i'm back!

ok, so it's actually pretty embarrassing how long it's been since i've updated this. it was before we moved! but i've decided to come back to the blogging world! i'm hoping that it will help me to try and focus on some positive things in the world of casi and nick rather than some of the less-than-desirable things that are going on.

just to get them out of the way though...

the hardships:
-moving is tough! i miss my family and friends every single day.

-moving in winter is tougher! i feel like i've lived here for six months, and it's been rainy, snowy, and cold the entire time. it's really hard to develop an opinion on this place when it seems that it's always winter here. i'm sure once the summer heat gets here i'll want the cooler weather back, but right now i want the sun! i hope it puts me in a better mood when spring arrives.

-friends are hard to find. dc is different. really different. you don't just meet people here. everyone has an agenda. people really aren't as friendly as in other parts of the country. when you meet someone new, they automatically have to "rank" you. they ask you what you do immediately. i realize it's a standard question to ask. but up here it seems like it's a requirement for even talking to someone. i need to know what you do so i know how important you are so i know if i'm more important than you are. they also like to slyly try and figure out where you stand politically. totally weird.

-virginia doesn't want you to own a car. in the "commonwealth" where i now live, owning a car is like trying to get citizenship or something. not only do we have emissions testing, but also safety inspections. this would be fine, but the system is flawed. the people that inspect your car to make sure it's safe are also the people that fix your car if you don't pass the test. see where i'm going? they don't want you to pass, because then they can charge you a bunch of money for the things you need fixed! my 2007 dodge caliber needed about $800 worth of repairs before it would pass inspection. i was worried about the crack in my windshield, which apparently passed anyway. i ended up replacing all four tires and some bolt or joint or something that had cracked.

you also have to re-title your car in the state. dumb! we haven't even registered nick's car yet because he needs so many repairs to pass the safety testing. ugh!

ok, enough whining. now the reasons why living here is actually pretty cool:

-i don't have to drive all the time! i absolutely love the washington metro system. it goes pretty much everywhere, unlike MARTA. i don't drive to work, ever. yes, my commute takes about an hour, but in that hour, i'm just chillin out reading the newspaper or listening to music. nick and i drive maybe 20 miles a week, combined.

-museums are awesome and free! i still haven't been to all the ones i want to go to, but the ones i have were super cool. last week when they sent me home from work because there wasn't enough work (another whine that i won't go into right now), i went into the city and went to two art museums and the archives. i mean, how cool is it that i can just go see the declaration of independence and the constitution anytime i want! next i want to go to the holocaust museum, but i want to wait til nick comes with me to do that.

-i witnessed history! ok, so i don't care who you voted for, or how mad you are about obama being elected, the inauguration was amazing. i've never experienced the feeling i felt on inauguration day. the metro station i usually use to get to work was closed, so i had to use a different one and walk to work. i was walking through chinatown at 630 in the morning and there were people everywhere. these people were so happy! everyone was singing, dancing, chanting, and just being so completely awesome. i mean, people were walking to get in line to go through security for the parade. they KNEW that they were going to have to wait to go through security, then stand on the parade route until 2 in the afternoon, but they didn't care! during the actual swearing in, i could here the president reciting the oath from my work. i stepped outside onto the street full of people and listened to it as it happened. it still gives me chills. when the parade came by, i ran outside to the end of the block, and i actually caught a glimpse of the president's limo. so cool.

ok so this post is so long i'm going to end it now, even though i could probably do a couple more "pros" about living here.

until next time...