Reporting Live from Reston
I’ve been in the greater Washington, DC area for just over a week now. The trip down was hellish at over 11 hours. I opted to take a route through Pennsylvania that avoids the big east-coast cities that are between Maine and Virginia. This turned out to be a huge mistake, as it took an extra two hours to make the trip. Compounding this is the fact that the majority of I81 in Pennsylvania is perenially under construction. Doubly compounding this is that it was raining—no, pouring—most of the way down, creating huge standing water areas that only four-wheel-drive trucks could safely navigate.
But enough of that.
I am in warm Reston now, easing in to life down south. I finished my first week of work, which should turn out to be pretty enjoyable, certainly for the one year to which I am currently committed. There are lots of young folks there, and I’m enjoying getting to know them. There’s something special about working for the US Government, and for me it has a lot to do with the near-complete lack of immediate deadlines. Sure, there’s the occasional conference for which one must prepare a report, but for the most part, things are very laid back around the office, which suits me just fine.
Another perk of working at USGS is that we have our own branch of the DOIFCU in the building. I’m a big supporter of the credit union philosophy and I like that, as my membership card states, “It’s your credit union — you are a member not a customer”.
Even with the generally relaxed attitude around the office, we get stuff done, and I was really impressed with how quickly my computer account, phone number, and ID card stuff was taken care of. You should be getting the idea that I enjoy where I work by now.
As for Northern Virginia, it’s fine, but very generic. I could be in Falls Church or Sterling and not know the difference from Reston or McLean. Thankfully I’m only about a half hour from downtown DC by car or metro.
The great iBook failure and rebirth of 2004
Given enough time, computer failures happen to everyone. (Especially those who own Apple laptop products).
I’ve had a few in my day, but the saddest ever was when my iBook died a few months ago (I believe it was April). Smoke started pouring out of the case, the screen went black—it was a bad day.
I lugged the poor thing around with me for a few weeks, wondering if I’d just part it out or attempt fixing it.
After some posts to the (recently realized as awesome) MacNN forums, I determined the cause was a faulty reed switch and cable. And, as luck would have it, good ol’ Small Dog Electronics sells this part, for a cool $20.
After returning home for the summer I took the Jackson-sized plunge and placed the order—plus $7 shipping, of course. The cable sat around the house for a few more weeks, until last night, when I tore apart the ‘Book and…
was victorious. Yes, friends, I have my beloved iBook back. It’s off to the Sea Star with me for some free WiFi-in’ goodness.
Reston, VA, my soon-to-be home
On very short notice, I decided to go down to the Washington, DC area to check out my new job (which starts July 26) and the surrounding community. We left on Tuesday the 6th. We? Well, in a total coincidence, my old high school buddy Jack IMed me as I was doing the Mapquest thing to get down there. I mentioned DC, he mentioned his emtpy apartment as a place for me to crash. Totally unexpected generosity. We meet at the local bar to talk directions and for him to give me the keys to the place.
A little over an hour later, I have a companion to make the nine hour journey south. Why go through the nonsense of giving me directions and of me getting utterly lost in an unforgiving city when Jack could just come with and tie up some loose ends and see some people? We agree to leave at 9AM the next morning.
His apartment is awesome, on Q St. near Dupont Circle. Awesome or not, though, it’s not mine so I set off looking. The WaPo, craigslist, roommates.com—I scour them all and find some numbers.
Two days later, when I’ve all but given up hope, I find it. Single family home with a 24-year-old roommate. Finally, someone renting a room within ten years of my age. It seems the perfect match. And that’s without noting that it’s within a quarter mile of work. Yes. I can walk to work through the woods. I think I’m going to like my commute.
I visited the USGS headquarters and met the people I’ll be working with. They’re a great bunch, and most of them are under thirty. The excitement is building…
See pictures from the trip, including my new digs over at the gallery.
