On the Radio Again

I'll be on Alaska Public Radio's morning show from 1-2pm EDT, talking about the history and constitutional aspects of impeachment.

First Red Sox Nation, Then Colbert Nation

It's been an happy start to the week for a couple of the imagined communities which I'm proud to claim as my own. First, Sunday night, the Boston Red Sox staked a claim to being the team of this young milennium by winning their second World Series in four years. Then the latest polls out of South Carolina showed that Stephen Colbert is running in fifth place among Democratic presidential contenders. (Go to YouTube and watch the clip of Chris Dodd's face when Tim Russert tells him on Meet the Press that he's behind a TV comedian.) Colbert also apparently gains 13% of the vote nationally in a hypothetical three-way race with Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani.

The Red Sox as the toast of baseball -- again! -- and the most talented TV/pop-culture empresario of our generation (yes he's better than Jon Stewart) at the top of his game... ya gotta love it!

My First Radio Appearance as a Cato Staffer

This evening at 6:15pm EDT I will be on the Chris Baker Show on KTRH (Houston) discussing the case of Medellin v. Texas. Live streaming audio at ktrh.com.

Argentina Week

This week I was able to enjoy two cultural experiences emanating from the country to which part of my soul belongs, Argentina.

First I attended one of the final performances of Mario Diament's Cita a Ciegas ("Blind Date"), an appropriately melancholy vignette of life in Buenos Aires with not-so-subtle evocations of Jorge Luis Borges -- one of my favorite writers. This play opened to rave reviews in Buenos Aires, and I'm delighted to live in a city where it can be performed in Spanish (and Argentine-accented Spanish at that!). This was actually my first time to the Gala Theatre, which is located at 14th and... way north in Columbia Heights. I came away impressed by the ambiance, and discovered a new neighborhood for myself besides.

The second event was another movie at the Latin American Film Festival, Ciudad en Celo ("City in Heat"). From the Festival's website:

[Hernan] Gaffet’s character-driven comic debut, a light intelligent comedy,
centers around Buenos Aires’s Garllington pub, the daily meeting place for
Daniel Kuzniecka, who has recently instigated a spectacular break-up with his
girlfriend, and his group of late thirty-something friends, all variously
unlucky in love. Into their group comes tango singer Dolores Sola, who’s one of
the guys but also a catalyst for some emotional maturing. Her torchy singing
adds spice to the movie’s cockeyed romance.

A little cheesy, but about right. Made me long for for long afternoons in Buenos Aires cafes...

Sweet Sunday

Sometimes you have one of those days that's just "lovely." This past Sunday, I was wakened at my usual PT time by the sunrise over the Potomac, casting all the monuments in a red-dawned silhouette. Then I went for PT, quite a long loop across the river, past Arlington National Cemetery, through Washington Harbor and Georgetown, and back.

Then it was time for a brunch of fresh cheese, bread, fruit, coffee, and the Sunday paper at the Marvelous Market off Wisconsin Ave. Then some strolling around the aforementioned monuments in the sweet Indian Summer afternoon.

Then a Princeton Club of Washington reception in the backyard of the Club's President's home, where my stories of "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" were a big hit. Then back home for the season premieres of the cartoons (The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad).

And off to sleep, for sure to dream...

Concerts Part II

Saturday night I journeyed up to the 9:30 Club, where I hadn't been in some time, to take in Iron & Wine, whom I refer to as "that soft-sounding guy from the Garden State soundtrack."

Turns out not only does he sing softly and mellifluously, but he looks like a young God. I don't mean Jesus, but rather the wide windswept face and flowing locks, just normal-hair-colored, not all-white. It was a good show.

I also discovered this new Jamaican food place called Tropicana Eatery, where I will now be going for a pre-game meal before every 9:30 concert. We had jerk and curried chicken (they were out of goat) with rice, beans, and fried plantains. Delicious. I don't recommend the chicken pattie, however, which we only got in the first place because the beef ones were just then being baked.

Concerts Part I

Continuing the theme of cultural-events-every-night-of-the-week, Friday I went to the Bob Dylan concert at Merriweather Post (which is a lovely outdoor venue halfway between DC and Baltimore). Traffic was ridiculous so it took us about two hours to get there, thereby missing the opening act and most of Elvis Costello.

Then came Bob. And he wa disappointing. I mean, I mainly went to be able to say to my grandkids that I've been to a Bob Dylan concert, but I kinda was hoping to be entertained as well. The problem was that he only sang one song I knew ("Everybody Must Get Stoned"). And everything he sang was completely incomprehensible. They should've had supertitles, like they do at the opera.

Oh, and Merriweather ran out of food, other than hot dogs and popcorn. At least the beer, while expensive, was free-flowing...

American Film Renaissance

Last week I snagged VIP tix to two movies in the American Film Renaissance (AFR) festival. AFR's motto is "the art of freedom," and its films contain various libertarian currents.

The first was "The Call of the Entrepreneur," which explained the role that entrepreneurs play in economic growth by weaving together the stories of a Michigan farmer, a New York banker, and a Hong Kong media magnate. Remarkable, and there was even a sizeable shout-out to Hayek. Well done, Acton Institute.

The second was "Weirdsville," and this movie was definitely weird. Set in a small town in Ontario (represent!), it follows the one-night travails of some small-time drug addicts. A pretty funny flick -- best part involved midgets dressed in full-on medieval regalia -- but not sure where it fit into the theme of the festival...

The after-parties on both nights were well put-together, the first at Poste Moderne Brasserie in Chinatown and the second at Blue Gin in Georgetown. A good time had by all.