As Promised....

These are the pictures I took at the 4 story mall yesterday. The first one is what I took from the 4th story, the second is what I took from the ground as I entered the mall. It was very impressive, but, as you can imagine, there wasn't much for a man at a place called "The Pentagon City Fashion Place". There were a few stores that I do enjoy, such as the Apple store, but given I'll see more of my laptop this week than I really care to, the thought of seeing even MORE computers didn't enthuse me that much. That, and everytime I go in there, my laptop can smell the Mac on my hands and gets insanely jealous :)

As mentioned, there wasn't much for me at the mall. There were a lot of stores, and it was very different than what I'm used to. I made it through each level and then came back down again. I was trying to decide what to do about dinner. After touring the mall, I kept the Ruby Tuesday's that was in it as a potential eatery, then decided to brave the cold and see what might be within walking distance. Across the street was "Pentagon City Centre" which had a Costco, Best Buy, Borders, California Kitchen, some Mexican restaurant, and some other stores. In my 230 lb days I would've jumped all over the CA Pizza Kitchen, but in my 150 lb days, I decided I didn't want pizza at that time. So, I went back across the street and had Ruby Tuesdays. Salad bar and turkey sandwich combo. I probably ate just as much as I would've if I'd gone to CPK. But, oh well.

After dinner, I went back across the street to the Borders. Had planned on just sitting down for a while and relaxing with a book, but didn't see any books that I wanted to read, so I didn't stay long. Went back to the Metro and came on back to the hotel, with a brief stop at the CVS on the corner for 2 2ltr Coke Zeros. I love that stuff :)




This is a picture of my hotel on the way back from the street. I took it this morning as I was coming back from OpenCity. I described it to Wife as looking like the "Tower of Terror" at MGM Studios in FL, but it doesn't quite have that effect in early morning. Trust me, seeing it in the dark gives it a much eerier feel. I may try to catch it, but sadly, the camera on my phone doesn't do night pictures very well. Although, the image that shows up on the phone is vastly different than what gets delivered to the computer, so I may give it a go just to see. Which, I may add, I've been very impressed with the pictures my phone has taken. It's been convenient to use it to get images of my travels. And, I look less like a tourist :)

Today I'm in tutorials all day, beginning at 9. I'm not sure what my plans this evening are. I should mingle with my geek brethren (because, you know, we're such social group!). Mom told me not to be anti-social. Once upon a time, I used to really want to be with people, but as I've grown older, I've lost that interest. There are those I'm close to (if you're reading this, there's a 99.9999% chance you're one of them) that I enjoy spending time with and look forward to talking to, but people, for the most part, tax me. I think Children's_Minister is rubbing off on me :) Oh, continuing with the potential mingling. Tonight they have "Beer and Ice Cream". I have no interest in the beer, and only slightly more interest in the ice cream (hey, if I can't sit down and eat half a tub of ice cream, it's just not worth it!), so I don't know if I'll do that or not. In addition to that, but does anyone else think "Beer and Ice Cream" just sounds....wrong?

I didn't write much about my trip on the Metro last night. When I left the hotel, it was pretty much rush hour, so the Metro had some very crowded times. It was interesting to see the people and hear what they talked about. Much more different than life in Rougemont, NC. As I was sitting on the train, I got to thinking of the major cities I've gotten a chance to visit -- New York, San Diego, Chicago, Nashville, and Frankfurt (Germany). I enjoy visiting them and sometimes wonder if it might be a place I could live. I don't think so, as I love where I live now, and if I moved, it would be closer to the mountains. But there is something about "the big city" that's sort of alluring.

When I got back to the hotel room last night (after playing downstairs for a bit), I decided to put in "Never Say Never Again". It featured Sean Connery as an aging (OK, AGED) James Bond. I didn't get past the first 10 min before falling asleep (not that it was that boring, mind you, but I was just ready to pass out). I woke up this morning without my glasses on, and was scared to death that I'd crushed them in my sleep last night. Fortunately, they were on the floor, no damage to them! Still debating if I want to see the new 007 movie. If I do, it'll be Friday night. I may see if there's a Cheesecake Factory nearby and have that for dinner that night! :)

OK, I'm going to take care of some other stuff before heading to class. Will type more later!