Technology & MSG

After several years hearing about it, I finally made it to Pasta Plus in Laurel. All the reviews and stories about the surrounding strip mall being somewhat dilapidated are true, but it still retains some classiness inside. Dressed in jeans and t-shirt, I felt slightly underdressed walking into one of the three dining rooms. A […]

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A few months after September 11th 2001, a college friend and I gave ourselves a walking tour of Washington, D.C. The mood was somber, with an eerie tension that would soon spread across the country. The overcast afternoon was fitting. Though I’ve been back since with better equipment, I still prefer these photographs taken with […]

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This is Chang’s Spicy Chicken. It isn’t that spicy. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t tasty. The dish is served up with about two dozen tender chunks of chicken breast, lightly breaded and pan-fried so that the edges are slightly crispy. The whole thing is battered in a sweet glaze, reminding me of a cross between […]

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Having just finished watching Donnie Darko for the first time (several years late), my initial reaction is simple. Wow. This is one of those films that just levels you. I like to think I have an imagination and a head full of ideas, but I just don’t know how someone could sit down and write […]

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I really don’t like car salesmen. My experience with them has led me to believe that they’re a bunch of crooks for whom exaggeration, document substitution, and lying are all tools of the trade. There are some salesmen who would gladly tell you anything to make the sale. You can’t trust people like that, yet […]

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The truth — if there is one — is out there, but we may not be able to see it. Or if we can see bits of it, we may not be able to comprehend. That’s how I feel about Edmond. William H. Macy plays well as the confused and shaken protagonist; I imagine it […]

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I’m not sure when it became tradition to buy sweets for your mother on Mother’s Day (i.e. Russell Stover), but we decided to up the ante this year. Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake Chocolate Tuxedo Cream Cheesecake 30th Anniverary Cheesecake Seriously, it’s the least we could do. There’s not a day that I’m not thankful for […]

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Egyptian Pizza has been a longtime fixture of Belvedere Square, long before it was revitalized with upscale and trendy boutiques. Based on my experience Friday night — both good and bad — it is easy to see why. The restaurant has a wall-mounted booth along the right side of the room, with about twenty tables […]

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On Friday I worked Art Attack XXVI at College Park. Compared to last year, it was more of a concert than a festival. There were only three bands before the headliner, compared to the dozen or so in the past. Bands went on from 5ish (instead of 2ish) until 10pm, at which point the stadium […]

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