Harvest moon over the Mall
Well... much has transpired since I posted my last bit of drivel.
I finally moved into my apartment. It was an ordeal, as moving usually is. I flew up to Boston on the evening of the 14th, spent a couple of hours packing and then went out to meet some Kennedy School folks at a party in Cambridge. I got home around 3 am and then got up at 9 to begin the moving adventure. Of course I started out the day with problems at U-Haul (which reminds me that I haven't complained to their management). They had my reservation, but didn't have the additional supplies I reserved--a couple of dollies and a hand cart. The manager made no attempt to solve the problem and was indignent when I requested that she have another U-Haul location deliver the accessories to me. Fortunately, I had a backup and my father brought a hand truck with him.
Loading the truck went pretty well thank to the help of a couple of former coworkers from WBUR. We finished a couple of hours later than I wanted to, but I can't really complain when people were willing to help me move for free. Reminds me of that great saying, "a friend will help you move, but a good friend will help you move a body."
Anyhow, I left Boston, stopped at my dad's house to pick up my cats, and hit the road to DC. I arrived at my girlfriend's apartment at 1:30 am, let the cat loose, and went to sleep.
Moving in went extremely well, especially considering the elevator was not working in my building. I hired a couple of professional movers to unload the truck and that was the best $300 I ever spent.
So, since then I have been unpacking, organizing, and otherwise harassing my landlord to fix a few lingering issues around the apartment. Still, it's a great place, and an ideal location. I can walk to work in 15-20 minutes depending on traffic lights; I can walk to Dupont Circle in under 10 minutes, and I'm about 5 minutes from U Street. So things are good there.
Last weekend I hit a couple of Nationals games. Friday night I took my brother-in-law to the game, and I had my first RFK Stadium experience. I'll just say that it reminded me of a high school hockey rink in terms of construction and amenities.
Saturday I spent the first half of the day organizing my apartment to be presentable for my first house guest--my 11-year-old nephew. While I figured his standards would be lower than a "typical" guest, I think he was disappointed that the place wasn't bigger. Someday he'll appreciate that an 800 sq ft apartment in the Dupont area is a pretty impressive thing--especially on a public radio budget.
Anyhow, I took him out kayaking on the Potomac at dusk and tried to convince him there were crocodiles in the river. I'm not sure if he believed me or if he was just humoring me, but he played along regardless.
Afterwards we had dinner at Tony & Joe's in Georgetown. He sucked down raw oysters, fried calamari, and Alaskan king crab legs. Of course he had the vanilla bean ice cream for dessert.
After that it was back to the apartment to watch The Holy Grail. I figured it was safe for an 11-year old. I thought he was dozing off through most of it, but I spoke with my sister tonight and she said he pretty much memorized the whole movie. Good to know he has the "movie memorization gene."
Sunday we got up and went back to RFK for the final baseball game there. The Nationals actually won and it was an exciting game. Although I think that Connor's interest in going to baseball games is seeing how much junk food $20 will buy. I was amazed how far it went myself, but I guess if you aren't buying beer then $20 will get you a lot more food.
The rest of the day consisted of shopping at Target with my girlfriend, putting together her desk, helping her with math homework, and having a fascinating conversation with a Humphrey Fellow from Georgia (the country).
Tonight I played my first softball game in DC. It was on the Mall at 15th and Constitution--essentially in the shadow of the Washington Monument. Beautiful setting. Granted I was 15 minutes late and only got to bat once (and it was one of the worst of my softball career--one pitch, one swing, and a popup to the catcher), but at least my fielding was solid.
After the game I went for a jog along the Mall. I started out heading west and ended up at the Lincoln Memorial. Since I didn't want to stop and wait for the light so I could cross the street, I kept running and ended up crossing the bridge into Virginia. I ran around the rotary and came back across the bridge. As soon as I turned east, I saw the most stunning sight--a big, bright orange Harvest Moon hovering next to the Washington Monument. It was not only beautiful, but also a primal site. It easily could have been a scene from Egypt hundreds of years BC.
I proceeded to jog past the Lincoln Memorial, through the WWII Memorial and back Independence Ave towards the Monument. All the while the full moon hovered above. It spoke to me on a very deep level, and confirmed that I am "home."
DC is the right fit for me in just about every respect. The big exception is driving around here. It astonishes me how slow people are, and how screwy the traffic light can be. If you get out of sync with the lights, you can drive for a mile or more and stop every block at a red light. Add to that the fact that there are no streets through the heart of the city that bypass local traffic, and it can be purely maddening to drive around here. I really can't think of anywhere I've driven where I have been so constantly irritated while driving. Yes, I know that many people who know me will say that I am constantly irritated driving around Boston, and it's a fair take, but it's so much worse here. I need to readjust my perspective and accept that it takes 10% more time than it should to drive the equivalent distance in Boston. I'll get used to it eventually.
Anyhow, that's my latest, and completely uninspiring ramble from my new Ikea chair in my living room. I feel like I should have an Ikea endorsement by now given the time and money I've spent there in the last couple of weeks. Anyhow, until next time...
