Smart City

Getting a good vibe from DC so far. It's "East-Coast-y," with tasteful buildings, sufficiently friendly people, and just enough hustle and bustle for an urban center. I was sitting at a bench on the National Mall today, semi-self consciously looking at my map like the clueless tourist I was, when the man next to me handed me the copy of his map and said it was much better because it contained all the landmarks. We struck up a nice jovial conversation that lasted for a while. He was from Israel on half business, half pleasure in DC, a city he had been to 10 times. No introductions, no pretentiousness, no ulterior motive. Just a nice chat. At times I forgot my current job prospects were not here, but 1.5 hours away by train. If Wilmington turns out to be a mini-DC of sorts, I wouldn't mind at all.

When I've been in my hotel room the channel is set to CNN, because that's what comes on when I first turn on the TV and I just need some background noise so I don't bother channel-surfing. I'm entrenched in the depression and tragedy that is the Japan earthquake/tsunami. Non-stop coverage. How are Japanese people so resilient? As their homes and belongings and loved ones and essentially, lives, are washed away, they queue in line for gas and the convenience store like it's just another really long line that can't be helped. My dad told me way before this happened, that if a huge quake ever hit Japan, you would never see chaos break out, because this society possessed the utmost civility and we would see things unfold in an orderly way. Spot on.