Hello, old friends, I’ve missed you

October 11, 2007 | D.C.,Shoes,Traveling,Weather

Had I known a heat wave would follow me to D.C., I’d have taken you instead of my wool sweater and turtlenecks. This was not just any old heat wave. It was a week of record-high temperatures — oh, say, 90-something degrees — that started the minute I landed at the airport and ended the minute my departing plane left the ground. I think I even heard on the radio, “… we will have hellishly hot weather this week, and we expect a cold front to move in when — and only when — Becky leaves town.”

But back to you, dear sandals. I have three sets of blisters all over my feet from each of the three pairs of other shoes I took with me. Yes, even my tennis shoes. Maybe they’re just mad at me for not wearing them unless I leave the state. Whatever the case, my feet have never been happier to see you.

Meeting the peeps in D.C.

D.C.,Traveling

Devra and Rhonda

Tracy Thompson, me, Devra, Ann Crittenden ~ I have three autographed copies of Tracy’s book, The Ghost in the House. Now I just have to come up with some clever Blogland Games so you can win your very own copy. (Thanks, Tracy!)

PunditMom stops by for a visit with Sarah, her Goon Squad and me (photo by: PunditGirl)

Mommy at Work, Devra, Mamma Loves, me, Sarah, Lumpyhead’s Mom ~ As they say in the weekly hometown newspapers in the Big Square State I come from, “A good time was had by all.”

Oh, yeah. I also attended a conference while I was there. I’ll write more about that later.

Seeing the sights in D.C.

D.C.,Traveling

Back from D.C.

October 10, 2007 | Traveling

I just got back from my trip. I’ve got lots of pictures to go through and will post some soon. Stay tuned.

Ms. Big Rake goes to Washington

September 4, 2007 | Books,Getting sick,Traveling

I got sick during the first week of school two weeks ago. Everyone got sick. Then I started to feel better. Until Saturday. It was worse. I was sick all weekend. Then today. Much, much worse. Fever. Chills. And various nastiness. I swear, I’m ready for hospice. Is it this bad everywhere? Or is it just me?

Questions about visiting Washington, D.C.

If I miraculously rise from my death bed, however, I plan to visit our nation’s capital next month. Yes, when searching for “death bed,” one of the first results was Abraham Lincoln on his, which I have been reading about in Sarah Vowell’s Assassination Vacation. Coincidence? I think not. She also talks a lot about Washington, D.C., which brings me to my questions.

I will attend a conference, and I’m not sure what to expect with weather, what I will need clothing-wise, what in the world I can pack in a suitcase anymore and such. Yes, I’m flying, which means I will probably miss the entire first day of the conference because of delays or cancellations.

Suitcase

What is a person allowed to pack in a checked suitcase anymore? Last time I flew, I only took a carry-on. I didn’t want to mess with having my nail clippers or shampoo swiped, so I took nothing of the sort. I just went to the nearest supermarket when I arrived at my destination. I doubt that will be possible in October. So … can I pack toothpaste, creams, lotions and various sharp objects in my checked luggage? (I had cuticle clippers swiped once, and it made me wonder if they thought I might stalk and tackle someone on the plane, hold them down and … clip their cuticles.)

Wardrobe

This will be the first time I will pretend to be professional in public in, well, a while. I will already be an outsider as a freelancer (not to mention, hiss, a blogger), and I will probably have that first-day-at-Kindergarten look with my new satchel for my laptop. Yes, satchel. I have bags. I want a satchel. So I don’t want to go overboard with a whole new wardrobe or anything. But I don’t want to seem completely out of it.

Shoes 

My feet have become Floridated. No, they don’t consume fluoride. They just live in sandals day in and day out because they can, and they don’t do well in normal shoes. I only have shoes and socks for visiting other places, and I always get blisters on my feet whenever that happens. But, tell me, sandals in D.C. in October won’t fly. Will they?

Dress code

The dress code is “business casual.” What does that mean these days? Way back when I worked the mushroom shift (you know, after dark and through to the early-morning hours), there was only a two-hour gap when the day-shift folks would sneer at our ratty jeans and tennis shoes. After that, nobody cared what we looked like. So … what is business casual? Does it include clothing that most people would dry clean? Or just slacks that aren’t denim?

Weather

Is it cold there in October? (Anything 75 degrees or below would cause me to break out the winter stuff here.) Do I need a sweater? Jacket? Ear muffs and mittens?