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....