Life in DC

Today is actually a weird day for me. I'm not used to having spare time, I've had none of it since I moved here, really. I'm in my office for at least 12 hours every day (admittedly, since it has a gym, I'm not always working 12 hours -- or, more typically, I am working 12 hours, but some of those are at home), commuting takes at least another hour, cooking and buying groceries have taken a lot of time. I've had to trek to and from my old apartment with considerable regularity, my first weekend here was spent at the DMV, etc.

But now my wife is gone to Iowa, I don't have much work to do (and am not motivated enough to do it now), and I lack the motivation to hike down to Georgetown to see Cedar Rapids, since 1) it's not worth driving because it's only a mile or so, 2) I don't want to deal with the ludicrous winds by walking, and 3) I just have a hard time going to movies or any non-sporting events that actually have a set time. I have a very DVR attitude toward things, if they can't be done on my schedule, then it's not worth me going, even when my schedule could have accommodated going to the movies at any of the five times it was playing today. I would still have had to make that decision, and I make decisions for a living. I don't do that in my spare time. And, of course, since I now had a weekend to spend at the Verizon Center without feeling guilty at all, it's Disney Princesses on Ice all weekend. Every weekend this month, the Wizards are home. The one weekend I know I can go? Disney Princesses on Ice. Two shows today. Given that my life's goal list starts and ends with "don't appear on a sex offender registry", I figured I'd sit that one out.


Basically, the benefits of living here:
1) I like walking around places and feeling like I actually live here. It still just kind of hits me occasionally, since it doesn't seem real. (In fact, it's not, I suppose, most of my stuff is elsewhere, but I've learned that doesn't much matter. I have books, my APBA set for 1997, and my laptop, and I don't get to use them.)
2) The bus system is annoying, but a godsend at the same time. Not driving is the best thing in my life, because I hated doing it so much, and now it's something I can just not do. Being on the bus is an opportunity to do the things I would do if I had free time -- responding to emails, writing things, reading books or mlbtraderumors).
3) I have lived my entire life believing that at some point I would be found out and revealed as a fraud. it hasn't happened yet. I'm actually getting a good grasp on what I'm doing rapidly. I haven't developed that all-encompassing knowledge that certain others have, but frankly, that's not what I was concerned about. I was just worried I'd be completely lost. That hasn't happened yet.

The costs of living here:
1) we're not finding much that we like as far as living options, now that it's an option to actually move forward. We had a good run, then everything we were interested in got snapped up and the house we really loved raised the bar. So now everything's disappointing or located in a place where I'd have to give up not driving, which isn't negotiable.
2) my job is a lot more all-encompassing than before. I was always watching my blackberry in Delaware, but it was a rare instance where it was a necessity (that said, everything there was more urgent if I was getting those random emails). Here, there's just a lot more days that go to 10 or 11 just because things need to get done.
3) I really don't see my wife much after all. I'll be glad after she gets back from Turkey, because I think this will improve substantially. My life will become less nuts after the Dodd-Frank regulation deadline passes in July, she should be down at least one job and be teaching her class instead, which I think will help.

I ran this morning and based on the map I had to assemble on dailymile, it looks like I ran a bit under 17 miles, journeying into Maryland (I clearly like the idea of crossing state lines when I run since it makes it seem like an achievement), running through the National Zoo (I saw a fishing cat, none of the other animals were out for my entertainment), Rock Creek Park, by the White House, Washington Monument, a few blocks down Constitution Avenue (where I'll be again in 35 days). Considering I 1) didn't take my IPod, figuring (quite correctly, I'm guessing) that the wind would make it impossible to hear anyway, 2) that the wind was atrocious, gusting up to 50 mph, and 3) DC is a terrible place to run since there's an overabundance of surfaces that are even worse to run than sidewalks (cobblestones, bricks, and such), I'll take it. I'm not even particularly sore, which is pretty remarkable. I feel like the National Marathon should actually be an improvement from my time last year, which considering that I'd have been listed as Out on the injury report for it if it were up to my orthopedist, I'll take as a remarkable testament to my ability to bounce back/engage in wanton reckless behavior. Other than making the one jump in my second week back on the treadmill, I've actually done everything pretty much in accordance with how I should be doing things (no huge jumps in mileage, etc.)