Transformers 3 in DC

Sorry this post is quite belated. In early October, Michael Bay and the Autobots descended upon Washington DC and Virginia to film the next installment of Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon. Upon hearing that Shia LeBeouf was in town, I made sure to plan my trek to see the filming. I'm always in awe of movie production when it comes to DC. It's pretty fascinating so see all the trailers, lights, crew, etc.

On Columbus Day, we headed down to DAR Constitution Hall. I got a 'tip' that filming was going to be around that area in the morning. Sure enough, we spotted Shia LeBeouf filming what looked like a 'White House' scene for the film. I talked to a couple really nice guys on the production crew, and they stated that the Producers tried to get permission to film at the actual White House, and they were totally shot down. I can't blame them - Obama has better things to do that schmooze with Hollywood. In any case, we stayed for a little while, with the other small group of gawkers, and shot these pics. Thanks to Metromix DC, I submitted these photos for their site, and received some cash for my first amateur paparazzi gig. Pretty sweet. I could totally do this full time!

(P.S., Rest in piece to Autobot Bumblebee who was hit by an actual on-duty police car on Capital Hill that day. Although, I'm positive Mr. Bay has plenty of Camero's on hand for this sort of thing. I image he's blown up a couple Autobots already....)

What Kind of Geek Are You?

This week, I found this nifty flowchart from Flowtown. The chart gives a great explanation of the 'evolution' of the term 'geek', and it details all the various types of 'geeks' there are. I must say, I encompass a few of these. I'm a part music/film/comic book/otaku/pop culture and design geek. I must say, I do not fully understand the Star Wars and Star Trek geeks out there, nor the Dungeons and Dragons geek - but who am I to judge. We're all just dorks in the end.

(click for larger image)

Moroccan Lentil Soup

Once the weather starts to get colder, for some reason my body craves 'soup'. A hearty soup is the best on a cold, rainy day. One of my favorites is the lentil soup noted below. I originally copied this recipe from 'AllRecipes.com', but I modified it a bit. And istead of doing this soup on the stovetop, I use my trusty crock pot. Enjoy! This is definitely a staple in our house during the fall/winter.

1 chopped onion
Beef cubes
Salt (to taste) – just a pinch
Paprika – use judgement
Cinnamon – just a pinch
Nutmeg – just a pinch
Red Pepper flakes – just a pinch
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon ginger
4 cups beef broth (Swanson – low sodium)
2 cups water
1 cup red lentils (or brown)
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained (these are also chickpeas)
1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans (or white kidney beans)
1 (14.5) can diced tomatoes (drain some of the juice)
½ cup diced carrots (about 15 baby carrots)
½ cup chopped celery (about 4 stalks)
1 teaspoon garam masala
1½ teaspoons ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (not necessary if we don’t have any though)
½ teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:
Put all ingredients in Crock Pot. Simmer for 6-8 hours on low.