Old Habits Are Hard to Break - Even for a Week

A notice was sent last week that the yellow door corner entrance to the Madison Building would be closed for repairs. This is the entrance I've used since starting employment at the Library of Congress eight years ago. It is also right across from Capitol South Metro. I forgot about it until I reached the building this morning. It requires an additional walk of one more block to reach the red door entrance. That's not so bad, but everything is in reverse on that side compared to what I am used to. That's not a big deal either. But it still feels weird to do everything in reverse. You walk down un to the building rather than up because of the hill. The police faces were the same, the line started to the right rather than the left. The X-ray machine was a bit touchy - not unusual. When I returned to work after lunch I was already the 2500th person to have passed through since Monday. I put a note on my desk to remind myself to turn left rather than right when I leave. It all sounds foolish to even comment about it. But for these kinds of things I am beginning to feel my age, and every minute counts.

Library of Congress Gift Shop Items - a Futuristic Display?

During my afternoon stroll along the Madison Building corridors It is not unusual to come across new displays and events. I saw Danny Kaye's daughter by his exhibit, have run in to the Librarian of Congress, and seen lines waiting for annual flu shots. In the lobby are bunches of hydrangeas for the spring and Easter season and chrysanthemums in winter at Christmastime. There was a new display being erected last week. When I went to check it out, it was a display of items that are available in the gift shop. I was expecting something a little different, but it's probably not a bad idea since the gift shop is located in the Jefferson Building across the street. The one item that caught my attention was the birdhouse made with a book roof.  I know it is probably odd and unpopular to say, but I'm just not in to hard cover or paperback books anymore. My 90 year old mother buys her books and downloads them on her iPad. Our household has only a few books in the house - everything else is digital. We left a house full if books in Milwaukee when we moved. I'm glad we did. I suppose it is appropriate that they really do belong in display cases - because it just seems so old fashioned to me. 

Library of Congress Hydrangeas

Every afternoon I like to take a little over a mile walk around the hallways of the Madison Building. It's hard to sit at a desk in front of a computer all day long. Plus it is good exercise and there is no excuse because the weather is always good indoors. With the Easter season and spring in the air, a bunch of hydrangeas were placed in the foyer, right in front of the Manuscript Division and Reading Room. The pinks and purples caught my eye from the second floor. In December the halls were decked with poinsettias. The beautiful flowers reminded me of the two hydrangea bushes we have in the tiny patio garden. I whacked them back to the stems a few days ago and got a huge blister on my thumb for the effort. After the awful rain, wind, and cold weather of the last couple of days we are looking forward to seeing our own blossoms. And it couldn't come soon enough!  

A Ride to Work

I usually walk to work every day. After all, it's only two blocks away. But there are a few days in the year that I get a ride back after coming home for lunch. My husband goes to the grocery store and drops me off on the way. Today also coincides with very wintry cold and extremely windy conditions. I've just about had it with winter, boots, and heavy coats. In spite of the blue skies and sunshine, it is very unpleasant to be outside even for short distances. The only disadvantage is that I don't get in as much exercise, but I still need to walk home and also get in an afternoon break. The Madison Building is one if the largest Federal buildings and makes for a good walking environment. I also noticed new gold shiny signage for the building across from Capitol South Metro and the Cannon Office Building. By the looks of these photos it hardly looks like a busy Thursday afternoon. Maybe everyone else is staying inside too. 

Russian Influences on Music and Dance in America

In order to get in a little exercise and take a break from my desk, I've gotten in to the habit of taking a brisk walk along the hallways of the Library of Congress Madison Building where I work. Every once in awhile I stumble across new exhibits, or people of stature. And so was the case recently when I noticed several interactive screens in the Lobby. Upon closer inspection, the subject matter was all things Russian - specifically, the stories and visual films about dance, Russian music translated into American popular culture, and Russian music in America. My brother has a PhD in Russian, and our last name translated into English is Johnson. I took Russian for less than a week in college and learned how to write my first name, then quickly switched back to French. But I was always intrigued by the stories and films about this wonderful place. I rarely crossed paths with anything of significance when I took walks in Milwaukee. You could say that's a great reason to live and work in DC.