It’s the beginning of 2010, and I’ve gotta set my goals! Last year I gave up buying plastic water bottles, and it worked! I recommend it to everyone. We saved lots of money, and got attached to our water bottles and filtering system. It works just fine, and now we’ve got more room in the refrigerator for BEER! ☺

So here are the resolutions:

• More writing: journal every day, on paper. Some stuff didn’t get recorded last year because I didn’t want to share it with the world. So I need to organize my thoughts on paper first.
• More exercise: get in that gym, at least twice a week.
• More travel: including within DC. There are some great exhibits and museums that I need to see. Concerts and shows, too!
• Home improvement: continue to green my lifestyle, purge the junk and organize the good stuff.
• Taco night on Mondays: to simplify menu planning and because we like tacos. ☺

Wish me luck, and I wish you luck with your resolutions… if you’ve made them? If you haven’t yet, I hereby give you til the end of January to come up with some. We’ve got 11 months to go, folks. That’s a lot of time to pick something to improve on or have fun with.

Most importantly,

★  ♪ ♫   Happy New Year! ♪ ♫ ♪ ★

“It’s our duty as parents to take you to places like this, because when you’re grown up and you’re a garbage truck driver, you won’t be able to afford to do these things.”

That’s what the mother behind me was telling her son as we were waiting in line for the tour of the Mount Vernon mansion. Her husband had been reading a Mt. Vernon guidebook to the family of four for the previous ten minutes. The pre-teen kids were rolling their eyes, but were laughing.

Mt. Vernon, the plantation home of George Washington, is in remarkably good shape. There are still original pieces of furniture there that our first president used. The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association has preserved the plantation the way it was about 200 years ago, so you can see the mansion, slave quarters, gardens and farm from 1799.

1. You will need a full day to visit Mount Vernon. They have a nice food court and a full-service restaurant on site to make your day more comfortable.
2. Before you go, check the Calendar of Events on the website to see if there is a special event you can take advantage of while you’re there.
3. Start your visit at their new orientation center, then proceed to the tour of the mansion. During the summer, lines can be long to get into the mansion, but the tour isn’t long.
4. Use your time waiting for the mansion tour to study the map. After the tour of the mansion, it’s up to you to decide what parts of the plantation you’d like to see, and it’s a bit spread out.
5. There is LOTS of green space for kids with energy to run around, and the Mt. Vernon staff is pretty liberal about letting kids run. Enjoy.
6. There are some fabulous views of the Potomac from the back of the mansion, a wonderful place for photos.

There are a couple of cruise lines that will take you there by boat, a trip which adds to the fun. We took the Potomac Riverboat Company from the Torpedo Factory dock in Old Town Alexandria. The open-air boat has plenty of seating, an air-conditioned level and a snack bar. Yes, there were even rest rooms on board. A tour guide provided a narration of sights along the river that corresponded with our visit of Mt.Vernon. The boat left Alexandria at 10:15 a.m. and returned at 5:30 p.m. Once you get to the dock at Mt. Vernon, you can either walk up the hill or take a shuttle bus. I recommend taking the bus, regardless of your energy level, since this will drop you off at the new orientation center, and you’ll be able to see a great little film that’s been put together about George Washington, and experience Mt. Vernon in the ‘right’ order.

Keep in mind that Mount Vernon is privately owned, and there is a reasonable admission fee.

Artomatic is a DC arts tradition that seems like it’s been around forever. But in fact, it’s just turning 10.

If you haven’t experienced Artomatic, this is the year to do it. Artomatic is a roving art gallery, plus performance art and music, sometimes even plays. Each year it finds a new home in available, though unfinished, space across the DC landscape. This year, Artomatic found its home at the Capitol Riverfront.

Artomatic’s 2009 home is seeking LEED (green building) certification, and the address, 55 M Street, S.E. (at the corner with Half Street), right next to the Nationals stadium, in view of the Capitol building, is not too shabby either.

Their goal is to make art accessible and make exhibition easier for more artists. So there are no juries at Artomatic. It’s like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.

But, I know of three quite talented artists that are exhibiting — plus some of the winners of the much-loved WaPo Peeps contest — so I say it’s worth it. Go. Get artified. Artomatically.

ARTOMATIC 2009: May 29 – July 5, 2009
55 M Street, SE Washington, DC 20003
Metro: Green Line, Navy Yard, Ballpark exit
Free admission. Donations accepted, of course.

Wed & Thurs: Noon – 10 p.m.
Fri & Sat: Noon – 1 a.m.
Sundays: Noon – 10 p.m.
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays

See Event Calendar for performances and special events

Free wifi available.

NOTE: Closing at 8 p.m. June 3 & 4

In case you didn’t know, metal did not come from New Jersey.

The roots of heavy metal are traced back to England, specifically to Birmingham. Don’t believe me, I’m not the expert…

“Heavy Metal was born in the West Midlands and has developed a global following matched only in Hip-Hop. It’s time to stop sneering and celebrate this proud cultural heritage…”
Daniel Trilling – New Statesman 30th July 2007

Those who love metal and live in the West Midlands of the UK, specifically a group called Capsule, have decided to take matters into their own hands. Good for them! They are celebrating their proud metal heritage and sharing it with the world.

Lucky for me, I happen to live with one of North America’s foremost Black Sabbath/Dio collectors. He was tapped to provide a few items for this celebration, which has taken the form of an ongoing digital museum called Home of Metal.

If you’re a fan of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, Napalm Death or Godflesh, you might see something that interests you here. Or you may have something to contribute.

Happy 40th Anniversary, Metal! All our love!

Check it out – those big art flags you see promoting art exhibits in your city can be yours!

They make a huge impact once they’re inside your home, at up to eight feet tall. What a great way to keep this plastic fabric out of the landfills. And it helps defray the cost of advertising for great museums, which can always use the support.

Visit: http://www.betterwall.com/