DC

So last week there was an earthquake in DC which was basically the first earthquake in recorded DC history. It was all of 3.6, and I totally slept through it. I definitely picked the best year ever to move to DC.

Later that day I went to work, as one does. I came back to my office from a meeting to discover a couple of emails from our office manager: the first, saying there was a suspicious package investigation going on outside the building and a corner was blocked off. The second email informed us that the investigation had now been upgraded to a bomb threat, and several blocks were now blocked off, and the bomb squad had been called in. Cue nervous conversation around the office. Shortly thereafter, a Very Serious voice came over the intercom and announced that we all needed to move away from the windows and not stand on a particular side of the building. Of course, my office is on that side of the building AND has windows. So I headed over to the other side of the office to see what my colleagues were up to--lots of quite nervous conversation, and looking out the interior windows into the lobby to try to figure out what was going on. We watched some officials come into the lobby and shoo people away from the doors. A security guard was stationed in front of the doors to prevent people from leaving. At one point he went out to the street to see what was going on and then came running back in--not something to inspire confidence. Another announcement over the intercom to inform us the basement parking garage was now on lockdown. My coworker called a friend over at Homeland Security to try to find out what was going on. This went on for, literally, an hour. Meanwhile we're hearing that all the neighboring buildings were being evacuated.

And, the anticlimax: another announcement over the intercom to inform us that all was well and it was not a bomb. We found out later that it was a briefcase full of "electronic testing equipment", whatever that is. In any case--certainly a more dramatic Thursday afternoon than I'm used to!

I'm settling in well to life in DC! My job is great; I'm exploring new restaurants and places to go out (at least one new place a week); checking out the museums; attending other DC cultural events (World Cup games shown on giant screens in Dupont Circle? yes! Open embassy days? yes! Pride parade? yes!); and hanging out with friends, both visiting and local. It's true, everyone comes through DC for work and it's awesome. Also, surviving mishaps such as cat-induced computer malfunctions, food poisoning, cats with eye infections, the wonky Metro, and other similar adventures. Oh yeah, and bemoaning the weather. I do not know how this New Englander is going to survive the summer here. Seriously, I'm already ready to die and it's only mid-June. We've already had a week straight of 90+ temps and the humidity is killer. What do you know, it's not the heat, it's the humidity! One thing I do love here is how late the days go--it's not even the Solstice yet and it's still light out till after 9pm. Love it!

Here's a selection of photos from the last couple of months:
Grad school friends mini-reunion
My cousin's wedding in Ohio
Lightning quick secret trip to NYC to see a couple of friends get married at City Hall, with bonus amazing sushi
Hanging out with the cats
Apartment preview

tree planting with Casey Trees, originally uploaded by zannect.

Back when I was researching DC, I heard about an organization called Casey Trees. Their mission is to restore the tree canopy of Washington. Apparently DC used to be called the City of Trees, but during the 1960s and 70s, the city lost 65% of the tree cover due to neglect. In 1999, a philanthropist named Betty Brown Casey gave a generous donation to start the organization. Since 2001 they have planted over 7,000 trees. The organization leads tree walks, teaches classes, gives high school kids summer jobs, and helps DC residents plant trees. It's really cool. They will help homeowners pick the right trees for their land, and help them plant the trees; they'll help community groups green their neighborhood; and they assist the city with planting and care of city trees. Last week I took a two-evening class about trees, and then Saturday morning I went with a group to plant 30 trees in Oxon Run park in SE DC. The training means that I can assist and help organize new volunteers at tree plantings that are held every weekend in the spring and the fall.

I planted two trees with a small group of other people. It was quite a lot of fun! We planted white swamp oak (above), sweet gum trees, and a few others. It was a gorgeous spring day and spending the morning outside with a visible end result was really satisfying. The other volunteers and the staff were an eclectic group of really nice folks, a mix of long-time DC residents, other newcomers, and an intern from Finland. I'll be volunteering with Casey Trees throughout the spring planting season, and then I hope to again in the fall.

Growing up as I did in a much more rural area, and in a house with a yard full of amazing trees, I've always felt like there was something missing in the cities I've lived in. One of my major complaints about NYC was how much I missed being around trees. It's really neat to be helping plant trees in my new city, and it makes me so much more aware of the trees that are already here.

ps--I took that photo with my phone! The quality is much better than I expected.

Fallen branch, originally uploaded by zannect.

You might have heard it snowed here in DC. It doesn't snow very much around here, so 25 inches is a BIG DEAL, aka "crippling", "historic", "obliterating", and "paralyzing" (all direct quotes from various major news sources). It started around 10am on Friday and didn't stop till after 5pm on Saturday. I went to the grocery store on Friday afternoon and it was like the end of the world: bare shelves, especially in the produce and meat sections (no garlic!!!), people stockpiling milk and wine like there wouldn't be any more produced ever again, and lines to rival the Park Slope Food Coop the day before Thanksgiving. I was able to get plenty of food and even had some nice conversations with other people waiting in line. I got pretty stir-crazy by Saturday afternoon and went out for a walk (lots of pictures here) and saw some pretty crazy stuff: a snow plow that was stuck; a tow truck that was stuck with a driver attempting to pull himself out by hooking onto a fire hydrant; dozens of people sledding and having snow ball fights; people skiing down the middle of U Street; and some very, very happy dogs. I was fortunate not to lose power, so I spent my weekend cooking, putting together furniture, and relaxing. So much for my last batch of errands to finish off my apartment! Those will have to wait till next week, assuming we ever dig out. I got out of work early on Friday, and I'm hoping I'll make it to work tomorrow, but there's a decent chance we'll have a snow day, if the city can't dig out enough to make it possible to commute.

Here's a video of a tow truck attempting to rescue the plow:

I'm sure they got out eventually, but by then I was cold so I didn't stick around to see. Today it's gloriously sunny so I'm heading out for another walk to see how things look today.

Welcome to DC indeed!

Updated at 4pm: I just took another walk and came back with more photos! Lots of buried cars, and sadly, many broken and completely downed trees.

Huge fallen tree:

It's really pretty:

I can't tell what's happening here: