Genius on 18th St.

Washington, meet M'Dawg. The puppy-themed "haute dog" joint was opened recently by the same people who brought us the Amsterdam Falafelshop, and you'll see the similarity.

M'Dawg offers your choice of 3 different buns and about 15 different types of dogs, from the humble Hebrew National to a $22 Kobe beef dog. And 3 flavors of veggie dogs. But the real joy is the toppings bar, where for a dollar extra you can add any of a dozen hot and cold toppings. Mmmm...

There are a couple of flaws here, though. First, the cost: each dog will run you $5, and the toppings bar is a dollar on top of that. Not bad for a decent meal in DC, but something inside me shuddered at coughing up $27 for our four-dog meal. I mean, these are hot dogs. Second, the veggie dogs: sawdusty and dry, another brand or house-made dogs might make them worth the price.

But anyway, check it out, across the street from the Falafelshop on 18th in Adams Morgan.

Seattle and Whidbey Island pics

Photos from our trip to Washington state are up on the photolog.

On the importance of good hair

After some public and media pressure on the issue, John Edwards has reimbursed his presidential campaign for two 400-dollar haircuts that had been charged to the campaign. (AP via NYT)

Well, I think you can probably do better than $400 for a high quality men's haircut. But let's get one thing straight: hair, makeup, and wardrobe may be legitimate campaign expenses in this day and age. We may wish it weren't so, but image is absolutely key to candidates' success. (Maybe if Richard Nixon had had a decent stylist...)

Granted, it don't look so good for politicians to flaunt the wealth and privilege that is so common among them. But here I'm talking about extra fancy bespoke suits, luxury autos, and giant pinky rings. If my guy or gal needs to spend some cash to look good (but not too good!) on TV, I don't really begrudge it to them.

Campaign donors, especially individuals who are giving small, certainly have a right to be concerned if their money's being spent flippantly. But a look at any campaign's books should lend a little perspective. Folks, 400 bucks on a haircut that will hopefully serve the candidate well in public appearances for at least 4-6 weeks is a drop in the bucket.

Go forth and condition, Mr. Edwards.

Marathon report

In case you were wondering...

• Today Ben finished the Whidbey Island Marathon in 3 hours 20 minutes, and came in 3rd in his age group.
  
• I finished in 3 hours 44 minutes.
• It was really pretty and cool! And we got to hang out with Brian and Alicia, who cheered us on and then helped us knock back a bunch of beer, seafood, and ice cream.
• We'll be repeating that last part tomorrow in Seattle.

Yay marathon!

Shock jock codes of conduct

Don Imus is a jackass and deserves everything that's coming to him. Anyone who thinks they can get away with a) racism and b) sexism directed towards c) some of America's top student-athletes d) on a national radio broadcast...has got to be crazy or have a death wish. And the backlash is reassuring.

But this episode got me thinking. Imus and radio hosts like him are basically paid to be offensive, outrageous, and even bigoted. The shock is what brings in the audience. At the same time, they inevitably face suspension or firing when they cross the line and say something that inspires widespread public outrage and the loss of advertiser dollars. They ride a fine line.

Lisa Wanless, Systems Analyst "Cut Imus some slack. The man is under immense pressure to be an asshole every single morning." (The Onion)

How does one know what will be outrageous enough to draw an audience, but not outrageous enough to get cancelled? Do you think that there is any kind of general agreement or code of conduct between shock jocks and their employers about what topics are strictly off limits vs. fair game? From here, the line seems to be drawn on an ad hoc basis.

Good Friday weirdness in Mt. Pleasant

At around 9 o'clock on Friday night there was a crashing sound, and then a swarm of police and ambulances on the main strip of Mt. Pleasant Street. Police officers unrolling crime scene tape were visible from my apartment windows.

A few minutes later, there a low rumbling...like chanting...and someone on a loudspeaker, unintelligible. The source of the chanting soon became apparent as a huge procession of people holding candles and carrying purple banners began to file across the street, next to the scene of the accident...followed, ultimately, by a truck containing a full band.

What had at first appeared to be a zombie invasion turned out to be a perfectly normal Good Friday procession to the church at 16th and Lamont. I don't think the car accident was related, though.

I disapprove of your wedding plans, but I will defend to the death your right to make them

Listen--everyone has a right to a Disney® Fairy Tale Wedding. So it's encouraging that Disney is officially opening up the program, in which couples design weddings hosted at Disney theme parks, to same sex couples. (Reuters) This fits into Disney's history as a fairly gay-friendly company--a history that even helped earn it an 8-year boycott by the Southern Baptist Convention.

While the notion of anyone getting married "in front of Cinderella Castle, at sunrise in an international Epcot destination or beneath starry skies lit by a spontaneous fireworks display" makes us want to barf, hey, it's a free country.