what's the capital of the united states?

A couple of days ago I got into a taxi and, unusually, there was classical music playing. My first thought was, "Hm, what's up here? This cabbie must be well-educated, I wonder why he's a cabbie." I caught myself right away in the elitism and snobbishness of that thought and chastised myself for it, but another thing happened a couple of minutes later to smack me awake even more. The guy started talking to me, apparently I look like a guy he knows who studies theater, so he asked me what I studied, and where. The conversation kept going for a few minutes, and he asked where I lived in the States. I told him, "Maryland, al lado del capital," which is my standard answer. Generally people nod and say, "Oh, okay." But this guy said, "So, near Massachusetts?" and I said, "No, not really," and he said, "So, like in the middle of the country" and I said, "No, it's on the coast, near the middle of the coast but not in the middle of the country." And he said, "What's the capital of the United States again?" I answered right away, obviously, but I was really taken aback. But this is the reality of being from the States. I assumed, unconsciously, because we're the most powerful, because our culture is the most widely disseminated, that everyone must know where our capital is, and what it's called. As soon as I thought about it, I realized how ridiculously self-centered and snooty THAT thought is. I resolved to make a greater effort to break out of the North-America-centric, culturally elitist mindset that, like it or not, I'm in.

Another recent observation: I use the word "fuck" more than most. I think this follows from my general tendency to talk about everything in extremes; either I love it so much I get choked up when I think about it or it makes me want to choke on my own vomit I hate it so much. I wish sometimes, without wanting to, that my natural tendency was to be a little cooler about stuff, but at the same time, I know that this is just how I am. Just because the idea that "Let It Burn" by Usher is the greatest song ever written is patently absurd, doesn't mean that I don't mean it when I say it. In the throes of things that I feel passionately about, or things that I've just learned, in that very moment, whatever it is IS this greatest thing since sliced bread. And, being the most extreme of words, "fuck" makes sense. And yes, I realize that I just said I feel passionately about "Let It Burn."

Speaking of which, here's still another recent observation: I have a serious weak spot for corny love/breakup songs, which I tend to get obsessed with one by one. "Let It Burn," "Everywhere" by Fleetwood Mac, "These Words" by Natasha Bedingfield, "Girl" by Beck, "By Your Side" by CoCo Rosie, etc.

Anyhow, I'm going to travel this weekend, because we've got Monday and Tuesday off school for May Day (woohoo!). Vale and I got tickets to Mendoza, right over the border in Argentina, but once we're there we're going to see about moving on to Cordoba, which by all accounts is a super-cool place. We leave tomorrow afternoon at 1:40, which means that right now I've gotta go pack. I wanted to go to yoga this afternoon, too, but I jammed my finger playing frisbee last night and the idea of pressing my hands into the ground, flat or otherwise, sounds pretty awful right now. So yeah. I'll see about writing in Mendoza/Cordoba, and I'll definitely have some pics to show for it.