About

I'm an expat Californian who is obsessed with traveling to strange and exotic destinations in the former Communist Bloc. I also like tacos, beer, surfing, trapshooting, and the geopolitics of oil. I currently live in Arlington, Virginia and work in Washington, DC. Read more about me here, check out my photo album, or send me an e-mail.

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    Strongbow Cider in DC: CommonWealth Gastropub

    Ah yes, of course. I leave Columbia Heights and a “British” pub that sells Strongbow on draft opens a few blocks from my former house. Nevertheless, still happy as hell to be out of that neighborhood.
    But if you do live there and enjoy Strongbow you can order it by the US or UK [...]

    DC weather WTF?

    On Monday it was snowing and I was wearing boots.
    On Saturday it was 73 degrees and I was wearing flip flops.
    No wonder this place drives people insane.

    More snow

    But not enough to shut down work, unfortunately.

    Inauguration weekend photos

    A few photos from Inauguration weekend (yes, I realize this was over a month ago). Most of these photos are actually from Annie and Cheryl.

    My mom and I with the Patino side of the family from LA. They were in town because Tom was doing some shots for Leno’s Tonight Show.

    We took a [...]

    Some people are just dumb

    A man who drove up to the U.S. Capitol complex and told police he had a delivery for President Barack Obama was arrested by police after telling them he had a rifle in his truck, police said on Tuesday.
    The man “told officers that he had a delivery for President Obama so the officers began to [...]

    Things you don’t learn when you grow up in the desert

    Immediately after snowfall, it’s best to wipe all the snow off your car so that it doesn’t turn into a three inch thick layer of ice that will take you two hours to remove with your trusty OXO Good Grips Twister Snow Brush.

    I gave up after a few minutes, actually.

    A few inches in Arlington

    1.8 million

    That’s DC’s official headcount for Obama’s Inauguration.

    The full satellite photo is here. I’ll probably upload some photos this weekend.

    I love it

    Obama showing some Aloha spirit during the Inaugural Parade.

    Tired

    More on the Inauguration later…

    Obama visits Ben’s Chili Bowl

    Oh, man, that’s cool.

    Credit: Reuters
    In a departure from his healthy diet, Mr. Obama ordered a classic Ben’s half-smoke — a pork and beef sausage on a steamed hot dog bun, topped with mustard, onions and chili sauce — and a sweetened iced tea. Mr. Fenty chose the turkey dog, cheese fries and bottled water. The [...]