The Clock Tower in the Old Post Office building was reputed to have one of the best views in downtown DC. It’s only three blocks away, so it was time to check it out. Great view! The clock tower has an observation deck on the 12th floor with unobstructed views on four sides, you can look down to the capital, overlook the mall, see the monuments, and see the National Cathedral in the distance. This is now on my list of must-see places. I’ll definitely be going back.
Tonight I stopped by and listened to some live music by my apartment. The United States Navy Band played weekly throughout the summer at the Navy memorial. This was the last show of the summer series, and it was the first one I caught. This was the Commodores, basically a medium sized jazz band, with a very good singer. They were good, but this kind of jazz isn’t really my thing.
I finally got a space of free time, so I thought I’d take a tour around the monuments near the national mall. I did about a three hour walk and went by the Washington Monument, around the tidal basin, to the Jefferson Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, past the south end of the White House. All very impressive, but I needed a good rest when I got back home.
After getting settled in DC, l was thrilled to discover there is a vibrant Shakespeare production company. This helped make up for the fact that when I left California I had to miss out on my season tickets to the California Shakespeare Festival. I made sure to get tickets for the last play of the season that I’d seen advertised on the streets. This was King Lear starring Stacy Keach.
After 20+ years of attending the CSF, I’ve seen lots of Shakespeare. I’ve seen King Lear two or three times live, and the most recent Ian McKellan version on TV. The Shakespeare Theatre Company production was excellent. The production values were clearly higher than a typical CSF production. A lot of money went into the set decoration and scenery, and the acting was top notch. I had a seat right in the middle, just a few rows back from the front. It was a great afternoon, and I’m looking forward to the next season.
The day has finally come when I must leave the luxurious life at the Ritz-Carlton and move into my apartment. I came to town with two suit cases and a camera bag, all under my arms. Somehow it’s taking me multiple trips to move stuff over. I’ve acquired a bunch of basic stuff, and have to buy more. That’s what comes from living in a house for 20 years. Now I have to re-buy all the basic necessities all over.
I’d didn’t realize quite how nice the view was when I locked down this place. I’m on the top floor, on the corner, and my windows look out to the south and east. From my bedroom I can see the Washington monument, the Smithsonian castle, the Department of Energy, the National Archives, the Department of Justice, and lots of other stuff — and I’m right on top of a Shakespeare theater. It looks like it is going to be a fun year.
| Shakespeare Plays | 13 |
| Other Plays | 18 |
| Concerts | 1 |
| Pop Music Shows | 3 |
| Major Public Events | 3 |
| Museum Visits | 12 |
| Sports Events | 2 |
| Photographs Taken | 3000+ |
| Nice Restaurants | uncountable |
Here is a list of sites I’ve seen, and events I’ve attended, while on assignment on the East coast:
| National Portrait Gallery | 06/13/09 |
| National Air and Space Museum | 06/21/09 |
| Independence Day Parade and Fireworks | 07/04/09 |
| King Lear | 07/18/09 |
| Jefferson, FDR, Korean War Veterans, Lincoln, and Vietnam Veterans Memorials | 08/08/09 |
| Old Post Office | 08/30/09 |
| National Postal Museum | 09/06/09 |
| The Taming of the Shrew | 09/11/09 |
| The National Archives | 09/18/09 |
| Regina Spektor in Concert | 09/30/09 |
| The Alchemist | 10/29/09 |
| U.S. Capitol, U.S. Supreme Court, Library of Congress | 11/07/09 |
| U.S. Capitol Tour | 11/27/09 |
| Much Ado About Nothing | 11/29/09 |
| As You Like It | 12/17/09 |
| Fermi Award presentation at the National Academy of Sciences | 01/12/10 |
| National Symphony Orchestra rehearsal performance at the Kennedy Center | 01/14/10 |
| Smithsonian American History Museum | 02/28/10 |
| Richard II | 03/04/10 |
| Annapolis and the U.S. Naval Academy | 03/06/10 |
| Henry V | 03/25/10 |
| The Liar | 04/29/10 |
| Julia Nunes at DC9 | 05/06/10 |
| Hamlet | 05/13/10 |
| Mrs. Warren’s Profession | 07/01/10 |
| Avenue Q | 07/22/10 |
| One Man Lord of the Rings | 08/01/10 |
| Twelfth Night | 09/02/10 |
| Arlington National Cemetery | 09/05/10 |
| In the Next Room or the vibrator play | 09/09/10 |
| All’s Well That Ends Well | 09/30/10 |
| Kennedy Center Tour | 10/08/10 |
| National Memorials With Rita | 10/09/10 |
| Arlington National Cemetery Revisited | 10/11/10 |
| White House Tour | 10/12/10 |
| Washington Monument | 10/13/10 |
| Henry VIII | 11/04/10 |
| House of Gold | 11/24/10 |
| A Girl’s Guide to Washington Politics | 12/29/10 |
| Candide | 12/30/10 |
| Cymbeline | 02/10/11 |
| The Comedy of Errors | 02/24/11 |
| Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art | 02/25/11 |
| Oedipus el Rey | 03/02/11 |
| Caps Game | 03/13/11 |
| An Ideal Husband | 03/31/11 |
| The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs | 04/06/11 |
| Servathon 2011 | 04/16/11 |
| U.S. Botanic Gardens | 04/17/11 |
| Embassy Row and the National Cathedral | 04/30/11 |
| Old Town, Alexandria | 05/21/11 |
| Cyrano | 05/26/11 |
| New York City | 05/27/11 |
| How to Succeed in Business | 05/27/11 |
| Jerusalem | 05/28/11 |
| National Museum of National History | 06/17/11 |
| Nats Game | 06/21/11 |
| Bootycandy | 06/22/11 |
| The Merchant of Venice | 06/23/11 |
| Newseum | 06/25/11 |
| National Memorials at Night | 06/29/11 |
After my first official week in Washington, I got to experience one of the big events held here every year. The 4th of July Independence Day celebration in downtown DC. In the morning there was a parade. I don’t suppose it was substantially different than 4th of July parades held everywhere except that I was standing across from the Smithsonian. Lots of bands from all over the U.S. Then I went back in the evening for the big fireworks celebration on the National Mall. There was a concert by the Capitol (which I skipped as there seem to be too many people down at that end, and I wasn’t sure I’d be as free to take pictures later). I planted myself roughly in the middle of the mall, across from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. I got there around 6:30 and there were already zillions of people. There were bands playing, so the time passed reasonably quickly. The fireworks show went off a bit after 9:00 and lasted 20 minutes (seemed brief). Then a zillion people poured out of the mall massing on the Metro stations. I took my time leaving, and went to a station a few stops north of the mall, so I was able to get right on and got home with no problems. A neat DC thing to do on the 4th.
Your results:
You are Geordi LaForge
Click here to take the Star Trek Personality Quiz
You work well with others and often
fix problems quickly. Your romantic
relationships are often bungled.
| Geordi LaForge |
|
70% |
| Beverly Crusher |
|
55% |
| Jean-Luc Picard |
|
55% |
| An Expendable Character (Redshirt) |
|
55% |
| James T. Kirk (Captain) |
|
50% |
| Spock |
|
49% |
| Data |
|
49% |
| Will Riker |
|
45% |
| Chekov |
|
40% |
| Uhura |
|
35% |
| Mr. Scott |
|
35% |
| Leonard McCoy (Bones) |
|
35% |
| Deanna Troi |
|
25% |
| Worf |
|
25% |
| Mr. Sulu |
|
15% |
After 20+ years of pretty much going with the flow, and avoiding any major life decisions, this year I was faced (twice) with some big decisions. The last major life decision I made was deciding to leave my home state to go to grad school on the west coast. I took up a job not far from there, and have here ever since.
Starting right before Christmas, I was twice asked to consider taking an extended assignment in Washington, DC. After much consideration I agreed to take one of the positions. I guess it’s good to shake up the complacent life every once in a while. I’m actually getting pretty excited about it. Now we just have to wait for the wheels of bureaucracy to grind out all the official paperwork. Woohoo!
I recently received my new toy, a Nikon D90 digital SLR camera. This is my fourth digital camera (including one used for underwater photography) , and my second SLR (my first being the fully manual Minolta that I bought more than 30 years ago). It is significantly more complex than my other digital cameras, but it was quite easy to get up and shooting in point-and-shoot mode. This was originally supposed to be my 2007 Christmas present to myself (that is, a D80), but while researching it, there were rumors that a new version was due out real soon. That turned out to be not quite correct, and after waiting for much of 2008 for it to come out, then waiting to evaluate reviews and let the price settle a bit, I finally got it (15 months later than originally planned). But so far it seems great, with massive capability, so hopefully it will last me many many years.
