Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Honest Abe

We spent yesterday morning at the National Museum of Heath and Medicine in the Walter Reed Army Hospital. Wait--it's better than it sounds. We saw formaldehyded conjoined twins, the history of prosthetic limbs, a hairball shaped like a stomach (removed from compulsive hair-eating girl), and real, live leeches! But the best part was the bullet that killed President Lincoln. It was on display along with bits of his skull, the probe used to dig the bullet out from it's resting place, 6 inches deep in his brain, and a piece of Lincoln's sleeve with drops of blood on it. The whole thing was fascinating.



Fittingly, we spent the evening at the Lincoln Memorial (along with 2,500 high school students. If you come to DC in June, prepare for lots and lots of high school students.). That building is the definition of majesty. I've just started reading Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell, and she was a real Lincoln fan. The fact that I heard her voice narrarating as I read the Gettysburg Address on the side of the monument really made the whole experience even more surreal--and more pleasant.



Today I had time to briefly check out the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and the Albert Einstein Planetarium before the work began. Conference set-up went smoothly, and it looks like the International Council for Small Business is ready to rock and roll.

admittedly, it's been a long trip from BEA to the Lake to DC, and I'm missing my dogs and cats something fierce. Ozzy had another emergency trip to the doggie dentist and is now minus one tooth. Luckily, I got him a giant stuffed plush halitosis germ from the Health and Medicine Museum--no teeth necessary.

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