  The highlight of our last week was of the literary variety: the newly-minted DC Literati Society hosted its inaugural event at DC hot-spot Marvin. And what a treat to have Peter Birkenhead as the guest speaker, author of the daring new memoir, Gonville.
In one rainy evening we:
- dined on ribs, chicken-and-waffles, shrimp, and itty-bitty meringue pies.
- sipped literatinis, made with vodka and grenadine and grapefruit juice and delicious magic.
- listened to an engaging author and gained insight into a childhood of terrifying violence and love.
- benefited the DC Public Library Foundation, thereby ensuring the continued improvement and expansion of DC’s library system (and guaranteeing a spot for us in literary heaven).
Check out the book here, but until your copy arrives, a SNEAK PEAK:
The only thing I was sure of when it came to my dad was that he was the center of my universe. After that it was all questions. I was eight years old, the eldest child in our family, and I wanted to get a bead on Dad so that maybe I could get a bead on me, but whenever I tried I just felt confused. Is he a proud member of the National Rifle Association or a guy who leads anti-war marches? Absolutely. Is he a guy from Brooklyn who wears a torn old T-shirt to Thanksgiving dinner or a professor of economics who decorates his house with little blue Wedgwood plates commemorating the birthday of Queen Elizabeth? You betcha.
I caught my father in glimpses, heard him in fragments. He was a collection of fleeting pieces and parts, and sometimes it seemed like each part was opposed to the next. He loved being The Man Who Won’t–the looks from other peaceniks when they saw his gun collection, or the cringing faces of the neighbors as they walked by our proudly unmowed, Addams Family crabgrass lawn.
 We’ll admit, we’re suckers for dates in which day matches month. Today’s 03-03 is even cooler when you realize that there are 303 days left in the year. Spooky cool. Today’s date isn’t quite as nice an equation as last year (sigh, a perfect square), but we’re still going with a March 3rd in History theme for this week’s play list. (And we’ll patiently await April 4th, 2016.) Enjoy:
1845 Florida admitted as the 27th state
1. Florida – Patti Griffin
One of our favorite songs from one of our favorite singers, this song evokes memories of spring breaks past, whether we got to escape to a warm beach with our closest friends or had to work double shifts to raise rent money for the rest of the semester.
2. Centerfield – John Fogarty
As baseball’s spring training gets under way, we get a chance to be hopeful about our Nationals for a few weeks before actual games are played. Let’s all cross our fingers for the season to come, and try not to envy the lucky people who get to hang around and soak up some sun while watching the boys of summer get ready to start the season.
1849 Department of Interior formed
3. This Land Is Your Land – Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
Woody Guthrie wrote and rewrote this most famous of American folk songs, but Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings really make it their own. Woody would be proud.
4. Sunset (Bird of Prey) – Fatboy Slim
Norman Cook samples Jim Morrison’s vocals from An American Prayer, the Doors album released seven years after The Lizard King’s death, using recordings of Morrison reading his poetry. So, to be clear, this is a song using dubbed vocals from a song that used dubbed vocals. Double dubbed anyone? Check out the cool flyover of the Grand Canyon in the video.
1875 First Organized Game of Hockey
5. Hit Somebody – Warren Zevon
Canada may be looking to adopt this song as their national anthem after their national hockey team captured the Olympic gold medal. Guest vocals are performed by Zevon’s pal David Letterman, and Kevin Smith is making a movie based on the song.
6. Washington Capitals: The Hockey Song – Remy
Ovechkin is back from the Olympics, the Caps have the best record in the NHL, and some guy named Remy has customized the lyrics to Stompin’ Tom Connors’ The Hockey Song. Let’s Go Caps!
1923 Time Magazine First Published
7. The First Time – U2
The opening song on Zooropa, the eighth studio album from Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr. and their other two band mates. U2 spent nights and off days of the first month of the Zoo TV tour flying back to their Dublin studio for recording sessions when they failed to finish during the scheduled break.
8. Never As Good As the First Time – Sade
Nothing against the venerable news magazine, but we liked the video that accompanies the silky voiced chanteuse’s song.
1931 Star Spangled Banner adopted as the National Anthem for the United States
9. Star Spangled Banner – Dixie Chicks
Since we just used the Jimi Hendrix classic in last week’s Olympic play list, we’ll go a bit more traditional with this lovely rendition of our nation’s vocally challenging anthem.
10. The National Anthem – Radiohead
Musical mayhem with a steady bassline, this song was once described by a reviewer as “like a brass band marching into a brick wall.”
1938 Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia
11. Beverly Hillbillies Theme – Weird Al Yankovic
Don’t be jealous that Weird Al has carved out a living doing what thirteen-year-old kids are doing in their parents’ basements. Just sit back, imagine the Saud family as the Clampetts of the Middle East, and enjoy the silliness.
12. The Sheik of Araby – The Beatles
The fab four cover a song written in 1921 to capitalize on the popularity of the Rudolph Valentino film The Sheik.
 The DC Literati are dabbling in literary voyeurism over here on the brand new orgnaization’s cool blog. First up, spotted on the Red Line: The Anthologist by Nicholas Baker. Nice choice. Can’t wait to see what the Green Line’s reading…
The Literati also launches an event series tonight, hosting author Peter Birkenhead at Marvin. He’ll be signing his just-released memoir Gonville and talking libraries. We’ll be there!
Oh, and – we still want to know: what ARE you reading?
 “There is no use trying,” said Alice; “One can’t believe impossible things.” “I dare say you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
The telephone. Space travel. Automobiles. Penicillin.
Where would we be without the dreamers and inventors? It would behoove us all to take the Queen’s advice, for there is magic and beauty in believing the impossible. (Particularly timely, this quote, as D.C. will pre-screen Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland THIS VERY EVENING. Now THERE’S someone with an imagination…)
This week’s WORDS WE LOVE contest: What words inspire you to imagine? The winning entry gets a dozen Quotable Cards AND perhaps sees the winning quote memorialized on a card from our good friends who make Quotable Cards.
TO ENTER:
1. Tell us (by posting a comment here): What is your favorite quote about imagination? About believing the impossible? And to whom is it credited?
2. Enter by Friday, March 5th, at 8 pm EST.
3. Watch here for the winner, announced on Tuesday.
LAST WEEK’S CONTEST:
Congratulations to Audrey, who submitted the following quote, amongst other worthy contenders:
“Never doubt the power of a small group of committed individuals to change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.” –Margaret Mead
Thanks to all who contributed. We now encourage you to put your minds to imagining, and we’ll see you next week with another winner!
 {News flash: we’re giving away more passes this weekend at an in-store raffle in Georgetown shop! Stop in to enter. Now, read on to find out about Mad Hatters’ madness.}
At long last, Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland premieres next week. Excitement in these parts … HUGE. More exciting still: an invitation-only advance screening at The Regal Majestic Theater on Tuesday evening! Wanna come? Here’s how to win free passes for two:
1) tell us why Victorian-era Hatters went Mad, and 2) name 3 songs from our Mad Hatter play list (hint: it was in October, and “Play List” is a searchable category here). GO!
 The 2010 Winter Olympics are in full swing. Half-pipe: awesome. Ski-cross: double-awesome. Curling: oddly engrossing. Ice-dancing:…well, not every event can be a winner. But the most entertaining event of the week has been, far and away, ICE HOCKEY. The majesty! The grace! The BRUTE FORCE. And this Olympic season, it’s all about Canada and America. The women are duking it out tomorrow, and if all goes well, the men will follow suit. And the whole darned thing takes place in Canada, for crying out loud, so what better theme for the weekly play list than our friendly rivalry with our neighbors to the north? Go team!
In one corner, TEAM CANADA:
1. “Canadian Girls” – Beulah
“God’s gift to us is Canadian girls” who eat Kraft dinners and have bearskin rugs. Naturally.
2. “Blame Canada” – Trey Parker + Matt Stone
Animated television’s dynamic duo stunned and thrilled the masses with 1999’s Bigger, Longer & Uncut. Further shock came when “Blame Canada” was nominated for an Oscar. Not so much pro-Canada, really, but if you can’t laugh at yourself, then you shouldn’t be a country. (We should take that advice, too, really.)
3. “Canadian Railroad Trilogy” – Gordon Lightfoot
A simple, albeit long, ditty that recalls a land before “the white man and the wheel.” Lightfoot is a Canadian national treasure who represents his country with folk music and a moustache that would make a lumberjack proud.
4. “Wayne Gretzky” – Goldfinger
Back to the comedy in this ode to arguably the best hockey player EVER. He’s an athletic icon and a “handsome Canadian man,” to boot.
5. “A Case of You” – Joni Mitchell
The most covered and lauded song off of Mitchell’s fourth album, Blue. It’s bittersweet and beautiful, like most Joni songs. And it includes a nifty little riff on Canada’s national anthem.
6. “O Canada”
A cappella!
…and in the other, TEAM USA:
7. “American Girls” – Weezer
The counter-part to Beulah’s entry, but with more bite. Tell us, Weezer, why ARE American girls so rough?
8. “American Pie” – Don McLean
It’s 800 hours long and chock-full of history. And it mentions rye, which is a quintessentially Northern American liquor, popular in both Canada and America. (See? Music UNITES COUNTRIES.)
9. “I’m Afraid of Americans” – David Bowie
As opposed to song #8, this tune has, like, four lyrics. We’re a scary bunch, apparently. (Just watch the video. Seriously. Trent Reznor is creepy.)
10. “Born in the USA” – Bruce Springsteen
Nothing says “America” like the Boss. ‘Nuff said.
11. “America” – Simon + Garfunkel
Also, nothing says “America” like “America.”
12. “The Star Spangled Banner”
Jimi Hendrix!
 Congratulations, Marisa! Our readers have spoken. The winning quote from last week’s Words We Love contest on the subject of forging on through adversity: “And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” – Max Ehrmann.
Thanks for your patience with us (1 week became 2, plus a day…). And now, we’ll forge on, trying to remember that the universe is unfolding as it should…(really?! the universe needs another snow storm tonight?!?!) Oops. Repeat again: “Whether or not it is clear…”
 “Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.”
(Update: contest deadline extended through 3/1: winner announced Tuesday, 3/2/) Man oh man, have we fallen behind. For instance: this post, announcing last week’s winner and launching this week’s contest, should have appeared on Tuesday. (Oops. And sorry!) Snow! Digging out! Traffic! Changing schedules! We’ve excuses galore, but…the idea of transforming ourselves has been much on our minds.
Emerging from snowy darkness into warmth & light. Becoming new again (cheerful). Or becoming something different altogether (calm & serene).
This week’s WORDS WE LOVE contest: Do you have some favorite words about embracing change? Do share! The winning entry gets a dozen Quotable Cards AND perhaps sees the winning quote memorialized on a card from our good friends who make Quotable Cards.
TO ENTER:
1. Tell us (by posting a comment here): What is your favorite quote about change? And to whom is it credited?
2. Enter by Friday, February 26th, at 8 pm EST.
3. Watch here for the winner, announced on Tuesday.
LAST WEEK’S CONTEST:
So, we made you wait 4 extra days, AND we are still not announcing a winner! We loved all the entries so much (listed below), we’re turning to our readers for a vote. Vote here by Monday, we’ll announce the winner on Tuesday (exactly 1 week late!).
“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about.” –Charles Kingsley
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”—Viktor Frankl
“If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.”—John Heywood
“With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.” – Max Ehrmann, Desiderata
“And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.”- Max Ehrmann
“If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”- Vincent Van Gogh
“Everything happens for a reason.” -American Proverb
“Anybody who ever built an empire, or changed the world, sat where you are now. And it’s *because* they sat there that they were able to do it.” -Up In The Air, Ryan Bingham (George Clooney)
Thanks to all who entered. Your favorite words helped us forge on!
 After weeks in the deep freeze, everyone in this oft-contentious town can come together on one issue: a party is in order.
Since the purpose of this particular party is to celebrate the 2009 BDL:DC List of 16, so selected on the basis of inspiring Style & Originality, and since our fun-loving friends at Brightest Young Things put the cruise together, you can bet this will be A Party To Remember. It’s not too late to get on board. Call us for details, 202 333 6200.
If you’re too far away or too out-of-sorts for a lovely party (what?!? well, yeah, a 5-hr commute can do that), don’t fret. We’ll have reports and photos and blow-by-blow follow-up here and on brightestyoungthings. And, over at BDL:DC, we’ll continue the conversation about people who brighten the landscape here in our city with Style and Originality. Staaay Tuned. 
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recent posts
- SATURDAY, MARCH 6th, 2010
gonville and the literati and the literatini.
- WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3rd, 2010
play list of the week: 03.03
- WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3rd, 2010
ooh, what’re you reading?
- TUESDAY, MARCH 2nd, 2010
words we love: imagination
- MONDAY, MARCH 1st, 2010
sunlight!
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