Overheard in D.C.: Franking Rules!!!
Many things seem more important in D.C. than they would be anywhere else. It's pretty difficult to impress somebody in most places by telling them you met the Undersecretary of such and such. Appearing on C-SPAN is more likely to be subject to quizzical looks rather than admiration in other towns. Most folks elsewhere wouldn't know they just saw George Will honking at pedestrians. And obviously, people talk about bills and laws and politics more than elsewhere -- which is not necessarily a good thing. None of this is news to readers of DCist. But there are still times when something comes up that is extra ridiculous and hilarious and uniquely Washington. It almost provides some hope, that people are this excited about the minutiae of government.
Quote of the Week
In the lobby of the Ward building, American University:
Four friends sit around a table, killing time before class.
Guy: "...yeah, she really enjoys it. I wouldn't be very interested in the House administration committee, but for some reason she thinks franking is really interesting."
Girl: [loudly] "Are you kidding?! I LOVE franking!!"
After the jump, real life tampon commercial moments, hippie prevention, and what we don't want to hear after a party.
The funny depends on you, so keep sending in those overheards: overheardindc (at) gmail (dot) com.
Photo by flickr user picture prefect
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The John Wayne Gacy T-shirt doesn't help either
Lunchtime, Woodley Park Chipotle:
Two early-20s guys talking about a friend of theirs from college.
Guy: "Dude, he doesn't have anything on his bed, at all. No sheets, no pillows, nothing. He sleeps on a totally bare mattress. I was like, 'Dude, you can't ever invite chicks over... they'll think you're a serial killer!'"
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What happens in tampon commercials really happens in real life, part 1.
In the Sculpture Garden:
20-something girl on her cell phone: "Wait...so like, is your period COMPLETELY done?"
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Addition and subtraction class was full, but sarcasm class had plenty of openings.
At the USDA Graduate School's Introduction to Macroeconomics Class:
All students are asked to introduce themselves.
Twenty-something: "My name is [removed], I work for Senator [X], and we are doing a lot of work on the Farm Bill... so I really look forward to taking this course."
Fellow student whispers to another classmate, "I'm so happy to hear that the people working on the Farm Bill are taking Intro to Macro classes."
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Was it an appaloosa?
On the rugby field across from the Holocaust Memorial Museum:
Male Player, just after coming off the field: "I got a charley horse out there."
Girl: "Oh, god, did someone punch you??"
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Because when we hear "wine and cheese party" we think "dress like Kid Rock."
A "Wine and Cheese Party" (really just a college house party with wine and cheese available for consumption) on 25th and M:
Drunk male college student: "My MISSION is to hook up with that hot girl in the white beater. Now I'm either gonna succeed, or I'm gonna fail, BUT IT'S NOT GONNA BE BOTH!"
Same drunk college male, later in the party after someone turned off the lights and turned on some rap: "Wow, this went from classy wine-and-cheese party to shady dance club real fast."
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Or maybe girls in pearls are allergic to hippies.
The night of the IMF protests in Georgetown:
Girl 1: "Pearls are to hippies what wooden stakes are to vampires."
Girl 2: "I think you mean garlic."
Girl 1: "Yeah, whatever. Hippies are allergic to pearls. Wear them."
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Giant molasses flood, however...
Dupont Circle:
Man on his cell phone, walking through: "I just don't have the feeling you'll die in a car accident."
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What happens in tampon commercials really happens in real life, part 2.
Metro Center, waiting for the Orange line to Vienna:
High School girl #1: "Remember when you were fighting with her in the seventh grade?"
High School girl #2: "Yeah."
High School girl #1: "Well, she told everyone that you were on your period. That was her revenge on you."
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And it makes Lunesta look like Mountain Dew.
Barnes & Noble in Potomac Yards on Sunday afternoon
Man to woman holding Strunk & White's Elements of Style: "That will teach you to how to write the most stilted and unimaginative material ever."
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Why you shouldn't play pin the tail on the donkey with a real donkey?
A restaurant in Georgetown during Sunday brunch:
Three college-age guys talking about the weekend.
One guy to another, reassuringly: "No, she thought it was funny. She won't press charges."
[The overhearer, from what they could tell, thinks this was a girl who slipped and injured herself at a party at the apartment of one of the guys]