I'm a sucker ... this is adorable.

Blast from the past: "Still"

Lionel Richie has another greatest hits album out. I was listening to some of the songs on iTunes, and was laid low by "Still". I had forgotten all about this song that served as the backdrop to some of my most melodramatic crushes as a pre-teen.

As you can see from the pic, I was quite the ladykiller back in the day, what with my helmet o' hair and stylin' Garanimals (or as Shirley Q. Liquor calls them: "Garamminals"). But I did occasionally get my heart broken, and Lionel was there with a cheesy buffet of songs about love lost.

Oh the memories. Take a listen and ride the nostalgia wave ...

Al Gore and Apple

Ugh. Talk about a spot on the Apple. Here's an article from Fortune talking about Gore's financial connection to Apple.

Al Gore Gets 10,000 Apple Options
Former vice president Al Gore, who sits on Apple’s compensation committee and supervised the company’s internal investigation of its option backdating case, has been granted options to buy 10,000 shares of Apple (AAPL) at the strike price of $129.67, according to Jonny Evans at Macworld UK.

With Apple shares closing at $140.98 Tuesday night, the options would be worth $113,100 if exercised today. Should Apple reach its 2007 high of 202.96 before the options expire in 10 years, the grant would be worth more than $730,000. Taxes not included.

I'm in a good mood this week. To mark the occasion, here is a list of five simple things that make me happy:

1. Sitting in the sun with the paper, Dean and Deluca coffee and jazz in Georgetown.

2. The monthly arrival of the new issue of Dwell magazine.

3. Sitting on my patio in the evening with Zero 7 playing in the background.



4. Riding my bike.

5. Rita's Water Ice on the corner of my block.

Need a photographer?

Of the ten things I always wanted to do, one was to become a professional photographer. So I'm a bit jealous that my friend Regis is well on his way to a fantastic career with wedding and portrait photography. Late in his twenties, Regis decided to turn his photo and video hobbies into a career, so he headed back to school and began apprenticing with some of DC's best. Now he's doing what he loves and doing it with real excellence, which is very inspiring to me.

You may look at the stunning image above and think it's the gorgeous models who make it pop, but the lighting, composition, and timing are all first rate as well. If you are looking for a photographer, give Regis a call. He's in the sweet spot of his career from a client's point of view: he has enough experience behind him to ensure he will do a dependable, quality job, but he still brings that newcomer's enthusiasm to his work that shows in the images.

Trust me, one day you will have people saying, "Regis Vogt photographed your wedding - he's famous!"

Recommended: "In the Heights"

I've never been a big fan of musical theater. I was befuddled by "Cats". I thought "Les Miserables" was boring. I spend tons of time in New York, but never see musicals.

However, last weekend a friend took me to see "In the Heights", and I loved every minute of it. The dancing is spectacular, the music is varied and fun, and the story is sweet, simple and touching. It also has more than a few laugh-out-loud moments spun by a consistently strong cast.

Newcomer Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote much of the music as a student, and is both the creator and the star of the show: a little rap, a little salsa, a few ballads for good measure. This cynic didn't roll his eyes once the whole night, and if THAT'S not an endorsement, I don't know what is.

The New York Times gave it a great review. Read it here. Ignore the bit where the critic compares it to a soap opera - NYTimes critics always have to be a little snarky to show how clever they are, even when they loved the show. If you want complicated plot, go see a play or read a book. But for a great time at a Broadway show, give "In the Heights" a try.

If you see it, leave a comment here and tell me what you thought.

March Music at the Germeridian

Lots of guests are booked at the Germeridian in March, and the spring thaw is peeking out from hybernation. As we start to shake off the cold, dance tracks take center stage this month. Michael Jackson's remixed 25th Anniversary "Thriller" tracks are all great, but a friend turned me on to will.i.am's particularly catchy contribution to the remix of "The Girl is Mine". I'll never get, "... she like the way I rock. The. Way. I rock." out of my head.

The Jackson theme continues with Janet's new release: "Rock With U" and "LUV" being two of my favorites. Sigur Ros and Bjork keep it weird, and Jobim cools it off with some bossa nova.

Not the most sophisticated of the Germeridian mixes, but certainly a lot of fun.