Entry the Two Hundred and Fourteenth

01 January 2001

Of Tunnels and Running

I look forward to the days staying lighter later. Thankfully they're on their way now, but darkness at 5pm is still a drag. I could've delayed a run outside if it were going to be lighter out there. As it was, I ran for an hour, further down the trail than I've ever gone. Kept things at a moderate pace, with few exceptions (like passing this idiot couple in a tunnel - more on that in a sec).

The run had to have had one of the most terrifying components of any run I've been on, though. Normally I can run through a small part of the National Zoo, but the past two runs they've had the fences closed. The last run I turned around at the gate to come back (as I'd planned on doing anyway), but this time I wanted to go further, so instead of running around the long way through the closed off fenced trail, I went through a traffic tunnel.

Said tunnel has a small pathway on the side (and a big sign, "Trail narrows, walk bike"), just enough for one person to walk, perhaps with a bike beside them, with no divider between you and the traffic. As usual, the road was semi-busy, so there were plenty of cars coming past.

Side note: I am truly, truly happy that I now have a bright yellow jacket with scotchlite all over it so cars can see me even when it's dark out.

As if that wasn't bad enough, there was a couple walking through the tunnel, apparently enjoying the trail as I was doing, but walking, so going more slowly than I. Got up behind them, then took advantage of a break in the traffic to run around them. I think I got my max heart rate reading doing that pace. I didn't just run around, I sprinted past them, hopping back onto the sidewalk as soon as humanly possible.

I am so glad that the zoo trail is open normally - if I had to do that every time I ran I might just have a heart attack.

But obviously I survived, and glad I went running, despite going out last night.

Oh, right, I was supposed to stay in. Hmmmm. Didn't happen. Sushi place was a few short blocks to Omega, so I let G talk me into going there for the ball drop/champagne toast. Didn't overdo it on alcohol, but did overdo it on sushi. Ergh. Our ordering eyes were most certainly bigger than our stomachs, but we ate it all anyway. Yummy stuff, but sooooooo filling. Another thing I have to not allow myself to do - stuff myself silly. Am getting there, just slowly.

...

Took some pics of me yesterday with my Quickcam. Some G, some R, some just barely not X rated. ;-) No, I won't link them, but if you'd like to see 'em, drop me a line and ask nicely.

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Ran one hour in RCP

Entry the Two Hundred and Fifteenth

02 January 2001

Back to Work/Fuel

Nothing quite like greeting your new boss (two levels up) with, "Hi, and please forgive my voice, I'm losing it due to a head cold." *sigh* Great impression.

Actually, the new guy is going to be good, I think. Was most impressed with him, and I think I (and the rest of the staff) will get along well with him. Keep your fingers crossed.

Work itself wasn't bad, I managed to keep myself busy and actually got some stuff out and off my desk. Hooray! I begin to think my desk is a black hole wherein thing enter but never leave, so it is a blessing to see things actually move to either a filing cabinet or the garbage (because they're done with, not because I'm just plain tired of seeing them, no matter how tempting that is).

In other news, I sent my resume out to three more search firms today via email. Hate the actual act, but I want to find new employment, so... You do what you have to do. This, like the bar exam, is a necessary evil to get to a goal, and if I can get through that, I can get through this. No sweat.

At least not much sweat. ;-)

...

The offer from yesterday's entry is still valid if you want to email me.

...

Was a good boy on eating, thank heavens. Never too hungry, never stuffed. If I can just keep this up... The cold helps, I'm not terribly hungry at the moment anyway, but that'll pass soon (I hope!), and then it's all me. No caffeine to keep the energy levels up, so I'm learning how better to adjust my food intake so as not to cause the lovely sugar highs and lows. You'd be surprised at how much sugar we eat every day when you're trying to avoid it.

We Americans kill ourselves by our dietary habits. Junk food, candy, chocolate-coated sugar bomb cereals, etc. I don't want that for me. I'm tired of not paying attention to what I put in my mouth (stop smirking, I heard that!) and suffering the consequences for bad food choices. Gotta watch out for myself or it'll go to shit again, and I never want to feel that way again.

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No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Sixteenth

03 January 2001

Law

I actually brought work home for once tonight.

And you know what? I liked it.

Can't tell if that means:

• I'm really, truly sick;
• I'm out of my head; or
• I'm starved for legal work

You see, the acting boss came in and elevated one of my projects (which was really a back burner thing) to front of the line status. And was not happy when I said, "Next week," in response to her, "When can I see something." So, we moved it much, much higher on the priority scale.

The kick in the pants is likely a good thing, I needed to get off my ass and get to work on a couple of writing samples (and this one has that possibility).

It's more important that I get some writing samples together because I'm meeting with a recruiter on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed! It would be nice to have something come out of this meeting sometime soon.

The elevation of this project has made me realize that I really, truly don't need to be wasting my time on the non-legal stuff I do for my office. I'm a lawyer, damn it, not an intern anymore.

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Seventeenth

04 January 2001

Down again

I miss exercise. Which is kinda silly as it's only been a few days since I ran for a full hour, but still, I want to be able to exercise again. I hate being sick, I hate the loss of energy, the headaches, the drippy nose, the works. Ugh.

This does not make for a happy Moose.

I should be really happy. This is my one-year anniversary of meeting Doug. We met through my former roomie, B, who had chatted with Doug for months before getting a picture of him and telling him, "Um, you're really not my type, but you are my roomie's type, here's his AIM screen name (LegalMoose, of course *grin*), you should chat with him." As fate would have it, he did just that, a year ago today, and we've been together since.

It's not been entirely smooth, I've screwed up on more than one occasion, but he seems to want to come back regardless (thank heavens!).

I love him dearly, and I miss him. He's out of town visiting relatives this week, so here I am at home, chatting online (*yawn*), alone, sick and generally feeling down.

Poor me. ;-)

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Eighteenth

05 January 2001

Getting there slowly

I definitely missed the legal work. Got a lot of it done on The Current Project. The research is 99% done, the writing is going well. *contented sigh* This is what I trained for, after all, and it feels good to be doing it again.

Head cold is now firmly in the head and leaving my throat alone. Whee. Let's hope it all drains out of there and goes away for good this weekend! Tired of being sick (and incredibly whiny about it *grin*).

Dinner with RE tonight. He made a great stew and salad. Wish I could have stayed over there and cuddled, but I came home instead so I could sleep. Likely haven't spent enough time with the man in recent weeks, with the holidays and what not. I feel bad, but gotta get better so I'm a tad perkier when I'm with him.

Or with anyone else, for that matter. It has sucked gorilla butt to be online, semi-horny and not able to do a damned thing about it because I'm not going to give someone else a cold (besides the whole turn-off of sniffling during sex *grin*). Soon enough, I suppose.

It's hard to concentrate on much else when you have a cold. I hope I can write about other things soon, this is getting repetitive. ;-)

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Nineteenth

06 January 2001

Office Parties

Office parties are a fascinating phenomenon. A chance to people who work together to get together in an enforced social atmosphere and try not to make fools of themselves.

I went to an office party as the "date" of a female friend as a favor because her husband was out of town for the weekend. Despite my head cold I did go, and had a good time, actually. Since these were not my co-workers, I was able to sit back and watch the folks interact.

The cast of characters included the managing partner who forgot to put on her name tag (despite being the person who suggested that the party have name tags), the semi-closeted party planner who thought no one knew he was gay (as if!), people who could dance and the overwhelming majority of attendees who could not. :)

Watching them dance was the most fascinating part. Imagine your senior prom, only older and with a wider mix of music, and you've got the image. We had, of course, the electric slide (how long had it been since I did that?!?!), and a mix of everything from Frank Sinatra up to and including "Booty Call" and Madonna's "Music." It was also interesting to watch who was dancing for which songs. The dance floor crowd fluctuated throughout the evening, mainly with the age of the dancers, depending on the song (the younger folks coming out for "Music," with some of the older ones joining us during "Dancing Queen."). If for nothing else, watching the interactions made the evening worth while.

But it was also a stark reminder of how different straight society can be from queer society. I could not help but feel I was the "stranger at the wedding" while watching these couples dance and enjoy themselves. This is, and is not, my social group. A bunch of lawyer with whom I shared little besides the law. Is this what it's going to be like at a law firm? I hope not.

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Twentieth

07 January 2001

An Open Letter to my Sinuses

I will not bitch about my health. I will not bitch about my health. I will not bitch about my health.

Yeah, right.

Dear Sinuses,

So, sinuses, listen up. You've got to decide if you're going to drip, or if you're going to be normal. Naturally, I'd prefer normal. But hurry up and make up your mind!! This on, off, on, off stuff is just ridiculous. I get to thinking you're done and Whamo!, you hit me again. Enough already.

It's not like I'm not being nice to you now. I stopped spraying stuff into you, and I stopped taking those pills that made you dry up artificially, but that was because I thought you were going to behave. We had a deal, I lay off the drugs, and you go ahead and behave well, like you'd been doing earlier this afternoon.

Now, however, you seem to be reneging on this. I'm going to stand firm to my end of the deal, so I expect you to do the same. I have important things to be doing this week, and I can't have you acting like a spoiled child while I try to get things done. You're interrupting my sleep with this behavior and I can't have that.

So buck up, dry up, and be a good boy. No one likes a whiner, and you're turning me into one.

Just in case you need something to take your mind off of things, go check out my latest Collaboration for Tom. I think you'll like it, it's all about friends. Friends are a good thing, and interacting with them helps you feel better, so go read, and take your mind off this dripping nonsense. You'll feel better about yourself, and I'll feel better, too.

Sincerely,

Moose *&^)

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Twenty First

08 January 2001

It Lies in the Cards

Cards are a social phenomenon. Cards allow people to get together, chat, and have something to do. They give people an out, a way to cover those awkward moments in a conversation when you don't know what to say; you can concentrate on them when run out of things to say.

You can also use them to get past barriers, social or otherwise. If someone has cards in their hand, it's easier to talk, or to do things that can be blamed on the draw of the cards.

Alcohol may or may not play a part. It's a tradition in our society to have beer with cards, though of course it's not necessary. If consumed, it can serve as an additional means to relax someone, or at the least as permission to act out something they've wanted to do all along.

Had a good card game with a nervous friend this evening. It went well, his fears were assuaged, and a good time was had by all. Having the go-between of the cards helped tremendously with the process of getting to know each other, easing us into a moment that might have been much more awkward, and allowing breaks to fill the time that otherwise might have spent wondering what was going to come next.

I highly recommend it. :-)

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Twenty Second

10 January 2001

Health and Jury Duty

First, my sinuses decided to respond with a "we'll get around to it when we want to," so the drugs came back today. When your co-workers keep saying, "You sound awful" every time you cough, it's time to take drugs. Or go home. I'd rather take the drugs as I feel okay otherwise.

I also noticed a wonderful side effect to being off caffeine today - I no longer fall asleep on the bus in the afternoon. I used to take this mini-nap on the way up 16th St. (NW) on the bus, but that seems not to be the case these days. I'm pretty sure it's that the caffeine is no longer wearing off just as I leave work. Cooley! I'm glad to see at least small steps in my now six weeks being caffeine free.

So, buoyed by that wonderful discovery, I came home to discover I've been called to jury duty. And not just any jury duty, but Federal District Court jury duty. As in, two days a month for eighteen months jury duty. LOL! I had been wondering when I would get picked for jury duty in the District, but I never expected it would be District Court instead of Superior Court (the local court here in DC). Too funny!

I actually do hope I get picked, I think it would be fascinating. And it's only two days a month, so it's not that big a deal. I love it. :-)

I'd write more, but I'm running out to RE's for dinner, so I need to zip. Have some stuff I need to explore on my Palm about The Ex. :-/

Archives

30 Min on the Recumbent Bike

Entry the Two Hundred and Twenty Third

11 January 2001

Nerves

Still working on the entry about The Ex. It's pretty painful, so it's taking a bit. :-/

You can tell I'm nervous about meeting this recruiter tomorrow; I actually went out and bought clothes. I never go out and buy clothes. Especially not almost $200 worth of clothes! Eeck! I want to get out of my job and over to something else already, the waiting is killing me.

The Boss has been out most of the week, ill with something or another. This has been strange because The Previous Boss would've come in, no matter how sick she was, and worked anyway. She was worse than I am at coughing all over our coworkers. ;-) So not having a boss has been a strange experience. Her boss has been in, but he only started last week (in our office - he's been in the agency for years). Catching him up to speed has been a challenge.

As has been dealing with having two coworkers out. Naturally we've all been trying to keep up with the work, but it's starting to wear. We need to fill the positions quickly, or they'll be really fucked once I leave. Heck, they'll be fucked anyway, but it's going to be harder without the extra help there.

But it's time to move on, regardless of the staffing levels in the office. I have to move on for me, and unfortunately that's about all that counts in the job market these days. So I'm trying to move. Wish me luck.

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Twenty Fourth

16 January 2001

Image

Sheesh, it's been forever and a day since I updated. Time flies and all that.

Meeting with the recruiter went well (and I looked fabulous *grin*). Keep your fingers crossed there, that it leads to something. She seemed more excited at the possibility of lobbying work than anything else, so that might be the way to go. Lobbying for foreign governments. Too funny.

Was a good holiday weekend. My nose continued to give me constant grief most of the weekend. I think the only reason it's not doing so now is I'm still mildly dehydrated from going out and drinking with friends last night. I gotta stop that, it's stupid that I waste my body on that substance when I don't allow so many other chemicals in (i.e., caffeine). Wasted calories.

But I'll not beat myself up online yet again; I've done that too many times and it grows old even to me. I won't cut the stuff out entirely, that's unrealistic (I refuse to cut out wine with meals - aside from that there's not much other than water I can drink since I won't do cola or tea), but I can (and have at times) cut back. Perhaps the budget system that Doug is using is what I need to consider. I certainly need something.

Did get back to running after the head cold-induced hiatus. Felt good to get out there and move again. That has to be the other corner stone of losing these last ten pounds or so (the one advantage to last night's mess was that I weighed in two lbs. less this morning, likely from dehydration). Also feel good to have my hair short again. I don't know what it is, but I always feel thinner right after a haircut. I wonder if it's seeing the stuff cut back nice and short or getting away from the longer hair I had as a child (no pony tails, just the typical 70s/80s crappy longer hair) when I was fatter. I think I still associate more hair on my head with high school when I was so much bigger than now (about 40 pounds heavier and 7" larger in the waist). So, getting there slowly, and it's always the last few that are the hardest, but I can do it.

Other than that, it was a productive weekend. Got the bathroom cleaned (well, all but the tub), top to bottom, including scrubbing all available surfaces. It's nice to have it clean again, no little hairs or towel fuzz everywhere. Got the aforementioned haircut, grocery shopped, cooked some good food and planned to be able to cook more tonight. Oh, and went two-stepping. :-)

Doug and I met a friend of his Saturday evening for dinner and went over to Sheridans, a local country and western bar on Capitol Hill here in DC, near the Marine Barracks. I had mostly forgotten how to two-step, but the owner (who knew Doug's friend) took me in hand and refreshed my memory. It was so much fun!! Might have to do that this Thursday (they do lessons on Thursdays) instead of the regular happy hour. Especially if it'll get me away from drinking.

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Twenty Fifth

17 January 2001

Fears

Everywhere we look there are reminders that we're not perfect, physically. Images everywhere scream, "You're not good looking enough," or "You're not fit enough," or "You're too fat." Blech. I'm by no means huge, though when measuring myself today for one of the fitness sites I was listed as the dreaded "apple" body type (carries too much weight too high on the body - increased health risk).

So, trying to do the little things that'll make the difference. Running again (now that the head cold is finally gone), not giving in to the craving I had around nine tonight for cookies, eating a moderate dinner. Why does it have to be such a struggle in the beginning?

...

Set my schedule for the next week this evening. Eeck. Mr. Type-A strikes again. :-) Though I have to say it's nice to know in advance what's going on. Need to maintain the balance of nights with nothing planned, though, so allow for some down-time, or up-time, or whatever-time, depending on what's needed at that moment. I'm pretty good at that, usually.

Thankfully. ;-)

...

No real overriding theme this evening. It was a random day at work, and a random night online. Did get to talk to one of my good friends on the phone (imagine that - using the phone to talk, and not for the computer!), which was really nice. Chatting about this, that and the other, comparing where our lives have been in the last year and a half since we met. Overall, I'm happy with the direction mine has taken, with minor bumps here and there.

...

Oh, and I finally wrote my Collaboration for Tom on Fear. It was not the easiest thing to write, but in doing so I've named a demon, which always takes away some part of their power. I think we'll continue to see that particular demon diminish. I certainly hope that'll be the case.

Archives

30 min in RCP

Entry the Two Hundred and Twenty Sixth

18 January 2001

No Patience

Okay, I really should not be sitting in the chat room as I write this because I am so sick to death of the "why aren't there any guys out here who want something other than sex" whining that seems to dominate the room. I just got in (at 11:00 p.m.) from Omega where I had an absolutely wretched time at Happy Hour. I mean, it was okay, but I got so incredibly bored, perhaps because I purposely limited my alcohol consumption (light beer versus my usual vodka drinks), perhaps because of the company who came. The regulars with whom I'd chat weren't there, for the most part, and those who were there just didn't seem to hold my attention. I grew bored pretty quickly and had to get the hell out of there pretty early, for me.

Maybe it's just time to move on, to get away from the happy hours and go on to something else. I wanted to go to Sheridans again tonight to go two-stepping, but it was a "last" happy hour for one of my friends before he's shipped out for five months in the Caribbean for work, so rather than follow my instinct I headed out to the usual. Blah. How depressing.

Perhaps I'm just tired of being sorry for myself and that's why it's not appealing. I'm finally acting on my weight stuff; I'm curbing my food and alcohol consumption, and getting back to exercise. When I finally do get off my ass, I can do a lot of things, it's just getting out of the inertia that keeps me stagnant. And once I do get moving, I find that I have little patience for those who decide that they'd rather whine that do something, perhaps because I can't stand to see that attitude in myself.

Perhaps.

I so rarely seem to actually know the source of my motivations, but tonight at Omega just sucked. *sigh*

Archives

30 min in RCP

Entry the Two Hundred and Twenty Seventh

19 January 2001

Cruised again

01/1/19 8:34 a.m.

Doug assures me there's a name for what I was feeling last night. Joy. Still doesn't make me any less annoyed at myself.

Ah, well.

...

May end up canceling my plans to go dancing this weekend if this mood doesn't lift, though. I'm in no mood to deal with drunk people, much less drunk straight strangers. Blah. We'll see tomorrow.

...

Pouring rain today, so the bus is full of dripping umbrellas and annoyed passengers. I'm running a tad late myself, and the extra inauguration traffic isn't helping. As more people crowd onto the bus the heat is redirected onto me directly, and the wet steam of drying umbrellas blocks the windows. We're halfway to downtown and the people keep crowding in, most running late like myself and they anxiously glance at their watches (spilling their umbrellas as they shift) and out the fogged windows, wondering why we're not moving faster, why we have to stop in so many places.

It is a depressingly grey morning and no one seems to want to smile.

...

At home...

You know, the funniest thing happened this morning. As soon as I put the palm pilot away after writing how nasty it was and how blah I felt, everyone exited the bus at K Street and I looked up to see a nice cute boy standing in the front of the bus. We looked, looked away, looked again and started to cruise. Unfortunately, he got off the bus two stops before I had to (and I was running late for work - drat it), but not before I realized that we had done this before, about a year ago.

How fabulous. :-)

Walked to work with a lovely smile on my face and just generally hit the ground with a much better attitude than I had started the day with.

Then I hit the bus on the way home (hoping the cute boy would be there, but, alas, he wasn't) and the traffic downtown just plain sucked gorilla butt. I had even left early and still got home later than my norm. Blah. Shoulda taken the Metro, but whatever. Now it's off to dinner with a friend, so I'm outta here!!

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Twenty Eighth

21 January 2001

Busy Weekend

Laundry's done, clothes are folded, if not yet put away, and things are calming down here on Sunday evening. Had a lovely dinner with Lawrence and one of his neighbors this evening, a lamb chili over pasta and a salad. Between him and RE I'm getting spoiled on food. It alternately amazes me and drives me to understand better how to do these things. I'm a relatively good cook, so it's not like I can't do it, I'm just lazy.

Dinner Friday was good, too. Met the friend out on his boat and had a good stir-fry for dinner. We watched the inauguration the next day as well. Not sure I could live aboard a boat long-term, but it was a most pleasant way to spend Friday night and most of Saturday.

Saturday evening I went out with Madam to Polly Esther's, a straight club in downtown DC. It was a trip for several reasons. First, there were ten million tuxedos downtown because of all the inaugural galas. Second, it was nasty out last night. Sleet and snow everywhere. Third, because of all this, it wasn't quite as busy as usual. It was still a fun time, though. Got to dance some (80s music on one floor, contemporary stuff on the lower floor), got to look at how straight people act when they're at clubs. Not much different, but more collared shirts. I felt underdressed in my jeans and athletic-style club shirt. Straight boys can't dance for the most part, though. Oh well, just makes us queers look that much better (and stand out that much more).

One neat thing there was that I knew the doorman so he let me in for free. :-) Even called me "Moose" (as opposed to my parentally given name), so I know I knew him from online. Too cool.

Today I did laundry, cleaned some, tricked with a charming gentleman (we'll call him "AT," I think), and had the aforementioned lovely dinner with Lawrence. Altogether a most satisfying and busy weekend. Doug comes back tomorrow, so I get to see him after almost a week away from him. I do miss him and am glad he's returning. Will be good to see him tomorrow evening.

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No Run, No Gym, Danced instead

Entry the Two Hundred and Twenty Ninth

22 January 2001

Direction?

01/1/22 5:44 p.m.

I wish sometimes that I had a more definite idea of where I wanted to go with my career. It just seems like I'd be more motivated to get out and do something more about it if I did.

I went to law school unprepared for what it would mean to my life and career; I had no clue what I was getting myself into. That being said, I'd never go back. I love working with the law and I honestly have a hard time picturing myself in anything other than a legal position. I just wish I knew what area I should concentrate on.

Having been in the public sector for two years now I find myself possessed of general legal skills in greater degree than when I graduated, but without much in the way of any specialized legal knowledge that would be of any use in the private sector. The work I've done has been too esoteric to be of practical use in "the real world."

And that is a large part of my dilemma: I want out, but I've not built a knowledge base that's easily sold in the private sector. With no overriding instinct that screams, "This is where I should be!" I continue to flounder in my indecision.

Archives

Light weights this morning

Entry the Two Hundred and Thirtieth

23 January 2001

Ho-hum

Tired as all heck tonight. Didn't sleep well the previous two evenings, and I do want to get up and run tomorrow, or at least to go upstairs and use the bike, depending on how cold it looks outside.

Delicious Chinese New Year's Eve dinner at City Lights with Doug and RE this evening. RE's out and about again after his recent hiatus, so it was nice to have him out to dinner. Not that I'm complaining about having him cook - far from it! He's a fabulous cook. But it was good to see him outside the house again.

Fixed multiple things at work, and found one project that had been buried in my files (oops!) that desperately needs to be done now and done quickly. It's mostly done, just need some new numbers, then we can whip it up the chain of command. Should be a non-issue, but you never know with projects, especially with a new administration.

Not much else going on this evening, so I think it's bed time. Ho-hum. :-)

Archives

Light weights this morning

Entry the Two Hundred and Thirty First

26 January 2001

Self-Separation

Several ups and downs since the last entry. I got a lead on a job, but it's in San Diego (only the other side of the country). Am pursuing talking with the company because they have offices here in Northern Virginia. Did briefly flirt with the idea of moving, but then reality set in.

As much as I want out of the private sector, the idea of leaving this area, and leaving my boyfriends and friends and playmates, was not an appealing one. I don't want or need to go to the other side of the continent just to get out; I'm not that desperate. But I am pursuing a dialog with these folks. If nothing else, it's one more experience interviewing and selling myself.

And I do have to say, after sending an email, that I look damned impressive on paper. ;-)

So, in the midst of all this, had to reassure Doug, after he understandably got quite upset at the idea of a potential move to SD for me after he'd just taken a four-year commitment with the Big Government Agency that he's going to work for (separate from my Big Government Agency, actually). Did tell him, truthfully, that I do not want to move out of the area. I love DC (I love him), and I want to stay here.

...

Went to an alumni reception tonight for my undergrad institution. Will never get to one of those within the first hour, ever again. I knew hardly anyone there, and despite my efforts to dress well and casually, I was underdressed - no coat. Grrrr. I hate these unknown dress codes that I keep violating. At least, since I was headed to an ASGRA fund raiser right after that, I had an excuse (I was overdressed at the bar for the fund raiser, so this was a happy medium). Did finally spot some folks I knew, which was nice, so I wasn't totally on my own, wandering around, drink in hand. But it struck me once again that I am not a member of that social group. I get the sense that no matter how much I end up socializing with these people, I will always be an outsider. What a pain. And they wonder why we minorities segregate ourselves away from straight, white, mainstream America.

Archives

Light weights this morning

Entry the Two Hundred and Thirty Second

28 January 2001

Dinners

Since Friday I've gone out to dinner with two wonderful gentlemen. This eating out thing is just plain spoiling me. ;-) Not to mention my diet resolutions. :-p

Went to see "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" with Lawrence, then down to Mei Wah, a local Chinese restaurant. The movie was very good. The ending, though unexpected for most of the American audience, was a proper one. I thought Ang Lee did his normal, wonderful job with the movie. I failed to see where the Matrix' technology had anything to do with this movie, though - it appeared to me to be the usual wires used in most gongfu films. *shrug* It was good in any case.

At dinner the host managed to sit us in the middle of what we termed the "gay date" section of the restaurant. ;-) Several couples or groups sitting around us, all fun to watch and observe. Funniest moment, though, was when one table of four got up to leave. I recognized one of them as a friend of a friend as he passed by, and got looks from a couple of the boys, one blond in particular. As they left the restaurant I turned to see them go, as Lawrence informed me that I'd been looked back at a couple of times at that point. Well, the boys got outside, I turned to look (big glass windows outside the entrance with a direct line of sight to our table - all to my back, hence turning around) and they were not only looking but pointing in my direction. I turned bright red, turned back around and started laughing (obviously, I'm sure). Anyway, turned around again and the blond waved at me from outside. I vaguely waved back as I turned back around and dissolved into laughter once again.

Gotta love it. ;-)

Other than that, the dinner was very good (their Spinach and Tofu was wonderful). I think this is owned by the folks who used to own City Lights of China. The service was a tad off, but the food was excellent.

And time spent with Lawrence is always enjoyable. He's an incredible person, and I'm glad to have the chance to spend time with him.

Tonight's dinner was payment for helping a friend move furniture. CE is moving his office from one location downtown to a place much closer to home for him, so I helped empty his fish tank (devoid of fish, thankfully) and move assorted other boxes down the three flights of stairs and to the car, then up to the new location. Was glad to help, and dinner at Georgia Brown's was very good. Georgia Brown's bills itself as "highbrow low country cooking" or the like - essentially very well prepared Southern American cuisine.

It's very good, from what I saw tonight (and the peach martini - peach vodka, peach schnapps, triple sec, peach puree and a peach slice garnish - YUM!!!). It's also one of the few places where you will find a mix of white and black diners. This city, regardless of being majority black, is remarkably segregated in its dining choices. It's a strange thing to note, but there are times in Northwest, especially upper Northwest, when you absolutely cannot tell that this is "Chocolate City." I admit I find the notion disconcerting - why would it be that the races don't mix that often when they dine? It makes no sense, at least not to me.

...

I'm working on a "Cast of Characters" to help keep all the people I mention in here straight (and allow me to not use different nicks for them!). It's still in progress, but I'll have to comb through to see who else I mention besides these few. I'm sure I'm missing folks, but I can't remember where they are.

Archives

No Run, No Gym - lifted boxes instead

Entry the Two Hundred and Thirty Third

29 January 2001

Flavored?

Ever worry that you'll be, you know, less than fresh when that trick comes over? Well, worry no more! ID Glide has "Cool Mint" flavored lubricant! Now you, too, can be minty fresh for all the boys.

Doug brought home some flavored lube samples from the Blue Ball this past weekend, so we had to pop one open, you know, just to see what they're like. I've heard horror stories about how bad they can taste (which, thankfully, were not true - the mint one was actually pretty nice). It's kinda like those flavored condoms - I've totally failed to see the point of those. I mean, if I want a chocolate bar, I'll go buy a chocolate bar. Putting a chocolate flavored condom on there is not going to make it any more appetizing. Hell, if anything, it's less appetizing to me. If they really want something fantastic, they need a dick flavored condom - then at least it would taste like it should while you're still being safe. Flavored condoms. Feh.

...

The day dragged on today. Productive meeting with some field personnel, then it just managed to be painful. I wanted a nap so badly. Did end up napping briefly on the bus (the price of caffeine hits once again). Getting to bed at a decent hour this evening, so I'll be better off tomorrow.

Oh, and I got Glanced in the Washington Blade by the cute boy from the bus. *happy snoopy dance* Like my ego needed another boost after the waving incident at Saturday night dinner. Someone find a pin, quickly. ;-)

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Thirty Fourth

30 January 2001

Promotion, sort-of

Going through the ringer at work. When I converted to full-time permanent, I was supposed to get a raise as well, a grade increase. It hasn't hit yet, and the personnel staff is being closed mouth about it. I wouldn't fuss much, but it's been a month and a half, and next week will be the third check without the extra funds I'm supposed to be getting. My acting supervisor has said she'll plan a meeting with our new big boss (who, having been through this program, should understand). I hope that'll get fixed soon, as it'll affect my taxes (will need a new W2) and the like. We are not amused.

Other than that, it was a nice quiet night at home. I did call the glance ad this evening and left my contact information on the ad. I'm trying not to obsess over this, though I must say it's been terribly fun. :-)

Need to head to bed soon so I can get up and run in the morning, even if that means running on the dreaded treadmill. I'm back to a semi-normal sleep schedule, so I need to get up and run - that'll help normalize it even further. Physical exercise is good for what ails you, at least when it comes to sleep problems (which I've suffered from ever since I can remember). I know so much about what I have to do to get the fitness/body levels I want, so why don't I follow through on them?

Archives

light weights @ home

Entry the Two Hundred and Thirty Fifth

31 January 2001

Cold showers

01/1/31 8:19 a.m.

AIEEEEE!!!!

That was me this morning, hopping in the shower only to discover that there was no hot water, only this cool-to-tepid stuff. Nice way to wake up/cool down after a nice run.

Eeck.

It's pleasantly cool out this morning, not cold at all. Perfect weather for running. This is why I have to cut myself offline at a decent hour (like last night) and get sleep - so I can get up and run on mornings like this. It really was just perfect. Cool enough not to get massively overheated, even with a jacket on, but warm enough to wear shorts. Gotta love it.

...

What is the proper protocol when you notice a big piece of something (straw? grass? string?) in a stranger's hair? Do you apologize and offer to remove it? Do you point it out at all? I mean, I'd want to know, but should you tell the person at all? What about a major stain on an article of clothing? Hmm.

...

01/1/31 5:57 p.m.

I can't think of a damned thing to write. How strange. I got the palm out, set it up, then totally blanked. Not a thought in the world. Harrumph. What a waste. Of time, I mean.

Not that goodly chunks of most of my days aren't a waste of time. Today was all about collecting reports from the field, especially late reports. Such fun. I was a very popular person after I sent out my nasty-grams requesting the reports (including back reports), with a lovely cc to the head administrative person in the office. ;-) Oh well!

...

Home again, brief check of email. The folks in San Diego called me today (at home, after I told them to call me at work *roll eyes*). Need to give them a quick call before I go running off to dinner with Doug and RE.

01/1/31 7:17 p.m.

Well, spoke with one of the guys but briefly as he was under the gun with a deadline this afternoon/evening. We'll try to connect tomorrow when he gets in. And I still am not sure what position we're talking about here. ;-)

Was going to try and make a hair appointment, but I seem to have no cellular service down in this particular Metro station this evening. Bizarre. Normally I have no problems getting service, so this is a tad puzzling.

And I so need a cut, too. I'm at that stage where the stuff is making me look fat. Ick. This is why I can't do long hair (aside from the fact that I have no patience for it, and that I can't stand it long) - it makes me look fat. And decidedly non-cute.

Ego, anyone? ;-)

...

Home once more. Dinner was good, then some book shopping. We're downgrading the triad from boyfriend status, though. More than friends, less than boyfriends. :-/ Not perhaps unseen, but still upsetting. *sigh* Such is life.

Archives

Ran 30 min in RCP