Awhile ago, we mentioned the crazy story of two guys who snuck all over Nationals Park during the team's opener game — the dugout, press box, locker room, luxury suites etc. And thanks to two drunk guys on the Metro, we think we know how it happened, straight from the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Overheard of the Week On the Orange Line Metro to Vienna: Guy 1: "Man, i can't believe......

A lot has changed in D.C. in the last few years. New stadiums, new development, new jobs. But also inequality, crime, corruption. Despite all the good things, some things haven't changed since the Marion Barry days. Overheard of the Week A man and a woman are walking dogs in Logan Circle: Man: "You look familiar..." Woman: "I think we are neighbors. 1st and Bates?" Man: "Yeah, we live on the 1st street side." Woman: "Ah,......

This week was a fertile one for overhearing good stuff — funny bros, funny office workers, funny bar goers. Of course, that doesn't mean you should stop listening, it just means you might be in better company. The best overheards are the random ones, or the ones that make you wonder what was going on to cause that snippet of conversation. This one does both. Overheard of the Week Walking near Dupont Circle: A guy......

Anyone who's ever ridden Metro at any point in their lives has been frustrated at some point. The trains take forever to show up, people won't move towards the middle, there are delays, track work, etc., etc., etc. It's the new death and taxes. Sometimes the frustration causes a reaction, like emails or phone calls to Metro, being rude to other passengers, or the usual grumbling. Sometimes you need to appeal to a higher power.......

Metrobus drivers and their friends are on a roll lately. There have been all kinds of funny stuff coming from the interaction between "operators" and their pals, or operators and random folks on the bus. Sometimes it's bizarre (see the one about safaris and dead wives, for example) and sometimes it's just random (crazy man lecturing the driver about the Redskins). And this one sounds like a stand-up routine. Hopefully it's not, just inspiration. Overheard......

The other day on the Metro, there was an ad protesting the Doha Round of World Trade Organization talks. Only in D.C. would people a) recognize what the Doha Round was, b) understand enough to get what the protest was about, and c) decide to advertise against the Doha Round. The ad probably wouldn't work too well in Akron or Albuquerque. There are a lot of bad things about D.C., and a lot of things......

D.C. has a lot of popular pro sports teams (Redskins, Nationals, and United especially) but not many titles (aside from United). Despite lackluster seasons, the fans stick with their teams — just look at FedEx Field the last few years or the Gallery Place Metro on Caps game days during the past few seasons. The fans have been almost too optimistic, i.e. every year the Skins could win it all, but maybe that's changing. Maybe......

Love is a burning thing. Two people coming together, sparks flying, cartoon birds, little cherubs flying around shooting heart-shaped arrows, all that good stuff. Sometimes you see somebody across the bar, and you just know. Sometimes it's on the Metro, and probably almost never it's a Missed Connection on Craigslist. But it's springtime, so why not go for something romantic? Overheard of the Week At the Target last Saturday: 20-something guy reminiscing fondly to his......

What with the recent anti-war protests, we've heard a lot of both anti-war and anti-protest sentiments. Freezing in place or knitting are all well and good, but sometimes the random snide remark can have more effect. Or at least be pretty amusing. Overheard of the Week: Crystal City Metro stop a few weeks ago: Three military guys were crowded around a Metro turnstile trying to exit, but their card wasn't working. Miltary guy: "How do......

Astute readers may have noticed that the last two overheard Quotes of the Week have been about farts and poop. That's because farts and poop are funny. This one, in particular, is strange and has a amusing non sequitur — or is it? The woman may want to visit a doctor, but maybe there is some connection between frequency and bling bling. This sounds like a job for science. Quote of the Week While walking......

It must be a fertile time for overhearing lately. Aside from the usual non sequiturs, put-downs, and random stuff, sometimes a little nugget of good advice comes out. The best advice I ever heard was in Teen Wolf, in a poignant scene where Michael J. Fox's character sought some help from Coach Finstock (before surfing on a van, if memory serves) : "There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve......

Parenting is not an easy job. Educating kids, teaching them right from wrong, not spoiling them but treating them well, giving them life lessons. Kids can be terrors, and they can be annoying, and they can be sweet. But why does it always seem like the most unusual parenting happens in the grocery store? Quote of the Week Giant Food in Columbia Heights around noon last Friday: Mom pushing two kids, one of whom was......

Politics is all over D.C., for good reason. The city is full of insiders who know all the ins and outs of Congress, bills, campaigns, you name it. Political campaigns have many, many workers from D.C., who work on the Hill or as lobbyists or what have you. And our city is a bad name outside the Beltway — if I'm elected, I'll get Washington out of your (insert thing here). But sometimes political campaigns......

Valentine's Day causes a lot of strong reactions. There are those who think it's sweet, a nice time to take your significant other out for a nice meal, give them some flowers and chocolate, have fun, and show them you care. Then there are those who think it's a crass marketing holiday perpetuated by Hallmark and chocolate companies where you're supposed to buy things you wouldn't normally get, eat an overpriced meal, and that it's......

Happy Chinese New Year! The big day, the beginning the Year of the Rat, was yesterday, but considering the state of D.C.'s Chinatown, it probably means Hooters gave out free wings or something. Even without a big time Chinatown, it's probably not a good idea to congratulate random Asian people about the big day. Quote of the Week Thursday evening on the street in Chinatown: Man, loudly: "Happy New Year!!" (Heads turn.) Man, loudly,......

You never know about folks. Maybe that nice grandma down the street listens to death metal, or that punk-looking kid who hangs out on the corner is a classical violinist. There's the clichés, like "you can't judge a book by its cover," and stuff like that, which of course conflict with stuff like, "you never get a second chance to make a first impression." And sometimes people are just hilarious. You should have seen that......

This time we're doing Overheard in D.C. a little differently — as a contest. One of this week's crop of overheards almost requires a follow-up, so give us your best guess in the comments as to what the kid did before, and the winner will be mentioned on next week's Overheard. It's not exactly a free pony, but hey, you can forward it to your pals and be the envy of your office. Quote......

Aside from maybe donuts, parties are the best thing ever. You meet people, funny stuff happens, maybe somebody gets somebody else's phone number. Especially if the party was at your place, it's fun to wake up groggy and see bottles and cups and other detritus strewn about in the mid-morning (or better yet, mid-afternoon) sun — the sign of a job well done, a party well had. And if it was a really good party,......

Washington has arguably some of the most interesting conversations in the United States. Where else can you find people who know about and are ready to debate the fate of Pakistan, military strategy in Iraq, which presidential campaign staff is doing the best job, the arcana of House rules, and minutiae about the U.S. code. It's a great place to be around a lot of well-informed people. Quote of the Week Two 20-something guys studying......

The National Zoo is a fantastic place. It's one of the best zoos in the country, is free to the public, has nice scenery, tons of great exhibits and interesting animals and of course, is the source of your cute little default avatar. Plus, turns out some zoo animals are a great source of ingredients for area restaurateurs. Quote of the Week At the National Zoo's Outdoor Flight Cage at the Bird House: Two Mandarin......

The Metro can be a boring place. Next stop, yadda yadda, doors on the right, zzz. There are sometimes crazy people on the train, or somebody singing, or something amusing happening, but generally it's a snooze fest. Thankfully some Metro train operators like to change things up a bit, wishing people a good day or just being funny, rather than the usual "Next stop Judisherary Square" script. And we like that. Better not give this......

Anyone who has read the menu at the Brickskeller can tell you that Julius Caesar called beer "a high and mighty liquor." But aside from being a favorite of Roman conquerors, it causes people to say funny stuff - stuff that when you overhear it, makes you really want to know how that conclusion was reached. What winding path was taken to get there? Quote of the Week At the DCist flickr meetup Sunday at......

The majority of Overheards in D.C. fall into only a few categories: funny sex stuff, dumb tourists and weird kids. There's the occasional amusing political thing, or some quip that somebody sent in because they think they or their friends are funny. But there are always those that make absolutely no sense unless you are knowledgeable about some extremely narrow area of trivia, such as say, documentaries about lost and possibly mythical Brazilian cities. Quote......

Some people love kids. Some people feel differently. Kids provide unconditional love, but they can also make any flight or train ride interminable. They have great imaginations and can be funny and sweet, but they can also ask the same question 80 times, just because they want to. But whether you're a kid person or not, it's hard to argue with their ability to say complete nonsense. Maybe the non sequiturs match up with whatever......

People always complain about tourists in D.C., wearing dumb clothes, standing on the left, clogging up the Hard Rock Cafe (actually, we're fine with that). But it's difficult to be in a new place and abide by the local customs. Back in the olden days, we heard that burping is polite in Korea, which sounds pretty awesome if you are an elementary schooler eating as much pizza and Coke as you can at Chuck E.......