It's a miracle!

A miracle has happened! Against all odds, Will managed to score two tickets to the opening night game at Nationals Park, so tonight we head to the inaugural game of our beloved Washington Nationals as they take on the hated Atlanta Braves (well, at least for me they're hated)! I didn't think I'd have a prayer of making this game, especially not after the melee that took place when tickets when on sale (i.e., selling out in six minutes).

I've driven past the ballpark several times in the last few months, and each time it looks better and better. Last night I actually caught some of the exhibition game against the Orioles (take that, Peter Angelos!) on TV, and it honestly felt weird not to be seeing the Nats play at RFK. It'll feel just as weird tonight, too, I'll bet. But there was still a great feeling of elation at seeing Nationals Park in operation, and I think this is the final element that firmly cements the Nats' place in the baseball canon: we have a team, an owner, a (crooked) TV deal, and a beautiful ballpark to call our own.

Having said that, all I can say now is . . . play ball!!!

I couldn't have said it better myself

This comes from today's movie chat on the Washington Post.

Trekkies: How scared should Trek fans be about what J.J. Abrams is going to do in the new movie? Will he respect the established canon or will they go in a radical new direction?

Ann Hornaday: Ugh. He'd better watch out -- there's nothing more terrifying than hoardes of cheesed-off Trek fans. Let's hope he shows respect!

I'd say she's pretty on the money there. Though I'd also add Star Wars fans to that list, given the amount of people majorly perturbed with George Lucas for not only inventing Jar-Jar Binks, but for muddling the original theatrical editions.

Who knew Leonard Nimoy's birthday was so close to Bill Shatner's?

Mr. Spock turns 77 today!



Oh, and happy birthday to Christopher as well.

Murky Coffee Q&A

I somehow missed this when it was posted, but the owner of Murky Coffee did a Q&A on his blog last week about the future of his store. In a nutshell, the Capitol Hill store is permanently closed (it's official now), but the Arlington store will remain open. Definitely sad news for a great coffee chain at Eastern Market, but I'm nevertheless gladdened by the Arlington store being unaffected. Gives me a reason to visit Clarendon again. :)

From acting to politics to acting

So it appears that Fred Thompson is now moving back into the acting arena. Personally, I see no harm in this, though the article cited above had a rather bone-cutting intro to the subject:

After a failed run for president, Fred Thompson is getting back to pretending to be commander in chief.

Ouch!

Happy Easter!

Does Captain Kirk hate these cans?

Today William Shatner, forever blessed (and damned) as Captain Kirk from Star Trek, turns 77.




And character actor M. Emmet Walsh turns 73. I wonder if he still hates those cans . . .

More on Murky Coffee

The Post finally got around to reporting on the Murky Coffee situation, and apparently the financial distress of the store was worse than we were initially led to believe. Apparently it extended to back rent and the owner constantly missing payments. Though I find his justification rather ham-handed.

While conceding that he has been irresponsible, Cho chalked up the tax bill to "poor cash flow management." He disputes the tax office's assessment of what he owes, estimating it at about $200,000. And he said he also owes Virginia about $20,000 for sales tax at his Clarendon shop.

"In a nutshell, we've gained a pretty good reputation for our coffee quality. That's the side of the business I've done pretty well at," Cho said. "The financial management side I haven't."

Cho, who initially called his tax problems a "hiccup" in operations, said he never tried to evade authorities and always intended to make the payments.

"It's not that I went and bought a sports car or a horse. It's just general financial mismanagement," he said.

That may be so about financial mismanagement, but in the real world, when you don't meet your financial obligations, they will come back and bite you in the ass. It's a fundamental of capitalism, good coffee notwithstanding.

A bad week for Hollywood

Wow, this sure hasn't been a good week for Hollywood. First Anthony Minghella (director of The English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley) dies, then Arthur C. Clarke (famous science author renowned for collaborating with Stanley Kubrick on 2001), and now Paul Scofield (actor from Quiz Show and A Man for All Seasons). I'd ask who's next, but I don't want to jinx an already bad situation.

Green beer music

Today is March 17, that holiday we so often mark with green—up to and including the beer. Tonight, however, the only alcohol I consumed in celebration of St. Patty's Day was a wee nip of amaretto, but that's okay, because I did all my green and non-green beer drinking this past Saturday night, travelling up and down the corridors of 2nd Street in Harrisburg with several friends.

And it's to that night of bar-hopping that I dedicate the following song.

Murky Coffee closing!!!

Will sent me an IM last night with some terrible news: my favorite DC coffee shop, Murky Coffee, will be closing its doors due to an unpaid tax bill (to the tune of $220,000). The City Paper's been keeping tabs on the developments as they happen, and it appears that the District is only focusing on the Capitol Hill store. I've queried the owner to the fate of its Arlington store, and my hope is that it'll remain in business so that people can still enjoy Murky's wonderful blend of java.

In any case, this is a major loss for Capitol Hill and Eastern Market. I truly mean it when I say, Murky Coffee was some wonderful coffee, with a store that was very charming and quaint.

Is Quentin Tarantino crying foul yet?

It was reported today that the final Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be split into two movies. Not being a Harry Potter fan, I'm not that excited by this news. But being a movie lover, I'm reminded of Quentin Tarantino's kung-fu epic Kill Bill, and how it was split into two films—which in turn makes me wonder if Tarantino will pitch a fit that Harry Potter is ripping off his idea (remember, if you will, Tarantino's less-than-enthusiastic thoughts on The Matrix and its computer-generated effects). Though wouldn't such a claim be hypocritical, since much of Tarantino's work walks an extremely thin line between paying homage and flagrantly ripping off?

Note to Eliot Spitzer

The next time you get busted for something, anything, do it with some style and panache. Maybe start by shouting, "The bitch set me up!" a la Marion Barry.

W throwing out the first pitch?

According to nationals.com, the prez has been invited to throw out the first—or should I say, the inaugural!—pitch at Nationals Park for the home opener on March 30. My prediction: he'll be a no-show, like he was for the last two Nats home openers. His reason: same as before—he won't want to be booed.