CharmingGeek.net has been quiet lately. I’ve been busy and my post-by-email has been on the fritz, so I’ve just remained silent. I think it’s time for an update now, though as there have been some significant changes.
First, as of two days ago, I’m no longer living in Reston or the DC area. I’m now living in the land of sweet tea and scenic overlooks — Staunton, Virginia. No more sitting in traffic for an hour when trying to get across town or huge backups on the weekend. There’s still a Five Guys right across the street, but there’s also a Waffle House, Cracker Barrell, and Texas Seakhouse within a mile. For the same price as my last apartment in Alexandria, I’ve got three times the square footage, an actual bedroom — two, in fact — a spacious kitchen, magic fireplace, and a breathtaking view of the Shenandoah Mountains and Valley. Of course right now my apartment is full of boxes and I’m waiting for a flight at the Charlottesville airport. It’s remarkable how small this airport is. I was shocked by how quickly I passed from the parking lot to security and then to my gate in the single terminal.
It’ll be a week before I get to actually unpack all my boxes. I’m traveling to New Mexico for work. The reason for the move to western Virginia is a shift in responsibilities at SAIC, a primary work location in the Shenandoah Valley, and a considerable amount of travel. But, hey, I just noticed that my corporate travel agent managed to get me a seat in first class from Atlanta to Albuquerque. Living the high life! I’m watching people walk across the tarmac to my plane for the first leg right now and I’m wondering if anything out of Charlottesville even has a first class section.
It’s time to turn off my electronics, so I need to wrap this up. If you’re up in the valley give me a call.
Moving — Life is Good
Almost stepped on a pair of ground hogs
Right around mile 3 I nearly stepped on a pair of ground hogs in the grass. They were really cute. Decided not to continue on the Cross County Trail, as it was really muddy and slick north of the W&OD.
I love this trail
Good run today. I got mud on my legs while dodging puddles, a stream that wasn’t there yesterday, downed trees, a dog, and a ferocious turtle. Next time I run that way I’m going to need bug spray, though.
Today’s Run – Cross Country Trail and Loop
Goal: To run from here, around Lake Fairfax, and back — and without my feet bleeding.
Some running routes
I haven’t posted in a while, and I blame that on a)Lunarpages having lousy shared servers and b)the Wordpress Postie plugin being a real CPU hog for some reason.
So here’s an update on what I’ve been doing:
DC Rollergirls
Forgot my camera, this is the only non-blurry picture I’ve been able to get. My phone just isn’t made to handle this kind of high-intensity action!
Lane Closures
I’m about 90 miles fron Reston so I’m making my last gas and stretch stop. I’m a little behind where I thought I’d be because I had to replace my battery in Rocky Mount. It finally gave up on me and I barely made it out of the Bojangles parking lot in Nashville. I think the DOT is trying to see how many different places they can close a lane along 95/295. I don’t mind though. It’s a beautiful day for riding (windy though) and I don’t think I’ve ever intentionally riden so slow on the Interstate.
Eating cheese fries, watching
Just saw a man, a woman, and a wheelchair on a custom trike and another motorcycle towing a boat; “The Black Pearl”