The thing with Metro is that it's great until it isn't. Last week, I wrote about how my wisdom teeth were out by 9:15am and prescriptions picked up by 9:45, and I was home, by metro, before 10:30. I thought about how when I lived in Boston, I'd arrived late for a dentist appointment because the T was just that unreliable, particularly the Green Line and even more particularly outside of downtown once it splits. You just don't know when that thing is coming. How nice that I didn't have to worry about that kind of thing in DC. Until I did. On Thursday morning, I had to wait over ten minutes for a Blue Line train (oh, the irony! usually my frustration is in watching two or more Blues go by as I wait for the Yellow that will take me to work), and it was even longer in coming, because I didn't miss any on my approach to the metro. I thought I'd still make my appointment in good time, but there was a "switch problem" farther down the line, so we were stranded at Rosslyn--one stop away! for ten minutes or more. I was about that late for my appointment, and they were fine with it, since the oral surgeon was equally late and I'd called from the Metro--but it was not good. Some dentists' offices charge you for every fifteen minutes you're late. I wasn't so much worried about that as nonplussed. I suppose I could consider the bright side: they resolved the switch problem relatively quickly.
It took me longer to get to the appointment from Rosslyn than for the appointment to transpire. The oral surgeon cut out my remaining stitches and told me to keep rinsing. All the teeth had come out in one piece, so fragments were not an issue. After the appointment, I headed toward the Metro, until I realized that I could walk to work in about as much time. Even during rush hour (it was only not quite 8:30am), waiting for two trains and factoring in any more potential Metro delays would not save me much time, and it was a beautiful morning. So I walked to work, rolled in just after 9am.
I'm happy to round off this ramble with a surprisingly positive commuting experience. A friend had called a gathering to celebrate his surviving his first week of law school. I really wanted to join him, but the prospect of getting to and from Glover Park--where I lived my first year of grad school, i.e., my first year in DC, and which is notoriously far from any Metrorail stop--was stressing me out. I almost considered going home from work, picking up my car, and driving back into DC, but that would be ridiculous. Getting there was less of an issue: I'd Metro up to Woodley--direct line from work--and walk (a bus would have shaved four minutes off the half-hour trip from there). Getting home would be trickier: would it be absurd to just walk to Rosslyn? I've written about how wary I am of DC buses. But when it was time to go, my friend said that a number of buses leave from directly in front of the restaurant (the awesome Surfside, more on that in a minute) and go to Foggy Bottom. And there was one approaching a minute after I stepped out of the restaurant. It was seamless: straight shot. Now, this was largely because there was little traffic. The one delay happened when three tourists came in and had to change money. I don't blame them: it's not their fault that DC doesn't have a system where you can pay the fare outside the actual bus unless you have a SmartTrip card--but it causes delays, and delays can build upon themselves. Once the tourists paid, the light turned red again. Fine when there's no traffic, but when I took DC buses all the time, this would often compound on itself. But I digress. It took me an hour to get home, door to door, which is really not bad considering that it wasn't rush hour.
As for Surfside, I'd never been or even heard of it. I don't know if it was there when I lived just a few blocks south of where it is. But I love a good roof deck,
and the food was very fresh, and tasty. You can order pre-made tacos, burritos, etc. or build your own on a sushi-like order form. I got a grilled veggie burrito with spicy black bean garnish. The veggies--you can pick, and I opted for mushrooms, zucchini, and spinach--were really fresh and not overdone.
This was my biggest adventure in solid food since the surgery--and my friend, who'd had his wisdom teeth pulled, with complications (dry socket, infection) was impressed. It felt really good to eat salad. There's still food I'm staying away from (chips, anything else that creates crumbs) but this was all pretty soft, even thought it wasn't mushy. Also, from a purely logistical standpoint, it's nice to order, pay, and sit without having to wait for a check afterward.
This friend and I have friends in common--other grad school friends, and friends we've introduced each other to since--but none were there, so it was good to chat with his other friends. It also made me realize that I needed to get out more because maybe I'm the one who inhabits a parallel universe? One person there asked who Janet Napolitano was (keep in mind that at least a few people there worked for the agency she heads), and another--in all seriousness--suggested the Taj Mahal was in Moscow.
At one point, the conversation turned to wedding planning, as one couple there was in the midst of just that. I've heard so many couples go through this--more, even, than go through the no-meat conundrum: how much, if any, God to invite into the ceremony. It's a huge generation gap, already, but throw in the gap, if any, between the families, and it's quite the decision. This couple was still undecided.
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The people who suggest having oatmeal as an early, mushy post-extraction food are confused about oatmeal or at least missing out on good oatmeal. Oatmeal should be chewy. I just had oatmeal for the first time since the surgery, and I couldn't have handled it a few days ago. Set aside the abomination that is instant oatmeal (disclosure: I am known to partake in said abomination when camping or traveling, or in other situations with limited breakfast logistics, but it's merely a convenience food). Even lots of rolled oats out there--and even those labeled "old fashioned"--are so rolled as to practically disintegrate into a porridge when cooked. Which is fine, if you like that kind of thing or are nursing fresh holes in your mouth, but less-rolled, less-steamed oats offer more flavor and texture. I literally go out of my way--yes, a few miles is out of my way when there are four grocery stores and counting that I can walk to--to Mom's Organic Market for their bulk, organic oats. The ones at Whole Foods are almost as good, but now, more expensive (at $1.99/lb to MOM's $1.39/lb, which adds up when you put away as much oatmeal as I do). By the way, these prices still come to less than you'll pay for pre-packaged, conventional rolled oats at other markets. I'll get the ones at WF when I can't get to Mom's, but the ones at Mom's are the best.
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I just Googled Mom's and rolled oats to see if I could add a link to the above paragraph; I didn't find one, but I did come across this silliness. I don't have an opinion about Lance Armstrong, but I do have an opinion about LiveStrong, which is that it's a joke. Any advice there is pretty pathetic and superficial, if not wrong. So I had low expectations going in, but really? First of all, if you're asking whether oatmeal is low carb, I don't want to hear your opinions, should you have any, about human reproduction. But more importantly, just embrace the carbs.
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