i can now make phone calls from my apartment. all should rejoice. this phone is outwitting me, i'll admit. there are all of these options and menus and features that i am completely unfamiliar with (is it really necessary to have a voice-operated phonebook? i didn't think so either), but the one thing i want (to create my phone book so i can put in all of the numbers i have stored in my old, simple phone) is eluding me. oh well, i have a big old users' manual to conquer, that's all.

it's pouring here, so my trusty umbrella and i made the trip to work--any time i'm caught in washington rain (that sounds like a song title), i can't help but think of my most recent actf. i'm not sure if i ever wrote here about it--probably did, but oh well. while at the kennedy center, we got caught in the biggest thunderstorm i've ever witnessed (crashing thunder, hail, couldn't see out in front of you because the rain was coming down so hard--the works). after piling into a taxi and making it back to the hotel, daniel, spencer and i made a mad dash to the cvs a couple of doors down. daniel ran out the front door of the hotel, holding the umbrella he'd grabbed from his car, swung around one of the awning posts and burst out with a rendition of "singin' in the rain." absolutely hilarious and so adorable--thanks to that day, whenever i'm in d.c. and have the rain coming down around me, i half expect to see a blue-eyed tennesee boy try to be gene kelly...

in an unrelated note, i was greatly looking forward to going running last night, as i hadn't since friday morning (with the whole traveling thing, didn't exactly have an opportunity--plus i wanted to give myself a couple days of rest). i'm surprised by how much i enjoy these daily running sessions--i used to run a lot when i was playing various sports in high school, but i'd never been one for really just running distances. i always got bored or tired because it's completely different to "go running" than to play soccer or something where the activity involves short-term goals (does this make sense? i hope so). but i'm really getting into this and am slowly trying to increase my distance. last night, i figured i'd probably run two miles and try to push myself to two and a half (considering it's been a little bit). i ran my two and a half and started the cooldown, but the cd i'd been listening to (the first eve 6 album, which is, by the way, a GREAT musical selection for running) got to "open road song". there's no way one can walk to that song. so i added a little more time and picked up the pace again and ended up pushing myself to three miles. and felt great afterwards. :)