D.C. driving

I've been meaning to post a few things for days but neglected to do so. Here it is all in one.

Drivers, beware
I'm ashamed to say I've lived here two months and drove in the District for the first time this weekend. Frankly, I haven't had a lot of reason to drive. The Metro is really convenient from my apartment and most everything I do is walkable from a Metro stop. However, I had a few previous opportunities when driving might have been easier but I opted for the Metro instead. (Mostly, those opportunities were after dark when I would be consuming a few beverages, and I decided my FIRST experience driving in D.C. might be better a. when it's light and b. when I haven't just had a couple beers.)

I was slightly nervous about getting lost or running over some tourists, but I made it to Alexandria and back to Silver Spring, and later to Capitol Hill and back to Silver Spring with few problems. I even had to take some detours and adjust my routes, and I did it expertly. :) In short, I actually know the streets better than I thought. And if I get completely lost, I figure I just keep driving till I hit the Beltway and then take it back home. (That would NOT be a fast route by any means, but having that nice little circle highway around the area is a little comforting.)

Above is the photo I took of the Capitol as I was driving in to Capitol Hill on Sunday.

Softball star
OK, not quite star. But I did a few worthwhile things at last week's softball game, which made me happy. Instead of just hitting line drives straight into the pitcher's glove, I had an RBI this week and got on base. I also did my job in right field — standing their attentively through inning after inning until a ball was finally hit to me and I caught it. I figure when you're in right field, you have to make every play you get.

Recess week
Friday night was the start of the holiday weekend, but also the start of another Congressional recess. This one is only a week long (with today off for the holiday), so it's a short recess but I'll enjoy finishing work at 5 p.m. for a few days.


Memorial Day concert
Sunday night, I went to the National Memorial Day concert by the Capitol. (It was live on PBS also.) Mary and I got good lawn seats, so we could see the stage and performers. The highlights (to me) were Katie Holmes, Katharine McPhee and Trace Adkins. Tom Cruise was in the audience, too. The concert was good, though it lacked much cheer. It was filled with touching salutes to veterans, which were well-done but also a little depressing.

Above photo: View of the Capitol from our concert seats on the West Lawn.
Below photo: Katie Holmes on the big screen. She was standing on the stage just to the left of what's visible in this picture. Unfortunately, I missed Tom Cruise when he made it on the big screen.