DC Trip - Day One

I'm in our nation's capitol for a whole week! Sure, I have to go to some EEO training - but I get to stay in a nice hotel and eat out all week! Of course, I don't sleep well in strange beds and eating out all week will likely cause me to blow up like a puffer fish. I don't care! I'm living la dolce vida!

The three hour trip last night was uneventful. I'm driving a Mazda 5, a zippy little four-door hatch back, for the week. Rentals are fun! I checked in around 8:30pm last night and made my way over to Union Station to check on Metro tickets and times. The metro lady was super nice and helped me get a ticket with enough money on it to cover my round trip fare all week. Thanks Super-Nice-Metro-Lady! I will be sure to pass the word along that not all Metro employees are as nasty as we have been led to believe.

I didn't sleep well last night, but I knew I'd be fretful the first evening. Hopefully tonight will be easier. Getting ready in a hotel room is always a little painful the first morning. It's an adventure to discover which very important grooming item you've left at home! Being an especially paranoid (read: obsessive) person I was at Union Station at 7am to ride a 6 minute train to a class that didn't start until 8am. Thankfully, I had the foresight to bring a book to read for the next 50 minutes.

The class is pretty full, and I'd say about a quarter of the class is military. Boy am I glad that I decided to ditch the uniform this week! I'd have been the only person wearing one! As it was, you can always spot the military folk. We're the ones that look uncomfortable and awkward in our civies. It's like having part of your identity taken away. The girls don't know how to fix their hair properly (since we usually keep it in a bun) and the guys have generally made an unfortunate choice in shoes. Ah well, c'est la vie.

I ate lunch alone at a little restaurant called Mezza Luna. I had a fantastic salmon and wild green salad at an outdoor table, my anonymity protected by the low fence so that I could people watch behind my sunglasses. I felt very European and soaked up the ambiance.

Speaking of soaking... The sky opened up just as they released us from class this afternoon. I bolted for the Metro station and emerged at Union Station searching for an umbrella. I joined a line of unfortunates in the nearby travel shop and paid $15 for a black umbrella. I suppose I shouldn't complain. It was certainly better than nothing!

Due to the rain, I elected to eat dinner at the pub downstairs. It did not disappoint. A lovely London Broil followed by Apple Crumb Cake. Now I'm in my jammies, covered with a complementary fluffy white robe, and missing my little girl. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?