left brain: A Journey Into a Capitol

Which Restaurants I Love

NYC
* Per Se * Pastis * Schillers Liquor Bar * Casa Mono * Babbo * Del Posto * WD50 * Tabla * Morimoto * Buddhakan * Gotham Grill * Vynl * The Spotted Pig * Bouchon Bakery * Tia Pol * Artisinal * Cubano Cafe * db Bistro Modern * Saul * Quality Meats * Jewel Bako * Bar Americaine * Isabella's * Bamboo 52 * Bouley Bakery * Public * Bouley * Boquiera * Blue Ribbon Sushi *

What I've Watched

At the Cinema:
Constant Gardener * Junebug * Green Street Hooligans * Capote * Hellbent * Jarhead * Harry Potter and the Goblet * The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe * Brokeback Mountain * Munich * Syriana * The New World * Spirit of the Beehive * Failure to Launch * Tsotsi * V for Vendetta * Thank You For Smoking * United 93 * The DaVinci Code * XMen III * Russian Dolls * Favela Rising * Nacho Libre * Superman * Devil Wears Prada ** Time to Leave * Little Miss Sunshine * Miami Vice * Quinceanera * Half Nelson * Another Gay Movie * Poster Boy * Le Petit Lieutenant * Man Push Cart * Science of Sleep * A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints * The Queen * Paprika * The Departed * Shortbus * Marie Antoinette * Pan Labyrinth * Babel * The Prestige * Death of a President * Borat * Fast Food Nation * Candy * Volver * Casino Royale * Deja Vu * Stranger than Fiction * Days of Glory * Apocalypto * Curse of the Golden Flower * Children of Men * Miss Potter * Tears of the Black Tiger * Notes on a Scandal * Reno 911 * Zodiac * Last King of Scotland * 300
From Netflix:
Oldboy * Alias * ChungKing Express * Requiem for a Dream * OC Season 2 * Coach Carter * Crash * Sex and Lucia * Lemony Snicket * It's All Gone Pete Tong * Love Actually * Fever Pitch * Interview with a Vampire * The Real Cancun *Lords of Dogtown * Fantastic Four * Criminal * Willy Wonka * Fridaa * Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance * About a Boy * Rebel without a Cause * The Edukators * 3 Dancing Slaves * Dot the I * Royal Tennenbaums * 2046 * March of the Penguins * Into the Blue * Oliver Twist * Beautiful Thing * Memoirs for a Geisha * The War Within * Spun * Young Gods * A Lot Like Love * Inked * Family Stone * Kontroll * Delicatessen * Footballer's Wives * Transamerica * Jesus is Magic * Firewall * King Kong * Hostel * Layer Cake * She's the Man * 5 x 2 * Lost, Season 1, 2 * Brick * Little Manhattan * The Comeback * Veronica Mars * Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World * Before the Fall * Summer Camp * Entourage, Season 1 * Everything is Illuminated * Madame Sata * Weeds * Sympathy for Mrs. Vengeance * Art School Confidential * City of Men, Season 1, 2 * L'Enfant * Stick It * Dorian Blues * Goal * Manhattan * Lower City * Strangers with Candy * Guys and Balls * Tristan & Isolde * Irreversible * CRAZY * I Stand Alone * Three Extremes * Red Dragon * Hard Candy * Running with Scissors * Boixe Maoi * Napolean Dynamite * The Covenant * FlyBoys * Ma Mere * Naked * Sin City * Hukkle *

Arriving in this city for the second time in your life. You run to the great monuments that attest about a once great nation. A nation not afraid of fear itself. A nation with dreams. A nation on its way with destiny.

As the stirring speeches of a brilliant honest forefather grace the walls and speak of a life with these dreams, a life whose dreams you once shared, you feel a connection to these words in some ethereal sense.

And then you pause to witness the world for a second. Much has changed. Fear has set in. Fearing fear is almost at hand.

The fireworks rip you out of the cold sweat you have as you stare up at him, Thomas Jefferson, surrounded by his words and the monumental Corinthian columns encircling him.

The fireworks you thought you heard turn out not to be fireworks at all. No brilliant reds and blues. It us just a black hawk helicopter ushering some militant politician to his meeting. A meeting with those who have forgotten about the world to discuss the shape of the world.

The shape of the world you can clearly see as you drive around the once lush grass of this still great lawn. Corinthian columns and speeches have turned into cement blockades and warning signs. Great men now hide inside checkpoints and through station posts, protected by those willing to protect them from the rooftop and outside the gate. Blazing their weapons to you the viewer. The eagles look much more imposing then before. Sirens wail. Cars fly by. The sight is one to behold. You wonder how long until they start arresting those pushing aside the hands of the brave homeless beggar on K street, a street that signifies power in this country. These blocks of so-called life look like blocks of unknown struggle since the battle isn?t far away at all.

The battle is at hand. Everything is not just being replaced with concrete and steel, everything is being turned inside out. And outside in. Everything looks like an encampment. Everything shows fear. Everyone is scared.

This is the capitol of the world's greatest nation.

This is D.C.