Ordering!

I would say I get a cup of coffee from Starbucks a couple of times a week. Not very often, in the grand scheme of things, but often enough that I am quite familiar with their deal (i.e. how to order, the lingo that the hipsters use, etc.). With that having been said, I have something that I’d like to call to your attention with the hope that you’ll either pass it along or do something about it.

For a company that claims to be very environmentally friendly, I’ve noticed that the Seattle-based chain does something so anti-green that I can’t help but be bothered by it. What I’m talking about, for those keeping track at home, is the double-cup.

“What is the double-cup,” you ask?

It’s rather self-explanatory, but for those unfamiliar, please allow me...

You see, more often than not, my Grande Americano will be placed on the bar in two cups; one holding the beverage (obviously) and one holding the one that’s holding the beverage.

Seems like a waste, right?

If their concern is that the beverage I am about to enjoy is extremely hot and may burn my delicate hands -- which I’m sure it is -- that’s all well and good, but isn’t that what the cardboard sleeves are for? Sure, we’re encouraged to recycle our paper products, but how many people out there actually do? When Jane Q. Public finishes her Decaf Venti No-whip Double Skim Latte, does she scour the streets for a recycling bin, or does she throw it in the nearest trash receptacle?

If you answered “the latter,” you are quite correct.

Since the majority of the gourmet-coffee-drinking population is a) too busy to notice and b) too unaware to care -- I’m only being realistic here -- let’s encourage the source to minimize the waste. You don’t need two cups for your beverage, and for sanitary reasons, they won’t accept one of them back after they’ve already put it on the bar.

So next time you order a deliciously-overpriced cappuccino, inform Bobby Barista that you’re not down with the double-cup. If he doesn’t thank you, fret not -- Mother Earth will.

DCist Exposed 2008

Though my readership is undoubtedly much lower than it used to be, I still feel obliged to share certain news as if millions of people read my ramblings.

You may notice a new banner in the sidebar of this site linking to a post on DCist.com regarding the 2008 Exposed photography show. The reason I am linking to it, in case you haven't figured it out, is that a picture of mine was chosen to be included in the show.

Taken at the Rock and Roll Hotel in DC in September, it is, to put it simply, a picture of a couch (and some lamps).

I thought it turned out pretty well, though, so I decided to submit it for consideration. Consider it the judges did, and now my picture will be matted, framed and hung at the Civilian Art Projects gallery from March 7-15, 2008.

Pretty cool, huh?

A larger version of the picture can be seen here.

Item!

As the great mediocre Aaron Lewis once said, "it’s been a while."

Yes, that song was annoying, and yes, so has been my lack of posts. I would be lying if I sat here and proclaimed a full-fledged return, so I will not do that. I will, however, attempt to bring my readership up to speed on what is happening in the life of MWP.

Let’s see... what has gone down in the month-and-a-half since my last post?

01. At the beginning of December, I officially launched another website, this one geared towards my photography. You can check it out by clicking on the banner below or by visiting MJLphoto.com.

If you know anyone in the DC Metro Area that is looking to have some pictures taken for whatever reason, passing my information along would be much appreciated.

02. On December 15th, MWP became MWEP (Marty the Walking Engaged Party). Just shy of the 2-year dating mark, I decided it was time to make it official. To my delight, she said yes, and now we are in the midst of planning a wedding.

The planning process should provide some good / interesting blog material, assuming I stop being lazy and start writing on a regular basis again. Stay tuned, I guess.

03. My fiancé and I took a weekend trip to New York just before Christmas. We ate at a killer steakhouse called Benjamin, went and saw the 75th Anniversary of the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City and took in the many sites. Needless to say, it was quite the time.

A few of the pictures I took are on my photography website, and I hope to post a few more on my Flickr page in the next couple of days. In other words, check back.

04. I got an iPhone. Woohoo!

05. I went to two Redskins games, one against Buffalo -- the first after Sean Taylor’s death -- and the season finale against Dallas. They were very different experiences, to say the least, but absolutely worth the trip out to Landover.

The tribute paid at the Bills game was impressive, but the back-to-back timeouts called by JG were not. The Dallas game was incredible from start to finish, as we began tailgating about 4 hours prior to kickoff and had killer seats in what turned out to be a Burgundy & Gold shellacking of Tony Romo & Co.

Good times.

06. Pictures of mine have been published in both The Onion A/V Club (DC Edition) and OnTap Magazine, a local music and entertainment periodical. It’s pretty cool seeing my work out there, as any exposure is great exposure (even though my name wasn’t included in the OnTap article). Hopefully these two will be the first of many down the road...

If you care to see them, click here.

07. In other photography news, I submitted 3 pictures for the Second Annual DCist Exposed Photography show. Nearly 600 entries were received, so keep your fingers crossed that one of mine will be included in the 50 or so that are chosen for the gallery exhibit.

I will certainly keep you posted after the winners are announced in a couple of weeks.

08. In yet more photography news -- don’t worry, this one’s not about me -- my girl and I went to see Annie Liebovitz: A Photographer’s Life at the Corcoran Gallery this past Sunday. The exhibit is now closed, so unfortunately, those that missed it are slightly SOL. For anyone that was able to check it out, though, I am sure you were as impressed as I was.

If you aspire to do anything with the art form or simply appreciate great photography, the majority of Liebovitz’s work is incredible... and seeing some of it first-hand -- including 8-1/2 x 11 prints that were made before publishing -- was awe-inspiring.

--

That about sums it up, I guess. Little things have gone on here and there, obviously, but I certainly don’t need to bore everyone with the minutiae. I had a great Christmas, a drunk New Years and am living as large as I can on an Architect’s salary.

In other words, life is good.