Gossip Monger

I still haven't written about DC! GASP! AWWW! AGGGHHH! Oh, the humanity. I think people will survive. Anyway, I think I really love DC - for visiting anyway. I mean, where else in the country can you get so much historical culture on every corner? A few thoughts about DC that I will mention:

1. Museums. Museums, Museums, Museums! Normally, I find them to be mildly boring, even the ones in foreign lands that detail the deep history and mindset of the people across generations. I don't know why, but I get really tired in them after about an hour or two. But NOT in DC. Seriously, I know everyone says the Smithsonians are great and they are pretty well respected, but these places are tremendous. And they are all FREE! I have never been so captivated in history and so intrigued about everything as I was in the Smithsonians. They must have a massive crew of creative directors because you can't even put in words how amazing these museums are. The Air and Space Museum was okay (with it's nuclear missals and World War I and II era facts and stories), but the Natural History Museum, the American History Museum, and, most shockingly, the Native American Museums were spellbinding. Nobody ever cares about the Native Americans except for those of us who are genetically tribal (1/16 Cherokee in the house!), so to see so much time and space dedicated to a story that nobody ever hears about was surreal. We spent almost two days there. 
2. Generally speaking, the museum grub was decent enough, though outrageously expensive as expected. But the Native American Museums cafeteria was, again, a site to be seen. They had tribal-type food from all the different regions in the United States, plus a South American area where they actually served up authentic Peruvian grub. I could have chosen something better than the Indian tacos, but if I would have gone all "yogurt-shopping" on the place, I wouldn't have gotten out of there. 
3. On the other sign of the coin were the breakfast and dinner options. Seriously lacking. Like, criminally. I actually got stuck eating at McDonalds one day because nothing was open for breakfast near our hotel, other than the hotel buffet for a cool $16 a piece. Thank God that McDonalds is actually serving oatmeal with "fresh" fruit in it. I'll take two of those, thanks. The one day that we ate at the ritzy Kay Adams hotel (where the Obamas stayed, with a view of the White House across the street) that we stayed at with Sean and Roberta was horrendous. The service was so bad and everyone kept looking at Erika and I like we didn't belong there (because we didn't!). I guess if I had been wearing triple-pleated khakis with a Brooks Brother shirt while on vacation, I would have fit right in. I hope other guests tipped their waiters well, because I sure didn't. Dinner options near our hotel were also non-existent, so we stuck with large, late lunches and called it a day. 
4. We froze our asses off in DC. It was unusually cold for us there, especially to be out walking around taking in the WWII memorial, Lincoln memorial, Capitol building, and the Vietnam memorial. I sure would like to go down there during the cherry blossom festival when things are blooming, the grass is green, and it isn't 20 degrees not taking into account the 50mph winds (no joke). I tried to keep positive, but there were times when I almost thought about just giving up on life!

 So, overall, we loved Washington DC and it was even better than what I remember it being. I'm glad I got to take Erika there to experience it and she was as excited as me to take in the sites and learn about some good old American history. It's nice to take spur-of-the-moment trips like this before...somethings happen.

Speaking of that, Erika and I recently had a little appointment at the NYU Infertility Center with Dr. Alan Berkeley. Some of you know about this Myotonic Dystrophy that I've got. The fact that it is a genetic disorder means that any offspring of mine have a 50% chance of contracting it - and it could be a lot more serious in the next generation. The only way to get rid of it is by doing something called PGD (Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnostics), which can only be accomplished through In Vitro pregnancies. So I'm happy to say that we have started down that road which is both exciting and scary. It is a long, difficult, financially and emotionally draining process, but so are children :o)! So stay tuned to the blog about more exciting stories about this!

J. Riley, I've got more dirt, but I gotta run!