meant to mention...after extensive time went into cleaning and brightening the marble on the union station fountain, someone spraypainted "510 years of oppression" in red on the basin rim. and there are a bunch of flowered wreaths in front of it. columbus day, d.c.-style...

and, in incredible, almost-too-good-to-be-true-my-luck-it-probably-is news...my new cell phone (i think we should start referring to them as mobile phones like in europe, by the way) should arrive today. which means that, after charging it and all that jazz, i should be able to use it from inside my apartment. which means that i won't have to stand outside in the park in order to talk to people at night. which means that i hopefully won't be shot by the sniper. and, as a little fyi, after that phone is activated, i will still have the same number i've had. i haven't felt the need to switch to a d.c. number as of yet.