O Providence, what did I do to deserve this good fortune?
Here I am in my hotel in Washington, DC, for a weekend of bookgasm at the American Library Association meeting.
As usual, I was very ill-humored and nervous, and certain the sky would fall if I went on this trip, and as usual, almost canceled at the last minute. My worry-fu is at full strength. I could kill goats with my dour stare.
But the Travel Gods have smiled upon me for standing up against the forces of anxiety and work guilt.
I made a reservation for the weekend at this swell place right here on Capitol Hill, and I got one of those nice room upgrades you sometimes get when the hotel is full and the only rooms left are the expensive ones.
I got this massive suite with two baths, a jacuzzi, a double sided fireplace, two flat screen TV’s, and a kitchen with a dining room that sits eight people. I keep losing things in here. It’s bigger than my old condo.
I was whining that I had to stay in my room and get work done this weekend, and this is like a sign from God or something that staying in my room is THE THING TO DO, and if I am a good girl, THERE ARE REWARDS!!! Whoa.
Here in the lap of luxury on my freelancer budget! Fate is telling me to enjoy the nice digs, and not be tempted to roam the city and sightsee, even though I am RIGHT HERE ON THE MALL, a five minute walk from The National Gallery, with the Capitol the big, beautiful sight out gleaming from my big beautiful uber-glam suite window.
I may be stuck in my hotel working, but I will enjoy every minute.
Room service!
PS: drawing comics, and downloading comics with the Wifi in my hotel room.
Comics on the IPad: two thumbs way up. I’m sold. I will HAPPILY buy monthlies and read them this way. I have not bought monthlies in YEARS.
Party in Colleen’s room! I’m glad I packed my board shorts!
Okay… I know you’re in your zone, and the Eye of Horus/Work Bird is staring at you, but…
Seriously, take an hour during the day, and walk over to the Jefferson Building at the Library of Congress. It’s the one directly east of the Capitol. It’s got a dome, a big water fountain of Poseidon, and it was ornamented by all of the artisans who had worked a few years earlier on the Columbia Exposition in Chicago.
It is freaking GAWR-JUSS. Seriously, if I ever win the lottery, I’m renting out the main hall for a graphic novel soiree.
It also serves as the Library’s museum. Go up to the second level, and back in one of the halls is Thomas Jefferson’s personal library. The one he sold to the government after the British torched the Capitol.
Oh, and they have a pretty decent collection of comics and graphic novels AND original art.
Your tax dollars at work. (They also possess a Stradivarius string quartet. Every so often the Library hosts free performances where these instruments are played. And “What’s Opera, Doc?” is in the permanent collection of the National Film Registry. And they have ten works of Ms. Doran.)
That’s a great suggestion, Torsten!
I actually lived here briefly, and was artist in residence at the Smithsonian a few years ago, so I am familiar with the area. And I played hooky from work for a couple hours to go to a children’s book publishers/authors party with Barry Lyga. I was surprised to see the event was a five minute walk from my former bachelorette pad in Chinatown.
Also, some years back I won a government grant to study American pop culture and one of the perks was getting to go underground at the Library of Congress and into the vaults. That was also one of the cool things about being at the Smithsonian: getting a chance to see the underground world in Washington, DC.