Do you remember how in middle school people would write in your yearbooks "Don't ever change." Geez, how myopic is that? It's like, "Oh, hey 7th grade friend, how are you doing? I am not doing very good. I have no friends because all I want to do is ride around town on my bmx bike all day and everyone my age is working and everyone that is around is like 13 years younger than me. But have you read the Twilight series? I am half way through the first book. I would probably farther but I only read at a 7th grade level because I took your advice to never change." Kids.
Anyway. I read on a level better than a 7th grader.
I think.
So on Friday I had every intention of going to see a film from the International Film Fest going on here in the city. But Joe-from-home texted and said he has Groupon vouchers to Blue Banana so he and his roommates were going to go watch a hockey game there. I had never been there, it is pretty close to my house--walking distance at least--and free drinks were offered, so yea it wasn't much of a choice. So I put on my drinking shoes because it was raining--liquid is liquid--and head on over. This was well thought out: have a few drinks early, two of which were included in the gentleman's special (shot of whiskey and a Yuengling) at the Looking Glass next door where we also got food. Then a couple beers at the other bar and head home by 10. Socializing, preparedness for the next morning/early afternoon, good beer. That's a good night.
The next morning/early afternoon was supposed to be football but apparently the league people never heard of "April showers, bring May flowers" or at least did not interpret that to mean that it's pretty much a given there will be rain in April because even though it had not been raining at game time they still canceled it due to a wet field. It rained last week too. I hope this isn't a trend.
Or do I? So other than the occasional shower, the weather is getting nicer outside (as if the weather occurs anywhere else?), meaning more people will be out and about, which in turn means I got that gym membership I have been thinking about for a while. Yup, I am serious when I say I want my pants to fit again. And while the weather gods deprived me of football I touchéd them with a little basketball. Needless to say I looked pretty near death there with my poor circulation/lack of endurance. And I was just shooting around on the side. I'm embarrassed.
I don't know where I got the idea from but I had thought I would make this a high class weekend, which began with the gentleman's special of course, and go to a play and a classical music concert. Also, this girl I work with said something to me on Thursday like "O you're one of those northwest DC people that's too cool for northeast and doesn't leave their northwest bubble" which is pretty much true (see DC map and recognize how easy it is to not leave NW since there's not much else outside of it other than National's Stadium--debatable if excursion is worth it--and stuff just east of the Capitol like Eastern Market, and there might be more but I don't pretend for a second to be open minded). Anyway, challenge accepted, coworker.
So I get on a capital bikeshare and head to H St. in NE, which, incidentally, almost exactly 53 years ago was one of the sights of the post-MLK assassination destruction (I know I site wikipedia alot but it's so easy because it's almost always the first search result), along with the neighborhood where I live now and U St. just south of me. Interesting stuff. Anyway, so the H St. Playhouse is in NE and I was going there to see a show called The Weir about people telling ghost stories in a rural bar in Ireland. On the way I passed Ledroit Park, which I had heard of but didn't know where exactly it was but it turns out Joe-from-home's gf lives right there so I had been there a few times and every time I have marveled at all the houses that look like they should be further in the South. I also, passed like 30 liquor stores. And Gallaudet University, which turns out is a legitmate college. And I got to the theatre about 2 minutes before the show was to start. H St. is further than it looks on google maps and further along in its development than I had realized. Since it's an Irish play I decide to get a Guinness, which I buy from the same table that is taking tickets. Do I tip someone in this situation? I am really thinking this one through and am quite uncomfortable about it so I decide to leave a tip just in case and don't bother to see the guy's reaction in case he's facially like "what do I look like, a bartender?" I don't know you're giving me alcohol like a bartender. Do others think like this?
So this is like the second play that I have ever seen outside of those in school growing up. Both times I have been equally marveled how these people can go along acting like there isn't a crowd full of people sitting there reacting to like everything you do, which included a spilled beer that I am not sure was part of the script, but in any case it was all even more commendable given they were drinking as if they were really in a bar too. And I was really enjoying how I would find myself forgetting it was live and not on TV because I'm a novice. And that was it for Saturday.
I don't know if you heard, but they almost shut down the federal government, which would not only include me being out of a job until they figured it out but the Smithsonian Museums a lot of other important stuff as well. On Sunday there was to be a free classical music (I don't know any better term for this genre) concert at one of the Smithsonians. But when I had to reschedule my DC Film Fest film because of Friday I was looking at what was playing on Sunday and I found one that pretty much injured two birds with one stone: a film about classical music! Mozart's Sister. So I could save money and see classical music live or I could travel to Georgetown, which you know is a treat for me, see the French Embassy, watch a DC Film Fest film, and get wine and cheese after the facts. And sleep in just a little while longer. No chance. I chose the film.
And I got to eat pho, too, per usual. And so I am at Pho Viet and soon they are not going to have to wait to take my order by start my vegetable pho as soon as I enter. And I'm sitting next to this couple trying to talk sports like amateurs ("I think this Boston-Miami game tonight is for first place in the Eastern Conference." Incorrect, noobs. Chicago already locked up first place.). And then on the way to Georgetown, which took 1.5 hours arrive at even though according to google maps is 2.9 miles/16 minutes by car but not quite by public transportation, I am sitting in front of this kid/guy, who could not have been older than 20 or 21, with a terrible voice. Now I know I have my many faults, but for some reason a voice will determine whether or not I will tolerate you as a person. And this person had no chance of being someone's presence I could stand. I would have stood up and sat somewhere else, but I didn't want to make a scene. And I am glad I didn't because in spite of how it physically sounded he said something noteworthy(...s = the person on the other line that I can't hear): "...Actually, I asked Charlene to marry me on Wednesday...I don't really see it as crazy...Why so soon? Because I can...Maybe, but I know for a fact that there cannot exist someone else that I would rather be with..." That made sense to me. But I still believe in no marriage until at least 25. And that I don't like this person because of his voice.
So I get to the embassy and the film is entertaining. It's not often I hear the harpsicord. I don't know what others thought of the film but something about it was very appealing to me. It gave me the same sensation that watching Barcelona play football does. And the color navy blue. Efficient and productive. Except they could have shown more of the French countryside and Paris. And the lead could have been less of a neutral personality. But that was probably because her dad is the director. And if the style was not just unique to this director then maybe French Films are my thing. I'm going to go check out another tomorrow to find out.
And then after getting lost in the Safeway parking garage, which I will not go into, I found myself in north Georgetown again waiting for a bus ride home. This lady, who has the look of a crazy to her with her full shopping cart of anything but groceries, sits down next to me at the stop. She asks if there is still a Starbucks on the corner down the block. I tell her I think there is. She tells me she wonders why she ever smoked. I told her I once did because I was stressed about coming back to the US without a job. She asked where I was. I said Guatemala. She asked why. I said human rights observer. She asked what I ended up doing. I said I work for the Treasury. She said I should get my CFA. I said what's that. She said Certified Financial Analyst. I asked why. She said because they make like $150K a year. Someone else came by and complained about the mess on the bench, which there was on one end. She said she wished she lived around more rich white people. I said aren't there enough rich white people in Georgetown for you. She said she wants to move back near Harvard. The other guy said to the lady that looks like quite a warm hat you have, which it did. She said its for protection as she had been attacked before and that she may look crazy but she isn't, and she didn't sound like it. Her hat was one of those big fuzzy Russian ones and she had something concealed under tin foil in it. And then the bus came.
And there is this guy sitting next to me who has been on the phone talking about slow pitch softball for like a half hour now. DC.
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