglecting a serious part of their business.  And the worse the service gets inside the less it sells, and the more they focus on serving the drive through, making the service inside even worse.  

Time to get off of the ship of fools. 

 

My World of Wonders: October 17, 2026

 

Where have I been this week? The community center, the gym, the farmers market. 

Who have I talked with this week? Amy, Jon, Elaine, Anna, Susan, Raf, my Sweet Bear, Krissy, Grace, Tom, Alan, Kathy, Ellen, . 

What have I been up to in the Kitchen? Cheese and bacon quiche. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and a simple salad with homemade vinaigrette.  Beef stew. My annual fruitcake. I have written about this tradition a couple of times. 

I cook bacon ahead of time, in the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, I double layer this. Spread the bacon on the tray, I do a whole package at once. Bake at about 375F for 20-40 minutes, the time will vary with how thickly the bacon is cut, and how lean it is. You want it done, but not crispy. Drain the fat off (store the bacon fat in the refrigerator to cook with) and store the bacon in the refrigerator. You can chop it to use as an ingredient such as the quiche or crisp it in the microwave for 30-60 seconds to serve hot. It stores well. 

Eggs fried in bacon fat, on toasted crumpets, with bacon. 

Who deserves a slap this week? The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, returned all of the pianos to Steinway this past week.  For the most part the pianos are leased or loaned, they belong to Steinway.  Returning them is a clear indication that they are not expecting to use them. It is really sad to see the Kennedy Center closed. At least 5 slaps, out of 5. 

Where am I going this week?  A little road trip, Corning, New York - spend the night, visit the Corning Glass Museum, then drive onto Syracuse.  The National Aging and Law Conference that I produced ten time during my time with the ABA, is being hosted at the Law School at Syracuse.  Then from there we will drive to Harrisburg, PA and have dinner with Mistress Maddie, and the next day drive on home. Not a long trip, but a nice change of scene and a chance for me to hobnob with my my fellow wizards. 

What is coming up, that I have not made any plans for? Our 34th Anniversary. It is on a Saturday. We should plan going out to lunch someplace nice.  Will we live long enough to make it to 50 years? 

What is on the easel? A fresh start, primed in a metallic sky blue. 

What am I looking forward to? A phone interview on a possible consulting project for just after the first of the year. It would more than pay for next year's travel plans. 

What has left me scratching my head? Lawyers who can't follow a simple direction. Sometimes the brighter they are, the less they make sense. 

Travel Tuesday: Whatever Comes Your Way

 

Monday Mood: Time for Change

I know of two female friends were sexually assaulted by people we knew, members of the group of young adults we hung out with, and everyone treated it as just one of those things that happens. As a middle aged adult, and an older adult, I have had two female friends tell me how being sexually assaulted as a young adult, has impacted their life. One of them blames her now deceased parents for not taking her seriously when she spoke up - the result was a lack of trust not only of her parents, but of other adults to defend or protect her. The hurt was still real 40 years later. The other one blames herself because she was drinking with college friends. She felt damaged by the experience. Good therapy later in life has made a real difference for her. The experiences screwed up their lives. 

It is time for change. 

Stand up and speak out. 

The bullshit of not wanting to ruin the life of a young man for a "youthful indiscretion" overlooks the life long impact on the young woman.  A friend brought up the Cornell rape case, and pointed out that the woman had been drinking and taking drugs, and needs to take "responsibility for her actions." 

We need to teach teenagers and young adults, that consent requires conscious decisions. Someone who is impaired by drugs or alcohol is unable to give consent, even if they shuck their clothes off and say YES, YES, YES. Any sexual activity with a person who is intoxicated is non-consensual, because the person lacked the ability to truly consider the act they are saying yes to. 

No one ever talked to me about this aspect of consent, until I was in law school. That is a massive failure in our educational system. It is time for change. 

Take the survivor of sexual assault seriously. 

Teach the concept of valid consent. 

If necessary, amend the laws to recognise that a drunk or drugged yes, is a NO. Getting someone drunk and taking advantage of them is or needs to be a crime. 

Hold the criminals responsible. Screw up their lives, they lacked the judgement to go onto become elected officials and judges. Their actions screwed up the life of another person.  

This was not what I had planned for today, but the commentary on the Cornell case made me want to speak out. 

The Sunday Five: tiny tacos

1: Tacos, hard shell or soft shell? 

2: Beef, pork, chicken, fish, shrimp, or veggie? 

3: Mild, spicy, or very spicy? 

4: Tiny, medium, or large? 

5: Chips with salsa or guacamole? 

My Answers: 

1: Tacos, hard shell or soft shell?  Soft shell. 

2: Beef, pork, chicken, fish, shrimp, or veggie? Beef, I actually like Taco Bell's mystery meat. 

3: Mild, spicy, or very spicy? Mild. 

4: Tiny, medium, or large? Large.

5: Chips with salsa or guacamole? Salsa.

Please share your answers in the comments. 

This the second version of this post, using this image. The first one was just too weird. 

The Saturday Morning Post: Practice Leads to Improvement

 I was working on updating the digital display for the local arts group, and Renee stopped to talk. I explained to her what I was doing, and about the upcoming gallery shows. 

She has taken up watercolor painting. She took a drawing class and was deeply surprised to find that she is pretty good at it. That led to her trying her hand at watercolors. She has a three year old granddaughter in New York. She said she was playing with her granddaughter and mentioned that she had taken up painting. The child said, "oh please send me one of your paintings." When she returned home she did that, mailing a small watercolor to her granddaughter. When it arrived there was a phone call expressing great delight and a plea to "please send me more." This has led to three mailings a week and three phone calls of delight every week. 

She said she has been delighted by how much her painting has improved, the more she does, the happier she is with the results. And her granddaughter loves receiving the steady stream of work. 

What a fun way to develop her creative abilities.