D.C. is done

Finally, language is over and I’m almost out the door to post. It’s been so long since I’ve been useful that I hope I can remember how.

Lincoln and WWII memorials

Still, though, time in D.C. – and elsewhere – hasn’t been wasted. Today, my last full day, I took a chance on day-of tickets to the top of Washington Monument. Being overcast and kind of gloomy, it wouldn’t have normally been the best day to do it, but because it was literally the last day possible, I went down to the place where they give out the day-of tickets and got in line. Nothing I’d read indicated how many tickets they have, but getting them online proved impossible so I took a chance. Fortunately, there were enough to go around, and I went right up. It’s 555 feet tall and the observation deck is on the 500-foot level; there’s an exhibit at 490 feet.

The visibility was crap but it was a really cool experience. I could see some stuff through the condensation, like the WWII memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. Other stuff kind of faded in the gray but it was still absolutely worth it.

The elevator on the way down slowed a bit to let us get a glimpse of the plaques that are built into the wall. There’s a staircase and the plaques are kind of put in, mosaic-like, all the way down, but the staircase isn’t open to the public, so I was glad the elevator slowed up a bit.

Best photo I could get from a moving elevator

With that, I’m totally good leaving D.C. tomorrow. I had wanted to go to LL Bean one last time but the metro stopped indefinitely and by that time I was hungry and just wanted to get on with my day. My other big errand was sending myself two packages in Tana, which proved to be far more difficult than it should have. In the end, it took three people, three browsers and four devices to get it done but there are now two packages safely in the mail so I don’t have to lug them around tomorrow.

As is, I have two, maybe three, giant bags. I’m trying to get the carry-on crammed inside the checked bags, but we’ll see.

Anyway, life’s been fine since French ended. I had a couple more classes – the last of which was yesterday – and took some annual leave, something I’ll do next week too.

I so wanted to take one of these home.

My packout, which was in Florida, went fine. My packers didn’t seem to care, so that made it easy. I had some stuff I wasn’t sure was allowed but they gave not one whit and loaded everything up. Now I just have to hope it arrives.

I did have a wrinkle in a virtual class I was supposed to take – had trouble with the access – so I was able to take Zippy to watch pickleball and visit Wendy one last time, so that wasn’t all bad.

Last weekend, though, was the FSU game in Dublin. Even though we lost, it was a fun experience. Laurie went – her first trip to Dublin – and we knocked out her wish list. The highlight for her was a Game of Thrones Studio tour and I gotta say, even not having seen a single episode, it was enthralling. To me, it was very much art museum-y and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Winter is coming in late August

Our hotel was in the heart of the Temple Bar area, and from the looks of it, so was the hotel of every other Seminole fan. It was absolutely incredible walking around and seeing people in FSU gear everywhere. There were a few Georgia Tech fans, but the Noles completely outnumbered them. (Too bad the team didn’t outscore them.) There were official pep rallies (or something) in different bars so I’m sure the Tech fans were all over theirs, but there is no way wherever they were could have been more happenin’ than the place FSU fans went – the Storehouse, I think it was. It was wall-to-wall Garnet and Gold – so much fun. We didn’t stay long but I talked to a couple fans and just took it in. It was absolutely incredible, as was doing other sightseeing stuff (Book of Kells, whiskey tour, Leprechaun Museum) and being in a roomful of Florida State fans. We were everywhere.

Random FSU fans at Trinity College

I hadn’t bought a ticket to the game in advance and hooked up with a couple from Dallas – they’d met while attending FSU – and scored a great seat at a cut-rate price. It was even under an overhang, which was fortunate because it rained a little at the start.

Our flights went fine, although we had a tight connection at Heathrow on the way back. Laurie had it worse than me because her bag got stopped and there was no rhyme or reason as to when they’d clear your bag. She wound up sprinting to the gate, but there was still enough time to get a Coke Zero and pee.

Flying back, though, all I could think of was the fact that four days later, I’d be making my third trip across the same ocean. I’m so ready to get going, but travel is just not fun.

French is over. Celebrated by spending the day in bed with Val Kilmer

 After a six-month haul, French is finally over, at least somewhat successfully. The box now has a checkmark, anyway. The test was rough and long, but it didn’t seem as long as it really was. Unfortunately for me, I came down with some kind of death virus about a day before and I felt absolutely miserable. I went in masked but I sounded so horrible during the first part that the testers insisted I finish the test remotely, which I completely understood.

Comprehension has always been my biggest problem and adjusting to new people’s speech patters can take awhile. Meaning, a lot longer than the test itself. I absolutely could not understand what the person was saying. There’s a portion in the test where you ask questions and then report the answers and I literally couldn’t not make out anything for one of the responses. Had I felt better, I could have asked and re-asked for clarification, etc., but I just wasn’t up to it.

In the end, I got the score I needed to proceed without additional paperwork. I feel like some of the grade was a courtesy, but I don’t care. I’m glad it’s over but honestly, I’m still too sick to muster up any emotion about it, including relief.

Since I haven’t bothered testing for Covid and today’s Covid resembles a cold, I could have Covid. Apparently it’s going around the group of new hires and I did go to their “flag day” celebration. (And at the time, I did not know Covid was going around their class…) But no regrets – I met a bunch of new colleagues who are just excited to be heading out to their posts as I am to mine.

But five or six days later,  I feel absolutely miserable. It’s legitimately acting like my colds usually do, so I’m going with that, although I am masking up just in case. Masking up when I go out, that is. Which hasn’t been since the test.

Yesterday, I spend a blissful day in bed with Val Kilmer. I’d gone to the library last weekend – it’s a block away! – and snagged “I’m Your Huckleberry,” which is one of Wendy’s favorite quotes from Wyatt Earp. I know “Huckleberry” more from a Toby Keith/Scotty Emerick tune, but as an Iceman fan, I checked it out.

And it was lovely read. Never knew Kilmer had a poet’s soul. I spent the entire day moving from the bed, the sofa and the comfy chair curled up with the book.

Today, I’m feeling marginally better but as the remains of Debby Downer are hitting us, I’m planning on laying low for a bit.

Originally, I’d hoped to travel out of town this weekend but right now I am really glad to have not sprung for a ticket. It’s nice to be home. And it’s really nice to not be studying French anymore.