Journal

@SchuminWeb

Archives

Categories

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2005, 1:24 AM

And so now let’s all sing a round of Auld Lang Syne.

And this is the first entry of 2005, after I rolled the Journal into the next database. If this posts when I submit my form, then I was successful.

I have to say, I noticed a few things about the new year’s arrival. On the TV, we again noticed the glasses with the year on it. I just wonder if they’ll continue it come 2010. Then, you see, there will be no number with a big open middle on one eye for at least ten years (you could pull it off in 2020, since the “2” is sufficiently open). But a “1” is kind of poor for that kind of thing. I wonder.

Otherwise, I’m still up, which is amazing in itself. I fully expected to be fast asleep before midnight, considering how long I was slightly droopy at Wal-Mart at the beginning of my shift. But I ended up hitting a second wind or something, I guess.

And then there’s the list of New Year’s resolutions. My New Year’s resolution, as it is every year, is to not make New Year’s resolutions. And just like people who make real New Year’s resolutions, I broke my New Year’s resolution, since I made a New Year’s resolution not to make New Year’s resolutions, and so no sooner was it spoken than it was broken, since if you make a resolution not to make a resolution, my making it, you’re simultaneously breaking it. Does that make sense? At least in my world, it makes perfect sense. Bottom line, though, is that I don’t make New Year’s resolutions.

And now that it’s 2005, let’s look forward! After learning that my government teacher from high school will be there, I’ve arranged to attend the counter-inaugural demonstration planned for January 20. And you know what my biggest concern is at this point? Parking. How early would I need to leave to snag a spot in Vienna in order to catch the Metro into DC. That’s the million dollar question for me. Yes, there are other concerns I have once I get into DC for the protest itself that have to do with the usual protest kinds of things, but for right now, my concern is just getting a parking space at Vienna. I just need to make sure that I completely make that transition from “Mr. Walker” to “Mr. Wheeler… MOTORIST!” before leaving the house. Since I’ll need every ounce of nerve I can muster for that day.

But before that, though, I have a trip to Washington DC tentatively scheduled for the 4th. My plans are to explore the Pentagon City neighborhood in Arlington, and also visit the Infoshop. I’m visiting the Infoshop mainly to see what information I can get about January 20. Pentagon City, on the other hand, is for a different reason. As you may know, I visit Pentagon City on almost every single trip to Washington DC that I make. I think that since 2001 when I did The Schumin Web Salutes America and I first really became serious about Washington DC, out of a total of 37 trips, I visited Pentagon City on 35 of those trips. That means I only skipped Pentagon City twice. And those dates are memorable for that fact. On my October 26, 2003 trip to Washington, I skipped Pentagon City, despite passing through that part of the Metro four different times. Then the other day was the Million Worker March. Both of these days were a Sunday, which factored into the skip-Pentagon-City decisions on those trips.

So why am I exploring Pentagon City, despite that I go there practically every single time I go to Washington? Because I’ve never strayed more than a block away from the mall before. The furthest I’ve ever gone away from the mall going west is to Joyce Street at the open end of Pentagon Row’s main courtyard. And going east, I’ve only been across Hayes Street to Pentagon Centre across the street from the mall. Anything further that way was done inside Pentagon Centre, which quite frankly doesn’t count. Then going north and south, I’ve not explored beyond the mall at all. So during the day, I’m going to explore Pentagon City a bit, since I was really quite shocked by the realization that despite that I go to Pentagon City on almost every single bloody trip to Washington, I’ve never really explored around.

I’ve explored around in the Rosslyn and Ballston neighborhoods in Arlington, at street level – no skywalks, which also make things not count. You don’t get to experience it if you’re on a skywalk – especially not an enclosed skywalk. You do, however, get half a point for an open-air skywalk like the ones at Rosslyn. I’ve also explored around downtown Washington DC, and am quite comfortable with being able to get from here to there without using Metro in downtown Washington DC.

Still, I was shocked to realize that despite how often I visit Pentagon City, I’ve never explored it. We’ll soon fix that!

And so once again, Happy New Year to all involved, and let’s make 2005 even more fun than 2004 was.

Web site: Pentagon Row's official Web site. I love Pentagon Row. It's a nice alternative to the mall, since Pentagon Row is a mixed use development, and not just a big mega shopping center

Song: Don't have one. It's been quiet in here for a bit.

Quote: Also worth looking at is this site about the ice skating rink at Pentagon Row, which I've photographed twice now. Once on February 8, 2003, and once more recently on December 21, 2004. And once again, happy 2005, everyone!

Categories: DC trips, New Year's