Layla Restaurant in Old Town (Restaurant Review)

There's a new Lebanese restaurant in Old Town Alexandria called Layla. It's right next to The Majestic. We met friends there last night and I was impressed with it. Seems like overnight, it took the place of a lovely Vietnamese restaurant, Non La. Let's hope Layla fares better in this very competitive area.

Here's my review on a 30 point scaling...

The ambiance hasn't changed much since it was Non La--the restaurant is small and simple. They've added a few photographs of Lebanon and a hooka and such. Not unpleasant just nothing fabulous. Ambiance: 18.

Service was good without being obtrusive. We were seated by the kitchen but that's better than being seated by the bathroom. Did I mention it's a small place? :) Our waitress kept our pita basket well stocked and our glasses full and she was knowledgeable. Service: 25.

Veg options: Plenty. Although we are not completely vegetarian anymore (we've been eating fish/seafood for the last month or so--but that's another story), there are plenty of yummy options for vegetarians. We ordered an apetizer tray to share and everything on it (hummus, baba ghanoush, tabouli, falafel, stuffed grape leaves, spinach pie) was wonderful and well presented. Certainly plenty more veg options on the menu. Veg options: 27.

Food: Everything we had was delicious and well presented: 27.

Cost: Very reasonable. Hubby and I each had two drinks, our 1/2 of the appetizer tray, an entree each, and hubby had a Lebanese coffee (thick as tar and kept him awake all night so beware this is the real McCoy!) and it cost us only $30. That's almost unheard of in Old Town. Cost: 28.

Overall: A very nice experience! Overall average: 25.

JoeBob says "Check it out!" and let's give Layla a chance to make it!

You, Me & Dupree (Movie Review)

In keeping with the slacker theme from the last movie we saw, we rented "You, Me & Dupree" Friday. Owen Wilson is Dupree, the well-intentioned screw-up best friend/best man who has no place to go and winds up living with newlyweds Kate Hudson and Matt Dillon. Throw Michael Douglas into the mix as Kate's father who hates her new groom and you've got the movie. Seems to me this could have been better than it was with this much talent and a solid premise. It was just all right at best. Worth the $3.99 pay per view total cost for the two of us but not more. At turns we're led to believe that Dupree is an inconsiderate idiot and also the only one who gets what life is about. I opt for the first interpretation. I guess the one thing I'm glad of is that Matt Dillon is still out there and getting leading roles in films. I give this 1 & 1/2 jujubees out of 4.

Clerks II (Movie Review)

Saw "Clerks II" last night and I have to say I enjoyed it even more than Clerks.

This is the sixth film in Kevin Smith's intricately interconnected View Askewniverse series (the others being Clerks. (1994), Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999) and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)). The movies are all linked by characters, themes and events and each contains numerous references to the others.

The ending is easily predictable but the plot wasn't really the reason to watch the film. I laughed a lot at the well-written, well-timed dialogue, but, hey, any movie that uses the expression "ass to mouth", as in "you never go ass to mouth!", 16 times is a special one. It has the usual bunch of whack job slackers, including Jay and Silent Bob, of course, and lots and lots of details in the background and on t-shirts that add to the hilarity. Kevin Smith does a wonderful job writing, directing and playing Silent Bob, but the stars are really Brian O'Halloran (Dante), Jeff Anderson (Randal) and Rosario Dawson (Becky). Lots of cameos, too--especially enjoyable was Wanda Sykes.

Is Clerks II vulgar and juvenile? Absolutely. It's still VERY, VERY funny. I totally don't get that Clerks II is the first movie that Joel Siegel walked out on in 30 years. Come on!

And to top it all off, check this:

Kevin Smith auctioned off a walk on role on the film for funds to go to the Red Cross for aid to Hurricane Katrina victims. The final bid was $16,000 which Smith matched to give to the Red Cross.

So that's very cool.

I give it a solid 4 (of 4) Jujubees for being exactly what it promises to be--a good natured slacker romp.

S.F. group enjoys shopping sabbatical

From Yahoo News...

S.F. group enjoys shopping sabbatical
By LISA LEFF, Associated Press
Wed Jan 3, 4:12 AM ET
SAN FRANCISCO - It began, as grand ideas often do, over a dinner — risotto, artisan cheese and wine. What would it be like, 10 environmentally conscious friends wondered as they discussed the state of the planet, to go a year without buying anything new?
Twelve months later, the results from their experiment in anti-consumption for 2006 are in: Staying 100
percent true to the goal proved both harder and easier than those who signed on expected. And while broken vacuum cleaners and malfunctioning cell phones posed challenges, some of the group's original members say the self-imposed shopping sabbatical was so liberating that they've resolved to do it for another year.
"It started in a lighthearted way, but it is very serious," said John Perry, 42, a father of two who works for a Silicon Valley technology company. "It is about being aware of the excesses of consumer culture and the fact we are drawing down our resources and making people miserable around the world."
The pledge they half-jokingly named The Compact, after the Mayflower pilgrims, spread to other cities through the Internet and an appearance on the "Today" show.
As it turned out, The Compact was modest as far as economic boycotts go. Several cities in the United States and Europe have communities of "freegans," people whose contempt for consumerism is so complete they eat food foraged from Dumpsters whenever possible, train hop and sleep in abandoned buildings on principle.
The San Francisco group, by contrast, exempted food, essential toiletries like toothpaste and shampoo, underwear and other purchases that fell under the categories of health and safety from their pledge.
But perhaps because its members included middle-class professionals who could afford to shop recreationally, their cause caught on. Nearly 3,000 people have joined a user group Perry set up on Yahoo so participants could swap goods and tips.
Besides thrift stores and garage sales, participants found a wealth of free or previously owned merchandise in online classifieds and sites where people post stuff they want to get rid of, such as http://www.freecycle.org and http://www.garbagescout.com.
After going through an initial period of retail withdrawal, discovering just how easy it was to score pretty much anything with a little time and effort was an eye-opener, according to participants.
Rachel Kesel, 26, who works as a dog walker, said she was astonished by how often the items she needed simply materialized — the friend who offered a bicycle seat when hers was stolen, the Apple store employees who fixed her laptop at no cost.
Similarly fortuitous timing happened often enough that group members came up with a name for it — "Compact Karma."
After postponing purchases such as a new wind breaker and a different stud for her pierced tongue — she couldn't bring herself to buy a used one — Kesel broke down only twice.
Once was when she was planning a trip to Israel and couldn't find a used guidebook that reflected current political realities. The other was after her commuter coffee cup suffered a fatal crack.
"I really found a lot of times there were things I thought I needed that I don't need that much," she said.
The pledge provided unexpected dividends as well, such as the joy of getting reacquainted with the local library and paying down credit cards. Gone, too, was the hangover of buyer's remorse.
Perry got satisfaction out of finding he had a knack for fixing things and how often manufacturers were willing to send replacement parts and manuals for products that had long since outlived their warranties.
"One of the byproducts of The Compact has been I have a completely different relationship with the things in my life. I appreciate the stuff I have more," he said. "I don't think I need to buy another pair of shoes until I'm entering Leisure World."
Over the holidays, Compact members gave homemade gifts or charitable donations in a recipients name instead of engaging in the usual Grinch-making shopping crush. Kate Boyd, 45, a set designer and high school drama teacher, visited a new downtown shopping mall and felt like she had just stepped off a flying saucer.
"It was all stuff that had nothing to do with me, yet for so many people that's how they spend their weekends," she said. "It's entertainment and it is the opposite of where I've been for a year."
Now that they know they can do it, Boyd, Kesel and Perry are ready to extend the pledge into 2007. But first, they plan to give themselves a one-day reprieve to stock up on essentials — windshield wipers,
bicycle brakes and tongue studs.
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Yeah, he'll watch it but not on his watch!

"Bush aims to balance budget by 2012"

Why is it that politicians become concerned with budgets only on their way out the door and only in terms of out years?!

Money. It's a funny thing.

Speaking of which... We have an issue with our house being in need of a significant repair. We got two estimates.

Company 1 wants to take 6 months, cost somewhere in the rather large ballpark of 20-70k, and they can start in February.

Company 2 wants to take 1 week, cost 5K, and they can start immediately.

Company 1, although artfully avoiding answering questions in a direct manner, assured me they were the way to go because they provided peace of mind.

Um... yeah... right.

Hmmm... which to choose... which to choose... :)