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rivkaI was supposed to go to a meeting today on the psychological ramifications of a nuclear/biological/chemical terrorist attack. It's expected (based on past events like the Tokyo subway sarin attack) that if an attack occurs, people with symptoms caused by acute psychological reactions to the attack will outnumber people experiencing direct effects of the toxin, perhaps by a factor of ten or more - overwhelming hospitals' surge capacity. The meeting was supposed to involve a group of behavioral scientists brainstorming ways of dealing with the anticipated problem. Lydia was invited, but she couldn't attend in the morning - so I was supposed to go and videotape the speakers for her, and take notes.
Note that I say I was supposed to go, and not that I did go.
8:00 - Left the house. A joint consultation with Mapquest and the Metro website convinced me that it would take about an hour and fifteen minutes to get to Georgetown, so I left an hour and a half before the meeting started. That should be plenty of time.
8:20 - Hit a traffic jam on I-95.
8:45 - Finally made it to the right exit for the Metro station, having inched along for the past 25 minutes. Promptly found myself caught up in construction on Tuxedo Road.
9:00 - Found Metro station, parked, bought ticket.
9:01 - Missed the train, arriving on the platform just as it pulled away.
9:08 - Caught the next train.
9:30 - The meeting started.
9:40 - Train arrived at the Rosslyn Metro.
9:45 - Unable to catch a cab. Desperately needed to find a restroom.
9:50 - I had been told that there was a shuttle to Georgetown from the Metro, so when something arrived that said "Georgetown shuttle" I got on. The driver promptly announced that he was taking a five minute break.
9:55 - Shuttle left Rosslyn.
10:10 - Shuttle stopped on a random street in Georgetown. "If you want the campus, get out here." After some diligent map-juggling, I figured out that I was about three blocks off the edge of the campus map I'd been given.
10:20 - Arrived on campus and found a building with a public restroom. Realized that I was at the furthest possible point on campus from the conference site, and that, having already come five blocks, I had about twelve more to go. Temperature in Georgetown: 80 degrees and humid as all hell. Considered crying. Started adding up the return trip in my head - 45 minutes for the train trip plus 15 minutes to drive from the train station to the clinic plus how long to get from campus to the Metro - realized there was no point in making the 20-minute trudge the rest of the way to the conference center, because I'd just have to turn around again after about half an hour. The talks I'd been supposed to tape for Lydia were long over, of course. Considered crying again.
10:30 - Kindly Georgetown student directed me to the campus shuttle stop. The Georgetown University shuttle from the Rosslyn Metro turned out to be a completely different thing from the Georgetown shuttle from the Rosslyn Metro.
10:40 - Caught the GU shuttle back to the Metro station.
11:00 - Arrived at the Metro station. Bought some Advil at a corner shop. Overhead sign read "next train in nine minutes."
11:10 - Boarded train.
11:45 - Arrived at Metro stop and returned to car. Current temperature: 85 degrees and humid.
12:00 - Arrived at clinic for the afternoon session, having pointlessly wasted an entire morning shuttling around town. Dreaded calling Lydia to explain, decided to wait until she'd wrestled with getting there herself.
Note that I say I was supposed to go, and not that I did go.
8:00 - Left the house. A joint consultation with Mapquest and the Metro website convinced me that it would take about an hour and fifteen minutes to get to Georgetown, so I left an hour and a half before the meeting started. That should be plenty of time.
8:20 - Hit a traffic jam on I-95.
8:45 - Finally made it to the right exit for the Metro station, having inched along for the past 25 minutes. Promptly found myself caught up in construction on Tuxedo Road.
9:00 - Found Metro station, parked, bought ticket.
9:01 - Missed the train, arriving on the platform just as it pulled away.
9:08 - Caught the next train.
9:30 - The meeting started.
9:40 - Train arrived at the Rosslyn Metro.
9:45 - Unable to catch a cab. Desperately needed to find a restroom.
9:50 - I had been told that there was a shuttle to Georgetown from the Metro, so when something arrived that said "Georgetown shuttle" I got on. The driver promptly announced that he was taking a five minute break.
9:55 - Shuttle left Rosslyn.
10:10 - Shuttle stopped on a random street in Georgetown. "If you want the campus, get out here." After some diligent map-juggling, I figured out that I was about three blocks off the edge of the campus map I'd been given.
10:20 - Arrived on campus and found a building with a public restroom. Realized that I was at the furthest possible point on campus from the conference site, and that, having already come five blocks, I had about twelve more to go. Temperature in Georgetown: 80 degrees and humid as all hell. Considered crying. Started adding up the return trip in my head - 45 minutes for the train trip plus 15 minutes to drive from the train station to the clinic plus how long to get from campus to the Metro - realized there was no point in making the 20-minute trudge the rest of the way to the conference center, because I'd just have to turn around again after about half an hour. The talks I'd been supposed to tape for Lydia were long over, of course. Considered crying again.
10:30 - Kindly Georgetown student directed me to the campus shuttle stop. The Georgetown University shuttle from the Rosslyn Metro turned out to be a completely different thing from the Georgetown shuttle from the Rosslyn Metro.
10:40 - Caught the GU shuttle back to the Metro station.
11:00 - Arrived at the Metro station. Bought some Advil at a corner shop. Overhead sign read "next train in nine minutes."
11:10 - Boarded train.
11:45 - Arrived at Metro stop and returned to car. Current temperature: 85 degrees and humid.
12:00 - Arrived at clinic for the afternoon session, having pointlessly wasted an entire morning shuttling around town. Dreaded calling Lydia to explain, decided to wait until she'd wrestled with getting there herself.
