Finally!

Here is a picture of my going away cake. Not only does the cake resemble me, but my old boss resembles the blue monster. In fact, he kept playing with the blue monster saying "I'm blue because she's leaving". lol

Wednesday Night

Wednesday afternoon I got word that a former co-worker was in town from NYC and that there was a possibility to have drinks that night. I got the call around 7 that Ben and Shawn were in Dupont so away I went. I adore Shawn, she is such a great person and so much fun to be around and Ben's just, well Ben is Ben and he is fantastic and always entertaining. I met up with them at Cloud in Dupont where we were the only three white people in the entire place (it was pretty full). We went from there to The Big Hunt (love that place and haven't been for quite some time) and then on to Ebbitt's for some much needed food. It was a really fun night with some secrets being spilled but I figure we don't work together anymore, the two of them are pretty discreet and they know I am as well so all is good.

Song of the "ohmygod i'mworkinga15hourday onmy5thdayofwork" Night

Matt Nathanson (yum) - Lost Myself in Search of You

And as you slipped away I couldn't admit that we were through
As you slipped away I found I lost myself in search of you
I was holding you so tightly when you needed help
I guess insecurities catch up to you when you're lying to yourself
But I wasn't lying when I told you all that you could be
But it was no use, you never really ever listened to me
I was holding you so tight but now I've let you go.

I really just love listening to him. I never notice I'm singing along with him (especially at 10:20 pm in my Fortress of Solitude) until a really good lyric or melody comes out and I realize I was singing without paying attention to what I was saying so I have to rewind the song and listen again.....

Late Night

It has been a crazy week and it's only Tuesday night. I'm still at the office, waiting for some final edits on a presentation for tomorrow. At least I'm getting some stuff done while I wait. And I had yummy dinner. It doesn't happen often but at least when it does they treat us well.

Album of the Day

Pilot Speed - Into the West.

One of my concerns when I started this new job was that I wouldn't be able to listen to music during the day at whatever new desk I was given. Fortunately, in my new Fortress of Solitude I can, so I've been spending the last couple days with this newish album and I'm really digging it. Back to work. Just thought I'd share.

The Lost Weekend

It was a really weird, random, booze-filled weekend. I feel like it flew by but I did so much. I met Heather and Angie at the 9:30 at 6:30 for the Matt Nathanson/Carbon Leaf show. Man we had such a good time. I love both of those girls to death and anytime we're hanging out around music it's just a ton of fun. My future husband Matt is so entertaining. You may remember him from previous posts (he opened for Tori Amos forever ago and more recently Pink). Everytime I see him I fall a little bit more in love with the guy. He's so funny and often crude in his between song banter (he read from a soft core porn novel a couple times during the show), but then his songs are full of love and wonderful sentiments that any girl would love to hear. I turned to Heather and said "I would have sex with him on that stage right now" and she smiled a bit and said "me too". Now, many of you don't know Heather, but let me tell you that comment is a testament to how gosh darn sexy My Matt is - I don't think in the 3+ years I've known her I've ever heard her talk about sex or making out or even kissing. Just saying. Carbon Leaf was fantastic as always. It was just a really good show. Ran into the ex at the end of the night and I'd had enough beer to pointedly and good naturedly say hello. We started talking and the next thing I know, Angie and I are hanging out with him and his friends at the pub across the street. Seriously if anyone had told me that he and I would be anywhere near enjoying each other's company I would have laughed at them. A lot. Anyways it was nice to hear some things he had to say to me and good to know neither of us hates the other.

Saturday I got to send this message to some friends: "At least you didn't wake up next to your ex-boyfriend who then walked with you to Whole Foods and bought the groceries for brunch with your friends who hate him because you left your card in a bar...." He was super cool when he didn't need to be and that's why I can never completely hate the guy. Yeah, he treated me poorly while we dated, but he has flashes of being this really great guy. WE ARE NOT GETTING BACK TOGETHER. Let me be really, really clear on that. But maybe we'll be able to be friends. We shall see. Given our track record it is quite doubtful but as always I am hopeful that people can change.

The girls came over for book club brunch which was exactly what I needed after my night/morning. I really love our book club. Sarah told us a story about coming home to find her husband wearing a medal around his neck. Evidently he won it in a fencing competition. Against 10 year olds. I can't do the story justice in the written form, but trust me when I tell you I am laughing while I type this. Towards the end of book club Agie got a call from her (our?) friend Cindy who is the sister of a guy in Good Charlotte. They were playing the 9:30 Saturday night and she was able to get us tickets at the last minute after having told us she couldn't. I was supposed to go to a reception for a friend of mine but the ride situation was getting sketchy and I was going to be one of four hundred. I figured since it wasn't the actual ceremony (no way I would ever blow one of those off - I always consider it an honor to be invited to a wedding) and since it was going to be such a huge reception I wouldn't be missed and I'd much rather take the two of them out for dinner after they get back from their honeymoon and congratulate them on a more personal level. Plus, I got them a really nice present. Does that count for anything?

The show was great. We went out for dinner with Cindy and her family after the concert thank goodness. Food was the only thing that saved me from feeling like complete death yesterday given that I'd been drinking for about 12 hours and had quite possibly been still buzzed when I woke up Saturday morning. I told you - total unplanned binge weekend. I'm detoxing for the rest of the month.

Family Visits

Second day went as well as, if not better than, the first. Third day is fantastic but that's just because I'm wearing jeans at my desk and it is Friday. Still ghostly quiet, but I'm coming to appreciate it.

I ended up not hanging out with my cousin the other night. I was exhausted from the activities of the two nights previous and he didn't get in until 10:45 (woke me up from my nap on the couch when he called). I was all kinds of ready to rally and meet him out since I haven't seen him forever, but once he heard my froggy voice and found out it was my first day at a new job he let me off the hook. Such a good guy. Plus, turns out the new company he's flying for comes through DC pretty regularly so there is a good chance I'll see him soon. It's kinda weird how all of us cousins are now adults with these busy, sometimes exciting grown up lives. I remember when all of them were born and now one is married with a son, another is married, one is engaged, one is with the Army in Iraq. It's good to know some of us can get along and enjoy each other as adults. When it boils down, family is really all you have and I am so thankful I've got a good one. I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving with my mother, brother and sister-in-law in Boston. I haven't spent a holiday with the family for years and it's about time we start up again. I'm pretty sure I'll go back to Cali for Christmas or at least a few days around then. Brett gets home (Texas - ick) from Iraq next month and then is going out to CA for Christmas and since both he and his mother have said I should come out, I'm going to do my best to get out there since it's been about two years since I've seen them. Man, come to think of it, my brother's wedding was the last time I saw any family other than him, his wife and my mother. I'm a slacker. Definitely going home for Christmas now.

I'm going to go now since I'm rambling. This weekend should produce some good stories, but you'll have to wait until Monday to get them since I haven't had time to go purchase my computer yet.

Last Day & First Day

So my last day of work was yesterday, and my first day of work is today. It's been a crazy week and it's only Wednesday!

Monday and Tuesday were spent training my replacement. The poor thing is completely overwhelmed with all the procedures and information I threw at her. Luckily my old/her new boss is out of country today through Sunday so she can spend the rest of this week familiarizing herself with all the stuff I showed her. She seems like a good egg but I have a couple concerns. Only time will tell if they're valid.

Monday night we went to a reception for the Latin American Chambers of Commerce. Ben and Courtney (those bastards) ditched me and left me talking with a very weird lady. About 10 minutes later I was able to get out of her verbal clutches and headed over to the group of people I knew. Courtney saw someone she knew so she walked over to say hello to her and the group she was with. Ben joined her and met with quite possibly the rudest action I've heard of in a very long time. He had just finished telling the group what Courtney does and was saying "and I..." when someone walked up to the group. Instead of acknowledging that Ben was speaking, everyone turned to the person and started talking to him leaving Ben talking to a bunch of backs. He continued what he was saying with something along the lines of "...am an astronaut. I work on the moon." Then C & B got caught talking to a really scary lady who seemed to be obsessed with the pumpkin soup and was a VERY close talker. I like to think that was kharma smacking them around for leaving me with weird lady earlier. After the reception C, B and I went to Old Glory for some food and then to Mie n Yu for cocktails. Good times.

Yesterday we had cake and cocktails for my going away which was fun. Courtney and I decided I needed a Barbie cake (picture to be posted later) so we set about finding a bakery that would make us one and then kept it a secret from most everyone. It seemed to be a big hit and was fairly tasty. Plus, the doll was brunette with blue eyes and wearing a Xanadu headband. You really can't ask for more from a going away cake. After work, we went out for drinks at Local 16 and Stetson's (who knew they had a trivia night?) which was probably not the best idea. I'm exhausted today! Seeing as how I've almost made it through my first day though I can say it was worth it.

My first day here has been really good so far. The people I've met in my group are all friendly and fun (two associates are out right now so there still could be some conflict - we'll see) and very happy to have me aboard. They're being very nice and easing me into everything, no trial by fire for me thank goodness! I'm sure the pace will pick up once everyone is back in the office but even then from the sound of things, it's going to be pretty low key. I'm really excited and happy that it seems I made the right decision. Whew!

Tonight I'm doing laundry and cleaning the house since I'm having book club over Saturday. Also I might meet my cousin out for a late drink. He's flying in to DC for the night and I haven't seen him since my brother's wedding two years ago so it'd be nice to hang out with him. He's the closest in age to my brother and I and is the only cousin to have a kid thus far. Unfortunately, I think he may be flying into Dulles which would mean I don't get to see him since he doesn't land until 10:30. Grrr.

Bouncing Souls, Poker and The Departed

See? I told you I would get better!

This weekend started at 7:40 Thursday night when Agie called to tell me to get to Bar Pilar asap. They had an extra ticket to the Bouncing Souls show at the Black Cat and wanted me to join them. Even though I had just gotten home from work and was already in my jammies, I love the Bouncing Souls and she talked me into it. 17 minutes later I was sitting with Agie, Tim and Bob drinking a beer. I will never be accused of being high maitenance.

The show was great. I probably should have worn more substantial shoes than my flips, but so be it. Bob and I started talking with this girl and her fiancee at the bar.  She was pretty drunk and a bit annoying so I left them to their conversation. Bob came back and he and I had the following conversation which made me wonder why men, even into their 30s still act 12.

B: She told me my girlfriend was awesome.

PlanB: I can only assume she was talking about me because I totally am.

B: I told her you aren't my girlfriend but that you are really cool. And that you're really pretty. Because you are.

PlanB: Okay. Thanks.

If you think I'm pretty, just tell me. Don't tell me by telling me you told someone else. Boys make me laugh sometimes.

As they were dropping me off after the show, I got numerous invites to a poker game at Bob's house. What girl can resist a chance to go to Bowie two weekends in a row? Evidently not this one so Friday night I rushed home, changed and found my way out there once again.  Really fun night even if I kept coming in third. Agie and Tim got to sleep in the guest bed this time, Bully slept on the futon. I was ready for the couch until Bob graciously offered to let me sleep in his room. Against my better judgment, I followed him down the hall.

Anyways, see previous post about avoiding crushing on this boy. It would not be a good thing for anyone, trust me. I'm okay so far and I have no idea when I'm going to see him again so it shouldn't be an issue. I think it is just because I spent four nights out of eight having a lot of fun with him. I'll be over it soon.

Saturday I came home, took a quick nap and then went to get my hair done. I ran by the Cingular store to reactivate my 949 cell number since the blackberry will be no more in two days (yippee!). I picked up a snazzy new phone while I was there and am so far loving it. That night Heather and I had a movie date and watched The Departed. Really good movie.  Great cast and some really funny lines especially about the Irish and how pig headed and stubborn they can be which I have a vast amount of experience dealing with between family and exes.

Today was spent in the office getting things in order for when my replacement starts tomorrow so I can focus on training her instead of straightening up my desk.

Okay. I'm off to talk with the boy scout!

Most Random of the Day

The Boy Scout is back. Completely out of the blue he contacted me today after what? A couple months? He had told me that he was going to be really busy with closing down camp and on top of that his grandmother got really sick so he was going back to PA as much as he could so it would be a bit of time before we could see each other again. I said I understood and left it at that and never heard from him again. Until today.

Turns out his grandmother passed away and he had to fire a bunch of people including the camp caretaker. Which boils down to he has been home maybe 10 days since our last date a couple months ago. He apologized for dropping off the face of the earth. I told him I, of all people, understand how life can sometimes just take over and get crazy and make you disappear. I've have the impression based on all our previous interactions that he's a pretty sincere and honest guy - man was an Eagle Scout and in the Order of the Arrow (for all you out there who aren't boy scout geeks it's a very small, select group of Eagle Scouts) for God's sake.

Here's the thing. Our second date was pretty great. I haven't had a date that fun and comfortable in years and years. I'd really like to see him again but how can I tell if he's being honest or just an asshat? Ugh. I'm taking a chance kids. He's supposed to call me tonight to chat more. I'll keep you updated. This could be good - I need a distraction from Bob before I start to crush on the guy.

Story of my Life

All last weekend (Columbus Day) I felt like I was back in high school. In a good way. Neither Agie nor I worked Friday - her last day at work was Thursday and I took a vacation day.  The original plan was to spend the day in Baltimore then go to the Social Distortion show that night at Sonar. It turned out to be a really crappy day weather wise so we nixed the day part of the plan and went to see The Last Kiss. Pretty good flick.  After the movie we went to El Tamarindo for some yummy grub (third time that week for me - first was dinner with XM Saturday, second was dinner with the girls on Tuesday for Katie's last night in DC, more on those later) and then headed to Agie's to meet up with the boys (Tim and Bob-her husband and his friend).

The Social D show rocked. It was so good to see Mike Ness in action again. This was probably the 12th time I've seen them, maybe more, but the first time in about 8 years. Man it was fun! I can't remember the last time I was in a pit - very glad I decided to wear my Docs. Tim and Agie hung in the back while Bob and I went up to the front. I've been in more than my fair share of pits so I know how to avoid getting hurt by the guys moshing and crowd surfing but Bob decided on his own to be my guard, kept his arms around me and kept saying in my ear "you owe me. I'm taking elbows in the back for you." even though I didn't need one, I couldn't have asked for a better guard.  Bob's a pretty tough looking guy. He's about 6'3", bald, has half sleeve tats on both arms, was wearing Dickies and a wife beater and is one of the most genuinely nice guys I've ever met. And he's funny. I never had a chance. I am such a sucker for that kind of guy, but that's later in the story.

The next day we went to Bob's house in Bowie (for those of you not familiar with the area, it is f a r r from DC) for a kegger/bbq. So much fun. Almost too much fun. At one point a group of us went to the brand new skate park down the street from Bob's. It was good fun to listen to the kids there saying things like "that was totally awesome" and "wow, he's really good" while watching these guys in their 30s shred up the pool. Took me back to the days when some friends of mine used to drain people's pools to skate.

In order to protect the not innocent I will not go into too much detail about the remainder of the evening, but here is a list of some things that happened:

- 2 people streaked down Bob's street. One got paid $40. The other did it just for fun. The one who got paid ate it right as he started to run and tore up both his knees.

- Mexican wrestling masks were worn at various points in the evening, only sometimes while wrestling.

- A chainsaw made an appearance towards the end of the night. Three people used it trying to cut a stump down enough so it would fit in the chimnea. Didn't happen so it went on top where it caught on fire.

- Things burned in the chimnea include, but are not limited to, hats, tshirts, a skateboard deck, one of the aforementioned wrestling masks.

- Number of people who passed out, woke up before everyone else and went through the entire day without knowing they had a bulls eye drawn on the back of their head in silver sharpie, 1.

Since none of us were in any condition to drive, we crashed at Bob's. Somehow, the single guy ended up with the guest bed, Agie and Tim got the futon and I woke up (clothed) with my head on Bob's shoulder with his arm around me, hand on my head petting my hair and a kiss on the forehead. Not a bad way to start the day.

Sunday I had lunch with Heather at Busboys and Poets which was yummy. Then I came back home, took a nap and just did things around the house which is pretty much what I did Monday too. All in all, a really memorable weekend I would have to say.

Overheard on Metro

"Those poor little west coast kids just can't learn about American history like we can here." I wanted to correct the little old biddies but I held my tongue.

Songs of the Friday the 13th

Good Time - Leroy

Roller coasters. Holy roller. I got shot down in Southern California.

El Salvador - Athlete

Fly to El Salvador. I don't know why and I don't know what for.

Pain Killer - Turin Brakes

Summer rain, praying someone feels the same.


I'm on a bit of a Zach Braff music kick lately. Went to two really good shows - one last Friday, one last night. Saving it for the next post.

3 Best Words to Hear

I miss you.


'nuff said.

The Tower Crumbles

It has not been a good month for a few of my favorite things. Tower Records has been bought up by a liquidator and is going out of business. Sad day. I can't even begin to list how many record releases, appearances, free shows I went to at Tower locations. Sure, they got to be overpriced in recent years but it was one of the few places you could go and know they'd have that new release by the not so well known band you loved or that import you'd been looking high and low for and had almost given up hope of finding. And who can forget the U2 video filmed on the roof of the Sunset location? Sigh. More importantly about 3,000 people are going to be losing their jobs. Tough times. Click on title for a fairly good article detailing the transaction.

Couple Things

I know I've been absent as of late but I have a very good reason. I gave notice last week and my last day at the only job I've had so far in DC will be October 17th. My first day at my new job will be the 18th, so there isn't going to be any fun/down time between the two unfortunately. So instead of relaxing in the now calm environment of our office (which is under construction) I've been spending the time after our crazy events at Mount Vernon crazily finishing up a bunch of stuff and writing a manual for the person who will be filling my shoes. Luckily she starts Monday so I'll have two days to train her before throwing her to the wolf.

The main reasoning behind the job move is that my base salary is a significant amount more than I'm making now which will help me to pay for school. Also, it's a much lower stress position so I won't be exhausted every night when I get home and will have energy to focus on school work. I'm very excited and very scared at the same time that I'm finally doing what I've wanted to do since I was 12. I'm now on a five/six year plan to finish my degree and most if not all of law school (Mon Dieu they exclaim!) so I'm biting the bullet and getting myself a really, really nice MacBook Pro and wireless internet at home. After that is all set up, my posting will get back to a more regular, once a day schedule starting next week hopefully.

Song of the Morning

Oh no we gotta go. We're not gonna live forever.

Dracula from Houston - Butthole Surfers

On the metro coming home from a bbq in Bowie that started yesterday at 3. This is a great song to travel home to.

Second Line Of The Night

You only need to lick it to get the taste. - PlanB

Line Of The Day

I would have said that sober - PlanB

Go Fish

This weekend saw the last games of Tim Salmon. Even though he never hit the elusive 300th home run, he is the all-time leader in home runs for the Angels. He was consistently on the leaderboards during his storied career with the Angels which spanned two decades. Aside from his stats, his love of the game and obvious joy playing makes him one of my favorite players in baseball history (well, that and the fact that he stayed with the Angels his entire professional career - an anomaly in these times of free agency). Good sportsmanship in professional leagues is rare these days so it is with a heavy heart I say farewell to one of the great sportsmen of our time.