Musical Wanderer

I read today that Washington National Cathedral will start charging 10 dollars for admission.  Officials state that the cathedral is desperate for income after running a deficit last year.  The cathedral has been having serious money troubles ever since the recession in 2009.  Over half the folk who worked there when I was an employee have been laid off.  The news of an increased admission charge is another page in the cathedral's story of financial woe. Many folk say it is horrible to charge admission to a church.  But others point out one pays admission for churches elsewhere.  I myself have dodged admission fees at major churches in Europe by attending a service to hear the music (and I have given money anyway).  Others note that the development department is not very successful if the church has to resort to admission charges, an observation that probably has some truth to it.  But I think the problem with the cathedral is not really in...

First off, a proud admission.   I was BORN in Washington DC.  I have lived half my life in DC, though that includes all of the last 17 years.  It has of course changed a lot since a) I was born and b) since I moved back in 1996.  There are many places that, as I look back, made my life in DC.  Some are still around.  Many are no more.  After reviewing the places below, I realized most are bookstores, movie theaters, and pizza places, plus some other bars and restaurants.  If those ain't your thing, perhaps find some other idle reading.  Here I will give homage to places that were precious to me that are no more.  Those that died recently include pictures I found on the web. My biggies - Some places when they disappeared left big holes in my life, only to be filled with liquor and second rate pizza. Childe Harold   My first legal drink in DC was at Childe Harold.  I spent evenings after working at Olsson's sitting at th...

A year ago, I buried my parents.  It was a sunny crisp day, not quite autumn anymore but not quite winter.  It had been rainy and ugly for several days and we commented on how nice it was to the priest from my parent's last parish, Father Sari, who we met in the parking lot at Arlington National Cemetery.  My dad was a disabled vet from World War II, so he and my mom were eligible to be buried there. They died only a few weeks apart, so their burials were scheduled for the same day. We entered the Administration building and were sent by the respectful folk at the entrance to one of the waiting rooms downstairs.  Arlington does a couple dozen funerals every day, so they have the process down to an efficient yet dignified science.  Some friends of mine and my brother and his wife joined us in the room.  An official brought in some paperwork to sign and then brought us outside.  The grave was close to the building, strange considering the size of the p...

The Atlantic Monthly website ran an interesting article about a poll of Americans' views on women in Congress.  The left-leaning Atlantic enjoyed playing up the finding that only 23% of Republicans would want more women elected to Congress.  On first reading, it appears that a case of slight political misogyny is a requirement for Republican Party membership.  I can see some holes in the data, as many folk that used to consider themselves Republican now consider themselves independent, and those that continue to proclaim a Republican identity may have more fringe beliefs. But then I looked up some data on women in Congress.  The Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics, part of the Eagleton Institute of Politics, has a simple two page summary of the history of women in Congress.  It's all facts, no spin, so it's worth a look .  As is my habit, I downloaded some of the data and played with it.  I just input the numbers of women in office now a...