Movin'

So I'm not at my normal office today, actually technically today I don't have a normal office...WE'RE MOVING!!!

Ahem, well we're not moving, by we I mean the actually office workers, the moving guys are moving today. EPA people are off at some conference thing or just off, us contractors are scattered across the greater Arlington/DC Metro Area. I'm spending today at the company's office suite in Rosslyn. I'm about three blocks from the garage where Bob Woodward and Mark Felt met during Watergate. That in itself is a cool enough fact to ALMOST make me "tourist out." But I won't. I work here, I have a badge on a dongle. I'm supposed to be in a hurry, walking up METRO escalator and yelling "STAND TO THE RIGHT!" at tourists who are either corralling their kids, gawking at the metro (why you would gawk at what I consider to be some of the WORST subterranean architecture in THE WORLD I do not understand. Seriously, METRO stations are dark and sterile. There is no personality to them. Do what Chicago does, lighten them up and put some tiles or something on the wall...Paint murals! ANYTHING! Ahem, anyway...) or looking at their maps of DC wondering where the hell the Smithsonian/White House/insert memorial name here is.

This in itself is a shame. Those of us who work or travel through DC to our jobs really miss out on some neat stuff. Usually the highlight of my commute is taking the yellow line bridge over the Potomac and seeing the city and its water/train/air traffic, (yes, I like to watch boats, trains and planes, I am a transportation geek.) or walking across Farragut Square from Farragut West to Farragut North Metro Station. (Another thing, Adm. David G. Farragut doesn't get enough press these days. That's someone who needs a Carrier named after him. Though there is some solace in that Capt. Kirk's first assignment upon graduating Starfleet Academy was the USS Farragut. Also the Nebula Class USS Farragut was one of the three ships to rescue the crew of the Enterprise D at the end of Star Trek: Generations.)

So...where was I? Oh, not being able to "tourist out." Right...so yeah I think too many people take the city for granted or think it's a pain in the ass. And at times the traffic is a pain in the ass, this is what we get for having a Frenchman lay out the streets. (So George Washington gets a mulligan on that, otherwise he did pretty good.) So I'm just saying, look around you when you commute, you may not know what you're missing.

Anyway I'm off tomorrow. Getting a cable modem (HUZZAH!) and a haircut (HUZZAH!) and meeting with the Curator of the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore. (HUZZAH!) Busy day, but I think the meeting will be a great thing. Oh, and I have to drop off a calendar for the historical society to the printer. That's VERY important. Really, this is my first publishing project. I want to make sure it gets out right.

Also I was reading one of my friend's blogs and was struck by how she wanted to be Scarlett O'Hara but now doesn't. I think Scarlett is an interesting character and rather complex. However, I agree with Kim's new assessment that she's not a great role model. But it got me to thinking...who did I want to be from the movies...and I realized that I had several characters that I wanted to be, but I think the one that was always at the top...Han Solo.

Han Solo was the Mac Daddy of Star Wars. First, he got the coolest sidekick; Chewbacca. Second, he wasn't noble to the point of being a pain, nor brave to the point of stupidity. He was in most of Star Wars for the money, Empire to save his own skin and Jedi is when he finally decided...I'm in it for the cause...and the girl. This brings us to the third great thing, he got the girl. Nobody else got the girl in all of Star Wars. And in her day Carrie Fisher was indeed hot. Though she's hit the wall pretty hard now. Fourth, having the Millennium Falcon to tool around in is a major plus. Yeah, that pretty much sums up the reasons why I wanted to be Han Solo when I was a kid.

Well, I've got to go off and do the Kessel Run now. May the Force be with you.