Okay people, listen up. I’m not going to say this twice.
Unless you a [tag]pirate[/tag]; working in a pirate-themed establishment; engaging in activities including, but not limited to, hacky-sack or frisbee; Johnny Depp; or a gay man with a Labrador Retriever, you need to take that damn [tag]bandana[/tag] off your head and report to the front office immediately.
Why did the neighbors move their party outside? Are they Vikings? Yes, it could be colder. But it could also be warmer. And if it was warmer, they wouldn’t all be standing outside loudly and drunkenly talking about how cold it is. The key word here is drunkenly, isn’t it? Nevermind.
Winners: the fiber obsessed who shop, teach or take classes at [tag]Springwater Fiber Workshop[/tag].
A pledge drive raised the $100,000 necessary for the beloved shop and school, which have been in [tag]Alexandria[/tag] for twenty-two years, to stay open. (Actually, they’re going to close the store and then reopen it all fresh and new in January). You can read more about it here: “Pledge Drive Saves Fiber Workshop.”
Losers: Everyone.
Sorry, I was really sad about this one when I heard about it.
[tag]A Likely Story[/tag], a phenomenal [tag]children’s bookshop[/tag], closed it’s doors in November, just a year after being named the most outstanding children’s bookshop in the country. Kids really liked going there. To read. The Old Town fixture had also been open for over twenty years. Although it was always full of children, most of them dripping some sort of viscous [tag]mucous[/tag] as children are wont to do, it was a really cool store.
There’s also an article in today’s Washington Post about it, For Children’s Bookstore, an Unhappy End – A Likely Story, Beloved by Families, Faces Fiscal Reality.”
Stephanie Landrum, of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, was interviewed for the story:
Landrum said that in the past year, 10 small businesses in Alexandria have closed. Some, such as the Cash Grocer on King Street or a piano store on N. St. Asaph Street, closed because the owners wanted to retire. Others, like the ReMix in Del Ray, relocated. With a hotel slated to go up across the street from A Likely Story, Landrum said she isn’t sure what kind of business might want to locate there. “Another bookstore?” she said. “Who knows. But the odds are slim. Independent booksellers are few and far between.”
It was surprising to me to read how few people at A Likely Story’s events actually stayed to buy books. The only time I ever went in was when I was with someone who needed to do actual shopping, so it didn’t occur to me that the mobs of people I always saw inside weren’t leaving their cash behind.
Yesterday the Washington Post had a pair of articles about a longtime colleague who passed away over the weekend.
Ellen Edwards, writing for the Washington Post Style section, summed up a first (second, third and fourth) encounter with Sally Smith perfectly:
[read the whole piece]
The obituary in the Metro section had a more serious in tone:
[read the entire obituary]
Sadly, I was highly sensitive to Sally’s perfume and so most of our interactions were by phone, so I missed many of her more spectacular ensembles. I certainly experienced her boundless energy and enthusiasm, though.
Husband is dubious about the mythic [tag]Gingerbread Pop-Tarts[/tag], especially after I showed him the review on [tag]Mr. Breakfast[/tag]. The review is favorable, but in the comments someone complained that their gingerbread pop-tarts caught fire. This made Husband nervous. Silly Husband, all pop-tarts are flammable. That’s why they’re fun.