As I continue rewrites on Popcorn I’m thinking about love and hate, and why it is that human beings are so difficult to satisfy.  As a teen girl I either adored the guys I dated or despised them, there was never anything in between.  Well, okay, except the ones I just didn’t take seriously, but that’s another blog.

I think this defines a lot of people’s relationships with those they’re closest to or spend the most time around, and it defines my relationship with DC.

I hate the traffic.  Hate it, hate it, and never want to deal with those commutes again.  I’m also not crazy about random crowds when I want peace, and the ever-present rules about when one can turn left, which times you can park where, and the scarcity of parking.  I could also add to the list omni-present security and a lot of A type people all jostling one another.

Otoh, I love DC as a city–the culture, the picturesque rivers and monuments, the wonderful museums and exhibits–and I also enjoy the fact that people there are generally pulled together, know what they’re doing and where they’re going, and act professionally.  Except when we’re driving, but I like the rush of traffic in and out of the city, so long as it’s moving.  I love the plant zoo (aka, the Botanical Gardens) and miss the trains and monuments they build at Christmas time.  I love slipping into Chinatown for Dim Sun, or walking along the waterfront in old town Alexandria to drop by the Torpedo Factory.

This trip we visited the plant zoo, and hit several museums.  We hung with friends and took care of business.  And, as usual, I regreted leaving while I rejoiced in going home.  Missed the city before we’d even left, and couldn’t get out fast enough.  There’s nothing like a good old oxymoron to clearly define a person.

And now, after that great big ramble, a picture of a dinosaur in his natural habitat.

I’ve visited the plant zoo lots of times before and never noticed this guy.  Maybe he’s recently relocated jungles?

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