The bomb threat.

Finally all those court issues are behind me and I can concentrate on getting some more tickets. Just kidding. But seriously, I am done with it and couldn't have been happier. It was supposed to take about an hour and I planned to be back at work by 11am, but did not get back until after lunch. Guess why. Apparently some dork called in a bomb threat and they had to evacuate the entire courthouse before cops showed up with those trained dogs to search the entire building. Although it was kind of amusing to see how relaxed everyone was after they found out (no one was panicking, people were laughing - I guess they get those calls every week or so), it wasn't all that hilarious having to wait outside for over an hour until they were finished. When I asked the bailiff what was going on, he told me about the threat in such a casual manner as if he was talking about the light bulb going out and them having to replace it. Seriously? Did we really get so used to these situations that we no longer react properly and think it's all just a big joke? Do we no longer think it can actually happen again? Or are we simply convinced that it only happens somewhere else but never to us?... Naturally, they did not find anything and could resume their proceedings. At least I had enough time to have a decent breakfast and rest a bit before going to work... And a drive was a breeze. Although it's been like that these past two weeks. Must be due to holidays.
Once I got to work, I got even more bad news. Apparently my Florida trip fell apart and we are staying in DC this year. Which is not the ideal solution but I guess not a bad one after all. Honestly, next time I try to plan anything, I need to hire a personal planner because I am absolutely incapable of organizing something bigger than a dinner or a night out. First we wanted to go to Caribbean but ultimately decided against it. By the time we settled our sights on Miami, it was only two weeks till New Year and plane ticket and hotel prices skyrocketed. Factor in party tickets, food and other entertainment and we were looking at a $1000 plus per person for three days. Even though it was a bit much (a bit?) we still were going through with it, but by the time we were ready to book tickets, prices went up by another couple of hundreds dollars. At that point it was so unreasonable to go there, we decided to drop the idea. The problem is, we decided it today and since New Year is the day after tomorrow, we have no plans or tickets for a night out in DC. Which could present a huge problem considering everything is pretty much sold out. Oh well, we'll see what happens...
On a brighter note, I got a text from my boy toy R. a few hours ago inquiring how I have been lately... Are you kidding me? I just ignored him but it sure made me laugh. Did he really think I'd reply or want to see him again after all this time? Seriously, he should just move on... Which I am sure he has already.

A follow up.

Just a quick follow up on my Sunday post, before my senior gets back from lunch. I did indeed meet up with my friend Sunday night and we again went to my favorite bar near my house. We planned to go to Dave & Buster's at first but they were closed and we had to pick another place. Duh, it was Christmas, what did we expect. Anyhow, on our way there I told him my Sunday story and asked him what he thought about it. Well honestly, he just shrugged and the only thing he said was "You are over him though, so it doesn't make much difference". Thanks, that's a big help. He then asked me about The Guy and I said I haven't heard from him. Thanks for reminding. After that though, I had a great time chatting and we once again did not leave until the place closed down. It's becoming a tendency now...
As I predicted, yesterday was dead at work. Only a handful of people showed up and not a single manager. As a result, I spent my day paying my bills as well as running some errands before leaving at 3pm. Nice! I like this kind of work.
OK, I have to go now, my senior is back. And that reminds me, I have a court date tomorrow concerning that stupid ticket I got back in July, so I have to tell my senior I am going to be late for work...

Not feeling the spirit.

You know, I was hoping for some snow for Christmas, but now I doubt it'll even get cold enough for me to wear my winter coat. This is unbelievable. I cannot even feel that the holidays are coming and therefore am in no mood to celebrate. I had a great week though...
I have been doing pretty much nothing at work. As you remember, I didn't go back to work last Wednesday because of luncheon. I guess after that I just slipped into holiday state of mind and didn't feel like doing anything for the rest of the week. As a result, I showed up for work late and left at least an hour early on both Thursdays and Fridays. In addition to that, I took a three-hour lunch on Thursdays to go to DC to see my friend and went to movies on Friday to see "Apocalipto". Not bad, but not what I've expected... Next week should be even slower, and tomorrow is supposed to be dead so I plan to leave around 3pm, but not before I take care of a bunch of personal stuff I have been postponing...
That same Friday I went out to this place near my work, and even though I don't think it's a particularly good bar, I still believe it's a great way to start the night before moving on to DC. Which is exactly what we did. I also found another reason to get my own place - it only cost us $15 to get to downtown DC without the hassle of having to drive intoxicated and risk being pulled over by a cop... You know what? DC was dead. Even though we went to the lounge that gets jam-packed on weekends, it was fairly empty. Well, empty compared to the usual situation. It felt like we were out during the week when a lot of people prefer to stay home and relax rather than going out. I really enjoyed myself and I think my friend was also having a good time. At least I did not see any signs that he was bored or uncomfortable there. I honestly planned to spend the entire night dancing but had to excuse myself to the bathroom and, as I was going back to my friend, met some guy. What a surprise. I was trying to get rid of him so when he asked if I wanted to dance, I replied that I am already dancing and simply looking for my friend. He was persistent however and asked if he can follow me and join us. At that point, I did not care one way or another, so I agreed. I thought the guy was going to run away when he saw that my friend was also a guy, but seemed to calm down when I told him we need to get a girl for my friend. I don't understand why, but I noticed that many guys find it weird or suspicious if they see a girl out with another guy friend. Is that fear? Rivalry? I don't get it. Anyhow... he stayed. To my astonishment, I found his company entertaining - he was funny and could sustain a decent conversation. Besides, he was a good dancer and we spent the rest of the night talking and dancing. Can you imagine? Talking... when do you ever get a chance to talk in the club? All in all, I had a great time and didn't leave until the lights came on and the bouncers announced they were closing the place down. The guy I met (I am so embarrassed to admit I don't remember his name) invited me to a house party he was heading to, but I was pretty tired and my friend had a long drive home, so I decided to leave after all. We agreed he'd call me the next day so we can set something up. Instead of going home however, my friend and I went to eat since I was starving. By the time I got home I was exhausted but at the same time I had this feeling of excitement which I haven't felt for a while when I met someone during a night out.
The next day, Saturday, was my uncle's birthday so my day was occupied with that. I woke up around noon, had breakfast and went back to bed since I was still sleepy. The next time I awoke, it was 2:30pm and I had to hurry up to make it to the dinner on time. I mentioned already how I feel about my family gatherings, but I have to admit that home-cooked food beats all the negative that I feel about it. Especially if it's my aunt's cooking. That is simply amazing. Another good thing is that all my cousins and I had a separate table which meant we can carry on our conversations without running into the risk of being overheard by parents, and as a result did not have to censor ourselves as much. The Guy from yesterday (I am calling him The Guy until I find out his name) called and texted me inviting me for a dinner, but I explained that I am already having one and we settled for drinks afterwards. By the time I got home however, it was almost 10pm which was definitely not what I planned or expected. I was half-contemplating going out, but I ate so much and it made me so relaxed and it was so late that I did not feel like going anywhere and settled for spending the night in front of TV. I texted The Guy telling him we have to postpone our meeting since I was staying home. However, I have not heard back from him that night...
Sunday afternoon, and still no word from The Guy. Even though I do not understand why he didn't respond, I decided not to think about him anymore or waste my time on him. If he calls, fine, if he doesn't I won't stress about it. The thing is, when he sent me those messages on Saturday, I actually felt sorry for him since he probably wore down his fingers typing out those long texts all night long. He also called me when he said he would which clearly indicated he was interested and wanted to meet up. On my side, I let him know I wasn't going to be able to meet up that night and apologized for that, before suggesting we meet another time. Therefore, I have no clue why I haven't heard back from him. Any ideas?
But the funniest thing happened a mere two hours ago. As I mentioned earlier I was really upset about a particular thing. As you probably guessed, it involved a guy. A quick story: I met this guy a while back and we have been talking a lot and met a few times, however he disappeared at the end of November and I had no idea what happened to him. Then I noticed (or I thought I noticed as I later realized), that he deleted me out from online messengers which was exactly what pissed me off. I am usually very comfortable with myself and am able to handle rejection pretty well. What I cannot stand is when someone goes behind my back and does something like this. I mean, if you don't want to talk to me, be a man and just say it. I'd much rather hear "I don't think we should continue seeing/talking to each other" then have him completely disappear on me. That is why you have balls, so use them. (Now, on a side note, I recently realized that he did not delete anything, but rather it was Google's way of making my life easier, or so they thought). Therefore, imagine my surprise when I was reading something online and he started talking to me again... The conversation was very casual and did not mean much, but i was just startled at the thought that we were talking, period. Another thing is, the last time we spoke I got mad at him and did not try to hide it, so I thought he stopped any contact with me because of that. And honestly, up until today I was almost OK with it. I mean, I was still bummed out about the whole thing, but mostly just disappointed in him. Basically, I crossed him out and stopped thinking about him. You know what's funny though? As I am writing this, I realized that my feelings did not change with him talking to me again, rather I am perplexed with his behavior but nothing more. I do not mind keeping in touch with him but I doubt I'd ever want something more. Once again, any ideas as to this kind of guy behavior?
I am supposed to meet up with a friend I told the entire story to two weeks ago and I cannot wait to see what he thinks about the entire ordeal. But that is going to be later today...

The second Christmas party.

So we had another Christmas party at work today. It was actually a luncheon at Maggiano's for just our department. Instead of making it easy and just feeding us and letting go, someone came up with a version of a Dirty Santa game that was to be played after we were done with food. The good thing was that we could leave immediately after the game which implied we would be done by 3pm or so. Not bad, considering we didn't have to go back to work.
I am not even going to talk about the food because it was delicious, although I haven't expected anything less from Maggiano's - those experiences that I had there were always positive... The game was much more interesting. I decided not to spend much time on picking a present and settled for a gift card. Had I known what people actually brought, I'd come up with something else. However, I genuinely thought everyone took it seriously and was going to bring decent gifts. Oh boy, was I wrong. Here are just some of the "unique" presents, and please keep in mind I don't remember more than half of them but I am sure the list could go on and on:

• Four rolls of wrapping paper
• A harmonica
• Tea
• "Barrel of Monkeys" game
• Dog knitting kit
• "My Little Pony" DVD
• Nutcracker.
• Home-made greeting cards set.

Seriously, I should've bought condoms or something. At least it would have been funny. And definitely useful for our department considering a lot of people are young and unattached.

I got lucky drawing the number and got 51 out of 70. Not bad, if you ask me, and it gave me a pretty good chance of picking a nice present. Well, I got a home-made greetings cards but was able to exchange it for a liquor dispenser. However, I lost it and ended up with some kid's DVD. The worst part? Are you ready? The last person exchanging the gift took away my dispenser. The last damn person! And I almost thought I was going to keep it... This blows. However, I wasn't particularly upset because it was only a game and everything was actually pretty funny, but every time I'd look at that DVD I'd laugh. And it wasn't a good, happy laughter. More like, "Shit, how did I end up with this?"

I have a theory about it now. Since my first Christmas present was awesome, my second is supposed to suck. Just to keep things in a perfect balance...

A break.

I finally took a break from my constant party mode I've been in in the past few months. I noticed that from time to time I fall into this kind of melancholic mood when I don't feel like doing anything except laying on the couch watching reruns of "Law and Order". A pizza and a beer is a great addition too. That is exactly how I felt this past Friday and the splitting headache I got while driving home did absolutely nothing to elevate my mood. Nor did yet another fight with my father. I have to move out... I know I am getting side-tracked here. Anyhow, I basically ignored all calls that I got from my friends ans stayed home. I couldn't have been happier. As much as I like a company of other people, it definitely pays off spending time by myself sometimes away from everyone and everything. I was surprised, but the next morning I woke up much earlier than I've expected relaxed and rested.
I decided to repeat the entire scenario Saturday night (did I like it too much?) but, as I've said a million times, we don't always get what we wish for. My friend actually insisted on picking me up so I couldn't come up with a valid excuse fast enough and was forced to go. In my defense, I must say I was deceived into believing I was going to movies. Instead, we went to a bar next to my house. Oh, that place definitely holds some good memories. This is where I had my first underage drink and no one cared. This is where I celebrated my 21st birthday... well, this is where the celebration started. This is where I used to meet A. when we were going out. Whoa... yeah that's a bit too much of memories, I agree. Anyhow, the place is still great and looks and feels nothing like its branch in Chevy Chase and DC where it is either impossible to get a table due to a terrible service, or impossible to get one due to a very limited space. Anyhow, back to the bar. I was surprised to see that the place was half-empty which actually played to our advantage. We were able to get a complete and undivided attention from our bartender who turned out to be hilarious and skillful in drink-making. Seriously, those were the best mojitos I've had in a while. Just the right amount of mint, rum and lime. Makes me wonder why I always go for vodka cranberry whenever I go out? I should definitely rethink my drink choice. I was having such a great time that the staff had to almost kick us out long after they closed... Sunday morning I knew exactly why I always go for vodka cranberry. That's because vodka doesn't give me a headache! Must be cultural... In any case, some water and Advil did wonders and I was feeling like new again in no time. Which was quite useful considering I was supposed to meet a friend at Starbucks around noon. Well, noon never happened since I woke up around 1pm. It just slowly morphed into 4pm. Close enough. We still had plenty of time to catch up though and managed to keep our work talk to a minimum. Now, imagine my surprise when I raised my eyes only to see my Saturday friend standing behind my chair. When I asked him, "How did you know I was going to be here", he responded, "I just finished working out and decided to swing by hoping you'd be here." That's a lot of swinging by, if you ask me, considering the gym he goes to is located at least ten miles from the Starbucks I was at... He then asked me to come outside, where we talked for a while and then he gave me a Christmas present... My first Christmas present this year... I was so excited. But i got even more excited once I finally got home and opened it up. At first, I thought it was a teddy bear but it turned out to be a beautiful diamond and topaz pendant, and a bear was just a nice addition. It was just then when it hit me that the reason he kept having those conversations about jewelry at the most random times was to figure out my tastes and preferences when it comes to it. This present just made my day, hell, probably my week since it was the first one I received for holidays.
I am looking forward for more...

Sensory overload.

Alright, this post is going to cover the remainder of what started out as a great weekend. And I'll try to keep it short too, since I've got some work to do believe it or not.
So last Saturday I met up with a friend of mine and her boyfriend and a few other friends to go out. I didn't really feel like going anywhere because I was in the shittiest mood possible (I'll talk about it when I feel more like it, so far I just bitched about it to my friend over the phone which temporarily helped), but decided to go out despite it to lift myself up a bit. One thing I didn't know was that my friend was bringing her ex-sister-in-law with us. Big mistake. My friend's boyfriend and I both agreed that if she were ever to come out with us again, we are staying home. Seriously, the girl looked like she was high on something. I mean, don't get me wrong, I understand all the excitement about finally being out on the town, but it doesn't mean jumping around in the back seat of the car like a yo-yo or talking like she's trying to talk over a crowd of a hundred or more. Once we got to the club, I felt great since I didn't have much interaction with her. Oh, and guess who I met? If you said M., you are right again. First words he mouthed off when he saw me? "Oh shit". Yeah, not the greeting I expected, but we managed to have some small talk and then go our separate ways. Honestly, how many more times am I bound to run into him?
Anyhow, from funny to this girl again... Our ride home was almost unbearable. My friend's boyfriend actually started singing at some point just so he couldn't hear her talking. And seriously, some of the things she was saying were grossly inappropriate. It's one thing talking about your sex live with friends (which I am all in favor for and do so myself), but it's totally different discussing those details with people you barely know who specifically ask you not to talk about it (that wasn't me, mind you, but the poor guy). In any case, I was so relieved to go home, I couldn't wait to get out of their car. And it is extremely unusual for me because we usually manage to have a blast when we go out. I was in total sensory overload during my ride home and only calmed down when I got to bed... Crazy...
I am mostly in training all this week so I am pretty bored at work. I am not really complaining about it since it gives me a perfect opportunity to catch up on a million things. Just stating a fact...

'Tis the season...

I dare anyone to tell me young professionals don't know how to party. Last night we proved everybody wrong. By we, I mean our department at work. As you probably have guessed, yesterday was our annual Christmas party. The first one. I think we are having another one in a week and a half... I am surprised to admit I actually liked it. Shall we start from the beginning though?
I could most definitely feel the pre-party rush in the office upon my arrival. Everywhere I turned, people were discussing last-minute details and dates and whether they should leave work early in order to make it back to DC by 6:30pm. Which, if you ask me, is pretty stupid. No, not making it back to DC but starting a party this early on a Friday, when most people don't get off work until 5pm. This is precisely why I arranged with a good friend of mine to go to her old apartment to change and head to the party from there. It worked out perfectly fine since it only took me ten minutes to get there. Heaven! I still cannot believe I managed to get ready, catch up on some news with my friend and change my shoes three times all before my date even arrived. Oh, and with all that getting ready crap - thanks God to whoever invented fashion tape. It's a life-saver.
Anyhow, my date was very late and as a result we did not get to DC until 7:30 pm or so. Which actually worked out quite perfectly since it was about the time everyone else got there. The party was great, nice drinks, delicious food, good company... what else do you need? Apparently, nothing, especially after the forth drink. Did I forget to mention everyone was pretty much wasted there? I mean from people jumping up and down because they got promoted to dancing by themselves to licking a chocolate fountains. Damn great times. The funniest part was when one of the guys I work with tried talking to me about a report of mine. Are you kidding? On a Friday night? I told him I don't even want to hear about it until Monday no matter what happened to the client.
Now, my story wouldn't be complete if I hadn't spent a minute or two talking about my date, so here goes.... I am never, ever seeing this guy again, nor do I want to hear from him. The guy is an idiot. As I might have mentioned, he is from the same country as I am which was the main reason I invited him - I figured it would be fun... shared background and all that shit. Well, first off, he trashed the government and people and politics during a conversation with my co-worker. Now, let me tell you something and it is totally cultural. Russians can talk trash about their country among themselves but if they hear someone else talking about it, that someone else can end up with a broken nose. Simply put, we just don't like when other people talk bad about us in our presence. So me hearing him do exactly that pissed the hell out of me. Honestly, at that moment I wanted to slap him... multiple times too... what a jerk. To top things off, he went home early leaving me at the party. Point one - he drove. Point two - I told him to wait till the end (which was about thirty minutes) so we can go home provided he didn't want to go to a bar afterwards with my other co-workers. Point three - how can a guy leave a girl at the party and go home? Seriously, maybe I got really lucky with friends, but it had never happened to me. On the contrary, if I am riding with a guy, he'd go with me even if he doesn't feel like it just to make sure I am not by myself. But anyway, bottom line is, the guy is an asshole. Who cares. At that point, I just told him to go home and joined my crew who were contemplating continuing celebrating.
And boy, we did. We decided to go to this bar not even six blocks away from the hotel that hosted our Christmas party. That was hilarious... First, it was a college bar so, naturally, everyone was wearing jeans and T-shirts. Imagine their surprise when they saw a bunch of people dressed in suits and cocktail dresses crushing into the club, going straight to the bar and then to the dance floor. Plus, there were so many of us we took about half of the dance floor, no doubt. Since it'll probably take me forever to describe everything that happened there, I decided to use some bullets to convey the most important information only:

• I got hit on by some military guy, but after talking to him for five minutes and realizing that he is a complete idiot, I abandoned him and joined my friends on the dance floor. I did catch an angry look from him at some point during the night, but as you might have figured out, didn't care.
• Everyone had even more to drink which definitely helped us to "bond" which translated into some serious grinding on a dance floor. I just hope no one remembers anything on Monday.
• I decided to share a cab home with my co-worker and went outside to wait until he gets some money from an ATM machine.
• While waiting for him, I saw a guy from my team going home with a girl from our department. Nice! I also hope they pretend nothing happened on Monday.
• I called a "sober ride" to get a cab home, but was told I have to wait for an hour before they get there. Since my co-worker was nowhere to be found, I decided to take a regular cab instead of freezing my ass off outside.
• As I was about to hail a cab, I saw another guy from work getting into one and offered to split a ride with him since it turned out we lived close-by. He agreed and so, I could finally go home.
• By the time I got home, it was 5am and I was so exhausted I couldn't even walk. Seriously, I was limping all the way from the parking to my apartment door.
• I don't remember what happened next, but apparently I fell asleep since I woke up twenty minutes ago in my bed... Yay, I woke up in my own bed! Alone!

Great times guys...

More good news.

You know what I realized today? Never say never. The past few weeks at work have been pretty, should I say, intense due to a usual office buzz about upcoming promotions. It's like Christmas, it always comes at the end of each busy season and it's inevitable. The number of people they promote depends on the number of openings in the higher-up positions and who they promote usually depends on a team and combined with individual performance. So after weighing all these facts I came to peace with a thought that I would have to suffer through another quarter in my current position. I was a bit disappointed but not really surprised since it's usually takes a year or longer before the management actually considers you for promotion. You can imagine my surprise then when I was called to my manager's office today and offered a new position. Oh, I was ecstatic... almost high... I was offered to think about it until Monday and give my answer then, but Are You Kidding Me? There's nothing to think about. Let's see, should I stick with an old position and spend another quarter working on stupid reports or move ahead, decrease my work load and, obviously, increase my salary? In my opinion, there's nothing to think about, which is exactly what I told my manager. I still think I need to give an official answer next Monday... oh well. I must admit though that this new position is probably the toughest in the career path at this company, but at least it gives me an opportunity to move on to bigger and better things... faster.
The downside? The main reason I thought I wasn't getting promoted was the fact that there was another guy on my team who has been working there longer than I have and who I honestly thought was getting promoted before me. So now that I have been and he hasn't, the things may be pretty tense on the team. Even though I know it has nothing to do with me, I still feel guilty because I know how hard he worked these past few months and how much he was hoping to get promoted. As I was walking back to my work station, I kept thinking about facing him and of a better way to tell him the news. Finally, I wrote him an email saying that the management must be idiots if they decided against him (which I really think they are, since this guy is pretty damn good). Just as I expected, he replied with congratulations, telling me exactly what he thinks of our manager and all the higher-ups. Then he told me I should have been promoted anyway. Which, again, I agree with since we both busted our asses to get ahead... what sucks is that at the end they omitted him. My current senior was really surprised when he heard that, and said he was thinking we both were going to get promoted. Bummer... once again, good way to spoil my joy.
So seriously, next time I go out, drinks are on me.
Oh, and hopefully tomorrow things will be better at work... everything will settle down and come back to normal... yeah, right. Like that's always the case.

Some good news, some bad news.

Do you ever wonder how one day, or must I say, a mere hour can bring both good and bad news totally unrelated to each other but somehow connected to you? Well, I experienced this first-hand this morning. It all started with an arrival of the twins (not mine, but some random family at work) - I am sure everyone gets this corporate, company-wide email once someone gives birth. Very important and unimaginable to miss, I know. In my department, an arrival of a baby usually means new client subscriptions, which in turn means more work for us. Seriously, my co-worker has been tracking it down and so far it proved to be true. So when the twins arrived, I got a follow up email from him congratulating me on an increased quantity of new clients we were supposedly getting. Great news at ten in the morning, don't you agree? Now imagine my surprise when half an hour later I found out that one of my client terminated their relationship with our company and I no longer will be working with them. Honestly, I was always wondering why they were using us in the first place since we did not do anything they couldn't do themselves and were charging a lot of money for it. I guess it finally hit them. Good for them.
But, as you are probably aware, all cannot be good and peachy. Another half an hour later I found out that still another client of mine requested an urgent meeting which meant I had to prepare a report for them in the next 36 hours. Umm, kind of impossible and a great way to ruin my mood. I guess the scales of destiny or karma or whatever the hell you call it, have to be in a perfect balance...
OK, back to work, I only have 35 1/2 hours left...

Good morning.

Oh, another weekend is almost over and I can't wait till I go to work. Just kidding...
Don't be surprised at a name, it is morning for me, since I slept all day today. Literally, all day. Which doesn't come as such a shock if you take into consideration I went to bed at 7am. Yes, 7am. Saturday night rocked.
First, my friend drove down from Baltimore so I could introduce him to my party scene. Finally! Only took him three months. We decided we wouldn't drink a lot since both of us had to drive home afterwards. Anyhow, we decided to visit an old party spot hoping it improved from the last time we were there. To my surprise, it has. Or maybe I just haven't been there for a while. I can only tolerate that place if I go there every other month. This time, however, was really fun. First, I saw a bunch of people I know but haven't seen for a while. It was truly amazing to catch up with them. The downside? They kept buying me shots so my promise not to drink too much was shot right then and there. I mean, how can I turn down a drink if my friend is telling me we have to drink for running into each other. The music, however, was really nice and new, so before we knew it, we were dancing again. Big surprise... My friend was also dancing with us, but did not seem very happy or excited to be there, or at least it was an impression I got. Maybe it's because he actually kept his promise and only had two drinks and a bottle of water (which doesn't even count). Or maybe it's because he didn't find any girls he liked. Regardless, I don't think it was that bad. Besides, I soon thereafter I got busy dancing with another guy and left all my friends to entertain themselves. Unfortunately, the night was almost over and I didn't get a chance to spend a lot of time with him. So I told him to call me in about an hour since we had some catching up to do. And then I was gone with my friends in a quest for some food. Let me tell you, all that dancing definitely made me hungry. While I was eating, I decided I definitely want to meet up with my boy. He was a pretty good dancer so I figured I had to check out what else he might be good at. I guess my wish came true, since he called me while I was driving to pick up my car to tell me he'd meet me in about fifteen minutes. Well, those fifteen minutes turned into forty five which is why I am so grateful my friend waited with me until my boy finally showed up. Apparently, his friend got in a fight and was taken in by police, so he was trying to straighten everything out. As if I care. Anyhow, by the time we got to the bedroom, it was around 5 am. Now you understand why I didn't get to sleep until 7am? And you also know now why I slept the entire day... Oh, and I usually don't share, but I thought his performance was much better after we woke up. I guess those doctors were right when they said a good rest can do wonders. As I was about to leave, he told me he'd call, so I replied "Please don't". I know it was kind of harsh but c'mon, why make it something more than it actually was? It's so much better keeping things simple. No muss, no fuss. Just a mutually beneficial one night stand...

Weirded out.

So I have about an hour to post this one before my family comes over. Don't you love family gathering? Twenty people in one room talking at the same time plus a couple of noisy kids running around? Yes, I like it too. Not only I was woken up at 11:30am, but I also had to make a run to a store for some last-minute-I-forgot-we-didn't-have-it stuff. Finally, I am home and I figured I have to share what happened yesterday before I hop into the shower and go entertain my family. Who is pretty amusing and whom I love no matter what... most of the time... preferably in smaller doses.
I finally ventured out to this bar I heard about last night. I must admit, it was pretty damn good. Although it kind of reminded me of a frat party (oh, sweet college years) with an elevated quantities of college guys drinking enormous amounts of beer and dancing to a bad music. The good thing about this place? Their drinks are amazing. As in strong. It took me two to feel the buzz, and I was certainly impressed by that. I came there with a friend of mine and was supposed to meet another group of people, who turned out to be all guys and mostly boring. Big deal... I decided to stick to people who I know. And so I did. And so I asked one of them to come outside with me to have a cigarette (since apparently you can't smoke inside. Who do they think they are?) The moment we came out and I lit one up, I saw my co-worker standing close-by. It wouldn't have mattered if I wasn't smoking at a time (here's a little history. Very few people at work know I smoke and I prefer to keep it that way. Well, a lot of them know I smoke socially, but I don't want them to know I do it on a daily basis. I am playing nice at work. However, I may have to reconsider it taking into attention the fact that I saw my manager smoking and consuming excessive amounts of alcohol at our company outing). Anyhow, it was too late at that point since he has already seen me and I had to say hello. And to prove my point, during the first ten seconds of our conversation he glanced at my cigarette three times. No kidding, I counted. To my defense, he was shit-face-drunk and probably didn't care anyway. He also glanced at a guy I was with twice, so maybe it's just a habit of his. Glance at people or things while having a conversation with someone he knows... We didn't stay there much longer and my friend, her boyfriend, myself and a guy who kept me company while I was smoking (also a very good friend of mine whom I will further refer to as Mansur) decided to party further at a Latin club in downtown DC. Where I ran into another guy I work with... What is it? A company holiday where everyone runs into each other? Although I should've known I'd run into this guy since he was rumored to frequent this particular club. Long story short, the music was great, the crowd even better, my friend got hit on by a girl which totally freaked her out and we had to leave. Bummer. I was having a great time.
Now, the thing that freaked me out, or more like weirded me out, happened during our ride back. And here I have to share a little more history. Mansur and I have known each other for about year and a half and have become good friends, or so I think. It all started out with him liking me and trying to ask me out when we first met, but I was seeing someone else at first, and then didn't see him as a potential boyfriend, but just as a friend. He, however, kept pursuing me which, I have to admit, was a bit annoying at times but totally harmless. And then I started seeing another guy. He then met and fell for a friend of mine, which was a relief for me since I didn't have to explain myself. However, my friend rejected him and there was a big scene and it didn't work out... So now, just when I thought about us as friends, he asked me out. I swear, if I were walking at a time, I would have fell over. At first I thought he was joking. Apparently not. Haven't we been through this last year? Apparently, he switched back to liking me again and wanted to try it out. Seriously, I was speechless. I did not see it coming since I was positive he still liked my friend. Oh boy, was I wrong. The problem here is, this guy is probably the nicest one I know, but I don't see him as more than a friend. I am sure everyone's been in this situation before and knows exactly what I am talking about. Great guy, but only perceived as a friend. Definitely a bummer. Definitely weird and totally uncomfortable. I guess now we will have to pretend it didn't happen or downplay it and move on, since I definitely plan on talking to him in the future. See, if he were just another guy, I would've just moved on and stopped seeing him to avoid feeling uncomfortable. Unfortunately, I don't want to lose him as a friend hence I have to deal with it. Because that's what friend do. They stick together during good times and bad. Right? Right.

A short one.

Alright, this one is going to be pretty short considering it's getting late now and I still have to work tomorrow. Good thing it's Friday.
So I am still thinking about that stupid work Christmas party I have to go to. I finally decided to recycle the dress and buy new shoes. After all, I only wore it once and no one will ever know. Besides, I'd rather spend all that money on shoes. Plus, my friend actually plans to wear a dress she bought and then return it, so my recycling plan doesn't seem so bad after all. But enough about that.
I finally asked my friend to go to the party with me. This is how it went down:
Me: I have a proposition for you.
Him: Is that a marriage proposition?
Me: No, not today....
And then I asked him to go with me. Surprisingly, he said yes. But then again, I know how much he likes networking and me working in finance definitely helps. However, whatever his intentions were, I got company for my party in case it turns out to be completely boring. Plus, I already told people at work I am coming with someone, so it wouldn't be nice to back out now. Now, our mutual friend told me that he is kind of short so I guess I am going to have to be careful with shoes to make sure I am not taller than him. On the other hand, he said he doesn't really care about that and it would show his confidence if he shows up at a party with a girl who is taller than he is. How about that, huh?
I've just spent the past hour talking to my friend about work. At 11pm.... How sick is that? It's like I don't deal with that shit enough at work. Why do I feel the need to talk about markets, and returns, and retirement savings at any time past 5pm? I'll tell you why - brain-washing. Everyone talks about the importance of what I do so much, I actually believe in it myself. Not that I don't think it's important. But not nearly as much as my management is trying to convince me.
Oh, and a final note. Despite all my hopes of getting promoted after this quarter, I doubt it'll happen. There is a rumor at our department that they are only promoting five or so people, which means the chance I'll be one of them is close to zero. Despite my busting my ass this past quarter and getting excellent reviews... Sucks.

Back to school?

So since I am done with my busy season at work, I find I have a lot of free time on my hands now. Sometimes more than I actually know what to do with. I can't complain though since it finally gave me a perfect opportunity to complete a bunch of personal tasks while at work. You don't believe me? Watch it:
I finally opened up a new CD account since I came across some special interest rate on a short term CD. I actually thought about transferring money into a savings account, but later came across this promotion and decided to go with it. Hell with it, why not. After all, nine months is not that big of a deal and they have a fairly high APR for such a short-term investment. About two percent premium over their long term investment vehicles. It was a bit of a gamble for me in a way that I invested all available money in it, but hey I get paid tomorrow and should have some funds available for personal spending then. And by personal spending I mean a dress, to which I will get to later.
I also paid all my bills. Yay! They've been just sitting at my desk at home since I never have time to take care of them. Because I am almost never home! And even when I am, I am usually too exhausted to think about anything important. I also totally took advantage of my company and mailed them out for free. Well, actually I talked our mail room guys into mailing it for me. I don't think they mind it, they are really nice guys. Plus, I am sure they get those kinds of requests on a daily basis.
Next, I played around with my 401K. First of all, I actually managed to set up an online access to my portfolio. I am so proud of myself. At least now I know what is going on there and can check in on a more or less regular basis. Well I actually discovered my portfolio has been doing fairly well considering the market hasn't been exactly soaring lately. I also corrected a dumb mistake I made when I first opened up an account. Stupid me decided to invest some money into a money market account. Why? No clue. Why would anyone in their right mind invest in a money market? Might as well keep it in a bank. Actually, you can probably earn a higher interest there. So anyway, I finally reallocated those scraps that get transferred to a portfolio every month and now I am expecting to see even higher returns. I stay hopeful.
Lastly, I decided to take a look into GMAT. Bad idea. Now that I have, I do not ever want to see them again. You know, that thing sucks... I took a practice exam and even though I did fairly well, I realized how much I forgot since high school and freshman year of college and how much studying and reviewing I have to do now. That knocked all desire out of me to take the exam in the near future. I think I'll concentrate on CFA now. Well, not now, but probably next year. Plus, my company pays for it so why not get it while I am still working there. Right? Right.
So there was my Monday... Not bad at all if you look at all the things I managed to do while looking busy and as if I am working on something.
Today though was a much much more boring day. We had some sort of professor from Georgetown University come over to read us a lecture on investment performance analysis. The moment he handed out slides, I knew it wasn't going to be good - the freaking book was two hundred pages long. I was right. The thing was bo-o-oring. Well, the guy was pretty good, but the entire lecture lasted seven hours, unbelievably long time to concentrate and listen. I still have no idea how the guy managed to speak for so long. The saddest part though was the fact that since he had to cover so much material, he didn't go into details about any of the topics. It was more like this: "You see this financial model? As a reminder, this is how it looks like. Alright, moving on..." Well, I remember what it looks like, but it would be nice to get some sort of refresher and maybe even a more detailed analysis. But anyhow... at least he concentrated on a portfolio attribution analysis, which was actually quite useful. Overall, he did a great job.
Anyway, tomorrow is the last day I can ask my friend to come to our Christmas party with me. Hope I have enough guts to do so. And that is exactly why I need to buy a dress and probably shoes. And that is what I meant by personal spending. So that paycheck definitely comes in handy, if you ask me.
Wish me luck tomorrow and hope he doesn't say no... I don't want to show up alone, plus I need a ride back in case I get tipsy. Just kidding.... I don't drink.
Hope you didn't believe that last statement too...

A Sunday Post.

I have been thinking for the past five minutes about the title for this post, but couldn't come up with anything better than what I have now. So live with it.
Anyhow, I am still narrating my Thanksgiving weekend, and I believe this is my third post about it. I promise it's the last one and I will try to cover three days and make it as short as possible. And if I actually manage to accomplish it, I'll be a hero.
So I got in a fight with A. Saturday night. Why? I have no idea. And I am even more clueless about the fact that we are fighting at all. It's not like we are dating. It was all really weird but here's how it went down:
Him: What happened last night?
Me: Nothing. What do you mean?
Him: You didn't even call or text me last night to tell me you weren't coming. That's rude. I don't know if you know that.
Me: I never said I was coming for sure.
Him: What? You said it last night. On the phone.
Me: The last time I spoke to you was Wednesday night. I didn't even talk to you last night.
Him: It was Thursday morning. You were coming from your friend's house.
Me: At 4am. But not yesterday.
Him: So I recall that.
Me: Why are you even arguing with me?
Him: Argue? Who's arguing?
Me: You are.
Him: LOL
Me: Actually not funny at all.
Him: You know how many times I thought you were in an accident last night? I woke up to check my phone three times. It's very dangerous at that hour in DC.
Me: Look, I never told you I was definitely coming over so I don't know why you were worried.
Him: I don't know. I am just worried when you are out in DC that late.
Me: Well, don't be. I am with friends at all times so I am not wandering there by myself.
Him: It doesn't matter when you are facing someone with a loaded gun in your face. Do you know how many of my friends got robbed?
Me: I only walk from the club to the car. And I don't go to the places where that can happen.
Him: OK. Just be careful.
Me: I am always careful.
And pissed. I mean, are you serious? Don't you think it sounds like an old married couple arguing, minus all partying stuff? I mean this guy managed to piss me off in less than five minutes so I didn't think of anything better to do than sign off. Have him worry a little bit more about me not being online too. Uhhh... feel like I am back in a damn grade school.
I decided I need to go out to blow off some steam, but was actually too exhausted and pissed off to go dancing. Thankfully, a few of my friends felt the same, and we decided to meet up at a bar in Georgetown and sit down for a change. I must admit, I really have to rethink this place we went to - I previously thought of it as a restaurant, but they have a very decent bar and good wine. Oh, but guess who I saw the moment I walked in the door? If you thought M., you are right. Apparently he also decided he'd have dinner at the same place. Damn... He saw me too, so I just nodded and headed for our table. He never came over to say hi and left shortly thereafter. Good for him.
I shared a bottle of wine with a friend while guys were having some liquor. After that we all felt energized enough to go dancing and decided to go to a party my friend was hosting at a club. It turned out to be pretty good although I got tired fifteen minutes after getting there and so did my friends. We decided it was time to leave, but this guy that started talking to me literally the second I showed up wouldn't let go of me and insisted on buying me a drink. Fine, whatever, I'll have a drink if you let me go home later. He asked me for my phone number, but having remembered he mentioned he was leaving for Atlanta Monday, I declined. Honestly, I got home and passed out within the next five seconds.
Alright, this post starting to look very long again, so I am stopping. Enough about my Thanksgiving. It was great. Awesome. Amazing.
Thank you all for your attention...

Thanksgiving dinner.

I had no idea my friend is such a good cook! Damn, that was awesome. I also had no clue she would actually cook so much food both in quantity and variety. The poor girl probably spent all her Thursday in the kitchen. And she hosted this dinner for her boyfriend and some friends. Aww, so sweet... But seriously, the food was delicious. Although when I got up for seconds, almost everything was gone. I probably shouldn't be surprised anyway - there were a dozen or so guys there and, naturally, they just inhaled the food. Oh well, good for them as long as I got hands on more mashed potatoes.
After watching some TV and sipping beer, we decided to play some poker. Actually, correction, guys were playing some poker while girls were sitting nearby trying to figure out the rules. Let me tell you, it was a pretty challenging task. I am familiar with poker rules, but these guys kept changing them with every hand they played which made following their game practically impossible. After two hours, all I was able to notice was the chips migrating from one guy to another... That was probably the point when I decided to go home. It was almost 3am, almost my bed time.
As I was getting my shoes and my purse, this guy I know came up to me and started talking. Since he was clearly drunk, I wasn't paying much attention, plus I was trying to get home and to bed as soon as possible. That is until he asked if I want to hang out with him. Oh, no! Again! The thing is, he already asked me out a few months back and I told him no. Too shy, too reserved for me... I told him thanks, but no thanks. So he just kept talking and after about two minutes he asked me again! "Perhaps, you would want to hang out when there aren't like fifty people around?" Umm, no, perhaps if I want to fall asleep fast but otherwise no. I was getting annoyed, but kept my cool knowing he had a few too many drinks. So after I put my coat on and said good-bye, he goes "So do you want to have my phone number?" Hello! What did I just say?! That's three strikes in under five minutes. Definitely a new record for me... Dude, no. At this point, I simply shook my head and walked right past him to go home.
A little P.S. My friend called me today and apparently the entire story wasn't over after I left. As soon as I walked out of the door, the guy went on a rant saying "Who does she think she is that she doesn't want to go out with me?!" After that I believe he called me a bitch... Seriously? I told him no three times, four if you consider that time two months ago and he has a nerve to offer me his phone number? You know, sometimes "not interested" really means "not interested". Guys just don't get it, you know. Especially, if their mind has been fueled by alcohol. But anyway, after he started calling me names, my friend basically told him to shut up and mind his own business. When he didn't, her boyfriend asked him to stop insulting his friends. He still went on. At this point, my friend's boyfriend simply asked him to leave. Talk about a happy Thanksgiving for the poor guy. Although he totally deserved it...
Oh, and I loved when my friend stood up for me even when I wasn't there. And totally appreciate it. Thanks you guys...

An early start.

Thanksgiving is here!
My family is out of town!
I am so happy. I did plan to spend my Thanksgiving in front of a TV consuming ice cream and chocolate, but when do we ever get what we want. My friend is hosting a Thanksgiving party at her boyfriend's house and naturally she invited me to come over. The good thing? It won't start until 10pm or so, so it still gives me plenty of time to get ready. One thing I realized though is that all stores are closed today and I have nothing to bring her as my gratitude for inviting me over. Unless... unless I take that bottle of alcohol that's been in the trunk of my car since who-knows-when. If only I can find a paper bag for it. Damn it, I don't really want to take it but I don't have much choice, do I? I can't just show up empty-handed. Well, that's settled.
As usual, we got an early start for our holiday last night. Well, it actually started in the afternoon when I took off work at 1:30pm. I was so bored and none of my managers were there, and half of the people were gone by lunch, and so I decided to leave too. Hoping to get home early. Yeah, right. I spent almost two hours in traffic even though it was 2pm and I took back roads. On top of it being a day before Thanksgiving, it was pouring like crazy so everyone was driving even slower. I still got home before I usually do which gave me an opportunity to take a nice long nap before heading out.
The place we went to was so crowded, it felt like weekend. I think a lot of people decided to go out since everyone was off the next day and felt the need to start celebration early. After saying a mandatory hello to a few friends, we finally escaped upstairs and enjoyed our night. If I remember correctly, we were the only people dancing there, but did not seem to care. In the end, it's all about enjoying the night, isn't it? As I was about to leave, I ran into my old friend M. who has been MIA after I ignored his phone calls. Did all guys suddenly decide to hang out at the same places I do? Anyhow, I pretended I was happy to see him and we made some small talk after which he asked me where I was headed. And guess what? I told him! I still have no clue as to why I did. He said he'd join me there later, but I don't think I paid attention to what he was saying anyway - my friend was practically dragging me out of the club. She had good reasons to do so, for that matter. We all decided to have some hookah with our late night meal and it would have been the first one for her. There is this one tiny place Downtown that has an amazing shisha and that is exactly where we went. I was in the middle of my chicken cabob when I saw M. walking in. I swear I almost chocked (as probably did my friend), but still forced a smile out and invited him to sit at our table. Big mistake on his part... especially the entire show off act. Clearly, I wasn't the only one who found him annoying - my friend looked like she was about to reach over the table and slap him. While I still tried to be polite, she didn't even make an attempt to hide her feelings and spent the next hour picking on a poor guy. As he was trying to compliment me on a jewelry I was wearing by saying "I like it", I responded, "I know... I bought it". Rude I know, but who really cares. As we were walking to the car, I thought of a polite way to let him know I am not interested, but unexpectedly he played into my hands. As he leaned over to kiss me, I turned away and instead gave him a kiss on a cheek. Polite enough, but also clear enough. I just hope he gets the point. When we were driving home, my friend was laughing at the way I gently let him down but I think I did the right thing - after all, the guy was never rude with me, he just wasn't my type. Why would I be rude to him because of that, right?
Turkey tonight...

Free DC bar guide.

I feel like I should definitely start charging for my advice. This girl I work with emails me practically every week asking what is good on a particular night in terms of going out. And since I am such a nice person that I immediately reply to every email I get so that I don't keep people waiting, I end up spending the next fifteen minutes trying to figure out what day it is (because it always feels like Monday for me unless it's Friday), then what bar is good to go to on that particular day. The worst part is there hasn't been a time when I actually saw her out. Well, maybe once. Other times she just goes with an old "I was tired" routine. Unbelievable... spending her time picking my brains just to stay home after all.
My other friend recently suggested I write a book. Naturally, he mentioned it after I told him another story I got myself into this past weekend. He also said he'd co-author me on it. I told him the blog would suffice for now, and in the future - who knows...
So we did go out again this weekend. I know, surprise, surprise.... Although I must admit, that DC is getting old again. Everywhere I go, there are the same faces I see and the only thing that seems to change is a location. Someone definitely needs to open up a few new places, otherwise I might trade it in for Baltimore. Just kidding... The night turned out to be better than I expected, the place wasn't too packed, the music was great and I saw some old friends of mine whom I haven't seen in ages. All in all, I was having a great time dancing, but the night wouldn't be complete without some twist to it, would it? I was having a great time until I saw him - who I was actually hoping I wouldn't have to see ever again. I think everybody would agree that there is one person from their past that they never ever want to see again. Well, there he was standing twenty feet away from me talking to some people. Why, out of all damn places in DC did he choose the same place I did? This blows. To my satisfaction, I must admit, I do not think he was there with a particular girl, just more like a large group of friends who kept rotating during their conversation. I got sick and tired of watching him after a first few minutes though, so I decided it's about time to focus on my friends. I did sneak a few peeks at him during the next few hours but having not noticed anything extraordinary, I went on to have my own time. Inside though I was pretty bummed out for him spoiling my night.
Now my next confession might come as a shock - at least my friend called me crazy when I told her. I think this whole seeing-this-guy incident drove me later to call my annoying ex, A., who invited me to the party he was having. As I certainly did not feel like driving home, I decided to go and check it out since his place is only ten minutes away from mine. When I got there it became apparent that the party has died out and the only other person except the two of us was fast asleep in the bedroom. I didn't really mind it though and we spent the next hour or so sipping beer and catching up - it has been about nine months since we broke up and I haven't seen him since. Throughout our conversation, one thought kept crossing my mind - should I sleep with him? I was single, he was single, we liked each other in the past so why not, right? Wrong. First, I realized that the reason I was thinking about it was because I was still upset about seeing that guy in the club and basically wanted to get back at him and my ex presented a perfect opportunity to do so. You must agree, it is a very wrong reason for sleeping with someone. But this was not what really stopped me. I don't know if I mentioned it before, but he was pretty bad in bed when we were dating. Truthfully, if I didn't know better I would have thought he was a virgin. The thing that pissed me off the most was that he could get it up, he could keep it up but he did not have a slightest clue as to what to do with it. I think this also was a real reason we broke up. As these thoughts were coursing through my head I finally rejected the idea of sleeping with him, but still decided to stay there for the night, or for the morning to be exact. I didn't really feel like driving back at 6am. We tried to sleep on the couch but since it was pretty difficult to accommodate two people on it, he finally woke up and kicked out his friend and I fell asleep on his bed. With him next to me. Had I known A. would take it as a hint of us getting back together, I would've gone home, trust me... Oh, and another stupid idea of mine? I took off my earrings before falling asleep as they were long and dangly and uncomfortable to sleep in. As you probably guessed, I drove home without them the next morning. The worst part is that I love them and definitely want them back, but that would mean going to his place again. Since he has been calling and texting me on a daily basis since that night, I do not think that going there would be such a good idea. I did not have a slightest intention to give him a hint of us getting back together, but I think he got the wrong message. His every text or phone call ends with do-you-want-to-hang-out-again phrase. I am really starting to think now that he thinks I am thinking about getting back together. How the hell am I supposed to tell him I don't without hurting his feelings all that while getting my earrings back?! Oh why in the world did I decide to go there in the first place? Why didn't someone stop me and tell me to go home instead? Now I am stuck with dealing with this mess as if I have nothing else to do...
As for more positive news, I am currently trying to bribe my friend into going to a Christmas party our company is throwing. I decided I'd go to his party if he goes to mine. Would have to suffer through two events, but at least will have someone to keep me awake during dinner. Oh, and I also think I have a crush on my co-worker... Now that I actually wrote out these thoughts, I no longer think they are such a good news after all, but life is life. Got to deal with whatever it throws at you.

Who doesn't dream of Friday night every Monday morning!

You ask why the exclamation point? Because it's not even a question, it's a fact. Fortunately Friday is in less than 30 hours.
Remember that guy I met Friday? Not the annoying one, but the one I met at the end of the night - the "babe", M. He actually showed up Saturday. Well, first he texted me informing of his plans, but I told him I am going to a different place since by that time I have already made plans with some friends. Then, while I was standing by the bar sipping my drink, chatting, there he was standing a few feet away. Can't say I wasn't surprised to see him. The night in general wasn't that great, partially due to music partially to a disappearing act my friends kept pulling on me. I saw a few other people I know at the club, including my over-protective friend who made a face the moment he saw me with M. Although he always makes a face when he sees me with a guy. I don't mind it because I know that he is just looking out for me and in his eyes almost any guy wouldn't be good enough. I guess if someone else did that I'd be upset, but I am used to his remarks at this point and know he doesn't mean it in a bad way.
Did I also tell you that I left my ID in my other pants which almost cost us getting into the club in the first place. Took me good three minutes to convince the bouncer and the owner that I am old enough to get in. They finally let me in, but only after I promised to behave.... Which I did.
But back to M... I don't think I like him much anymore. As one of my guy friends pointed out, I have a very short attention span, especially when it comes to guys. I laughed at him at first, but now reflecting back, I think he was right. So there goes another guy down the drain. I figured why bother seeing him again if I already cooled down after meeting him twice. At least with others I last longer... up to five months. Although I do get bored after two or three. He called me Sunday night asking if I want to see a movie. I ignored his call. After all, it is easier to let him know I am no longer interested now than after a month or two when I will have to actually explain. Then we'll have my favorite "I think we need to talk" conversation. Hate those.
I went for a few drinks again Tuesday night. As usual I had a blast, and I got a free beer glass as I was leaving. Yay! Now imagine my disappointment when I got home and noticed that I managed to crack it. I guess now it would have to serve purely decorative purpose. Sucks... My work bugged the hell out of me - the highlight of my day was getting a free glass... Can you imagine...

The weekend has finally kicked in!

So we did indeed go out last night. And let me tell you - it was so damn awesome. Except we didn't get to the place until after 1am, because I was late meeting my friends (surprise, surprise). Oh, I wish we got there earlier because the music was so fine, I don't think they played a single song I didn't want to dance too, and trust me I am extremely picky about this kind of stuff. It was surprisingly not too crowded so I could actually move to the music. Of course, my evening wouldn't be complete, if someone didn't decide to mess with it. So apparently my friend and her boyfriend decided to bring over the guy I totally ignored last week. Seriously, when I saw him in a car as they were about to pick me up, my heart skipped a beat. Are you kidding me? Why would you bring him over to try to set me up again if I made it perfectly clear last week I was not interested. Well, half an hour later I pulled my friend aside as we were walking to the lounge and asked her those same questions. Her response definitely came as a relief - apparently no one actually invited him, but he decided to come over once he found out I am going to be there. "Babe, I would not do you this wrong", my friend told me. Thanks babe, love you back... I mean, don't get me wrong, this guy is probably one of the sweetest people I ever met, but he is just so SO shy and reserved. I can't stand reserved guys, let alone reserved guys who try to get to know me. If all you can manage to say during the twenty minute car ride is "How have you been", chances are you are not going to get a decent conversation out of me later. Another thing that bugged me? When we were dancing in the lounge, he asked me if I wanted to dance with him. I told him I am already dancing, which is a polite way of saying no, right? He seemed to get a point, until he started coming on to me repeatedly after about ten minutes. I usually try to deal with these kind of situations myself, but I had to tell my friend and eventually her boyfriend, he was so annoying. He finally managed to pull me away from this guy. I just remember I kept thinking, which part of "No" did you not understand? I hate it the most when you tell a guy you are not interested, yet he is trying to get with you. Is it that a "No" simply doesn't exist in guy's vocabulary?
In any case, I think someone had a talk with the guy because he made himself invisible for the rest of the night, which gave me a perfect opportunity to chill out and finally relax. That was the time I saw this guy standing ten feet away staring at me. He was cute, so I decided to play this game I play. Whenever a guy keeps glancing at me but doesn't come over to strike up a conversation, I just smile and stare back. It's like this game I used to play in grade school - when you stare in another person's eyes and whoever looks away first loses. We played this game for about five minutes after which I decided that if he doesn't have guts to come over and talk, he doesn't really worth my attention. So I went around looking for my friend and we were just standing aside talking when I saw, no I felt, this same guy looking at me again. So I turned around, smiled at him and waved at him to come over. He finally did and we talked for a bit, then danced, and then my friend came over and told me we were leaving. So I said my good-byes and left, having left him my phone number, although I was not really expecting him to call. Little did I know, he texted me the moment my friends dropped me off, offering to meet up in Georgetown to grab a quick bite. Since I was already driving home, I told him no. I offered I'd let him know where I am headed the following night and if he wishes so, he can come over and we'll hang out. We exchanged half a dozen silly messages, and I am willing to bet anything I called him "babe" around five times. Aah, alcohol does wonders...
You know what I just did? I just agreed to meet my ex, A. What on earth am I thinking? I keep telling myself that we are just friends, and even though my feelings for him are long dead (those few that actually developed), I know he wants to give it another shot. It just doesn't seem he understands that it is definitely over, and the only reason I want to keep him in my life is because despite our difficulties when we were together, I still think we can remain friends. Not best friends, but those kind of friends who meet up once every few months over a cup of coffee and catch up. I just hope the feeling is mutual and he won't bring the past up once we actually meet...

Why can't the entire week consist of Fridays?

I take it back, why can't it be Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays? I even don't mind working Friday, as long as I have an entire weekend ahead of me. All the time.
All in all, it's another rough week at work. I knew it was going to be bad when I woke up tired Monday morning. I could barely concentrate at work all week, and my colleague's sarcasm didn't help, although temporarily made me smile. "Good thing it's already Monday" he told me as soon as I got to work that day and got some coffee. Yeah, it is amazing. Only five more days to go. Then I got stuck in traffic three days out of five, which made me late for work and even more aggravated. I definitely have to concentrate on looking for an apartment.
I just realized I haven't seen an old friend of mine since the end of June. This is sad. Although I think the first month or so she was just upset with me because we weren't able to meet up one night because I wasn't going to wait until midnight until she was finished with her plans and she didn't want to drive to DC where I was when she finally reached me. So we had a little fall out. But things have been fine for the past three months and we still haven't found the time to meet. Once again, it is very sad considering we live fifteen minutes apart. Definitely have to put it on my radar - do not abandon old friends. Because no matter how much fun you have with people who are in your life now, old friends are also an important part of who you are even if you are not able to meet up as often as you used to...
I had no idea how lazy I am. I was just picking an outfit for tonight, when I realized I can't even bring myself to move the shoe box out of my way when I walk into my closet. Every time I need to get dressed I have to step over it - and let me tell you half the times I just trip as I am in a hurry to get to work or meet friends - instead of simply moving it away. Amazing...
So all my plans of staying home tonight went out of the window when my friend called me a few hours ago to drag me out. Which I am kind of grateful for, because I definitely need some dancing time. I have no idea where we are going and I don't think she has either, and since it is after 10pm, it bothers me a bit. We better decide before midnight...
Alright, she just called me, and it seems like we narrowed it down to two places which doesn't seem too bad. So now I have to go and get ready since I am supposed to meet her downtown in an hour and I don't want to be late. Because I am always late meeting her and I feel bad about making her wait, especially if you take into consideration the fact that she is usually the one driving me to the club and back.
Gotta go...

Is that what you call working?

No matter how busy I am at work, I always try to carve out a few minutes here and there for some personal time. Since I can't take cigarette breaks at work, I opt out for some chatting time with my friends. Whoever invented Google Chat is a genius. When I had my training when I first started I was told I cannot use Yahoo or AIM or any other messenger at work due to recent SEC regulations. Apparently, the Commission is afraid that someone will pass some confidential information to their friends and no one would be able to track it due to the nature on instant messengers. As you know, whatever you type in that window is not saved and therefore, cannot be tracked. As a result, it is possible to transmit insider information to the person on the other end of the conversation. What makes Google different is the fact that you can chat while checking your mail and there is no need to download the messenger on your desktop. Since you chat inside your mail window, there is no way to verify if you are talking or simply checking your mail. Genius!
So here I was sitting at work today, being lazy (even though I had tons of work to do) and decided to see how my friends are doing. I swear I only planned to chat for ten minutes or so, but then my friend asked me what I my plans were for New Year. Alright, so from then on, the entire conversation went on for another three hours as we were trying to plan everything out. So here are our options:
- Go to New York
-Rent out a house in the mountains and go skiing
-Go on a cruise.
After carefully considering these choices we decided that New York is old - we went there and to Atlantic City last New Year. Mountain house is definitely exciting and cheap, but probably not very suitable for New Year. While there is definitely a possibility of drinking, there's no chance of dancing and the crowd will probably be older - which means no one to hang out with except for people we go with. Cruise, on the other hand, is entirely different. First of all, neither her nor I have ever been on one. Second, it is not as expensive as either of us thought. Third, why not celebrate New Year somewhere warm, swimming and sightseeing? Forth, these trips are usually all inclusive, which means we don't have to worry about food or drinks. And, as I sure everyone knows, drinks are very important for New Year. Plus, every ship has some sort of a bar or a lounge where we can dance all night long. Next, the crowd on these ships is between ages of 25 and 35, which suits us perfectly. We can leave the day before New Year, the 30th of December, celebrate the holiday on the ship, go sightseeing or snorkeling on the afternoon of January 1st, and come back the next day. The only inconvenience is, we will have to drive down to Florida since there is no way we are flying in. But then again, a road trip can also be tons of fun, since it is something I haven't done in a long while.
Oh, and we also decided to invite two Canadian guys to go with us - that would definitely be a blast. My friend met one of them a few months back, and from what I hear, he is nice and funny and almost perfect. The email has been sent to him and we are anxiously awaiting the response. Provided they fly in to Reagan, we can all go on a road trip and then go on a cruise. The good thing about it is that we won't have to drive eight hours each. Plus, what can be better than chat away while hitting the road. It reminds me of times about two years ago when I went on these little road trips with my friends and we would just drive around for a few hours catching up, blasting the music and laughing out of our minds. Definitely one of the best memories...
You know, as I am typing this, I realize how much fun it can actually be if we decide to go through with it. It is certainly something different than staying in DC, going to NYC or some other metropolitan. I mean, let's get realistic, there are not so many places to go to for New Year if you want to celebrate it properly. And by properly, I mean good crowd, good music and exciting memories.
Anyway, enough about that, I have to get back to work now. Unfortunately, I still work sometimes. Don't want to make my clients unhappy, you know....

Not a weekend without an adventure.

So, another week has passed and now I have so much to talk about, I don't know where to start. I should probably write more often to avoid having a 10,000-words-blogs. Alright, I guess I'll start from the beginning. Oh, and let me just tell you, I hate this time change. Not only do I feel unusually tired right now, but I also kept waking up all night and ended up getting up at 11am, getting only six hours of sleep. But enough about that, back to a more important things.
I finally met my friend Aaron on Tuesday for a few beers. Rock Bottom definitely rocks, their beers are among the best I ever had. I decided to take off work for about an hour and a half, and then come back and finish whatever I had left to do. I had a blast talking with him, but then again, I always do when we meet. Unfortunately I had to get back to work, so he left rather soon, promising to send me some flowers from Canada... Let me tell you a little secret - it is so much fun to work while you are slightly hammered. I finished the amount of work it usually takes me an hour to complete in twenty minutes. I don't guarantee quality, but I haven't heard any complaints yet, and it's almost been a week; therefore I assumed everything was perfect.
Moving on to Wednesday... if you remember I was supposed to meet up with R. this Wednesday. Which I did. Which I will never do again... most likely. Seriously, either I was drunk the last time we met, or had a temporary memory loss. While I can't say it was bad, I can definitely point out that it wasn't particularly hot either. Lukewarm at best. I mean I understand that he was tired and so was I, but it definitely did not live up to my expectations. Therefore, I am only devoting a 100 words or less to the entire story before moving on to my weekend.
Halloween... Even though I wanted to dress up at first, the weather definitely changed my mind. Listening to all that wind howling outside my window made me hesitant about wearing a short skirt and a spaghetti-straps top for a night out. Since we didn't go to a theme party, but rather to a regular lounge bash, I didn't feel the need to dress up. Turns out, not a bad choice after all. I would say only approximately 10% of people there wore costumes so I didn't feel awkward or left out. It really started out as a great night. Awesome music, nice crowd, good drinks... Started out is a key word here. As I was ordering some drinks for my friends and I, some guy striked up a conversation with me. I only glanced at him once to know I don't like him so I made a small polite talk while waiting for a bartender (and damn did he take long) and headed to a dance floor to join my friends. As we danced I felt someone pulling me over to the side. I turned around, and sure thing, it was the same guy who tried talking to me at the bar. Since he wasn't entirely unpleasant, I didn't immediately brushed him off and asked him what he wanted. He said that his friend wants to talk to me. Is he running a dating service in a club? But anyway, his friend turned out to be quite funny and we spent the next fifteen minutes chatting. I wasn't particularly interested in him but he was able to hold a decent conversation so I was actually enjoying his company. He then told me he thinks he knows me from somewhere. My first thought - I never met him before nor did my friends nor any of us ever been involved with this guy (this is when you actually feel relieved that none of it happened). This is exactly what I told him and we went on chatting. About ten minutes later he repeated the whole thing about meeting me prior again. Now, I was absolutely sure I have never met him before. Even though I am terrible with names, I am fairly good with faces and would remember if I saw him before (because he would have definitely caught my attention had I seen him). But my weekend wouldn't be complete if all ended at that. His next phrase came as a blow to the head.
- Aren't you the girl was seeing my friend a few months back (his friend as in, R.).
My jaw just hit the floor. Silence. If it weren't for the music, you could hear crickets chirping. I guess he saw me when I first met his friend in that same club when he introduced me to all the people he came with. There were so many of them, there was no way I could remember all their faces.
After about thirty seconds I fake laughed and mumbled something like, "Yes, that is me".
-So what happened between you guys?
-Well, it sort of didn't work out.
He then went on and made a joke saying that he broke up with my party boy and left him for another man (it was this silly inside joke him, his friends and I made up when I first met him). But from then on, we both felt uncomfortable, so I said I had to go check on my friends and left.
How fucked up is that?! Now I can guarantee that he will go straight back to R. and tell him that he saw me. Why on earth, out of all girls in the club he decided to hit on me, and then recognize me? Why can't I spend at least one weekend without some sort of adventure? I can almost see the text message from the party boy asking since when am I hanging out with his friends. And the most messed up part? The one that actually got me pissed and ruined my night? When I saw all these guys standing in a circle listening to my earlier encounter talking and staring in my direction. What the fuck?!
When I thought my night couldn't get any worse, my friend called me and said she is going to stop by with her boyfriend. This fact in itself wasn't bad at all, until I saw that she brought some guy along with her, apparently to set me up with. I really thought she had a better taste. I just ignored the poor guy and danced with my friends. After all, I am not obligated to dance with someone I don't want, right? Besides, my night was spoiled and I didn't want to ruin it for someone else too by being rude or not paying attention during the conversation. Little did I know that the only thing the guy said in an entire night was "Hello, how are you tonight?" Which made it even easier for me to ignore him. But they left soon after, and then so did I with my friends. As I drove home, I started to get this dumb headache. It didn't really surprise me since the night that promised to be entertaining turned out to be a total bust. Well, maybe not total, since there still was a lot of dancing and laughter, and crazy salsa...

A new old man on horizon.

So I finally tracked down my party boy, R. Took me quite a while to do that though. It was pretty much the usual thing - first he was busy at work, so he suggested we met next week, then I got totally swamped first and then had to practice abstinence for a few weeks because I was such an idiot. Finally this afternoon I decided to text message him. I couldn't come up with anything original so I simply said "Hey, stranger", same line he used on me before. And, what do you know, it worked. Luckily, this week was going to be less hectic for him so we decided to meet up on Wednesday. Of course, things could not just run smoothly (when do they ever do). Since he lives with his mother (I know, I know), we have to meet up at his other apartment. The only problem is someone already lives there. So every time we want to meet up he has to kick the other guy out to have a place for himself in the evening. Last time he managed to do that, but apparently this time it could be a problem. He told me though, that if he will not be able to kick him out, we'll just take a night vacation and get our own little getaway with our own private room. Now I kind of wish he couldn't get him out. I didn't argue much and just told him to do whatever it is he has to do. His response? He will keep me guessing as to location as long as I make sure I bring my passionate lovely self. How romantic! Don't make me sick. I told him I'll make sure I'll drag my ass over. Talk about killing the romance...
Why is it that every time you plan something, someone else will always call you and try to make plans for the same night? Less than an hour after we set up a day, my friend Aaron called me asking if I would have dinner with him since he is leaving for Canada for a week. And, naturally, he wanted to meet up Wednesday. I told him I can't do Wednesday, but would gladly do Tuesday night, or even Monday. It just amazes me that out of all weeks and days in the week, he would choose to have dinner on the same day as I am meeting the party boy. It's the same as when you stay single for months and eventually meet someone, that same moment three more guys line up in front of your door wanting to go out. Where have you been a month ago, I ask? Do you smell that I might be seeing someone now and run over to ask me out too? And once you end things with the first guy, these three suddenly disappear too... Happens every damn time... not only to me, but to my friends as well... So it's not like I am making it up, I have their back up.

Hate.

Today is the day you left me...

I hate you for leaving me when I needed you most. I hate you for not being there for me when I wanted to be with someone I love and understand. I hate you for not giving me any warning before you left me. I hate you for losing my best friend and the only person I could ever trust. I hate that I am still thinking about you every day even though it's been years since you've left. I hate that you are not there when I am hurting or need to talk to someone who can simply listen and nod. No advice, just listen and understand, like before. I hate you for ruining my faith in people and that up to this point, I haven't fully regained that. And I don't know if I ever will. I hate you for being my best friend and the person I loved the most and then suddenly disappearing on me. I hate that you never gave me the chance to say good-bye. I hate you for ever telling me you loved me and never letting me express my feelings. I hate you for making explain to everyone what suddenly happened to you and where you went. I hate you for storming into my life but not staying long enough. I am grateful for those years I got to spend with you but I hate you because it didn't last as long as I wanted... I am at a loss as to what else to say... I wish I remembered more of our time together, but never in my life with you had I thought you'd leave so unexpectedly. I was not ready... I was shocked when it happened... i hope you had your reasons but I don't think I will ever find out what they were or understand them. I hope one day I see you again and that my questions will be answered. Until that day, I hate you...

I want to let you know that you created some of the best and the worst days in my life and I am reminded of it every single year. You have no idea how hard it is for me to write this but doing it makes me feel better even if only for a moment.
You are always in my mind and in my heart and in my best and dearest memories.

June 21, 19** - October 22 few years back...

Man's opinion

I'm always puzzled when guys say they cannot understand women, that we are too complicated. But seriously guys, don't even get me started on which gender is more complicated and bizarre. I happened to be in a strange situation recently so I finally had to engage some innocent bystanders and practically terrorize them until they shared their honest opinion with me. By innocent bystanders I mean two male friends of mine who I thought should be able to provide me with some insight as to this issue. I have already formed my own opinion before I talked to any of them, but wasn't sure it was the correct one, since male and female brains work in opposite directions it seems. Then I talked to each of them separately to get some male perspective. The reason I asked two of them is to avoid any possibility of bias which could have occurred had I asked only one guy. Now by having my thoughts and their respective ideas I was hoping I was going to be able to get to some conclusion that made sense to me. Well, turns out, even after they shared some information with me and I slept on it, things don't make much more sense than they did yesterday afternoon. Actually, they sort of do, but now I am even more perplexed about the entire situation than I was before. But enough about what I think and back to the issue, I guess.
As you probably have guessed, it is about a guy. I met him a while ago, online. As we started talking, we inevitably got to the question of what we are both expecting from each other. Turns out we were both looking for something casual at the time (now I don't know his reasons but I have just got out of a weird relationship and wasn't about to jump into another one). I do not recall who mentioned the casual thing first, and as one of my friends pointed out, it is an important aspect that can impact the way he thinks. Too bad I didn't keep notes. We finally met sometime last June and spent one night together. Afterwards, we kept talking online quite often, but our respective schedules kept us from seeing each other again even though both he and I attempted to meet up numerous times. Unfortunately that never happened. As of about two-three months ago though he started asking me if I met someone else or if I've slept with someone else since we hooked up. Going back to our initial conversation, we made an agreement to tell each other if we've slept with someone else while we were seeing each other (I guess here goes a trust issue). So, every time he'd ask me if I slept with someone else, I'd say no (which is the truth, since I haven't been with anyone since he started asking me that question). After my answer, he'd just move on to another topic in our conversation. This fact always left me wondering why he would ask me this question, because it sounded like he was asking me if I was with someone else while I was with him (let me remind you, we agreed it was OK to see other people as long as the other person knows about it). So yesterday, after another round of interrogation from him, I finally decided to get some man opinion about this. I figured a guy would know better why another guy is acting one way or another. So the question I asked both guys was:
"Why does he ask me if I hooked up with anyone anytime we talk online?"
I gave them some background so they were familiar with the situation.
Here are their response (my notes in parenthesis). By the way, they know I will be referring to them here and they don't mind.
The first guy I asked:
"Because he is curious and because he wants some repeat performance. (what does one have to do with another?) If you were having fun with someone else then maybe you wouldn't be as receptive to having fun with him too (once again, those two things are not connected since we agreed we are free to see whoever we like). You are a girl who could get with a majority of single men when you go out so he is just scared that a) you find someone you like or b) find someone so good that he won't be able to compete with him when he gets a chance. Did you hooked up with him ever since (no, it was that only time). Was it good for him and you? (well, he wouldn't stop talking about it for about two weeks after it happened just having re-runs in his head, so does that mean he liked it?). Obviously then it was an experience for him and he had a very good night so now he may be wanting it to happen again on a frequent basis, so if you start seeing someone else it lessens his chances ( I still don't get how having someone else for one night - because that's what he implies when he asks me the question - can lessen his chance). It may not but he may think that."
Alright, I mean I see his point but it still hasn't made things any clearer. Except the fact that he wants to meet up again which I already knew cause he tells me that when we talk anyway.
The second guy (the reason I asked this guy was because he has a tendency to be blunt no matter how bad his response may be. I appreciate it because girls have a tendency to sugar-coat things to spare your feelings, but this guy is basically telling me things as they are according to his perspective, of course):
"Men feel possessive of anyone they have sex with. Some more then others. Some act on their feelings some don't (that's a general sweeping statement). He might feel possessive without acting on it. Most men don't like to share their women. (at this point I told him about our agreement to see other people while informing each other of it. I also told him that I answered his question and that I was honest with him. I told him that we haven't seen each other since so it was weird he kept asking the same thing over and over). I think he may want to date you at this point, and date you exclusively (why would you think that). Sex creates an emotional bond and separation creates desire (at this point things get pretty heated up, so he just calls me instead). When you first started seeing each other, you made an agreement it was going to be a casual thing. Now he has changed his mind, but he can't change his word because men don't do that (at least decent ones). He probably realized he wants something more but cannot say it because it would go against what you agreed on. Do you want to date him? (I think so). At this point it is up to you then to casually bring it up and maybe give him a hint. If he takes the bait, he'll continue the conversation you started and will tell you what he wants. If he was the one who first mentioned the casual thing, then just casually bring it up and see what happens from there. If you were the one who said that, then it is entirely up to you to start this conversation. If you said it first, he would never talk about being exclusive first because he thinks it is not what you want (damn, it's like saying, you made your bed, you have to lie in it now. I wish I remembered who brought it up first - for some reason I think it was me since more likely than not he asked me what I am looking for, and not the opposite. Mental note: I should definitely start keeping notes). You have to find a way to start this conversation (easy for you to say. Once we kick off the talk, I can take it from there, but I have no idea how to start)."
We talked for a little while more trying to come up with different ways to have this conversation and so far have come up with two scenarios: either bring it up after sex or give an example of a third party changing their mind on their word (my friend thinks it might prompt the guy to speak up if he knows I think it's OK when people change their initial intentions). I like the first one more since it has a double meaning and if he doesn't follow through, I'd be able to brush it off as a joke. If he does though, then it would be a kick-start for a conversation.
I'll leave my thoughts to myself right now, cause I am not sure yet I digested all this information and know exactly what to do. I'll let you know when I decide.