Goal: Washington D.C.

I visited Washington D.C. yesterday for my first time in many years. I was able to make appointments for informational interviews with two professionals working in the Library of Congress (specifically the Congressional Research Service) and a manuscript curator working with the Folger Shakespeare Library. Sadly, neither library was able to toss any job openings in my directions, but I was given good advice on how and where to search for positions and how to work my way through the LoC application process for the best possible chance of getting selected. I hadn’t realized there were guides (both print and online) for how to properly fill out a KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities) Assessment. One such site is KSA Writers, which looks to be endorsed by the government (or at least “professionals” who will help us lowly job-seekers learn how to write our essays).

I was on my own for lunch yesterday, and I now have a new favorite burger place. My previous favorite, now sadly bumped down to a respectable #2, is Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA. Mr. Bartley’s is a long-standing favorite with a variety of Best-Of award-winning good eats. The names of the burgers change with the times – when I first went there 9-10 years ago I saw the Bill Clinton, the Ralph Nader and the Dixie Chicks. 5 years ago they had the George Dubya, the Cheney (just a heartbeat away), and the Condaleeza Rice. Now they have the Barack Obama and the Michelle Obama. Definitely good burgers, and the chocolate malts, sweet ‘tater fries and classic decor are awesome. That having been said, I must state that after having The Prez Obama Burger with Spike’s Village Fries at the Good Stuff Eatery, I have to say that Good Stuff makes a tastier burger than Mr. Bartley. I’ll have to try to go back there and try other burgers next time I’m in D.C.

OK, yes, I’m sounding like a food critic/commercial here, but I had a pretty good day yesterday. I was looking up directions to Folger and LoC before I hopped the train to Baltimore on Tuesday, but I didn’t realize until Tuesday night that the two libraries are within a couple blocks of each other, a Metro (DC subway) station, and the Capitol. The Metro website offers maps of stations that allow users to zoom in and out and mouse around, like those you can get from other sites like Mapquest. I found out about Good Stuff Eatery when I was researching the stop I needed to use to get to LoC. The map not only shows streets, landmarks and Places of Note, it points out restaurants. Thank you, Metro, for providing user-friendly maps!