When you find yourself cupping the balls of a bull, you know your life has taken a turn for the weird. At least, that’s what Stephanie Garibaldi found after spending time in a Mayan village, just after deciding Ivy League College was not for her. Garibaldi’s is one of four stories involving faith and self-discovery showcased in Chocolate Jesus. The work is performed by regulars from SpeakeasyDC, a monthly storytelling night featuring seasoned regulars and…

Former Editor-in-Chief Ryan Avent writes a weekly column about neighborhood and development issues. This week, I (carefully) picked up and began reading The Power Broker, the epic (and massive) Robert Caro biography of infamous New York master builder Robert Moses. Bob Moses, it turns out, was one of the best-trained civil service experts of the age when he first began working for the city. He was, as Caro describes him, a consummate idealist, passionately dedicated…

Guys, guys, guys. We know you hit up DCist to check out this week’s line-up at the Black Cat or the new gossip in the foodie world, but we like to think you love this city more than just for its evening entertainment possibilities and decent grasshopper taco locales. Last week we told you about our team for Servathon 2007, which will be taking part in the volunteer day on May 5. Team DCist will…

As our Gothamist friends picked up back in 2005, 28-year-old comedienne Jennifer Dziura is a pretty funny gal. After reading her bio, I quickly realized that I wanted to be her. The Dartmouth philosophy grad is a human smorgasbord, with past stints as a contraceptive tester, naked model for miscellaneous art schools, trapeze assistant, dot-com entrepreneur, and occasional comedy writer for McSweeney’s and the Idiot’s Guide to Jokes. Every Monday she emcees Williamsburg’s “Spelling Bee”…

The fact that the scene at the Edward Jones Dome went down against a soundtrack of frequent deadly silence tells you everything you need to know about where the Washington Redskins and the St. Louis Rams have found themselves this season. With big divisional contests taking place across the country, the Skins and Rams and their play-for-pride sideshow felt like it was taking place in an alternate universe. Probably the most interesting thing in…