Grid 2 and The Land O' Lincoln Luncheon

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies today announced the details for the 2009 Inaugural Luncheon, which will follow the swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden. Coincidentally or not today I was informed that my volunteer job with the Presidential Inaugural Committee will have me stationed in Grid 2 on the Mall on January 20.


Grid 2! I think that means I will be the Obama food taster or perhaps the Sasha and Malia wrangler!

Hopefully Grid 2 is nothing like Area 51.

The details of the luncheon have been designed to reflect the theme of the 2009 Inaugural ceremonies, "A New Birth of Freedom," which celebrates the bicentennial of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln.

The menu, draws on historic ties to the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Growing up like me in the frontier regions of Kentucky and Indiana, the sixteenth President favored simple foods including root vegetables and wild game. As his tastes matured, he became fond of stewed and scalloped oysters. For dessert or a snack, nothing pleased him more than a fresh apple or an apple cake.

At my house we favored grilled PBJ sandwiches, butter burgers and wholesome Twinkie cupcakes.

The 2009 Inaugural Land O' Lincoln Luncheon Menu

First Course

Seafood Stew
Duckhorn Vineyards, 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley

Second Course

A Brace of American Birds (pheasant and duck), served with Sour Cherry Chutney and Molasses Sweet Potatoes
Goldeneye, 2005 Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley

Third Course

Apple Cinnamon Sponge Cake and Sweet Cream Glacé
Korbel Natural “Special Inaugural Cuvée,” California Champagne

I Want to Be a Good DC Host for the Inauguration But...

Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009

"And if you are thinking of driving a single-passenger vehicle into the District, finding a parking space will be like winning the lottery."

Hey I always try to be a good host! Company coming? I clean the house, change the guest bed linens, leave a good bottle of bourbon on the bureau chocolates on the pillow and disinfect the remote control.

But hosting parking for thousands and thousands of cars on January 20?









Not all of us in DC are lucky enough to have off street parking. Unfortunately all those DC residents living in a 50 block area from 11th St NW to 21 St NW between K and P will not be able to park on their own streets starting at 3:00 pm Monday January 19.

So will all those folks move their cars into neighborhoods to the North? If not where would they go? I don't see any guidance from DC, the Secret Service or for that matter Oprah on this.

Along with DC residents migrating to other neighborhoods we will also have the throngs of drivers from Maryland and other states ignoring the warnings who will drive their cars into DC looking for close-in parking.

So where will DC residents park on Inauguration Day?

Compounding matters, don't forget that January 20 is a DC Holiday. I doubt that Traffic Control Officers will be patrolling neighborhoods. Will this became the Super Bowl of All Time of Double and Illegal Parking throughout DC neighborhoods?

I'm parking my car Saturday, and don't plan to move it again until January 21.

And you can disinfect your own damn remote.

Road to the Doghouse--The Puppedential Debate

CNN anchor Anderson "eCrush" Cooper moderates the first (and last) debate of First Dog hopefuls for Comedy Central's "The Daily Show."

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Road to the Doghouse - Puppedential Debate

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Don't Forget to Register Your Inaugural Ball Outfit!

Do you want to see who is wearing what at your upcoming Inaugural Ball? Or would you like to make sure you and Grandma Biden are not fashion twins? The answer to both questions is to go to the Dress Registry and register your outfit.

I don't yet see a listing for the Bloggerational Ball. How can I be sure I'm the only one wearing my tux???

An Inaugural Ball for the Rest of Us!

Along with the Bloggerational Ball, you now have an option to attend the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee today announced the first-ever Neighborhood Inaugural Ball on January 20 at the Washington Convention Center with free or affordable tickets available!

In Obama's words:

"This is an inauguration for all Americans. I wanted to make sure that we had an event that would be open to our new neighborhood here in Washington, D.C., and also the neighborhoods across the country. Michelle and I look forward to joining our fellow Americans across the country during this very special event."

Okay, so how do we get these tickets? I have the tux, and I suspect finding a date will not be too hard once I announce my "Escort Herb to the Inaugural Ball" contest (open to anyone and for that matter, anything).

Four Days of Barking!

Not quite this but close...

I Pick Your DC Resolutions for 2009!

1. I promise to accept the fact that the check-out lane at Giant is not one big Super Market Sweepstakes game. I will no longer be surprised when the cashier suggests I have lost again and must actually pay for my groceries. I will start digging through my purse for my payment long before I hear this sad news.

2. Unless I professionally scan groceries for a living at another store, I will not use the Self Service Check-Out lane at Harris Teeter when I have 20 or more items in my cart. I also promise to use a cashier if I have produce such as Jerusalem artichokes or white asparagus that can only be scanned after paging through pages of electronic pictures of similar looking vegetables.

3. I will post more to my blog while drunk.

4. Unless it is for TMI Thursday.

5. On Sundays I shalt not double park.

6. Growing up in a snow belt state taught me how to safely drive in 3 feet of driving snow. However, driving the family station wagon with chains on its tires down an empty country lane to the Tractor Supply Company store is not the same as navigating the snowy DC Beltway with thousands of other drivers, most who did not have the privilege of graduating from Snow U. I will no longer endlessly complain when the DC area closes down due to the treat of two inches of snow.

7. As Chairmen of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, I will happily give Herb of DC two Inaugural Ball tickets for his embarrassing and desperate "Escort Herb to the Ball" blog contest.

8. As Manager of Marshalls at DC USA, I will provide a better explanation for why the Peppermint Bark is not 75% off other than saying that it is not holiday merchandise because it "don't have a picture of Santa Claus or a Christmas tree" on it.

9. I am proud and happy over the election of Barack Obama and look forward to attending his historic inauguration. No matter how well I know DC I will take public transportation and will not park in the close-in neighborhoods.

10. I worked very hard creating my blog that now gets thousands of well deserved hits a week. It would not hurt my blog to occasionally link to other more modest blogs who might have something interesting to say that day or perhaps have creative uses of spelling or grammar. Especially if Herb that blogger regularly posts comments and links to yours mine.

11. I now know that using foul language while waiting on customers at CVS only dooms me to forever work at CVS.

12. Creating blog posts with as many DC hipster references as possible for the express purpose of being linked through DCBLOGS or DCist is pathetic and sad. I resolve to no longer feature any of the following in posts in 2009: Ben's Chili Bowl, Whole Foods, Sasha and Malia, Comet Pizza, Morning Joe, PBR, the Orange Line, Falafel, Aunt Zeituni, drunken Metro bus flashing, Mika, Petworth, Michelle Rhee fantasies, Sasha Fierce, World of Warcraft, sex in a Filene's Basement dressing room, tweets, bears, the Bloomingdale Farmers Market, tourists, independent coffee shops/book stores/clothing stores, madras, H Street, Ambien, Pat Buchanan look alike strippers, cankles, Nellies, Cabinet Nominees I Would Like to F***, Jefferson Memorial priapism and Audacity of {insert word here}.