Dottie

Dottie is a social girl who loves meeting her friends for coffee dates and nights out on the town. The latter tend to involve arts related events (what can she say, she’s a highly cultured penguin). Wednesday night she stopped by a Smithsonian Young Benefactors and Choral Arts Society Happy Hour at Hemphill Fine Arts. There she caught up with friends and checked out works by Steven Cushner and William Willis, escaping before any of the usual on the prowl not so young benefactors tried to start up a conversation with her. Thursday evening she attended a Corcoran Gallery of Art reception at a board member’s Watergate apartment. It was a lovely evening, and she had a wonderful time chatting with Corcoran staff and checking out the diverse private collection. She was particularly thrilled to encounter some penguin friends – the collector obviously has fabulous taste in art.


Thursday was a very social day; Dottie also caught up with a friend at Soho Tea & Coffee. They hadn’t seen each other in a while so there was lots of gossip to be had (and Dottie loves her gossip). She was also able to talk fashion with one of Soho's regulars, although she’s not certain the biker chic look is for her.


Dottie is a somewhat vain penguin, and knows that an active social life can take its toll on one’s figure. She is not willing to cut back on going out, so she makes certain to hit the Sports Club LA as often as possible. She forces herself to take definitions classes a few times a week as she’s not the greatest fan of weights (or squats for that matter).


Otherwise she can be found on the cardio machines reading a trashy magazine (she has to keep up on celebrity gossip too, after all).

Pufkin

Pufkin hopes everybody had a very happy World Penguin Day. That would be April 25 for those of you unaware of this extremely important holiday, which celebrates the world’s most fabulous creatures (there’s also Penguin Awareness Day on January 20 while we are on the subject). Pufkin celebrated the day with a treat at Dairy Queen…he would have planned a big party but it had been such a busy weekend it was all he could do to stay awake. And really, it’s quite hard to top a treat from Dairy Queen; the restaurant just won the blog So Good’s Fast Food Bracket contest, so he is obviously not alone in his opinion.


Pufkin’s weekend adventures started Friday night, at the Washington Ballet’s Jeté Society Dance Party. The soiree was held at the House of Sweden, where he enjoyed the lovely views from the rooftop, but spent much of his time in the VIP area. This is not because he thinks he is a Very Important Penguin, but because it was where the bubbly was. He had a wonderful time catching up with friends, checking out the outfits and indulging in not so good for you treats like mac ‘n’ cheese.


He stayed until the very end (of course) and then made his way to the City Tavern Club for the after party. There he wisely stuck to Diet Coke and water, but happily indulged in more not so good for you treats (cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake…he needed dessert after all).


Saturday night Pufkin was off to the Woolly Mammoth’s 80s themed gala at the Mandarin Oriental – the evening was a work requirement that turned out to be surprisingly fun. He certainly enjoyed checking out the 80s outfits, some creative and some misguided (just because it’s a costume does not mean it is okay to wear Lycra, especially if one’s last trip to the gym was in the 80s). Pufkin wasn’t very impressed with his vegetarian “meal” (a small blob of rice with soy sauce and a few carrot shreds), and nearly fell asleep during the long live auction.


He did, however, like the TV show themed centerpieces (he was at the Cosby Show table), and was happy to discover a tasty new adult beverage, Domaine de Canton, a ginger Cognac type liqueur. After dinner he danced the night away to 80s hits, took an A Team themed picture, and then waddled his way home to bed.

Corkie

Corkie likes nothing more than an evening of culture and cocktails, and he indulges in them as often as possible. This past Thursday he attended the opening night of the Washington Ballet’s Bolero(+). He thoroughly enjoyed Edwaard Liang’s Wunderland and Nicolo Fonte’s Bolero. He wasn’t as excited by Brahms on Edge (a world premiere), but he admits that had a lot to do with his general dislike of Brahms. After the performance he made his way to the opening night party, an easy trek as the festivities took place at the Harman Center. He had fun catching up with various people while noshing on tasty tapas and sweet treats (with a glass of wine, naturally). Of course he had to stay until the very end…he certainly didn’t want to risk bumping into the hockey fans leaving the game across the way at the Verizon Center!


Friday night Corkie went to one of his favorite events of the year, the Corcoran Ball. He loves how the galleries of the Corcoran are transformed – each one has a different theme with different table settings (Sandra Lee would be impressed by the tablescapes). He dined in the extremely fun and festive Project Runway inspired room (his table was wearing heels and he was surrounded by fabulous gowns).


Corkie very much enjoyed chatting with the couple from LA that was seated next to him, and for once had an incredibly tasty vegetarian meal (no mushy vegetables/plate of carbs).


After dinner he chatted with friends, had another glass or two or more of bubbly, and danced the night away. Again, he was among the last to leave (this time no excuses…what can he say, he just doesn’t like to see a good party end!).

Snappy

Snappy is a fashionable guy, always dressed to the nines. He’s constantly searching for something new and fabulous to wear, opting for the unique over following the latest trends. In fact, he’s developed quite a vintage habit lately. Snappy is also a great fan of dogs (even though they are not quite as cute as penguins), so he knew he couldn’t miss the Fashion for Paws fundraiser at the Italian Embassy. The event, which raises money for the Washington Humane Society, features a fashion show where both people and animals strut their stuff. Snappy had a great time watching the pups (who of course stole the show from their human companions) and mingling with friends. There was also bubbly to be had and yummy Mediterranean treats (all vegetarian!) from Morso.


As usual Snappy was one of the last to leave, but he wisely skipped out on the after party and headed home to get some sleep. It had been, after all, a busy fun filled week. Among the highlights was the Tuesday night opening of Helios: Eadweard Muybridge in a Time of Change at the Corcoran. Not surprisingly Snappy spent more time socializing than perusing the art, but he knows he’ll be back there soon. He also spent a fair amount of time at the rather yummy dessert buffet – it included chocolate peanut butter parfaits, ginger white chocolate macaroons and chocolate covered salted caramels, among other things. He also enjoyed Friday night’s Hapi Hapi Hour at the Textile Museum, organized by the Pink Line Project. It was a great crowd and a festive atmosphere, complete with live music, Harajuku girls, interesting exhibitions, and, of course, the always necessary adult beverages.

Eppy

Most of the penguins count the days until Christmas, but Eppy counts the days until Easter. He thinks the Easter Bunny is much more festive than Santa, and what’s not to love about getting a basket filled with chocolate and other goodies? Reese’s pieces eggs are his favorite treat, in case you were wondering.


This year Eppy spent Easter weekend in Fawn Lake with family and friends. The weather was gorgeous, which of course meant a frozen treat was an utmost necessity. Eppy likes to hit as many different Dairy Queens as possible, so this trip he tried the one on Courthouse Road. It is a fabulous lost in time restaurant with numerous comfy booths, and they bring your treats to you at your table! Eppy stuck with his favorite, the peanut butter sundae, but had a taste (or two or three) of the Blizzard of the Month, the Ooey Gooey Caramel Brownie (what’s not to love about vanilla soft serve, caramel sauce, chocolate chunks and brownie bits?). He wasn’t certain, however, that having brochures with the calorie content on the tables was a necessary touch.


After indulging Eppy did a little shopping (Walmart and Aldi), and then headed home to properly enjoy the gorgeous weather. When he got back company had already arrived; the rest of the day was spent partaking in gossip, croquet, bubbly, wine and yummy food. He particularly enjoyed the artichoke lasagna (his favorite) and the rhubarb pie. Eppy went to bed a happy and (slightly too) full penguin, dreaming of what treats from the Easter Bunny he would discover.