Adventure! (Blog to Learn, Day 7)

Yesterday was a smashing success, despite the fact that I got in my own way more than once. After stalling FOREVER, I finally did get all dolled up and went to D.C. for my Hanami adventure. By the time I got there, a lot of things had already gone wrong, but ended up leading me on completely worthwhile, alternative paths. Here is the breakdown, in reverse order:

The Ugly:

• In the process of trying to find my missing/hiding wig, I managed to completely trash my bedroom. The worst part is that now I probably have to clean it all, this afternoon.
  
• When I got off of the Metro, I walked in the exact opposite direction of the festival, for about 7 or 8 city blocks, and had to turn around to walk back. It took over half an hour.
  
• By the time that I got to the festival, I only had an hour left to see everything.

The Bad:

• I ended up using a different Metro station than my usual, and I had to navigate unfamiliar territory.
  
• I felt pretty stupid after checking the metered parking spots, digging for enough change to last me for the afternoon, and then plunking about $3.00 into the meter...only to discover that I didn't have to pay on weekends.
  
• I could not find my way into said Metro station for a good 15 minutes.
  
• I never did find the wig, and it was cold enough that I kept my jacket on the entire time, so all of my pretty clothing was hidden for most of the afternoon. I spent more time dressing than anything else, which turned out to be (mostly) wasted time.
  
• Oh, and to top it all off, I tripped several times in my fabulous shoes, in front of attractive people. It's a good thing that I make a point of laughing at myself on a daily basis.

The Utterly Fantastic:

• Walking in the wrong direction led me directly in front of the White House, which had the loveliest of cherry blossom trees--as well as a few small but interesting protests.
  
• Walking in the wrong direction also helped me to find the most delicious cupcakes, on the way back. I bought four. I definitely ate two halves as my breakfast, this morning.
  
• Despite losing time over dressing up, I did manage to get a single, gushing compliment on my shoes from an adorable gay boy who is destined to be a drag queen, if he isn't one already.
  
• By the time that I got to the festival, they were tearing down the gates, and my admission was free.
  
• In addition, all of the food vendors who were trying to thin their stock before closing time started offering up everything at insane discounts.
  
• The one thing that I had been craving (okonomiyaki), I found almost instantly, at a 40% discount. It was delicious!
  
• Saving all of that money meant that I could buy more yummy things, so I walked away with every hard-to-find, tasty food item I could grab. The haul: dango (anko and mitarashi), green tea mochi, and oden); as well as the more usual futomaki and inari sushi. OMNOMNOM.
  
• I got to see a fair punk band from NYC (Uzuki) and a comedic shamisen duo from Tokyo (Se-Shami Street Boys). I got a CD of the latter for $5.00.
  
• I had a successful bout with a few uncomfortable things...and won.

All in all, the short trip was well worth the minor hassles involved. The only question that remains is this: why don't I do these things more often?!