Anyone on the East Coast of the United States knows there was a huge storm system a couple of weeks ago that took out lots of old trees and, subsequently, the power lines in much of the Washington area, and surrounding states.

We were affected at my house, losing power for nearly a full 24 hours, and we were among the lucky ones. This meant trying to sleep on a hot, humid night with no air conditioning, no coffee the next morning and wondering how to re-adjust our Saturday with no power. Sadly, most of the businesses we visit were suffering from the same power outage.

In addition, we were in a bit of shock — we NEVER lose power during these events — whether caused by thunderstorm or snow. Our street is an evacuation route, and we have been fairly well protected, so we really kept expecting the power to come right back on.

Lesson learned. We had a bit of an emergency kit, but after about one hour, we realized we were ill prepared. So did, apparently, much of our surrounding neighborhood, based on the run on D-batteries at local stores. (They were totally sold out at the Target and the CVS.) Lines at gas stations were blocks down the street when folks realized not all stations had power. So, time to get prepped. Not like ‘Doomsday Preppers,’ but reasonably prepared in case a very likely thunderstorm system comes through again, or we will have it ready for the next Snowmageddon.

Step 1 – Check out the Red Cross preparedness lists. These are reasonable targets. Their ‘Be Red Cross Ready’ General Preparedness list looks like a good model to me. State Farm insurance also has some good advice, under Disaster Preparedness.

Step 2 – Make our own readiness plans. We realized we actually have a lot of what we need in the house, but the frustration of having no air conditioning and no access to TV news or the Internet really threw us off.

Step 3 – Go shopping. There are definitely some things missing from our emergency kit, and one of those things is a real ‘KIT.’ Time to take these things seriously.

Here’s my shopping/packing list:

• Hand-crank/solar-powered NOAA radio
• Candles, a lighter and matches.
• Box of easy-burn logs for the fire place. These don’t keep us super warm, but they do help take the chill off when the furnace isn’t working. Hard to prioritize this when it’s 90 degrees outside, but they ought to be cheap right now.
• Bottled water — we have a water filter in our refrigerator, but it’s easy to keep a case of water bottles in the basement.
• Dry goods — cereal/oatmeal for a no-electricity breakfast, canned soup for lunch, other foods with long shelf life we can store for a year or two. Shelf-stable rice milk.
• Contact numbers for family and utilities — these were all on my mobile phone, and my reception died, and so did my phone batteries. That said, we do have a land-line phone that works in our house. Points for that.
• Solar-power cell phone charger (I have this, but it wasn’t where I needed it!)
• Fresh 6-volt battery for our large camping-type flashlight. This is the light we relied on most, and we definitely should have a backup battery for it.
• AA, AAA, C, D batteries – Everyone seems to want them when the power goes out. If we don’t use them, I suppose under dire circumstances we could barter them.

I’d love to get your suggestions and hear your power-out stories. My fingers are crossed that we don’t see another week without power around here this summer. We’ve paid our dues.

Finally made it to the Fillmore in Silver Spring for Danzig – with Doyle –  last night, and it’s still nice and shiny.

If you’re familiar with the 9:30 Club in DC, the Fillmore has a very similar layout – a big open area with two bars where the concert happens, a balcony upstairs which is apparently special access only, then a smaller bar downstairs. The Fillmore is designed to look a bit upscale – there are the legendary screen print posters from the original Fillmore in San Francisco, some crystal chandeliers way the hell up in the rafters, the bathrooms are larger, (I didn’t have to wait in line for the ladies’ room once!) and the bar downstairs has a whole bunch of lava lamps, plus a couple of TVs simulcasting the show upstairs: very handy. The beer also has an upscale price. I paid $18 for two draft beers one point in the evening. Yikes. Good bartenders, though – they kept the bar moving.

The show was good and loud, but there was a good deal of feedback between Danzig’s microphone and the monitor speakers.  He even tossed a monitor off the front of the stage, and complained about the sound guy. We heard feedback from Danzig’s mike all the way through to the encore, and that is darn frustrating for both the artist and the audience.

The security team was on their toes. There were no photos allowed, and I saw at least four folks given stern talking-tos from a duo of security folks, and one guy, brazenly wielding his phone camera towards the end of the show, grabbed and tossed out. There was also a ‘no moshing’ sign, and the security team handled the inevitable crowd-surfers fairly as they rolled over the barricades, one by one.

I really like the fact that Silver Spring has tons of free city parking lots – don’t ever park in a pay lot if you go there. The Cameron Street lot off Georgia Avenue is free after 7pm, and very accessible from the beltway. And of course there is the Metro station, also walkable. There are also dozens of nearby restaurants if you want to make a night of it.

Will we go again? You betcha, even though I will have to take out a loan to buy my beer. It all depends on who’s playing, though – and I doubt Danzig will be back after that feedback fiasco. Fix the sound, Fillmore. Or the musicians will head back to the 9:30 Club.

I just wrapped up my first year as a volunteer with GirlsRock! DC, and what an experience!

About 70 campers from all over the District, Maryland and Virginia put on an unforgettable showcase on Saturday morning at the 9:30 Club. As a girl, I had recitals for flute, violin and voice. I performed in plays and musicals. But nothing I ever did before college was like this.

These girls were so confident on stage, all performing original songs or DJ sets. It was really overwhelming, especially after spending two days with them earlier in the week as a workshop teacher. I’d seen them just learning to get along, just meeting each other, and here are all these great cohesive bands up on stage looking just as good as any college band. (Sometimes better…)

If you didn’t get the chance to attend the show on Saturday, I encourage you to click around the GirlsRock! DC website. See what they’ve done and check out some of the stories that have been written on them. (Donations would be appreciated, I might add!) This is really a super opportunity for families that rock to take in together, and for girls 8-18 to take part in.

For older girls like me, I encourage you to follow my lead and volunteer some time. It is all kinds of inspirational and FUN!

If you have been wondering why I’ve been so quiet lately, it’s because I found this great volunteer organization to donate some time to.

On August 14th at 11:00am, more than 70 Washington area girls will take to the stage at the 9:30 Club, just as many legendary rock stars have done before them. Girls Rock! DC (GR!DC), a volunteer-run, non-profit organization, is launching its third annual, week long rock camp for girls ages 8-18.

During the week of August 9th – 13th, a volunteer staff of female educators, musicians and community organizers provide campers instruction on electric guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, vocals and turntables. The campers form bands and are coached by counselors to write, collaborate and perform original songs and DJ sets before a live audience at the 9:30 Club.

The aim of Girls Rock! DC is to create a supportive, inclusive and creative space for girls to build community, stand up and rock out! With a base in music education, the camp will focus on building girls’ self-confidence, leadership and cooperation skills.

Campers also attend workshops on team building, performance and body confidence, songwriting and other skills young women need to take over the world of rock. I’m on the media literacy team. Whee!

I encourage you to join us (bring your kids!) at the showcase on Saturday to see these girls rock out. I can’t wait!

The girls will showcase their original works at Washington’s 9:30 Club on Saturday, August 14th at 11:00 am.
The showcase is open to the public.
Tickets are $10 at the door.
Free admission for youth 12 and under.
More information is available at the Girls Rock! DC website: www.girlsrockdc.org.

Girls Rock! DC is part of a national Girls Rock Camp Alliance. There are Girls Rock camps all over the world.

UPDATE: We got some coverage from NPR’s The Kojo Nnamdi Show (check out the video)

Not too long ago, there was talk about drilling off the coast of Virginia. I was not happy. After the BP incident in the Gulf of Mexico, I was frightened. Every year I look forward to visiting the beaches of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, and I’d be devastated if MY beaches looked like the beaches in the Gulf.

Luckily we haven’t started drilling in the Atlantic yet. And our beaches still look awesome. We still have challenges with pollution from runoff to our rivers and to the Chesapeake Bay, but we’re working on it. Let’s keep it that way!

I just took a trip to Chincoteague, Virginia. I really enjoyed seeing the wildlife refuge there and all of the coastal and wetland creatures, including pelicans similar to the ones we’re seeing covered in oil down in Louisiana.

Let’s cut our losses. Damage like we’re seeing in the Gulf, like we saw from the Exxon Valdez, can’t happen if the oil rigs aren’t there.

Washington DC’s Metro system (WMATA) is in financial trouble.

As a regular commuter via the Metro subway system, this is a big deal for me. I need to get to work downtown, and Metro is still cheaper and faster than driving and parking downtown.

Frankly, as someone who has lived in both DC and in VA, I see how states have privileges that the District doesn’t. In my honest opinion, I think Virginia and Maryland, or the Federal government, should pitch in some capital for WMATA to refurbish the Metro system. Because as long as Congress refuses to grant statehood to the District, the District’s problems belong to the entire country. But I am aware the country is short on cash, and subway repairs are not top priority when we’re at war and people need jobs.

(Hey, wouldn’t subway repairs put people to work…? Never mind me.)

That said, I have also utilized a number of community bus systems as part of my daily life. In Arlington, there is the ART system. Georgetown Business Improvement District has its own shuttle bus between Rosslyn Metro, Foggy Bottom and Dupont Circle. Then there’s the downtown Circulator bus. I’ve got no idea what Maryland might have going on. If WMATA held a summit with all these operations, they might very well find some money to made on the roads – via these ‘new’ bus routes that have been already tested – to help their underground business.

How about the money that’s been put into these operations by Arlington, the Georgetown BID and the Downtown Business Improvement District? Seems like there’s an opportunity here. And I still think, despite a few accidents and scandals, that WMATA bus drivers are the best bus drivers in the area.

It has been nice to have a clean, safe subway to be proud of. Wouldn’t it be nice to keep it that way? I think it’s worth a little raise in rates, and I’d love to see WMATA take over the ART route I need to get me all the way home.

More details and opinions on the mess that is my daily ride to and fro:

• The Washington Post – Metro to cut official who oversaw safety: FARE INCREASES ALSO PROPOSED – Agency seeks to close $175 million budget gap
• Unsuck DC Metro – Metro Has a Sad
• Prince of Petworth – Friday Question of the Day – Do You Support a Commuter Tax for DC?

I have always considered myself against killing anyone on purpose. That is for the movies. But tomorrow, the man convicted of being the DC sniper — the mastermind of over 20 shootings of random innocent people — is scheduled to be put to death.

About a year ago, I went to the Newseum because I heard they had a great new exhibit on “G-Men and Journalists: Top News Stories of the FBI’s First Century.” I expected Patty Hearst and even the Unabomber’s cabin. But when I saw that they had included a life-size model of the DC sniper’s car trunk, from which Muhammad and Malvo shot people, I felt weak in the knees.

I recently talked with a friend about living through the days of the sniper shootings (Sept. – Oct. 2002). We recalled the fear we all experienced as the this murderer, with his accomplice, shot innocent people as they pumped gas, vacuumed their car, went shopping and did other daily tasks. We hid behind gas pumps and looked out for white box trucks. We walked in erratic patterns as we moved from stores to our cars in the hope that we might make hard targets.

I live near and shop at the Home Depot where a woman was killed in 2002 as part of this horrible killing spree. I went there this weekend, and the place was teeming with people. For that I am grateful.

We are healing.

The younger of the two men, Malvo,  involved in these shootings is serving a life sentence without chance for parole.

I don’t know if putting this man to death will help any of the victim’s families heal. My sincere condolences to all of you. I would have a hard time throwing the switch. But I would also have a hard time stopping it.