hello dears, i'm back from my trip to our nation's lovely and somewhat pretentious capitol. i'll spare you all of the details of the trip, but will say that it was half wonderful, half horrible. obviously i will omit the bad.
went to georgetown friday and discovered that it really isn't my scene. don't get me wrong, i love jcrew's clothes, i just don't want to feel like i'm in the catalogue while at a bar. this is me laughing at all of the old money:
saturday we went to my aunt's performance at the kennedy center. a midsummer night's dream is already confusing enough with words, but when you're supposed to understand the whole thing via ballet moves, well let me just say it comes across as though shakespeare was spending a whole lot of time in opium dens while writing it. but anyway, we had seats so close that you could hear the dancers breathing, so that was neat.
spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around/eating with my aunt and uncle. they've always been some of my favorite relatives, although i've recently realized how little i know about them. it was pretty nice getting to know them as an adult.
sunday we went to some of the monuments. standing in the jefferson memorial i kind of had to laugh at him. yes he was a great statesman, blah blah blah. but he owned slaves while he preached about the equality of all men (and don't even get me started on the rights of women). but, his memorial is very well done and we do all have our flaws i suppose. the lincoln memorial, on the other hand, is one of my favorite places ever. to think that such an incredibly divisive leader could accomplish such great things is inspiring to me. it's just too bad that our currently divisive leader doesn't have the same effect. standing beneath lincoln's towering monument, i was especially glad that i had re-read sarah vowell's chapter that is devoted to that wonderful president. that way, i could think about all of the exciting secrets that i knew nobody else there knew about him. for example, this giant man had a sqeaky, miniscule voice, not the thunderous boom that we imagine. also, edwin booth, the brother of john wilkes booth, saved lincoln's son from being hit by a train. neat, huh? i also couldn't help but think about the other great man that followed in lincoln's steps and made his mark in that same spot. how amazing it would have been to stand along the reflecting pool when martin luther king jr. made his historic speech and changed the world forever.
finally, i ended my trip in baltimore. i don't like to make rash judgments, but i will say that the small part of the town that i saw was pretty dumpy. no offense b-town, i'm sure you're filled with lovely residents and unique shops. maybe someday i'll go exploring there (to see poe's historical landmarks) and see the friendlier side of tracy turnblad's hometown.
in the end i think i realized a few things, some of which i'm willing to share. 1. DC is amazing because at every turn you're confronted with the rocky history of our nation. the good, the bad, the horrific, it's all there and it's made us who we are today. 2. i do not want to live so far from my family that my brother and sister's children will not know me until they are in their mid-twenties. 3. nothing makes me appreciate my beloved, amazing austin like visiting a colder, busier, more uptight city. going to HEB this morning made me happier than ever before. i love the sights, sounds and feel of this town. it just fits. 4. i miss jen. it was truly lovely talking to her and i do need to go visit her before she hightails it back to texas.
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