I had such a busy day today! First, an early morning visit with my doctor. I took the 16 Bus from my doorstep to the Pentagon Metro; rode to Foggy Bottom, and got off; and then walked three blocks to M Street. It was about 100 degrees in the city today and by the time I got there, my shoulders and back were shiny and tight with the beginnings of a sunburn, even given the fact that I put sunscreen on this morning before I left the house!

After my appointment I walked back, and rode home, and worked for three hours on my assignment from the Association of Diplomatic Studies and Training. I'm transcribing and researching the oral history of a man named Wallace Mgoqi, who was instrumental in ending apartheid in South Africa. ADST doesn't pay as well as some of my other clients, but it's worth it because of how much I learn while working.

At three I got back on the bus--this time the ART 75--and rode to Ballston Metro, and rode to Court House to meet up with Jenn for sushi and to exchange books we'd loaned each other over a year ago! I haven't seen her since she and Patrick broke up, but I so much enjoyed seeing her today. I like Jenn; I like her positive outlook; I like how we share so much of the same experiences. She is one person I feel comfortable talking about my anxiety with, and I feel sure she isn't judging me for it. Also, she's just damned fun. The weather changed on my way to North Arlington, and when I got to Court House plaza I sat for a while and drank iced coffee in the courtyard, reading The Girl Who Played with Fire. It was threatening rain and the wind was kicking up, and it was nice to have some relief from the heat of the day.

I came home (another Metro ride! Another bus ride!) and cleaned my house, and then did a few more hours of typing, and then ate a late dinner, and now I'm writing this. Basically, what I'm trying to point out, is that today was a perfectly ordinary, enjoyable day--ordinary for anyone. Not just ordinary or enjoyable by the standards of my anxiety disease. There were so many times when I thought this kind of day would never come round again for me, and now it has, and does, with increasing frequency. It feels good. And I feel so independent and empowered.

I had a lot of time to think as I was jaunting here and there today, and here are some things I came up with:

• It's funny, but I don't miss my old neighborhood, Court House. It's the "happening" part of Arlington, but I think it kind of sucks. Yeah, it was nice to have the Metro at my door, and to be able to walk to a host of different places for eating/drinking/entertainment. But at the same time, parking sucked. I had to walk about six blocks from my car to my apartment with my arms laden with bags, every time I went to the grocery store. And it was loud, and full of frat boys. And there was no diversity. Today I don't think I saw one person of color after I passed Virginia Square. I love my new neighborhood. I like its unpolished edges. I like that my in my building alone we have native Arabic-speakers, Spanish-speakers, people who speak Amharic and Korean (and a couple who communicate in American sign language!) I like smelling kimchi and garlic and berbere as I walk up the stairs to my flat (which might lack granite countertops and a modern, open floorplan, but is high on prewar charm in a way glass-and-chrome high rises can never be). I like that families with kids live here. A little boy that lives upstairs and I make horrible faces at each other whenever we see each other. I like that Columbia Pike is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the country--without being all hoity-toity about it. It feels more like real life than slick, prepackaged North Arlington.

• When I was with Jenn tonight, I realized how often in my life I spend time with people I don't really...well, for lack of better word, like. Or maybe that's not entirely right. People with whom I don't feel that kindred bond. I lost a lot of friends when I got sick, and so I've been sort of clinging to the people who stayed, or the people that cropped up after the fact, you know? A lot of them, I wouldn't necessarily see if I had a wider group from which to choose. But I'm learning now that it's not the quantity of friends you have--it's the quality of friends you keep that matters. And that I'd much rather have three or four or five really good friends than a large group of people who don't care about me, who, while I am answering a question they asked, turn and start a conversation with each other. Or, God forbid, text. People like Jenn, and my little Lillie-pie, TJ and Tara and PR, and my wonderful long distance friends, Adrienne and Louise and David, these are people I need more of. These are the friends I want to keep.

• Despite the fact that I was able to ride the bus and metro multiple times today without panicking, the biggest triumph I feel today is something over which I have absolutely no control at all. A few months ago, after I told my gynecologist that J&I would like to try for a baby within a couple of years, she asked me to start charting my body basal temperature, to get a clear idea of my monthly cycle (something I had never done before. I had no idea how long my cycle was, or anything like that). You would think just taking your temperature first thing every morning would be easy, right? NO. There are so many little factors that crop up. You have to take it the same time every day. If you sleep without blankets that affects everything. If you sleep erratically, or less than the night before, your temperature can be off by a full degree. If you eat spicy food, or exercise. The placement of the thermometer in your mouth. My chart was a pure mess, spikes here and there, and I eventually convinced myself that I wasn't ovulating, that I had something horrible like PCOS or some infertility issue that would be a problem for me. I actually have been worried sick over it. Well, today, ladies and gents, I am happy to report that I (am pretty sure I) OVULATED! It's amazing how proud I feel of my body for managing this feat. By the time we're ready to have a kid, I just might actually have gotten the hang of this charting business.

I hope tomorrow brings lower temperatures and some work from the Brits. :) My mother-in-law invited us over tomorrow night to watch the fireflies in her yard, and I think I'm going to bring my guitar so we can have a singalong.

Goodnight, everyone! Happy midsummer night dreams.