Let’s Do It Again

We’re approaching the end of April, folks, which will effectively knock out one-third of 2010!  Man, this year is just flying by – I guess that’s what happens when things work out for you.  It definitely sucks that when you are having nothing but good times, it seems that time certainly goes significantly faster than when, say, you’re in a rut.  Nevertheless, we’re here, so let’s recap the business and exploration end of things in the DC area!

The “Golden Triangle” area, the name of the section of DC I now work, has quite a bit of variety where food is concerned.  (Don’t you love it how my first thoughts on a given area tend to gravitate towards the satisfaction of my stomach?)  Aside from the obligatory fast food chains that are nearby, McDonalds being my most frequented of them all, I’ve mostly been spending my lunch money on this organic joint called Freshii and  at this awesome sammich joint called Potbellies.  Potbellies I know I’ve discussed here before, but I’m just glad they are right across the street from my office, I’ll repeat that much again!  Freshii hasn’t been around too long, but after a failed attempt to find a falafel place on 18th Street I just wandered westward until I saw their sign.   I recently was crushed by a very nice serving of chicken teriyaki from there, something that doesn’t happen to me much around here without doubling up on orders of food (such as my gluttonous “two double-cheeseburgers and a McDouble” order from McDonalds), so I know I’ll be going there again soon.  If anything, I want to place a custom order (something they allow) that’ll consist of a rice bowl and all the meats they offer there – with no vegetables.  I really hope I get some raised eyebrows and remarks from the guy who takes my order about it since I’d effectively be negating their entire “let’s serve healthy dishes” stance that they seem to have.  It’ll probably cost $15 bucks, but I don’t care – gotta do it!

One of my co-workers mocked my inability to consume a meal that consisted mostly of rice and vegetables (he ordered the same thing from Freshii today and promptly crushed it in under ten minutes), but my reminding him that I can practically eat whole cows in a single sitting quieted his boasting!  But yes, although I can eat a near-endless supply of animals (as was briefly discussed over laughter, “animals have the right to be tasty,” a great slogan from a demotivational poster), the simple addition of wheat products, rice, or pasta will make my time at a dinner table end very quickly.

On the breakfast front, I found my favorite spot in International Plaza: this Chinese-run place that makes some wicked sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches for $2.50.  The woman that frequently runs the place in the morning is always there to greet me with a smile and is quick to get started on my order before I say anything more (well, other than “Good morning!”).  I am really tempted to try out other things on their breakfast menu but usually I bring my mega-sandwich to the office so I can start working at my self-imposed 8am arrival time!  Too early? Not when I can leave the office just after 4pm, which has been great, as I’d rather travel around town weekday afternoons than when the sun sets.  Plus, getting out early like that gives me plenty of time to prepare for any “evening activities” that may have been planned out.

As for the dinner options, there’s also a fair amount that’s offered, though you really have to walk up a few blocks to really open those doors.  Being a stone-throw away from the Dupont Circle area makes for bar or restaurant-hunting a breeze since there’s a lot of both.  I recently went to Recessions at the recommendation of one of my housemates, which I can see would have potential on a Friday night (they seem to have all you need for a alcohol-fueled session of karaoke), but the service was pretty painful at 6:30pm on a Wednesday.  Not to mention the interior was pretty run-down – but like Calvin’s father always says: “It builds character.”  Will I be going there again? Most likely!

Oh, and a new and greatly-improved Safeway supermarket finally opened up in place of the old, ghetto-blasted Safeway.  Two points to make here: They have alcohol and they have self-checkout.  Thank god!

In other news, the recent attendance of Too Many Games in Reading, PA, was a success!  Not a total success for me, if only because out of the six games I had on my wishlist I only found one of them, but the game found is quite the gem: “Aerobiz Supersonic” for the SNES.  And it is as challenging as I remember it!  I also picked up the NES version of “Tetris”, thus completing my collection of all major Tetris games for the old-school Nintendo consoles and handhelds.  I also met one of my favorite artists in the gaming scene, Aimee Dingman, and got a chance to ogle at her latest works (one of which was an amazing piece from “Chrono Trigger”) and discuss how her art business is going.  At the end of the day, I commissioned her to create another custom piece for me – I cannot wait to see the results!   The trip to Too Many Games was a ton of fun, though out of the five guys that were supposed to join, one of them dropped out at the 11th hour.  Fortunately, he was more than willing to still pay for his share of the car expenses and felt pretty bummed about missing out.  In retrospect, it’s better that he didn’t go because I think the back seat would’ve been a crush for three people.  But that’s something we’ll figure out for 2011…

So far, 2010 has been a brilliant year, and though it’s almost 1/3 complete, I cannot wait to see what else is in store for me down the road!  Take care, everyone!

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