in the crease, in the tree

I took in a Washington Capitals NHL game with a friend on Wednesday night and found it a much more enjoyable sports experience than baseball, football, or basketball. For one, we had center ice seats in the front row of the upper deck which is perfect for watching plays develop. Second, the prices are much cheaper and the games a more manageable time – two hours and twenty minutes from face off to the end of regulation. I’m thinking of getting a partial season ticket (two seats) for next year – the Verizon Center is right above the Metro stop so transport is simple.

Being as it’s a week before Spring it’s not much of a surprise that the weather has turned for the better and I’ve pulled out at least one of the lawn chairs and planted myself in the courtyard in the evenings. Corey and X mounted a rope swing and seat on the piňata tree but G’s a little suspicious – I think he believes his plan was high-jacked by high end developers. We think he may have just wanted a Tarzan rope yet we’ve gone whole hog and messed up his dream. Within a week he’ll either be happier about the seat or he’ll quietly ask someone for something better.

Between the swing and G wanting his bicycle paroled from basement lock-up, X decided she wanted a ride down to Pentagon City to shop for stuff (I’ll leave ‘stuff’ definitions to her). I was all for a nice ride on a beautiful afternoon since my hot like hands had a Sur le Table gift card burning a strange rectangle in my palm. We ended up with a salad spinner, a new salt box, a wee colander, and some new oven mitts. I know, I know, try to hide your awe and excitement.

The bike ride turned into a bit of a seek-and-find. The problems are multi-fold: Arlington is a complete map/street mess and there’s also the issue of Ft. Myer and Arlington Cemetery betwixt here and there. Having our IDs handy we rode onto Ft. Myer with a plan to sneak out the back gate right into Pentagon City. As if you could do that on a Saturday, very funny. We were liked jailed rats looking through the back gate at the road and our destination so near. We ended up riding back across the fort and all the way around the cemetery and Pentagon in order to end up at the same place. Needless to say, we found a shorter route home via some residential streets.

I’m working at the USO today and a woman just asked me if there was anywhere in the airport that sold the Atlanta Constitution. I told her she’d be limited to the WaPo and the NYTimes. “Yankee papers,” she decried.

t.