Don't worry, this is totally related to travel.
It just happens to involve traveling via foot and by someone other than me. My older sister is running The Relay, a 199 mile race from Calistoga (yes of spring water fame) to Santa Cruz, California. She doesn't run the whole thing--a team of 12 splits it up into 36 segments over two days of non-stop running.
Last year my younger sister and I saw her trucking along through Napa, but it sounded like the coolest part was her midnight run over the Golden Gate Bridge under a full moon. Pretty sweet scenic views.
The point of all of this is not to get as many blisters as possible or avoid showering after exercising, though both are inevitable. She's raising money for Organs 'R' Us, a non-profit dedicated to--you guessed it--promoting organ donation. Her goal is to raise $1500, so I thought I'd help spread the word.
If you're interested, go to http://www.firstgiving.com/markell to read more, pay by credit card, and wish her well. You can also donate anonymously if that's your preference. And even if you can't help financially right now, you can still do your part by making sure your drivers license says you're an organ donor. Also be sure to talk to your family too so they know what your wishes are.
Thanks everyone!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
DC in a Night
And oh what a night it was.
I was back in DC earlier this week for a last minute call-back interview with a firm. In a very persuasive effort to woo us potential candidates to the cause, I was given a room in the illustrious Hay-Adams Hotel. Where, as I quickly discovered, "nothing is overlooked but the White House." My top floor room was probably its simplest offering, but it was still by leaps and bounds the nicest place I've ever slept.
Impeccable service in general overwhelms me. I am not accustomed to other people being at my beck and call, opening all doors, and wheeling my very manageable roller bag for me. In fact, I sometimes find it stressful worrying about when and how much to tip or how to politely decline services without being rude and accept them without feeling overly self-important. But they took my inexperience with luxury in stride, always smiling and gently pointing me towards the main hall when I accidentally attempted to take the freight elevator.
The weather in DC was also much more amenable. I walked around the hotel a great deal when I first arrived, cursing CVS for closing every store in reach by 6pm on a Sunday. I realized rather at the last minute that my chipped red fingernail polish would look very unprofessional. But thankfully a friend was able to meet me for dinner and lead me to Dupont Circle where the streets are lively outside of business hours and the CVS's are open until a more reasonable time.
I was also able to talk a long walk later that night around the White House and accompanying monuments. The more time I spend in DC, the more I want to try living there for a while. I don't know the right way to describe it. Everything is infused with politics and government and bureaucracy, but flowing through it all is very raw sense of patriotism, sincere and unadulterated. Maybe I'm just naive, but I'm curious to find out. What I do know is that I can't wait to be at the center of all the action this summer.
I was back in DC earlier this week for a last minute call-back interview with a firm. In a very persuasive effort to woo us potential candidates to the cause, I was given a room in the illustrious Hay-Adams Hotel. Where, as I quickly discovered, "nothing is overlooked but the White House." My top floor room was probably its simplest offering, but it was still by leaps and bounds the nicest place I've ever slept.
Impeccable service in general overwhelms me. I am not accustomed to other people being at my beck and call, opening all doors, and wheeling my very manageable roller bag for me. In fact, I sometimes find it stressful worrying about when and how much to tip or how to politely decline services without being rude and accept them without feeling overly self-important. But they took my inexperience with luxury in stride, always smiling and gently pointing me towards the main hall when I accidentally attempted to take the freight elevator.
The weather in DC was also much more amenable. I walked around the hotel a great deal when I first arrived, cursing CVS for closing every store in reach by 6pm on a Sunday. I realized rather at the last minute that my chipped red fingernail polish would look very unprofessional. But thankfully a friend was able to meet me for dinner and lead me to Dupont Circle where the streets are lively outside of business hours and the CVS's are open until a more reasonable time.
I was also able to talk a long walk later that night around the White House and accompanying monuments. The more time I spend in DC, the more I want to try living there for a while. I don't know the right way to describe it. Everything is infused with politics and government and bureaucracy, but flowing through it all is very raw sense of patriotism, sincere and unadulterated. Maybe I'm just naive, but I'm curious to find out. What I do know is that I can't wait to be at the center of all the action this summer.
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