Kanye West is not a regular person. According to his new record, “Yeezus,” he is “a god.” He is one of the best, most unpredictable rappers of today. And he’s rude (poor Taylor Swift). He’s curious but clueless, wearing a $400 Givenchy shirt to Occupy protests in New York. He hates the spotlight (“Maybe 90 percent of the time it looks like I’m not having a good time,” he recently told The New York Times). Yet he’s constantly trying explain himself. He’s got lots of conflicting Kanyes in there running the show.

His sixth solo full-length is unsettling — stripped-down, electro-fied and manic. It has many moments reminiscent of ’70s band Suicide — two guys (Alan Vega and Martin Rev), synth beats and shrieking from scary places inside — which took punk down a new (and enduring) path called darkwave. Kanye, meanwhile, recently called himself a “black New Wave artist.”

Kanye performed “New Slaves” and “Black Skinheads” on “Saturday Night Live” last month. In front of flashing images of NOT FOR SALE signs and leather Klan hats, he spit angry rhymes about cultural bargains, blackness and fame.

I came to hip-hop late, through mainstream acts, but I am a lifelong punk. That is a genre of howling out for survival. “Yeezus” is a man heaving something up, and it is punk as [expletive], as they say.

The Washington Nationals’ longest winning streak this season was a five-game surge in early May, which they followed by losing four of their next five games.

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The Nationals are stuck in neutral.

Each time the club appears poised for a winning streak, its momentum abruptly comes to a halt. Big offensive outings are routinely followed by poor performances at the plate.

Though the Nationals have dealt with injuries, most recently to Bryce Harper (knee bursitis) and Danny Espinosa (wrist), the general feeling inside the clubhouse is there’s enough talent to produce more than it has.

“We definitely haven’t gotten going like we were hoping to get going,” center fielder Denard Span said. “There’s really no explanation for it. We just haven’t played good, I’ll be honest. All across the board.”

In a 7-6 win over Cleveland on Saturday, Ryan Zimmerman, Jayson Werth, Ian Desmond, Chad Tracy and Anthony Rendon each hit home runs. The following day, the Nationals were held scoreless in a 2-0 loss.

These types of inconsistencies have become commonplace with Washington.

“We’ve been hitting the ball hard but haven’t been able to drive in the key runs at the right times,” said pitcher Jordan Zimmermann. “We’re playing good ball, pitching well and hitting. We’re not getting the key hits. I think they’ll start coming.”

In a sense, the Nationals could be thankful they’re hovering around the .500 mark with just under a month until the All-Star break. They’re near the bottom in almost every major hitting category in baseball. Heading into Monday’s game, Washington ranked 28th in batting average (.233), 28th in runs (3.5 per game), 28th in on-base percentage (.292) and 29th in hits (7.6 per game). Even so, the Nationals players remain optimistic.

“We never put any limitations on where we want to be,” catcher Kurt Suzuki said. “We do feel we’re swinging the bats better. Timely hitting obviously helps. Everybody feels we’re going in the right direction.”

Washington’s longest winning streak has been five games, during a stretch from May 4 to May 10. The Nationals followed it by losing four of their next five. However, it could be worse. Even with the inconsistencies, the Nationals are still second in the NL East and within striking distance of first-place Atlanta.

“We’ll find a way like we did last year,” shortstop Ian Desmond said. “Last year, we were missing guys throughout the whole season and we just found a way. It’s about hitting your stride and moving forward.”

2. Braves (41-28): Top pitching staff in majors (3.32 ERA) will eventually get Beachy back.

3. Red Sox (42-29): Carp is hitting .405 with five homers and 12 RBIs in June.

4. Reds (42-28): Phillips, who has never reached 100 RBIs in a single season, is on pace to drive in 130 runs.

5. Tigers (38-29): They average 9.53 strikeouts per nine innings, nearly two more Ks than the major league average.

6. Athletics (42-29): In his last six starts, Colon is 6-0 with a 1.05 ERA.

7. Pirates (41-28): As a team, they have 11 shutouts this year — the most in baseball.

8. Orioles (40-30): Coming off a big series in which they took three of four from the AL East-leading Red Sox.

9. Yankees (38-31): Cano and Gardner have been carrying the offense.

10. Rangers (38-31): They entered the week leading the AL West and ended it three-games back.

11. Rockies (37-33): Tulowitzki and Gonzalez are first and second in the NL in OPS and have a combined 107 RBIs.

12. D-backs (37-32): Goldschmidt has 18 RBIs in June, the second-most in the majors this month.

13. Rays (36-33): They have an important stretch coming up with 10 straight vs. AL East foes.

14. Padres (35-34): Impressive back-to-back sweeps of the Braves and Diamondbacks put them above .500 for first time.

15. Royals (33-34): They have won 10 of 12 games and have an MLB-best 1.80 ERA in June.

16. Giants (35-33): That once-great staff has the second-fewest quality starts in the NL.

17. Nationals (34-34): Rendon has a 10-game hitting streak and has a .361 batting average.

18. Indians (34-34): Kluber has allowed one run or fewer in four of his past five starts.

19. Blue Jays (32-36): Pitching is coming around, holding the Rangers to four runs in a four-game sweep.

20. Phillies (33-37): Lee (8-2, 2.55 ERA) is back in Cy Young contention.

21. Twins (30-36): No starter has more than five wins.

22. Dodgers (29-39): Puig is hitting .479 in June, but they have a .242 team batting average this month.

23. Angels (30-39): Blanton is first AL pitcher to reach 10 losses.

24. Mariners (31-39): Morse has only three home runs since the start of May.

25. White Sox (28-38): They have the third-worst OPS in baseball.

26. Cubs (28-39): They have converted just 48 percent of save chances.

27. Brewers (28-40): Peralta has highest ERA (6.08) among qualified pitchers in the majors.

28. Mets (25-39): They have the worst batting average (.224) in the majors.

29. Astros (26-44): No team is close to their MLB-high 1.52 WHIP.

30. Marlins (21-47): Their .330 slugging percentage is pathetic.

* Records and stats entering Monday’s games

When Dion Foxworth, 32, was going through a split, the high costs of breaking a lease and starting fresh were enough to keep him and his ex under the same roof for another three months.

They tried to keep their distance despite the awkward situation. “She would stay in her room and read while I was watching TV,” he says.

When you’re in the throes of love, few couples are prepping for the worst — they’re usually more focused on how much they’re saving on rent ­— but if discord strikes, it helps to be prepared. Here are a few tips to navigate those challenges.

Moving On and Moving Out

Forget everything you’ve learned from Cher or Bethenny Frankel, who both continued shacking up with their exes after a split. Post-breakup, it’s crucial for one or both roommates to move out as soon as possible, relationship experts say.

“One of the ways people resist the breakup is they end the relationship but continue to live together,” says Elisabeth LaMotte, a D.C-based psychotherapist and author of a self-help book for people with divorced parents.

Bad idea, LaMotte says. “It holds people back emotionally.”

Better to crash on a friend’s couch than to sleep in the same place as your ex, she says. Another, albeit pricier, option is finding a short-term or month-to-month lease while you look for something more permanent.

Foxworth, a home mortgage consultant for Wells Fargo, who now rents in Silver Spring, agrees that you can’t move on till you’ve moved out.

“It didn’t get normal till we stopped living together,” he says.

There are a few things to consider when deciding who stays and who goes, LaMotte says, such as who was there first (if applicable), who is more financially capable of moving out and who really wants the breakup.

Something else to consider is whether one person is more attached to the apartment or neighborhood, says Lisa Steadman, a relationship expert and author of the book “It’s a Breakup, Not a Breakdown.”

“Even though it’s a breakup, you want to be fair,” she says.

Of course, that’s easier said than done when you’d sooner strangulate than negotiate. Steadman’s known ex-couples who hired a mediator to handle the trickier issues.

“This is about putting your grown-up panties on — both the men and women — and being able to be an adult,” she says.

Know the Costs

But as they say, freedom isn’t free. The cost of breaking a lease could range from several hundred dollars to two month’s rent plus the security deposit, property managers say. Tenants also are usually responsible for paying rent for the remainder of the lease until new tenants are found, though in the D.C. area this usually doesn’t take long.

And remember that getting out of the apartment doesn’t always mean getting out of the lease. “Make sure you have enough money to cover rental payments that you might have to continue paying,” suggests Natalie Branche, lease coordinator at property management firm Evolve DC.

It’s also worth talking to your landlord or property manager to see if there’s any wiggle room.

“Oftentimes we’ll tell the tenant [who wants to move] to market or show the apartment themselves and kind of put the onus on them,” says Laura van de Geijn, a VP at property management firm Nest DC.

In such cases, in lieu of the usual termination fee of one month’s rent, they may just charge the costs of processing the new tenant’s application. Van de Geijn advises tenants to give as much notice as possible and proactively line up some people who could take over the lease.

“If you present some alternatives, people tend to be quite flexible,” she says. “We know this is crappy for you. Let’s try to make it a little less crappy.”

Policies tend to be stricter at larger firms, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

“Landlords are human too,” Branche says. “They want the best-case scenario for all parties involved.”

Take the High Ground

For the easiest transition from the apartment post-breakup, keep negotiations with your former partner as amicable as possible.

“There may have been a communication breakdown, but this is when the communication needs to come back together,” says rental expert Jonathan Addison, founder of D.C. rental property license expediting firm Rent Jiffy.

“Try to be adults about it,” Foxworth says. “We’re all human. People make mistakes.”

Make the Apartment Yours Again

If you’re the one staying in the rental after the breakup, it’s important to make some adjustments physically to help you move on mentally, says relationship expert and author Lisa Steadman. “You’d want to start with your bedroom,” she says. Rearrange the furniture, get new sheets, paint the walls if your lease allows it, or even get a new bed. “I just started over,” renter Dion Foxworth says of his past breakup situation.

“It’s almost more beneficial to have less,” Steadman notes. “It can be healing to get rid of more stuff.” E.B.

A No-Nup Prenup?

Nowadays, couples can sign a “living together contract” before moving in together, which can cover property, joint purchases, expenses and other things (i.e. cats?). The contract could lay out what happens to your commingled stuff in the event of a breakup. Sure beats fighting bitterly over that joint collection of “Dexter” DVDs. E.B.

A: Generally a new lease is not required, but the lease itself may require notice to the landlord when a named co-tenant moves out.

A new co-tenant will likely be subject to the landlord’s approval, and the landlord will almost certainly want to replace the name of the departed co-tenant with the name of the new co-tenant on the lease.

This could come at a cost to one or more of the co-tenants. Fees for move-outs, move-ins and lease name-changes for a co-tenant are becoming more common.

Even if the landlord does not require it, both the remaining and the departing co-tenants may wish to have the latter’s name removed from the lease. It may be in the departing co-tenant’s interests because many leases make each co-tenant “jointly and severally liable” for all lease obligations — that is, fully liable for the rent and any damages to the property that may occur.

The landlord could refuse to remove the co-tenant’s name from the lease, however, until the required move-out notice period expires. Generally, after the initial lease term, the move-out notice period expires upon the next due-date for rental payment after 30 days.

The remaining tenant may also wish to have the departing co-tenant’s name removed from the lease. That would ensure that the departing co-tenant has given up his or her right to move back into the unit.

Finally, it should be noted that District law protects victims of “intrafamily offenses,” which means violence committed against a family member, intimate partner, or co-tenant. Under specific circumstances, victims of such offenses may have certain rental housing rights, including the right to be released from a rental agreement.

Of course, the particulars of any given situation may affect these general “rules of the road.” Contact the OTA if you have any questions about your own circumstances.

About the Advocate

The D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate is an independent agency of the District government providing legal assistance, policy advocacy and education and outreach services to District renters. Learn more and contact the agency at Ota.dc.gov or 202-719-6560. The office says it is the first tenant advocacy voice within any state or city government in the U.S.

On the show, you conspire with spouses or other family members to redo rooms. Do people like to be surprised?
Well, we always do it with the permission of at least one other person who owns the home. But the people we spring these projects on are often in shock, because we go into these homes and, in a very short time, do these mind-blowing things.

What’s the biggest challenge for people going through an ordinary renovation?
I always joke that rehabs are like marriage therapy and project planning rolled into one. You have to manage your expectations and be very organized.

What’s the most common mistake DIY newbies make?
People think they can do a huge project in one weekend. But you really have to prep! And it usually takes a homeowner three times as long to do, say, a tiling job as it would a professional.

So when does it make financial sense to hire a pro?
First, factor in what your time is worth, and then the costs to buy or rent tools. Weigh those things versus what you’d pay a pro, and you’ll have your answer.

How do you know when it’s time to redo, say, your bathroom?
It depends on the house. A lot of houses have been restored so poorly that they don’t have a long shelf life. To give a project staying power, choose classic materials and quality.

And say I live in a historic home — are there different rules for rehabbing it?
If your home is architecturally or historically interesting, your rehabs really should stick to the era of the house. Stay away from kitschy, trendy materials.

If I want to hire someone to redo some tile or install a light, how do I find someone good?
Go based on a referral, a personal connection or an online service like Homeadvisor.com [sort of like an Angie’s List for home pros]. Then get three quotes. Then hire someone based on your gut, keeping in mind that, if it’s a big project, this person will be in your house all the time.

What’s the hardest project you’ve done?
My own basement! I’m so picky I can’t back off, and I do things I tell other people not to do. But at least that way I can feel their pain.

Our family is traveling to Disney World this summer and I have absolutely no idea what shoes to wear. I like to wear summer dresses with cute sandals but I do not think any of my current sandals will survive days walking around the parks or will stay on my feet while I go on roller coasters with my little nephews. I need a stylish, incredibly comfortable pair of sandals? —Dede

Manolo says Ayyyy! The Manolo loves the Disney World Land, with the giant walking mice, and the spinning tea cups, and the various and sundry princesses in their wigs and evening makeup! Indeed, who could not love this place where the little children are treated like royalty, and the adults are happy to pay for it?

The Monolo has compiled some of the little-known statistics about the average family visit to the Disney World Land.  During a one-day visit, alone, the average family can expect to walk 17.1 miles, wait in the line 294 minutes (88% of which will be for the Space Mountain), and spend $3,249.27 on souvenirs featuring the anthropomorphic animals and talking teapots. Tiring and expensive, no? But it is all worth it, no, to see the smiles on the faces of the Disney Corporation shareholders.

Here is the Alto Disco from the Clarks ($75, Zappos.com), the sort of deceptively plain, comfortable walking sandal that actually looks great once it is on your feets. The Manolo likes the navy blue, but it is also available in beige, teal, white and black.

Take Covers

On the Lamb
Watch your back, Ben’s Chili Bowl half smokes! D.C.’s Jamie Stachowski and his team at Stachowski Brand Charcuterie are moving in on your sausage bragging rights. The latest flavor, Lamb Merguez, is made using all-natural ingredients including cilantro, green onions, tomato paste, garlic and North African spices ($8, Smucker Farms, 2118 14th St. NW; 202-986-7332). They crisp up on the grill or can be taken out of their casings, chopped and added to pasta. The links boast a Sahara-hot kick, so we’d serve them Mediterranean-style with Greek yogurt mixed with lemon, dill and cucumber.

Helping Spoonful
Did that recipe call for a teaspoon or a tablespoon of vanilla extract? Umbra’s new iSpoon ($7, Umbra.com) helps you recall ingredient lists in electronic cookbooks or cuilinary web sites without missing a stir. The utensil features a wooden working end and a silicon-coated, stylus-like base that works like a finger on your tablet. Still, don’t mistake one end for the other, or you’ll end up with an iPad smeared in cookie dough or spaghetti sauce, defeating the good intentions of your cooking.

Yes We Canvas
Los Angeles-born bag company Thursday Friday gained notoriety for its cheeky Classic Together bag in 2011, which featured an illustrated Hermes bag printed on canvas. Its newest collection includes a collaboration with water colorist Samantha Hahn as well as floral decals arranged in a pretty kaleidoscopic pattern (shown, $65, Thufri.com).

Make It Perk
Are Georgetown-chic and preppy synonyms? The latest boutique on upper Wisconsin Avenue, Britt Ryan (1625 Wisconsin Ave. NW; 202-808-2408), does nothing to dispel that idea with its bright print dresses (shown, $282), elephant-pattern tops ($238) and kicky shorts ($150). It’s all made in America and sold in a pink-walled, antiques-filled spot that, like the clothes, smacks of the Hamptons.

Green Philadelphia

The City of Brotherly Love gets press for cheesesteaks, the Liberty Bell and its mammoth art museum. But beyond the beef and colonial sites, it’s also one of America’s greenest, prettiest cities with more than 10,000 acres of parkland and a slew of not-so-secret gardens both in town and in nearby suburbs. Summer is the best time to dip into these verdant attractions.

Morning: Longwood Gardens
On your way to Philly by car, stop to immerse yourself in blooming flowers, wacky topiary trees and an Italian water garden with 600 spouting jets at this 1,077-acre compound once owned by the du Ponts. Don’t miss the massive 1919 greenhouse with its grand, glassed-in rooms of cacti, tall palms and orchids. $18; reserve at Longwoodgardens.org, 1001 Longwood Rd., Kennett Square, Pa.

Noon: Terrain Boutique and Styer’s Garden Cafe
A 10-minute drive east of Longwood Gardens plants you at Terrain, a garden and outdoor decor store from the boho folks at Anthropologie. The vibe? Young Hipster had a Farm, with succulents and herbs mingling with weathered tin pots and vintage finds (a birdbath-turned-planter). Its restaurant, Styer’s Garden Cafe, dishes up locovore lunch/brunch in a greenhouse and dinner under the stars. Bread even comes out in mini flower pots! 914 Baltimore Pike, Glen Mills, Pa., 610-459-2400; Shopterrain.com

Afternoon: Biking by the River
Once you’ve arrived in Philly, ditch your car and rent a bike ($10-$15 an hour, Wheel Fun Rentals, One Boathouse Row; 215-232-7778) to explore Fairmont Park, where you can zip down paths by the Schuylkill River or up into the massive greenspace to visit outdoor attractions like the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden (Horticultural and Lansdowne drives; Shofuso.com) with its manicured trees and stone-flanked waterfall

Evening: Talula’s Garden
Herbs grow in rustic wooden boxes on the wall and mismatched dining chairs crowd an ivy-walled outdoor garden at this Washington Square farm-to-fork restaurant. Specialties include veggie-loaded pastas, sweet pea Benedict (a veggie-pork-egg brunch melange) and scallop-okra bouillabaisse. 210 W. Washington Square, 215-592-7787; Talulasgarden.com

Spending the night? Near Philly’s tree-filled Rittenhouse Square, The Hotel Palomar offers cheeky decor (neon-hued busts of Ben Franklin) and a free wine happy hour nightly. 117 S. 17th St., 215-563-5006, Hotelpalomar-philadelphia.com

Fancy Baltimore

Baltimore residents know there’s no such thing as dive bars: They’re just bars. But to assume the burg is all run-down watering holes, “Wire” sets and crushed Natty Boh cans would be to overlook Charm City’s classy side. Historic, glitzy ’hoods, a retail-heavy waterfront and a cool food scene make B-more an ideal jaunt for frill-seekers.

Morning: Garrett-Jacobs Mansion
In 1872, railroad titan John Works Garrett gifted this 42-room brownstone to his daughter-in-law as a wedding present. Like a backdrop for an Edith Wharton novel, it once served as a playground for socialites. Tours (by appointment Tuesday-Saturday, 1-4 p.m.) let you peek at its grand, hand-carved oak staircase and Tiffany windows. 11 W. Mt. Vernon Pl., 410-539-6914; Garrettjacobsmansion.org

Noon: Harbor East
D.C. residents may recognize some retailers in this newish hub for upscale shopping — think Urban Chic and Sassanova (both founded in Georgetown) and South Moon Under (with roots in Ocean City), which mingle with homegrown spots like Amaryllis Jewelry (look for Barbara Heinrich’s black and lemon diamond pieces) and Loafers and Laces, a dapper men’s shoe shop. Bound by Fleet St. and S. Central Ave.; Harboreast.com

Afternoon: Baltimore Spa & Salon
You’ve strained yourself with all this touring, haven’t you? Then tuck into this luxe space at the Ritz Carlton Residences (801 Key Hwy.; 410-625-2427; Baltimorespasalon.com) where indulgences include Balinese massages ($230 for 90 minutes) and Vichy shower treatments ($175 for 50 minutes) — imagine a rinse with multi-headed water spouts followed by gentle exfoliation.

Evening: Bolton Hill

F. Scott Fitzgerald and Woodrow Wilson once hung their hats in this neighborhood just north of downtown (Boltonhill.org) lined with impeccably preserved, late 19th-century rowhouses. You can’t get into their former homes, but you can dig into scallops with pork belly and roast duck breast with a sweet tea gastrique at B Bistro, an eclectic American spot in a converted townhouse. 1501 Bolton St., 410-383-8600; B-bistro.com

Spending the night? End a lavish day in digs worthy of Gilded Age swells. The newish Four Seasons in Harbor East boasts a heated infinity pool and big, water-view hotel rooms. Get a good night’s rest: You’ll want to do brunch at the hotel’s Wit and Wisdom restaurant (below), where executive chef Michael Mina’s elevated American classics include, of course, zesty crab cakes. 200 International Dr., 410-576-5800; Fourseasons.com/Baltimore

Hip Richmond

Any history buff worth his weight in textbooks knows Richmond played a major role in the American revolution and Civil War. And any longtime resident knows the city is also rich in contempo art, retro-cool fashion and good food. It all makes Virginia’s cap city a destination for those who love the past, but are interested in keeping up with the times.

Morning: Jackson Ward Art
Start on foot in Jackson Ward, where galleries are gobbling up shuttered storefronts. Quirk (311 W. Broad St., 804-644-5450; Quirkgallery.com) shows local paintings, photos and mixed-media works plus Little Fools Textiles’ scarves. If Gallery5’s (200 W. Marshall St., 804-644 0005; Gallery5arts.org) whitewashed, circa-1849 brick walls could talk, they’d speak of bands, performance art and exhibits they’ve witnessed.

Noon:Lamplighter Coffee
Lamplighter’s new cafe (1719 Summit Ave., 804-447-2648; Lamplightercoffee.com) in Scott’s Addition brings brews to a zone in the midst of a hipster renaissance. A Diedrich roaster toasts beans for tasty pour-over coffees or iced java. Grab a bite down the street at Lunch RVA (1213 Summit Ave., 804-353-0111; Eatlunchrva.com) where chalkboards announce a rotation of fresh salads and inventive sandwiches.

Afternoon: Carytown Shopping
Hit Carytown’s indie shops like city-cool clothier Need Supply Co. (3100 W Cary St., 804-767-1825) and Ruth & Ollie, a hotbed of preppy furniture (3108 W. Cary St.; 804-288-3360). For vintage clothes (a huge strength here), try Bygones Vintage (2916 W. Cary St.; 804-353-1919) or, a few blocks northeast, Halcyon Vintage (117 N. Robinson St.; 804-358-1311), known for party frocks and sparkly jewelry.

Evening: The Roosevelt
In gentrifying Church Hill, chef/James Beard Award nominee Lee Gregory serves Southern comfort food — catfish with black-eyed peas, poutine with sausage gravy — in a throwback-chic room with a tin ceiling and framed vintage photos. 623 N. 25th St., 804-658-1935; Rooseveltrva.com

Spending the night?  End your day at the artsy Museum District Bed and Breakfast. 2811 Grove Ave., 804-359-2332; Museumdistrictbb.com

Superhero movies have come a long way from just being Big Strong Good Guy vs. Big Strong Bad Guy, thanks in large part to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight series. Which is why it’s odd that “Man of Steel” — written by Nolan and David Goyer, another Batman alum — is such a loud, dumb mess.

“Man of Steel” has plenty of problems. Aside from the aforementioned loud, it’s also very loud and VERY, VERY loud. The story is propelled not by any sort of human (or Kryptonian) conflict, but by a desire to bonk Superman with various heavy things: Steel girders! Tanker truck! Satellite! The acting of Michael Shannon as Zod, who chews a scenery sandwich with a side of scenery chips, all the while slurping down a tasty scenery shake!

This lazy reliance on action movie tropes rings hollow in a post-“Avengers” world. And one glaring example of the movie’s weaknesses is the relationship between Superman/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) and Lois Lane (Amy Adams.)

The two actors have the chemistry of flat tonic water, which is a major issue, but I can’t blame them entirely. The script never finds a reason for the characters to like one another. Yes, he saves her after she gets herself into a wildly stupid situation — the movie transforms Lois from an intrepid risk-taking reporter to a completely negligent bonehead — but “Man of Steel” seems to believe audiences will buy the budding romance because everyone already knows Superman and Lois like one another. (Also, Lois is annoying. I doubt anyone who actually has a Pulitzer declares “I am a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter!” to her editor. Who presumably knows.)

The relationship might have worked before Batman returned to theaters, reinventing what a superhero movie could be. In a genre that was evolving quite nicely, “Man of Steel” is a big step backwards.

If you, like me, have an irrational but very real fear of drifting alone in space, close your eyes during the “Gravity” trailer before the movie. It pretty much had me covering my eyes muttering “nope nope nope nope.”

Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg has a 2.54 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 12 starts this season, but he has a 3-5 record.

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When Stephen Strasburg takes the mound Sunday, it will mark the first time since mid-May that the Nationals’ pitching rotation has been at full strength.

Strasburg has been nursing a strained right lat that placed him on the 15-day disabled list. The Nationals, who have been hovering around .500, hope his presence can help ignite the ballclub in the remaining games until the All-Star break in mid-July.

Strasburg has posted 2.54 ERA with 73 strikeouts in 12 starts. However, he is just 3-5, with the Nationals’ offense averaging 2.9 runs per game in his starts.

“I feel I’m going out there and pitching well,” Strasburg said in early May. “It’s just not happening on the days I pitch right now. It’s all going to change. It’s still early.”

Last Saturday, Strasburg threw a bullpen session without any problems and came away pain-free. On Tuesday afternoon, Strasburg threw a simulated game at Coors Field before Washington’s game against the Rockies.

Again, Strasburg came away fine and without any lingering effects from the session. During the simulated game, Strasburg threw 56 pitches to selected teammates.

“I didn’t really feel like I threw at all,” Strasburg told The Washington Post earlier this week in Denver. “I feel like my strength stayed there even though I missed a couple starts.”

Expected to start Sunday, Strasburg will face a Cleveland lineup that headed into Thursday ranked ninth in Major League Baseball with 308 runs scored.

Making matters tougher, the Indians’ lineup on Sunday could feature six left-handed batters for Strasburg to face, including switch-hitters Nick Swisher and Carlos Santana. Left-handed hitters have a .244 batting average against Strasburg, compared to the .193 for right-handed hitters.

Regardless of the challenge Cleveland presents in Strasburg’s return, the Nationals will be happy to see a complete pitching rotation again. In addition to Strasburg’s injury, Washington was without starter Ross Detwiler from May 15 until Thursday night because of an oblique injury.

With Sunday the first available date Strasburg is eligible to return, he’s hoping to jump back in and continue his season in stride.

“All I can do is give everything I have every fifth day, and whatever happens, happens,” Strasburg said.

Wednesday night’s victory over the Philadelphia Union in the U.S. Open Cup round of 16 has given United some momentum heading into Saturday’s clash vs. Toronto FC.

At 1-10-3 and mired in a franchise-worst 12-game winless stretch in league play, United’s 3-1 win over Philadelphia provided a mid-week lift in more ways than one.

The victory ensured United’s place in the quarterfinals of the storied domestic cup competition, where it will host the New England Revolution. The game also served as a sorely needed breakout performance for captain Dwayne De Rosario, whose hat trick accounted for all of United’s scoring. His recent benchings have caused tension between him and coach Ben Olsen, but De Rosario is expected to be in the starting lineup against his former side and hometown club.

“I’m passionate, there’s blood in my veins — you saw that tonight,” De Rosario said following Wednesday’s win. “I have a strong personality. Like I said, I’m passionate, and [Olsen] has a strong personality too, so we’re going to bump heads. But at the end of the day, my job is to go out there and do the best job I can to help this team, and thankfully I was able to do that tonight.”

Toronto FC has fared marginally better than United this season, stumbling to a 1-7-5 record.

United looks to carry its Wednesday form into Saturday’s home match and start the ascent up the Eastern Conference standings by leapfrogging the Reds.

“It’s a good vibe right now,” Olsen said. “There’s a silent confidence about us that we can get out of this thing, and now’s the time.”

Hall of Tradition

The final nominees or D.C. United’s Hall of Tradition are out, with Jaime Moreno, Carlos Llamosa, Tony Sanneh and Alecko Eskandarian all up for induction. Fan voting will determine the one former player who will join the group of past D.C. legends, with ballots open on United’s website until June 19.

Magary, a married Bethesda father of three, writes for the sports site Deadspin (including a column called “Dadspin”), as well as for Gawker and GQ (for whom he recently braved a Kid Rock concert cruise). He shares his misadventures in parenting in a new book, “Someone Could Get Hurt: A Memoir of Twenty-First-Century Parenthood.”

Seriously, why would anyone choose to become a parent?
I get questions from readers: “Why would I have kids? Why would people do this to themselves?” But there’s a reason everyone still does it. In the end you look back and you’re very proud of all the [expletive] you went through to make that person grow.

Yours is one of many recent “bad parent” books. Do you think they resonate more now for some reason?
It’s a whole subgenre now. Moms who like wine! Moms who swear! “I’m talkin’ real: My kids piss me off.” The Internet has given parents another avenue to embarrass their children. But I think kids have frustrated their parents forever. I think the frustration is kind of the point. If raising kids were easy, you probably wouldn’t love ’em as much. I know that sounds weird, but the process and intensity and all the difficulty and the hard work you put into it — that IS the love.

Your wife is a stay-at-home mom, and you work from home. Do you have trouble balancing work and family?
If there’s a crisis during the day, my wife will come into my office and tell me, “I need you to scrape the kid off the ceiling,” or whatever, and I do. By 8:30 or 9 a.m., I’m ready to be left alone to work. I mean, sometimes they’re very cute. You can come out, kiss their heads, have a little kid break. Then I go sprinting back into the office.

You’re unflinchingly honest in this book about the hard parts of raising kids. Are you worried about them reading it someday?
Even though I say in the book that I’m frustrated about my kids, I never say, “I would like to sell them. I’d like to put them in a bag and throw them in the river.” It’s honest about the anger and frustration, but ultimately you love them and all that cliched stuff.

Greater Washington Soap Box Derby participants zoom by the Capitol dome.

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Amid epic political gridlock this spring, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) introduced a bill to allow the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby to go forward. The race, in which kids in motorless cars square off in pairs and try to channel their inner NASCAR racer, takes place on Capitol property and thus requires permission from Congress to run each year. We asked derby director Steve Danahy for some insight into the sport that’ll be shutting down a piece of Constitution Avenue Saturday morning.

The Car
“When I was a kid, they’d give you four wheels, two axles and a steering wheel,” Danahy says. These days, kids build the cars from regulation kits to keep the playing field level. They even swap wheels (so no one sneaks in nicer ones) and lanes (in case the terrain varies slightly) between races to make sure the champion wins solely on skill. There are three divisions: stock car (geared toward younger drivers), and super stock car and masters, which are different styles of car both meant for kids ages 10-17.

The Stance
The unpowered cars run on gravity alone, which means the distribution of weight is important. “You can have [the car] tail-heavy, nose-heavy or neutral,” Danahy says. Another deciding factor is the driver’s position. The correct stance is leaning forward, peering over the “hood,” to be as aerodynamic as possible. “The higher up you are, the more wind resistance you provide,” he says.

The Paint Job
Stock cars come in red, white and blue, and occasionally other shades — Danahy says he’s encountered pink and black. Kids aren’t allowed to paint stock cars, but stickers are OK. Drivers can paint super stock cars (Danahy’s kids favored classic hot rod flames); masters cars, which are made of fiberglass rather than plastic, are often elaborately painted.

The Track
The race takes place on D.C.’s most famous hill, Capitol Hill, starting at Constitution and New Jersey avenues NW and ending at the intersection of Constitution and Louisiana avenues NW. Danahy takes it upon himself to make sure the track is in good shape. “Saturday morning I’ll be out there with Bondo, patching up the potholes,” he says.

Annie (Annie Purcell) and Henry (Teagle F. Bougere) argue about love.

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Tom Stoppard, the 75-year-old British playwright responsible for 1966’s “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” 1993’s “Arcadia” and numerous screenplays, has found that people assume all sorts of things about him from his characters. It doesn’t help that “The Real Thing,” now at Studio Theatre, is about a playwright and his tangled love life. We got the chance to ask Stoppard about what’s real and what’s not in “The Real Thing.”

Is it frustrating when people interpret “The Real Thing” as autobiographical?
I don’t have that great a memory for what I was doing 30 years ago, but I remember I didn’t want [the play] to be about a playwright, because I didn’t want it to seem like I was writing some sort of memoir. I tried to write it as a play about a novelist and found I didn’t know how to do it. It’s not in any way an autobiographical play — except in Henry’s prejudices about music and English literature. It’s quite a self-revelatory play about love and literature, friendships and so on.

“The Real Thing” is often seen as a departure for you, a play about love after works that were more clever and had a lot of jokes and wordplay. Was that a conscious change?
I don’t think anybody sets out thinking, “Ooh, I’m going to write this kind of play this time, and I should show a bit more this or that.” I like writing dialogue, trying to keep a fictitious world alive. The one thing I don’t have is any real self-awareness about it. It’s irrelevant to what I do. It’s an aftereffect of what I do.

Has your writing changed with age?
Broadly speaking, when I began, I was less behind my own work than later. There wasn’t so much life behind the work, it was more off the top of my head.

You started your career as a journalist, and your writing has a certain objectivity. Do you try to advance certain viewpoints, or do you feel you should be objective somehow?
A lot of times I agree with a character, but usually I have the responsibility of providing the arguments and the words for whichever character is arguing with the first character. It’s almost the lifeblood of plays to have disagreement. It’s like ping pong, but I’m running around the table hitting the ball back to myself.

Backstory: Henry, a playwright (Teagle F. Bougere), tries to navigate his marriage as his notions of fidelity and loyalty are challenged by actress Annie. “The Real Thing” does have a lot of traditionally Stoppardian wordplay, but arguments about literature and the Everly Brothers rise above the academic as the characters try to figure out what love is (and how you know you’ve found it).