July 25, 2010

Worst Pilates Instructor Ever, or “Why Being a Jerkface Never Pays”

by Laura

Long time fans of The Daily Triangle (and really, who isn’t a long time fan?) will remember my discovery of InsideOut Body Therapies in Durham last fall.  At the time, I was just happy to find a new pilates studio with classes affordable enough to preserve almost all of Noodle’s food budget.

Now that I’m taking classes in Bethesda, I have to give InsideOut some additional props and North Carolina love.  Namely, because their instructors universally avoid being the type of people who manage to both aggressive and passive aggressive in the same sentence.

At first, my classes in Bethesda were just fine, despite the fact that they promote “Power” Pilates.  I hate how type-A cities have to take calm, zen practices meant to focus on things like deep breathing and make them more intense.  Hence, the proliferation of hot yoga in New York, which is a great idea for those of you who find it more pleasant to twist into a pretzel in a room pumped up past 100 degrees.  But, I was tolerating this “powerful” version of pilates until I took a class with a man I can only describe as “bitchy instructor dude”.

Sorry, but I’m not paying you to snap at the poor woman next to me every five minutes for being a step behind, belittle her confusion, or curse when she’s struggling to set up her space.  Luckily I escaped this dude’s wrath by being a newbie, but yeesh – super uncomfortable, not to mention nervewracking.

And now that my rant is over, I can tell you that I can’t wait to go back to InsideOut once I return back to school – you don’t know how good you’ve got it ’til it’s gone! InsideOut has a cheerful staff, experienced instructors, beautiful equipment space, and just the right amount of challenge.  See, I do think North Carolina does some things better!

Side story: on my way back through Bethesda one night, I stopped by the Barnes & Noble and popped into the bathroom.  Parents of suburban teenagers, if your daughter tells you she’s going to hang out at the bookstore, she isn’t lying.  But, part B is that she’s going there to hide in the ladies room with her friends, one of whom will pierce her nose.

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July 22, 2010

I recommend paddling

by Noodle

Since it’s been 100 degrees for the last (dog) year, now is a good time to talk about swimming. I have noticed people attempting to swim many different ways, including on their back and by constantly going underwater. I have also heard that people are so stupid they can’t just jump in the pool, but they have to be taught how to swim!

Well, you can save your money on lessons, because this one’s free — the best way to move through the water is by furiously moving all four paws like you’re pedaling on a bike. This ensures that your head will never have to go under the water, so you can keep your eyes open for dogs to bark at. Also, it comes completely naturally! I never had a lesson, and yet with maximum effort I was able to move at least two feet per minute.

Next, I have heard the ladies complain about how they need to slim down to look good in a bathing suit. Don’t they know that just by going into the water, their body size will be cut in half? Check out my legs after going in the pool. They look like drum sticks!

That said, I would not necessarily recommend this activity over other options. If you are hot, I would instead suggest sleeping next to the air conditioning vent for 17-18 hours.

At first, I was upset that I wasn’t allowed to use the pool in my apartment complex, despite the fact that it’s clearly my territory and I mark the path around it 4-5 times a day in case there’s any question about ownership. But after swimming in someone else’s pool for 30 seconds, I realized that paddling for my life was not the most leisurely way to spend an afternoon. Next time, I’m claiming the mysteriously named pool noodle.

(Photo credits go to Aunt Celia!)

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July 21, 2010

News Alert: Bright Spot in NoMan’s Land Includes Nutella Beverages

Photo credit goes to Pound's Facebook page.

by Laura

The charter school  network that I’m working for this summer is located a few blocks from the New York Ave Metro stop, in the heart of what local realtors tell me is called “NoMa“.  While that does accurately locate the area North of Massachusetts Avenue, community development efforts still have several years to go before the full-blown trendification that fuels such nicknames comes to fruition.  However, as the Post recently argued, things are looking slightly up.  Sure, the area is best-known for being just beyond the Greyhound terminal, but a Harris Teeter is in the works.  There’s a Five Guys.  There’s a Marriott, and an ABP with weekly live music.  There’s also Pound Coffee Shop, which has pretty much made lunchtime bearable.

I love Pound, and here are my top excuses for becoming a customer, instead of doing the truly smart thing and packing homemade lunch:

  1. Gotta support the neighborhood small business owners - especially ones as good humored and friendly as these folks.  For gosh sakes, their t-shirts say, “Pound” on the front and “I got some this morning,” on the back.  What’s not to love?
  2. They sell Nutella lattes.  Clearly, they appreciate the finer things in life.
  3. They have a “Rice & Spice” special that changes each day, but has recently included paella, Thai mango curry, summer rolls, spinach lasagna, and the ever-popular Falafel (and schwarma) Fridays.  Basically this means I’ve been eating seasoned chicken either thrown on or wrapped up in a starch almost every day for the past two weeks, but I’m not complaining.  Vegetarians can enjoy mock meat alternatives.
  4. Free banana if you buy a drink with lunch, and side salads with your entree.  See, Pound cares about your nutrition, too.  Life can’t be all Nutella and rainbows.  Or satchels of gold. (Anyone else watch Real Housewives of NY and get what I’m joking about here? If you don’t, you know you want to!)
  5. There’s outdoor seating, which means that for once, instead of sweating my way through the DC heat (when doing something truly bold, like walking), I can peacefully relax under an umbrella and actually enjoy the sunshine.  At least, until I realize that I’m still copiously sweating.  But, one can always dream.

In summary: if you’re in the area, go to Pound!  If not – well, you probably work in a place with more than three food options, but NoMa will get there.

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July 20, 2010

My Massage Therapist Used to be My Heroine

by Laura

Yesterday I finally used the Massage Envy gift certificate I got for Christmas (thanks, hubby!)  You know my life has become a bit crazy when I don’t have an hour to get a back rub, which I normally try to justify as a medical necessity.   Luckily, although I had originally intended to use my credit at the Massage Envy outpost in Durham, they also have a location down the street from Harold’s parents. 

I do have to say that they tried their best to customize and individualize the experience, and the massage was definitely decent.  Unfortunately, I hadn’t gotten one in quite some time, so I had already started fantasizing about Graceful Services, my favorite NYC spa bargain.  I can’t even really call it a spa, because it was more like a room divided into treatment areas with curtains, above a Chinese restaurant, up a broken set of stairs.  It wasn’t ultra-private – once, the guy next to me had a nervous breakdown and screamed out “I can’t take it anymore!”, which was quite the ambiance-killer.  I would never even have trusted it had my extremely discerning friend Patra scoped it out in advance.  A few months earlier, we had criticized the pampering that New Yorkers seemed to find necessary.  Now, we had soon realized that we had become exactly like those we had scorned.  Our jobs were killing us, so we deserved a monthly treat.

Patra promised that I would feel a million times better, probably even for a whole day.  And let me tell you, these ladies were magic.  My therapist, Nancy, once fixed my back in about five minutes after a nasty fall.  She also seemed genuinely concerned each time she’d inform me that my hip flexibility was on par with an 80-year old, and parts of my shoulder appeared to be fused together.  Nancy would start every treatment by actually walking on my back, and using her knees to get out the biggest kinks.  You can’t get better than that, people.

That being said, $50 per session at Massage Envy is certainly grad student friendly, and I may also be checking out a few other local options: like Chapel Hill Massage or Healing Waters Med Spa (although the latter option seems a little Botox focused).  Apparently, I could even take Noodle to Ooh La La Pet Spa, because if there’s anyone who deserves a break, it’s our spoiled poodle.

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July 5, 2010

Spas, Snakes and Sopapillas: The Santa Fe Chronicles

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by Laura

Over the 4th of July, I flew out to see my siblings in Santa Fe.  The plus side: that gorgeous mountain/desert scenery combo, fantastic spas and appropriately spicy green chile sauce.  The drawbacks: “Umm…I just stepped on a rattlesnake.”

Despite a few threatening shakes from the rattler, my brother escaped unscathed, and we were able to head towards a nearby hot springs.  Ojo Caliente houses a large selection of pools carved into a cliffside and at least partially fueled by Mother Nature.  Our favorite was the mud bath, because, well, mud baths are fun.  But, there were also saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, and soaking pools. As a spa junkie, I was certainly not complaining.

On the way back, we stopped for lunch at Rancho de Chimayo, where about $8 would get you some killer local grub.  (Thanks for the rec, Erin!) There, we consumed the first of many sopapillas with honey – the New Mexican equivalent of a bread basket.   I essentially forced us to eat only regional specialities for the entire trip, one step closer to fulfilling my dream of eating this type of food pretty much all the time always.

My hotel, La Posada de Santa Fe, was a Priceline bargain, and upon check-in, I was especially happy to hear that they would even waive the $30/day (ridiculous) resort fee.  The place offered yoga, a wine reception, afternoon tea, live music, a shuttle around town, and pool/hot tub access as part of the deal.  I wasn’t extra pleased when a rainstorm made its way into my room, but, of course, I stoically soldiered on anyway.

The hotel was a short walk from the main downtown Plaza area, which included tons of art galleries, the Georgia O’Keeffe museum, and a chapel with a “miraculous staircase” story.  Apparently a random carpenter showed up and helped the local Sisters solve the engineering problems that prevented them from gaining access to their choir loft.  The man disappeared without a trace once the job was done, and due to a number of other clues, they concluded that he was TOTALLY SAINT JOSEPH, which then led to hundreds of tourists taking pictures of some stairs.   But, still – pretty church.

One of the best things about Santa Fe was that desert met mountains met sky all over the place.  Driving up to the ski area, we got to see pine trees minus the snow, and stopped at spa #2, Ten Thousand Waves.  The Japanese baths were clothing optional in the communal tub areas, which begs me to question why most of the folks taking advantage of this opportunity had to be very old men. But, the entire facility was nice enough that you couldn’t help but feel extra serene, elderly exhibitionism and all.

Back in my sister’s hood, we checked out the community garden that she started (Go, Sis!) and got to witness the madness/awesomeness that ensued when hundreds of people celebrated their right to set off fireworks in their backyard.

Hope you all had an equally wonderful 4th!

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June 30, 2010

Capitol tours, Part 1

By Harold

The Daily Triangle’s editorial board decided to spend the summer in Washington D.C. This blog demands that we be in the most powerful city in the world. Also, there was a great summer internship.

In any case, I’ve used the opportunity to take as many tours, visit as many museums and listen to as many free concerts as I could.

We have to start with the granddaddy of them all, the U.S. Capitol tour. It’s awe-inspiring and majestic to see statues of the great leaders, see the grand architecture, recall the great legislation that has been passed on that hallowed ground. You get amped up as you surrender all of your possessions and walk up to the House of Representatives public gallery.

And then you walk in, and… there are exactly three Representatives actually in the chamber. They are extolling the virtues of H. Res. 1460, “Recognizing the important role pollinators play in supporting the ecosystem and supporting the goals and ideals of National Pollinator Week.” Then this happens, according to the official record: “At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Cardoza objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was withdrawn.”

You sort of recognize Roberts Rules of Order, but you realize you have no idea what just happened. You think about other things you could be doing. You quickly leave.

Since this is the Daily Triangle, here’s a local highlight. Each state gets two statues to put in the National Statuary Hall Collection, which are arranged throughout the Capitol complex. North Carolina chose Charles Aycock and Zebulon Vance. Aycock was a leading spokesman in the white supremacy movement, while Vance was elected to the Senate but couldn’t serve because he hadn’t been pardoned for an earlier arrest (he was then elected governor instead).

Wow, North Carolina. Surely there is someone else from the state who fits of criteria of being “illustrious for their historic renown or for distinguished civic or military services”? Maybe Michael Jordan?

Stay tuned tomorrow for my tour of the Memorials — Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR, Korean and Vietnam. Later this week I recap the Supreme Court and Library of Congress tours and the Newseum, so stay tuned.

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June 29, 2010

The Cupcake Shop to Citizen Ratio Steadily Improves: Washington on the Rise

From washingtonian.com

by Laura

Tonight we went to Washingtonian magazine’s celebration of their “Best of” issue.  Contrary to popular belief, I did not choose to attend solely because there were free Georgetown Cupcakes.  No, I went because there were free cupcakes, gelato samples and wine.

Washingtonian isn’t even considered to be the hippest resource for unearthing local hotspots, but flipping through the pages, I confirmed that I was back in a place where there is not just a little teeny bit going on.  There is, in fact, a whole huge amount of interestingness.  I also realized that when I say, “There’s tons to do in Chapel Hill.  I love living in a college town!” what I really mean is, “There’s tons to do in Chapel Hill…as compared to Alaska.”

Harold has been taking full advantage of the sights.  He and a bunch of families with dorky history nerd children (perhaps from Connecticut, or Pennsylvania) dragged themselves through the heat this week to explore every tour possible. We literally have 40 pamphlets stacked up on the table., and I learn a fun fact about our country each day.  Given his growing knowledge, Harold is considering leading some sort of Segway excursion around the monuments as his next career move.

Me? I’ll stick to the events with baked goods.

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June 25, 2010

Crazed Sex Poodles Would be a Great Name for a Band

Another wild evening begins.

by Noodle

Today news broke that in the case of Al Gore vs. the Slightly Wacky Masseuse, our former Vice President has been accused of acting like a “crazed sex poodle”.

While I greatly admire Mr. Gore’s invention of the Internet and our shared passion for Mother Earth, I have no choice but to express offense at this comparison.  One of the world’s noblest breeds, mentioned in the same breath as an assault?  Why, the last thing I assaulted was – well, a bag of chocolate chip cookies.  (No regrets.)

Regardless, I refuse to stand by while the sunny reputation of the innocent miniature poodle suffers.  I hardly deserve to be dragged into scandal, my name besmirched.  Not to mention the “crazed” part.  Know what I’m crazy for?  Cuddles.  Cuddles and naps.

Mr. Gore, I wish you the best of luck in clearing up this nasty matter.  If you could mention my plight in your inevitable statement to the press, I’d be much obliged.  Maybe suggest that you were more like a shih tzu instead? If it makes any difference, I travel by foot, consume only organic treats, and to my knowledge, have never contributed to carbon dioxide emissions.  I even laughed with you during your guest appearance on 30 Rock, as you heeded the call of a troubled whale.

All things considered, I’m pretty confident everything can be resolved before things get too “ruff” between us (ka-ching!).  Remember, hell hath no fury like a poodle scorned.

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June 21, 2010

5 Things I’m Loving This Month

by Laura

Mrs. Obama on a visit to Anacostia earlier this year; photo credit goes to washingtonpost.com

5.) Michelle Obama; I got to hear her speak at Anacostia’s high school graduation. Unfortunately the video is too fuzzy to post, but trust me – we totally got a First Lady upgrade this time around.  Laura Bush, in contrast, actually killed a classmate.  I mean, it was an accidental car crash, but still …creepy. Plus, her eyes look kind of empty, no? Thank goodness we can move past those eight years and root for Michelle to keep up that whole organic gardening, buff arms, stylish, smart thing instead.

4.)   Pita chips!  Perhaps not as noteworthy or special as Mrs. Obama – but oh, my goodness, so perfect with almost every variety of dip.  I recommend the Pita Bite Crackers from TJ’s for a light-weight alternative.  Not sure how I didn’t discover them earlier, but they got me through finals.

3.) DSW’s new labeling system.  Since I have enormous feet, I used to hate digging through the boxes at DSW, often searching for my size in vain.  But now, some smart individual decided to put bright yellow stickers on all the size 11 boxes, making them simple to spot.  Give that Big Foot sympathizer a raise! (Or, the profits from the, um, four pairs of shoes I just took home with me.)

Ah, my first years in New York. So full of challenge (thanks, Teach for America!), so full of fun.

2.) Happy Hour.  How I used to love you on Friday afternoons, post-teaching madness.  Being on a kindergarten schedule meant arriving at the bar by 3:30, hanging out until dinner at 7, and then collapsing for the night around 10.  Somewhere in between then and now, I became too busy to coordinate weekly relaxation time, but in DC, local bars welcome summer interns with a myriad of options.  And, lucky, I have declared this the Summer of the Reformed Workaholic.  $3 martinis?  Yes, please!

#1) The coming of free outdoor music season; while Friday night jazz outside the National Gallery is way too popular to be enjoyable (unless you enjoy crawling into a hedge to find a spot to sit, or setting up shop on a cozy 10-inch patch of mulch), you’ll have more room to tap along at the Wednesday Strathmore gazebo series, Thursday Farragut Square Park, Bethesda, and Smithsonian concerts, and Saturday Adams Morgan shows.

Plus, for those of you wanting to check out movies in the great outdoors, avoid Screen on the Green madness on the Mall and head to Maryland, where there’s enough space to spread out your picnic blanket.

Three cheers for June, July & August!

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June 20, 2010

Truckin’ Along

by Laura

On our way out of Durham, we couldn’t resist stopping by a food truck meet-up, glamorously headquartered in the parking lot of Sam’s Quik Shop.  We’d already tried the best known local lunch-on-the-go after tracking down OnlyBurger on Twitter.  But, Food Truckapalooza promised not just burgers, but baked goods from a WaDuke’s pastry chef, Indian snacks, crepes, fancy sandwiches and Korean BBQ.  Having all these options in one pre-planned and well-advertised space was a rarity, as the OnlyBurger folks are the only ones who seem to have caught on to the power of advertising through social media.

Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, most of the food trucks were sold out.  The Indian food truck was still passing out plates, but it had switched over from samosas to tacos.  Yes, the Indian food truck sells Mexican food by night – all it takes is a sign change.  Next time we’ll have to be on our toes if we want to enjoy the full menu.

Indian/Mexican fusion at its finest.

No Daisy Cakes for us - "Sugar" was shutdown. Boo!

I should also mention that lucky little Dukies now get to experience a plethora of mobile eating options parked on the BC Walkway during prime meal times.  The growing variety of carts includes my personal favorite, Locopops.  In my day, we were lucky to get an overpriced Pauly Dog.

Now that we’re in the nation’s Capitol for the summer, the food truck getting the most buzz sells cupcakes.  Cupcakes are a genius way to make 5000% profit by charging $3 a pop for what essentially becomes a vessel for frosting.  But, I’m not ashamed to admit that I fully embrace the trend.  Anyone who doesn’t love a healthy serving of frosting from time to time is, in fact, super lame.

Why didn't I think to go into the mobile baking business?

Curbside Cupcakes is especially genius, because they allow their Facebook and Twitter fans to determine where their “Wildcard” stop of the day should be. Unfortunately they have yet to include charter school networks in Northeast DC on their route, but I’ll sway them yet.  Our educational system needs a boost from something, and that something might as well be chocolate ganache!

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June 4, 2010

Small Dog, Big Heart

Never underestimate the power of a tiny poodle to take on the world!

by Noodle

Yesterday the vet revealed that my weight has plummeted from 9.3 lbs to 8.8 lbs.  You would think that a 5% decrease in body mass would give my owner a clue – but, no, all she could muster was some lame joke about me wanting to look good on the beach this summer.  And, so, another week passes, and my Hunger Strike to jointly Protest that Awful Oil Leak and the Sudden Discontinuation of all the Best Snacks at Trader Joe’s Not to Mention the Ongoing Presence of that Large Dog Across the Way continues to go unnoticed.

Lately, it has been particularly difficult to maintain my steadfast passion for these causes, as I must now struggle to resist the multiple treats our visitor keeps sneaking me.  Because I am a poodle of principle, I only eat half.

¡Viva la Revolución!

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June 1, 2010

Containment Area for Relocated Yankees

By Harold

I’ve spent the past week covering the NCAA Division II baseball championship tournament, which showed off the best and worst parts of being a sportswriter.

The good — there was a storybook ending. Southern Indiana’s No. 1 and No. 3 pitchers had been suspended for four games for hitting batters after being warned in the previous tournament. That meant that SI, now short-staffed, would have to advance to the championship final for those pitchers to play again. Sure enough, that’s what happened, and then they pitched all nine innings in a 6-4 win over the top-ranked team in the country, UC San Diego.

The bad — because teams were scheduled to play every day, there couldn’t be a rainout. As a result, I had to cover the fourth-longest non-suspended baseball game in NCAA history. It started at 1:03 and ended at 10:14. OK, fine, I had the Sunday Times with me so I had something to read, and now I can tell people I was a part of history. But that’s not even the worst part — I also had to cover the game after that, which started at 11 and ended at 2:30 a.m.

But what makes this relevant to the blog is that I also got to spend the week in Cary, where the USA Baseball National Training Complex is located. I sat next to the mayor (also named Harold;  click here for his blog) at a pre-tournament banquet, and he had some interesting facts about city.

Though it isn’t mentioned when people talk about the Triangle (Durham-Chapel Hill-Raleigh), Cary has 140,000 residents. Only 2 percent of those people were actually born in Cary, leading into Mayor Harold’s joke that Cary stands for “Containment Area for Relocated Yankees.” In fact, many new residents are Indian — Hindi is the most spoken language outside of English.

We’re not about to add a fourth city to the Triangle and call it the Square, partly because that shape carries bad connotations. But Laura and I love a good Indian buffet, so we’ll be making more trips into Cary in the future.

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