Sunday, February 6, 2011

Brrrr

So, finally I am on vacation! I arrived in Washington DC after a pretty good flight (as good as any flight stuck in economy is ever going to be), and here I am in chilly DC. Well, technically Arlington, Virginia, where Bill's house is. First thing upon arrival in DC - getting a bagel with cream cheese from Einstein Bros - heaven. And then just to add to my joy, I had Mexican food for dinner, at Baja Fresh. Aah, Mexican food, what a joy. The jet lag really kicked my ass, but after a good night's sleep (barring the bit where I forgot to turn off the sound on my cellphone, and was woken at 2am by SMS messages), I was ready to face the world. A world covered in snow, that is.

I am sure Bill and his fellow Arlingtonians (is that a word?) will say, enough already, but for this "snow virgin" from South Africa, perfectly enchanting. And chilly. But I love it.

Had an okay (read: bland) breakfast with Kelly and Robert, it was off to the National Portrait Gallery (across from the Verizon Centre), and then a movie (Black Swan). Black Swan was quite intense, but Bill and I are still speculating about much of the meaning of it. However, I just read Shaun de Waal's review in the Mail & Guardian, and it certainly helped with the analysis, but not maybe the full understanding. All in all, I thought it was well acted. At least now I know what all the fuss is about, mainly the awards for Natalie Portman.

Now I am comfortably ensconced on the couch listening to the news, and of course typing this. Even better, all this domesticity is accompanied by a glass of wine. Aah, life sure is good. Just before you get too envious, the downer in this picture is what I am listening to: the sound of construction. Even at 18:15 and pitch darkness, hard labour (and I am guessing hard labourers) is happening right across the street. New house. Noisy.

Anyway, next up is trying to finally secure some bus tickets and hotel accommodation in New York city. Am keen to explore New York - I have only been there once, for a few hours, and all I did was walk around, have lunch at Times Square, and go up the Empire State Building. I am keen to go back and explore more - and have, according to Hitesh, the best bagels in the world.

So, from my position of bliss, signing off.

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