It’s Thursday again. How does that happen? Wasn’t it just Sunday? I remember Sunday. Regardless, the computer informs me quite emphatically that it is Thursday, and who am I to argue? Therefore it’s time to share three beautiful things from the last week:

1. After jazz in the Sculpture Garden (a barely rainy night made for a practically deserted concert), we move a few blocks over for some pizza. I sit at a table, surrounded by my favorite D.C. folks, and listen as the conversation swirls around me, thinking how lucky I am to have found so many smart friends. There are nine of us, so mostly the discussions happen between three or four at a time, but the entire table comes together about an article comparing the Democrats of the Obama era and those of Jefferson’s day.

2. We ride home after the Mets game, cutting across to the Mall at Fourth and continuing its length for nearly 20 blocks. The Capitol is at my back as we wrestle with the freshly laid pea stone. We pass a silent row of Smithsonians and glimpse airplanes. We pedal past the Washington Monument, blaring with overly bright spotlights. The WWII Memorial burbles on, its fountain behind granite pillars. The Reflecting Pond sits peaceful, reflecting only the dark night sky. We leave the Mall behind just before the hauntingly beautiful Lincoln Memorial and head north toward home.

3. A nearly full moon rises as we sit at Starbucks enjoying the first cool air of the day.