The District Sleeps With Heather and I Tonight

We have been in D.C. a little over a week and things are going well. The jobs search is exciting and we have both found many interesting jobs to apply to. One job I applied to I heard back the same day, only to find out that even while requiring a Master's, the pay was only $35,000. Luckily, we aren't in a dire position and I can still hold off for pay more appropriate to my training and skills. Another job I heard back from was the Government Accountability Office, a job I applied to back in July. It looks like I will be interviewing sometime next week.

It is nice to be back in Washington. So far we have gone to many of my favorite parts of town and eaten at great restaurants. Sadly, one of my favorite restaurants, Hunan Chinatown, has closed down in my absence. The place where I saw the underhanded and unscrupulous Robert Novak. We also went by the area where I used to work on the Hill and walked the path that I took to work everyday. Walking past the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress, and the Capital all in the same span brings back good memories. The overwhelming scope of being in the political center of the world. I don't say statements like that lightly. Sometimes in D.C. you catch wind of the actual power of the process and it feels like looking straight down from the top of a skyscraper, scary and at the same time exhilarating.

It has been nice staying in a part of the greater D.C. area in which I haven't spent much time before. Maryland is much nicer than I had been led to believe in my previous stay here. Silver Spring is one possible community we could end up at. Seeing where our jobs are located and what our income looks like will help make the final decision of where we end up. However, currently there are some nice places off of Pentagon City (in Arlington, VA), that are offering some amazing deals. With things so rough for the market and people having less discretionary income, apartments are dropping prices and offering up to two free months of rent. Looks like a good time to be moving in.

I am really looking forward to our time here. We will likely be here for at least 5 years and possibly the rest of our careers. It feels odd to be so sure and at the same time at loose ends. Getting an apartment and jobs over the next few weeks will create a sense of permanence that is currently lacking from our lives.