ten things I learned on my spur-of-the-moment trip to d.c. this weekend:
 
1) ritz-carltons really are very cushy hotels.
2) despite my dislike for northern virginia as a whole, drivers there are actually quite courteous (they even signal to merge.  north carolinians, take note).
3) every painting by modigliani at the national gallery is currently in storage.  bet he's turning over in his grave.
4) for some reason, d.c. theaters tend not to start movies between 9 and 10 pm.
5) on occasion, metro cars are completely filled with a single southern family consisting of around 30 loud people that have about 10 teeth between them (and one disdainful homosexual with most of his intact).
6) although classy and intoxicating, cognac is gross.
7) I dig feather beds.
8) the beltway isn't as bad as I've been led to believe (well, not on a weekend anyway).
9) ikea no longer makes the knopf table lamp.
10) when in the throes of the second half of an all-nighter, I find hare krishnas inappropriately funny.

oh, and I didn't make this an item because its weird enough to deserve a separate mention: over thai food last night I joked (with james) that, with so much fragile kitchen stuff in my trunk, it would be just my luck to get rear ended on the drive home.

I did.

however, the driver of the vehicle was very apologetic and damage to my vehicle (cedric, thankfully, not ophelia) is minor.  no broken ikea glassware, either.  damage to myself: nil.  oh, wait--I mean TERRIBLE!  yes, the whiplash is awful and I must now sue for many thousands of dollars!

any ambulance chasers reading this?