John Kelly writes five times a week about the joys and annoyances of living in Washington. He aims to show readers the Washington (and Silver Spring, Alexandria, Manassas, Bowie ...) that they know and take them places they don't know. He wants to make them see familiar things in unfamiliar ways and unfamiliar things in familiar ways. ("We may occasionally end up seeing unfamiliar things in unfamiliar ways," John says, "but such are the risks of the job.") His columns take a cockeyed view of the place the rest of the planet knows as the Capital of the Free World but that we all call home. John rides the Metro for fun and once kidnapped an Irishman to see what made him tick.

Fridays at 1 p.m. ET John is online to chat about his columns and mull over anything that's on your mind.

Discussion Archives / Recent Columns

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John Kelly: So, did you hear about the cell phone yakking bank robber? There was a story about her on the front page. She's robbed four banks, all while talking on her mobile. No one can really make out what she's saying. Some variation on "Can you hear me now?" one presumes. I think the reason people are incensed about her is that it's yet another example of how annoying cell phone addicts are. The only thing that would enrage Washingtonians more is if she was robbing banks while applying her make up. I can't wait till they catch her.

We don't get Veterans Day off here at The Post so I sometimes forget it's a holiday for others. And then I get to the Metro parking garage and find I can get a good spot. And I emerge from the Metro station and see that there's on-street parking. It's not quite a ghost town in D.C. today, but there's defnitely less hustle, and a shade less bustle, too. How many of you are off work today? Of course, if you are, you're probably not signed on to this chat.

This week's columns went a little something like this:

Monday: Answer Man explores the City of Light, that is, the buildings in Washington that are illuminated by colorful light bulbs.

Tuesday: Announcing, for one time only, the return of the neologism contest, to provide Metro with better "sniglets" for its current campaign.

Wednesday: The Parental Absolution Form. Have your teenager sign it today.

Thursday: Human smoke detectors, the Kennedy Center FedExes something across the street, "the rake's progress" and why Romanians eat hamburgers shaped like hot dogs.

Friday: Other veterans we shouldn't forget on Nov. 11.