Happy Funtime Friend Service

Our friends over at Speak Easy DC have a matching grant from the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities. The only catch is that it’s a matching grant - they are halfway to their goal but need to raise another $13,000 by September. And while that seems like a lot, if only 300 people each donated $50, they would exceed their goals. Donations are tax-deductible, details are available at the Storytellers DC site, and money spent on their classes and attending events counts toward their goal as well, so plan to attend June 12’s Open Mic night on Teachers, Gurus & Senseis over at Cada Vez (1438 U Street).

And that’s the tagline for Happy Funtime Friend Service that my illustrious (and now academically pedigreed) co-author came up with.  When my parents were in town last weekend, it happened to coincide with Servathon DC and we joined a project that involved cleaning the World War I Memorial and the grounds between it and the World War II memorial.  It was a beautiful day and it was great to get out and do something with other people and for the area that I enjoy so much.

And then today I got an email from DC Cares reminding me that there are plenty of groups in the area that need help all year round.  Helpfully enough, they’ve compiled a list of such organizations.  And particularly if you’re the sort of person that has trouble meeting new people, what better to meet like-minded folks than involved in supporting an organization you believe in?  I’m telling you, it’s how I met most of the people I consider my closest friends (illustrious co-author included).

So, take a look at the list, find a worthy cause (and worthy is worthy to you and of your time and energy), and get out and do something.  You’ll feel better and you might make a new friend or two.

Contrary to popular belief, the DC Film Society is not as exclusive as, say, the Sacred Order of the Stonecutters. In fact, the Film Society is now accepting new members - $45 gets you a regular-flavored membership and $70 gets you Gold, which opens the door to exclusive screenings sometimes with the Hollywood types (one year it was Q&A with Kevin Costner, and the following year it was Kevin Spacey). Gold members also get in free for the Film Society’s Coming Attractions (aka: Trailers) night, which would be a great deal if it weren’t for the fact that it’s hosted by the living dead… ok, ok, the Film Guys. If you can deal with the two boorish pedants extolling film minutiae, then hey, you’re in luck - Trailer Night is only $8 for nonmembers:

Trailer Night: Summer 2007
Landmark E Street Theatre
Tuesday, May 15 - 7:00pm
http://www.dcfilmsociety.org/trailers.htm

So, part of happy funtime is how to meet new people. And I found this new thing called iLike. Once I manage to tear myself away from their version of “Name that Tune” (wildly addictive), it lets me meet new people based on our overlapping musical tastes.

You can even tie it into your MySpace page and check the compatibility of new potential friends.  Any thoughts on musical taste as an indicator of compatibility - for friends at least?

I think that title says it all. Thanks to the AFI in Silver Spring, you can get in the Halloween mood by not only watching Frankenstein the original, but also all the bastard children of the film including Bride of, Son of, and Curse of (You-Know-Who). Sweet.

Frankenfest at the AFI Silver Spring, October 13 to November 1st:
http://www.afi.com/silver/new/nowplaying/2006/v3i5/frank.aspx

I don’t know why, but lately I’ve been more interested in cider than beer, so this announcement from Dave the Beer Guy was of particular interest to me. I made my reservations today, so give a call and make yours - it sounds like it should be fun. Apparently this is the first cider tasting they’ve ever done.

On October 18th at RFD the Ciders of Autumn!

C’mon down and meet Bret Williams and Greg Failing of Vermont’s great Woodchuck Cidery. We’ll taste their ciders, some famous English ciders and we’ll even try some cider ice cream! Tickets for this event are only $30.00 and can be reserved by calling 202-289-2030. Doors open at 6, we never start at 7.

RFD Washington at 810 7th St NW (202-289-2030) is the first restaurant is the city to feature cuisine a la biere, has about 300 of the Bricks best beers in bottles plus 30 more on tap in the front room and 10 more taps in the back room which is available for special occasions.

RFD is one block north of the Verizon Center, 1½ blocks south of the Convention Center and about 50 yards from the multi-line Gallery Place Chinatown Metro on 7th St between H and I - just up from the Starbucks.

This being the third time I’ve seen Jon Stewart’s stand-up routine (first at the Meyerhoff in Baltimore and the second at DAR here in D.C.), I expected to be slightly disappointed in the show only because I didn’t anticipate much new material; however, I think the Washington Post reviewer nailed it when he wrote that the audience was “like music concertgoers hearing the first few bars or beats of a song.” Stewart started off by aptly boiling President’s Bush’s discourse down to its predictable pattern - “I do A and then B; therefore I am a B A’er,” but when he moved into his squawking impersonation of Cheney, the audience erupted simultaneously as if we all congratulated each other for being in on the same joke. Sure, he closed with the same old bit about his wife and their assortment of mismatched projectile vomitting pets, but who cares? It’s Jon Stewart, telling stories at a venue in a town mid-way between Baltimore and D.C.

Of course, if you missed the show, I feel for you - no, seriously, I do. Maybe catching Kathy Griffin at the Kennedy Center on October 4th might make you feel better, but mmmmm, I’m guessing probably not. Myself, I’ll be holed up with some chinese take-out watching the season premiere of Lost. Sorry, Kathy, maybe next time.

For those that aren’t afraid of having their preconceived notions blasted to hell and back, be sure to catch Bob Saget at Lisner Auditorium on November 9th. Actually, before you order a ticket, I strongly urge you to rent last year’s documentary film The Aristocrats which features Saget telling possibly the lewdest version of the nauseating joke in the entire film. Yeah, you heard me - Bob Saget - lewdest joke teller - ever.

Avast ye, scurvy dogs! ‘Tis a day for parlaying like pirates or buccaneers or privateerrs whichsoever ye prefer to be called.

Land lubbers can be checking out this guide for pirate lingo more advanced than “Arrr!”:

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/howto.html

You know it’s definitely fall when the beer tasting season is upon us. If you’ve never been to a beer tasting, it’s exactly what it sounds like - either a brewmaster comes to talk you through tasting a variety of beers from one brewery or several brewmasters come and you try many different beers sometimes focused around a region or a theme (hoppy beers, holiday beers). We’re lucky in DC to have two of the premier beer bars and restauarants in the country - the Brickskellar and RFD (which stands for Regional Food and Drink).

They have two immediately upcoming events - one on 16 September (seems to be a popular beer date) in conjuction with the Smithsonian Resident Associates program for Oktoberfest. If tickets are still available, you’d discover that here:
http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=55007

The other is a first time visitor to RFD, Belgium’s Saint Bernardus Brewery (hmm… also a Belgian theme) on 20 September. They’ll talk, you’ll taste. Tickets are $28 and can be reserved by calling 202.289.2030.

There’s a cider tasting in October, Hops in November and the ever popular Holiday Beer tasting in December. You might want to get on this list. Drop a note to Brickskeller@aol.com.

Go with a friend or two and meet new folks. Everyone’s chatty after a couple of beers. Just don’t be that guy. (You know who you are.)

This interweb thing beats the heck out of hearing about what happened yesterday or last week. Here are a few sites I vist regularly or lists I’ve subscribed to so I know what’s happening around town:

9:30 Club Email List provides presale passwords and “soft sell” - advance notice on shows before their announced elsewhere.

Olsson’s Books event listings. You can also subscribe to their email list.

DC Jazz. You can also subscribe to their email list.

Live Nation AKA Clear Channel - their concert listings. Subscribe to their email list for updates.

GoldStar Events offers a weekly calendar plus discounts for a variety of sporting, theatre and musical events, so it’s a great way to try new things without breaking the bank.

Use Ticketmaster alerts for your favorite artists.