An Artist’s Icebox in an Alley

I haven’t posted in a while and probably should because I have been ferociously marking things off my DC bucket list.  One such place I marked off the list last weekend is The Fridge.  This gallery is not just literally off-the-beaten path (it is situated in an alley near the restaurant and shop lined 8th street in Capital Hill/Eastern Market neighborhood) but features art that is a little off-the-beaten path too.

I went to the current exhibit Above the Radar which features west coast graffiti artist.  The graffiti doesn’t just start inside; it starts on the building before you walk in the door.  I was able to talk with the gallery manager, Dena.  She was super informative about not just the exhibit but the space itself.  Of course in my own professional experience of planning events, I always like to know about the rental details.  It is not a huge space but it is definitely a very unique space.  I think it would be perfect for a presentation or panel discussion.  The caveat for hosting an event is there is no alcohol allowed.  But alas I was really there just to find out about the art and the venue in general.

So here are my two really cool takeaways from The Fridge:

If You’re Going to San Francisco…on a budget

Oh San Francisco…the sites, the sounds, and um yeah the smells!  Last weekend was my first time ever visiting the city.  Of course I have heard amazing things in songs and seen pictures so I couldn’t wait to experience such a unique and identifiable place.  I think even our pilot was excited to get there as he advised people boarding the plane to “dig deep” and “pull together” to get luggage situated and people seated so we could depart on time (I just love Delta).

Since this trip was a test of my new money diet (aka trying to put myself on a budget) I will share how proud I am at how much my friend and I did for so little cost.

Here is my monetarily lean and justifiably spent trip (just my half):

Earthquake Survival Guide

When do you realize your joke is not funny…when it really IS an earthquake that is shaking the building!  Everyone by now has been able to joke about the DC Earthquake that literally shook up our Tuesday afternoon.  I have to say it was freaky.  The scariest part (besides the somewhat prophetic dream/nightmare I had the night before about an evacuation) was not having an intrinsic reaction of what to do in the event of an earthquake.  Normally I am impressed with my natural instinct in catastrophes but this one, not so much.

I must have been absent, not paid attention, or never learned the drill for an earthquake in elementary school.  I mean obviously you don’t get in a bathtub to avoid the earth opening up and the building you’re in becoming a pancake (which there aren’t any bathtubs in my office anyway if you wondered).

This unpredictable, uncontrollable event did inspire me to look up what to do during an earthquake on FEMA.  My favorite line is the first one on the site “stay as safe as possible during an earthquake.” As if I wanted to take that moment to be really risky! But it is definitely helpful for future reference (and now I am prepared for other disasters like volcanic eruptions in DC)

I also decided to make my own do’s and don’ts based on my experience:

My Car is an Official DC Resident: a How-to

It’s official, after too many months, multiple tickets, and more trips to the DMV than any person should have to endure in a lifetime, Zippy (my car) is no longer an illegal resident of the district.  Part of this delay is my procrastination of anything that seems time consuming and painful, which is why all my college papers were written not just the night before they were due but sometimes in a race against the hours before they were due.  Although I will say college enabled this bad behavior with usually rewarding me with “A”s and “B”s on my papers.  So this is not a post about selling awesome term papers but more usefully, a checklist for how to register your car in DC. You need:

Party in the Middle of the USA

This is going to be short and sweet because I thought my original post about St. Louis was the worst of how my words can come back to haunt me.  Actually this is more like “I would like to thank the following people for the rest of my experience in St. Louis.”

1. Thank you to my friend on Facebook who suggested going to the rooftop of the Four Seasons.  Honestly it has the best view of the city, amazing food, and a delicious Zinfandel that I wish I had written down the name of the bottle.
2. Thank you to my friend who suggested I get up and sing “Party in the USA” at the Dueling Piano Bar so I don’t have to question why I didn’t quit my day job to pursue musical theater, although it was a show for sure.  (Oh and