Hilary Booth... of course!

A new community has started up called fake_dc to include all the "whoops", whether the infamous Georgetown metro or the US Capitol showing up near Dulles Airport! It started by a "Bones" fan, but other sightings are permitted as well. I'm sure everyone has their favorite howlers when Hollywood tries to show their hometown.

Homefront: World War II in Washington: I stumbled onto part of this the other night. It'll air again on Saturday December 15th on WETA. It was similar in feel to the Arlington documentary they did, intersplicing interviews and stories with old photos and newsreels. The most amusing story I heard during the bit I watched was the added security they added to DC after the war started, including the batteries along the various bridges. As one interviewee said, the US military seemed to think the Axis attack was going to come by way of route 50!

The glories of the coming of the new prescription. Lately I've noticed just enough of a blurring of my distance vision to make me concerned. I'd had it checked a few years ago, but it hadn't been that different, but I did wind up with new reading glasses. Finally last night I hailed out to Seven Corners to get checked out at my venerable eye place. I think I've always gone to that location, even before it changed to Pearle. Have I mentioned I loathe the glaucoma test where they puff air at you? They tell you not to blink, but it's a reflex action. The actual exam was pretty painless, just an adjustment of the old prescription. "Is one or two better? Is that worse?" They do think it'll make my vision a little clearer. Then I went to find new spectacles. I hate picking out the right frames, so I'm glad the opticians are so intuitive on what works and what doesn't on my face. I wound up getting two pairs, one regular and one sunglasses.

I took a quick stop across the way at the Barnes & Noble for new manga. I picked up the latest volume of Gunslinger Girl, which ADV is finally releasing. I have the anime on my Netflix. I also bought the first volume of La Corda D'oro, a shoujo book set in a music school. I was curious after seeing an article in the last Shoujo Beat on some of the classical pieces mentioned in the series. I may regret picking up the Dark Horse translation of the Dirty Pair book. They're definitely an acquired taste.

I discovered to my horror they'd changed the bus stop at that shopping center. I'm not wild about the new location. That led me to getting home too late for the "Heroes" premiere! Horrors! Thank god for dvrs. I have to reset my brain to "tv watching season", because it's been on summer saving time

Oh, I feel so much better now. After the disaster of last year's photos, I was a little worried about seeing how this batch would turn out. Yesterday I struggled against the CVS noon rush, so I waited until this morning to drop off my photos when I came in to work. I picked them up over lunch and I'm actually quite pleased. I finished off the throwaway camera roll with some pictures of the Indian Museum across the street, so you'll get some DC architecture to go with the Baltimore. I shall work on scanning these when I get home.

I'm toying with getting a Flickr account for my travel and miscellaneous photos. Mine are currently all over the place, either LJ or Dreamhost. Anyone have good/bad opinions?

I think I can get through one more day, even if it may kill me. I swear my coworkers need to all be taken outside and taught the meaning of "inside voice" as in "I really don't need to be hearing this heated discussion/argument about a fellow co-worker while she's not here to defend herself".

I tried to get some last minute shopping requirements done at Metro Center. Less said about that attempt the better. But remember my post about the Metro buskers? Usually they're outside the station. We had our lovely electric guitarist this morning who looks like Bob Marley/Jimi Hendrix but plays more of a James Taylor vibe. *shrugs* At least I didn't hear "Fire and Rain" right before a plane trip. Tonight downstairs inside Metro Center on the Orange/Blue line platform, we had a doo-wop group singing "Rockin' Robin" and "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" in semi-harmonious complete with choreography. It certainly broke up the monotony of the late night commute.

It's May. The Beltane fires were unfortunately hard at work in DC with two fires at historic locations. While the local mourns the damage to Eastern Market, the wannabe historian and archivist grieved hearing about the Georgetown library branch, filled with historical documents, maps and paintings. Files on all the properties in the Georgetown neighborhood. Copies of the 1775-1776 Maryland Gazette that reported the Declaration of Independence as a news item.

Once upon a time, there was a fandom. It brought together fantasy and romance and literary references. Then things changed in the fandom and it all went kaboom. "Beauty and the Beast" was one of my earliest fandoms, even buying zines and such. I was in college for the third season, so I only caught bits and pieces. Now the first season has finally been released on dvd, so it can be appreciated again. Or at least watched again. (Not that we're bitter or anything, are we, WENN fans?) azarsuerte voiced her opinion about the later part of the series and on Catherine Chandler as a character. I'm still not sure whether I'll buy the set or not. Some things age well and others do not. I have the same fears with "V" sometimes.

I managed to survive the DC ice storm, despite the aircast. I stayed home for the worst of it, knowing my mobility would be massively impaired, if not threatened. The last thing I needed to do was slip and hurt myself. I still avoided the side streets this morning, in favor of slightly more navigable route. Thank god I live so close between two Metros.

I scored tickets for Loreena's DC concert, fairly close up, too. I still remember our seats in Baltimore for the Mask & Mirror tour where we were almost on the first row. Of course I haven't been back to DAR since well... my high school graduation.

Metro commutes are always entertaining after a snowstorm. We had our little 1-2 inches fall overnight. So I trudge through the soft snow, hoping things won't be too backed up. In fact, it was even worse than I could have imagined.

It's never a good sign when the first train to arrive at your station in the morning immediately offloads all its passengers.

It took an hour and a half to get into work today, when usually it's 30-40 minutes maybe. And half of that time was standing. *winces* Have you ever a two ton anchor weighing you down? That's what the aircast feels like when I'm on my feet for prolonged periods.

No one noticed the aircast, except the nice person sitting on the Metro bench waiting for the train. Everyone is reading their papers or too busy to look down and notice. It's not like I'm using crutches. Maybe I need to get pushier.

At the time, I thought it was weather related, but from the WMATA site, it appears a passenger got clipped by a passing train, not fifteen minutes before I started my journey.

It's freezing cold outside this morning, so of course the first thought is ice cream, right?

In the past, I've mourned the loss the Bob Peck Chevrolet and the disappearance of Hechts, so it was nice to see the reappearance of a local institution: Gifford's Ice Cream. After disappearing in the early 1980s, they're back and opening new stores in the DC area. The Arlington ice cream parlor used to be right up the street from me as a kid, the current location of the Joe's Pizza at Lee Harrison.

Not that I could have ice cream these days without help from Lactaid. My stomach fu has moved down into my internal plumbing, causing all kinds of havoc. I'm still trying to find a doctor to see me and praying that it's something managable. Ironically that lovely time of month reared its usual bloating and cramping at the same time, if only because I could deal with that pain. I understood that discomfort.

Apparently Metro is giving away free goodies at my home stop over lunch hour. This prompted some blogger reading Express to refer to Va Square one of the more worthless stops on the Orange line only for law school students and those who can't find Ballston. While true, those of us who live in between Ballston and Clarendon corridor are grateful for the alternative, so there.

makinglight had made the observation after our flooding that it felt like we were in Kim Stanley Robinson's "Forty Sign of Rain", which I skimmed at the writer's group meeting. It described one of the few accurate descriptions of the Washington Metro I've read, complete with a reference to the Tivoli pastry place at Ballston.

Health wise, I'm beginning to think this June is payback for all the times I grumbled privately about friends or relatives' health problems. I've felt horrible lately. I just wanted to call it a week, especially after the hellish commute on Wednesday when I stood all the way to Metro Center in a jam packed train. I wish my stomach would go ahead and decide whether it's actually sick or something else. I've been well enough to get through work for most of the week, but I will definitely disappear for the weekend. It's really tempting to take Monday off.

I never thought I'd say this but... I can't wait until July.