Things to see and do in Washington

The weeks to come are going to be busy out here in Washington. There's a big event, perhaps you've heard about it. It's on January 20th and it's called Incredible-Nuisance-And-Unusual-Gathering-U-Really-Aughta-Think-Intensely-of-Nomadizing; most commonly referenced by the acronym INAUGURATION.

[Okay, nomadizing was a stretch, but "not being around" would ruin the acronym. ]

I am truly afraid of the crowds that will descend upon this city next week. I do not have to work either of my jobs, as most employers do not expect their employees to be able to travel to work that day. Even the bookstore is closed for inauguration day. When a retail outlet closes the doors on a day they could make a ton of money, that says something about the chaos to come. I have four days off of work and was considering a trip to NYC but the budget is busted after Christmas. I also have friends from Iowa coming in for the inauguration so it'll be nice to see them and catch up. The next couple of weeks will be busy.

Tomorrow I have tickets to see the Washington Capitals play the Boston Bruins. I'm sorry to admit I've become a degenerate gambler since I got here and I made a bet on a hockey game with a Flyers fan last month. The Flyers beat the Capitals 7-1 and to pay up on my bet, I had to buy the tickets to the game tomorrow. So, I will be at a Capitals game with a Flyers fan watching the Bruins play my team. Makes sense? No. This is why you should never gamble. You'll be out $30 like me.

The aforementioned Flyers fan lives in Virginia Beach but works in DC at times. I don't really know him that well, but I am so desperate for hockey friends that I overlook the Flyers thing. (Actually, five of my hockey fan friends are for other teams... Devils, Islanders, Hurricanes, Flyers, Bruins. Damn. I need new friends.) Anyway, Flyers Fan is in the Navy and tomorrow he invited me to go with him to Arlington National Cemetery before the game.

He had told me a few weeks ago he was coming up to put flags on some graves at Arlington and today he invited me to come along. Knowing that he's in the military, I wasn't sure how to respond. I asked if they were friends of his and he said a few members of his team were killed in Baghdad in 2007. When he comes up here he always tries to stop in Arlington. It seems like such an intensely personal thing and my first reaction was not to go. He said it was just a quick visit, "nothing mushy," and he asked if I have ever been to Arlington before.

The truth is, I have lived here for six months and I have not been to Arlington Cemetery. I have not been a lot of places yet, for that matter. So, I will work on changing that starting tomorrow. It's supposed to be cold, so I don't think it will be a long visit, but I'm interested to see how things are going to go. My first visit to Arlington will be with a member of our armed forces, visiting some of his fallen comrades. My first reaction was to stay away from this personal occasion. After some serious consideration, I can't think of a better way to see the grounds. I have quite a few friends and loved ones who are in the military or are veterans. I could have taken a tour of Arlington Cemetery at any time as a tourist but I never did. In a way, I am kind of honored to be able to see the cemetery like this rather than in a group of tourists, gazing at identical gravestones while paying my respects. I'm a little glad I haven't rushed out to see the sites in DC.

TV ads are bad for your health

I didn't believe it was possible, but this television commercial actually causes me physical pain. There's nothing wrong with the ad itself; it's quite good actually. I just haven't had this feeling since I was seven years old. I watch the NHL Network, they show the commercial and I want to go so bad, it hurts. I'm instantly transformed into a kid again. All I can think is "I WANT THAT!!!" I want it SO BAD I'M GOING TO DIE IF I DON'T GET THAT FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!

What is this all about? Well, there is a hockey game on New Years Day in Wrigley Field. Yes, baseball season is over so the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings are taking over Wrigley while the Cubs are away. It's going to be awesome and the Blackhawks actually have an impressive team this year. At the time of this post, they are only 5 points behind the Stanley Cup champion Red Wings with one game in hand. I realize that probably doesn't mean much to you non-hockey fans, so I will put it to you like this: in recent years, the Cubs have made the playoffs more often than the Blackhawks.

Speaking of non-hockey fans, I would like to know how many such people have tickets to this game. I have a hell of a time meeting anyone who gives a crap about hockey, but somehow there is a sold-out crowd willing to watch an outdoor hockey game on January 1st in the Windy City. Tickets on the secondary market are selling upwards of $250, and that includes seats on the rooftops. Who are these people paying money to freeze their arse off watching hockey? If they are that rich, could they buy me a ticket? I don't even need a seat. I could just lay down on the feet of the rich people and keep them warm. As long as I could see the game, I'm willing to make myself into a human foot-warmer for the rich folks. (Maybe I should put that on eBay or Craig's list... "human foot-warmer available for Winter Classic in Chicago.")

Okay, chances are I will not be able to sell myself as a human foot warmer, I will not get to see the Blackhawks play at Wrigley, and I will not die - just like I didn't die when Santa didn't bring me a pony or a little sister. But I will continue to weep every time I see that awesome commercial, and I will curse everyone who goes to this game and leaves early because it's "too cold." My friends and I would love to go to this game. We are true hockey fans - we would be in heaven to sit outside and get frostbite watching an outdoor hockey game. Unfortunately, we have that other trademark characteristic of most hockey fans - we can't afford $250 for a ticket.

So, have fun rich people! Buy yourselves a copy of Hockey for Dummies, memorize it, then you can set it on fire to keep warm in between periods. Because hockey is a cold weather sport, it moves fast and it's the greatest game on earth.

Go Hawks!!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

I may come back later and edit this post with a list of all the things I'm thankful for, but if I wait until I have time to do that it may not be until Easter. For now I just want to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Right now I'm thankful for a couple days off of work and a visit from my Dad. He surprised me a couple weeks ago and said he was thinking of coming up to Washington for Thanksgiving. We made all the arrangements and his plane gets in a couple hours from now.

The most commonly asked next question seems to be: "Are you cooking Thanksgiving dinner for your Dad?" The answer: "No way. I love my Dad too much to do that to him."

Originally I was going to spend Thanksgiving with some friends who are not going home for the holiday. Now that Dad's coming in, all five of us are going out for a Thanksgiving feast. Sometimes you can find family where you least expect it. I love bringing people together.

That said, I wish I could bring all of us together - an all-inclusive holiday with all of my friends and family back home. I'll be thinking about all of you and I will be back home next month for Christmas and New Years. I have a few comments to make about the trip home too, but more about that later.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

To my friends: A few things you need to know

I have some of the best friends in the whole world. The hardest part of leaving Iowa was moving so far away from people who mean the world to me. It took me a lifetime to find friends who are as close as family to me. But while it was so hard to move away and miss spending time together, our friendship gives me so much strength that I could not have made this move without you guys. I miss you terribly, but you have made me a better person and no amount of distance between us will break those ties.

Being in DC, I have met very few people who I consider to be genuine. At times I fear that I may lose part of myself and become like the majority of people I meet in DC. But I have met a few people out here who remind me how important it is to be yourself and the rest of the world be damned. It is through the people in life with whom you make an instant connection with that you’re reminded – even though the entire world has gone mad – there are a few of us who refuse to fall in line with society’s expectations. And I really think that we may just be the only ones who have it figured out.

I’ve realized something lately about those of us who are magnificent misfits. That is, those of us who suspect that maybe we actually have it all figured out in this crazy world we live in – in large part, we tend to be really insecure, rather self-conscious people. It’s really sad, because not fitting in can be a good thing. It can be a great thing. But at the same time, it’s so hard to get over that feeling that something is wrong with you because you’re not like everyone else. I just wanted to write this today to tell you guys – I am so damn glad that I do not fit in here in this capitol city. I have met a select few people (exatly 3, I think) who are really genuine and straightforward. I’ve met others who share my sense of humor and I can laugh and be myself with. They are few and far between, but when you meet someone that you can really be yourself around, it’s a wonderful thing.

J and Pops, you are family; if I could think of a stronger word, I would use it. Keisha and Stephy, you are always there for me and I hope I am always there for you - you are my rock. Anthony – you are in a class all by yourself, my friend. Without your friendship for the last 12 years, I would not have made it through so many hard times. I wish you all the happiness in the world because you deserve it. Jenna and Derek, I am constantly amazed by how close we were able to become and to stay in touch in such a short period of time. Both of you know the true meaning of friendship. Angie, Amanda, and Army Guy - our friendship started with hockey games and I wish we kept in better touch, but you are three of my closest friends. Tyler, I’m not great at keeping in touch with you either, but I still think there are times that you’re the only one who gets me. Brad, Alicia, Darrin, Holly, Richard, and Kerry – I don’t even know if you guys read my blog regularly because we so rarely keep in touch, but you have all come through for me and I hope you will always consider me a friend.

Sorry for getting sentimental, guys. I just don’t want there ever to be any doubt about how much I love all of you. And most importantly & most deservedly – Mom, Dad, Mark, Grandma… you have been putting up with me for far longer than anyone else. Without you, I truly would not be the person I am today. Thank you for making me who I am, thank you for your absolute love and support. If a measure of a person is by the friends they make in life, you should be incredibly proud of me. I am truly blessed.

Hockey hockey hockey

I have two tickets for tomorrow night's Capitals & Devils game and I can't wait. Last Saturday was the Capitals home opener and it was the saddest day of my life. Well, the saddest day in a long time anyway. I didn't have tickets to the game, I had no friends willing to pay any amount of money to watch hockey.

That wasn't the sad part, though. I was on the Metro going down to the bookstore around 6pm the night of the opener and I found myself surrounded by people in hockey jerseys and Capitals gear.

Hockey fans!
MY PEOPLE!!

I wanted to go so bad and I've been depressed about it ever since. I really need to meet some hockey fans out here.

While I haven't met any hockey fans in the last week, I did meet a New Jersey fan. I work with a native Jersey girl at the bookstore and eventually wore her down to go to the game, but the $25 seats were sold out and both of our budgets are pretty tight. I went on eBay to find some tickets and was nearly salivating. My Jersey girl friend is very independent and very responsible and I'm lucky that's the case. I kept finding great bargains like $120 seats for $90. I wanted lower level seats so bad I was salivating. In my irrational lust for great seats I would've had no problem maxing out my credit card for expensive tickets, taking a loss and selling the seat to my bookstore friend for $25.00. Luckily for my budget, cooler heads prevailed and she wasn't comfortable letting me pay the difference. We ended up buying $50 tickets for $30 a piece. We are both starting our careers and working at the bookstore part time to make ends meet, so even $30 stretches the budget a bit. But I don't care... I miss hockey. I also bought a pair of tickets for the game on the 28th, $19.99 for the pair.

This means I'll make it to at least 8 games this season. Anthony bought me a six-pack of tickets for graduation but I haven't picked out my seats yet. When I go tomorrow I'll look around and decide where I want to sit. I am not crazy about going to hockey games by myself. I love hockey too much, it'll be hard not to be able to nudge someone and say, "Did you see that!?!" Plus, I've been sitting next to J and Pops for so long, I'm not quite sure how other people will react to my random excited sounds. My cheers are completely spontaneous and involuntary, I hope I don't embarrass myself too much.

It'll be really different to watch an NHL game. It will be sad not to have all of my Quad City hockey friends to watch with. Instead of four rows from the ice I'll be more like 4 miles from the ice. Also, I need to learn how to be a Capitals fan. Right now I'm just a hockey fan, I want to see a good game more than I want to see the Caps win. Although I should probably mold myself into a Caps fan, just so I can fit in. I can only name about 2 players on the team, but GO CAPS!!

Hockey is finally here. Without having my friends and my old seats, the NHL is going to feel like a step down from minor league hockey. That's okay though. I'm just excited to be going to a game. Yay! Section 416 row H here I come!

I'm so excited for hockey. I don't know if I can get to sleep tonight.

Shhh... it's a secret!

Secret shopping, actually; or mystery shopping if you prefer. It sounds kinda' fun, but it is work and it usually doesn't pay much more than a free meal. I used to do it a lot when I lived in Iowa but not so much out here. It's usually not worthwhile to spend a couple hours and two or three bucks minimum to hop on the Metro for a free sandwich. Some of the companies have cool stuff like Six Flags visits, trips to the spa, or hotel stays; but it's not always worth it. You have to remember every painstaking detail about your visit and it can take a while to fill out the online surveys. Once I got a nasty email and a bad grade (yes, we get graded) because I didn't describe the outside lighting at a movie theater. Seriously, the lighting in the parking lot lowered my score. She was awfully picky for someone who was paying me in movie tickets and popcorn.

Last weekend I was checking for available shopping jobs and I saw that my local grocery store had a shop available. There was no cash payment, just some free groceries but it was the place I usually shop so I jumped on it. Well, apparently I jumped a little too quickly b/c instead of signing up for my local store, I signed up for a different location that wasn't even on the Metro line. I actually had no idea where this place was. Oops.

The logical thing to do would've been to contact the company and try to switch the locations. Instead, I illogically took responsibility for my mistake and decided to go shopping across town. That included studying the bus route to leave work and go to the store, and then from the store home - a 30-40 minute trip each way. The Metro fare and bus transfer made for a more expensive trip. Plus, did I mention? I had no idea where the hell I was going. My free groceries ended up being not so free. In fact, the picture above ended up costing me about $3.00 in cash, 90 minutes of my time, and a slight pain in my arse. I thought I was signing up for some free groceries from the store I was already going to. Instead, I clicked the wrong link on a website and ended up having to step outside of my comfort zone. It was definitely worth it.

It's kind of silly, but somehow going to a new grocery store made me realize how quickly I fell into a routine out here. I also remembered why I fell in love with this city so quickly.

I almost got onto the wrong bus, but I realized my mistake and apologized to the driver. The bus driver was really helpful, and other people on the bus were quick to offer directions. The weather was great, and it was such a pleasant walk through a new neighborhood. There really are some very friendly people here in DC. Maybe it's because they're used to tourists, but most people aren't only willing to help, they're forthcoming in offering to help.

It turns out I signed up to shop at the tiniest store in the area. My cabinets are unusually well stocked for the moment and they didn't have a lot of the things I needed. Since I didn't want to buy anything perishable before my long trip home, I ended up throwing some random things together and grabbing the treasures you see above. It was a big mix-up and I didn't get much out of it, but the reminder to break from my routine was a much-needed one. This city has so much to offer and I ride around underground every day, only to emerge to walk between the Metro stop and work; or the Metro stop and home. What a waste. I really need to get out more.

Can the debates get any more depressing?

Less than 20 minutes into the final (thank heavens!) debate and I'm thoroughly depressed. It's not only because I keep hearing the same nonsense the candidates have been uttering for a year, but now they're stressing their point by talking about "Joe the plumber." They've made up some hypothetical voter to demonstrate how well they relate to the regular hard-working folks in this country. See? They're not elitist, they're looking out for Joe - who happens to be a plumber by trade.

Not only is this really dumb and unconvincing, it's making me very sad. My Grandpa's name was Joe. He was a plumber. He passed away and I miss him. I'd much rather be watching football or Matlock with him right now than listening to these two clowns. This presidential horserace has already made me long for happier days without the reference to Grandpa. I'm telling you right now, if they start to argue about a metaphorical Dog named Daisy, I may slit my wrists.