My Weekend in DC--the Real DC, Not the TV One

A few weekends ago (the big blizzard weekend) I had a work function in DC. Since my work thing was only one night, I decided to take Friday off and just spend the rest of the time in DC. It was definitely a good weekend to be away from NYC. As I sat in my hotel room watching the news, I was very thankful that I didn't have to trudge through the snow.

I did, however, have to drive through the beginning of the first (smaller) storm Thursday morning and it was not fun. I came close to dying when some idiot in the next lane didn't see me in his blind spot and started moving into my lane. Granted, there was a ton of snow swirling around us, but that's no reason to not turn your head before changing lanes. By the time I got to Delaware, the snow had disappeared.

The work function was all fine and dandy, but I was so glad to be back in my hotel room at the end of the night. I crawled into my bed with my Starbucks pumpkin bread I'd bought earlier and watched the final night of Olympics figure skating. I probably should have hung out in the hotel lobby because there were a lot of hot guys staying there, but I was tired and looking like I'd just walked through hell--which is a pretty accurate statement.

The next day I moved into a hotel in DC (thanks to my sister who used her huge discount and paid my entire bill) and spent the afternoon relaxing at the Newseum. Yes, I'm a dork. I went to the news museum and loved every minute of it. If I lived in DC I would totally be a volunteer. I loved it so much, I'm dedicating a separate post to it, complete with photos.

Until then, here are a few pics of the Navy Memorial:

I liked this quote by JFK, so I took a picture. It reads: Any man who may be asked in this century what he did to make his life worthwhile, can respond with a good deal of pride and satisfaction, "I served in the United States Navy."

Anyway, after the Newseum I was pretty wiped out so I just ordered room service and spent the night with Clark Kent.

On Saturday I moved into ZN's home. She and her family were kind enough to let me crash in their guest room. I wish I'd taken a pic of their house because it's pretty awesome. They have one of those DC row houses with a porch and cute little swing out front. The inside was just as impressive, but I could have done without all the stairs. I don't know how they do it with a kid. They definitely use a whole lot of baby gates. What I really loved was the bay window in their living room. I absolutely love bay windows with window seats. I'll just have to visit again this summer and take a pic when there isn't piles of snow sitting out front.

This visit with ZN was the first time I'd seen her in six years--before she got married and had a kid. Speaking of the kid, she's quite adorable. ZN described her as having a personality and she certainly does have one. She and her husband are so laid back, it's kind of funny that they have a child that's just a ball of constant energy. She was all smiles while I was there, with the exception of a few cranky moments because of a missed nap. I was a little scared she wouldn't like me since I've kind of been hit or miss with kids lately, but she warmed up really fast. I guess I was giving off good energy that day because she just kept laughing and smiling at me, which made me smile even more.

ZN took me to Georgetown for lunch then drove me around DC neighborhoods I hadn't seen before during my other visits. We got some great Indian takeout for dinner, picked up her hubby from work and had a nice, quiet dinner since the little babe fell asleep in the car. The next morning they took me to this cool hole-in-the-wall diner that had the best pancakes! Thinking about them is making my mouth water right now. ZN decided that since there were so many other great restaurants to take me to, I needed to plan another visit this summer. With so many bus companies in NYC going there and selling cheap tix, there's no reason why I can't. Besides, waiting another six years to visit is really not acceptable when we're only a 4-hour bus ride away.

Or maybe I'll plan a mega road trip and hit ZN in DC, WH in TN, RI in NC and SS in PA. Who wants to go?

When I returned home, this is what was waiting for me outside my building:

It was that high on the other side of the driveway and a lot of the cars on the street were still covered in snow.

Thankfully, spring is almost here and the outlook for this weekend is 70s and beautiful. I hope it's just as wonderful for you!

P.S. The only down side to this great weather is now my neighbors feel the need to hang out on their front stoop, which is near my bedroom window. It's 11:00 on a work night. I wished they'd STFU already. I think I heard a door slam--thank goodness!

Is It Time for My 15 Minutes?

I received a funny email at work today. I thought it was a joke when I first read it,perhaps an early April's Fools prank, but I quickly realized it was real when everyone in the office started talking about it.

The email was from the owner of our company telling us that a film crew was going to come into our office and film us for a possible reality show. Yeah, you read that right. They're hanging out with us for a week, I think, to see what dirt they can dig up about us, put it all together in a heavily edited highlight reel, and try to sell it to the highest bidder so they can develop it into an actual show.

This was the funniest damn idea I'd ever heard. We always joked that some of the people in our office should be on a reality show, but there's no way we're that interesting. I spend my entire day holed up in my office tweeting. Sure, we have our bitch sessions when we get upset and there's a whole lot of crazy running around the halls, but there's no way we'd let the cameras in on that stuff. We all need a steady paycheck in this crappy economy.

I guarantee this crew is quickly going to realize that this whole thing is a bust and try to find some other company to infiltrate, which is completely fine with me. I'd rather get my 15 minutes of fame some other way.

Losing My Mind

I originally wanted to put up a post detailing my weekend in DC, but that will have to wait for a later time, perhaps this weekend. Right now I'm exhausted and really dreading going to work tomorrow. Yesterday I was scanning the web for news/gossip to put on our Twitter and Facebook pages when one of the sites I clicked on decided to make my computer download a virus. I didn't close out the window fast enough and now I'm stuck with a stupid redirect virus I can't get rid of. Why doesn't the tech guy deal with it, you ask? Better yet--why didn't my computer have the necessary anti-virus software? Let's just say our tech guy can't be bothered with such trivial things. I have a few more tricks to try tomorrow and if those don't work I'm throwing in the towel and forcing tech guy to help me out.

I really don't need this pain-in-the-butt inconvenience at work especially because we're supposed to redesign and migrate our entire site in two months. Ummm...what? How my boss thought this was a good idea or even possible is beyond my understanding. So, on top of maintaining and updating our current site, I have to chip in and help organize the new site. If you've ever participated in a site redesign/migration, then you understand the scope of the project and how massive it really is to tackle. It kind of makes your head want to explode. I can already feel it starting in my head.

Anyway, after a long day of working and fighting with my computer, I finally made it home only to realize I'd left my keys in my condo. For those of you keeping track, this would be the fourth time since I moved into this place and the second time in the past six months. I see a direct correlation between stress and forgetfulness. Normally I keep a spare in my bag and at work, but I forgot to put the spare back in my bag and I didn't realize I was locked out until I left work. So there I was, standing in front of my building in the cold and trying to muster enough energy to go through the motions of getting myself inside my home. Once I finally walked through the door it was already 8:30--so much for having a productive evening. I'm surprised I even made dinner/lunch for tomorrow.

Now I'm going to answer a couple of emails, maybe watch Modern Family or read a chapter or two, and hit the hay. I'm mentally exhausted and about to lose my mind. I need to find a way out of this insane asylum I call my job--ASAP.