Playing Where’s Waldo? in real life

Good morning, DMV*! It’s Thursday, February 19.

One of my favorite games to play in big crowds is “find my friend(s).” It’s like “Where’s Waldo?” but in real life.

In my previous chapter of life as a journalist covering news (and many crowd situations) in Asia, I’d get on the phone with my photo and video colleagues, and we’d triangulate using landmarks, then move toward each other.

On the day Joe Biden won the presidential election in 2020 — during the pandemic — my family and I decided to bike down to the White House to check out the vibe. A friend from Barcelona was in D.C. reporting, so he and I used our phones to share our locations. We kept walking and watched as our dots move toward each other online until eureka! We hugged, shared a moment of chitchat and parted ways.

Last week, I played this game with a new crew — the people from my yoga teacher training class — during the Walk for Peace on the National Mall. Instead of live location-sharing, we communicated by group chat and phone to describe where we were in relation to the procession of monks and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Thousands of people came to see the monks. It was hard for me and my friends to find each other. One friend found our small group as we walked past museums on the Mall.

When we were at the Lincoln Memorial, waiting for speeches, I was still trying to find another friend, so I called her, raised my hand and waved it wildly — which most people simply don’t do. She spotted me and waved back — eureka! My little gang didn’t actually connect with her because it was too crowded.

But we had played the game and won.

Readers have been asking me to include news. To be honest, I was on a news hiatus after I was fired. My brain was mucked up … by the shock of being “eliminated” and the scramble to build this newsletter.

But yesterday, I felt like I could read in again. I used to read dozens of web sites per day and help assign stories on the local desk of the Washington Post. Here’s what I spotted on my scroll through sites that don’t have paywalls.

The highlight: the video (featuring my former colleague Hau Chu) about Flavor Hive, a viral halal fusion restaurant in North Bethesda.

For those of you who knit, crochet and craft, join me 11:30 a.m. today for the DC Threads meetup at the Kogod Courtyard of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.

Since I’ll be next to some amazing art, I checked out what else is going on there. Nick Cave: Mammoth and Grandma Moses: A Good Day’s Work both look interesting. There’s also Portrait Gallery Reading Rhythms — a party for people who enjoy reading socially — at 5:15 p.m., which is a bit late for me but sounds fun.

Pam Lopez, 60, said she took this photo earlier this month in her back yard in Springfield, Virginia.

“A few years ago, my nephew built a small wildlife picnic table and attached it to my fence. I sometimes put peanuts on the table for the squirrels or birdseed for the birds,” she wrote.

“Even when there are no snacks, the squirrels enjoy sitting in the sun, especially on a cold day. This squirrel is the most relaxed one I've ever seen!”

In other news: The brown-white piles of icy snow are disappearing. I only see large piles next to parking lots. The mounds of “snowcrete” on the sidewalks in my neighborhood are mostly gone — leaving imprints of dirt and debris behind on the sidewalks.

* In case you’re wondering: The DMV is how residents here call the D.C. region, which includes Maryland and Virginia. I’d get emails from people asking about this every few weeks. My dad asked again last week. Now you know. 🐿️