Setting foot safe and sound in the D.C. area

After driving solo for three days straight and almost 2,000 miles – Weds. through this evening, from Casper, Wyoming – I have finally reached Washington D.C. I got a harrowing initiation and welcome to the D.C. area by way of spending an hour from 7 to 8 p.m. on the Beltway (I-495) in traffic, crawling along at a pace I could have more easily walked (if I did not value my life, that is), just to make a few miles of progress. I definitely think I’ll stick with my original plan of taking the metro to and from work. I was never so thankful to see Exit 25-A to Laurel, Maryland, a place I had been stationed when I trained as an Army journalist almost a decade before. I was glad to be in what my mind knew as a familiar place in the midst of all of these strangers.

Along the way I came down with either some form of allergy or a sinus headache. I don’t know if it’s the change in the climate or the particulates in the air or what… but it sure did wallop me well and make the drive even more “joyous.”

This is the third hotel I’ve stayed in this week — First, a Quality Inn in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, after I got turned around twice and decided to call it a night, just as huge snowflakes began to fall. Talk about perfect timing! The second time I needed lodging was in Columbus, Ohio, at a Motel 6. Now I know why that chain of motels is so cheap. They only had dial-up Internet access, and I had no dial-up accounts to use. So I had to do without my nightly Internet addiction; but it didn’t matter after a stomach ache from a greasy meal from the nearby Steak -n- Shake. Then, tonight, here I am at a whopping almost $160/night at the Holiday Inn near Laurel. But I figured I deserved a good night’s rest and accommodations.

In the early afternoon tomorrow, I am supposed to meet the gal I’ve spoken to quite a few times about renting a room in a large luxury townhouse. I found her ad on Craigslist. In fact she is the only person I contacted from off of that site. I just had a good feeling about the place from the start. So, if all goes well, I should have a place to unpack my overburdened car tomorrow. The poor car has so much of my stuff in it, I could hardly see out the back window. Not a very safe, preferred way to travel cross-country. But what could a girl do? I did not have an address to which I could mail anything, and it took FOUR exhausting days of morning ’til night work for Doug and I to get all of my belongings into a local 10×10 storage space.

I begin my new job here Monday, so I hope I can get into the place tomorrow. It would give me a bit of time to get acclimated to living here, get my brows tweezed and hair cut to look more professional, and rest up before I start the job.

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Woo! Glad to hear you made it okay. –RK

October 15, 2006

Glad you arrived safely!

October 15, 2006

Taking a job in Wasington is the smartest thing you ever did. But get digs clodse to the metro, whatever you do.

Wow. I added you to my favorites list because you are like a novel I want to finish. That’s kinda neat that you stayed in Des Moines, IA, ’cause that’s where I’m from! Anyway, good luck with everything. You have great eyebrows, by the way. I like to stare at them framing your eyes while I read what you write. LOL. Weird but true.

Call me Jenn… so we can catch up! You’re friend in Jville (Your phone went right to voice messages and were full. Must have alot of guy friends call’n ya! Or too busy to catch up on ’em?)

Wow! Don’t know if you did it, or my computer… but my initial front page of your diary has a much larger picture of you! And it’s good cuz you have a great smile, and it’s almost larger than life! Like you’re almost there in front of me! Lol! Anyways… talk to ya later. John in Jville

October 23, 2006

Glad things are working out 🙂