Joe Flood

Month: December 2008

  • Friday Photo: F Street Holiday Market

    holiday pennant

    DC has its very own holiday market, December 5-23, on F Street, outside the National Portrait Gallery.

  • One Writer's Day

    my work environment
    My work environment.

    Now that I’m not working in an office, people are curious about what I do all day. I told a friend of mine that I was taking a couple of weeks off to go down to Florida. “Take off from what?” he retorted smartly.

    But the truth of the matter is that I am busy. I’m writing a mystery called Murder in Ocean Hall.

    The other question I get is, “What tools are you using?” There’s almost a fetishization of writing tools out there, as if creativity was a matter of getting the right notebook or pen set. Or, if you’re a geek, getting the right piece of software, one that will magically draw out your work of genius and put it on the page.

    While I’ve certainly been guilty of this in the past, I’ve been tending toward simpler and simpler tools. And, with my time, I’ve really discovered the value of something I once despised – routine. Routine is like a healthy habit, one you can’t put down. (more…)

  • Friday Photo: Espresso and Chocolate

    espresso and chocolate

    I snapped this pic at Co Co Sala, a high-end chocolate store on F Street near the National Portrait Gallery featuring tiny (but delicious) pieces of black gold. On the right side of the plate is a little piece of mint chocolate. On the left, the waitress gave me a free sample of chipotle chocolate, which had a spicy kick to it. I paired them with a double espresso. For $6, this is affordable luxury. 

  • The New DC Art Scene is Open to All

    skateboarder at fight club 
    Preparing to take off. A skateboarder at the Fixation Show.

    Has the DC art scene really left the underground and emerged into the light of day? That was the premise of an article in Sunday’s Washington Post. According to the piece:

    Washington has a vibrant, under-the-radar art party scene that has long been visible only to those in the know. 

    While I’m no porkpie hat wearing hipster, I’ve lived in this city for a while, and am friends with artists and arts organizers. In other words, I’m “in the know” and I don’t believe that there was a vibrant art party scene that was only available to the initiated. (more…)