back to normal

status check - tired (i lovingly blame the red sox
background ambiance - west wing dvd

it's about time boston showed up for this series ... yes, the odds are historically against the red sox, but come on. 1918 ... everything has been historically against the red sox for years. and it made for such a fun second half of the game to watch. well done, boys of autumn ...

now, however, i must turn to getting back into the normal swing of things. a pity, really, as i enjoyed the best reality-suspended weekend in washington. with the exception of a mad-cap dash to our boarded airplane yesterday morning (that we came just about as close as humanly possible to missing thanks to security at reagan), the three days in dc were more delightful than i could have imagined. everything just balanced out beautifully - plenty of time to roam the city, see the sights and wear out our legs, but balanced with low-key chill time that often left me so content i felt little inkling to do anything else. beyond the realization that we would have needed to buy tickets for another flight and still return to vermont in the end, i would have been perfectly fine with staying in dc longer.

it was a realization that surprised me, as i was nervous about making the trip - all the more so upon seeing the pristine landmarks glowing in their nighttime illumination as our plane descended thursday night. it was my return to washington after a less-than-powerful exit over a year before. as i told beth, "i don't mean to be, but i'm a passive-aggressive bridge burner. and now i'm returning to the scene of some major arson." it was new territory, returning to old stomping grounds.

but everything was just right. j, our dc hostess, is more of a treat to get to know the more i get to know her. i was able to see the people i'd wanted to see from my dc days and realized how much i've missed them. i was able to see some of the people i was terrified of seeing and realized how well i'm doing and that at least some of the bridge burning existed mostly in my mind. beth and i had the opportunity to see the city and just have fun being alternately savvy and silly. everyone seemed to have a great time during the "big" moments - exploring the kennedy center, sitting in the house gallery or gazing at the wwii memorial - and the little - sitting at a window counter sipping lattes and eating bites of pastries or laughing with chloe and beth as we enjoyed cocktails in adams morgan.

and i went full circle from my first trip junior year, when i traveled to the newseum and saw the wall of front page news. this time, rather than thinking how cool it would be to see my work on that wall, i had my picture taken while standing next to the front page of my paper - my byline there to see.

i felt the energy that had filled me during those actf visits and left me as i lived in the city. it confirmed for me that i do love washington - i adore it, really. but with that realization came another, that i made the right decision to leave it when i did. who knows how i would be now, had i stayed there. but i don't think i'd be as happy as i am now, had i remained. the timing wasn't right.

but i still love it. which felt grand to realize.