Wednesday, March 24, 2010

DC things

  1. Yesterday was cold and windy, and rainy for part of the day. Walking to work sucked. Also, I made the mistake of wearing a lightweight skirt. I've lost my feel for appropriate work clothes for commuting, apparently. But today is sunny and it's already warmish and it's going to get positively warm this afternoon. I walked to work in the sunshine and admired all the blooming flowers in people's gardens. Lots of daffodils and crocuses and pops of color. My hotel is about ten minutes from my office and it is rather lovely to walk through some of the lovely rowhouses that make up DC's downtown residential areas.
  2. Working in an office when you aren't normally in the office can become very distracting. People come by, or suddenly it seems ridiculous to call someone who's right down the hall so you walk down the hall to talk to them, and bump into three other people along the way, and then you remember why you should have called them to begin with. The office I'm sitting in doesn't have a phone, so I have to use Skype or my BlackBerry to call people if I need to talk to them, and it feels much more ridiculous than picking up a regular phone and dialing an internal extension would. I think that's why I'm so averse to doing it.
  3. Speaking of my office not having a phone, it also doesn't have anything else except a desk. I'm using my own laptop (meaning I don't have printer access), I had to steal an ethernet cord from the cube of someone who recently left the company, and I'm still using my BlackBerry. Basically it's like I'm telecommuting from my own office. It feels very strange. But it's still very nice to be here and see everyone, and so far it's been very productive.
  4. I do not miss being reliant on public transportation at all. It is great to have and it mostly works pretty well, though of course the system still has issues that need to be worked out. But I love that we now live in a place where having a car is affordable and convenient, and we can go wherever we want, whenever we want. I don't miss having to build in an extra 20 minutes to get wherever I was going, and being trapped in the city and unable to ever go to some of the gorgeous outdoorsy areas that surround DC.
  5. The neighborhood that I'm staying in is very safe and nice, but I keep getting cat-called and talked at by random guys on the street. And no, before you say it, I don't think it's a compliment. I don't think it has anything to do with looks or attractiveness. The way it's done has to do with power. They are saying things to strange women on the street in ways that are designed to make them feel exposed and uncomfortable. They are not friendly little compliments. They are rude. And I don't like it.
  6. DC is a great town. I'm glad I lived here. But I'm even more glad that I don't live here anymore.

13 comments:

  1. 5 - I have always hated that. It never feels like a compliment to me either. It feels degrading.

    6 - :)

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  2. I am so over public transportation. It's inconvenient and never on your schedule. I really miss being able to just walk outside and get into my car to drive wherever I want.

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  3. #5 made me angry. I hate when that happens, and it's never a compliment. I've never been able to put my finger on why it feels so degrading, but you did it for me: it's about power. Pisses me off.

    I LOVE that you're so happy where you're living, though. How awesome to come back to a place where you also loved your life, and know that you made the absolute best choice!

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  4. Isn't it interesting to go home again? When you find the place you're meant to be in, everything pales in comparison.

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  5. #5 HATE that. I never think cat-calling is a compliment. Ever.

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  6. Cat calling is the worst. I think living in DC wouldn't be my cup of tea, and having to manage those confusing, poorly-signed roads in a car? I would die.

    I live in Alexandria (near Springfield really) and I think it's kind of the best of both worlds -- having a car and using it is pretty easy, but at the same time a metro station is five minutes away.

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  7. You are one of the fortunate ones. So many people only know one place in their lives. They have no way of comparing. Isn't it also reassuring to know that Denver was the right choice for the two of you?!

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  8. Spring. You get to have an honest-to-God spring! Poor Torsten is dealing with snow. (So am I.)

    How funny. I never stop missing DC or the Metro. I am sure if I went back now I would get totally annoyed by the crowding and other BS on the metro, but from here? I still miss it.

    Have fun!

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  9. So glad that you're happy to be back but even happier about where you are now.

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  10. I loathe public transportation. So it is sort of a cosmic joke that I live in NYC. ;)

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  11. I continue to be terribly jealous that you usually work from home.

    But I LOVE DC and it sounds just beautiful to be walking around that city right now.

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  12. haha, and here i am pining for a public transportation commute because i miss reading so much. cannot read while driving. well... not safely, anyway :-)

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  13. I feel exactly the opposite about Austin. I was glad to live there. I hate that I don't live there anymore. Someday. . . :)

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