The coffee machine has broken! Or rather, on Saturday evening, after a busy day, it refused to drip water. Sunday wasn’t too bad.
But Monday morning without coffee was tough… until I remember that I have backup, in the form of a French press. I’d actually prefer to grind beans and then use the French press, but amidst family life, it’s usually ground coffee and filter machine.
So the day just got as bright as… well, as the sunny day itself. Or rather, it would, if I could get to tasks such as finding preschool. Tasks like that would be easier to accomplish without a three and a half year old boy at home…
So I’d better get to them. If you can recommend a good preschool near Silver Spring with current of imminent openings for Max – who really is lovely, by the way – then please let me know via comment or email (andrew at changingway dot org).
Posted in: Home Entertainment.
Tagged: childcare · coffee · maryland · preschool · wheaton
I’m currently listening to Broken Bells, the collaboration between Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, among other projects) and James Mercer (The Shins). It’s yet to be released, but NPR has the good habit of streaming good albums pre-release. If you click on that link, you’ll be able to see what’s currently available for streaming.
You’ll also be able to see what has recently gone off-stream there due to being released. At the time of this typing, that includes albums by Joanna Newsom, Local Natives, Shearwater,…
When I first heard of the Mouse/Mercer musical marriage, I thought they seemed an odd couple. Hearing the music itself, they sound like a perfect pair. You can hear it at the BB website.
Me, I’m back to NPR to listen to the forthcoming Frightened Rabbit album.
Posted in: Home Entertainment.
Tagged: brokenbells · music · npr · radio
How is Wheaton terrific? Let me count the ways, stopping at three for now:
- It’s poised for a boom. That’s according to city planners and via the local Gazette, so it must be true.
- Wheaton library hosts Year of the Tiger celebrations this Saturday, March 6 (again with the Gazette-linking).
- It is home to a branch of DC institution Rodmans. We closed on our house (3 months ago yesterday) near the original Rodmans, and followed advice to check the place out. I didn’t realize until about a week ago that there’s another location within a couple of miles of our house.
Posted in: DC.
Tagged: maryland · newyear · rodmans · wheaton
Feb 23rd, 2010
by andrew.
I’m in Interactions, the indoor playspace, in Kensington. Or at least I was on the 23rd; I’m editing this the following day. Anyway, there are these helpful labels on the toys, such as these Diatonic Boomwhackers.
Great Kids Village in Silver Spring takes a different, but also helpful and probably more lucrative, approach. Parents can buy the stuff their kids have been playing with (or rather the same items, but new and in shrink).
Why can’t I use my Android, or other mobile device, to put a toy in my shopping cart at Amazon or elsewhere? The location-awareness of the Android should make it possible for the playspace to get a commission.
I don’t know of any service that would link up playspace, customer, and retailer in this way. In the meantime, I’ll just add my own Amazon link to the cool toy in the photo: BOOMWHACKERS C Major Diatonic Scale Set (Upper Octave) Boomwhackers Tuned Percussion Tubes.
Posted in: DC.
Tagged: interactions · kensington · maryland
Feb 17th, 2010
by andrew.
Here’s another map of the USA, to go with the one I posted earlier today. It adorns a t-shirt available from Snoburbia. That’s not a reference to our recent weather, but is the result of: snob + suburbia.
I became aware of Snoburbia via a post on its blog, which I in turn found via JUtP. The post is about Wheaton Plaza and how it is a better fit with MoCo snoburbians than said snobs allow.
I’d like to point out that I’m not one of those who “go to the Target (only), then immediately scurry to their SUVs or hybrids.” Last time we went, McDonalds and Dunkin’ Donuts, as well as Target, got our business. And I have bought kid shoes from the Stride Rite in Wheaton Plaza.
Posted in: DC.
Tagged: mall · maryland · snoburbua · tshirt · wheaton
Feb 17th, 2010
by andrew.
Washington DC as a big, red heart, pumping life-blood through the arteries of the nation’s body? The quote/link is from/to Strange Maps, a fine blog (and now a book). The map is from PublicOptionPlease, where it won a competition. Congratulations to artist Amy Martin.
It makes me wonder which other locations might correspond to other parts of the USA’s anatomy – but I won’t go there.
Posted in: DC.
Tagged: health · map
Feb 15th, 2010
by andrew.
Red was doubly appropriate for yesterday, since it was both Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year. It still seemed appropriate this morning, as there was a trip to Target (big red T) to spend some of the red envelope money.
We have a white afternoon, though. The snow has started to fall yet again. It seems like a good afternoon to play with the things the kids bought for themselves, and with the dominoes I bought. Maddie (6) and I will play Draw Dominoes, while Max (3) seeks more kinetic uses for the bones.
Posted in: DC, Home Entertainment.
Tagged: dominoes · newyear · redenvelope · snow
Feb 13th, 2010
by andrew.
Year of the Tiger, that is. This rather lovely poster is by Lili Chin.
Our rather tasty lunch today was from Paul Kee. It seemed that everyone in the county was picking up a large order when I was there – and that was before noon.
Posted in: DC.
Tagged: china · newyear · paulkee · tiger · wheaton · yearofthetiger
Feb 10th, 2010
by andrew.
If you have power (which some people round here don’t) on such a cold snowy day, you might as well use it to cook. We made soup and bread.
I made Fast French Bread using Mark Bittman’s recipe. I found it in How to Cook Everything, so did Heather, a fellow blogger who was kind enough to key in the recipe, and you can find Mark’s blog at the NYT.
For something that took only flour, yeast, salt, and water – and the power I shouldn’t take for granted – the bread was great. By the way, the power was for the oven. I didn’t use a bread machine or food processor, and can’t imagine myself ever using either to make bread. The Zen of Dough is almost as important as the finished product, and the enthusiasm with which my family consumed said product.
Posted in: Home Entertainment.
Tagged: bread · food · markbittman · snow · soup
Feb 10th, 2010
by andrew.
You know it’s bad when “snow forces snow plows, utility repair crews off the road.” But, as the Washington Post reports, that’s exactly what’s happened in DC and in MoCo.
Speaking of our own county, sweet home, Montgomery schools are closed for the whole week. That means that schools will have been closed since just after lunch on Friday 5th until Tuesday 16th: Monday is Presidents Day.
Posted in: DC.
Tagged: snow · snowandmoresnow
