"DC Stuff"

Monday night was "very DCish" as Mal, Drew, Steve, me, and other friends went to see The Day the Earth Stood Still on the Capitol Mall. It is a very entertaining movie, with its perfect setting (an alien spaceship lands right in front of the Capitol building), classic lines, and humorous dialogue. Although certainly dated, it made for an enjoyable evening. I couldn't help but laugh several times during the film as cheers randomly erupted in the crowd when a Monument or Memorial was shown. Clapping also ensued when a department's name was dropped. You could tell who worked where by the crowd's reaction.



On the way to the movie. Pausing to "cheese" for the camera.





Steve and Mal, same deal!



Apparently, it's quite the place to gather on Monday nights. A classic movie will be shown every Monday for the next month on the Mall. Before the movie begins, people are gathered and playing Frisbee, baseball, etc. There are picnics everywhere and people are socializing. Much to my surprise, people actually are respectfully quiet during the movie. I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but I imagined some chatter throughout the lawn. However, there was nothing. I was impressed.

The entertainment began shortly after 9 and ended a little before 11. We walked home, sticky and sweaty, when it was over.








Before the movie started...
















Drew and his coworker, Paola.
















Jan (left) and Steve (right)













Drew and the back of Marie, another one of his coworkers. The screen can be seen to their left.















It's getting darker. Shh, the movie is about to start!










It's tough to make out, but the screen is to the right of the Capitol Building (that's actually about a half mile away).









Eek, a baby picture of the screen and Capitol building! :)



Yesterday morning I went with some co-workers on a tour of the LOC's Jefferson Building. It is the main building where all the books are housed and is breathtakingly beautiful inside. I'm sure I visited it as a child, but I didn't remember any of it. Our tour lasted two hours and was led by an "in" staff member. So, in addition to the "normal rooms" tourists and staff may visit, we also went other places. For example, we walked out to the top of the Library's dome and walked around. It was exhilarating to check out the neighborhood from such a view. Also, we went inside the top of it and peered over the ledge to the Library's floor below... a view from at least six stories high.

It was an awesome tour and made me even prouder of where I work. On my tour, I also learned that the Madison Building, in which I work, is the third largest building on the Hill. It was named after president Madison because there were no other memorials to him and also because he was very involved in the Library. He strongly encouraged its funding and importance to Congress.

After my tour, the rest of the day was pretty typical at work. Last night, Mal did some "experimenting" and cooked Drew and me a scrumptious dinner. It was a lemony-chicken dish with pasta. On the side, she made green beans and some Texas toast. Yummy. She received Drew and my seal of approval and permission to experiment anytime she wants!