Saturday
At night I’d say either check out Olivia Mancini‘s CD release at the Black Cat or State Department (f/ members of Black and White Jacksons and Ra Ra Rasputin) at Velvet Lounge. I am told Mousetrap upstairs at Black Cat is also a good time, but I’ve never been.

Sunday
On the real, Tweed Ride during the day. At night… everything good is sold out. If you can find a way to see the Devo show at 9:30 Club, that would be your best bet; The XX at DC9 would be a close second. If you are into formerly-relevant things, you could check out Neil Hamburger downstairs or Rakim upstairs at the Black Cat. But do you really need to go out on a Sunday night that badly?

So, we recognize that the Looking Glass Lounge is not exactly what you’d call news. It’s been open for over a year and has been written about everywhere. That said, it still seems to be empty entirely too often. Now, nobody wants it to become like its sister bar Wonderland, a suburbanite outpost in a formerly “edgy” neighborhood, a shell of its former self — but I would also be sad if it went under. So, PSA: Go to the Looking Glass Lounge if you live in Petworth, Park View, or Upper Columbia Heights. Decent beer, good food, great atmosphere, and one of the only worthwhile bar options in Petworth. Please, do it.

• Why.i.hate.dc beats me to the title punchline. (whyihatedc)
• The Nats hire interim manager Jim Riggleman as permanent manager. Because he did such a great job, I guess. (WaPo)
• The University of Maryland Board of Regents tells the State Legislature where they can shove their attempts to strongarm the university into pornography regulation (whether they do said shoving on or off camera is left to the legislature’s discretion).  (WaPo)
• PoP picks up on a lovely little-known public garden. (PoP)

I am not in love with anything going on tonight, to be honest with you. Maybe try to find an interesting FotoWeek event somewhere (calendar here)? If that’s not your thing, you could: go see the sort of vaguely interesting  MuteMath with As Tall as Lions (a.k.a. the most boring band in the world) at Sixth and I; go see the increasingly weird Bob Dylan at the Patriot Center; or go to Wale‘s CD release party at the awful and overpriced Miami-lite nightmare that is Ibiza. But, let’s be real, this weather sucks. I recommend herbal tea and TV.

The Post’s Blake Gobnik writes on one of my favorite alcohol-related topics in today’s edition: the cask ale. He begins his piece describing the lament of long suffering DC beer aficionados (/snobs), but notes that thanks to the broader nationwide resurgence of craft beer, DC has finally got some good cask ale options. The piece specifically mentions the Brickskellar (something of a shell of its former self at this point, I recommend the owners’ newer RFD in Chinatown instead, which is omitted from the piece), Churchkey in Logan, Rock Bottom and Pizzeria Paradiso. However, there are plenty of other places to get your hands on cask brews, including Commonwealth in Columbia Heights, Capitol City Brewpubs (various locations), Rustico in Alexandria, and The District Chophouse, among others. Anyway, if you’ve never had cask ale, I’d highly recommend it. It’s not for everyone, but if you don’t hate it, you’ll love it.

WaPo is reporting that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development is threatening to cut some of DC’s AIDS housing funding if the District doesn’t begin to follow oversight protocols. The District, ever efficient and vigilant in its spending habits, has been warned repeatedly about these problems for the last six years, but has done absolutely nothing. In case anyone was wondering, this is why we can’t have nice things.