Another Reason I Love DC

The Washington metro area is ranked as the fittest city in the U.S.

The people living here have good dietary habits. There's a high percentage of people that walk or bike to work, or have frequent physical activity. There is a high number of farmers markets per capita. We have a lot of swimming pools, recreation centers, and tennis courts per capita. We have a low percentage of residents who smoke, have diabetes, obesity, heart disease, or other chronic health problems.

On the downside, some supposed deficiencies include fewer acres of parkland per capita (seriously? Have they ever been to DC? It's nothing BUT parkland!), fewer park playgrounds, fewer dogparks, and fewer golf courses per capita (fine by me). Whatever, I'll take it.

A Groundbreaking Election

Interesting findings from Census Bureau data:

The 2008 U.S. presidential election had a record-breaking 131 million votes

It also was the most racially and ethnically diverse election in United States history. A record one-in-four votes were cast by non-whites (23.7% of the electorate). This is attributable to both the increase in the non-white population as well as a higher turnout among minority groups.

The levels of participation among black, Hispanic, and Asian voters increased from 2004 to 2008.

Out of all racial, ethnic, and gender groups, black women had the highest voter turnout rate in the 2008 election. For the first time ever.

Have You Seen This Person?

Looking through my old pictures, I came upon this one. And it seemed to perfectly sum up an ongoing joke between Eagan and I. To make a relatively medium story short, I am quite physically memorable. And in comparison to me, Eagan is not.

To elaborate:

Eagan started going to this little greek cafe by his work. He would usually go once a week. And he would order the same thing every time. After repeating this pattern for months, I started going with him to this lunch place. I would pretty much order the same thing every time. The same lady was always working there, taking our order. After MY second or third visit, she recognized us as regulars and start chatting with us when we would come in. When we would come up to place our orders, she would knowingly and affectionately say, "The usual?" One day I was sick, and I did not join Eagan for lunch. Eagan walked in, went up to the lady at the counter, and said, "I'll have the usual." The lady looked at him with a blank stare. A "who the hell are you?" stare. The problem was that Eagan was missing his other half -- his recognizable other half.

In grad school, during the first week of school, Eagan and I met a professor in the department in the main office. We were all checking our mailboxes at the same time. We introduced ourselves and chatted for a little bit. Later that week, we went to a party at another professor's house (Eagan's advisor). The professor we met earlier in the week was at the party as well, and Eagan's advisor introduced us to this professor. The professor said, to me, "Oh yes, we have already met..." She then turned her gaze to Eagan, "But you...you I haven't met before."

Another perfect picture of Eagan

Portland

I read a travel piece from the New York Times on Portland that really seemed to get the essence of Portland, one of my favorite cities. Some highlights:

"...in Portland, Oregon, where outfits seem chosen to match the cloudy skies, fabrics tend toward the waterproof, and anything with buttons counts as formalwear. "

"I discerned a characteristic of Portland that would enchant me over the course of a week, as I explored restaurants and bars, artisanal cafes and mushrooming food carts, funky neighborhoods and weird little museums."

"There was a general indifference to wealth. In its place was a dedication to the things that really matter: hearty food and drink, cultural pursuits both high and low, days in the outdoors and evenings out with friends."

"I met my friend at a Scandinavian brunch spot on a quintessentially Portland section of Southeast Clinton Street. (Bike lane? Check. Brewery? Check. Discount art-house cinema? Vintage stores? Punk rock record shops? Check, check, check!)"

"I marveled again at how well Portlanders live on so little."

I Know, I'm a Horrible Person

There was an interesting article on the BBC news website that mapped out HIV's spread around Europe.

From the article:

"Their map shows Greece, Portugal, Serbia, and Spain are big HIV exporters, with many tourists to and migrants from these countries leaving with the virus."

This is a very important and serious health issue...so I recognize that the idea that popped in my head to make tourist t-shirts that say "I went on vacation to Greece and all I got was HIV" is completely inappropriate.

The Wrestler

The more I think about this movie, the more devastated I feel. The movie broke my heart. But what a great story. What a great, complex character Randy was. I didn't see this movie prior to the movie award season, but now I can see what the hype was all about for Mickey Rourke. I thought he did an amazing job. I genuinely felt bad for his character; which I credit to excellent acting and writing.

There were some obviously devastating scenes -- like the final scene, for example (or the whole movie, for that matter). But I also found these moments to be heartbreaking, in a more subtle way:

*When he was working at the deli counter. Both scenes.

*When he was playing ninetendo with the little neighbor kid (playing his own wrestling video game). And how he wanted the kid to stay longer. And how he hadn't heard of these more recent games the kid was talking about.

*When he was shopping for his daughter. And when he presented her with the gifts. Like her reaction to the first present -- and his reaction to her reaction -- and then when he said "no, here's the real gift..."

I heard that Roddy Piper was so moved by the movie that he cried at the end. I'm right there with you, Roddy.