play Trayf @ Theater J

I camped in theater J for two hours yesterday late afternoon to see this play Trayf: a buddy comedy about a pair of Jews driving their Mitzvah Tank through the streets of New York City to recruit other Jewish souls to join their congregation. What touched me most was their deep friendship and cultural/family values.

Geographical Indications (GI) for Food Symposium

I was in DC the whole day for the Geographical Indications (GI) for Food Symposium: Exploring Local Origin, Community Development and Intellectual Property Rights. This was the first time I visited this private club. GIs cost money to market but good for long term local development. USPTO posts Q&A at https://www.uspto.gov/…/geogr…/geographical-indications-faqs

Iftar: dinner after Ramadan @ Tysons Corner

I attended my first Iftar: dinner after Ramadan fasting hosted by a title company in an apartment party room @ Tysons Corner. Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (Sawm) to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief. I participated the dinner after other people fasting, but I did not fast. To my surprise, the dinner started with an odd number of dates. I also tried the delicious Soup Jo (Cream of Barley Soup).

This reminds me that I accidentally ran into the day of Ashura in Iran back in 2013, which is a major religious commemoration of the martyrdom at Karbala of Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. It is marked by Muslims with a voluntary day of fasting. I did not fast, but well fed by my couch-surfing host family in Shriaz, Iran, while three-day of closing all shops and public facilities were not in my trip plan.

Botticelli in the Fire

I went in DC to watch a play: Botticelli in the Fire. Sandro Botticelli painted The Birth of Venus in Florence while having young apprentice, Leonardo Da Vinci as a lover? Well, an alternative truth offered by the playwrite, plus full female nudity on the stage surely stirred conversation among surprised audience and their friends in the city.

Memorial Day Cookout

I Attended a Memorial Day Cookout in Arlington in a crispy clear and cool afternoon. Some people played Croquet, Bocce, and Frisbee. Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States for remembering the people who died while serving in the military. The park has a dog playground, and I saw this interesting dog balloon.

Wolf Trap 2018 summer season fireworks & concert

I listened to United States Marine Band, before Wolf Trap 2018 summer season fireworks @ 9:45 pm which synchronized with music features in a series of summer concerts at Wolftrap. Never seen parking lot so few cars for this popular event. I am glad that I risked the thunderstorm forecast to come and enjoyed a cool wonderful evening under the fireworks.Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, is a performing arts center located on 117 acres of national park land in Fairfax, Virginia in the greater DC area.

17-mile hike in SNP with two water holes

I hiked 17 miles (27km) with 3850 feet (1170 meters) elevation gain in the Shenandoah National Park (uphill White Oak Canyon, the highest point in SNP: Hawksbill at 4,049 feet, and downhill Cedar Run Trail) on Saturday. The weather was mostly cloudy, and with two downpour rains.  4 hikers (not me) dived in one water hole close to the beginning of the hike, and then they slide into a 55f (13c) water hole close to the end of the hike. There were still a lot of water accumulated from several days of rain, and created two stream-crossings that required me to use booties. We had lunch at Skyland Lodge and enjoyed the views, comfortable tables/chairs, and facilities. One female hiker intended to take 7:30 am 10-mile hike yet joined our 7:00 am hike at the same carpool location by mistake, so she bailed out at an earlier point.

Surgical Robot Night

I attended a Surgical Robot Night hosted by Reston Hospital Center, met skilled surgeons trained on and demo various surgical robots, and I even operated the amazing da Vinci Surgical System for 10 minutes! This system is most commonly used for hysterectomies and prostate removals, and cost US$2 million, in addition to several hundred thousand dollars of annual maintenance fees.