A New Leaf

It's Saturday and I finally know what it feels like to be disappointed that it's the weekend.  OK, that's not entirely true.  I am REALLY excited to spend the entire day with Alison, but two weeks into the new job at National Geographic and I can safely ask myself: why did I wait so long?!  I am now a Project Manager on a team that updates the http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ website.  If you haven't visited lately, bookmark it.  It is forever packed with amazing information.  Don't worry, we're working on getting that flyout to settle down.

I have two reflection topics to share about my first two weeks:

1. My commute rocks.  It takes me 45-60 minutes one way, walking, then riding a bus and train.  That sounds horrible doesn't it?  I know!  So why do I find myself looking forward to it every day?  Probably because I get to catch-up on the news first thing in the morning via the free commuter newspaper, The Express.  I also get to walk around downtown, through Farragut Square, and basically feel like I'm back in Sevilla again enjoying an exotic land.  Maybe the fun of it will wear off, but this sure beats driving.
2. National Geographic rocks.  You know what they do and no one does it better, but did you know their culture permeates through to how they do business every day?  Their buildings are LEED Gold, there's a compost bin on each floor and they recycle just about everything.  There's a photo gallery at the street level of my building (that anyone can walk in and see for free).  If you look up, there are the stars, situated in the exact same configuration that the founders would have seen on the day Nat Geo was founded in 1888.  There is a constant stream of National Geographic-funded explorers giving talks and presentations (that are also usually open to the public, I should add) and they just added a bee hive to the roof.  If all that doesn't make you happy then maybe you're not me!

Life is good.

Practice Run

OK, I'll admit it.  Being nervous that I would have no clue what I was doing during rush hour in the Metro Transit System, I did a practice run of my commute on Thursday.  As I suspected, there was really no need for this because DC has the BEST public transportation system ever and I easily got from home to work in 45 minutes and 1/4 of a book later.

The trip really only served to convince me of how awesome my new commute really is.  The bus is clean and quiet, trains come every five minutes, I walk through a park (which had people in full business dress with no shoes doing yoga before work), and I pass no less than four places willing to sell me a hot breakfast for under $4.  Not only that, but my commute ends at National Geographic headquarters!

This is where I report on Monday.

This is a view of the building next to mine, the National Geographic Museum:

Yay!