District of Casey

I'm pretty much a DC regular by now. 

I ride the trains, take the monuments for granted and get annoyed when people stand on the left side of the escalator.

Tourists.

But one thing I won't lose is the sense of awe of everything around me. As much as this Johnny may try to fit in with the political center of America, I don't think I'll lose the gravity of my situation. I'm living in DC during a period of reconstruction. Everyone knows where they don't want our country to go, but very few have an actual path to follow. There's a light at the end of the tunnel, but at the moment: we're kind of stuck.

Meanwhile, I'm working at the Center for International Environmental Law, where we, like the vast majority of the world, are more than a little worried about the self-destructive nature our global village seems to adhere to. The situation is moving beyond urgent, and the longer that we're stuck, the farther that light seems away.

But here in DC, the sense of urgency is just a fact of life. People are so preoccupied, they don't even seem to notice the climate. It's hot, and it's humid. I'm not so accustomed yet, but I'm a former lifeguard. I'll deal.

I spent my first week here indoors, getting my intern on and learning how to cook. So far, I've mastered spaghetti, cereal, tuna and the stapler. I'm pretty good at this independent stuff. Food's easy with the Harris Teeter Very Important Customer card--I saved $20 my first trip the grocery store. Harris, I expect a check in the mail for another $20 for that plug. Thanks.

When not struggling in the kitchen or working hard at my internship, I've been doing the museum thing. I've been with some Bennies to Mount Vernon (G-Wash's crib), the Botanical Garden (try the Cypress tree. It's delicious), the Capitol, and the Natural Science Smithsonian. 

My favorite part of the NS museum was the ant exhibit. Crazy little amazing things. I also encountered a museum-goer less in awe than myself. I was moving backwards in time, from the emergence of our furry ancestors to the last of the Mohicosaurs. It was there that I encountered said homo sapien, we'll call him Rex, who muttered something like "I ain't diggin this museum. I ain't diggin it one bit." Being surrounded by fossils, my first assumption was "Wow! A real archaeologist!" But there was something in his saunter towards the hot dog stand that told me different. Thus, no pun is intended.

And we'll leave it at Rex for tonight. More news from Washington to come.