Entry the Two Hundred and Thirty Sixth

01 February 2001

These things come in threes...

Please, just shoot me now, it's just been a wretched day.

Items of the day:

1. I just found out that, if my office didn't forward the materials to Personnel, I won't get back pay back to when my raise was supposed to kick in in mid-December. So, by waiting on the idiots in Personnel to get back to me on whether they have the paperwork, I may have screwed myself out of a month and a half worth of my raise.
2. The folks in San Diego just called (at home again *roll eyes*) and were asking all about transactional stuff, all of which I have no experience in. Not a lot about intellectual property, which I do have some interest and a lot of coursework in, but transactional and international stuff. And, to top it off, it sounds like they're only looking for someone for the San Diego office, nowhere else. Ugh. So that looks like it'll go nowhere fast.
3. The cute boy from the bus hasn't called me back yet. *sigh*

I daresay it's safe to say I am NOT having A Good Day. Which means I likely should not go to Happy Hour as heaven only knows how blotto I'd get and how belligerent I'd be. I'm glad these things are only temporary or life would just seem really, really bad right now.

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No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Thirty Seventh

04 February 2001

Relationships/Updates

Long weekend here. Not a holiday, it was just loooooooong in that it seemed to last for a long time. Which is not a bad thing.

To start with, the cute boy from the bus (I really should come up with a nickname for him - how about CBB), CBB, emailed me back to my moose@countfour.org address. Since I can only access that one from home, I emailed him back from my yahoo mail account, which is accessible at work via the web. Well, the clever man looked up my profile from there and found the link to this site. So he's seen that the diary exists, and asked if he could read it before we meet for a drink later this next week.

I can hardly object to someone reading this diary - I mean, it's on the web for the world to see, so it's not like I can say "No, you may not read my diary!" That would be more than a bit silly. I am interested to see how he reacts to it. I've had a positive response from most people I know, but there have been a few incidents (one guy breaking up with me because he didn't want his life "broadcast" on the web - despite the fact that I wouldn't write about someone if they asked not to be written about). Only time will tell at this point.

Am glad he was polite enough to ask about it - that bodes well.

Had a lovely date with AT on Friday. We went to dinner and dancing at Sheridans. The owner there was happy to see me drag yet another boy away from Remingtons and down to his establishment. Anyway, AT had mentioned that he liked to dance, and liked to dance country, so I had suggested we try Sheridans for dinner and dancing. What he failed to mention was how good he was at dancing. Damn. Line dancing, two-step, shadow, waltz, you name it, he danced it. And danced it well. It was a tad intimidating, though I did get him to teach me to shadow, so I'm up to two dances now (the shadow is essentially a two-step where the partners both face the same way, so it was easy to learn). It was a lot of fun - I'm enjoying the time I spend at Sheridans with various folks immensely. I'm just going to have to drag myself down some Thursday for more lessons, though. I'm too competitive not to want to learn this stuff, and learn it well, so I can get out there and do it.

Not sure where, if anywhere, that one is going. He had other dates this weekend as well (which I hope went well - I think he's looking for a monogamous boy).

Saturday I headed over to Doug's to spend the remainder of the weekend with him. He's been feeling neglected of late, what with his travels out of town and the like. We bummed around, shopped, sat at Xandos coffee house in Ballston and read, ate, grocery shopped, watched movies, etc. A very good weekend, in my opinion. Rather calmer than my weekends of late, which was a welcome change. With everything else going on with me, I need to take time to slow down, to calm down, and to concentrate on those things which are important to me and my life.

Lawrence was out of town, on assignment, so I didn't get to see him this weekend. Did hear from him via email, so I know he's okay and enjoying himself.

RE seems to be doing well, too. I'm seeing him mid-week so we can talk about what's happening with us, given Doug's need to back down slightly from their relationship. So confusing at times. No wonder my friends can't keep up with me.

Speaking of keeping up, I updated the Cast of Characters and posted a permanent link off the Archives page, so that should help folks find it as necessary.

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No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Thirty Eighth

05 February 2001

Nothing much going on

Spent the entire day working on one of my program areas at work today. It's one of the more troublesome ones I manage, and it was good to catch up on all the BS I had to get done for it. Until the next quarter, that is. Reports, reports, reports. And no shortage of new things coming in the door.

Blah.

Doug's cold is getting worse, so instead of staying here at home and doing laundry I'm going to go be a nurse. I can do the laundry tomorrow, after dinner with my brother's fiancee at Georgia Brown's. I never let myself get so low that I can't go a couple more days without washing clothes, so no big deal. And I'm glad to help.

Not a whole hell of a lot else. Switched hair places tonight to Subairi's here in DC on R Street and was most impressed with the woman who cut it. She was much friendlier, as was the rest of the staff (a staff that remembers my name the entire time they deal with me is a very, very good one), and the cut was great. A touch pricier than the last place I went to, but worth it if the customer service is always this good.

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Ran 25 min in RCP

Entry the Two Hundred and Thirty Ninth

06 February 2001

Good meal

Remind me not to take my brother's fiancee out for dinner any time soon. Two entrees, salads, three cocktails, a visit from the sous chef and $100 later... *sigh* It was a very good meal, though, and the restaurant was very good. The sous chef came out because my future sister-in-law expressed an allergy to onions and it seems that all the sauces they use are onion based to some degree, so the sous chef came out to offer to create for her something not on the menu. He whipped up a very nice mahi-mahi with a white wine butter sauce and grilled vegetables. Very nice.

Was supposed to get laundry done, but no go there - got home from dinner later than expected after the sous chef adventure (her meal had come out, sans the regular onions on top, but with onions in the sauce, so went back and the sous chef came out). Friday now, at this point, it's looking like. Such fun. Ah well.

Cleaned up tons of stuff on my desk at work - you can actually see fake wood again in spots! Need to get more filing done so things are better organized there and more in reach (and less out in the open). It's getting there, slowly.

Archives

Ran 25 min in RCP

Entry the Two Hundred and Fortieth

07 February 2001

Full Moon

01/2/7 8:19 a.m.

Yes, it was a full moon last night.

I've been very lucky in my exercising that I'd never really injured myself. This morning, however, about five minutes out, I twisted my ankle something awful. I'm hoping I only imagined the audible "pop." After walking back home (and up the six flights of stairs out back of my building) the ankle is now painfully sore to walk on. I think I'll hit the health unit at work once I get in and see if they have an ice pack for it. Or maybe stop in to the pharmacy next door.

Ouch.

...

Okay, the ankle got worse and worse over the course of the day. It's soooooo sore now. I moved my appointment with the doctor up to the morning. I'm going to need crutches at this point, regardless of what I've done with it (either a fracture [nooooooooo!] or a serious strain [*fingers crossed*]). Ugh.

Doug and RE say I should be typing all the bad words I'm thinking. I've been remarkably restrained in my choice of language this evening, despite a couple of slips. I'm not sure I want to type what I'm thinking - I did grow up in the Norfolk, Va. area, after all, and do know how to curse sufficiently to make a sailor blush. Well, that might be more due to my early boy scout training (yes, I am an eagle scout) than living in the Norfolk area, but hey. ;-) I'm still not easy admitting that I can curse like that - it's just, well, rude.

However, I will not stop thinking the expletives. They help to cope. Which is, of course, the point of expletives.

Stress relief.

So I spent the day with my feet propped up, ice pack on the ankle for half of it (I looked like such a lazy shit). Did end up working on a lot of computer legal research for a project I'm working on. Hopefully the powers that be will be pleased with it. I'm still cleaning off my desk and getting rid of things, so it's looking better and better. It's so much easier to work with a clean(er) desk. I know, I know, "a clean desk is the sign of a sick mind." Well, then call me sick, but it helps me focus better on the task at hand when everything is in its place.

This pain, however, is not helping me concentrate. And to top it off, I have to meet CBB tomorrow evening for a drink at one of the local coffee houses, and I'll be on crutches. What a way to make a first impression. Well, a second impression, I suppose (third?), but the first where we'll actually be speaking to one another. How embarrassing. I feel like such a klutz! *sigh* Oh well, I'll live. It's not like it's the first time I've been on crutches, or that I've been embarrassed.

So, if you see a semi-cute queer boy wandering tomorrow evening in Dupont with crutches, c'est moi.

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Ran 5 min in RCP before wiping out my left ankle

Entry the Two Hundred and Forty First

10 February 2001

Injury = Blue Mood

I hate not feeling well, it rips my entire mood to shreds. Don't feel like writing, don't feel like chatting, don't feel like doing much of anything, to be honest. Blech.

The whole side of my foot is bruised now. Lovely shade of purple. Ouch. Still using the crutches, though hobbling some while inside and able to grab at walls and such. Outside is still totally crutch-bound - not risking that one.

Sympathy letters are always appreciated. ;-)

In the meantime I've been trying to do some reading in Chinese. I spent the morning reinstalling and upgrading my Chinese programs (word processor, viewer) on my computer. Re-reading a text I have that's simple characters, about 300 max, and it's going pretty quickly (thank heavens I've not lost that much of my reading skills!). Looked up some texts from the same company that are 600 characters, so will make that leap soon, then up to 1000. The problem is choosing to go with traditional (which is what I studied in school and in Taiwan) or simplified (which is what's used in Mainland China). Ugh. I should learn the simplified, but they're so damned ugly. Whatever, bite the bullet and get on with it. In the meantime I just need to read, and get to a level where I can read a newspaper with relative ease again. Should never have let it drop, but I did, so now's time to get it all back again. And since I can't go running, I have some extra time to read. :-)

Thursday's meeting (date?) with CBB went well. He's just as cute up close as he was from the other side of the bus, and very sweet to boot. Very much enjoyed meeting him. :-)

Friday was just painful with the crutches - I'd forgotten that my shoulders were going to hurt that much!! And my upper back. Ugh. I'm adjusted to it now, I think, but it was sooooo sore.

Today I got a new humidifier (Doug's doesn't cut it in my room - it's too big a room for his, and mine had died). Also drove around the District looking at neighborhoods for a move this summer. Van Ness is out of the question - way too congested. Southwest is looking good down by the Waterfront Metro, as does Capitol Hill. Looks like I'll end up south of the Capitol one way or another, then. Not a problem, those are both good areas where I'd feel safe and feel like I can get those things I need to live (food, pharmacy stuff) without too much hassle. As the time gets closer, the weather gets warmer, and my ankle heals, we'll actually have to get out and walk the places, but for now we have a general idea, and that's a good start.

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No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Forty Second

12 February 2001

Updates/Networking

Well, updating software, at least.

Spent the weekend updating the Chinese stuff I use on my few forays out onto the web in Chinese, as well as my Chinese word processor. Also updated the Palm OS and the desktop thingum for that. The joys of being home-bound: I take time to upgrade my computerized toys. :-)

Still hobbling along, still explaining why to various people who'd not seen me yet. At least I can say I was out doing something like running, unlike one of our top level folks (she fell down on her front steps - no crutches, but a big ankle brace). Such fun.

No boss today, so after doing a bit of quick-crisis research for something, I networked. Looked up alumni, looked up which alumni would be good to contact, looked up career web sites. Generally did something about finding a new job. That was the easy part. The hard part is sending a letter, and making the calls. Whee!! Keep your fingers crossed.

Since I'm on the crutches now I've not been able to write while on the bus. My hands stay busy holding my crutches out of people's way, lest they fall down on top of someone. The bus drivers are very good about the whole thing, and I will be sure to write to Metro and let them know how appreciative I am. Those sorts of things, if you write about a specific person, do get noticed, and do go to their supervisors, so I like to make sure I write good letters when folks are good. And the converse, too, but I've not had call to do a bad one yet. Let's hope I never do.

Now if I can just stop forgetting to take my Ibuprofen

After an early dinner Doug and I came back to my place. Finding a taxi was a real bitch - the Red Line of Metro was closed because someone either jumped or fell in front of a Metrorail train. It's not clear now what happened, or if the man is alive or dead right now. Thank heavens we found a cab when we did - they were flocking to downtown, but most were packed already with patrons trying to get home and away from Metro.

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No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Forty Third

13 February 2001

Groceries

To quote Lawrence, "Food is good." *grin*

I prevailed upon RE for a trip to the grocery store. He had offered assistance of whatever type, so I took him up on driving down to the new Fresh Fields at Logan Circle here in DC. It was nice, if pricey at times. Not much in the way of sales, but hey. Good produce, lots of organic stuff, lots of specialty stuff that I've become familiar with in going to the smaller natural food stores over the past few years. But missing a lot of staples, so I had to make a Safeway run as well after Fresh Fields. Gotta have my Pokemon Pop-Tarts and Bite-sized Frosted Shredded Wheat, after all. ;-) Soy milk alone won't cut it without cereal.

So, the best of both worlds. My staples, plus the neat things I get normally as treats (veggie lasagne with tofu cheese, vegan burritos, etc.). Cooley.

And RE was, as always, sweet about the whole thing. I know it's a pain in the ass to go shopping with me - I'm a demanding and pushy sort. Which is why I normally go shopping alone. Heck, I frequently used to go grocery shopping alone when living with The Ex just because I'd drive him nuts as I stopped to read food labels and stare at shelves for forever trying to find the right product. I'm not an easy shopper.

But I like to think I make up for it in the kitchen. Love to cook, when I have time. Love the process of cooking, the creativity of it all, and love having something at the end of the process to serve to folks who are mostly appreciative of the effort made. Cooking is one of those skills that everyone should have - good cooking is always appreciated, and is always useful.

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No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Forty Fourth

14 February 2001

Enforced quiet times

No cutsie hearts or what not, I'm afraid. You're talking to the anti-romantic. As I've had pointed out to me on many occasion, I'm not very good at this whole symbolic gifts and what not thing. I just never remember to do those things unless prodded into it.

The obligatory Valentine's Day stuff is mostly over now, at least with BF#1. Fixed him dinner, dispensed advice on filling out his application for the Big Government Agency he's going to work for (having been through that once myself). A low-key evening for the crippled Moose, hobbling through the kitchen, chopping veggies and fixing food. I loved it.

Played more with Dreamweaver at work. Seems I have version 3 on my computer, which they refer to as "UltraDev" for some reason (stupid marketing people). I've now requested version 4 (we have it), so should be getting it soon. One of the web folks showed me and one of our secretaries (who, in a cruel twist of fate, is our webmistress, despite knowing next to nothing about the web) how to play with Dreamweaver and Paint Shop Pro. I later asked the secretary if she was only partially or totally, totally lost. She was the later, of course. :-) Poor woman - she does an okay job of updating stuff, but I get called to her desk a lot for assistance visits. Ah well.

Doug is standing over my shoulder saying, "And I helped!" like that little girl from the old Shake 'n Bake commercials. *grin*

He really did help, too, getting things out of cabinets so I could stay standing in one place for the most part. Getting the rice cooker down from over the fridge was a huge help.

I feel frustrated in writing at the moment because I keep having thoughts I want to write while on the bus in the morning but I can't write 'cause I'm too busy holding up my bloody crutches. And I've already written about this, so I'll shut up now before I start repeating myself endlessly.

*sigh*

Face it, I live a boring life while crippled. No exercise, no sex, no adventures. ARGH! The quiet times are nice, but having them forced on you isn't.

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Forty Fifth

15 February 2001

Air Cast

Follow-up appointment with my doctor today. Actually, I saw a substitute doctor, rather than the really cute physician's assistant I saw last time. He looked at the ankle, looked at the bruising, and prescribed something called an air cast. Can't buy the thing until tomorrow, but it'll run up the sides of my foot/lower leg and keep my ankle from moving from side to side. It'll move up and down (toward and away from the shin), but not side to side.

And no weight on it.

And crutches for two more weeks.

Two more weeks. EECK!

Which, of course, means no sex for two weeks, unless I get inventive. Good thing I have a good imagination. ;-)

If the place that supposedly had the air cast doesn't have it tomorrow, I have the names of a couple of orthopedists to contact to get one. I so love this. Not. This puts a serious kink in my plans to run a marathon this year. :-) Or even a half-marathon at this point. First gotta get the leg better, then walk normally, then perhaps run. All of which will likely take over a month, just on the walking normally, and who knows how long on the running.

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No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Forty Sixth

18 February 2001

Meetings

Again, I am remiss in updating on the weekend. Not like I was majorly busy over the course of Friday evening or Saturday day, just lazy. ;-)

Dinner last night with Lawrence and Doug and a friend of Lawrence's. I'm glad the two of them finally met each other (and that they got along just fine). That seems to be one of the perils of polyamory - what if your partners don't like each other? I've not really run into that yet, thankfully, and hopefully I never will. I do like to think that I have sufficient taste to ensure my partners are gentlemanly enough to get along with one another, but you never know.

Side note: the veggie lasagne with soy cheese I just finished was really yummy. To you purists out there who insist on real cheese I say, "Feh." Tasted good, can't make me sick like real, lactose-laden cheese, perfect.

But now I want a cookie. ;-)

But back to meetings. The dinner went well, the food at Meiwah was wonderful yet again (Sesame Tofu - yum!), and we chatted the entire time. Nothing that caused any huge arguments, nothing that caused ugly looks to fly across the table. I guess I sound, here, like I was worried they wouldn't get along. I was, partially, but not terribly so. To reiterate my earlier point, I think I've judged their character well enough to know they'd like each other. It was good to see that thought borne out and confirmed.

There is comfort in knowing these men can get along.

...

In other developments, I got the "air cast," which is actually called a "stirrup ankle brace" from the packaging. Holds it nice and stable, which is quite comfortable, truth be told. Much better than risking smacking it upside something and the lovely stabs of pain. Since I've taken the weight off the bruising has almost all cleared up, too. Thank heavens. The swelling, which is mostly gone as well, was getting painful.

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No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Forty Seventh

19 February 2001

It ain't so bad

You know, crutches suck gorilla butt, but they're not that bad comparatively. I could be much worse off in my life - this is a minor glitch and I'll be off the things and running soon enough. Why the more positive attitude this evening? Doug and I watched "Boys on the Side" this evening, in which Mary-Louise Parker's character dies of AIDS-related illness at the end (or, at least they allude to it with the empty wheelchair - we never actually see her die; sorry to spoil it if you've not seen it). And you know, my life isn't that bad.

It may be dull, but it ain't that bad.

I have two boyfriends, both of whom are wonderful men, and even better - they get along. I'm relatively healthy, crutches notwithstanding. I have a job, even as I look for a new one. My family is healthy and supportive.

I speak Chinese. I'm a lawyer. I'm marketable (if a tad too lazy for my own good).

I'm cute (damn it). I'm liked. I have lots of friends, and several playmates. I get a lot of support and help from friends and co-workers.

I'm a very lucky person.

I have a good life. Overall. No matter how much I bitch about it.

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No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Forty Eighth

20 February 2001

Rule #2 Strikes Again

Okay, today's entry started out on the bus home, when it was originally called "attack of the fat women." Then it quickly expanded to the "attack of the clumsy people" and the "attack of the stupid people."

For some reason, though I was sitting calmly in my seat, holding my crutches in front of me, sitting exactly in my own seat (these things are curved to fit a single person), I was quickly surrounded by fat women, who shoved their way into the seats in the front of the bus. Now, I can appreciate that these seats are perhaps easier to sit in for obese women (and men), but I don't see where these folks were either elderly, or disabled (or "mobility impaired" as the announcement system says...). None of them were so big that they were fatally obese, though they were considerably larger than average. But c'mon, let's not squish the poor man on crutches when he's sitting in the right place on the bus and you're not!

Shortly after the large women sat to either side of me (one of them was so big she couldn't even squeeze herself back all the way into the seat between me and the hard, plastic arm rest), the bus got incredibly crowded. At this point, the ankle was in grave danger of being squished.

Oh, and I forgot to tell you about the one large woman who nearly fell on me when the bus moved. She felt awful and apologized all over herself ("The one boy on the bus with crutches and I almost fall on him!" *grin*), but it was yet another episode of bus-riding fun tonight.

But back to the ankle. For the most part it was okay, but it did get banged once or twice, and stepped on once by a small child.

And how the people crowded on! I've never been in a bus that was this crowded. Or at least I'd never seen how bad the front was up close. There were so many folks on, at one stop a woman outside declared that she'd wait because, "I can't even see the driver!" There were actually people who didn't get to pay or show their pass until a stop or two up the road because they couldn't get in far enough.

As I'm fond of saying, people are stupid. Why get on when it's that crowded?!?! Why not wait for the next bus? It's nuts. I'm so glad I get on and off the bus in the morning and evening near the ends of the lines, so the bus is pretty empty at that point.

What a mess.

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Forty Ninth

21 February 2001

Lube

You know, they sell lube in containers large enough to need a pump. How cool is that? ;-)

Did a little lube shopping this evening as my supply was running low. Was asked which I prefer and why by Doug (who took new pics today, including a nudie pic - go check him out *grin*), and I explained thusly:

I normally keep ID Glide and Eros at home. The two are very different in their application and feel. ID Glide is typical of water-based lubes like Astroglide, Wet and the like - it's slippery, though not overly so, and in my experience usually needs reapplication if you go at it for too long. Now, the added friction as it wears off can be good, under the right circumstances, if that's what you're looking for. If you don't want it to wear off too quickly though, I'd recommend Eros.

Eros is a silicon-based lube (unless you buy the water based version, which I've not really used). It's totally toy safe, as well as condom safe. It's much slicker than your water-based lubes, and doesn't wear off as quickly. It also takes a tad longer to wash off (warning: if you're playing with toys in the tub or on a surface like tile, DO NOT use Eros - the stuff will make the surface very, very slippery if it drips down). That being said, you don't have to use nearly as much, and it lasts much longer than the norm. I actually prefer Eros to water-based lubes most days, but don't believe in not having a choice if I'm in the mood for something else.

So why not the old stand-by, Wet? I find that Wet has a very distinctive odor. It's not a bad smell, nor is it a particular powerful scent, but it's there, and while I don't mind having an air of sex about me when I go home, I do mind smelling like Wet when I go home. It's just unpleasant, in my book. It's a good lube, but I don't like the after scent.

KY, on the other hand, unless we're talking Liquid KY, is just awful. It's gloppy, it wears off way too fast, and it's just not good lube for gay men. I avoid it like the plague.

Oil-based lubes are out of the question, too. Anything that's not condom-safe is not kosher in my book. Safety über alles.

And no nonoxydol-9 in anything either, especially if you're having anal sex. A lot of people will claim an allergy, or that it irritates them. Well, that's because in studies with mice and men (follow up study was done with men after the study on mice), they showed that while nonoxydol-9 was great for vaginal sex, doing exactly what it was supposed to do, when it came to anal sex, the stuff literally ripped off the mucus membrane in the anus and colon. This left massive craters in the surface which actually increased the mice (and the men's) chances of infection by opening the surface and removing the natural barriers to infection. So avoid the stuff at all costs - it's bad news for anal sex.

If you want some more information on lubricants, try looking here at GayHealth. It's an excellent site, with lots of good information.

...

In other news, it's supposed to snow tomorrow, which is going to suck elephant butt. Not just donkey dick, not just gorilla butt, but will go all the way up to elephant butt. UGH! Snow and crutches are not going to mix well. I am not amused. Might end up taking the afternoon off if it starts to look bad. Or take a cab home rather than the bus to minimize walking on the stuff.

Other than that, the ankle continues to heal. The last remaining bruise is looking better. I'm not elevating it nearly enough, but that's my own damned fault. I'm feeling a tad more active, and I suppose I need to sit on my ass more and prop it up. Grrr. Just heal already and be done with it!

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Fiftieth

22 February 2001

Nobel Laureate

The Sesquicentennial entry. Woo-hoo!

Went to see Gao Xingjian speak this evening at the National Press Club. He's the Chinese author who won the Nobel Prize this year (2000) for his novel "Soul Mountain." It's an example of what is referred to as "Exile literature" in China - stories about getting away from society, about moving away from the mainstream, to live apart, either for political or personal reasons. The tradition has a long history in Chinese literature, with lots of authors over the millennia choosing exile over compromising their values.

The novel is, from what I understand (I'm still just getting started on reading it), remarkable from its use of space and time and narration. Rather than a linear progression through events, he zips from topic to topic, time to time, place to place, much in the way that a normal person's thought patterns will flit from memory to memory. The interviewer compared it to picking up the center of a net, with the various joinings coming together as you raised it higher and higher. This is a relatively new (from the 80s on) development in Chinese literature, and one that's fascinating to read, either in English or Mandarin. I'm going to have to track down a copy in Mandarin to toy with. After I finish the English version, I think. :)

One annoying thing - the interviewer kept forgetting to translate her questions into English after she'd ask them. I could follow, but Brian and other folks who were there couldn't. *shrug* At least we got to a point where the audience would call out to translate when she forgot to.

After that, Brian and I were off to City Lights of China for dinner. It was nice to get the star treatment again (they always treat me very well there), but after having been to Meiwah a couple of times, I have to say the food is a better quality at Meiwah. I hate to admit it, but it's true. The food at City Lights isn't bad, don't get me wrong, but I think the chef(s) at Meiwah are better. Considering the fact that the former owners of City Lights are the ones who opened Meiwah, they probably managed to drag a good chef or two over with them when they went.

Then off to Happy Hour at Omega. Doug remarked to me that I wasn't my normal flirty self there. It's difficult to be so when you're limited in your movement, eh? It's more than a tad annoying, but hey. I'll be off the crutches the end of next week (but still in the brace), and will be able to be a tad more like the normal Moose.

Archives

No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Fifty First

24 February 2001

Escaping!

Lovely day outside, even if there's still snow in isolated places. Walked around Dupont this afternoon with a friend, had lunch, shopped, worked my arms to death on the crutches. ;-)

Quiet afternoons with friends are a good thing. Certainly better than feeling like dreck because I'd been out drinking the night before (though I was *grin*), or out until all hours. Or sitting at home all afternoon doing nothing but killing monsters and moping. I've been doing too much of that lately, so was good to get out.

Doug and I are headed down to his parents' house for his father's birthday celebration. Just a day trip tomorrow, and we're carpooling with his brother and sister-in-law, but it'll be nice to escape the city for a little while. Don't get me wrong, I love this city, and I'm constantly reminded of how much I love it when I wander down around the Mall (that would be the National Mall, between the Capitol Building and the Lincoln Memorial, for those of you not from DC), but it's also nice to get out for a bit, even if just for the day. Of course, I'll be bitching about how much I despise the suburbs when we get back, but hey. ;-)

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No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Fifty Second

25 February 2001

I Need A Massage

I'd forgotten just how exhausting sitting in a car for hours on end could be. And we made the trip twice today (once down, once back). UGH! I'm exhausted, and the food didn't help any. I took gobs of pills, but I'm sure most of it was dairy-heavy stuff, which, even if I don't react overtly, still taxes my system. Dairy is evil, cows are instruments of the devil. ;-P

But, am back home. Went shopping again in the afternoon/early evening with Doug. Got some new facial moisturizer (Prescriptives?), and some socks and what not on sale yesterday. So far the moisturizer seems pretty good. But then again, anything is better than the old crap I was using before!

Pretty mundane in the end. The celebration was fun. It was the first time Doug and all his siblings had dates (either spouses or dates) with them at a family function, so that was kinda neat. I like his family, we all get along, so was happy to go down with him. He'll have to do the same with me next March (2002) when my brother gets married. Whee! The joys of having family almost in the neighborhood, but not quite.

So, am unpacking tonight, relaxing with some as yet to be made tea (the water pot's plugged in and heating), maybe read some, and generally recover from 6 plus hours in the back seat of a Jetta today. Cramped ankle is not a happy healing ankle, so is time to prop up and relax.

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No Run, No Gym

Entry the Two Hundred and Fifty Third

26 February 2001

Think calming thoughts...

Okay, I don't remember if I mentioned it, but last week my boss asked me if I wanted to go to San Francisco for an assistance visit. Well, today I was told it's happening. Tomorrow. I fly out tomorrow (very, very last minute) and will be there through Saturday morning. Eeck! *breathe in, breathe out*

Good thing I got quarters for laundry today. ;-)

Side note: Any readers who might want to see me, please drop me a line! I'll have limited email access during the day, but do drop me a line, leave me a phone number and I'll give you a call

So, I'm doing laundry and trying to pack and trying to calm myself down. I'm incredibly psyched about going to SF. I just wish I weren't still on crutches! I finally get to Mecca and I can't walk anywhere. LOL! Only me. *shakes head ruefully*

But it's going to be fun. Gotta check out Chinatown, and try to get down to a Different Light or the like. Most of all I'm just looking forward to getting out of town for a bit. I'm going to miss my men terribly, but a short adventure will be fun.

Get back to y'all this weekend when I return!

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No Run, No Gym