Kel's Birthday

Just wanted to thank our fans for helping to make my first birthday as a married woman a smashing success. I spent the day doing what I do best: consuming.

First stop was Old Town Alexandria where I embarked on some fall shopping with Friend-of-Kelly Lauren Davis. We then got back together for dinner after going home to our respective hubbies. We noshed on hummus, wine and sour cherry martinis at our place before heading out to Tallula, one of the best little eateries in the area, particularly notable for its Amuse Yourself menu of cocktail nibblers such as a chorizo sausage corn dog or baby burger with truffle butter.

Anyone who has had drinks with me knows that as the martinis go down, my speaking volume goes up. I’m sure the diners who surrounded us can attest we were having fun. Last year, it was a visit from the cops at 2 a.m. This year, we were shushed by Tallula management. I guess we know how to celebrate. Thanks Chris, Lauren and Jake for helping to make another great birthday memory.

And last night, I got to celebrate again with my mother-in-law Kathy and brother-in-law Andy, so that rounded out the weekend nicely. But having my parents and sister there as well would have made it complete. My mom threw out her back, so maybe next year!! I love and miss you guys.

Also, before I forget, happy birthday to Lovely Linda, with the lovely flowers in her hair...

Now, it’s time to get ready for the holidays… Yes, I said holidays.

Ruby Vino signing off.

A San Francisco Treat

Just got back from the city by the Bay. What a great American city. The people and culture are very different compared to any east coast metropolis. From my limited experience in SF it seems like people take more time for themselves and are more active outdoors. This lifestyle is made possible by the limitless recreational options in and outside the city. Just cross the Golden Gate and you're in Marin County, and on some of the best hiking and biking trails (and roads) in the world. Wine country is about an hour or so away and the public transportation is widely available and used.

Which brings me to my review of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). DC's Metro was modeled after the BART system and therefore has many similarities. Both Metro and BART are very different systems than those found in NY, Boston, and Chicago. For one thing, they're not as dated, but to their disadvantage they don't have nearly as many miles of rail or stations. Also, they are more expensive to build per mile (Metro costs $1 billion/mile). That said, Metro takes the cake when it comes to station design and cleanliness. The BART wasn't as dirty as NY or Boston but didn't have that sterile feel you get on Metro. The seats, rather than being molded plastic and rubber, were the material of airplane seats (cloth), and therefore stain easily. It is also a bit more expensive. It cost $4.95 to get from SFO to Embarcadero Center, far higher than any fare on the Metro.

The only night I actually made it out of the hotel for dinner we went to a little place in North Beach called l'Ideal. North Beach is wall to wall Italian restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops. Joe Dimaggio is from North Beach and you can still hear men speaking in Italian on the streets and in the restaurants. The meal was authentic and the wine plentiful.

Kel's Friday Editorial

Hello fans,

Mom, Dad, Kathy--this means you.

On this wonderfully muggy Friday morning in D.C., I'd first like to send a cyber kiss and hug to my husband of nearly two months, who's been out in San Francisco since last Sunday. Marley and I can't wait for you to get back.

Now on to the news. I lead with the following story. Am I reading this right?

AP reports: a 73-year-old diabetic grandmother and church elder who fled Katrina's floodwaters for the safety of a hotel ended up in prison instead for more than two weeks — all over a bite of food.

Police in this New Orleans suburb arrested Merlene Maten the day after the hurricane on charges she took $63.50 in goods from a looted deli. Though never before in trouble with the law, her bail was set at a stiff $50,000 and she was shipped away to a state penitentiary.

Family and eyewitnesses insist Maten's prison odyssey was unwarranted, claiming she only had gone to her car to get some sausage to eat when officers cuffed her in frustration, unable to catch younger looters at a nearby store.

Prison officials planned to release Maten by this weekend. She must still face the looting charge at a court hearing in October. But the family, armed with several witnesses, intends to prove she was wrongly arrested outside the hotel.

Christine Bishop, the owner of the Check In Check Out deli, said that she was angry that looters had damaged her store, but that she would not want anyone charged with a crime if the person had simply tried to get food to survive. "Especially not a 70-year-old woman," Bishop said.

For anyone who thought my previous diatribe on the hurricane aftermath was a bit cynical, please reread the above news brief, for this is exactly the sort of power trip to which I was referring. And then reread about the ridiculous bond of $50,000. If she was stealing food, it was because she and her family had lost everything and were hungry, so scrounging up that bail was going to be tough. Thank goodness the judge that ordered her release was more sensible.
It bothers me that the term "looting" was used to describe the actions of desperate people who were trying to survive after having been deprived of food, water and hygiene for days. "Looting" is what I witnessed as a teenager watching the riots in L.A. after the O.J. verdict, and the word carries with it negative connotations. It is stealing for the sake of stealing, and taking advantage of a situation so chaotic that cops are rendered helpless. While elements of the aforementioned statement ring true for Katrina, there is one glaring distinction these cops clearly missed: New Orleans "looters" were stealing food to survive; to nourish children or elderly parents or grandparents who may have been struggling in the heat and toxic atmosphere. How on earth could a policeman handcuff a grandmother and take her away in the midst of what was going on around them? It's just like the stolen Taurus of which I wrote in the City of New Orleans entry. I've read other stories like this, and it saddens me that the cops couldn't be more humanitarian to these poor souls, and trade the power trip for helping hands--even if just for a day.

On to other news: Kenny Chesney and Renee Zellweger split up? Quelle surprise. The actress who always looks as if she's been sucking on lemons and the goofy country star who's been stalking her since Jerry Maguire didn't make it? I think I'm in the wrong business, as my prescient cynicism had this marriage pegged as a sham from day one. Why, you ask? Two reasons. First, in the one released photo from the ceremony, she doesn't look how I felt on my wedding day; and that's how you have to feel if it's going to last. Two, it is *no coincidence* that Renee's Cinderella Man opened to critical acclaim but tepid ticket sales right around that time.

And Britney named the baby Sean Preston? Damn, I was so excited about the reports of his name being London.

I'd also like to send a shout out to my buddy Lauren Davis, who turned me on to Woody Allen this week. Annie Hall was one of the smartest, funniest movies I've seen in a while, but that is no revelation to movie buffs. I never realized how much a lily-white girl from Virginia Beach could have in common with a neurotic, paranoid (read: perceptive) Jew. LED, I'm saving that Coppola wine for Sleeper!

The unbearably wonderful Kelly Brooks signing off.

Help Pets Hurt by Hurricane Katrina

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Welcome to the Dawning of a New (Vick) Era

"He ran like a Vick. On a couple occasions he threw like a Vick. Most importantly, he won like a Vick."

The Hokies made me nervous last night. Coming out of the blocks they looked a bit sluggish but NC State let them stay in the game with stupid penalities. 13-10 State at the half had me feeling alright considering the team stats were so lopsided in favor of State.

The difference between this Tech team compared to teams in the past is their ability to make adjustments at the half. They came out with a different game plan, one that involved Marcus Vick doing what Vick's do best, running the ball. While 31 total yards on the ground may not be comparable to the numbers his brother used to put up, they came at crucial moments. And the touch this kid can put on the ball through the air is an ingredient Mike still struggles with. As Pat Forde wrote:

Tech's defense showed why they were the number 1 defense in the nation a year ago during the second half as well. They really got to the QB and delivered bone jarring hits that lead to incomplete passes, fumbles, and if it weren't for a botched instant replay call, a touchdown. Special teams did get fooled with a fake punt that was brought all the way to the Tech 25 but the defense held State to a field goal. As a matter of fact, the Tech D didn't allow State into the end zone after the first drive of the game.

Pat Forde of ESPN.com said it best with the following statement: "Virginia Tech relied on an old family recipe to win a ferociously contested football game Sunday night: a dollop of defense, a sprinkling of special teams and a dash of Vick."

City of New Orleans

Good Mornin', America, how are ya? It's certainly hard to complain about anything right now after watching in horror as the situation in N.O. continues to deteriorate. I dreamt about the flooding last night, or rather visions of what I had seen on the news before bed haunted me in my sleep; and I woke up confident that the worst was over. For how could the images I've seen splashed across the national media not initialize *immediate* relief of hunger, thirst and the acrid, unsanitary squalor at the conference center and Superdome, which has become more like Thunderdome.

The looting is not what needs to be targeted right now. Food and water are necessities. Period. And people are not going to watch their families starve if they can help it in the least. Regarding electronics? Let em take em! They won't get very far with a television anyway, and stores are covered for insurance and such. The salvaging of material goods is at the bottom of the heirarchy of needs here. Violence of course needs to be dealt with but with the understanding that these are mostly good people trapped in a horrendous situation. Some bloggers out there are writing that they don't "deserve" our help. But those out there raping, murdering or shooting at others are a small handful and were already the dregs of New Orleans. To attribute the acts of a minority to the tragic majority is an excuse to either look the other way or use excessive force. I can't figure out which. The priority seems to have shifted from the rescue of suffering Americans to "restoring order" and "taking back the streets." This isn't just some demonstration or concert that has gotten out of hand, and it's not the time for the police or National Guard to flex its muscle, and drive around the "camps" with large guns and no food or water. Most of the violence that has erupted is a direct consequence of the suffering. People are hungry, dirty, thirsty, scared and desperate. Why do I see footage of National Guard trucks driving by these people very quickly? Where are they going? Why don't they have people in their trucks taking them to wherever they're going? *All* energies, *all* resources, *all* manpower should be focused on getting nourishment and medical care to the people *living* at these awful camps.

I saw on the news last night a cop arresting a family for stealing a car. How dare they? Does the power trip never end with this bunch? These people are trying to LIVE. They are not taking some abandoned Taurus to go joyriding. They are trying to escape N.O. alive! These cops handcuffed both crying parents, and then I saw another cop holding the children. They'll probably be separated from them. To protect and to serve, right?

I've been reading about refugees, as you can officially call them, arriving at the Houston Astrodome after a 12-hour bus ride to find that the Astrodome is too full to accept them, even though most of them have family inside who took earlier trips. So they're going to shuttle them somewhere else. Another sports arena. And to make matters worse, they SEARCHED these people upon entering the Astrodome, when they should have had food and bottles of water for them at the door! I see that they are ultimately looking for guns, but it just seems both ironic and insulting to search and evaluate personal possessions after what these folks have lost.

I realize the vast resources it would take to "free" these people, but a disaster on our own soil should be what our money and any reserves are for! You always hear of these billion-dollar relief efforts--this situation certainly calls for that. But I get the feeling that once America saw exactly who they were being asked to help, it didn't seem so urgent. Other disasters I see on tv, such as the tsunami, show relief coming quickly, around the clock and in droves. The media isn't helping by portraying the situation as "anarchic" and making the people out to be thugs, when it's actually only a small percentage of people who are losing it. And can you blame them? They had nothing before. Now they are in the negative.