Stump! I have no idea when this game started, but every time I go to a BBQ with these guys this usually ends up happening. What is it? Throwing a hammer in the air and catching it. The more rotations you get, the more swings you get to hit an opponents nail with said hammer. Pretty hilarious. It's always great when someone sees this for the first time. You see a huddle of guys standing around a block of wood shouting excitedly. What the?

I firs tried snapping pictures of Stump, but that didn't do it justice. So I took a video and had the fellas explain the rules. Enjoy and try at your next BBQ (just don't blame me if you end up in the ER!)

Ah power outage fun. I'm going to use that as my excuse for being a little slack on throwing up tid-bits on my latest Closer Inspection on Convoy Skateboards (I've been couch-surfing at the sis' since Saturday, she is THRILLED.)

Aside from the print version and online photo gallery, here's a few more gems that didn't make the cut -- but definitely are worth a mention. 

***

After a board is designed, Convoy orders 50-100 of each series. If the board sells well, they’ll order another run. Convoy co-owner Eamonn Bourke estimates they’ve sold 5,000 boards to date. 

Convoy sells standard short-boards made of Canadian maple. They’re typically between 31 and 32 inches long and 7 ¼ inch wide (for kids boards to 9 inches and cost $40-50.

The Blastoid Series (below, released in June 2006) is a reinterpretation of the font used in the 1980s arcade game Space Invaders. 

Convoy started making their own wheels ($30 a set) in 2008. “They’re actually pretty popular because we can charge less then the big wheel company,” Bourke says.  

At the end of 2011, Convoy did a limited run of snow boards, a collaboration with Monument Snowboards. They did so well that they’re going to make another limited edition run at this year’s end.

Some reporters have all-encompassing beats like 'crime' or may cover the happenings of a particular neighborhood. In my case? I've got 'Jay Bulger.' Ever since my story on him in March, I've steadily covered what the self-made director has been up to since. 

Last night, some pals and I headed to Silver Docs to catch the D.C. premiere of 'Beware of Mr. Baker.' Here's a quick clip I filmed of Jay answering questions following the screening. Yet another update on what this creative chameleon is doing. I'm sure it won't be the last. 

Maybe it's because psychic Sari Calvert told me I was great riding side saddle in a previous life ... Or maybe it's because I grew up playing My Little Pony ... Whatever the reason, this girl loves four-legged animals of the neigh-making, hay-eating variety. 

As such, I had to check out the National Museum of the American Indian's current exhibit, "A Song for the Horse Nation," which shows how native cultures interacted with the animal. Some highlights are included in my latest Closer Inspection. Additional photos are featured in an online photo gallery. Of course not everything makes the cut, so here are some additional snippets that are worth your perusal. 

***This 1920 horseshoe was not made for use on a horse, but for sale as a novelty item by a basket maker belonging to the Karuk tribe based in California. An iron horseshoe is wrapped in plant fiber -- an intricate process that was done by hand. “To create this over the metal piece was certainly a challenge,” says museum curator Emil Her Many Horses.

The decorative aspects of this 1875 Menominee saddle (below) may seem familiar. “Native people did not own metalwork, these brass tacks were introduced that were brought in by traders,” says Her Many Horses. ““These what we would say today are ordinary brass tacks were something really of value and unique and something used to ornament.”

This plateau men’s horse mask was made in 2011 by esteemed Cayuse Oregon bead artist Maynard White Owl-Lavadour specifically for this exhibit. “This is a culmination of work from him and his daughter Suzette [Owl-Lavadour]. They both worked on this mask. There’s a very distinctive style of floral among the plateau. It arrived here just a week before the opening.”

The glass beads adorning the mask are called seed beads due to their seed-like appearance.

Masks such as these aren’t just for display, however. You can see them in action at Cayuse community celebrations in Oregon. “They actually still use these,” says Her Many Horses, at events such as the Pendleton Round-Up in Pendleton, Oregon.

While it was a wee bummah that the Nats game was rained out Friday, Sean and I redeemed the weekend by hitting up some great local happenings on Saturday. Our first stop? 

The Taste of Georgetown!

Oh my lord, kiddos. If you didn't go this past weekend, make sure you mark your calendars for next year. Such a good time. Definitely left completely stuffed thanks to yummy eats from the likes of Filomena, Shut Your Pie Hole and Bodega (which left Sean mesmerized due to their giant paella pans, see above.)

I also got to see some familar folks from past reporting gigs (such as the lovely Ching Ching Wong from Ching Ching Cha Tea House -- go get her hibiscus tea NOW!) and also ran into others I want to write about in the future such as one Katie Balloons. (And I thought my espadrilles were high!)

My buddy and former WaPo Express colleague Katie Aberbach was also on the scene. The tiny chica was one of the event's four judges. Her task? Naming the best dish out of 60! Yeesh. Should have brought her Tums.

Want more insight on what the day was like? Well let's ask our fave non-reporter what he thinks!

After heading back to our casa to digest for a few hours -- totally felt like this -- Sean and I were back out on the scene. Artomatic here we come! 

Now this takes facial exfoliation to a whole new level: Michael Corigliano's performance piece "Ruminate" involved his writing on a notepad after his face had been covered in wet porcelain, which looked pretty dry by the time we popped by.  

It should come as no surprise that I find Rush Limbaugh a douchebag. As such, I chuckled at this piece made from tapes of Limbaugh show recordings.

Mommy I want one! Seriously everyone should have a dino just like this in their living room.

Props to my buddy Critchy's friend Sarah Murphy. I'd run into her a few weeks ago while reporting my Artomatic volunteering piece, and she'd told me about the fabric mondella she planned on making. Very cool to see the finished product. 

Sean, on the otherhand, got the most excited about his chance to eat Jupiter. Apocalypse indeed.

And once again, our intrepid man on the street offers up some artistic insight.

The shenanigans didn't stop there! After riding the Arlington Loop yesterday (and quickly realizing that I have a long way to go when it comes to getting back in shape!) some peeps and I popped by the St. Katherine's Greek Festival. The event happens twice a year and Sean has been an attendee for well over a decade now. I can see why, the gyros are out of this world. Washing it down with a Mythos beer? Even better.

And as usual, Mr. Man About Town Sean Quinn gave us the low-down on this biannual happening. 

Thanks to an invite from the lovely Dusty Lockhart, I stopped by Graffiato last night to sample four tasty concotions created by D.C. area mixologists Dan Searing, Adam Bernbach, Todd Thrasher and Greg Engert. The quartet are competing for the title of mixology program of the year at the RAMMY Awards in June.

Naturally my future brother-in-law snapped some silly pics of me with each libation. I'm including the recipe for each. Enjoy!

Dia de Descanso mixed by Adam Bernbach 
(pictured above)
- Two parts saffron & grapefruit syrup
- 1 part Beefeater 24 Gin
- 1 part lime juice
- 3 parts sparkling wine

Garnish with limes and mint. Ladle from a punch bowl with a five-lb. block of ice.

Chaos Theary mixed by Dan Searing
- 0.75 Citra hop-infused Sauza
- Hornitos plata
- 0.5 ounce ounce grapefruit juice
- 0.5 ounce simple syrup
- 2 ounce Belgian Tripel

Shake first three ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled coupe, top with Tripel Karmeliet and garnish with a light sprinkle of cayenne pepper.

Farmhouse Punch mixed by Gref Engert
- 0.75 ounces vodka
- 0.25 or less ounces of absinthe
- 0.5 ounces lemon juice
- 1 ounce grapefruit juice
- 0.5 ounce peppercorn syrup

Shake. Top with Rayon Vert. Ladle from a punch bowl with a five-lb. block of ice.

42 and Cloudy mixed by Todd Thrasher
- 6 ounces of Cruzan rum
- 6 ounces honey flavored vodka
- 6 ounces of passion vodka
- 6 ounces of rye whiskey
- 6 ounces of brandy
- 15 ounces sauvignon blanc
- 10 ounces green tea
- 5 ounces water
- 28 ounces passion fruit juie
- Juice of two lemons
- 1/3 cup of luxardo cherries
- Champagne to taste

Mix all ingredients together and serve from a punch bowl with a five-lb. block of ice.

EPIC. That's the word to describe the Baltimore Rock Society's "Valhella." After reporting a behind-the-scenes on it for the Post, it was righteous to see the musical mayhem come to life this past Saturday. There are still tix for this weekend's performances available Get 'em now! Definitely a blast. Rock on guys.

Behold bretheren and sisters! In our latest Washington Post Closer Inspection, the Tank and I tackled our most heroic and downright awesome subject yet: Watching the Baltimore Rock Opera Society prepare for their upcoming "Valhella: The Ragnarokkoperetta." 

As such, I quickly found myself outfitted with a gody helmet (hey, things like this are known to happen).

For more photos that didn't make the print one-pager, check out this photo gallery. 

Sometimes, however, a photo can only do so much. Especially when we're talking about animatronic wolf heads and giant puppets .... 

What the? (Deets here).

Last night, Sean and I headed out to the Electric Maid in Takoma Park to catch Ben Tankersley (aka Closer Inspection photographer extradoranaire) partaking in his punk rock sidegig -- playing guitar with his band, Highway Cross. Don't let his mellow attitude fool you -- the kid has chops! The Tank -- yeah I just made that lame nickname up -- tells me they'll play a show at the Black Cat on May 27 before going on a brief hiatus. Don't miss it, fools!