Sandra, my dear friend since high school flew back to Chicago today. I think she'll have had a good time looking back, but we began to irritate each other. Over the past couple years DC has become my home, so every time she criticized it for its crappy metro ticket system, or bus fare machines that don't give change, or the incompatibility of the subway and bus payment systems I became defensive (even though I'm known to complain of the same things). She did say that our trains are cleaner and more comfortable, but at the same time couldn't believe people didn't drink coffee on their morning commute (no food or beverages on the trains). In Chicago they may eat breakfast on the train to work, but this is the U.S. Government's city and the government likes to keep a clean appearance. For instance, every time I see someone painting, or polishing brass fixtures I immediately think of sailors. One thing you can be sure of is that every single ship in the Navy's Fleet, at this very moment and always, is being painted. I swear.
