Ready For The Weekend

It's been a week of ups and downs. A definite up was Monday and a visit to Potomac, MD., to Congressional Country Club for the launch of the Quicken Loans National golf tournament, aka the "Tiger Woods tournament." Got to watch some golfers get acquainted with the course and also attend a motivational luncheon for businesswomen. 

The next day I got a tip and an exclusive about Donald Rumsfeld putting his Kalorama house on the market for $4.5 million. It's fun when that happens (the tip, not Rummy). Upshot: certified Rumsfeld started following me on Twitter. 

Another big writing moment was putting the story online about the German Embassy's plan to host a soccer viewing party at Dupont Circle. The party turned out to be a big draw, though not a happy result for U.S. soccer fans. 

The Dupont Circle party, btw, was no place for crowd phobics and I'm a crowd phobic. Nonetheless shot the requisite selfie, though don't feel it fully displays my discomfort.

Then there was a party for the Washington Kastles. Their annual tournament begins on July 9 at a new temporary venue, the Smith Center at George Washington University. The party was at a crowded and warm Eno Wine Bar at the Four Seasons Hotel. I had a nice pinot gris and a friendly chat with my friend (and team owner) Mark Ein. If you haven't yet watched Mark's appearance on The Q&A Cafe, it's recommended. Mark is at Wimbledon until his tourney begins.

At the very beginning of the week I learned how to decorate cookies at the home of my friend Larry Calvert, who teaches cookie decorating on a regular basis. I'll have more about that in the next issue of Washingtonian. I decorated six cookies and got a passing grade. My son ate all of them. He gave me an A+.

There was also a nice night out at the Library of Congresss, drinks at Rose's Luxury, and dinners in our garden. All of which combined to make it easier for me to accept/ignore some of the more vitriolic reactions to my coverage of Little Washington, Virginia's upset over development. Here's one from a resident out there who gave her professional affiliation as Time Magazine. "Carol, now that you have abused your membership on rappnet to get your juicy quotes, violated Ben's trust and exhibited execrable journalistic ethics I would think it was time you unsubscribed and left us alone." Sigh. Time's attitude toward journalism has changed a lot since I worked there as a writer in the New York Bureau. 

In sum: TGIF. I'm ready for the weekend.