View from the Top

I just watched the movie of the same name and it made my job seem so glamorous! Unfortunately, the only flying I've been doing in the last three weeks has been in a passenger seat, looking like a poser - in uniform, but reading a magazine. Still, they pay me to do this, so I'm not complaining.

Since my last six-day reserve block, Greg and I 'did' the Baltimore/D.C. area for a fun, whirlwind weekend. On Friday, at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, we visited the U.S.S. Constellation, a working replica of the last all-sail naval vessel, and one that was used to hunt down slaving ships. I will say that it is true to history, as I hit my head not once, not twice, but three times on the low support beams. People of yore were mighty short. Also, one's peripheral vision is somewhat obscured when wearing a hat with a brim. We also toured the World War II submarine U.S.S. Torsk, which sunk the last German vessel of the war. You and 29 friends can spend the night aboard for the low, low price of $900 if you wish to subject yourself to inhumanely small bunks and no working toilets (that I saw; I could be wrong). It was also quite warm. Here is Greg, trying unsuccessfully to gain entrance to a side door at the National Archives. That was the theme of the day; since it was a Saturday, all the fun stuff was packed or closed, and the gaggles of children woefully under-chaperoned made even navigating the sidewalks difficult.

That night, we dined on Kobe beef steak at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Arlington, overlooking the Reagan International Airport and pretending to be much more important than we actually are. I always remind myself when visiting such places that rich people are not always well mannered or well dressed (Pretty Woman, anyone?) and that as long as I am polite, I need not feel out of place. Sunday, we toured the Fairfax IKEA (sidenote: it was pretty much the same as the IKEAs we've visited in in Burbank, Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta. Nevertheless, Greg intends to personally investigate every one in the continental U.S.) and had Baja Fresh! Thanks to Greg's former co-worker Brian and his wife Tracy for hosting us and sharing their Metro passes. Speaking of the Metro, I was a bit unsettled at an ad campaign I noticed. Pictured at left is one of many signs I saw; it is a thinly-veiled attempt to encourage people to have inflatable bicycles in their metro-satchels in the inevitable event of another 9/11. As I prefer to ignore future disasters, this did not appeal to me.

On a lighter note, pictured below is Greg's boss Charlie, who has a Harley. Comin' atcha fast!


I'm still sitting in Baltimore, now having fulfilled my monthly requirement (5) of sitting in the airport lounge for five consecutive hours and then returning to my crashpad to unpack again. What does everyone else have planned for their summers?