Nomad Life - Day 33

For the first time in recent memory, I had planned a full day at my old office in DC and this required me to wake up early (0500), get ready and drive a short distance from Kim's to the West Falls Church Metro.  I was onboard an eastbound Orange Line train by 0610 and we proceeded with minimal delays into Washington.  By 0655, I had exited the L'Enfant Metro station and was entering the office.  Fortunately, my ID card worked for access (I always wonder about that) and I found the name placards for my colleagues on the cubicles in the area where I'd last seen them (probably early 2021).  In fact, three of them were already working and I spent about an hour catching up with them and getting additional details about our project tasking.  Once everyone was sufficiently satisfied that the day had included some face-to-face collaboration, I settled into an empty cubicle near everyone else and started teleworking in earnest.  At 0830, I started feeling hungry and walked over to a different work building - it had a cafeteria and I got breakfast (bagel with cream cheese).  Returning to my borrowed cubicle, I found that several of the meetings I'd hoped to attend in-person had been canceled or rescheduled.  As a result, I ended up with an almost empty calendar until after lunch time.  With the open time, I decided to explore the building a bit more and see if any colleagues from other projects might be available - I found several in this way and it was great to catch up with them.  Meanwhile, I arranged some get-togethers for after working hours and set up lunch with my friend, Greta.  At 1130, we met at The Atrium, which was a restaurant that I frequented when I first worked in DC as a contractor.  I ran into another friend (Denise B.) there - that was nice - and my lunch (meatball sub and orange juice) was good.  Greta and I used to meet a lot for lunch and happy hour and it felt wonderful to reconnect.  After we finished eating, she took me up to her office and I ran into several more colleagues from my time with our shared company (2011-2017 timeframe).  Returning to my office, I was able to meet up with a new colleague (we'd only every talked on Telcons), got to chat with an old client (he'd been recently promoted), collaborate with a current colleague on a sticky contractual matter and complete a bit more paperwork.  Between 1500 and 1600, I participated in my only remaining meeting of the day.  By the end, I'd long since despaired in having time to meet with my Program Manager but then found she was available.  We spent the next 90 minutes talking and making plans for the coming year.  She departed the office at 1730 and I left about 30 minutes after her.  What a day!  It had been a long time since I remembered such a good day in the office but I'm still relieved that they are few and far between... I had dinner plans with the daughters of my friend (Chris) - I try to see them each time I visit DC and tonight was a lucky break: two were available!  I took Yellow and Red Line trains to the NoMA / Gallaudet Station and then walked a short distance to Union Market, where I located the restaurant, El Presidente, where everyone planned to meet.  Our party had delays in getting to the area (by car and Metro) so I had enough time to sample some Mexican beers at the bar.  By 1845, though, Bridget, Amanda and John (Amanda's boyfriend) had arrived and we were seated outside on the patio.  With great weather, we enjoyed several appetizers, nice drinks, delicious entrees (I had the Enchiladas Suizas) and each others' company.  It was nice to learn how the girls were doing and the ambiance was pleasant.  We were still wrapping up our party at 2045 when Mollie called, upset, because of a water leak at her apartment in Fredericksburg.  She asked if I could come down to help her and, though I was already quite tired and didn't relish such a drive, I said goodbye to Amanda, Bridgette and John and returned to the NoMa Gallaudet station.  I noticed a National Guard presence on the way but they kind of blended into the scenery.  Using a Red Line and Orange Line (from Metro Center), I made my way back to West Falls Church station - I arrived there by 2145.  Getting into my car, I started making plans to drive to Fredericksburg.  However, texts and phone calls with Mollie gave me the impression that she had resolved the worst of the problem (moving furniture out of the way of the water and preparing the apartment for carpet replacement) herself.  She said I didn't need to come to help her and I, relieved, returned to Kim and David's house in Falls Church.  By then, it was after 2200 but I found both of them awake - this allowed me to catch up with my friends for the first time (since they'd been traveling since I arrived).  With texts from Amanda, Bridgette and Mollie continuing to arrive, I got ready for bed and almost collapsed into it at 2300.  Hopefully, this will be the last time I need to commute to DC for a while - it was a good day but I'm exhausted!