Random thoughts

- My health insurance sucks. The co-pays for office visits and prescription drugs all doubled this year. I went in today for an appointment; my doctor finally showed up after keeping me waiting for 30 minutes. He was, literally, wearing a party hat as he walked in (it was his last day at the practice). We talked for all of three minutes. My co-pay: $40 of a $65 bill. ARRGGHH.

- Can we make more of D.C. like Adams Morgan? Except with, maybe, an easier way to get there? Other than that, I generally like it there. Here's the pinball review: Ripley's Believe It Or Not at Pharmacy Bar is in good shape. Elvis at Asylum mostly works, but leans further to the right than the Times and Examiner put together.

- Yes, it's decided: we need more Adams Morgans...es. Oh, but minus that spaghetti place next door to Blue Room. That place blows. How do you screw up spaghetti? Somehow, they do it. Bravo.

- Which is better: Jumbo Slice, Original Jumbo Slice, or Real Original Jumbo Slice? I'm not telling you which one I went to, because I don't want to spawn yet another 179-comment thread on why I was wrong and how I know nothing about living in cities and why don't I move to Hoboken.

- Hey, they fixed that misplaced street sign at 17th and M, that I had displayed in my photo essay a while back. (Too lazy to link. It's back there, somewhere.) Somebody had suggested I post a fix request on dc.gov... I did, and they actually fixed it. That's... unprecedented. I really am speechless. I made D.C. a better place! Oops, did I overstep my bounds, since I don't even live there?

- It's true: I live hundreds of miles away in rural Arlington. Er, make that ones of miles away. I can drive home from 17th and M in less than 10 minutes; yet some people think I'm stupid to complain about D.C. proper because of that. Thing is, I don't discriminate. I complain about the whole region. And, at the very least, you have to give me this: at least I care that it sucks. I actually care that my capital city is like unto a shithole, and would like to see improvements. Most people in the region who might have a say in the matter... Congress, suburban city councils, etc... don't care. It won't stop sucking until more people start caring.

- OMG, can you believe that the Nats actually have a winning record at this point? They won series on the road against the Phils and Braves... wow. Are we sure we got the Expos and not some other team by mistake? Oh, and the Wizards made the playoffs tonight, too. I feel like this all must have been foretold in Revelations.

- And, I might even get to go to the Nats opener. Kick ass... a chance to boo the President in person. But the best aspect of the Nats actually comes next Thursday... the first day game during the week. The first chance in three decades to ditch work in the middle of the day and go watch baseball. KICK ASS. Maybe now some of those self-important Washington workaholics will lighten up a bit. (Yeah, or not. Expect to see many laptops and cell phones.)