Assorted miscellany

Definition of a bad party: black suits dancing to YMCA.* I passed by a classic case in the form of a charity gala a block down on my street last night. Today on 15th street: an apartment's windows open to the fair weather, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! blaring over the fan. Definition of a great Sunday.

American diplomats still can't speak Arabic. It occurs to me that part of the problem is excellent Arabic speakers are alienated by our administration's aggressive regional policy [I certainly am, not that I'm any great shakes at the language]. It also occurs to me that the Foreign Service Institute, competent as it is, overlooks the power of immersion. They get you to an intermediate level of speaking ability and then send you to post to work it out on your own. Continued training in the destination country: cheap, easy, effective.

Outlets for your underused creativity: New Yorker Cartoon Contest and WaPo's Style Invitational, where I regularly fulfill my need for bad puns.**

*Funny, Connor Deasy just sang, "Guess everyone else went to a better party," into my ear.
**Incidentally, if anyone knows the permalink generator for Post content, I'd be ever so grateful.