Podcast #19

All the world’s a stage and something something. I don’t remember much of my English literature classes on Shakespeare except for my kindly old grandma of a teacher who hated confrontation, and would whisper the platitude “perceptive insight” in response to whatever thoughts you had about the Bard’s works no…

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Podcast #18

On Tuesday I uploaded a podcast of my interview with Mike Wilkinson and Alicia Wilkinson-Mehr, co-owners of Pete’s Apizza in Washington, DC. [display_podcast] Earlier this week I called Mike for a quick chat to find out how Pete’s has developed in the roughly two years since the interview.

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A Taste Of India

Last night my friends and I had dinner at Capitol Hill Tandoor & Grill, a restaurant in DC’s Eastern Market neighborhood. The venue’s website offered “the exotic tastes of India,” a promise that I approached with a cautiously arched eyebrow because my bland taste buds usually mean that spicy Indian food…

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Podcast #17

In May 2009 I had lunch with Mike Wilkinson and Alicia Wilkinson-Mehr, owners of the DC-based pizzeria Pete’s Apizza. Why am I only now getting round to putting up a podcast of the interview? Good question. [display_podcast] Let me evade your inquiries, random website visitor, and instead urge you to…

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Zesty Sunday

Had brunch today at Zest, a new restaurant in DC’s Eastern Market neighborhood. In terms of appearance, it’s a very peppy (zesty, perhaps?) place, with plenty of natural light and an upbeat soundtrack of pop tunes playing at a respectable level in the background. But that’s about as far as…

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Podcast #16

Every Friday after I upload a podcast interview I’ve been following up with a briefer Where Are They Now? update in which I call the interviewee to find out what they’ve been up to since they sat down to a meal with me. Until now. [display_podcast] Slight problem getting an…

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Podcast #15

New York, New York, it’s a hell of a town. [display_podcast] So thinks Gretchen Auer. My eighth interviewee, Gretchen was born in a small town in Ohio and for years longed to move to Manhattan. As I found out when we sat down to brunch in New York back in…

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Interview 34: Man On Wire

Today’s interview is with Florida-based funambulist Will Soto. Will has lived in Key West for 30 years. Five nights a week he heads down to the Mallory Square pier to perform a show for tourists that involves juggling, jokes and finale of tightrope walking without any safety nets below. Click…

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Interview 33: Dancing With Myself

I had to put on my dancing shoes for my 33rd dinner interview with a stranger. Problem with that plan is that I have two left feet. Nevertheless Julia Kulakova took pity on me as she gave me a crash-course in learning the art of gypsy dance at her weekly…

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