2001-03-11 - 9:30pm

Who's Who Cheat Sheet
Who I Read UPDATED TODAY -- couple new libertarian links

On the internal soundtrack: The acoustic piano piece playing during the opening titles of "Erin Brockovitch".

I like this song, although a more accurate way to describe it would be the musical equivalent of a "blurb", I think. I have to try to find the chords so I can learn to play it. I don't play my piano nearly enough.

I am going to write as much as I can in 20 minutes, and then quit. I've been spending too many hours over entries lately. The worst part is that you never see about 3/4 of what I write -- I can't get it right so I delete it. Argh.

So, much to my surprise, I am still alive and feeling reasonably well. I went on the "beginner/intermediate" skate today, which to me felt like "extremely advanced intermediate". I spent most of the skate about 5 minutes behind most of the group. This is not as horrible as it could have been, I suppose.

I went in with the idea that I could drop out and skate back to my car alone once I got too tired. Unfortunately for drop-out reasons (and fortunately for great-route reasons), we spent most of the skate in iffy unfamiliar neighborhoods in Northeast and Southwest. I got to see parts of the city I'd never seen before, including the Farmer's Market, Eastern Market, and Gallaudet University.

There is something exhilarating to me about iffy neighborhoods. Rather than seeing them as urban blight, I see potential. Maybe I'm crazy. But I see houses that could be beautiful with a little work, I see friendly faces on adorable children, I see people dressed up for church, and I see small businesses -- corner stores, beauty shops, auto repair -- that might thrive and multiply if the DC government would just cut the crippling taxes.

Anyway. I did okay cardiovascular-wise, but muscles-wise I was a mess. By the time we got to Eastern Market my ankles were seriously hurting. They're far too weak from lack of skating through the winter. Then we ended up down along the Anacostia River in Southwest, in a deserted industrial area (though the river was absolutely gorgeous), so I couldn't break off from the others.

Finally we got up to L'Enfant Plaza and I was able to "limp" my way 25 or so blocks back to my car. I skated at a walker's pace because my ankles were so painful and weak I was afraid if I lost balance I wouldn't be able to catch my fall.

If it's possible to look like an old lady while on inline skates, that's what I looked like.

A few happy moments from the trip:

- An incredible steep downhill that made the looooooooong uphill worthwhile.

- Waving at an adorable pair of little boys watching the skaters, getting the usual blank stare children give grownups to wave to them, then hearing their mothers' voices, and looking back to see all four of them waving.

- Sitting at the Eastern Market listening to the man on the corner singing in the most fluid, relaxing voice -- with an amp, no less. A fellow skater said she's seen him in clubs. With that and my painful ankles it made me wish I was in a hot bath listening to him on CD.

That same fellow skater got engaged over Christmas. She met her husband in -- get this -- African dance class, and they are getting married in the Frederick Douglass Museum. She's making her wedding dress.

I am insanely jealous. The Frederick Douglass Museum, damn! There are three million cool places to get married in DC -- for little to no cost -- and I had to get married in Bumfuck, NJ because that's where my whole family is.

Upon relating this to Poindexter, the Lord of the Anti-Dance, he wanted to know what kind of guy takes a dance class. "The kind that wants to meet interesting women like her, I presume," was my pseudo-snippy reply.

So I think, seriously, that there is a basil shortage. Or something. I had to go out to Fresh Fields again to get the HYDROPONIC kind, since there was none to be found anywhere else. Tomorrow I have to get fresh dirt and some Miracle Grow and see if I can get those things to make more leaves.

This summer I'm going to have to put an herb garden in the ground outside. I did find with the pots last year, so I'm hopeful. We just eat too many damn herbs. I'm thinking basil, cilantro, parsley, and rosemary, Poindexter's favorite.

Anyway, on my way to Fresh Fields, I was stuck at a traffic light and the couple in the car in front of me leaned over and gave each other a sudden mmmmMWAH! type kiss. I could see them grinning at each other. Made the trip worthwhile.

Time's up. I guess I did okay because I wrote most of the entry in my head on the way to Fresh Fields. :)

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