The Freckled Diaries

Day 6--Whiteout

Well, it arrived late (we were getting convinced that Storm 3 was a lie), but it arrived. And how. I'm refusing to go outside, it's like---white. All white, the sky, the air, the ground. The wind appears to be ferocious and it's just---it's like the world is made of nothing else but snow. I don't need to say it but I will: the government is closed again today, my money's on it being closed tomorrow. I don't work Fridays (though if it's open I might consider going in for appearance's sake), and we're going into a long weekend. If it is a snow day tomorrow, and if I don't go in on Friday, I'll have been out of work from the 5th to the 16th.

Rebecca and I went out last night, partly because we knew we'd be immobile all day today, partly because she hasn't been out for this entire storm (she'd been in DC for the first one, an almost purely residential neighborhood, not much to do), partly because our buddy Rocky was on the entertainment schedule at the pub and we hadn't seen him in forever, and finally, because we were both looking to bump into particular people.

Now, I can imagine that most of the non-DC types who read this are thinking "oh, poor Rebecca, hadn't had a night out since Thursday" and rolling their eyes. And I would be, too. But you need to understand that time has gone out the window here. It really feels like this has been happening for at least a month. Did you ever go to summer camp, or something similar? Remember how those first 2 or 3 days felt like a lifetime? Or how the first few days of vacation you can't believe that just 72 hours ago you were throwing elbows on the Metro on the way to cubicle land? It's like that. Times ten.

People I just met on Saturday night feel like old friends. We're telling stories like "OMG remember that time....." for things that happened Sunday.  Man, I wish I wasn't so concerned about how it would make me look for even being involved in some of these stories because there have been some side-splittingly hysterical occurrences. For all records, I have been conducting myself in a manner in which I think, for the most part, would be boss-approved. Meaning if we happened to run into each other in public, I'd have very little to be concerned about. Most of my new snow buddies--eh.....debatable.  So I guess I'm trying to not look guilty by association (ha! And that's the explanation I'm sticking with ;) )

And now for the unofficial snow anthem--it seems to be playing EVERYWHERE and actually, for me at least, captures the mood bizarrely well.

Day Five, or "We're Never Getting Out of Here"

Actually, today mobility was much improved. It got warmish (35?) and the streets turned to snowy slush, which is easier to drive on, apparently. Some of the above ground Metro stations opened, and I actually saw a city bus! King Street returned to a shadow of its former self, particularly around 1pm when everyone was scurrying to replenish supplies for Round 3: "Snoverkill". I refuse to call it that because actually, I'm getting tired of the names and because I secretly am looking forward to it. I mean if you're going to do something drastic, you may as well go big, right? This is also the first vacation I've had in 2 years and I think that that's the spirit I've been trying to describe. Vacation. Everyone's hair's down, having fun, being social, normal life rules don't apply. It's been cool.

So, today, I slept in (shocking, I know), made paprikash for lunch/dinner/leftovers and went off for a make-up private lesson at the karate studio. I missed a few private lessons in December, so it kind of works out. That was fun as always, and the instructor is pretty into the snow thing too so there was giddiness. Or something. Really, I was just happy to be out of the house and somewhere that's not a grocery store or a bar. I've been having fun but, man, variety really is the spice of life.

I returned home, took this picture of me in the alley (the first step of the fire escape is totally buried in snow, I'm on level with the 3rd step--there's a grill behind me and that small piece of metal in the foreground is the arm of a bench):

And did some very necessary laundry. In my bathtub. Because I don't have a washer/dryer and the laundromat is 2 miles away. Not bad on a bike, but bad on foot. And the bikes aren't going to happen for at least another week unless something drastic changes. I actually do laundry by hand fairly frequently so this isn't a new thing for me--I have a rapid washer (a handheld agitator), a wringer, and the largest drying rack ever. I like that it's easier for me, saves money, saves energy etc. But this is the first time I've ever had to do it out of necessity. Crazy. That, plus my home food preservation efforts--I didn't have to do a mad dash for food, I have plenty--is making me wonder if the nutty survivalists are onto something.

Laundry:

 

Tonight: Rebecca's getting snowbound down here with me (there's another massive storm bearing down upon us), there's a new LOST on television and...who knows? I'm starting to wonder why there are so many tourists around here. I love this place and I'm having trouble staying entertained for five days.

Snowbound

So, it's Day 4 of the end of the world, and though the snow stopped falling late on Day 2, things are still pretty...stuck, for lack of a better word. Above ground Metro stations are (and have been) closed, the underground stations are barely operational by all accounts. Grocery stores are (by and large) out of food and last I heard, still haven't been able to get deliveries of more. This could get a little dicey. Federal Government closed today, my money's on it being closed tomorrow. And then tomorrow night we're getting 10-20 inches of snow. I. Kid. Not.

The major roads are passable (I think), and the side streets are just beginning to get cleared. I live along a snow emergency route, so it's hard for me to tell what's standard and what's them trying really hard. Either way, even the "clear" roads have several inches of snow packed hard, so everything looks like a blanket of white. As I was looking up an article about a cute house (more on that later), and saw these streets in black asphalt, it struck me as so strangely odd. Funny how perceptions of "the norm" can change so quickly.

Quick rundown of what happened and what I've been doing, with pictures!

Friday, noon: snow begins falling (I leave my karate private lesson with promises to do my best to make the Saturday morning group class. He's local and staying open and encouraging everyone else local to come over).

{No photos}

Friday, 2 or 3--snow begins sticking to roads, Federal Government goes into early dismissal, grocery stores (and bars) fill up.

{No photos}

Friday, During Capitals game--at Southside with a bunch of friends, eventually they need to go home because of the roads, drop me off at home so I can get my camera, after which I headed to Murphy's.

{No photos--no camera!}

Friday 9pm--I head out to Murphy's for some company, music, fireplace and, well, beer. Place is packed. Hear that bar/restaurant staff all over town have made arrangements to stay in Old Town (either in hotels or with friends) so everywhere can be open. Blizzard-like conditions (high wind, snow flying around like crazy, falling fast as rain).

Neighbor's fence, Prince Street

 

Looking down Prince Street

Saturday, wee hours--I'm heading home from a friend's house taking pictures along the way. There's nearly a foot of snow on the ground by then. Blizzard-like conditions continue.

Trudging home, along Henry Street (aka Rt. 1 South--yep that's a "highway")

Along Henry Street

 

Prince Street---snow's not even half over.

Saturday, 10am. I get up to head to karate class. There's well over a foot of snow on the ground, I take lots of pictures, Blizzard-like conditions continue. Karate class was awesome, I'm so very glad I went!

 

Looking down Prince Street, from Columbus

 

More Prince Street

My favorite little house EVER. Queen and St. Asaph.

Info about the house here:

Washington Post

New York Times

Saturday, 1pm. Walking home from class. Still a blizzard out there. Wind up going home and napping much of the afternoon, having not slept much the night before.

Columbus Street (?) at Pendleton (?) (Wasn't really paying attention)

 

Along Pendleton Street (?)

 

Somewhere in the Parker-Gray district of Old Town 

Patrick Street (aka Rt. 1 North) at Pendleton (?), looking south.

 

Another favorite house, Cameron Street at Alfred.

 

Looking up Cameron Street from Alfred, dog's got the boy's hat. This is my cycling route to the Metro station!

Saturday, 9pm. Snow slowing down. Back out on the town (it was Saturday, after all!). I considered getting more creative and trying a new place, but I decided I wouldn't know anyone at a new place, so unoriginality won. Murphy's again.

Sidewalk along King Street, movie theater open and thriving.

 

King and Washington, from the upstairs bar at Murphy's.

 

Looking down King Street, at (in) Henry Street (aka Rt. 1 South). You'd normally be squished like a bug within seconds standing in this intersection.

Sunday, wee hours. Snow stopped, roads a total disaster. Heading home. Walk past the Store of Requirement (actually called Gourmet Center and Delicatessen)--little corner store that, as I've mentioned many a time, always has what you need as if by some miracle. The man who runs the place is outside with the shovel Rebecca and I bought him (replacing the one he lent us to dig out her car)...making a pretty cool snowman.

I think this one speaks for itself. King and Alfred.

 

Somewhere along Duke Street, I think.

Sunday, evening: meet up with folks to watch Super Bowl (guess where?!), wind up walking into the some pretty small-world/small-town coincidences. Can't write about them in specifics, to protect the innocent (and not-so-innocent). Maybe one of these days, I'll do a bulk "can you believe this?!" update chronicling the bizarre connections that abound here.

 

Standing at attention for the National Anthem before the Super Bowl. The movie theater keeps this TV going all the time, and often draws a crowd. Something else I love about this place is that it IS the kind of place (largely because of the military and former military presence) where people will stop what they're doing and stand and listen to the National Anthem. I drew up right behind these two, and by the end, there were 4 or 5 more behind me. I felt a little guilty snapping a photo.

Monday, all day to now: sleeping in with the kitties, updating my blog.

 

Join us! You look warm!

That's it for now, folks!

Other People's Stuff

I'm still being lazy about getting my pictures together. I've been a lot busier during this storm than I was during the last one.  Here's a timelapse of the storm, taken somewhere in the suburbs surrounding DC....

Snowpocalypse 2010 - Time Lapse - Extended Version from Peter Harsha on Vimeo.

An idea....

Click on the picture for a link to a photo album of the Dupont Circle Snowball Fight. I couldn't go because it's in DC, and I live at an above-ground Metro station, and Metro is only running underground. Even if I walked to Crystal City (in Arlington, near the Pentagon) to get to the closest underground station, I couldn't go anywhere. The yellow and blue lines here go over a bridge, not a tunnel in to DC--so that's closed, and the way to get from our lines to the closetest underground station that goes to DC is to go through Arlington Cemetery--above ground, so closed. Basically, if you live in the Pentagon/Pentagon City/Crystal City/Old Town Alexandria section of town---you're here until this shit's done.

That being said, the album is a good representation of what's been going on. My friends and I did NOT meet up for sledding which was hugely disappointing to me (particularity because some karate people were going to be there!), but I got in a much-needed nap after having gone to bed at 6am, only to get up at 10am to head to karate. I got up, had some dinner, talked to people on the phone and then headed back to Murphy's. Lest I sound like a total bar-fly, you need to understand that both Murphy's and Pat Troy's are more or less extensions of the living rooms of Old Town.  Where they also happen so serve alcohol. It was great--just a bunch of locals (as much as I love how non-Old Town people like coming here for fun--there's something really very nice about the place being a locals-only night. Like instead of asking where you're from and expecting to hear Clerendon, Dupont, Woodbridge etc You hear "Duke and Henry" and "Queen and Union", and stuff like that. So I found the group of people I spent the evening with last night, and we hunkered down by the fire (yep, a pub with a fireplace---too cozy and cute to stand), listened to some music, and probably drank a bit too much. But we all decided that it's snowing outside, and there is very little else to do, so drinking and flirting and singing it was! Random aside: one of the bartenders who I'd never seen until last night (I'm not there ALL that often so I don't know them all)--turns out he works on the Hill, too. On the House side, in a Member's office. A Member from the same state as one of the Members I used to work for. Small freaking world. I told him next time I'm over on the House side, I'd swing by and we'd grab lunch.

Anyway, good times all around. I am going to be SO disappointed when this is over. The optimistic side of me is hoping for one more go at the foot-plus snowstorms this season, but two in one winter is such a rarity that wanting anything more than that is basically insane.

But bottom line: pleased to report that this has been the most spectacularly amazing weekend ever, and I love this town more and more and more with every passing minute :)

Epic

That's pretty much what's going on out there. I stayed out late last night and got up early this morning. There was lots of walking involved in both occurrences--last night I went over to a friend's house about 8 or so blocks away and trudged home in the wee hours of the morning. Then I got up bright and early for karate class (yep, they were open. And there were quite a few of us there. Walkable communities for the win!) which is 10 or 12 blocks away--with significantly more snow. Just getting home from there now as we had group class, then "private classes" (but really a continuation of group), then hung out staring at the snow together. Good times, and good people.

I took lots of pictures but am not in the mood to import/upload just now. Now, I just food and rest to gear up for (possible, I hope we make it work) sledding at the Masonic Temple (which, I've been informed, is a stop in Dan Brown's latest book...so if you've read it, I guess you have a mental image of my sledding hill!).

Until later (when I'm snowbound and climbing the walls)!

SnOMG!

So, I don't usually update about the weather nearly as much as I have this winter. This has just been an amazing winter and I love snow. I also love how a lot of DC folk seem to be getting into the snow spirit, so fully embracing the term "Snowpocalypse" that (a) it has spread to other cities and (b) it became so identified with that particular (awesome) storm, that now when faced with a New and Improved version, we feel the need to come up with a new name.

The fine young lads at the Capital Weather Gang were taking votes. Personally I think that Kaiser Snowze is the best idea I've heard in 2010, but the highly derivative and not half as good Snowmageddon won. The people have spoken, but this will always be Kaiser Snowze to me! (Confused? You haven't seen The Usual Suspects. Here's a brief introduction to the character--but fair warning, don't read too much if you think you'll ever watch the movie. Major spoilers!) Also, I don't "get" Twitter, but apparently there's something with the number symbol and a name, and they were taking votes for that, too. I believe it's SnOMG, which is cute and catchy enough I stole it for the title of my post.

They're calling for 16 to 24+ inches. Snowpocalypse topped out at 16.5.  As you can see from the Capital Weather Gang, the DC record is 28 inches in one go, but the number two spot is 20.5. We could easily become #2, and who knows? We could beat #1.

Personally, as always, I'm thrilled. This time, though, I have to admit that the slightest bit of fear is starting. I've been in many a snowstorm, several much bigger than this one, but all in places that actually know how to handle it. I've heard that if we top 2 feet (and assuming the temperature doesn't dramatically go up in the days after) then we could be stuck for days. I'm not SO worried about that prospect (because it's highly unlikely that I'll personally be "stuck" based on where I live), but I am worried about the potential power and water outages (heavier snow, much more wind, lower temperatures). I have electric heat, and this town's water mains don't handle prolonged cold all that well.

Power goes, and I have to rely on the fireplace, which doesn't heat the big room all that well even with the heat on. Then there's the issue of the freezer. I have lots of food in the deep freeze (buy local, and preserve, also buy in bulk on sale and preserve). I'm relying on that because I can and because I rode my bike past Whole Foods on the way back from the Metro tonight and it was...well it was like the sky was about to fall, which isn't all that far from the truth. Power goes out, my food starts to spoil.

So that's that. Excited but a little worried.

Oh, and I nearly wound up in the hospital tonight--got a very sudden and painful stomach ache in the middle of karate class, right in the appendix zone (and for the record, we weren't doing cardio so it wasn't an exercise cramp, and I wasn't hit or kicked anywhere all evening, particularly not my stomach). I was practically doubled over, was lightheaded, and a friend and I had to leave mid-class. She took me and my bike home in her SUV. She wanted to take me right to the ER, but I talked her out of it. I decided to play the "wait and see" game. After waiting for two hours on the couch, the pain had lessened but was still there and so I called my doctor (wonderful practice where the whole point is 24/7 availability over the phone) who said that as long as the pain isn't getting worse and I have no other symptoms of appendicitis (I don't), then waiting until morning was alright if that's what I wanted to do (and I did--I didn't want to spend all night alone in the ER to find out it's gas or something). So far, so good. In fact, pain almost entirely gone. I have no idea what it was, or if it will come back, but that's the end to that.

Kaiser Snowze should be here by mid-late afternoon tomorrow. Bring. It. On!

Out and About

So, Tuesday was a whirlwind of a day--normal day at work, then straight to karate class, which was fun-as-always, then home to watch the season premiere of LOST (mildly obsessed), AND the beginnings of a snow event. Oh and it was taco day in the cafeteria. Good day for me :).  I woke up this morning to just a lovely snow-covered landscape, but it was only 4 inches, and the plows had done their work on the roads, so all was good. The bike trail, of course, was not dealt with so Metro it was. Off for more CRS training for me. This time: legislative histories. I took a class in library school just last semester that was all about federal resources, and at least a third of the course was devoted to compiling legislative histories and I got (literally) 100% in the class, so it was not all that much new information for me but it was a good morning nonetheless. Trust me, despite what the past two posts may suggest, I do NOT think that CRS has nothing new to teach me, I just haven't dealt with the prerequisites yet. 

Anyway, that was supposed to be over at 1, but we finished early (at 12:30). I had a half hour to burn. Verizon has owed me a new phone since September, I was already on the House side of the Hill, and there just so happens to be a Verizon store in the Longworth House Office Building. New phone day for me! I got a Droid, which is totally awesome at everything except phone calls. Somehow, it kept muting/dialing during/otherwise disrupting my maiden phone call to Catherine of Alaska Living Fame, that after 10 attempts to keep a connection, I gave up. Must figure out what the problem is. Otherwise, cool phone. If it can't hold a call though, it's toast.

Anyway, got my new phone and headed back to the Senate side. Today, I chose the above ground route, which I've only done a few times, all of which have been using city streets. Today, I stuck entirely with the Capitol grounds and it was SO pretty in all the snow that I was moved to spend more time out of doors today. This became a distinct possibility as (shortly after lunch) I was told that I'd already put in my hours for the day, why don't I just head home early? Bless my lovely boss. At 3:30, I was out the door. Instead of going to Union Station to catch the Metro, I decided to spend more time outside enjoying the snow (and getting some much-needed exercise). I figured I'd walk in the general direction of home and bail out at whatever Metro station was close by once I got tired. I figured I could probably make it to the Pentagon--more or less halfway.

Wrong. (But I did get close!)

I made it to the Lincoln Memorial before I was Done. Too bad for me, however, because there is no Metro station in anything approximating the near vacinity of the Lincoln Memorial. I had (almost) no choice other than to press on towards Virginia, taking Memorial Bridge to Arlington Cemetery and get the Metro there. I succeeded in this endeavor, and have made it a personal goal to be able to make that walk in an hour or under (today was an hour and forty five minutes but that's because I stopped at the World War II Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial). The personal goal is also to do it wearing proper footwear. I had on wellies and nylon stockings. This does not help the whole 3.5 mile trek (a 5.6 K!).

Now, while I think on the whole it wasn't the brightest idea (I really should have looked up distances to at least get an idea of what I was in for--trust me, the Lincoln Memorial seems MUCH closer to the Capitol than it actually is), I enjoyed myself. I took some pictures at the Washington Monument, I saw the WWII memorial for the first time (it's still relatively new), and it's been years since I've been to the Lincoln Memorial/Vietnam Memorial. That section of town is woefully undeserved by public transportation and has literally no parking, so you really have to want to go there to wind up there. I'm glad I did it. Also, Memorial Bridge was abandoned. No pedestrians, joggers, cyclists. Just me. And cars going way too fast with their windows up. Result? Singing. Loudly, with abandon, into the wind, just enjoying myself with no way of embarrassing myself. Pretty thrilling, actually!

Some photos, taken with the new Droid:

Washington Monument:

 

WWII Memorial (I have no idea why this is smaller.....I can't figure out this phone yet!). Also, this is a lovely memorial, it's just nearly impossible to photograph. This is a small section of it, this huge wall with all these stars, in front, in stone is written "Here We Mark The Price Of Freedom", and that's the part that spoke to me the most.

 

Statues near the Vietnam War Memorial:

Then to Ballyshaners, then hanging out with my wonderful friends and now off to bed!

A Library Kind of Day

Or, more accurately, a Library of Congress kind of day, seeing as how every day is a library kind of day for me.  I slept over at my aunt and uncle's house (we had fun when I was living there after the burglary, and it's just easier to stay over when I go there for dinner ) and dragged myself out of bed at an ungodly hour (7:15) the next morning. Libraries and librarians keep non-standard working hours (as you may imagine), and I generally use that to my advantage and swing in sometime between 10 and 11. Lest you think I'm lazy, that also means that I'm always there at least until 6, frequently until after 7. I prefer that schedule--it suits me and my nocturnal ways. So, long story short, anything before 8:30 is "ungodly early" in my book.

Why this cruel turn of events? I had to go to a training at the Congressional Research Service, in the Madison building of the Library of Congress. CRS runs all sorts of classes on Congress for congressional staff. I noticed that a 7 week series--Advanced Legislative Processes Institute--was coming up. It's a good program, and you get a certificate after it, and the fact that you've taken it goes in your personnel file, and for someone who would like to stay working on the Hill or in a related library environment, it's a good idea to take it. Legislative process and procedures are really quite complex. I know that most folks know this, but I still feel the need to say that it's not all School House Rock. I know the "basics", (which is actually pretty detailed for non-legal/legislative types) but the really advanced stuff is difficult to me, and quite confusing. So, not only to I want to show I've taken this course, I really do want to know the stuff.

Unfortunately, CRS requires you to be invited to take the Advanced course, and a prerequisite to being invited is to take "Congress: an Introduction to Resources and Procedure". From 9am to 3:30 pm. Now, I will say that it was a great review, particularly for House processes and procedure (very very different to the Senate, and in my opinion more complex, but maybe because I'm just not used to it), but it was a very, very long day. Particularly because I was surrounded mainly by extraordinarily young, brand-new-to-the-Hill kids from (mostly) House member's offices (as opposed to committee staff, or Senator's staff, who tend to be a little more.... let's go with experienced). Anyone who's heard my rant about how one actually gets that first and usually entry level job in a Member's office will know what I'm talking about (connections, plain and simple, you will NOT get hired without major string pulling by some big shot on your behalf) . I think I've grown to be too nice (or paranoid) to put the rest of the rant in print. So, I found myself back in the sea of everything I grew to hate about the Hill, which prompted my career change in the first place.

Now, there is no such thing as a stupid question. If you do not know something, you should ask it. It is never stupid to seek the information you need. This is the librarian's creed, and it's true, and I believe it. But what I couldn't believe is some of the things that some people needed to know. These are people who already are in the employ of the United States Congress in some shape or form. It was very surprising, disheartening, and brought back up a lot of old angry feelings about just how unfair the whole "hiring process" is (it's not what you know, it's who you know). So they weren't stupid questions, and I won't repeat any of them here. But it was just really very...difficult. 

After that (and after putting in my application for the Senate Advanced Legislative Processes Institute, and double checking that the House Advanced.... will be offered later this year), I scurried across Independence Avenue (or is it Pennsylvania once you get to 1st Street?) to the Adams Building of the Library of Congress to meet with someone related to the project I'm working on for the Committee. An hour later, and I was in another room of the Adams Building for my graduate school class: (Indexing, Abstracting and Thesaurus Design).

All in all, I spent the entire day, from 8:30am to 7:30 pm at the Library of Congress, for three very separate reasons. A very library day indeed.