The things I like, the things I don't care for.

Because my mother always said that its more polite to say "I don't care for XYZ" than "I don't like XYZ". She was referring to food at the dinner table, but I'm hoping it’s still the case here.

So- it's been a week and two days, and here is what I have gathered so for about DC:

Top 3 Things I don't care for:

1) The unbelievable number of chicken bones that litter the sidewalks of this city. I can honestly say that not once in my life have I ever felt the urge to eat a piece of chicken while walking down, or sitting on the street. But if pressed, I suppose I can see a certain appeal in such a mobile snack. But when finished sucking all the meat off the bone what kind of person says to him/herself, "Self, I think I'll just drop this chicken bone right here on the street, after all, the rats are looking awfully skinny these days, I'm sure they could use a nice meal. Or may it will just biodegrade?!"

To and/all people who may assume the above: In reality, the fate of your chicken bones is a little different: Here's the real deal- the bones don’t just disappear, they get kicked aside and slough off into the cracks of the sidewalk, the medians, or the strips of dirt that run between the sidewalk and driveways, and share their new home with broken glass, dirty band-aids, and a plethora of other unsavory human waste items. Then, when people are walking down the street with their dogs, specifically, dogs with extra keen senses of smell...the hound group for instance... their dogs take great joy in finding the bones and stealthily snapping them up in the mouths. Unfortunately, cooked chicken bones splinter, and are a big safety no-no in the world of domestic dogs. Because of this, the owners have to pry open their dogs' vice-grip jaws, reach their hand into the dogs' mouths and fish around for the bone fragments, pull the dog-saliva coated hand/arm out of said mouths (all the while cursing and rumbling things like "son of a BITCH! Where the HELL are all these GOD DAMNED chicken bones coming from?!?!?"). Then the dog owners are sitting there with shards of dog and human chewed chicken bone in their hands, and wander around like that until they find a proper trash receptacle in which to toss the bones.

So my proposal to the world of chicken-bone-throwers is this: I'll continue to pick up and throw away my dog's poop, if you drop your bones in a trash can instead of the sidewalk. Deal? Great, thanks.

2) Customer Service Attitudes (or lack thereof)
Wow. I'm only basing this on my experiences at the DMV, the grocery store and the Vet's office, but g-wiz, the only thing I have in my memory bank to compare it to would have to be... Eastern Block Europe- in the early 90's.

Granted, DMV employees are typically not known for the outstanding personalities, but these folks were real peaches. But I suppose I did eventually get my car registered and get my license. But I did a lot of research online and got all my ducks in a row before stepping foot into their offices, (and I only got sent home once to get more documentation...) I felt really bad for the other people I saw there who needed some help figuring out how things worked, and they clearly were not going to get that help. Ever.

As for the grocery store and the vet's office, its just a general feeling of apathy toward long lines of waiting customers, and an "I'll get to you when I get to you" type of attitude that I -now that I think about it- rarely saw in Seattle.

3) Our downstairs neighbor that started pounding on her ceiling last night with a broom handle (in what I can only imagine was an aggressive attempt to tell us to be quiet) while J and I were quietly filing papers and organizing our book shelves. It was about 9:50 PM. We finally realized that it was Daphne. She was on the floor, chewing on her new bone that I got her at the pet store after her trip to the vet. Apparently the sound of her chewing was just too much for this lady to handle.

Am I a bad person if I am eagerly awaiting her next session of (what is routinely audible) sexual intercourse during which I plan to jump up and down on the floor?

Payback can be a bitch. And sometimes, so can I.



Things that I LIKE!

1) The Metro.

I just can't help it. I think its fun, exciting and just so damned great!

2) The insanely aggressive driving. I was toying with putting it on my things I don't care for list, but in all honesty, I think I'm growing to like it. At first, getting honked at for not driving like a total spaz make me nervous and defensive, now it just fuels the fire that is... me. Now that I have my DC plates, I feel more justified in honking at people with out of state plates when they say… need to get out of a turn lane and the last minute, or take more than 1/8 of a second to accelerate when the light turns green. Kind of like hazing...

3) The best things in this town are all free!

All the sights, museums etc- all free. America: Membership has its benefits.

4) This is where its ALL HAPPENING. And its not like I'm part of it, heck, I'm really not involved in any of it. But it feels more real. And I have a front row ticket.

5) I'm on the East coast, but I don't feel like an alien. Everyone is from somewhere, and there is a little bit of everywhere somewhere.

6) I can see the Capitol and the Washington Monument every time I take Daphne out for even the quickest walk.



So- for now at least, there are more things that I like than I don't. And you can't ask for much more than that. I'm off to dabble in the job hunt... which I admit, is still half-hearted, as there is so much to do here, that who really has time to work?

...until I run out of money...