Usually I'm writing to you from the outskirts of Staunton, Virginia, but this week I'm in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) visiting my boyfriend. It's been a great break from job hunting, the kids and the regular routine in general. Routine is great for writers, most of the time, but being stuck in the same cycle day after day can drive me crazy. And when I'm with David, nothing is routine. Take yesterday, for example.
Contradictory to the title, I've been in the DMV since Friday night and been busy with David and his family since our trip to Tyson's Corner Saturday morning. The 22 hours happened yesterday morning, from 5:30 AM to 3:30 AM which included another trip to the National Basilica followed by Old Town Alexandria, and closed with two hours in the ER.
I woke up at 5:30 thanks to one of those weirdly stressful dreams about job hunting. I may have even had a job in the DMV area, but for some reason I wasn't able to sleep after it (graduate problems). So I had been awake for a few hours before David, his mom and I drove to DC for Mass at the National Basilica.
David and I went to the Basilica a month ago, but this time we actually made it to an English Mass. (Spanish Mass is great if you're trying to reintroduce oneself to the language, but when it comes to understanding the homily, well...neither of us had no idea what was said.) The Basilica is definitely worth a visit, and even if you're not Catholic there's a sense of wonderment at the design, especially the interior. And seeing it loom ahead as you're approaching the grounds is spectacular.
After Mass, we met up with David's sister and her boyfriend in Old Town for lunch. The past nine hours were starting to wear on me at that point, but Old Town was fantastic: beautiful waterfront, lots of dogs (so. many. cute. dogs!!). It's a place I'd love to live at some point. Downtowns are great places and I've loved many, especially my hometown, Staunton, and my college town, Fredericksburg. But Alexandria is bigger, close to DC and a great location for young professionals.
We returned to Quantico around hour 13 and for a while things were very chill. David and I took a walk on base to see a group of tuxedo cats (one of my big weaknesses) near the train station and went out to the bank of the Potomac. It was a relaxing end to the day, or so I thought. Until a few hours later, when I was nervously sitting in the ER.
For the record, I wasn't the one who needed to be rushed to the ER. David pulled a muscle earlier that day, and hours later the pain was replaced by numbness. He's fine, but even if you know the person is going to be okay sitting in the waiting room, waiting to hear any news is nerve wrecking. It reminded me of the times when my little brother was rushed to the ER, once for a cut in his chin, once for appendicitis. His conditions each time were worse than David's, but that didn't keep me from worrying any less. The last couple hours of the day melted together as soon as I was allowed back to see David; I faintly remember waiting for what seemed like eternity for him to be released and driving home.
It's the closest I've been awake for nearly twenty-four hours straight since high school. Those long hours happened on a pretty regular basis which is probably what carried me through the day, but I don't plan on pulling another of those anytime soon :)
Till next week,
Victoria
P.S. Hey, Twitter users! I recently started a Beatles' account, @DailyBeatle, which is exactly what it sounds like: a daily fact about the Fab Four. Give it a follow!
No comments:
Post a Comment