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hurt your back lifting boxes, eh dick? i’ll bet. sure it wasn’t the door hitting you on the ass on your way out?

Today felt like the prelude it was.

Overslept a bit, then made my way back to the Metro to drop my stuff at where I’ll be staying Monday and Tuesday. Turn around and headed straight back to the subway, which I took to Union Station, the nearest stop to the Dirksen Senate Office Building, where someone on Sen. Udall’s staff was holding my ticket(s).*

The line to get into the building was lengthy but fairly. People in line around me hailed from Connecticut, Oregon, Texas, Kansas and New Mexico (though the New Mexicans evenutally abandoned our line for another). After passing through the security screening and getting inside, it took a while to track down Sen. Udall’s office in the basement, but I eventually succeeded.

After signing an acknowledgement that I’d received my two tickets and promised not to sell them, I was on my way. After getting out of the building (delayed by a quick detour to Sen. Dorgan’s office to see if a friend was around), I called a contact on Craigslist who has expressed interested in trading his lone blue ticket for my pair of silvers. But on the call he backed out, perhaps due to a change of heart or due to my unwillingness to meet him at the far end of the subway line.

Anyway, I then pondered the fate of my extra ticket, and decided to head back to Union Station to see if I could find the GoodTickets.com kiosk. After some sleuthing, I found two guys at a desk with laptops in the center of something halfway between a line and a crowd; this was it. I caught one the guys’ attention and asked if they were just selling or also buying. He gestured at me to sit down and in a hushed voice asked what I had to sell. I told him it was a silver inauguration ticket – he said he could give me $200. Since I had promised myself not to part with it for any cash less than $500, I said no thanks and went on my way.

After exploring the Mall a bit (pictures to come), I eventually caught with with an old friend from grad school. We had some excellent pizza and then I returned on the busiest train yet to Rosslyn. I’m now headed out to the Netroots Nation shindig and will report on that later.

* I use the parthesis because I was originally promised one ticket by their office, but a recent voicemail indicated two were available.

Apologies for not getting this up sooner; Internet access was intermittent lat night

I was awake this morning before I woke up. After conducting a haphazard mental inventory of the assorted plans and logistics, I got up, showered, and finished packing. Decided to omit the poncho given the forecast; time will tell if this was as unwise as it presently sounds.

Plenty of amusingly pleasant experiences thus far: no line whatsoever at the United check-in desk. No line whatsoever at the security checkpoint. Despite indications on United’s website, the interior of the plane’s fuselage does not resemble a full sardine can; my entire row, save myself, was empty at the time cabin was sealed. And by entire row, I mean on both sides of the aisle.

The plane was an Airbus A320, an which only bears mentioning due to the prominent lack of rivers upon which it could set down should doing so be necessary. No dramatic rescues off submerged jet wings in New Mexico!

Dulles airport was also surprisingly uncrowded — no busier than your typical major airport. The bus ride to the Rosslyn metro station, however, was quite full. I passed the time chatting with the woman sitting next to me, who lives outside Santa Barbara and got her ceremony ticket through her nephew who works in Sen. Feinstein’s office.

The metro was reasonably full through the city — perhaps unusual for a Sunday evening. Upon arriving at my hosts, I was treated to fine delicacies: DVRed playoff football, Soy Vey-marinated chicken and mini chocolate Teddy Grahams.

Tomorrow promises to be more interesting.