park it

I have a stern brace of parking lot rules – one is an effect on my driving, the second an effect on others. First, if I’m droning down a parking aisle and I see tail lights, I stop. This isn’t directly related to the second rule (don’t read ahead), and it has nothing to do with me actually having feelings for people, it simply seems in the best interest of me, mankind, and the car I’m driving to not attempt to squirt behind someone attempting a back out. I generally believe it helps my karma to defer to those backing and/or parking throughout the world. By my accounts only about 10% of drivers seem to follow my lead. The second (and more irritating if broken rule) is this: you cannot stop in a parking lot to wait for a space unless the white reverse lights are shining as you approach the soon-to-be vacant space. (Have I brought this up before?) Just because you see a family walking towards their Nina Totenberg-edition Hummer 2 doesn’t mean you can park your ride in the middle of the aisle hoping to get the space once two adults, two youngsters, one infant, four bags of groceries, a stroller, three dogs, and three new storage boxes are loaded up. I know you think it might be okay to just wait it out but please try to remember that I’m about to kill you (p.s. the sign that reads 'compact car' means a car, not a minivan, truck or SUV). What makes it all a perfect little scene for me is when three or four people violate the first rule while the Hummer Family is trying to back out whilst your crappy Vanagon is blocking the aisle. Simple rules. Please play along.

Do we need reporting from Pamplona on the running of the bulls? I think in the early days of 24-hour CNN it was ‘funny’ to watch people getting gored and trampled by bulls simply because it was some sort of real-time news. That was about 25 years ago and I’ve decided I no longer need to know, in headlines, that two idiots were injured on the second day of the running. What? It can’t be. People hurt? Bulls chasing people…that’s so funny!

Laurel and dad were here over the last five days and we had a wonderful time. We managed to survive the weather and fill Laurel’s requirement for Smithsonian and monument visits: the Washington Monument, Air and Space, National Gallery of Art, Natural History Museum, Library of Congress, a walk around the Capitol, lunch at the Museum of the American Indian, and the Spy Museum. We also snuck down to Rosslyn on the Fourth to see the fireworks across the Potomac. The forecast for yesterday was about 100 degrees so I convinced L. to skip the Zoo this trip and instead go swimming at the huge pool on base – excellent work on my part. Everyone has made it home safe and sound.

I’ll consider clearing up the reasoning behind the Metro limiting all day passes to travel after 9:30am.

T.