Friday, March 23, 2007
Molly-Girl
I took these photos when I was visiting my brother at the end of February. You can see more Molly pictures on flickr.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Day 1 in D.C.
As some know, I am in D.C. this week, first working on some research for my assistantship at the Humphrey Institute (conducting interviews on public participation in transportation projects) and at the end of the week visiting my friends Tom and Steph.
It’s been a while since I’ve traveled someplace completely new on my own! And I think traveling in a new place makes me even more flustered than I normally am. It all started at the airport, with an awkward moment at the Northwest check-in area. Then when I got to D.C. the taxi pulled into the hotel sooner than I expected and I had to quickly calculate a tip—I forgot to ask him for a receipt (which means I won’t get reimbursed from the U).
This morning since I had an 8:30 am interview, I left the hotel at 7:30 and thought “I’ll grab coffee and a muffin on the go for breakfast.” So I went to the coffee shop next to the metro station ... I paid with cash (which I never do) and was fumbling around trying to get both bills and coins back in my purse and trying to grab the coffee - and left my muffin in its bag on the counter! Needless to say, I was quite hungry all morning.
What I probably should’ve done was left the coffee and taken the muffin. Because as I was soon to learn, taking coffee on the train is a huge taboo! I thought it odd that none of the other morning commuters had coffee (on the bus I take there’s often coffee!). And then I saw the sign: no eating or drinking on the train, which I assumed meant not even bringing coffee let alone sipping it. I looked for a garbage can to stash my coffee in before getting on the train, but none to be found. I only had to be on the train ‘til the next station ... but ya shoulda seen all the nasty looks I got.
To top it off, I developed huge blisters which made for great fun walking several blocks. I got back to the hotel at the end of the day with bloody heels, exhausted from a day of having to be “on” in a completely new place.
Still, I think the interviews went well. I interviewed 3 people today, all of which were involved in the TOD (transit oriented design) planning for the Clarendon area here in Arlington. At least I could enjoy meeting people – it’s always interesting how people can have very different perspectives on the exact same process.
My friend Cindy is on her way back to the hotel and we’re headed out someplace tonight. The weather is gorgeous!
It’s been a while since I’ve traveled someplace completely new on my own! And I think traveling in a new place makes me even more flustered than I normally am. It all started at the airport, with an awkward moment at the Northwest check-in area. Then when I got to D.C. the taxi pulled into the hotel sooner than I expected and I had to quickly calculate a tip—I forgot to ask him for a receipt (which means I won’t get reimbursed from the U).
This morning since I had an 8:30 am interview, I left the hotel at 7:30 and thought “I’ll grab coffee and a muffin on the go for breakfast.” So I went to the coffee shop next to the metro station ... I paid with cash (which I never do) and was fumbling around trying to get both bills and coins back in my purse and trying to grab the coffee - and left my muffin in its bag on the counter! Needless to say, I was quite hungry all morning.What I probably should’ve done was left the coffee and taken the muffin. Because as I was soon to learn, taking coffee on the train is a huge taboo! I thought it odd that none of the other morning commuters had coffee (on the bus I take there’s often coffee!). And then I saw the sign: no eating or drinking on the train, which I assumed meant not even bringing coffee let alone sipping it. I looked for a garbage can to stash my coffee in before getting on the train, but none to be found. I only had to be on the train ‘til the next station ... but ya shoulda seen all the nasty looks I got.
To top it off, I developed huge blisters which made for great fun walking several blocks. I got back to the hotel at the end of the day with bloody heels, exhausted from a day of having to be “on” in a completely new place.
Still, I think the interviews went well. I interviewed 3 people today, all of which were involved in the TOD (transit oriented design) planning for the Clarendon area here in Arlington. At least I could enjoy meeting people – it’s always interesting how people can have very different perspectives on the exact same process.My friend Cindy is on her way back to the hotel and we’re headed out someplace tonight. The weather is gorgeous!
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Our Weekend in Sandstone
Last weekend Matt, our friend Jamie, and I spent some time at Minnesota Wildlife Connection in Sandstone. Here's Matt and I with an arctic fox. You can also see some of Matt's photos of an arctic fox, red fox, arctic wolf, and lynx.
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