Our Lady of Czestochowa

Originally uploaded by ebohls

My favorite chapel at the Basilica

I only remember seeing one show at the old 9:30 Club on F Street. Was Peter Case and must’ve been 89 or 90 or so. We got there really early, Gordon and Babs and I, and planted ourselves right up at center stage. I’m sorry to say I can’t remember any song that he sang, though. He only had two solo albums out at that point, so I suppose I can guess a bunch of songs he mostly likely would’ve sung. But I can’t specifically remember any one.

I do recall this one story he told, about a friend of his, who remarked about the fall of Communism that was happening at the time. His friend was now waiting for the fall of Capitalism. He said that somebody else hearing this asked, “What are you, an anarchist?” “No,” said the friend, “I’m a Christian.”

I remember also that Peter Buck jumped onstage at one point. After the show I dashed downstairs to the dressing rooms to get Peter Case to sign a poster and some 45s and a CD that I had with me. While he was talking to somebody else, Peter Buck wanted to see what I had brought. He fancied himself a collector of Peter Case 45s, but he didn’t have any of the ones I brought. I was awfully proud as he flipped through them. “I don’t have this one! I don’t have this one either!” Then he noticed that they weren’t US pressings. “Oh, they’re European,” he said. “I don’t collect European.” I was of course heartbroken.

I don’t know what happened to the poster or the 45s, but I still have the signed CD. In the jewel case is a guitar pick that I must have grabbed at some point.

A year or two ago I saw Peter Case at Jumpin’ Java in Vienna VA. I talked to him after the show and mentioned the old 9:30 Club show. Peter Case remembered that Peter Buck joined for the encore and they played a Plimsouls song, “A Million Miles Away.”

Found Dog

Originally uploaded by ebohls

Is he yours?

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Polar Lug Retreading

Originally uploaded by ebohls

Polar Lug Retreading?

Comfy Cat

Originally uploaded by ebohls

At the Ballet

Originally uploaded by ebohls

(intermission)

Divine Mercy Sunday

Originally uploaded by ebohls

At the Basilica. And Happy Easter to our Eastern brethren.

Easter Menu

Originally uploaded by ebohls

Niece

Originally uploaded by ebohls

Originally uploaded by ebohls

God bless beer & wine.

The always astonishing Neko Case, singing the title track to her new record.

(Does anyone know anything about music? Does this song weave back and forth between 3/4 an 5/4 time? Seems like wild, wild stuff to me.)

Rosslyn

Originally uploaded by ebohls

view north from tenth floor

Early 2008

Originally uploaded by ebohls

I took this with Dawn’s phone. I really like it.

new haircut

Originally uploaded by ebohls

me

1. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
2. Match Point (2005)
3. A Good Year (2006)
4. The Secret of Roan Inish (1993)
5. Proof (2004)
6. This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
7. The Good German (2006)
8. Atonement (2007)
9. Cold Comfort Farm (1995)
10. Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)
11. Veronica Guerin (2003)
12. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)
13. The History Boys (2006)
14. Darling (1965)
15. Cache (2005)
16. The Claim (2000)
17. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)
18. Bread and Tulips (2000)
19. Notes on a Scandal (2006)
20. The Fallen Idol (1948)
21. Why We Fight (2005)
22. Wordplay (2006)
23. The Philadelphia Story (1940)

I saw all of 23 movies last year, every one of them on DVD from Netflix. I haven’t seen a movie in an actual theater since 2005. I’ve seen dozens of ballets, in very grand theaters, these last few years. But no movies outside the house.

I didn’t especially love any of the 23 movies. Didn’t especially hate any of them, either, but that’s because I’m not counting the 5 that we just gave up watching.

With nothing that I absolutely loved, there’s no clear favorite to pick, so let’s just go with a top 3, how about. In no particular order:

I liked Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, maybe because I thought from seeing the trailer that it was going to be cloying and unbearable. And it wasn’t. It had my totally favorite actress of all time, Shirley Henderson, although, sadly, she played the heavy. Amy Adams was fun and charming her ownself in the ingenue part. And Frances McDormand and Ciarán Hinds were delightful, although you would expect that, as great as they always are in anything they do. So, all in all, a good time.

Speaking of incredible actors, there’s also Notes on a Scandal. I swear I’d watch Judi Dench read the phone book. (On the other hand, I’d rather not have watched her pee on the rug in Iris.) While Cate Blanchett strikes me as awfully uninteresting in person, she’s amazing on screen when she tries, as she does here, as opposed to, say, The Gift. And extra bonus points for the always memorable Bill Nighy.

Finally, I liked The Claim, which turned out to be a version of The Mayor of Casterbridge set in the frozen northwest. Again with Shirley Henderson, playing a lovable whore this time, thankfully not with a heart of gold. Also, it had Sarah Polley, another favorite of mine.

Seems like, even if the movies weren’t that great, I liked them because they had actors I like in them. Not too surprising, I suppose.

The movies we gave up on were Alfie (mutual decision), Tristan & Isolde (I gonged this one), Sylvia (another mutual decision), The Wind that Shakes the Barley (mostly Dawn, but it wasn’t doing a whole lot for me), and Sarkar (totally Dawn’s decision, but I suspected she wasn’t going to make it through).

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Originally uploaded by ebohls

At the ballet. No Elizabeth Gaither tonight.

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Originally uploaded by ebohls

Finally got my nameplate. I’m a real employee!

Here are the last names of my Facebook friends, as of 12/24/2008, along with data from the 2000 census. Gives rank and count, e.g., Johnson is the second most popular name in the U.S., with almost 1.9 million people. Bohls, however, is not so popular. Only 282 of us.

From: Federal Bureau Of Investigation <fbi-robertmueller@fbi.org>
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2008 10:53:55 AM
Subject: Federal Bureau Of Investigation. ( Your ATM-CARD Is Ready ).

Anti-Terrorist and International Fraud Division.
Federal Bureau Of Investigation.
Seattle, Washington.
Telephone Number : (206)-201-2749.

ATTENTION: BENEFICIARY.

This is to Officially inform you that it has come to our notice and we have thoroughly completed an Investigation with the help of our Intelligence Monitoring Network System that your ATM-CARD is currently  with the (G.P.S.) Global Postal Service in Nigeria.

We have ordered the Federal Government of Nigeria to contact FedEx, Dhl, Ups, First Bank, Zenith Bank and other firms to release the bank draft and Atm cards to the GPS (Regular Mail Service), So that they can be mailed out to the rightful owners, because there are too many complains/Rip Off Report coming to the desk of Federal Bureau Of Investigation that people are not getting their Instrument to cash their funds and gratuity, e.g people are not getting their Bank Draft and Atm Cards due to the fact that people are not meeting up with the required demands and amount imposed by some of this delivery companies, firms and other sectors and constant require of fees that are too much for people to handle or pay.

We have completed this investigation and we have verified the entire transaction to be Safe and 100% risk free, due to the fact that we have been assured that your ATM CARD will be delivered to you once your Full Name and Address is confirmed. Delivery of your ATM-CARD is free!!! You only need to pay $95 for insurance only.

Therefore, you are instructed to contact the Global Postal Service with the Information below:

Full Name: – Mr. Richard Oscar.
Valid Contact: – globalpostalserviceng01@gmail.com
Tel # +234-7025-9828-94.

You will be required to e-mail him with your information such as:

FULL NAME:
ADDRESS:
CITY:
STATE:
ZIP CODE:
DIRECT CONTACT NUMBER:

Regards.
FBI Director.
Robert Mueller.

NOTE: In order to ensure your ATM-CARDS gets delivered to you ASAP, you are advised to immediately contact Mr. Richard Oscar via contact information provided above.

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Originally uploaded by ebohls

Appalling bucket-like urinals at rest stop in Prince George County VA. Automatic flush, though.

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Originally uploaded by ebohls

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Originally uploaded by ebohls

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Doo Lough and Mweelrea Mountains

Originally uploaded by ebohls

Must have been Lifehacker that recommended MIcrosoft’s Image Composite Editor, to put together panoramas of photos. They said it was pretty good, so I downloaded it.

I thought it was going to be somewhat tricky to use, trying to figure out similar points in the photos. And then I was worried about the different angles of the pictures, that it would look weirdly bent.

But, nope. No worries. The program does everything for you.

Amazing.

From the New York Times, September 30, 1999, Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending by Stephen A. Holmes:

In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980’s.

”From the perspective of many people, including me, this is another thrift industry growing up around us,” said Peter Wallison a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. ”If they fail, the government will have to step up and bail them out the way it stepped up and bailed out the thrift industry.”

Full article here.

(h/t The Corner)

Oh, maybe I should explain.

Another reason I liked the previous quote from The Mayor of Casterbridge so much is because of the financial meltdown we’ve been experiencing lately. And the bailout plan that’s been floated by Secretary Paulson.

Yesterday there was the  big summit at the White House, trying to hammer out a final deal. Apparently the House Republicans staged some sort of revolt, also apparently with the support of Senator McCain. I imagine the scene as something like this:

[W]ith the demand and response of real cash the jovial frivolity of the scene departed. A lurid colour seemed to fill the tent, and change the aspect of all therein …

You think?