Running in D.C. (and not for office)

taken from my BlackBerry

The crosswalks give you far much more time than you need to cross the street. One crosswalk at Thomas Circle gives you 80 seconds to cross a total of 10 ft. In California, crosswalks give you half the time to walk twice the distance! And they say things on the EAST coast move faster.

So I went running tonight and ended up at the White House. I tried to look for Obama through the windows, but he was probably busy with something inside. If I ever get to fist bump Michelle, I'll let you guys know. There was a camera crew of two on the White House lawn filming something with a crane. Also, for 9PM at night, it was still relatively light out.

I had always wondered what it'd be like running in a big city. The prospect of all the sights and sounds attracted me to the idea initially while the smells deterred me, but you barely notice the odors amiss the humidity here. There is a lot to look at. I (unintentionally) ran past the AFL-CIO building, the National Geographic Museum, the Washington Monument, the Capital Hilton, and other things many scholars doing research would consider important. And here I am, viewing them in passing. Aren't I cool? No, not really.

I am a small fish in a big tank. I am slowly coming to terms with this. In a city like D.C., you're dwarfed not only by the tremendous monuments and architecture but also by how many people there are living in the metro. How do they define success and how are they getting there? What are their core values? Are they the same as mine? What makes me so special?

Big questions on the brain! I don't have answers yet, but when I do have some form of synthesis, I'll let you guys know. Until then, I miss you a lot!