Author Archives: JJD
Those silly Russians
The theater season has officially begun! Which means one of my favorite Friday routines is back: Step 1: Leave work early (i.e., at 6pm) and have dinner at Le Pain Quotidien while reading the French translation of a ridiculous “Swedish noir” crime novel. Open-faced sandwich with avocado and prosciutto(the prosciutto had been cooked so it was crspy like […]
I never get tired of New York
Another quick trip to New York today. This time to attend a dinner with law students that we are recruiting from Columbia and NYU. Timing wasn’t the most convenient — there’s a lot going on at work at the moment — but it’s basically impossible not to enjoy a trip to New York. Things got […]
Happy (very early) birthday to me
Two weeks ago Lady called and said she’d sent me a box for my birthday (which isn’t until November). Days passed and no package arrived. Then I got a nastygram from the front dest of my building demanding that I come pick up the package that had been there for, like, ever. (Far be it […]
In their shells
I’ve eaten snails before. They’re delicious. But I’ve always preferred to eat them when they look like little brown things swimming in butter and garlic (and perhaps topped by an egg). I other words, I’ve eaten snails, but only when they didn’t look like snails. Last night, while sitting on the terrasse at the French restaurant Petits […]
The Ride: Ah, September!
Whenever I talk about DC weather with people who aren’t don’t live here, we inevitably get stuck on the summers: Why on earth would anyone consciously choose to live in a place where you regularly get temperatures in the upper 90s with 85 percent (or higher) humidity? What a swamp! Yes, DC was built on a swamp, […]
Invisible Man
On Friday night I went with my friend Danya to see a production of Invisible Man at the Studio Theatre. I had gone into it with fairly high expectations: The book on which the play is based is wideley celebrated; one of those “must reads” in high school English classes that I somehow managed to graduate without […]
Vampire Jammies
So, if you get bitten by a hot vampire, then you turn into a hot vampire too, right? Isn’t that the moral of all those Twilight stories? Pretty sure that’s right. (Unless, of course, you just die — but let’s focus on the positive here.) But what happens if the vampire that bites you is more “warm and cozy” […]
Jasmine
Adding to my success with late-summer blooms, I’m delighted to see that my jasmine plant has blossomed again. The plant had blossomed once earlier in the summer, but I was in Morocco and so was unable to enjoy the flowers and their scent. I was afraid I’d missed my chance — but no! There are a handful of buds […]
Teya’s Texts
I called Ashley to chat for a few minutes as I walked to the grocery store today after work. Shortly after we hung up, Ashley sent this text: Teya just told me “You were NOT talking to Uncle Jason! You need to go to his house and tell him sorry for calling him!” Ha! I […]
Back to normal
Heather left early on Wednesday morning, and I spent the rest of the week trying to get back to normal. Except for a few “down” weeks (when I worked 16 hour days), I have been hosting house guests or traveling (for work or vacation) since early June. It’s made for a fun-filled summer and many […]
A More Gentlemanlike Manner 