In describing me to someone I hadn't yet met in person, a friend of mine once said that I was a little like the cat in Schrodinger's famous box-- that you don't really know what you have until you actually open the box to see if the cat is still alive. After I protested that that wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement, the friend switched gears and said that I was like Hope, the last thing to be released from Pandora's Box after all the evils had already escaped. Irritated but realizing that my friend might have actually hit on something by implying that it was hard to put me into any box whatsoever, I told him that he had a keen mind but was never to introduce me to anyone, ever, under any circumstances. And that he owed me a beer.
I moved back to DC a few years ago after spending several years in other time zones (most recently Chicago), and while I don't quite know what to make of the city, it's definitely growing on me. Having the Nationals in town helps. I'm a city dweller; love going on long bike rides; would rather have a Coke first thing in the morning than a cup of coffee; and have managed to maintain good relationships with my family, my friends, and, amazingly, most of my ex-girlfriends. I love to travel, and have been lucky enough to see both the Great Wall of China and the World's Largest Prairie Dog in person. They were both pretty big.
