Rally to Restore Fear and/or Sanity. A Recap.

This Saturday, I embarked on a journey. A journey that would take me to the heart of DC and Young America's political climate. Interestingly enough, the Rally to Restore Sanity was pretty effin' INSANE. It was by far the craziest I have ever seen Metro or the Mall. People (of mostly healthy BMI) were crammed into every nook & cranny of the area, and then crammed some more. Here's where a little planning & knowledge come in handy.

There's probably 10 million to a billion people there...

1. I left early. Those leaving at 10 in hopes of making in the the Mall by 12? pfffft.

2. Loaded my Smart Trip card a day early. The line for the farecard machines was longer than the line for the actual metro. Also, paper farecards are a pain in the ass. And people were breaking out calculators, trying to figure out the exact change to get to DC. Damn, just put $10 on the thing and get the hell outta the way! I really felt for anyone without a SmartTrip card that day.

3. Went to a less popular metro station. Shady Grove? I can only imaging the pandemonium at this end of the line stop. It was White Flint all the way for me. Parking? $5 to the guy at a shopping center across the street kept my car safe from towing all day.

4. Had brunch in DC before the rally. Why rally on an empty stomach when you can fill up on bacon wrapped sausages with friends? Mimosas to Restore Sanity were served in convenient go sippy cups. This leads me into....

5. Bought sign making materials in advance. In the days leading up to the rally, the stores were running out of poster board, paint, markers, etc. Luckily, we had already purchased ours. Wonderful signs such as: I Am Not A Witch. Your Moment Of Zen, I'd Rather Be Masturbating (actually the most popular sign....,) Mothers Instilling Lifelong Fear and/or Sanity (what's the acronym for that...see? funny.)

 

   The signs really were the best part of the rally. I was blown away by the creativity of the crowd.

6. Cut through the Art Gallery. I know, maybe not to coolest thing to do, but we donated money to offset our use of the building as a conduit to the rally.

7. Had a Backup Plan. The Girl was getting a little tired of the crowd; and my neck was getting sore from keeping her on my shoulders for so long. Luckily, we positioned ourselves close to the IM Pei's East Wing of the National Gallery of Art. We had a yummy lunch next to the waterfall & enjoyed a relaxing walk through.

8. We also had a If We Get Separated, We'll Meet Here plan. In our case it was Oyamel. Eat here. Seriously. Our plan worked out especially well since cell coverage was DEAD. I couldn't even text.

9. We didn't leave immediately following the end of the Rally. Having dinner, then coffee, was a wonderful idea. By the time we made it to Gallery Place metro, it was far less crowded than before.

10. Because a top 10 list is better than a top 9.

The Girl was wonderful the whole time. She was our ticket onto packed metro cars & buses; being the only one who could see the screen, she told us when it said "Cheer!"; and she LOVED the Burning Man Dragon Boat/Bus.

It was the best damn weekend. Ever. But seriously, Starbucks, WTF is up with you denying people Gingerbread Lattes until tomorrow?! SOME PEOPLE had pinned their entire hopes for the day of that latte.

Of well, can't win 'em all!

A Quick Word on Going Insane

I sometimes have the tendency to over schedule & commit to too many things. I do this because A: They all sounds like great things to do. B: I can be over ambitious. C: My concept of time must be all kinds of messed up.

Take the next 4 days.

Thursday:
   Work. It's schedule day. I output about 2000 pages of drawings and specs.
   Bank. Before 5 or bad things will happen (my bank sucks)
   School. Mid-Term and I have a whopping 10 minutes to restudy before class.
   Everything else. Bedtime routine for The Girl, eat, prep for Friday

Friday:
   Moving. I have to get everything out of my storage unit THIS DAY. This will involves lots of trips w/ my little car, heavy lifting for this tiny gal, and disassembling some desks so they fit in my car. All in 4 hours.
   Work. Tying together loose ends from the week.
   Shopping. My cupboards are getting more bare than I would like. I have plenty of food, but some fresh fruit & veggies would make everyone happier.
   Socializing. Visiting BMF in the next county so our kids can play and we can relax
   Prep. Getting everything ready for the Halloween party I will be attending. Also prepping for the Rally to Restore Sanity. God knows I could use some freakin' sanity!!! Making an overnight bag for The Girl's stay at her bestest Auntie's house.

Saturday:
   Pre-Rally Brunch. "Mimosas to Restore Sanity" For me it will be simply "Coffee to Restore Sanity" and "OJ for the Girl Who Has to Wait More Than 15 Years to Have a Mimosa to Restore Sanity"
   Rally. I'm not exactly sure how this will all pan out. I'll take pics for you all!
   Dinner. Taking The Girl to meet up w/ my sister & her friends to have a wonderful dinner at Oyamel. One of Jose Andres' awesome restaurants in the DC area.
  Halloween Party. I don't get to see too much of my DC friends, so this will be a real treat. No costume ideas. Might just slap on some fairy wings & call it a day.
 
Sunday:
   Breakfast with the girl; something simple. More coffee
   Trick-Or-Treating! The Girl will be a princess, again. I will make sure to inspect her candy and remove any Kit Kat bars I feel are in excess.

When thinking about time lines like these, I begin to worry about how I'm going to pull everything off and who I'm going to likely disappoint. Somewhere along the line, I will run late, forget something, or have to cancel on someone. Crap happens and The Girl always has to come first. I just have to stop, take deep breaths, and remind myself that at one point, I'll get to take a break and it'll all be ok in the end.

On Monday Starbucks will start selling their gingerbread lattes. It couldn't come soon enough!