The National Arboretum is really an amazing place. You not only have all these wide-open, beautiful, natural settings, but the space is so wide-open, and the visitor population so relatively low, that you can sit there in peace and contemplation without being disturbed, even by the sight of people, usually. Living in the heart of a city where I can’t get away from the sounds and sights, even in the deepest recesses of my home, it’s nice to have somewhere nearby you can retreat to.
Please keep in mind that this post is more than 6 years old. Who the hell knows what I was thinking back then?! Damn kids... get off my lawn!
I’d like to thank Hecht’s for making my Saturday, by telling me, when my credit card wouldn’t swipe through the magnetic reader, that they’ll only manually punch in the cards for people with Hecht’s or Macy’s charge cards.
So after yesterday’s run-in with Hecht’s payment policies, I had an interesting, counter-example to the shopping experience. I found the ‘perfect gift’ at Eastern Market, but the vendor couldn’t take credit cards. I didn’t have cash or checks. So she handed it to me, and told me to mail her a check. It was the last one, and she was worried it would be gone if I came back some other time.
She had less reason to trust me, and more to proportionately lose. But she said I looked ‘nice and honest.’
These are the stories I think of when doing business.
Please keep in mind that this post is more than 6 years old. Who the hell knows what I was thinking back then?! Damn kids... get off my lawn!
I think the buses, they hate me. There was my previous run-in, out in Bethesda, with a mini Ride-on. (I’ll add a link to the story, as soon as my website stops being dead. Update: Done.) Today I was on the 36 bus up to Wisconsin Avenue, when, as we attempted to turn onto the circle at Foggy Bottom, we were sideswiped by a tractor trailer. It was at the same time scary and morbidly interesting. Certainly, an object three times the size of my apartment closely approaching you at any speed is enough to make you nervous. And when it literally rocks your own multi-ton vehicle like it was nothing… well, I got off the bus pretty fast. Felt almost sorry for the driver, who looked hopelessly innocent and completely lost, and just sat dazed in the front seat. But… you know… not sad enough that I was gonna wait around with him until the cops arrived. Still… it’s interesting seeing the giants of the metropolitan road being thrown around so easily.
Man, does it show when I’m not interested in taking pictures. There are many shots from Indri’s recent visit that I absolutely love. I love taking pictures with and of Indri. But while I’ve been to two parties in the past week, neither time did I go to any effort to take pictures. I just wanted to have fun for a change, and not put that distance between myself and the event, that a camera brings. I did pull out my camera both times, but mostly just to snap off a few obligatory shots of people having fun. And the pictures show it. They’re mostly boring. The focus is terrible. Lighting is off. No composition.
*shrug*
Not a big deal. The “big” party was covered by many other people (1) ( 2). Almost looked like paparazzi in there when the cake fell on the floor.
Image by Nguyet Vuong
Please keep in mind that this post is more than 6 years old. Who the hell knows what I was thinking back then?! Damn kids... get off my lawn!
Boohiss. I was thinking of going to MoCCA this year, but it turns out it’s the same weekend as my Texas trip.
So, last night, I found out that, despite my best efforts, the magnets in my stereo speakers have been affecting the screen on my TV. (It became apparent, when I removed the speaker, and the picture went to hell). I then proceeded to somehow snap the pin off my admittedly beat-to-hell power adapter for my laptop. When I fell asleep talking on the phone, I bent the frames on my glasses. And after being woken up by a redundant request for information from a minor client, I noticed my cat was bleeding.
But for some warped reason, I was in a fairly good mood all day. In good cheer, and very mellow. If I had been depressed or down, this kind of day would have just wiped me out. As it was, aside from falling behind in work, it was the best day I’d had in a while. I ran to the Apple store first thing and picked up a new power adapter. (My conscience wouldn’t let me claim it as a warranty repair, since I had practically destroyed the thing previously). I took Pixel in to the vet, and she had, as I suspected, another ruptured anal gland. (Yes, it’s exactly what you think it is). My glasses were fixed with a pair of pliers. And the TV righted itself overnight.
Life balances out. Well… except for my checkbook, which took a more than substantial hit.
Please keep in mind that this post is more than 6 years old. Who the hell knows what I was thinking back then?! Damn kids... get off my lawn!
I dropped Indri off at the bus yesterday afternoon. No offense to anyone who’s ever visited me, but when I finally turned around to walk back to my place, I actually missed her. I don’t usually miss weekend visitors once they finally leave. Quite the opposite. No matter how great they may be, I’ve been living alone long enough, and rely enough on my weekends to unwind, that visitors throw off my rhythm.I don’t get to calm down. I don’t get time alone to get my head straight.
But I did miss Indri.
So yeah… it was a nice weekend. Just… fun. Nothing spectacular. But it was fun. And active. And … and I ate way too much, and didn’t get enough sleep, really. (As attested to by my oversleeping this morning.) We saw dead people at the Holocaust museum and living things at the Botanical Garden. We finished off the weekend at the zoo, with lots of cute furry things and disgusting slimy things. And Indri rambles on and on, never at a loss for words, except when I said something incredibly stupid, at which point she stares at me like a dog who can’t understand the crazy things humans do. But she’s smart and she’s cute, and she’s nowhere near as innocent and sweet as she would have you believe. (Just look at her obsession with her own butt.)
Please keep in mind that this post is more than 6 years old. Who the hell knows what I was thinking back then?! Damn kids... get off my lawn!
