Topsy

Topsy fancies himself a highly cultured kind of penguin (which of course he is). He enjoys exhibitions, performances, lectures and artist talks, and is happy when his week is packed with various art events. Tuesday night he attended a Pink Line Project Salon Contra (he always looks forward to them and is happy they are taking place more often). The evening’s salon featured the artist Gesche Würfel, whose exhibition, Go for Gold! – The Transformation of the Lower Lea Valley, recently opened at Civilian Art Projects. Würfel is both a photographer and urban planner, and the exhibition documents the transformation of London’s landscape in preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics, exploring the disruption of relationships between local residents and their built and natural environments. Topsy enjoyed the talk, did some socializing and savored the nibbles sent over by Eatonville Restaurant (especially the mini cheese and asparagus tarts).


Wednesday Topsy made his way over to the Finnish Embassy for a party celebrating its designation as the first LEED certified green embassy in the United States. Although he thought the speeches could have been shorter (aren't they always too long), he enjoyed every minute of the entertainment by Grammy nominated Christylez Bacon, a progressive hip hop artist, and the City Dance Ensemble. He then had his picture taken in front of a backdrop by Cory Oberndorfer, and danced the evening away to the Video Killers’ perfect mix of 80s hits.


The dancing, besides being great fun, made him feel less guilty about his gluttonous behavior at the buffet – he couldn’t resist the numerous vegetarian goodies (a very pleasant surprise) and desserts (especially the chocolate cake with mint icing). Restraint is just so boring.


The following evening Topsy went to the Kennedy Center to see the Washington Ballet perform The Great Gatsby. He loved Septime Webre’s production – the dancing, colorful costumes and live music made for a wonderful evening. Afterwards he waddled over to the opening night fete at the Guarisco Gallery (he certainly wouldn’t miss a party), where he socialized with other Washington Ballet supporters and enjoyed a glass or two of wine. Now to fill next month’s calendar with equally fabulous events!

Stuart

Stuart is a man about town who loves nothing more than a fabulous party. He still mourns the loss of the National Gallery of Art’s annual Mardi Gras fete, which was amongst his favorite events of the year. Stuart is not, however, one to stay home and pout, so he sought out an alternative Mardi Gras party, and discovered a fundraiser thrown by THIS for Diplomats, a group that assists diplomats and their families during their stay in Washington. The event was held at the Meridian, which is always a lovely setting for festivities. Stuart enjoyed himself and met some fun new people, but was not too impressed with the lack of food (that said, a lack of food is infinitely preferable to a lack of bubbly, of which thankfully there was no shortage). The party was certainly no National Gallery event, but Stuart knows how to turn almost any evening into a good time.


Surprisingly, given his liquid dinner, Stuart was able to find the energy to run errands in Virginia the following day. This was somewhat due to necessity, as the snowy streets had prevented him from doing so the previous two weekends (and he really wanted Dairy Queen, as he was beginning to suffer from withdrawal…he is considering starting a Dairy Queen for DC Facebook campaign to prevent this from happening again).


Stuart also stopped by the office to pick up a few packages, although that was really just an excuse to see the beautiful Svetka, the only thing he loves more than a good party (he has developed quite a crush, but then who can blame him given her charm).


Saturday night Stuart headed to Georgetown for an engagement party. He had a wonderful time celebrating the lovely couple’s upcoming South Carolina nuptials, and caught up with some friends he hadn’t seen in a while.


History also seemed to repeat itself, with Stuart consuming too much bubbly and not much food. What can he say, he’ll never learn (and post-party munchies is what his newly replenished supply of mac ‘n cheese is for anyway).

Checkers

Checkers had been going rather stir crazy lately, cooped up in the apartment for much of February due to the area’s record snowfall. On Monday, badly in need of some socializing and culture, he finally braved the slippery sidewalks and made his way to the Chilean Ambassador’s lovely residence for Art, Vino and Empanadas. The event, a fundraiser for the Art Museum of the Americas, was thrown by “The Friends” of the museum, a group he has recently become involved with and greatly enjoys. He had a fabulous time catching up with friends, meeting new people and admiring the art, especially the works of Roberto Matta. He also very much enjoyed the vino (hard to go wrong with a Chilean red), but was sadly not able to sample the empanadas as there were no vegetarian ones (perhaps a good thing for his gym toned figure).


Two days later Checkers made his way up to the Washington Ballet for one of his favorite events, the Jeté Society’s beerandballet. He’s not really a beer guy but loves the open rehearsals (this time for The Great Gatsby), as they allow him to watch the dancers up close and observe the real physicality of ballet. He cannot wait for the performance next week and encourages everybody to get tickets (and to come to the next beerandballet on May 12).


Thursday Checkers dropped by the Corcoran Gallery of Art’s 1869 Society Cultural Cocktails, held at the Renaissance Washington Hotel's M Bar. The hotel displays works by students of the Corcoran College of Art + Design, and many of the artists were present and mingling, including the very friendly and talented Hernan Gigena. Checkers had yet another wonderful evening of socializing and art, and it's not even the weekend. He has to make up for lost time, after all!

Valentino

Valentino is Washington DC’s resident penguin Don Juan. He loves love, and his favorite holiday is Valentine’s Day (many of his penguin friends think it’s rather cheesy, but he’s not ashamed to admit how much he looks forward to the day). This year he decided to celebrate with his special someone at La Maison Française’s La Saint-Valentin party, organized by the French-American Cultural Foundation. Because his social life had been severely disrupted by the snow, he was especially happy to dress up and celebrate the feast of love (in the embassy of a country known so well for its devotion to l’amour, nonetheless). Valentino was not disappointed; the Maison Française looked lovely, all done up in red, and the live music created a festive ambiance.


His eyes were immediately drawn (well after he hit the bar and had a glass of bubbly in hand) to the multiple chocolate fountains, where he greedily dipped pretzels, cream puffs and strawberries in flowing white chocolate, and the dessert table, which was filled with lovely little sweets, including divine raspberry macarons. He had a fabulous time mingling, dancing, sipping bubbly and eating treats. Not wanting to miss out on something tasty, he even braved the very long line for a Nutella and whipped cream crepe (waiting also kept him away from the bars, which he had perhaps visited a time or two too many).


As is often the case, Valentino closed the party down. He’s a little sad that another Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but of course knows that he doesn’t need a special day as an excuse to spread his love!

Dash and Snowbie

Most of the penguins have had enough of the snow. They’ve done lots of baking and spent far too much time on eBay and Etsy (Both sites are ever so addictive and filled with an endless supply of fabulous vintage clothing and penguin goodies – they are hoping that the postal service wasn't too disrupted as they are anxiously awaiting their purchases). Dash and Snowbie, however, have been having the time of their lives, making the most of the winter storms by practicing for the Washington DC Penguin Olympics. Dash is the reigning champion in the Nordic combined skiing category (mastering just one thing is so boring), and Snowbie, a talented snowboarder, is the halfpipe star.


Although they are winter sportsmen they have little interest in watching the Vancouver Olympics. Dash and Snowbie are of the opinion that why watch sports on TV when you can get out there and move. Nevertheless, they do not want to miss out on the Vancouver happenings completely, so, during their brief breaks from practice and competition, they have been enjoying Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Vectorial Elevation, an interactive artwork commissioned by the 2010 Cultural Olympiad that allows participants to transform the sky over Vancouver. The project’s website enables individuals to design huge light sculptures by directing 20 robotic searchlights around the English Bay, all from the comfort (and warmth) of their own homes. Dash and Snowbie have taken a particular interest in the work of Penguin in Kits, and are planning their own designs to up the website’s penguin presence. It’s much more fun to participate in art than to watch sport on TV, don’t you think?

Boyd

Boyd thinks winter is for the birds. He especially feels that way this winter, as there has been far too much snow. Furthermore, if it has to snow so much he wishes that Mother Nature would at least make it do so during the week, so as not to ruin everybody’s weekend plans (he was very much looking forward to the Washington Ballet’s Jeté Society Dance Party, postponed until April due to the weather).


Boyd is not, however, one to sit inside and do nothing, so he bundled up and ventured out into the winter wonderland. He admits he was primarily motivated by the fact that he knew the Amsterdam Falafelshop would be open; their tasty falafel and Dutch-style fries are the perfect snack for a cold snowy day (or any day for that matter).


After indulging he wandered around and took pictures of the neighborhood, which was covered under more than two feet of snow. He enjoyed the fresh air and his little excursion, but it wasn’t long before thoughts of a warm and comfortable apartment lured him back home.


Once back Boyd partook in his favorite lazy day at home winter activity – baking. He made his usual cookies, and decided to bake a loaf of bread for the first time (despite his love of baking he had yet to tackle yeast). He used the classic white bread recipe from the February issue of Martha Stewart’s Living, and much to his delight it was a success!


After baking he whipped up a few snacks and made the apartment presentable, as some fabulous friends were braving the snowy mess to come over for an evening of wine and gossip. Boyd had a wonderful time with them, and decided that snowy weekends didn’t have to be so bad after all…that said, he’d still like for something to be done about the snow, ice and slush covered sidewalks and roads, so that his social life can get back to normal!

Momo

Like Waddlesworth, Momo enjoys frequent trips to London to see her friends. She was very excited this past visit as a friend came down for the weekend from Newcastle, where she is hard at work on the AV Festival 10, a festival of electronic arts. This year's theme is energy, which the festival explores from scientific, technological, environmental and spiritual perspectives (and it includes a live performance by krautrock band Cluster at a swimming pool for both underwater and poolside listening!).


On Saturday the two of them met up with two other friends, one down from Norwich for the evening, for a night on the town. Momo and her friends hit various spots around Liverpool Street Station, starting at the Spittalfields Market wine bar Bedales, where they sipped a yummy Spanish rosé (hoping that the summer drink would take their minds off of the cold) and munched on tasty bread (to line their stomachs for further drinking). As the staff at Bedales looked anxious to lock up, they left their comfortable perch and made their way to The Hawksmoor. The restaurant’s bar had a lovely cocktail list, but Momo was not so excited to discover that it was also a steakhouse, so it was a one drink stop.


They ended their evening at the much more vegetarian friendly The Real Greek, with a dinner of tasty meze, including melitzanosalata, htipiti and, much to the delight of her Norwich friend, fava dip.


The following day Momo made her way to the Museum of Everything, a temporary museum displaying a wide variety of outsider art. She thoroughly enjoyed the rather crowded show, which was interestingly curated and a change from her normal museum experience.


She also enjoyed wandering around the neighborhood, as she rarely gets to North London.


Since the sun had decided to pay a rare visit she decided to waddle down to St. Pancras Station, where she was to meet a friend at Le Pain Quotidien (while their coffee is hit or miss, she loves their Blondie spread). Momo had a wonderful gossip session, but felt sad knowing that her trip was coming to an end. However, she knows she’ll be back soon, especially since her friend promised her a bread pudding dinner next time!

Waddlesworth

Waddlesworth is an Anglophile who makes his way to London as often as possible. While there are many things to see in the city, he prefers to spend the majority of his time socializing and shopping. He takes care not to over pack, so that he has plenty of room in his suitcase for fashionable finds and, more importantly, tasty treats. Waddlesworth has no time for people who complain about British food (while mushy peas may not be a delicacy neither is the all-American green bean casserole). These whingers have obviously never eaten at London’s many fabulous restaurants, or tried England’s lovely sweets and teas.


On his most recent trip Waddlesworth had a grand old time wandering around Fortnum & Mason, one of London’s fine gourmet emporiums. He had difficulty deciding what goodies to bring home with him; everything is always so beautifully and temptingly displayed, and he loves the store’s selections of jams, biscuits and tea.


That said, he knows it’s all about mixing the high and the low, and given his tea consumption during the long cold winter he thought it might be better for his budget to stock up at Costco (one of his not so glamorous shopping destinations).


Waddlesworth takes his shopping seriously, so was very much looking forward to a relaxing evening with friends. He first stopped by the Apples and Pears Bar, near the Whitechapel Gallery, a place he very much recommends visiting when in London. He caught up on the latest gossip over a glass or two of wine, and was, in fact, having so much fun that he lost track of time and had to make a mad dash to another friend’s place for dinner. After apologizing for his tardiness (he considered blaming his bad manners on jet lag) he settled down for a lovely evening of tasty food and fabulous company. No wonder he visits London so often!