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May 16, 2005
Washington wrap-up
Last weekend was an interesting weekend. As I think I mentioned, I flew into the DC area to screw around with the family. It goes like this: my aunt got this job with a certain government agency, and was in a town called Frederick, MD for the past ten weeks with training. They're all graduating on Tuesday, and so we all came down for this monumental occasion.
The flight there was typical ballyhoo. I left work at 3:50 and got to Midway Airport about 4:30, meaning I had a half hour to get through check-in, security, and onto the plane. I made it, but my bag didn't: I checked in so late, that Southwest Airlines said "fuck it" and left my bag in Chicago for the next plane to BWI. I didn't know this until I landed in Baltimore and watched the baggage retrieval as the same lonely bag rolled by five times, while mine was nowhere to be found.
The flight was uneventful, but wonderful: I had an entire row to myself, which for a person like me is great. What kind of person am I? The kind who doesn't like to sit next to people on airplanes. I whipped out my laptop, stretched out over the seats, and watched a DVD. That may as well be first-class.
On the other hand, the flight was slightly delayed because we had to fly around some storms. I've always wanted to be a pilot, but sometimes I think flying for an airline would suck. While having to fly around a storm is pretty lame, I think the schedules are suckitude as well. For example, I was once on a plane that flew from Buffalo to Chicago to Nashville to Minneapolis, or something like that. I'm thinking, how bad is this for the pilot? I get bent out of shape if I have to go from Lincoln Park to Lakeview to Wicker Park. If I'm the the pilot, I tell those people who want to go to Nashville: "I can drop you off in Memphis, and you can catch the bus. I'm not goin' all the way to Nashville. Do you know how far out of the way that is?" Then, I would get fired.
But back to my suitcase: we decided to leave the airport and come get the bag the next day, as opposed to waiting for the bag then. The main effect this had was that I had no clothing for a whole day. I was not happy, but I can deal.
So, Friday night we roll into Frederick, where we discover that my aunt was blasted, along with 15 of her comrades, at a bar across the parking lot and shopping plaza from her hotel. Needless to say, I soon started drinking too, and did not make it home until 2:30. Good times.
Something else odd happened: I met a girl. It will be interesting to see what happens, as she will be working in Chicago and lives like three miles down the street from me. She's smart and funny and purty, which can be a deadly concotion. But I am already worried about this, because this was all brought about my aunt, who may or may not have been talking me up beforehand. Not only that, my mom was in the place too, and I heard her say something about leaving now to give me "space." I am officially done, because my aunt and my mom now know that I have this girl's telephone number, and will be calling her. This also means I will now be getting constant questions about the status of all this. If there is one thing I do not need, it is my family peppering me with inquiries about whether or not I called her.
In fact, in the car yesterday, my mom actually said to me, "Don't be one of those guys who doesn't call for two years." Two years? What kind of guy doesn't call for two years? Even if you were in the Royal Navy and stationed in the Keeling Islands, you'd be able to get a letter back to Blighty in two years, I'd think. Anyway, now I'm all agitated because the parents know what is up.
But it was good. We talked a bit on Friday, and then I saw her for a little bit on Saturday night. When I said I had to go, she asked for my phone number and she gave me hers. That'd be cool if she wants to see me. I could use a little variety in my life. I don't know if it was the "let's be friends" exchange of numbers or if it was the "take me on a date" exchange of numbers. How can you really tell, anyway? She's supposed to be back Wednesday. Wish me luck, or something.
Now, as some of you know, I had the girlfriend there for a little bit. But that didn't work out. The most annoying thing she did was refuse to go to Chuck E. Cheese, which really, really bothered me. As far as places to refuse to visit, I can't imagine why Chuck E. Cheese would make the list. Yes, I am 25 years old. Also, whenever I looked at her, she would wink at me. That made it hard to concentrate.
While all this was going on, we drove around Washington. We looked at some memorials, including the impressive FDR memorial and the WW2 memorial. I saw the statue of General Sherman, Lancaster's finest, and ate a disgusting but refreshing boiled hot dog.
We went to the Spy Museum, which was very interesting but overflowed with annoying children. One of the exhibits in the spy museum challenged you to crawl into an air duct and observe the people in the room below without making too much noise. Alas, I was followed into the duct by some pre-teen girls who could not be quiet if their life depended on it. After that, I am starting to see why in action movies, it's always the girl who steps on a branch or sneezes and alerts the bad guys. They can't not do it!
Yesterday, we did more driving: looked at Georgetown, the embassies, and then out to Fairfax, where my dear cousin will be attending George Mason University in the fall. That will be a big change for her, coming from the Snow Belt and all.
My flight back was slightly more crowded, and this time I had to share my row with a person. She was nice, didn't bother me, and all was good. There was one surly passenger who chastised a flight attendant during the boarding, but it was overall a pleasant experience.
That was my weekend wrap-up. If you made it this far, congratulations.
Posted by oz115 at May 16, 2005 07:59 AM
Comments
You met someone you're interested in whom your family also wants you to end up with. Might as well buy the ring right now.
Posted by: Pete at May 16, 2005 09:02 AM