Washington dc imagery

"The freedom and happiness of man... [are] the sole objects of all legitimate government."

"I would rather be exposed to the the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it."

What is there not to like about Thomas Jefferson? His fabulous memorial building is filled with the great writings of this founding father and the original pimpdaddy president.

Personal freedom and liberty are some of my favorite things.

I stayed in Washington to complete a month-long internship during the winter of 2000/2001.

Amy Matherita, bartender extrordinaire and member of my blender harem, gave me a place to stay while I was there. Amy is also the vice president and head librarian of my official fan club. Amy, thanks so much for being such a sweet little kumquat.

This page is a collection of great memories that you helped create.

This cheerful little backalley is where Amy's hidden fortress is located.

The snow and ice on the ground was a constant threat as we walked around the neighborhood.

Amy, Lester and I survived on hot chocolate, Amy's cornbread and plenty of good company.

Lester, who happens to be my fan club president, took me on a tour of monuments my first night in DC.

It was my first time at the F.D.R. Memorial. For someone who doesn't see a lot of ice during the winter, the glacier-like formations on the fountain were magnificent. Not all the water was frozen, though, and enough managed to splash onto the lens of the camera to balance out the finger that was so thoughtfully provided by the friendly yet incompetent yankee couple who took this picture.

While the official conference of my visit was the American Library Association convention, I managed to check out another one. There was a regional meeting of... umm... well, let's just call them gentlemen with community-minded interests in servitude. Having never stepped into this little cultural sphere, I got a great introduction to some of the finer points and personnel management techniques of this unique (and friendly) subculture. I figured, self-restraint is something I'd always been told to work on, so this was a great opportunity for that. Here I am, still in my office drag, trying out manacles for the first time, a not-so-Harry Houdini.

Maurizio was one of the first people I met in DC. An El Salvadoran emirgre', he works as a personal trainer in one of the city's many health clubs. Lester and I met him my first night out when he bonked me on the head while he was spinning around. After apologizing, we got to know each other. He even gave me a flower as a way to say, "Sorry about the head trauma."

Another bit of eye candy for me was the National Zoo's new panda exhibit. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian were gorgeous. They didn't disappoint the crowd, which snapped away so many pictures that the sounds of eucalyptus munching were drowned out by the snapping, whirring and clicking of 300 cameras.

I went on the panda's 2nd day on exhibit, so the crowds were easily 10 rows deep. The people were almost as interesting to watch as the animals, I thought.

DC's parks were overrun by hoardes of evil squirrel agents. They are everywhere. There's no stopping them. This one cleverly tricked me out of some popcorn I was eating.

Somewhere in the National Zoo, I found a hothouse packed to the rafters with Amazonian flora and fauna. It was gorgeous.

It was a foggy day in Washington town when I happened upon this view. I was waiting at my bus stop after taking in a gorgeous Art Noveau exhibit down the street. While I was trying to keep warm, I thought about how difficult it must have been for the artists of that era to come up with the florid, intricate, organic-looking lines and forms. What a challenge that must have been. I felt fortunate that our own age could see the beauty in simpler, more spartan things. And then it struck me: the view from the bus stop was a perfect example of that everyday beauty. So I snapped this picture. Look at the traffic light's reflections in the street and the graceful lines of the heating exhaust fog clouds. There's even a peculiar poetry in the brake lights to me.

Maurizio and I went to the Hirshhorn Museum's Sculpture Garden to ice skate after a quick tour of the highlights of the Natural History Museum. He'd never had a chance to skate on ice. I was impressed at how quickly he picked it up.

This is one of my favorite sculptures at the Garden. It's a colorful typewriter eraser on steroids.

Urban photography isn't one of my strong points, but the multitude of breath-taking architecture makes it difficult to foul up. This is the old post office, located in the heart of the metro center of DC. It's just a block away from my office. At sunset, it's a beautiful sight.

Isn't the expression "to crash a party" a little too harsh-sounding? Well, I don't "crash" anything, let alone a party. I'm much more like an opportunistic infection -- of infectious laughter and mirth, that is! Anna Korenina, Amilithwa, Kylito Favorito and I cra-- umm, I mean "slipped in incognito" to a party at a posh, VIP, sign-your-name-as-you-enter DC social club. It was a get together for Washington University Library School alumni. So we waltzed on in, announcing ourselves at the door to the darling former dean, this sparkling-eyed dear-heart of a lady.

Anna and I posed for a memorable shot of the lady, as she ever-so-subtly checked out Kyle's butt. She wasn't the only one. Kurt, the handsome librarian (top right), was doing the same. Kurt invited us to his place before we moved on to the dancing and (more) drinking portion of the evening's festivities. That was my last night out on the town in DC.... for that trip, anyway.