adventures at Eastern Market
Dear Max: I ain’t no punk!
Jun 29th
So yesterday after we stopped by Eastern Market to pick up some peaches and nectarines and saw “The Taking of Pelham 123,” my friend Kojo and I went to Capital Q for lunch. If you’ve never been there, it’s pretty good barbecue. And well, then there’s the ambiance… The walls are papered with autographed 1-dollar bills that contain anything from the person’s name who left it there, to love notes, political slogans, etc.
When we ordered the guy behind the counter asked me if I wanted mild or hot sauce on my sandwich. I said ‘hot’ and he asked me if I was sure and then gave me one of those ‘you’re gonna regret it‘ looks. It wasn’t my first time there and the sauce is hot but it’s nothing a cup of water won’t fix. He kept giggling like I didn’t know what I was getting myself into but I assured him I wanted it hot. Then when I returned to the counter to ask for some more sauce for my sandwich (he was being stingy — or maybe he thought he was ‘protecting’ me), he proceeded to follow me back to my seat and watch me eat it. “I’m FINE!” I kept telling him. I was like “I don’t know what kind of punks you have coming in here, but this sauce is NOT that hot.” Kojo said he probably made the hot sauce that day and wanted to see how well he’d done.
Anyway I asked him his name, and then I asked him for a marker and some tape so that I could leave a dollar on the wall with a little message to him on it. His name was Max. And below is my contribution to the decor:
I told him where he could find the message and left. He was funny. I took a photo with it, just in case I’m ever in Chinatown and need a dollar. Imma go back for it. Please believe it. Tee hee and hee ;)
WaPo reads this blog… Way cool! ;)
Jun 24th
So the WaPo Express Blog Log, picked up yesterday’s blog about my (ahem) ‘blunt’ psychic reading. That’s my quote up in the top left corner (that’s me in the spotlight… losing my religion. Literally. My Dad would freak if he knew I visited a psychic. Good thing he doesn’t read my blog)… Did you read it? If not, all you gotta do is scroll down a little bit. Haha… It’s kinda funny if I do say so myself. Thanks to Leon for letting me know about it. Since I don’t commute to anywhere besides my living room I don’t ever really see the Express.
My psychic keeps it real
Jun 23rd
I’ve been to maybe a handful of psychics in my life. And it’s always been a sham. Someone with a folding table telling you what — through conversation — they’ve gleaned you came to hear… But I had a reading at Eastern Market a few weeks ago that was totally different than any of the others.
When she said something that didn’t mean anything to me or was incorrect, she didn’t try to slicktalk me to convince me she was right. She just said, “Hmmm, that’s interesting.” And she totally didn’t tell me what I wanted to hear. Actually I was kinda sad when I left her, but somehow that made me feel like she was a little more genuine. She wasn’t trying to make me happy, she was just telling me what she saw. And she was very confident — even giving me a pad of paper to write down the things she predicted would happen and on what dates so that I could refer to it when the dates arrived. Despite the fact that she offered almost no hopeful news for my personal life, I can’t lie. I like a cocky psychic…
“You’re life’s gonna suck. And I’m so certain I’m right that I want you to take notes on this ish.”
That’s gangsta.
So if you’re in the DC area and you’re not morally or philosophically opposed to psychics, visit her. She may not have good news but she’ll tell you [what she believes to be] the truth. No punches pulled. Which is more than you can probably say for a lot of people in your life.
These are a few of my [new] favorite things…
Nov 2nd
No, I’m not channeling Oprah, and I know most of y’all don’t come here for my shopping advice ;) but I ran across a few things today that I really wanted to share with you… It’s Sunday again, and in addition to feeding my football habit, Sundays also mean my weekly trip to Eastern Market. I skipped the early games today, but I am planning to watch Dallas/NYG later… since I don’t have NFL Sunday Ticket and can’t see the Eagles game ;(
Is there anyway both of those teams could lose?… ‘Cause that would be ideal.
This week I took the fabulous DWJ with me. She’s not a regular market-goer, but I’m trying to ruin her and get her addicted ;) D runs an awesome blog about accessories called The Art of Accessories. If you haven’t already, please check her out! Her blog is perfect for girly-girls and fashionistas and even girly-girl wannabes like me! I’ve known D since sophomore or junior year at Howard. I think she initially saw me as a ‘project’ a’ la Tai in the movie Clueless. Ten years later, she’s finally begun to rub off on me ;) Tee hee ;)
One of the first stops we made was to this booth that had these amazing handbags made out of old book covers. Sounds funky, right? Well wait ’til you see ‘em! I immediately saw one that I thought would be perfect for D… and then right next to it, there was a bag made out of the cover of an old Bible and it was screaming my name. Please see below:
I heart art
Aug 24th
I like to think of myself as a fan of modern art. I haven’t formally studied or read a great deal of literature about it, but when I see a piece I really like there’s little to nothing that can stop me from buying it — and I mean nothing, including not having a place to put it or enough money to buy it. I’m reckless that way.
While I was at Howard I developed a fondness for collage and mixed media art. There is a permanent piece in the Howard University Gallery Lounge by renowned African American collage artist Romare Bearden that I fell in love with. And ever since then I’ve had a weakness for the medium. Clearly I’m in no position to fill my little 1 BR with original pieces of art from some of my favorite collagists, but I’ve discovered some amazing local DC artists who do amazing work that I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and purchase pieces from.
As y’all know I spend most Sunday afternoons at Capitol Hill’s Eastern Market. Even when I’m inside-out-pocket broke, I’ll rustle up some loose change or a few singles from my ‘emergency stash’ and at least come back with some fresh cut flowers or some fresh fruit or veggies… Here are a few pieces I’ve bought from local artists who have booth space at the Market:
This piece is by Jackson-Collins. Bottom line, he is amazing. An internationally acclaimed artist, you’ll often find him at the market working on a piece he’s not planning or willing to sell. If you get the chance to go and just talk to him you’ll be intrigued, I promise. An art and music purist, his love for both shines thru in all he does and says. More >
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