What I won't miss...

Alright, I know this is the 4th post in 2 days or something, but I'm flying back to Utah in 28 days and there are a lot of things I'm going to miss about D.C. However, that's another post. This (and probably subsequent posts as the ideas come to me) is going to be dedicated to the things I will not miss about Washington, D.C. (in no particular order).

1. THE HUMIDITY. It hasn't been bad until recently. It us especially bothersome today since I did my hair this morning and miraculously it looked uber hot. I even put on makeup to complete the look. In the 20 minutes it took to walk from the metro to work my hair was flipping in all sorts of directions and my bangs were doing something crazy. There's no fixing it either. Even if I tried to do something with it tonight when I got home, by the time I head over to Bailey's for karaoke it'll be a mess again.

2. TOURISTS. Around inauguration time they flooded in and I couldn't wait till they were gone. There were a couple weeks a bit after the inauguration where I didn't notice them, but since then my tourist spotting has been steadily increasing. I pass them every morning on the escalator from the metro, I walk past them every day in my office building, I see them every time I go to the capitol, and I don't dare go to the Mall anymore for fear of being trampled. It really is insane. The worst part is, it won't ever stop. I thought tourists would only come out for certain holidays and events, but no. They are always here.

3. CIGARETTE BUTTS. They are everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against smokers. I have several friends who are smokers and I have no problem hanging out in bars and breathing it all in. It's the butts I can't handle. The streets and sidewalks of D.C. are incredibly clean except for the hundreds of cigarette butts I see every day.

4. WEARING SLACKS AND DRESS SHOES. I like walking. I like the rain. I like walking in the rain. I don't like having the urge to walk part of the way home from work in the rain but realizing I can't since I'm wearing dress shoes and slacks that I don't want to pay to have dry cleaned just yet. I won't miss trying to figure out if I can wear knee highs or if I should buy those things that just go around your foot (don't get those - they fall off your heel and you're stepping on them in your shoe all freaking day). I'm a fan of sandles and no socks or regular shoes and regular socks. None of this formal stuff.

5. HAVING A DESK JOB. Granted, I may get another desk job when I get back to Utah, but I like to hope that I won't. I hate sitting at a computer.

6. LAUNDRY. Doing laundry here is the biggest pain. The machines are all in the basement and out of the way and it costs $1.75 each for a wash and a dry. I usually do two loads every week and a half or so so it's costing me $7 every time I do laundry. They are making a killing with the whole laundry thing. The machines are long since paid for but it still costs my foot to wash my clothes. Not to mention dry cleaning. I have 5 pairs of pants and a couple shirts that require this service and it's $4.95 before tax for every item. Not bad, but it adds up quickly. I go longer than I probably should before washing my slacks.

7. POLITICS. This probably should have been listed first for emphasis. I love political science, but I hate politics. I hate the partisan bickering, I hate the inability to compromise, and I hate the lack of common sense (or at least the refusal to put it to use). I've met so many brilliant people here and heard brilliant senators give brilliant speeches (mostly improvised), but no one is willing to make concessions or admit that maybe they're asking for a little too much. This happens on both sides of the isle no matter who is in the majority. It frustrates me so much that I don't even read about politics anymore. I've never felt so disconnected with Washington before. I'm excited to get home so I can have interest at least enough to know what is going on.

8. CONCRETE. The city is a great place to visit, but I miss nature. I miss mountains, trees, grass, bushes, flowers, fields, and stars. I see a few stars every now and then and some of the federal buildings have little flower gardens with trees here and there, but it isn't nature. Plus, where I live in Alexandria, everything is concrete. There is a park a few blocks away from us, but other than that I see streets, hotels, apartment complexes, office buildings, and cars. Thank goodness for our day trips on the weekends out of the city. Without them I'd go crazy.

9. MY BED. My bed here is one of the most uncomfortable things I've ever slept on. It's one step up from sleeping on the floor - not exaggerating even a little. I hate this mattress so much. I've gotten used to it now, but on the occasions I sleep on my couch or my friend's couch, I am in heaven.

10. MISSING MY NIECE AND NEPHEW. Yep, I won't miss missing them. I visit Sara and Leith's blogs more often then they are updated and I watch videos and look at pictures and miss Tamsine and Elliott so much it makes me tear up sometimes. For some strange reason they are the only family members I miss enough to come home for. If my siblings didn't have kids it would have been harder to make the decision not to stay out here. I've missed Taz learning to crawl and Elliott learning to laugh, smile, and coo. I really can't wait to see them.