A Whole New World

I’ve made it to DC and started today.

I’m a little late in this post because I forgot my computer cord and don’t want to run the battery down on my own laptop. Daddy mailed the cord today but until it arrives I’m using the monitors in the business center as much as possible.

Travel to DC was fine – my first USAir flight in eons – but then I screwed up on the subway. I took the blue line out of DCA all right, but when I transferred to the orange I neglected to see it was also a blue line and ended up right back where I’d started.

Had this been the middle of the day, it wouldn’t have mattered, but it was around 8:30 p.m. and the trains started running more infrequently, so it was a 15 minute wait until the next blue came around. Then it was another 20 minutes before the next orange one came through.

 As luck would have it (bad luck, I mean), the orange line was also under weekend construction, so I then had to ride it to the end, which was two stops away from where I needed to be, and then transfer to a shuttle bus for the last two stops – another 15-minute wait.

So, instead of ending up at the apartment at 8 p.m., it was more like 10 p.m., and then I had a long, involved check-in. It’s hotel-like, but it is an apartment so there was a lease and everything involved. Finally, I got to my room and unpacked everything, which is when I discovered the computer cord was missing. Ah well.

Sunday, instead of going to church like I’d planned, I walked to the Safeway – about a mile, maybe – and then spent $60 on groceries. Honestly, I can’t remember when I spent that much on groceries last. Definitely not in Minot or in Jakarta.

After walking back from that – and bashing the hell out of my toe on the grocery cart – I decided to go to Target. I knew where one was, but after looking at a map, I found out there was one just past the Safeway, right on the other side of the CHICK-FIL-A. Yes, I have a Chick. So awesome.

Anyway, after the Target run I was pretty much set up in the apartment (though I still have no salt and pepper) but was exhausted so I skipped the social and soaked in the tub. Got the first good night’s sleep in awhile and headed out.

 The apartment, which has lots of State people in it, had a shuttle right to work, so I went on that Today was just a bunch of paperwork and HR-ish seminars, like planning retirement and picking a health plan.

The real classes start tomorrow, and it’s my understanding that I will also get the “bid list,” which will be a list of nine posts that are open for the people in my position. I am to “bid” on them to decide where I will be working for the next two years.

 I am not allowed to post this list publicly, nor will I be allowed to post here where I will wind up. Or at least that’s my understanding right now. I know the former is true, but I’m not positive about the latter, but either way, if you want to know where I will be going, be sure to email me and ask me around Sept. 26.