Happy Birthday (to me!!)

I had a great birthday.  here are some lovely flowers i got from my mom and Dave.  they brighten up my room which is otherwise typically hotel drab in color and decor.

Birthday story.  I had a massage that evening (not as a bday treat, but because my hip is acting up again from all the glorious running I am doing here). there was, what i hoped to be, a Portland-like restaurant a block away that i wanted to check out, Founding Farmers.  very hard to get a table or even bar space, and the bar was my only option. there was a single seat pushed as far out of the way as possible, at the very edge of the bar, and it had a couple's bags on it.  well, i really wanted to eat here, so i got up the nerve and kindly asked if i could sit there. they were gracious and didnt seem to mind me asking (phew), and they went out of their way to rearrange their seats to make room for me. I was sitting next to the lady and she was friendly, asking general questions.  well, long story short, she asked just the right questions and it turns out she and her husband are in the Foreign Service (had been all over the world in the past 20 years). they had just been to my flag day a few weeks ago because they are mentoring some of my class mates. that on top of some good food and finally a good beer (from California mind you) just made my evening.

This is a view from my hotel room. Quite nice being up high with a couple of big windows.  Tucked just to the bottom right of the picture is the Trader Joe's. Could life in DC be any better - YES, Otto is coming on Saturday!!!