It was evening of politics and reunions, but that’s not the number one reason to watch.

A municipal swear jar, a rat shelter and a fund to relocate NIMBY residents to other jurisdictions: these are among the policy proposals circulated by D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) in a humorous memo ahead of a vote on the city’s budget.

The problem with tongue-in-cheek humor? It pushes your said muscular hydrostat so far off to the side that your ability to spit fire is somewhat limited. To wit: GQ‘s “Welcome to Congress!” feature, which purports to serve as “the Freshman Orientation [new Congressmembers] need to make the most of your time here saying no to the status quo!” — and specifically, the feature’s map to places of note that new Congressmembers should be aware of.

A correction published on Thursday, Dec. 3 in the Washington Post: A Nov. 26 article in the District edition of Local Living incorrectly said a Public Enemy song declared 9/11 a joke. The song refers to 911, the emergency phone number. Brutal. The song “911 is a Joke” was of course released in 1990, on the seminal Fear of a Black Planet album, approximately 11 years before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Public Enemy…

We hope a few current and former D.C. Council members didn’t storm the WTOP newsroom with pitchforks today. Reporter Mark Segraves penned a sort of comedy post for his far too rarely updated Malcontent Minute blog/online column where he suggests casting choices for a movie about local D.C. politics. Naturally, the story would revolve around Marion Barry, and he picks Don Cheadle to play the flamboyant former mayor and current Council member, which sounds about…

Since we run an internet web site thingy that people in Washington read, DCist HQ often receives unsolicited mailers from companies looking to push politically-themed products onto teh blogs. Usually we just get books. Sometimes it’s something a little more creative, like a T-shirt or a coffee mug with a cute phrase on it. And then there are the items you just can’t ignore, no matter how obvious it is that we were only…

Dating in D.C. is notoriously hard for women. A D.C. resident named Rachel has made a parody of the infamous “Obama Girl” video, in which she chronicles her break-up with a guy who loves Barack Obama more than her. It’s pretty well done. (via the DCist tipline)…

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…