On Friday November 7th, 2008, I met up with two friends at Tapas Teatro. We started off the evening with red wine and sangria. Bread, oil, olives, and pickles were brought to the table. Some of our selection included: monkfish medallions wrapped in a prosciuitto topped on artichoke hearts drizzled with a spicy oil, marinara and bread, baked potatoes in a cream sauce, and Gulf Shrimp swimming in a garlic butter. Throughout the light bites we viewed pictures from my friend's fall wedding in October 2008. The wedding took place at The Belvedere in the Charles room. It was quite an exquisite affair; I was a part of the bridal party.

After light bites, we drove up to the Johns Hopkins Campus to the ROTC building off of San Martin Drive for ballroom dancing. The lesson started at 8 PM. We learned the tango, the waltz, the electric slide, and the Achy Breaky Heart line dance. As I picked up the waltz and tango (one goes T A N G O to keep count with the steps), some of my partners unveiled more complex steps. Of course our instructor named a few. I felt special as I was a part of these more complex moves, I could be led by the gentleman and share in the experience of dancing. One feels graceful and accomplished when truly dancing the dance.

Overall, I'd go again. Where else can you learn dancing for free every Friday at 8 PM and from an event that is 20 years and counting?

Last Day for MARC Train Hearings!

Today is the last day for the MARC Train Hearing. If you are a commuter and care about your service. Here is the info for the last three meetings:

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Edgewood
Edgewood Recreation and Community Center
Multi-Purpose Room
1980 Brookside Drive
Edgewood, MD 21040
6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Frederick
Winchester Hall
First Floor Hearing Room
12 East Church Street
Frederick, MD 21701
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

Perryville
Perryville High School
Second Floor Media Center
1696 Perryville Road
Perryville, MD 21903
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

If you cannot come to the meeting, please submit comments.
More info is here.

The 412 Line in Harford County to be cut?

From the Baltimore Sun...

Transit riders fight bus cut
Customers willing to pay higher fares

By Mary Gail Hare
November 23, 2008

Hundreds of Harford County's mass transit riders say they are conserving energy and helping to preserve the environment without adding to congestion on Interstate 95. Riding the bus also saves them money on gas and parking in downtown Baltimore.

Now they are battling the Maryland Transit Administration's cost-savings proposals that would eliminate one of the four commuter bus lines from the county to Baltimore and cut back trips on others. A public hearing in Bel Air last week drew nearly 150 people. More than 40 of them argued that increased ridership alone is reason to keep the service.

More Here.

Thievery Corp. is coming to Baltimore -2/27

That is right! You heard it here first. Thievery Corporation is coming 2/27/2009 at the Rams Head Live at the Power Plant. Tickets are only 40 dollars.

Friday, February 27
Doors 8pm
$40
ALL AGES

Thievery Corporation make abstract, instrumental, mid-tempo dance music whose classification falls somewhere between trip-hop and acid jazz. Featuring the production skills of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, Thievery Corporation released several warmly received singles on their own Eighteenth Street Lounge (ESL) label (named after their own Washington, D.C. bar and nightclub).

Presented by Rams Head Promotions
and 24-7 Entertainment

Buy Tix Here.

Today! Founder of Peace Corps at UMBC 7 PM

Today we have a unique opportunity to hear from one of the Peace Corps founders, Bill Josephson, author of the Towering Task (the blueprint for the original Peace Corps) and lifelong friend of Sargent Shriver. Bill will be presenting his ideas for a 21st Century Peace Corps as we transition to new national leadership in this critical historical moment. Bill is also a leading expert on the Electoral College, so it will be highly interesting to learn his thoughts on the election just days after the vote. And we'll have dessert after!

Please come: Thursday November 13th at 7pm in UMBC's Library 7th Floor. Parking for the event will be marked upon entering campus, and Directions to UMBC can be found at www.umbc.edu A dessert reception will follow...

Lobster Dinner at Sotta Sopra

I was on localwinevents.com checking out Sotta Sopra's Aperitivo Happy Hour when I happened upon the restaurant's blog. This weekend, Sotta Sopra is having a Maine Lobster Fest only for $23! That is a very good deal.

The special is also featured at a food and wine blog.

If you are interested in Charles North,

then try to leave work early. There will be a community event at 4:30 PM on Thursday, November 13, 2008 for those interested in having input into the Charles North area. More info here.

I have just been informed that the presentation will begin after 5 PM, but its still good to get there early...

The Baltimore Womens Film Festival

This is the second year that the Baltimore Women/s Film Festival occurred from Oct. 23- 26, and I volunteered at the festival! 50% of all ticket sales went to the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center. During my shift, I got to see 'Who Does She Think She Is' about women and their pursuit of art. One of the heavy running themes was the woman's desire to pursue her art while balancing a family. Most of the women who tried to strike this balance ended up divorced. Very interesting now, isn't it?

Why does it seem like a woman has to make a decision between career and family?

Stopped this morning

Usually every morning, I greet and hug enthusiastically a newspaper distributor outside of my office building. A person stopped me and asked me why did I hug a complete stranger. I asked, why not? This greeting has become routine for me. I told the person about the older gentleman I made friends in the afternoon on my commute home. He's usually at the ticket office and I give a peck and greet him as if he were a long lost love. To start my day, I have a hug and in the evening, I have a peck. My day is a little bit better while exchanging pleasantries with new friends. Unfortunately, my older friend has not been at his ticket station. Some folks said he went back downtown, but I've been worried about him lately. I did catch him one day while leaving work. The ticket office man said that he had been 'away'.

To all others...

do you exchange pleasantries with others you see regularly to and fro from work?

Why?

Why not?

Weyerbacher Tasting Review

I love the Weyerbacher Pumpkin Spice Ale, which is fortunately served at Bel Air's Sean Bolan's...
Here is a review on a Weyerbacher tasting...

Commute Home

My commute home varies from day to day. Roughly I spend about four hours a day commuting on a car, train, and Metro. 12 hours of my day are committed to some form of work or transit...

On Monday, September 15, I stayed later at work to wrap up a couple loose ends and my boss traipsed back in from a meeting. We thought we lost the client and I stayed longer than usual to chat about the meeting. I thought with extremely good follow up, we could capture their attention again.

With time winding down, I had to run away around five pm. Unfortunately, I had to wait about 8 minutes for the Metro to arrive...

4:53 Rush out of office to catch Metro
5:00 Metro arrives
5:21 Metro arrives at Union
MARC train leaves at 5:21
I buy a small Chilean red wine
Get on 5:34 PM train to Baltimore/Penn
6:30/6:40 arrive at Penn
Ask lady for a spoon at coffee stand.
Thank goodness had dinner packed in bag.
Ate and waited for the 7:05 to Perryville.
7:30/40 Arrived in Edgewood.
7:47 Arrived at home.

At Home: Changed Fire alarm battery. Packed away lemon bars. Jogged up and down drive in dark for 20 minutes. Checked email and blogged.

10 PM Get read for bed.

This was a particularly unusual evening, as I had missed my original train home....

Atmosphere at Rams Head, Oct. 10

Friday, October 10th, I saw Atmosphere at the Rams Head Tavern! They were very good. Blueprint opened, with Abstract Dude to follow. Atmosphere had a head cold but performed really well. He even went on to do a half hour encore set wrapped up with a very good freestyle. The Exactly.net posted a music vid here.

This Saturday

This weekend, What's to Eat Baltimore? may be at the Darlington Festival on Saturday, 10/4, 10-5PM.

Instead...I will be at Horst & McCann Indoor Gun Range in Bel Air, MD from 8:30 to 11:30 learning how to shoot a gun and then off to a solar energy tour. This is a free seminar offered to teach folks firearm safety and handgun safety.

More info on the solar tour can be found here and ASES National Tour About page.

Repost: Wine Festival-Sunday

Adventures in Baltimore Restaurants has made a post about a lovely wine festival in Mt. Washington this Sunday.

Metromix has address information here.

There will be wine, local jazz, and cheese. Its free and from 11-6 PM this weekend! I love wine festivals. Plus there will be activities for the little kiddies, including face painting. I am already very busy this weekend so I may not be able to attend. I am going out tonight and for a girl's evening tomorrow!

And even more info here!

Theater For Rent: 4 Short Comedies

Some friends are having their last performance of comedies this weekend! My sister said it was great. Check out the information below...

So Tender and True,
Four Short Original Comedies

Though unrelated in subject matter, these four comedies capture Theater for Rent's performance style with a healthy mix of scripted and improvisational content. Each of the plays follows its characters as events move farther and farther away from reality and into the realm of the absurd.

The plays being presented in So Tender and True (in performance order) are as follows:

The National Investigator, Phineas Gage, The Bigfoot, and

Key Party

Ticket Prices

Student: $10

General: $15

Showtimes

September 19th - 21st

• Friday, Sept. 19
  8:00pm
• Saturday, Sept. 20
  8:00pm
• Sunday, Sept. 21
  3:00pm

September 26th - 28th

• Friday, Sept. 26
  8:00pm
• Saturday, Sept. 27
  8:00pm
• Sunday, Sept. 28
  3:00pm

My Wine Purchases

A food and wine blog tipped me off to a GREAT wine tasting in Laurel, MD on Wednesday evening sponsored by KidsPeace.org:

What: KidsPeace 3rd Annual Wine Tasting
When: September 17th from 6 to 9 p.m.
Where: Corridor Fine Wines, 3321 Corridor Marketplace, Laurel, MD 20724
Phone: (301) 617-8507

At the entrance, I picked up a 'passport' and carried it from table to table to receive a stamp. The tables had inexpensive to expensive whites and reds. Different areas of the world were featured. 30% of my purchases went towards the fundraiser. We had 'hor douvres' which mounted to cheese, crackers, fried chicken, fruit, and meatballs. Cookies and cupcakes were interspersed throughout the aisles. First 100 guests received a gift bag.

Below is my list of purchases:

Villa Lanata Barolo Lo Zoccolaio 2000 $39.99

Wine Spectator – 90 points

Barolo, Piedmont, Italy- “Loads of plum, coffee and light tart on the nose. Full-bodied, with soft and round tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Very nicely balanced. This is consistently outstanding.”

Brampton Cabernet Sauvignon $15.99

South Africa- Intense flavors of sweet dark cherries, plums and cassis are interwoven with firm tannins and subtle oak aromas of vanilla and toffee. Crafted from 100% hand harvested Cabernet of select vineyards this wine sees 15 months of oak aging. Pair with red meats or hearty pasta.

Terra Buena Malbec $12.99

Mendoza, Argentina- This medium-bodied Malbec is fresh and vibrant showing dark violet hues with a spicy nose and complex palate filled with black fruits and blueberries ending in a simple yet tasty finish. This Argentine classic is a perfect pair for grilled meats, pastas and pizza.

and a Nebbiolo wine.

Free Wine Tasting Tomorrow!

Marylanders Wake up!

What: KidsPeace 3rd Annual Wine Tasting

When: September 17th from 6 to 9 p.m.

Where: Corridor Fine Wines, 3321 Corridor Marketplace, Laurel, MD 20724 Directions: (301) 617-8507

Click on the link above to see the wine list.

My Daily Morning Commute

For the past two years I have been commuting in from Edgewood to DC on a daily basis. Its a long, tiring commute. Yet thousands of people from Delaware, Philadelphia, Cecil County and Harford County commute from their homes to DC or around the DC area to support their families, go to school, and advance their careers. I am one of these commuters. I wanted to taste what DC was like as a city.

Monday night, 10 to 10:30: make lunch, check tickets, have all things packed to go. shower.
Monday night in bed by 11:15 PM.


6:00 AM: wake up
6:16 AM: out the door and on the road to the Edgewood MARC station
6:47/8 AM: pull into lot and run down steps and up steps to catch train as one of its last boarders
Around 8 AM, the MARC pulls into Union station.
8:02 AM: I am on the platform walking to the Red Line Metro to my destination.
8:09 AM: Just having bought The Economist, I continue on to the Metro stop.
A train arrives as I am going down the escalator and I jog to board.
8:27 AM: Red Line arrives and I get off at my station on the outskirts of DC.
8:35 AM: In the office, after having stopped off at Starbucks.

This is the extent of my morning commute. Let's see how the evening pans out...

Dining for Life

Thanks to Baltimore Snacker!

Dining out for Life will be on Thursday, September 18th. Some restaurants have elected to donate up to 50% of profits to local HIV/AIDS charities.

Brewer's Art and Chameleon Cafe are on the top of my list for now.

Any other suggestions?

Harford Friends School Wine Tasting

Quaker education is one of the best there is out there. I am a proud product of one such institution. I have connections to this one though...

Harford Friends School

A Taste of Excellence

Sunday November 9, 2008 from 2 to 4:30 PM, there will be a wine tasting at the Bel Air Armory in Bel Air, MD.

Food will be provided by Laurrapin Grille. (SCORE! They serve amazing food in Havre de Grace.)

Tickets are $35 in advance.

This should be a rather nice event...