Weekend Report: Shopping and the Spy Museum

First things first, it is officially 6 days until Christmas. And 10 days until I find myself in Costa Rica! So there’s that.


This weekend marked the end of my Christmas shopping. By 3pm Saturday, all my gifts were purchased, in the mail, or waiting in my suitcase to go home with me. I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself. 


Saturday morning I met 6x6 for a pleasant jog on the Mall (6.2 miles), before heading to Eastern Market with LLC. It was cold, so Eastern Market was not the same pleasant experience of last weekend. We bought a few gifts (which I won’t describe here on EatRunRead since the recipients are readers), then sat down in a warm coffee shop to thaw before venturing to the next leg of our shopping venture: Georgetown. 

Georgetown is usually ridiculously crowded, but it wasn’t too bad. I actually really enjoy Christmas shopping – I love finding the perfect gifts for people! We finished our shopping around 3, got free eggnog cupcakes from Sprinkles (follow them on Twitter, trust me it’s worth it), and headed to my house for a late afternoon Christmas movie. 


We watched The Holiday while eating popcorn (with pepper - have you tried that?) and our cupcakes on my couch. I’d never seen that movie before – it’s cute, but not particularly Christmas-y. Also, it's very strange to see Jack Black in a romantic comedy...he's still Jack Black. 


Sunday started off with a pool run at Wilson. 6x6 and I met at 9am for 90 minutes of fun in the pool...or something like that. Wilson pool is now doing short-course (25 meters) on Sundays, which is a bit of a bummer. I definitely prefer long-course (50 meters), because it means each lap takes a full 5 minutes. Oh well, at least I had company for the workout! (Go here for Wilson's official schedule.)


Sunday afternoon I went to the Spy Museum. I’d never been before, since it’s not a Smithsonian and I don’t usually go to museums that aren’t free. BUT it is one of those DC things you’re supposed to do, so why not? It was pretty ridiculous – cameras hidden in watches, guns in umbrellas, microdots (which remind me of this McSweeney’s article), etc. I think the Cold War is fascinating, so I enjoyed it. There were also exhibits about the history of spying, everything from the Trojan War to ninjas to the American Civil War. 

And that, my friends, is that. And as of 9:30 pm tomorrow I will be back on the West Coast - YAY! :) 

My mama and I were supposed to go skiing, but there isn't much snow, so we may just go up to Tahoe and hike around.