Good morning, Washington. Well, this is it: the holidays are finally, tragically over. You're once again sitting at your desk. And now we begin the slow, terrible death march toward spring, with only brief, inadequate celebrations of Presidents' and MLK Day to sustain us. Stay strong, D.C. — we'll get through this. Can You Hear Me Now? Hello? Hello?: The ball dropped, the phones came out and... nothing. "Y2K8 Bug" doesn't sound very catchy,......

>> Clinton Portis' performance in last week's game against the Vikings got him the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. [Washington Redskins Official Site] >> Pepto Bismal threw up inside the Carville-Matalin home. [DC Metrocentric] >> Hosiery Warehouse finally gets the Cease and Desist order handed down as developers prepare to make way for condos. [City Paper] >> The Hirshhorn Museum's Chief Curator Kerry Brougher has been appointed acting Director until a permanent......

>> Starting in January, the so-called Humpback Bridge on the George Washington Parkway will be revamped to be hump free and more pedestrian friendly. [WTOP] >> Mayor Fenty's administration tripled the number of employees making $175,000 or more from this time last year. Five of those employees, including the mayor himself, make over $200,000. [Examiner] >> Last night's fatal shooting of a man in the Barnaby Terrace neighborhood brings D.C.'s 2007 homicide total for......

Happy Thanksgiving, Washington. The streets are quiet this morning in the capital; one cab driver remarked to this writer that it was his favorite day to drive in the city -- no traffic, no tourists, and everyone he picks up tends to be cheery and a big tipper. The forecast in D.C. today is calling for an unseasonably warm high of 72 degrees, with a solid chance of afternoon showers and gastrointestinal distress. What's the......

Countdown to Westend Bistro It's almost here. The opening that all the foodies in town have been waiting for. The one that all the critics are getting more than a little excited about. The chef that makes all the ladies swoon with his French accent. Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert at the Ritz-Carlton on Thursday, November 8. Menus have been posted to their web site leaving many, including Don Rockwell posters, mystified. Rather than......

This is what every evening should look like, sitting somewhere outside and peering up at the sky. Flickr user Oblivious Dude took this from the roofdeck of Perry's last week, and commenter ~johnny~ makes a good observation, that the high cirrus clouds make it look almost like you're looking down onto the Earth, not the other way around. EXIF.......

>> "The Smithsonian Institution today replaced Gary M. Beer as chief executive of the museum complex's embattled business unit after an inspector general's report found that he had abused his institution-issued credit card and billed $95,000 in expenditures that were unauthorized or lacked evidence of a business purpose." [WaPo] >> Video of Marion Barry getting measured for his wax statue at the new Madame Tussauds wax museum. [Reliable Source] >> Some Orange Red line......

Flickr user Oblivious Dude turns Maryland's Homestead Farm into a scene out of an otherworldly western prairie. The high contrast black & white bleaches the ground into dusty looking scrub, while the wide angle distorts reality just enough to throw the viewer off balance. We also love the complementary diagonals of the light spilling from the clouds and the shadow of the building. The empty discarded box in the foreground completes the high lonesome......

I don't know about you folks, but this writer is getting the heck out of dodge to spend a nice 90 degree day on the sandy shores tomorrow. Even if you're not interested in putting a suit on, a short drive over to the Bay holds a wealth of treasures in the form of delicious, fresh crustaceans and frothy beer waiting for you. Flickr user Oblivious Dude took this shot of a perfectly relaxing......

Say hello to your old friend labor, D.C.-- not that these hearty climbers didn't work hard to scale a rock and capture an oddly captivating shot. Whether you spent the holiday laboring to keep sand out of your bathing suit on the beach or perfectly timing bathroom breaks during a Law and Order marathon at home, we hope you had a nice break. To kick off the roundup with some happy news news, it......

Admit it, you were kinda disappointed the first time you saw the Statue of Liberty and realized just how...small it is. We like how Flickr user Oblivious Dude used his soft focus and angle to give ol' Abe here the massiveness he deserves.......

A facial expression can say everything -- right? Well in this case, couple that with a dramatic point, and you have a complete story. We are sure it's something benign, but we'd like to think this photo is capturing a climatic moment in an international espionage mission in Georgetown over the weekend. Feel free to leave in the comments your interpretation of what was going on here. Photo taken by double agent Oblivious Dude.......

>> Some folks over at Metroblogging DC have taken up the 'This City Doth Protest Too Much' banner. Is D.C. really numb to the plethora of protests happening year round, or is it still important for activists to take their message to the streets? >> A reminder that police are still looking for a green SUV with Maryland plates in the hit-and-run death of six-year-old Crysta Spencer on April 23. [stop, blog, and roll]......

We noticed new contributor Oblivious Dude popping up in our photo pool with some amazing shots. This take on the Building Museum at sunset is especially nice, but take a minute to browse through his photostream and you'll see this is a guy who really knows how to capture colors. Want to contribute to our photo pool? If you don't have a Flickr account, sign up for free, add yourself to our DCist Photo......