National Christmas Tree Lottery Dates Set

WARNING: This post will contain absolutely no holiday celebrations whatsoever. It is provided solely in preparation for one single event. Under no circumstances should anyone misconstrue this and prematurely hum a Christmas jingle, hang decorations, or be jolly in any manner.

photo uploaded to flickr by izikThe National Park Service has announced lottery dates for the lighting of the National Christmas Tree. The lighting will be held on December 9th, 2010, at 5 pm. It's a festive event, with the President traditionally throwing the switch amidst the glowing lights and bleating horns of thousands of Maryland and Virginia commuters unaware of the surround streets rush hour shut downs. 3000 seated tickets and 10,000 standing are tickets will be given away. Results will be announced Wednesday, November 10th.

If you're going to be in the area, and don't know anyone who can get you tickets (I don't either, btw), you're going to have to go through the lottery system. It's a little complex, and the Park Service press release didn't exactly clear it up. Here's what you have to do. Starting this Friday, you may start to register at recreation.gov, and you have until the end of the day Sunday to do so. Now, as I understand it, this is simply the registration period, so there is no need to do this at the stroke of midnight; just get it done at some point.

Also, while we're on the topic, I'd like to point out how the Park Service let's you know that you can get a ticket "by going to www.thenationaltree.org and following the link to the online ticket lottery application page at www.recreation.gov." Why not just skip thenationaltree.org and type in recreation.gov? After all, it's not as if the Park Service had included links in there for you convenience. Come on guys, we're running out of 2010, let's get that web presence up and running, ok?

Now, back to eating your kids Halloween candy and planning your Thanksgiving dinner. Don't let me catch you with that tinsel, buddy!

Weekly Washington: Craziest Weekend Ever!

photo uploaded to flickr by marabuchiThat's right folks. This may be the craziest weekend I can remember here in DC. Halloween is already my favorite time of year in Washington, and then we have the Rally for Fear/Sanity thrown in. It's going to be a busy one.

I thought about writing up a Rally Guide, but what's the point? Nine gagillion already exist and I have little to add. And if the mobs are too much, check out our Fear and Sanity sights throughout the rest of DC. (TBD)

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It's Just Too Hard To Keep Fear Alive: The Resumption of Sanity

photo by Maria Helena CareyLet’s face it, it feels good to be scared. The warm rush of anger, the burst of camaraderie when you find others that feel as you do, the single-minded focus at being mad as hell, and just not taking it anymore. Sure, we’d all like to curl up in a warm blanket of fear and not have to get out of bed and put our feet on the cold floor of sanity.

But sooner or later, we all have to go to the bathroom, and tackle that cold floor. So it is with our nation. No matter how deep the abyss of fear is, we always manage to pull ourselves out sooner or later, and often with much pain. Cold comfort, perhaps, for those on the wrong side of hysteria, a sign of underlying resiliency in our national psyche.

And so, while my friend Robert’s fear-mongering tour of Washington, DC’s dreadful past showed the legacy of fear, eventually each of these stories were turned about, and we as a nation have become stronger for surmounting them. Let's take a look, shall we?

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Fear: An American Tradition Since 1692

photo by Maria CareyFear has been part of American culture for over 300 years by now, so it is hardly surprising that Stephen Colbert picked 'Fear' as a guiding principle for his rally on October 30. Colbert understands what Americans want, and he is giving it to them. But what if the fear on display on the Mall that day isn't enough for you? What if you want to wallow more intensely in this all-American pastime? Where can you go to learn more about the history of fear in our nation's Capital? Fear not, we have a list for you.

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Weekly Washington: Sex, Drugs and Cannibalism!

courtesy of DDOTWoohoo! Roll Call has a great write up of our very own Walking Shtick Tours! Unfortunately, it's behind a pay wall, but if any of you have coughed up the subscription fees, go read it! But a headline that reads "Tour Focuses on Sex, Drugs, and Cannibalism" is exactly the kind of press we're looking for.

So, you go to snap a picture of some building and, all of a sudden, a security guard wanders up and demands you stop, or asks you to delete your pictures, or just inquires why you want to take a picture of the building in the first place. It happens all the time in DC.Well, this week, a Federal government, once again, affirmed that there is nothing wrong with taking pictures of their (our?) buildings. In fact, while we're on the topic, the only folks who can now hassle you about pictures is the Pentagon, especially when you are at the 9/11 Memorial. Other than that, just politely talk to the guard and move on. If you a shutterbug and what to know where you stand legally, print out this handy guide before you come. (DCist)

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