Author: Jeff Tabaco

A heads-up to local Metro riders who take the Red Line (like me): just before 1 p.m. today at the Woodley Park station, an idling train was hit by an empty train. [Twenty] people sustained minor injuries. Part of the Red Line had been closed.

[Update (18:15): Thanks to Tina, who gave me a ride to the Wheaton Metro station, I was able to avoid the affected stations entirely, albeit the long way around. Some service has been restored, but Metro does not expect to be up to normal service in time for the Thursday morning commute. The Post now has a photo of the wreck, which shows part of the empty train car on top of another car. Man, oh man.]

I was going to write that I didn’t expect any further election announcements soon, at least not in the next several hours, but just now I checked the news again, and there are reports that Kerry will concede. Shit. And I’m probably just as angry about all the state constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. Ugh.

The bottom line is you and I keep going the best we know how. I know that sounds folksy and trite, but short of leaving–I don’t know about moving to Canada, but moving back to California at least, which has been part of my life plan all along, is looking more and more tempting–what else can we do but persevere?

A bit past 8 this morning, Thom and I arrived at the polling place (Carver Center on South Queen Street, which serves Arlington’s 38th Precinct), and we didn’t get out of there until after 10 a.m. Whew. There was quite a line, and for most of our wait, only three of the five touch-screen voting machines had been working; they got the rest up and running by the time we were near the front of the line. Well, I’ve cast my ballot. Have you? Go vote!

I will be spending the rest of the day at home. I woke up with a sore throat, which I thought would just disappear, but while I was in line waiting to vote, I began to feel worse: sluggish, achy, and so forth. So I’m back at home to rest. Tempted as I am to keep myself glued to the TV or the internet all day, for now I will resist and instead comfort myself with chicken soup and a nap.

[Addendum (3 Nov.): And now for a frivolous aside, just because I can’t bear to read actual news today: a few days ago I ordered two pairs of pants from the Gap, and have been tracking the package on the UPS website. Monday and yesterday, the package made its way through a couple of swing states, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Was it doing some last-minute campaigning?]

This afternoon I was downtown running errands, and I decided to walk to the White House. It being the eve of Election Day and all, I thought it was a sort of poetic thing to do. However, Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, which had been previously open to pedestrians, has been fenced off. I don’t know since when. (Today’s Post happens to have an opinion piece about all the chain-link fences, bollards, and other barriers that have sprung up around the city.) A thousand words:

[Updates: (9 Nov.) The two-block stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue had been closed for renovations since January, and today was re-opened to pedestrian traffic. (12 Nov.) See this related installment of “Richard’s Poor Almanac” (via T. Kevin).]

As I was taking photos, I noticed a group of four people, maybe a family, near the fence, holding hands with heads bowed. They seemed to be praying.

In more upbeat election news, everyone who comes in to California Tortilla tomorrow with proof that they voted (like an “I Voted” sticker) gets a free taco. Mmm. And today they announced the winner of their presidential burrito contest. A while back they added a “George W. Bush hickory chicken burrito” and a “John Kerry savory chicken burrito” to the menu, to see which one would outsell the other, and the winner is Kerry!

All of my stuff is now moved into the condo. Whew. I take back my cavalier attitude from yesterday. Moving is a bitch. I guess I knew that going in, but that fact becomes crystal clear when you’ve lugged box after box down to the street (books are deceptively heavy) and are driving a rented Ford E-250 cargo van through the streets of downtown Washington, D.C., with street closures (due to the marathon) to maneuver around. What was up with all the idiot drivers out today? I don’t care if you’re a tourist, no one is supposed to drive and take photos at the same time (as I saw two people do near the Mall). We thought everything was going reasonably well (14th Street south of Independence Avenue re-opened just as we entered the intersection) until we got around to bringing my sofabed to Goodwill. It turns out they don’t accept sofabeds. Doh!

So we had no choice but to take it home with everything else. It is heavy. Seriously. I never want to move that thing again. (Some of the Budget Rental trucks have “moving tips” printed on the side, and we saw one this morning that read, “It’s okay to curse at heavy furniture.” Amen, brother.) My sofabed is now in a makeshift position in the living room, along with most of my stuff, in boxes and bags.

Man, I’m tired. Time to lie down and give my mind and body some rest.

Side note: we saw some cute guys in and around my apartment building these past couple of days. Sure, just as I’m moving out…

As you may know, for about a year now I’ve been living with Thom at his condo here in Arlington. But all this time I’ve also kept my apartment in D.C. (hedging my bets, Thom jokes)… until now. A month ago I gave notice to the manager of my apartment building that I planned to move out, and the final weekend has arrived for me to get my stuff out of there. Yay!

I will miss a few things about the old place: location, location, and yes, location. On the 1400 block of N Street NW, it’s a few blocks from Dupont and all the little stores and cafes, and the walk there includes a view of the Washington Monument and the White House, and a few embassies on the way. What I won’t miss is the apartment itself: it’s very small, even for a studio, and starting to show signs of wear. Not really a nice place to come home to. It was the first (and only) apartment I applied for when I came to D.C. four years ago, and since I was living out of a cheap hotel while looking for an apartment, with the hotel bill increasing daily, I didn’t have the luxury of biding my time and being choosy. It’s served me well (okay, more like adequately), but I am ready to let it go. I’m looking forward to making the condo more of “our” place.

Thankfully I don’t have too much stuff; it’s mostly clothes and books, some knickknacks and bric-a-brac. I still lived in a college-dorm mentality, not accumulating much furniture or other unwieldy items. Today and tomorrow we’ll be moving the rest of my things. The only potential snag is tomorrow’s Marine Corps Marathon, which, back when I made the reservation for a rental van, I didn’t realize was that day. So that’ll be us, trying to navigate a van containing a loveseat and other possessions, around a marathon that runs in between all the places we need to be. Fun.

But all that aside, I’m really looking forward to this. It’s a new chapter in my life.

For all you typography geeks out there, a new typeface has been given interim approval for optional use on highway and other signs (link via Typographica). Clearview was developed for increased legibility, and you can definitely see the difference. The stroke widths are thinner than the blocky and ubiquitous Highway Gothic. It’s lighter and more open, and cuts down on halation. (New vocab word! Though it sounds like a medical condition. “Warning: side effects may include halation.”)

Of course my preference would have been Comic Sans. Kidding, so kidding.

The slate of new teams for The Amazing Race is now available on the CBS website. (Is that a Stanford cap on Don? He and wife Mary Jean do live in nearby Portola Valley, so it’s likely.) The sixth season begins Tue., Nov. 16! Can’t wait.

Aside: Rufus fans should already have Nov. 16 marked on their calendars. That’s the release date for Want Two.

[Addendum (29 Oct.): Also being released that day is the Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason soundtrack, which includes Rufus teaming up with Dido on the McGarrigles’ song “I Eat Dinner.”]